Show us your clarinet!
Is there a story behind how you came to play your clarinet? What make and model is it? Are you a lifelong Buffet player, or do you prefer Selmer? Or perhaps some other brand altogether? Are there particular quirks to your instrument you’ve learned to work with?
Show us a photo of your clarinet and tell us the story behind it!
26 replies
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I play on a lovely pair of Peter Eaton Elite (wide bore) clarinets. I had long coveted the Peter Eaton Elites after years of playing on 1950 1010s, with their notorious tuning issues. So a couple of year ago when Peter came out of retirement and began manufacturing again I knew I had to get them! I've had them for about a year now and so happy with them. But still haven't settled on a reed brand for the new mouthpiece
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I've just recently purchased this Buffet Divine model clarinet from Howarths of London - I'd been playing on the same Buffet R13 for almost 20 years, and thought it was probably about time for an upgrade. I couldn't believe the difference in sound, it was such a huge improvement (although with a price tag to match!), and the intonation is very good (although I'm still getting used to it, as I was clearly adjusting a lot with my old Buffet and I'm still doing that now when I don't need to).
I didn't get a matched pair as I almost never use my A clarinet (since I don't tend to play in orchestras), it generally sits unloved in a closet, poor thing... -
I currently play on an Uebel Superior Plateau clarinet. I'll share my long story of how I came to this instrument.
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I purchased my first Buffet R13 Bb clarinet in 1973 -- the year I joined the Army to play in a military band. I played the heck out of that horn for 9 years, then shelved it when I left the military and started a civilian career.
I restarted the clarinet in 2014 when my husband retired, and left me for 5 months to hike the Appalachian Trail. I joined several community bands and a chamber group, and also purchased a 1973 Buffet A clarinet.
At that time, I had no arthritis in my hands. But fast forward a few years and my thumb joint deformed, and now two index fingers are very bent. I continued playing on my Buffets until I experienced a very disappointing performance this winter when I had several squeaks from not being able to cover the tone hones during fast passages.
At that time, I heard about the Uebel Superior Plateau clarinet that had closed tone-hole covers much like a flute. Apparently plateau clarinets were once quite popular but fell out of favor. And while there are currently several brands of plateau on the market, Uebel was marketed as a professional brand, so I purchased one.
The first thing I noticed with the Uebel was it has excellent response in all registers -- actually much better than my Buffets. However, some of the notes were stuffy and there was a serious intonation problem in the Bb and throat tones. After months of attempting to resolve the problem (I wondered if it was me -- but finally validated it was not), the manufacturer let me ship it back to them for repairs. They found a piece of debris in the tone hole and once removed it resolved the problem.
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But that's not the end of the story. When I shared my saga with my stand mate in community band (who by the way had sold me a set of Buffet Festivals which I really like), I had said I wished there was a professional service that could convert professional model clarinets. Because as much as I like the Uebel, I don't love the sound like I do the Buffets. My friend said there was and he connected me with Lohff & Pfeiffer in Denmark. After a lengthy discussion, I decided to send them my set of Buffet Festival clarinets for a conversion, which they are doing right now. Fingers crossed I will be happy with this.
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In the attached photo of my Uebel clarinet, some of the keys look pink. They are not, that is only the reflection from the flash. -
I'm currently playing on a Selmer Centered Tone that was made in the 1950s. It's holding up remarkably well! It has some features I like, extra articulation mechanisms, and a ring for the C/G tone hole. Pardon the dust! It's in need of a cleaning.
I recently picked up another Centered Tone from the same era which I'm currently restoring, I'll include a photo of the work-in-progress.
Would love to get one of those Eatons someday. I've heard them in person and they are beautiful.
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I play on Backun custom clarinets. I am extremely pleased with this brand of clarinet and highly recommend them to anyone interested in moving to the next level of performance.
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I have a pair of Schwenk & Seggelke clarinets. These are german system. I had to wait almost 2 years for them and love them very much. My Bass is a Uebel also german in mopane wood.
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These are beautiful. I've never played on a German system clarinet. Did you originally learn on that system, or did you change later?
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Three years ago I switched from Buffet R13s to Traditions. Buffet was upgrading it so I got a really good deal on a new pair of the old model. Here’s a photo of the Bb when it was new. As soon as I tried it, I loved it. The clarinets have nickel keys which also made them less expensive but the smooth finish is nice.
True confession, I usually talk to them when I put them away, and tell them how good they are. :)
A Divine like Heather’s would be nice though. Maybe in my next life.
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Your Buffet Tradition looks great! It amazes me to see all of the different models of Buffets. Wouldn't it be cool to have them all lined up in a room and be able to sample them in one sitting?
I love that you talk to you clarinets before putting them away. I don't conscientiously do that, but now that you mentioned it, I realize that I've been mentally cursing one of my new clarinets (not Buffet) that I've had a bit of problems with. Maybe I need to say something nice to it to see if that helps the problem go away. -
Thanks for the suggestion Heather. I've been to ClarinetFest one time about 10 years ago. I remember trying a Backun clarinet that had a price tag of around $10,000. I knew I wouldn't be able to afford it, but I wanted to see what it felt like to play on a "Rock Star" instrument. It felt great!
I sort of regret never having the opportunity to play on a Selmer clarinet. Several of the musicians I served with the Army band played on Selmers and judging by their sound, that must be another high-end clarinet.
I don't do much traveling any more, but if ClarinetFest makes it way back down to the Southeaster states, I'd love to visit again. By the way, when I was there last, I took a session with clarinet choir and was totally blown away at some of the arrangements we played. They were on par -- or better - that concert band arrangements, as each part was interesting and challenging. -
I previously posted that I was a long-time Buffet clarinet player, had purchased and tried an Uebel Superior Plateau clarinet earlier this year due to arthritis, and then decided to have my set of Buffet Festival clarinets converted to a plateau system by Lohff & Pfeiffer, a specialized workshop in Denmark.
I just received my Festivals back and absolutely love the conversion. I now have the best of both worlds -- two clarinet that accommodates my aging hands and allow me to continue playing, AND, my favorite Buffets with their lovely tone.
