R13 Buffet Crampon Clarinet By Blazewood on Jun 01, 2009 - Updated Sep 18, 2011

I purchased the R13 Buffet four years ago and was very pleased initially. This clarinet has wonderful projection and allows for significantly more control in the upper registers than the more intermediate Buffet models, such as the International. The R13 has a mature sound and a rich tone that is appropriate for any musician looking to move up into the advanced/professional arena of clarinet models. At $2,200, this model is one of the cheapest of the advanced models on the market. It is highly recommended to slowly break in this clarinet after purchase, meaning no more than 15 minutes of practicing it a day for several weeks. Also, it is important to avoid moves to different climates. When taken from a dry climate to a very humid climate, the wood of my clarinet swelled and was essentially unplayable until I took it in for a $200 tune-up. Even after that, it has never really recovered and is constantly suffering from intonation problems. The maintenance required to upkeep this clarinet is extensive, so be prepared for a time--and fiscal--commitment.