Hey everyone! I was just wondering if any of you had a really old Bb R-13? I recently recieved mine and it is in awesome condition, plus the tone quality is INCREDIBLE! If you have an old R-13, please reply to this! I`d like to talk to some people that have an R-13 as well! Thanks a bunch, Amber K.

mines an Eb.
Does that help?

i just got a brand new R-13 in june, and i love it. i know u asked for people with old ones, but i just wanted to tell u that my instrument is the best thing i think i`ve ever played on.

I own an R13 thats a year old and love it. Very good R13`s are some of the best clarinets Buffet makes howerever the bad ones are awful. If you`re buying any clarinet not just an R13 you should try a bunch out to find the one you like the best as quality can vary greatly.

Yes-I do agree Buffet makes the best clarinets! Some clarients ARE pretty bad...lol However, for a beginner, a good clarinet is a plastic Bb Vito V-40....I started out on that one, and now I have the 1966 R-13 (which is wow wow wow wow wow wow WOW! I luv it!) I am SOOO over-protective of my clarinet that people sometimes lovingly joke that it`s my `baby.` lol...Clarinets really are great instruments!

I have been playing on an older model R13 Prestige for 5 years now and it truly has the most gorgeous sound. If you have any questions about clarinet feel free to email me. I am a clarinet performance major at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Best Wishes,
Jessica

I agree that R13s of all ages are great instruments( well- if they are in good shape) but you guys have to open your minds about clarinets man. Buffet is not the only good clarinet maker! I play on the Leblanc Opus(model 1190s) and the Concerto (model 1189s) and they are a world of difference to any other clarinet i`ve played- including the R13 and the RC Prestige. R13s have been the tradition for soooooo long , and now many professionals are switching over to Leblanc models like the Concerto(17 key) and the Opus(18 key) because Buffets just arent what they used to be. They have also missed out on alot of improvements that have been developed over the last 50 years. What Robert Caree did all those years ago has now been outdated. Many professionals want a new instrument they can break in themselves and adjust it to their style or technique- so if will become a truly awesome instrument. You cant do that with Buffets anymore now that Boosey&Hawkes took them over- they are just not making the clarinets up to the same high standards. Thats why many love the old R13s- but those are definetly outdated.

hey all! (I`m 14 and have been playing clarinet for 3 years)

I actually have an old r-13 - it was my dads... when i first started playing clarinet my dad gave it to me (it was his when he was in high school)- I was like man this stinks- I get an old dinky clarinet - but WHOA! was I wrong! I now know what an awesome clarinet it is--

sadly enough- last year I had set my clarinet on the couch between practice times to play some piano. As I turned around, my brother was bending down to sit down- RIGHT ON MY CLARINET! I was in shock! I sat there and watched the whole thing in slow motion- unable to speak a word! There was a devestating crunch then a blood curdling scream( from me) and my brother ran out of the room as fast as he could ...the wood had collapsed above the right hand b flat key...luckily enough- I went to a shop and they sent it across america but finally they got it fixed.. they had to replace a whole section of my clarinet! They even found the exact wood it was made from- now its all better!

A word of advice- always set your clarinet on a stand when not in use.(if only i could have learned that earlier-)

Bradley--I am not trying to be rude really, but just because a clarinet is OLD doesn`t mean it`s outdated! I mean, yes, you DO have to search for a good instrument, but then again, you have to search for good reeds, mouthpieces, etc! And I completely agree that the new Buffets aren`t nearly as good. Besides, they are running out of the wood they used on the old r-13`s. Please do not dis older instruments just because they are old--I have the best instrument in my section, anyway. All of the other players have new clarinets and they don`t have clarinets even close to mine!!

nInJa tUrTLe gAl, old wood makes an intsrument sound better than new wood. I play the cello and boy does it have a lot of cracks in it. Well acually it has over 20 stress cracks, 2 pached up holes and a off centered sound post crack. For a cello thats very bad, most professionals think that my cello is a piece of garbage, but it still sounds good. :-D

Oh, and all old instruments will always sound better than new instruments, a well known fact, especially if they are made out of wood.

Yes, I agree with that too. If wood is really old and has not cracked, it has "proven" itself. I mean, mine is almost 40 years old and has hardly any scratches and has never been cracked. Plus, since it`s old, the wood is "broken in"! Best wishes...

OOPs I forgot to mention that my cello is around 150 years old or older. My cello does have a lot of cracks in it but it still sounds better than any other cello I`ve played before.

I have been playing the RC which is 10yrs old and the older clarinets sure sound great even when it is older the better it gets.

No, no, no
I did not say that I prefer a newer clarinet to an older one!
I mean that Buffets tend to be stiff and you form alot of quirks in your embouchure when playing on them for a while to get used to them. When i switch from my beautiful clarinet over to a Buffet, I can barely make a sound out of any note in the altissimo simply because Leblanc has made alot of improvements over the years to their clarinets to allow you to just have a great sounding instrument. They have almost completely eliminated traits a player forms from playing on a particular brand. Same thing with Selmers( The Paris models mind you- because Selmer Usa is a bunch of garbage). I can switch from Leblanc to Selmer pro models back and forth when test playing , without having a problem. The thing with a great new clarinet is, although it might not sound as good as an old one- you can break in the new clarinet to your specifications perfectly, so over the years the clarinet will feel like it was always made for you.