When I in junior high (about 27 years ago) I decided I wanted to play the clarinet so my mom found a wooden clarinet at a garage sale for $25.00 and we put another $75.00 into getting the pads and corks replaced. I played it all through junior high and part of high school then I put it aside and it sat in my parents house for years. Recently my mom pulled it out and suggested I sell it in our garage sale for $35. I relaized that I may have gem and decided to hold off. I had a friend look at it and he discovered that it was a Buffet-Crampon that was probably worth some money. I have tried to research the instrument on the internet and haven't been able to find much information on it. It has a serial number of K4578 stamped on both joints. Can anyone tell me about this instrument? Any info I can get would be great!

Wow, I don't really know but don't throw it away, I wish I had a Buffet Clarinet.

I have a gorgeous mint Buffet Crampon Bb clarinet (which, unfortunately, I am selling). They can be quite valuable. You can call their USA office (in Jacksonville) and they can look up your serial # for you. If it is a professional grade, you can do it yourself right on their website. They may or may not be able to tell you it's value - that may have to be done by an appraiser

I hate to burst your bubble, but it's probably not worth a whole lot. While Buffet makes very fine instruments (I play one myself), given its age, it's probably not worth much anymore. A new pro model Buffet costs about $2400. Given that it's at least about 30 years old, by now it's probably only worth a few hundred at most. If it's a student or intermediate model, it will be worth less. Certainly look into it, but I wouldn't expect too much.

Life as a clarinetist isn't like that of a string player. I know string players who have bought instruments as investments. As they get older, they become more valuable. When they want to retire, they'll sell the instruments for a profit. Our instruments pretty much only ever go down in price.

That's not entirely true. It depends on the condition that you keep it in. I play on a 1953 Buffet R13 that has been taken care of extremely well for the duration of its existence. The person I bought it from purchased it 20 or so years ago for a little less than $1000 and it was appraised last year for upwards of $3900.

It's not in perfect condition, but it's it is in pretty good condition. I saw one on e-bay last month that sold for over $750. I'm not sure where to take it to get it appraised.

I also have a Buffet-Crampon that I have had in my closet since the 1960s. Based on the serial number, 52479, the instrument dates from about 1954. It is in fine condition (no cracks etc) but I'm pretty sure it could use a tune up (repadding).

How do I establish a price for this, e.g. to list on ebay? It seems like some clarinets sell for a few hundred dollars and some for thousands. How do I know which I have?

Thanks