Buffet Crampon is a French manufacturer of woodwind musical instruments, including oboes, flutes, saxophones, and bassoons; however, the company is perhaps most famous for their clarinets, as Buffet is the brand of choice for many professionals.
Buffet Crampon began manufacturing musical instruments in 1825 exclusively in France, but has since expanded their business to include production facilities in Germany as well. Since the company's conception, Buffet Crampon has expanded to a worldwide market. Antoine Beaussant, Buffet Group's Chief Executive Officer, runs the Buffet Crampon, Besson, B&S, Antoine Courtois, Hans Hoyer, J. Keilwerth, Meinl Weston, Scherzer and W. Schreiber brands.[1]
History
Denis Buffet-Auger, of the Buffet family of French musical instrument makers, began making quality clarinets in Paris, France in 1825. The company expanded under Jean-Louis Buffet and his wife Zoé Crampon and became known as Buffet Crampon. (Another family member, Auguste Buffet jeune, who worked with famous clarinetist Hyacinthe Klosé to develop the Boehm system for clarinet, had his own business separate from Buffet Crampon.)
In 1850, Buffet Crampon established its headquarters at Mantes-la-Ville. The company continued to expand its range and quality in instrument production, beginning saxophone production in 1866, and winning numerous awards. The company began to take root in the American woodwind industry during the early 1900s.
In 1950, the company developed its famous R13 clarinet, an extremely popular professional-level clarinet. In 1981, Buffet joined Boosey & Hawkes, which sold the French company to The Music Group in 2003. Two years later Buffet was bought by a French group. In 2006 Buffet Crampon acquired two brass instrument manufacturers, Antoine Courtois Paris and Besson. In 2008 Buffet Crampon continues to pursue its strategy by the acquisition of the Leblanc clarinet factory in La Couture-Boussey, Département of Eure, Haute-Normandie in France.
Recently, Buffet has made efforts to protect the African blackwood trees, which provide grenadilla wood for clarinets, from being eliminated. In its effort to protect the over-harvesting of African blackwood / grenadilla, Buffet has started making several new models of clarinets. As these do not have the grain structure of a true wood product, they do not have the issue of cracking due to environmental changes that are typically seen in clarinets and other wood instruments.
Evette and Evette & Schaeffer clarinets
Until the 1980s, only professional level clarinets carried the Buffet name. Lower priced clarinets for the beginner and intermediate market were branded "Evette" and "Evette & Schaeffer", respectively. For a time the Evette clarinets actually were built by other manufacturers under Buffet's sponsorship, and these instruments are marked "Evette sponsored by Buffet". By the early 1970s Buffet was making the Evettes in their own factory in Paris, and about 1979 manufacture was moved to a Buffet-owned factory in Germany. Evette & Schaeffer clarinets were made in Paris. Use of the Evette and Evette & Schaeffer brands ended about 1985, when the company began using the Buffet name on all its clarinets.
Clarinet models
Buffet Crampon has released several clarinet models from the mid-20th century onwards, with models ranging from student to professional in marketing. The student models tend to be made from ABS resin, whereas intermediate and professional models are usually made from grenadilla wood. Various options have been made available for select professional models, including the Greenline option, additional keywork, and gold-plated keys.
Student
| Model | Currently in production? | Body | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evette | No | Grenadilla wood | Succeeded by B12 model |
| B10 | Yes | ABS resin | |
| B12 | Yes | ABS resin |
Intermediate
| Model | Currently in production? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Evette | No | Succeeded by E11 model |
| Evette Master Model | No | Succeeded by E12 model |
| Evette & Schaeffer | No | Succeeded by E13 model |
| Evette & Schaeffer Master Model | No | |
| E11 | Yes | Made in Germany; more commonly sold in the United States |
| E11 France | No | Made in France; succeeded by E12F model |
| E12 | No | Referred to as the E45 prior to 1992 |
| E12F | Yes | Made in France; introduced September 2012 |
| E13 | Yes | Made in France; also known as the "Limité" |
| C13 | No | Also known as the "International" |
Professional
| Model | Currently in production? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Conservatoire | Yes | Semi-professional model, also known as the C12 model |
| R13 | Yes | Most popular professional model, named after its designer, Robert Carrée |
| RC | Yes | Evolved from the R13 model with distinctive barrel and bell shape; developed in 1974 with the assistance of the luthier Robert Carrée, for whom the model is named for[2] |
| S1 | No | Equivalent to the R13; manufactured in the 1970s and early 80s; designed to have an inverse taper barrel and a bore similar to earlier R13 clarinets |
| R13 Vintage | Yes | Replaced the S1; closer to the original 1950's R13 bore design |
| R13 Festival | Yes | Has R13 bore with denser wood; register key is 1 mm higher than on a standard R13; has additional alternate left-hand Eb/Ab lever |
| R13 Prestige | Yes | Made from highest quality unstained grenadilla wood; has additional alternate left-hand Eb/Ab lever |
| RC Prestige | Yes | Smaller bore than R13 model; more popular in Europe; has additional alternate left-hand Eb/Ab lever |
| Elite | Yes | Produced only for Lohff and Pfeiffer; replaced on a larger scale by the Tosca; all reinforcing rings were of black polycarbonate fiber |
| Tosca | Yes | Introduced in 2003; has unique bore design and reshaped keywork; has auxiliary Eb key and low F correction key |
| Divine | Yes | Introduced in March 2012 as Buffet's top of the line model |
The Buffet range has been developed and extended over the years with various new models being developed, occasionally replacing older variants. Within the range there is a central core of 3 or 4 models favoured by teachers and pupils alike: the entry level B12 (although the B10 is an increasingly popular alternative), the E11 as an intermediate wooden model and the R13 or RC as a professional-standard instrument. The Festival is of the R13 family, sharing a bore design with its slightly less expensive counterpart; it is made of denser, more select wood. It also has an auxiliary left hand Ab/Eb key, and is sold with two barrels of different lengths. The R13 Prestige and the RC Prestige are more expensive counterparts to the R13 and RC (respectively) made of only the finest wood and craftsmanship. Both models come equipped with an auxiliary left-hand Ab/Eb key and with two barrels of different lengths.
Harmony clarinets
- Prestige model Basset A - this clarinet is in A but descends to a low C.
- Prestige model Basset Horn
- Prestige model Alto Clarinet
- Prestige model Contra-Alto
Bass clarinets
| Model | Level | Greenline option? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1180 | Student | No | Reintroduced in 2013 |
| 1183 | Professional | Yes | Extends to low Eb |
| 1193 | Professional | Yes | Extends to low C |
Double Reeds
| Instrument | Model | Level | Greenline option? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oboe | Conservatoire | Student | No | |
| Oboe | Prestige | Professional | Yes | |
| Oboe | Orfeo | Professional | No | Introduced March 2012 |
| English horn | Prestige | Professional | No | |
| Bassoon | Prestige | Professional | No |
Flute models
Originally Buffet Crampon flutes were made in Paris, France. But in 1981 the company was bought out by Boosey & Hawkes and their flutes were manufactured in Boosey & Hawkes factories in England (and later in Germany) over the period 1981 to 2004. In 2005 the Buffet Crampon company returned to French hands.
Modern Buffet Crampon flutes utilize the Cooper scale [see Albert Cooper (flute maker)] and have a reputation for accurate tuning. The 200 series flutes were of average construction quality and needed regular maintenance to play well. In the 1980s Boosey & Hawkes redesigned the Buffet Crampon flute as the 6000 series with improved key cups and stiffer keys. The 6000 series is generally regarded as mechanically superior to the 200 instruments.
200 Series
- 225 - Silver plated, inline G, closed keys
- 227 - Silver plated, inline G, open hole (French style)
- 228 - Silver plated, offset G, closed keys
Redesigned 6000 series
- 6010 - Silver plated, inline G, closed keys
- 6020 - Silver plated, offset G, split E, closed keys
- 6040 - Silver plated, offset G, open hole (French style)
- 6050 - Silver plated, inline G, split E, open hole
7000 series
Semi-pro models with silver heads and plated bodies. Model sub-numbers are similar to the 6000 series as above.
Saxophone models
As early as 1866, Buffet Crampon was producing its first saxophones, 20 years after the invention of this instrument by the Belgian Adolph Sax. They were the first to manufacture saxophones, besides those made by Adolph Sax himself. Today, Buffet Crampon produces three series of saxophones: 100 Series, 400 Series and since 2013, the Senzo alto saxophone.
100 Series
These are beginner instruments
- Series 100 alto saxophone, lacquer
- Series 100 tenor saxophone, lacquer
400 Series
These are intermediate/professional models
- Series 400 alto saxophone, lacquer and matte
- Series 400 tenor saxophone, lacquer and matte
- Series 400 baritone saxophone, lacquer and matte
Senzo
This is their top model
- Senzo alto saxophone