Rare Buffet Crampon ELITE model professional clarinet with pickup barrels!

We are pleased to offer for sale this extremely hard-to-find Buffet Crampon Elite clarinet! The Elite was one of Buffet’s top-of-the-line clarinets, above the R13 and the Festival in the professional lineup. I did the math a few years ago, adjusted for inflation, and came up with an MSRP of around $12,000 in today’s money—somewhere between a Prestige and a Tosca.

The clarinet achieves its sweet sound by being very thin-walled compared to the other horns, raising some of the tone holes, removing the bell ring, having carbon-fiber bands rather than metal tenon rings, pads with resonators similar to a saxophone, and a few other tweaks. It includes an auxiliary left Eb/Ab lever. It has gold-plated posts, a gold medallion, and the lack of ugly metal tenon rings just makes it a beauty to look at.  It is commonly considered the sweetest-sounding clarinet ever made, and plays with a lot of subtlety compared to an R13.

This particular one is in very good condition. There is some plating wear on a couple of oft-used keys, as seen in the photos. Because of the thin walls, you almost never find these without at least one crack—if you can find one at all. (I’ve owned three, and each one had two cracks.) The tenon corks need to be sanded a little thinner than usual, and techs often mess this up, resulting in a cracked socket.   This one has a short crack starting in the socket of the lower joint and terminating in a post hole, so it’s not going any farther. There is a hairline crack in the bell. Both cracks were repaired by Bruce Marking—lead woodwind technician at Buffet--who sealed them and replaced the carbon fiber banding. As long as you don’t but a thick cork on again, they’ll be stable for life. He also went over the entire clarinet, replaced a few pads, and adjusted it so that it plays perfectly. Pads for this are still available at Buffet, so no worries about your next overhaul.

Also included with this horn are two extra barrels. There is the standard Elite barrel—which I assume is a 66mm—and two others, probably a 66 and a 65. The latter two are adapted for a clarinet pickup. The pickup is not included (I’ll be listing it separately) but I’ve included a photo so you can see the type of pickup you’d be looking for if you want to find your own.

Also included are a Buffet mouthpiece, a cap, a very nice Bay ligature, and the oversized, very protective ProTec case.

Anyway . . . this is a rare chance to own a professional clarinet that is becoming harder and harder to find. It’s the perfect horn for ensemble, chamber, and solo work, and a great addition to your collection!

Please see our other listings for more professional horns.  International buyers, please inquire about shipping, as the cost below will vary by location.