Buffet Introduces new name and products
January 2016 – The 2016 Winter NAMM show in Anaheim was the platform for the renaming of one of the historic names in music manufacturing. The 190 year old Buffet Group changed its name back to honor its origin, as Buffet Crampon and Buffet Crampon USA. The company also has a new logo that returns towards the roots of the company and it French heritage.
Buffet Crampon remains the second largest manufacturers of wind instruments in the world. The company is composed of a total of nine brands: Buffet Crampon, Besson, Antoine Courtois, Julius Leilwerth, W. Schreiber, B&S, Hans Hoyer, Melton Meinl Weston and J. Scherzer. These groups make woodwinds (clarinets, bass clarinets, oboes, bassoons and saxophones) along with brasswinds (trumpets, coronets, flugelhorns, trombones, tenor horns, baritones, euphoniums, tubas, and saxhorns). The company still manufactures its Professional Buffet Crampon clarinets, oboes and bassoons in the traditional French lutherie methods on its historic site in Mantes-la-Ville in France.
At the show the brands introduced several new products. Buffet Crampon released two new clarinets – the Prodige which is a new student clarinet with ABS joints. The design has a new bore that is inspired by the E13 and E12F clarinets, but has a revised air chamber to make the instrument easier to play and stay in tune. On the high end is a new professional clarinet that called the Tradition. The Tradition has anew bore design that is inspired by the Pre-1950 iconic and fabled Buffet Crampon BC20 cylindrical bore. The design has been updated with influences from the R13 and RC families. The result is a more consistent intonation and voicing across all registers. At the NAMM show the Tradition was demonstrated by LA Philharmonic clarinetist Burt Hara.
Buffet Crampon Tradition Clarinet played by Burt Hara
Buffet Crampon also introduced the ICON Clarinet mouthpieces and ligature to accompany the 2013 introduction of the ICON barrels. The barrels had three ring finishes (gold, silver and black) and featured an inverse conical bore. The mouthpieces are available in to tip openings. The ICON 1 is a classic opening. The ICON 2 is a slightly longer tip opening with more projection. The ICON ligatures have a pink gold body with black nickel screes for a truly unique response and sound.
Finishing up the woodwinds, Buffet Crampon introduced the Kirk Whalum Signature Tenor Saxophone neck. The neck has a double brace design as has long been associated with Kirk from many years playing Keilwerth saxes. The neck is a nickel-plated brass with a gold lacquered brass octave key and a hand engraved “KW” marking on the tenon.
B&S (Biechblas und Signalinstrumenten) introduced the Challenger 1 trumpet. This follows their 250 year old German brass making methods. Like all B&S trumpets, it has a one piece hand–hammered bell. The Challenger 1 will be available in multiple finishes and a balanced resonance.
