Vintage

The R13 Vintage clarinet was designed in 1996, due to demand by players to find the same sound of the earlier, highly prized R13′s.  The person charged with this retro-design was René Lesieux, who at the time had more than 40 years under his belt with Buffet in the area of clarinet research and development.

The R13 Vintage is a popular model boasting an easy response and focused tone much like that of the originals.   It comes with two barrels, each with a unique bore design, and the placement of some tone holes has been changed.

While many players are satisfied with the Vintage some still go to great lengths to find the real thing – R13′s built in the 50′s and 60′s.  After all, when well maintained these instruments can be in superb playing condition many decades after their date of manufacture.