Buffet Tradition Bb Clarinet

What's a Tradition?

Think of the Tradition as Buffet going “okay, enough with tweaking the R13—let’s make something different.” Released in 2017, the Tradition is the foundation of Buffet’s “non-R13” bore family. If you're keeping score, the Tradition is basically the Légende with fewer bells and whistles.

Resistance: 7/10, Medium-Heavy

To me, the Tradition feels more resistant than the R13/Festival family but a touch less than the Légende. There’s a firmness to the blow—think of it like the difference between pushing open a screen door and a solid oak one. That resistance gives you a focused, stable sound and keeps your tone from “spreading” at high volumes. The tradeoff is you won’t get quite as much flexibility in tonal shading without working for it.

In general, more resistance in a clarinet design usually keeps the louder dynamic ranges from spreading; the clarinet holds its core and focus, but will provide a smaller dynamic range (on both ends, loud and soft) and smaller color palette. A less resistant clarinet typically provides a much wider tonal palette to choose from, but will require more control from the player to control pitch and sound consistency.

When listening for how a clarinet responds to added air pressure and embouchure control, listen to the Weber example (wide dynamic range and color range), then the Berlioz excerpt (wide dynamic range, but narrow color range), and finally the Gershwin excerpt (narrow dynamic range and narrow color range). You will hear how these clarinets respond—for better or worse!—to my input as a clarinet player.

Compare the Tradition to the Légende (slightly more resistant, with extra intonation/stability gadgets) or to a free-blowing clarinet like the Buffet R13 or Selmer Privilege. You’ll notice the Tradition gives you more “locked in” pitch security at the expense of a little flexibility.

Special features

The Tradition is a little more barebones than the Légende—it’s about the sound and feel, not gadgetry. No GreenLine tone-hole inserts. But you do get (drum roll) a Low F Correction Key! This is new for 2025. Baller!

The Low F correction key sits right below the Low F key, providing an opportunity to, well, correct how out of tune that note often is.

Also you get new ergonomic rings around the tone holes. A small thing, but man does it feel good. In fact, all of the keys feel (and look) fantastic.

Comes with:

• 65mm and 66mm barrels
• Metal tenons and sockets
• Low F correction key
• Cork and gore-tex pads
• Silver keywork with adjustable thumb rest
• Tradition pochette-style single case

All earspasm instruments come with a 7-day trial. Please read my trial policy before pulling out that credit card.

FAQ:

Q: What is a "demo" instrument?
A: Sometimes I get open-box instruments that have been to a trade show. These instruments are brand-new, and come with the same warranty as new instruments. But because they've been unboxed, they can't be sold as new...so I get a discount which I pass along to you. Each one is set up, just like every instrument I sell. If you have any questions about a specific demo instrument I have for sale here, just reach out and we can discuss!

Q: What if I'm in New York and want to try it in person?
A: Contact me to set up an appointment, and let's do it!

Q: Does the instrument come with a warranty?
A: Yes, it comes with the Buffet warranty against cracks, etc. If you ever have any problem with the instrument, I'm your quarterback. I'll take care of the whole process, just let me know you need help, and I'll take it from there.

Q: What happens if it's damaged during shipping?
A: Inspect the package before you sign off at delivery! If there are any issues resulting from shipping, we have taken out an insurance policy to cover damage (and loss). But we need you to document this damage or we can't do anything to help. Please read my trial policy for how to handle this issue, should it arise.

Q: If I decide to return it, do have to pay return shipping costs?
A: Not if you live in the Continental US! Because I want you to find the right instrument for you, and doing so online is harder than doing so in-person, I will cover the return shipping. Please  read my trial policy for trial and return rules.

Q: Do you ship internationally?
A: Yes. You can add your shipping address when checking out to see what the shipping costs will be before taking the plunge. Note that VAT and Customs Duties are not included in this cost.