Backun Essence Bb Clarinet

My experience with RMS has been the most seamless and enjoyable instrument purchase I have ever made. Their instruments were all beautifully set up, which made choosing an instrument far easier! I cannot recommend them enough!

I couldn't be happier with my new set of clarinets. Heather and Alcides are fantastic musicians, so they pick only the top inventory to sell. This makes the whole experience very easy and stress-free. If you are looking for a new instrument(s), they will not disappoint!

RMS provided exactly the instrument selection process I was looking for. They understand the process from the point of view of the performer and can offer what many dealers cannot. The instruments were hand-selected and had comprehensive adjustments so I could make the best decision possible. I doubt you will find a better selection service anywhere!

My clarinet looks and plays better than new! This is the best overhaul I've ever had, and I can't express in words how thankful I am. Seriously, you upgraded EVERYTHING. The mechanism is SILENT. There's no excess key play AT ALL. The seal is air tight, but somehow it still feels like my old clarinet. Expect more business from me in the future. I love being able to have such professional work done at a reasonable price and in a timely manner. You have a client for life!

I just want to take a moment and say wow! The clarinet overhauls were simply amazing. I really appreciate the time your team spent on the details. I love the fluid action of the key work and intonation improvements. I am not sure if you know what I mean when I say that these instruments play better than when I had them Brannenized, but they do. Thank you! I will be a returning customer and I will help spread the word about your business!

Rodriguez Musical's work is beyond compare. They are a joy to work with and the quality of their work is among the best, if not the best in the world!

I got my clarinet today and I must say, as soon as I opened the case I was amazed at how beautiful it looked. The only thing more beautiful was the quality of the work. The response of the instrument is flawless as well as the ease in which it now plays. I could not ask for the instrument to feel any better under my fingers. I can't wait to unleash it at rehearsal tomorrow evening! Thank you for your kindness, professionalism and extraordinary work. You now have a customer for life

My clarinet was in desperate need of an overhaul, and they blew my expectations out of the water! My clarinet looks and feels practically brand new. The craftsmanship on the cleaning, pad and tenon replacements, as well as sharpening the key action and ensuring proper adjustments, has given my clarinet new life. Working with the folks at RMS was an easy and amazing experience, and I'm grateful for their attention to care and detail!

I want to extend my sincere thanks to you and the entire team for the exceptional work on my Tosca clarinet. It looks absolutely stunning—like new—and plays better than any instrument I've ever handled. I had no idea a clarinet could feel this refined and responsive. Your craftsmanship is truly outstanding, and I deeply appreciate the care and expertise you put into your work. I'll be sure to recommend your services to my colleagues.

I just had my vintage R-13 A clarinet overhauled by Rodriguez Musical Services and I would have to dig out my Thesaurus to find enough words to express how utterly AMAZING the horn is now! It feels, plays and sounds better than it ever has, even when it was brand new back in 1974! I've always loved this horn, but I believe that the work done by the Rodriguez team has unlocked some previously untapped potential in it that I never knew was there. The keywork is tight, smooth and even, all the heights are perfect and the spring tension has just the right amount of resistance and rebound. The cleaning not only makes the horn look brand new, but the wood now has more resonance and vibrancy throughout the entire range of the instrument. It 'rings' like it never has before. Mega-Kudos to the folks at RMS. Heather, Alcides and their team are providing a service that is professional, personalized and of the highest technical quality (plus, they're all really nice people!). They are a great asset to the clarinet community and I cannot recommend them highly enough.

We live in Colorado and bought a clarinet from RMS on the recommendation from our music instructor, and I would hands down recommend them to anyone in the market. Having never done this before, Heather made the process easy, answered all of my questions, had great communication, and made a long-distance purchase simple. Much appreciation to this business!

I had been inquiring about purchasing a new clarinet for our daughter for a few months and came across the website for Rodriguez Musical Services. The site provided insight to how they choose the perfect instrument and then bring it back to their shop and further enhance each instrument was what really sold me. I began exchanging emails with Mrs. Rodriguez, discussing what I thought my daughter was leaning towards and trusted her expert guidance throughout the entire process. She opened her home studio to us on a Sunday morning and provided our daughter four different clarinets to audition. She ultimately chose a Buffet Festival and could not be happier with her choice.Top -notch buying experience.

I recently just bought an R13 Bb clarinet from Rodriguez Musical Services and it was just the best experience! They sent me two clarinets to trial and they shipped very fast. They were also very responsive to my emails and overall just super enjoyable to work with. The clarinets themselves are absolutely amazing, it was hard to choose! They are some of the best clarinets I’ve played on and I really appreciate that they work on them before selling them to people. I will continue to go here for future repairs and purchases!

I purchased a Buffet Tosca bass clarinet from Rodriguez Musical Services several years ago. I love this bass clarinet and loved dealing with them. This year I had my 30 year old LeBlanc Opus B-flat clarinet overhauled by Rodriguez Musical Services and it now plays like a charm. Once again, they were a delight. These are great people who do great work!

Heather and Alcides are great. The quality of the work and personal attention are outstanding. After a complete overhaul, the 1978 R-13 now plays like it never has!

I had my R13 clarinet completely overhauled by Rodriguez Musical, and they did an exceptional job. They transformed my old, worn-out clarinet into an instrument that plays like new. The clarinet is now incredibly responsive, and I have much better control over articulation. While their prices are higher than other repair services, the quality of work is well worth it. I'm thrilled with the results and highly recommend their services to other clarinetists.

When I fell in love with mopane wood clarinets early in 2024, my first and only thought was.....see if Heather and Alcides (Rodriguez) carry them. I was so happy to see that they did, and a few months later, I chose the one that spoke to me. I have had this instrument nearly a year at this writing. Like my first clarinet from Rodriguez, my mopane R13 clarinet is just...divine. Beautiful to look at, extremely smooth and quiet mechanically, JUST the "feel" my fingers like when I play.I also have a 1982 R13, I've had it for several years. I stopped playing it at some point because...it was old...it was clanky....it had a stuffy low G (I HATE that), it was not at all enjoyable to play.Having had a relationship for several years now with Heather and Alcides, of course I sent this clarinet to them for a complete overhaul, whatever it needed. I kind of held my breath, did not know what to expect. But I received it back a few days ago (at this writing) and it is just...perfection. I don't know how Alcides and Jonas did it, but they did. My cherished 1982 R13 came back looking shiny and new. It came back playing wonderfully well. It is as quiet and smooth mechanically as the new mopane, and as the Greenline was. It is a joy to play, and I am so very grateful. Original review somewhere around 2019: I can not say enough good things about Heather and this company. I was at my wit's end trying to find a clarinet that was perfect for me after years of off-and-on instrument trials, buying the wrong instrument more than once, and general frustration with playing and getting ready to record and just not being happy with my instrument. After several emails, and a couple of phone calls, they sent me two clarinets, and one of them was THE one. It's an R13 Greenline. I chose Greenline to try because of our high desert climate. It takes the worry of our chronically low humidity out. The instrument is divine. It is quiet, mechanically perfect, smooth. I am confident now that if I feel held back in any way, it is ME, not my beautiful clarinet. There are a lot of clarinets out there. Several other "brands," several of which I've had over the years. I have always come back to Buffet. And I am so happy to have found Rodriguez Musical Services.

Can't begin to describe how wonderful our experience with Rodriguez Musical Services has been!! We live out of state and were originally planning to order a pro clarinet from a local music store. However, we were referred to RMS by my son's professional clarinet instructor, based on the high accolades her university students gave regarding the Rodriguez services. I also liked the fact that Heather and her husband Alcides are professional clarinetists. I reached out to Heather, who offered concise tips on clarinet selection for our particular needs. It can be daunting with so many variables and options, so this was a breath of fresh air! She explained the RMS Premium Upgrade option and walked me through the acquisition process. (Although RMS specializes in hand-selecting the perfect clarinets in-house, my son chose to do an in-person trial at the Buffet warehouse, since that was local to us.) I am so glad that we went with RMS vs local music stores - these establishments are not typically owned/operated by pro clarinetists, and do not have the level of expertise needed to understand and achieve all the nuances of sound quality, key response, ability to maintain pitch, etc - so we knew 100% that we would be receiving the best services from RMS, especially considering the quality of instrument we were looking to purchase/upgrade.A note about clarinet trials; If you are not able to personally be involved with hearing each one being tested/played, you can absolutely rest assured that the RMS team will instinctively be able to find the best-sounding instrument for your needs and present you with only top choices. We observed this exact process firsthand with our instructor standing in as assessor alongside my son; it was a complex multi-sensory experience as attention was given to how each instrument sounded in all registers (including how well it kept pitch), how easily it responded, and how it handled/felt overall. After trying several different models and many clarinets, narrowing it down to the top 3, a blind test was performed and the three of us came to a unanimous consensus of the very best-sounding clarinet. (Had we not had the privilege of access to Buffet's warehouse, we definitely would have trusted our clarinet trial with RMS, since their entire company is composed of expert musician/technicians!)Our final choice of clarinet was shipped directly to RMS for a premium upgrade service which included spring adjustment, precise key alignment, total replacement of generic factory pads and bumpers with more durable materials, and performance testing to verify optimal play (and more!). The team was also happy to adjust our thumb rest slightly higher per request. You can't even tell where it used to be!! Instrument was packaged with great care and arrived at our home in good time. It plays with ease and my son doesn't even hear the keys depressing as he does with his lower model Buffet (that has standard factory pads). The sound is unparalleled, clear and melodic with full resonance, perfect action, to which I give much credit to the amazing job on the upgrade! We are thrilled with the expert guidance we received during the entire process; my son's new silver R13 clarinet is a joy to play and he looks forward to seeing where it takes him in the future. Highly, highly recommend RMS for any clarinet needs - I am so glad we found out about them. It is well worth the investment and we will refer RMS to anyone who is serious about looking for a new clarinet or needs their instrument serviced in future!

The trial by mail process was super easy and all 3 instruments played great and were set up well. Very happy with my new Festival!

I highly recommend Rodriguez Musical Services! I have purchased an amazing professional clarinet. I also had my old R-13 clarinet overhauled and not only were the keys polished but it plays as good a brand new instrument! For your pro clarinet needs please try them out. Fast and easy communication and wonderful people!

Rodriguez Musical Services did a fantastic job of refurbishing my Buffet Clarinet! I had taken my clarinet to local repair shops, but those repairs didn’t last. My clarinet had wear and tear through many years of teaching in the classroom. I couldn’t believe what an outstanding job they did! I am so very thankful to have my clarinet working well again!

I purchased a Traditions model clarinet as a retirement present for myself. I absolutely love the clarinet and the way it plays! Rodriguez Music Service did exactly what they promised and I recommend them highly!

I first tried Rodriguez's instruments in 2017 at the Orlando ClarinetFest and was absolutely BLOWN away. Every single instrument I tried sang beautifully and I knew right then and there that I would be purchasing an instrument from them in the future. Since then, I have recommended many students purchase their instruments here. 7 years later I am now the proud owner of a brand new clarinet!

I had a great experience purchasing clarinets from Rodriguez Musical Services. Heather was extremely responsive and organized in setting up a trial and answering any questions along the way. All of the clarinets I tried felt and sounded great - the setup work is excellent and comfortable. Purchasing through RMS was a very easy process and I would happily recommend their services.

Sent my 2010 Bb Festival to RMS in desperate need of an overhaul, and they blew my expectations out of the water! My clarinet looks and feels practically brand new. The craftsmanship on the cleaning, pad and tenon replacements, as well as sharpening the key action and ensuring proper adjustment, has given my clarinet new life.Working with the folks has RMS was an easy and amazing experience, and I'm grateful for their attention to care and detail!

The best place for a Buffet clarinet! Heather and Alcides have a particular knack for hearing a special tonal quality in the instruments they select. I’ve purchased four clarinets from them, and each time found instruments of exceptional pitch stability, flexibility of color, and ease of playing. The team here is also so kind and dedicated to finding you the very best, regardless of your social status in the clarinet world. Their outstanding work will make your work as a musician that much more seamless, consistent, and closer to your ideals.

Highly recommended as THE place to shop for Buffet clarinets, or to repair and restore currently-owned Buffet clarinets. Besides purchasing a new Buffet clarinet from Rodríguez Musical Services, I had them do artist overhauls to three of my other instruments. Each was done beautifully, quickly and each play as well as my new one. I’m a very happy customer! Sincere thanks to everyone at RMS!

Heather and Alcides are the best! They're very personable and attentive, and are responsive to questions. I'm very impressed with the quality of work they do, and have never before played such a superb lineup of Buffets that play so evenly throughout all registers. Their instruments are exquisite!!!

I couldn't be happier with the fabulous Legende B♭ clarinet Rodriguez Musical Services selected for me. Heather was an absolute joy to work with -- friendly, professional, communicative, quick to respond to questions, flexible in helping me get what I wanted. Within a couple of weeks of my initial inquiry, RMS sent two fabulous clarinets for trial, either of which I would have been thrilled to keep. I will definitely go back to RMS when the time comes to upgrade my A clarinet!

I have been working with Rodriguez Musical Services for over 6 years. I bought a wonderful set of Buffet Instruments from them and many of my students have purchased wonderful instruments from them. Alcides does amazing work up-keeping my horns, and the customer service is amazing. I cannot recommend them highly enough!