Buffet Crampon’s professional Grenadilla Low C bass clarinet with warm, centered tone and full orchestral projection. Hand-selected and fully optimized by Rodriguez Musical Services.
$16,800.00
The Buffet Crampon Prestige Low C Bass Clarinet is one of the most widely played professional bass clarinets in orchestras and wind ensembles worldwide. The unstained grenadilla body produces a warm, centered, rich tone that projects in large concert halls while blending cleanly in section and chamber settings. The polycylindrical bore and undercut, polished tone holes contribute to even intonation across the full range, from low C through the altissimo register.
The Prestige is equipped with silver-plated, power-forged keywork and an extensive set of professional features: an Eb/Ab lever, a low G resonance key, double and triple D keys, a bell section resonance vent (which improves projection and response in the low register), a double register mechanism, and metal-capped tenons. An adjustable thumb rest allows players to customize their hand position. Blue steel springs provide responsive, consistent key action throughout the mechanism. The Prestige bass also features a two-part neck that allows players to find a comfortable angle without stress or stiffness.
Every Prestige bass clarinet that Rodriguez Musical Services sells has been hand-selected by RMS with a final play test by Alcides Rodriguez, bass clarinetist of the Atlanta Symphony.
Each instrument goes through the RMS optimization process, with particular attention paid to the bass clarinet register mechanism. Pads are evaluated and upgraded as needed with custom leather pads. Key tensions are balanced, key heights are adjusted, extra bumpers and felts are added where needed, and the entire mechanism is regulated for smooth, even response. Final play testing confirms the instrument is in performance-ready condition before it ships.
Bass clarinets, like most Buffet instruments, typically need professional setup work before the action feels right. The RMS optimization addresses this directly, so the Prestige arrives playing at its full potential.
Professional orchestral bass clarinetists, graduate students preparing for orchestral auditions, university programs purchasing a primary bass clarinet, and serious advancing students who need a wooden low C instrument for concert and orchestral repertoire will find the Prestige a proven and reliable choice. It has the range, projection, and tonal quality required for principal bass clarinet duties and the ergonomic design to support extended playing sessions.
For players comparing the Prestige to the Tosca bass, the primary differences are in the register mechanism and projection characteristics. The Tosca features a dual-vent automatic octave mechanism and is optimized for large-hall projection. The Prestige offers a warm, versatile tone at a lower price point and is equally at home in orchestral, wind ensemble, and studio settings.
| Body | Unstained African blackwood (grenadilla) |
| Bore | Polycylindrical |
| Range | Low C |
| Neck | Two-part, adjustable |
| Keys | Silver-plated, power-forged |
| Features | Eb/Ab lever, low G resonance key, double and triple D keys, bell resonance vent, double register mechanism, metal-capped tenons, adjustable thumb rest |
| Pads | Leather pads |
| Springs | Blue steel |
| Includes | Lightweight case with backpack straps, mouthpiece, Buffet care products, RMS certificate of optimization |
Contact for availability. Trial eligible; due to the instrument’s size, trials include one hand-selected and fully optimized bass clarinet.
Beautiful instrument with a wonderful sound. Heather and Alcides were fantastic to work with.
