The industry-standard professional A clarinet with silver-plated keys. Hand-selected and fully optimized over 9 hours with custom leather pads by Rodriguez Musical Services.
$6,668.00
The Buffet Crampon R13 A shares the same polycylindrical bore design, keywork, and build quality as the R13 Bb. It produces a rich, focused and evenly voiced tone with a characteristic ring that projects through orchestral textures and blends naturally in chamber settings. The A’s slightly longer tube adds warmth and depth, particularly noticeable in the chalumeau and throat-tone registers.
The silver-plated key option adds a polished aesthetic and is the version most commonly seen in professional orchestral and university settings.
Every R13 A that Rodriguez Musical Services sells has been hand-selected by our performing clarinetists. We play-test numerous factory instruments to identify the clarinets with a rich, resonant tone, a sweet core (one that ‘sings’), evenness of scale and resistance, a sound that exhibits a large spectrum of colors, and the most consistent intonation.
Each selected R13 A then goes through the RMS 9-Hour Optimization. The instrument is completely disassembled, and every pad, bumper, and cork is removed until only grenadilla wood and metal remain. Custom leather pads replace the factory originals. Springs are adjusted, key heights are calibrated, and the entire mechanism is regulated so that the action feels effortless and the response is even across every register and dynamic level.
The result is what we call “performance ready”: smooth key action, rich and resonant tone, and consistent response from the bottom of the chalumeau through the top of the altissimo.
College music majors preparing for orchestral excerpts, advanced high school students entering competitions that require A clarinet repertoire, graduate music majors, and working professionals adding or replacing an A clarinet will all find the R13 A a reliable and versatile choice. Players who already own an R13 Bb in silver often pair it with the silver-key A for visual and tonal consistency between instruments.
For parents: if your student’s teacher or program has indicated they need an A clarinet, this is the professional standard. The R13 A meets the expectations of university programs, orchestral auditions, and competition panels.
| Body | African blackwood (Grenadilla) |
| Bore | R13 polycylindrical |
| Key | A |
| Keys | Silver-plated |
| Pads | Custom leather (RMS-installed) |
| Springs | Blue steel |
| Includes | Original Buffet Crampon case, RMS certificate of optimization |
Contact for availability. Trial eligible; request a trial to compare two hand-selected instruments in your home for 5 days.
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