Buffet Crampon’s premium R13 Prestige A clarinet, built from unstained heartwood Grenadilla for maximum resonance. Hand-selected by Rodriguez Musical Services, fully optimized, and shipped performance-ready.
$10,089.00
The Buffet Crampon R13 Prestige A Clarinet uses the same polycylindrical bore as the standard R13 A, built from hand-selected heartwood (the densest, most resonant portion of the Grenadilla tree) left in its natural unstained color. The result is more projection, more resonance, and a slightly bigger overall sound compared to the standard R13 A. The A clarinet’s naturally warmer, deeper character combines with the heartwood’s superior density to produce a rich and carrying tone, particularly effective in the lyrical orchestral and chamber repertoire that the A clarinet is called on to play.
Each instrument’s natural unstained grain pattern is unique, making the Prestige immediately distinguishable from the stained standard R13.
The Prestige adds metal-capped tenons, which reduce crack risk at the joints and reportedly improve resonance transfer between registers of the instrument. The left-hand Eb/Ab auxiliary lever comes standard, allowing faster navigation through passages that require quick transitions to and from Eb/Ab. This feature becomes increasingly valuable in the advanced orchestral and solo A clarinet repertoire (Mozart, Brahms, Strauss) where technical facility and tonal control must coexist.
The keywork, springs, and bore geometry are otherwise identical, so players moving from a standard R13 A to the Prestige will find the feel immediately familiar.
Every R13 Prestige 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 Prestige 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.
Advanced college students upgrading from a standard R13 A, graduate students, young professionals, orchestral players, and university professors gravitate toward the R13 Prestige A for its superior projection and the convenience of the Eb lever.
For players who know and trust the R13 bore, the Prestige A is a straightforward step up: the same feel, denser wood, more key amenities, and more sound where it counts most.
| Body | Unstained heartwood African blackwood (grenadilla) |
| Bore | R13 polycylindrical |
| Key | A |
| Keys | Silver-plated |
| Features | Metal-capped tenons, left-hand Eb/Ab auxiliary lever |
| 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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