Buffet Crampon’s RC-bore Eb clarinet with a warm sound and reliable stability across all registers. Hand-selected and fully optimized over 9 hours with custom leather pads by Rodriguez Musical Services.
$8,223.00
The Eb clarinet is a specialty instrument pitched a fourth above the standard Bb. Orchestral scores call for it in works by Berlioz, Mahler, Strauss, Shostakovich, Ravel, and many others, where its penetrating voice cuts through full orchestral textures.
The Buffet Crampon RC Eb Clarinet uses the RC bore, which pairs a polycylindrical upper joint with a conical lower joint and bell. This configuration produces a warmer, rounder character than the R13 family. On the Eb, the RC bore helps tame the naturally piercing quality of the instrument, keeping the tone focused and musical without the shrill edge that can make Eb clarinet playing challenging.
The RC Eb has historically offered better intonation than R13 Eb clarinets, particularly due to register key placement. The RC Eb remains a strong performer with reliable tuning across all registers and good projection in both orchestral and wind band contexts.
Every RC Eb 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 RC Eb 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.
Professional orchestral clarinetists who double on Eb, military and service band players, and advanced students who need an Eb for specific performances or audition repertoire will find the RC Eb an ideal instrument.
| Body | African blackwood (grenadilla) |
| Bore | RC (polycylindrical upper, conical lower) |
| Key | Eb |
| 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 playtest in your home for 5 days.
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