The history of World Famous Clarinet Maker Buffet Crampon

In 1825 a French "luthier", Denis Buffet-Auger, established his workshop right in the heart of Paris. He quickly became well-known in the music world for developing of the excellent 13-key clarinet. At that time, clarinets were entirely hand-made, which required a wealth of experience and craftsmanship.

In 1830, Jean-Louis Buffet (Denis’ son) took over the business. He married Zoé Crampon in 1836 and so the famous Buffet Crampon brand name was created. The logo used today first appeared in 1844.

Louis-Auguste Buffet (Jean-Louis’ uncle) met the clarinettist Hyacinthe Klosé, a virtuoso musician and a teacher at the Paris Conservatory. These two men, the technician and the artist, worked together. They took the idea of movable rings which the German Theobald Boehm has developed for the flute and adapted it for the clarinet. First exhibited in 1839, this new system was very successful and in order to meet the demand, the Buffet Crampon factory was built in 1850 in Mantes-la-Ville. As early as 1866, Buffet Crampon was producing its first saxophones, 20 years after the invention of this instrument by the Belgian Adolphe Sax.

In 1918, Buffet Crampon entered the American market and established its position as the leader in the world of professional clarinets.

In 1921, a young beginner, Robert Carrée, was hired by the company. He was an extremely talented acoustic technician and developed the R13 clarinet in 1950 and the RC clarinet in 1975. These in turn led to the creation of the Festival and Prestige professional models.

Buffet Crampon has always had a tradition of innovation. In 1994, BUFFET CRAMPON broke tradition by creating a new line of wind instruments named after the material they are made of: Green Line. This revolutionary material, composed of ebony powder (95%) and carbon fiber (5%), considerably reduces the risk of cracking while simultaneously providing the same acoustical qualities as those of wood. Today Green Line clarinets and oboes are known worldwide and played by the most famous professional musicians.

In 2003, BUFFET CRAMPON completed its top line by creating the Tosca clarinet, the product of cooperation between its talented instrument craftsmen and well-known musicians, including Michel Arrignon, Romain Guyot, Pascal Moraguès, Guy Deplus and Paul Meyer. This 21st century clarinet is the result of highly elaborate technological advances and is characterized by incomparable elegance and style.

In 2006, BUFFET CRAMPON acquired two famous brass instrument brands, Antoine Courtois Paris (created in 1803) and Besson (created in 1837).

Through these three brands, Buffet Crampon, Antoine Courtois and Besson, the Group is present in the woodwinds sector (clarinets, bass clarinets, oboes, bassoons, saxophones) and brass instruments (trumpets, cornets, flugelhorns, trombones, French horns, tenor horns, baritones, euphoniums, tubas, saxhorns). The BUFFET CRAMPON professional models are manufactured in the finest tradition of French instrument making, in the historical site in Mantes-la-Ville, in France.

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