The Buffet Crampon company
Denis Buffet-Auger, of the Buffet family of French musical instrument makers, rapidly acquired a reputation from 1825 in Paris, France, when he began making superb clarinets. The company expanded under Jean-Louis Buffet, Denis’ son, and his wife Zoé Crampon, and became known as Buffet Crampon, establishing its headquarters at Mantes-la-Ville (Yvelines, France) in 1850. The company continued to expand its range and its reputation with the additional production of high quality oboes and bassoons, winning numerous awards.
During the early 1900s, Buffet Crampon also began to establish itself as a world leader in the American woodwind industry.
Since 1994, Buffet has endorsed efforts to protect African Blackwood (Grenadilla) trees, with the development of its new “Green Line” materials. These are composed of 95% granulated Grenadilla wood, 5% polycarbonate fibre, and a specially formulated epoxy resin. This mixture is heated at very high temperatures and formed into billets, which then follow the same manufacturing processes as the 100% Grenadilla wood BC-3613 model.
The “Green line” material possesses the same acoustic properties as natural wood, and has the advantage of being highly resistant to cracking, since there is no grain.
