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Buffet Prestige
My alto saxophone is the copper (rose brass) Buffet Prestige pictured at left. The serial number is 38381. This number is also inscribed inside the bocal. The Buffet-Crampon company says the instrument was completed on September 26, 1991. As such, it may be one of the last of the Prestige horns built soley by Buffet. I am the third owner of this saxophone. It was purchased new by the Belgian saxophonist-conductor Norbert Nozy, who in turn sold it to Arno Bornkamp. Arno purchased it as back-up for his Buffet. I bought the instrument from Arno in 2007. There is no indication of whether this instrument is pitched at A440 or A442, but I believe it is tuned to A442, even though there is no "E" (for European tuning) after the serial number. The instrument has only a few post-production modifications. Arno added a small adjustment screw to the bar just above the foot of the low-D key. This allows the player to lower high B, G#, and G a specific amount by adding the D key (right ring finger) to these notes. I use this quite often when I play softer passages. I like this improvement so much that I have had it added to all my saxophones. By changing the adjustment I can also more easily play certain quarter-tone notes.
Soprano
Saxophone: Yamaha Custom YSS-875.
Mouthpiece: Vandoren Optimum SL3
Ligature: Vandoren Optimum
Reeds: Vandoren 3
Alto
Saxophone: Buffet Prestige.
Mouthpiece: Vandoren Optimum AL3 / Meyer 7 (Jazz) / Rousseau JDX
Ligature: Vandoren Optimum
Reeds: Vandoren 3
Tenor
Saxophone: Yamaha Custom YTS-875
Mouthpiece: Vandoren Optimum TL3 / Vandoren T6 (Jazz)
Ligature: Vandoren Optimum
Reeds: Vandoren 3
Baritone
Saxophone: Selmer Serie II
Mouthpiece: Vandoren B-27 / Otto Link 6* (Jazz)
Reeds: Vandoren 4 -5