I arrived at a date range for these horns by extending
the serial number charts into the "serial number black hole".
At the very least, I can say that these horns definitely came before
the next models, because:
- LH bell-keyed horns are less advanced than RH bell key horns and
all manufacturers I've ever seen produced RH bell-keyed horns after
their LH bell key-keyed versions, if they had them at all.
- The logo is more reminiscient of the "Series V" horns,
whereas the "Series VI" horns have engraving that looks
like the "Series VII" horns.
- The "Series VII" and "VIII" horns look too
much like each other.
I really have no idea when the production on these
models stopped. I'm just assuming that they were produced up until
the next Buffet model, which has RH bell keys.
More
comments from SAKTEK:
"[These models have] four octave key
vents -- two on the sides
of the neck, if you look carefully [and two on the body]. I
fixed a tenor like this once for a penniless guitar playing friend.
It had 60 year old pads, and he had no money so I kind of got it
back together like a student model horn -- and it played! That's
the sign that the dimensions of the design are good, because there
were still a lot of leaks."
This mechanism looks so much like the new Selmer
Harmonic models, one wonders if Selmer copied the design from
Buffet.
====
Techie Notes:
- An example of the engraving.
- Keyed range from low Bb to high F.
- Silver
keytouches, reminiscient of the Conn
Connqueror models.
- LH bell keys, also reminiscient of the Conns.
- Keywork is hinged only on one side. This may be to increase speed/response.
- Reinforced
keywork.
- May have been a couple of models of these horns: the examples
I have above have different chromatic F# keys and slightly different
keywork.