The MusicMedic.com Saxophone
Overhaul Process:
All
keys are inspected and made to work perfectly. Once completed there is
absolutely no key play. Hinge tubes are swaged and precision cut to work
exactly as intended. Any uneven contacts between key posts and rods is
corrected and made flush. This gives the keys a smooth, even feel while
eliminating key noise. Because there are no shortcuts taken in this
procedure, the key action is better than new.
All rods are made straight or
replaced. Hinge tubing is also made straight so there is no play between the
hinge rod and the hinge tube. No friction is ever left in the key between the
hinge rod and the hinge tube.
Once all keys are working perfectly
on their rods and all rods are straight and perfectly swaged, the instrument
is disassembled and chemically cleaned inside and out. Traditional buffing
tends to remove metal from the body of the instrument. Therefore, this
procedure is not normally used on our overhauls.
Minor dents are removed. Instruments
with major dent work may incur an additional charge.
Springs are checked and replaced if
necessary. The neck of the instrument is thoroughly examined for minor leaks
in the socket and around the octave pip. Soldered tone holes are also checked
for leaks.
Please note:
often a leak in a soldered tone hole is indicative of a much larger problem
and may require more work than a standard overhaul provides. Please let us
know if you suspect this problem in your instrument. Although we are happy to
do this work for you, it will be costly.
All pad cups are leveled, giving the
pads a longer life. All tone holes are then checked for level. The leveling
of tone holes is a delicate business and often saved for last. Although this
adds a great deal of work to the overhaul, it avoids the need for filing a
tone hole chimney what already may be too short. The only way to know is to
complete the overhaul with the tone chimney in its current condition and
play test the instrument. After the play test, an estimate on the possible
effect of filing is made. With that estimate, we will choose to file
or not file. In the event of a severely damaged tone chimney, the tone
chimney is brought back to roughly original position and later checked for
height. Tone hole size and shape has a great effect on response, intonation
and harmonic balance. For this reason, such work is done with the
greatest care.
Once the pad cups and tone chimneys are level, the
finest pads available are used in the overhaul. Pad and resonator choice
are discussed prior to the overhaul. We can recommend a pad and
resonator that may be right for you and your needs. All commercial pads and
several different hand-made pads are available for an overhaul.
Many different Saxophone Resonators
are made or modified in the shop at MusicMedic.com. We often experiment with
different resonator materials, resonator sizes and shapes. Based on this
experience, we can discuss the tone you are looking for and recommend
different resonators and pads to
achieve that tone.
Once the
instrument is padded, pad timing and key heights are adjusted. This is an
exacting process. Materials that have a short life and tend to change with
pressure, time and atmospheric conditions, are not used (unless requested by
the performer). Examples of such materials are; felt disks, felt bumpers,
wool bumpers, wool disks and cork is only used on the neck of the saxophone.
In place of these materials we use special materials designed by Curt at
MusicMedic.com or materials purchased through various polymer manufacturers.
Many of these materials are rubber-based. The use of these non-traditional
materials nearly eliminates the inconsistencies that traditional materials
inherently posses. An instrument overhauled by MusicMedic should stay in top
condition for a very long time.
Once reassembled, the long process of
play testing and adjusting begins. This is the segment of the overhaul which
allows work specific to your instrument to be done. As we all know, not
all saxophones are identical. There are several ways an instrument can be
made to play more in-tune as well as more in-tone. Many of these techniques
do not require altering the instrument permanently. Any tuning technique
deemed necessary that requires a permanent or semi-permanent change in your
instrument will first be discussed with you. Curt lives with a saxophone
through this stage. With a master`s degree in performance, you can be
assured that any performance problems with the saxophone will be detected
by him. Beyond that, extreme fine tuning and precision adjustments
will have your saxophone playing in tune, responding better, and feeling
great!
Once your
saxophone is playing in new or better than new condition with no friction,
and optimal tuning, it is returned to its home for your approval. If at all
possible, it is recommended that you pick-up your instrument in person and
discuss the repairs and any modifications you would like done. If this is not
possible your instrument will be double boxed and shipped to you the moment
it is completed.
It has
long been the opinion of Curt that every woodwind player should understand
the workings of their instrument and have the ability to do a good deal of
their own adjustments and repairs. It is this belief that prompted Curt to
open MusicMedic.com and encourage others to work on their own instruments.
All overhauls done by MusicMedic.com
will include a MusicMedic.com repair kit made specially for your
instrument. Your repair kit will include a pad set for your instrument
with matching resonators. The materials used in your overhaul may be
difficult to obtain. For this reason, material used in your overhaul will be
included, as will instruction for their use. In the event that the pads or
materials for your instrument are custom made or very expensive, an
additional charge may be involved.
For overhaul pricing please contact Curt directly at Curt@MusicMedic.com |
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