Saxophone Forum


by GFC
(842 posts)
12 years ago

A strapon for my naked lady tenor (seriously)

This post is about a resonance-adjusting movable weight that can be attached to Conn tenors with wire neck struts. It was inspired by the movable weight system on the Rheuben Allen necks featured on Steve Goodson's site, nationofmusic.com. Owners of earlier Conn 10Ms and New Wonders need not be excluded from the benefits of a movable neck weight system by mismatched neck receivers. It takes about $10 for the supplies at your local hardware store and a little elbow grease. The required supplies are a 3 oz elliptical lead weight, a 3/16" (4.76 mm) diameter file such as a chainsaw file, and a 5/16" to 7/8" hose clamp. Procedure: File a longitudinal groove into the lead weight to a depth about half the diameter of the neck strut. Secure the weight against rocking during filing. Standard precautions for working with lead and lead filings apply. A snug fit of the strut in the groove is essential for the weight system to work efficiently. The length of the contact between the strut and the weight is between 3/4" and 7/8" with the particular weights I use. Loop the hose clamp around the neck strut, insert the weight and tighten the clamp. The weight system is effective when it is clasped tightly against the strut. Tighten the clamp incrementally until you can hear the change in sound. Effects (with Link NY STM #9, Rico Royal #4): The weight has different effects depending on its position on the strut. Snugged up to the solder joint beneath the octave pip, it results in less spread tone, more tonal consistency between low and high volume levels, and more tonal consistency throughout the range. The tone becomes very rich in middle frequencies. I would describe the character of the sound as somewhat fuzzy without the weight and very solid with the weight. One interesting change is to the behavior of harmonics. The fundamental low Bb just doesn't want to die for some reason on the first harmonic. Harmonic F and above become incredibly pure and easy to control. It's like playing a bugle. As the weight is moved forward, there is a boost to middle and upper frequencies. Around the mid-strut position, the result is not pleasant. It is harsh, honky, and blatty. Responsiveness seems to deteriorate also. There is a variant that gets more pleasing results in middle to forward positions. Notch the groove along its axis to decrease the contact area with the strut. With enough material removed, the mid-strut positions bring forth a very nuanced, ringing quality to the middle and upper frequencies that I find reminiscent of Wardell Gray's tone. A notched groove makes the weight system more sensitive to clamp tightness for effectiveness. Also be aware that decreased contact area means more pressure, which can deform the lead. The more you move a notched weight around, the more chance that its characteristics will change. Scratching the finish on the strut is not a concern of mine. If it is a concern, it can be mitigated with teflon tape. Some loss of efficiency should be anticipated.

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  1. by [email protected]
    (7 posts)

    12 years ago

    Re: A strapon for my naked lady tenor (seriously)

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