Saxophone Forum


by Artsaxy
(1 post)
9 years ago

Sax tone has changed since overhaul

Hi there!

I am based in South Africa and we really have a shortage of competent sax repairers

I have just had a complete overhaul and the guy has done a terrible job. Just to put you in the picture... he finished the complete overhaul within half a day! Enough said.

I have been playing for 26 years and have had many, many overhauls in that time and know what my horn sounds like when it comes home again. It is usually a beautiful thing!

My tone has completely changed and it is really upsetting me! Does anyone know what he could have possibly done to result in my tone changing so drastically? I am sounding like a duck!

I had to take it back twice because there were leaks all over the place; the intonation was out; and the neck cork was peeling off. He sorted out those issues, but my tone is now a major issue. Can you offer any advice as to what could cause that?

It is a 1965 Yanagisawa – beautiful horn!

I really do appreciate your time and advice

 

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  1. by JonHuff
    (117 posts)

    9 years ago

    Re: Sax tone has changed since overhaul

    Unsure what he could have done to change the tone. You didn't have it relacquered or anything did you? Pad type can have a subtle influence (hard pads vs softs pads can reflect differently) and especially resonators for the same reason, but usually you don't see the drastic changes you have experienced. I would see about having it evaluated by a good repair man.

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    1. by kelsey
      (930 posts)

      8 years ago

      Re: Sax tone has changed since overhaul

      Jon, my Mark Vl alto now plays brighter after I had my overhaul done with those hard black Roo pads and metal resonators...I like the sound. As you said, "this could be the cause"?

      Barry Kelsey

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  2. by GFC
    (842 posts)

    9 years ago

    Re: Sax tone has changed since overhaul

    I suspect that your horn is still leaking like a sieve.   Here's a quick and cheap method to test whether your horn is leaking badly.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5dsY0xzzec

     

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  3. by yonysatur
    (10 posts)

    5 years ago

    Re: Sax tone has changed since overhaul

    I suspect that the repairer didn't know what he was doing. There is many thing causing that problems. First the type of pas, glue, alignment, synchronyzation and action. Many people have in their mind that saxophones are a simple ressonant pipes and start doing adjustment under their own ideas and is not like that. Visit mendel sax or write to mendelhons@yahoo. This gentleman is one of the finest repairer in NYC. 

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    1. by historicsaxwhisperer
      (644 posts)

      5 years ago

      Re: Sax tone has changed since overhaul

      Really?

      4 years ago

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