Kinda quiet on this thread, eh? There are 3 things I can think of right off: 1) the fact that you had it repadded last year doesn't disqualify it from having developed a leak last week. Especially if C is warbly but Bb is solid. 2)different mouthpiece/reed setups can offer widely varying results. You can start cheap by changing the brand of reed, or try a synthetic. Take a peek on EBay for mouthpiece alternatives. FOr example, I used a Charles Bay that was similar in response and tone to a Link which I sold on EBay for a fraction of its retail price. 3)there is no substitute for long tone practice. Sigurd Rascher's Top Tones for the Saxophone not only gets into altissimo playing, but highlights the value of long tones within the "normal" sax range also. Best of luck

i have seen much talk recently about "reed prep" could this be part of the problem? esp. because of the "25 min." talked about makes me think it's the reed not the horn. even more if the reed is hard, exp. 3.5 - 4