1921 Frank Holton Elkhorn C melody Repadding

[r8cerboy93]

So i bought a 1921 frank Holton low tone on ebay and have been working on it slowly but surely for the past 3 months. I bought some pads off of ebay....... hoping that they would work but (drum roll) they didn't, they were to large and caused the saxophone keys to neither open nor close for the top portion of my saxophones keys and the bottom one were to thick to close completely; so my questions to the cafe members is, what pads should i put on this thing!?!?! if you can just point me to the right pads then i can figure out the diameter to order.
Thanks for reading

 

[thomsax]

Do you have the original pads? I think you should mesure up all pads cups (inside) with a vernier sliding gauge. Try to get the same heights as the original pads or the ones that was on the sax when you got it. The first saxes that I repadded were Holton New Revelations models and I think I used thick pads. Feerree's .185" thick pads (4,7 mm) if I remember right. Nice saxes, but I think they were tricky to work on.

Thomas

 

[jbtsax]

I now use Music Medic pads almost exclusively on vintage sax repads. The reasonable price, quality, and consistency have made me a fan. The .160 - .165 thickness works very well in most cases. When you "dry fit" the pad in a clean keycup without any adhesive if there is a significant gap in the back, you simply use a bit more shellac when you float the pads. I like the way the white roo pads look on silver plated instruments, but they are a pita to keep clean while installing. The Precision pads are an excellent choice for a more traditional look.

 

[r8cerboy93]

Thanks to both of you for the info and trying to help, jbtsax, i was looking at those pads for it but i was not sure about them and didn't want to risk buying them, it came with white ones originally but like the fool i am i threw them out without even thinking about them but those are it. and thomsax, the sax it a beauty to behold, and actually really easy to work on thanks to the great and sturdy construction.

 

[MMM]

Measure the thickness of the pads you bought, if they're too thick, at least you know the new ones will need to be thinner. If you're not sure if the thickness will be right (not sure where you're based), but you could just buy one pad (instead of ordering a complete set) in the correct diameter and check if it works and take it from there. If you go for a thinner pad, you can always glue some thin card shims at the back to make up the thickness.
The pads I use are around 3.8mm thick and so far they have worked on any make/model I've worked on.
Hope this helps,
M.

 

[thomsax]

I'm not sure about how thick the pads on a 1921 Holton. But on a Holton New Revelation model (introduced in 1924) the original pads were thick. "The Holton saxophone Pads is the longest wearing, best covering pad used on any Saxophone. The pad is made of 2 sections of hard "Wooltite" felt with a piece of waterproofed cardboard between to prevent moisture traveling from one piece to the other. The kid skin is also waterproofed and this construction makes a pad with a hard cushion, that retains a level seat at all times, never swelling and affecting the tone and tuning of the instrument by lessening the distance between pad and the socket when the key is opening." (from Frank Holton & Co catalog). It's fun to read old sax catalogues/ads!

Are there extra keys (separte high D access, C to D thrill, G to G# thrill) on the 1921 C melody as well?

Thomas

 

[Figaro]

I'm currently working on a 1923 Holton Tenor. I'm using white Roopads from Music Medic. They look like original pads and the thickness is just right. I bought some with rivets only. I used Music Medic clear shellac with excellent results. I've also used these pads on two other saxophones with good results.
Measure the inside diameter of the key cups and order that size. They size them in .5mm increments so you can get a very nice fit.

https://musicmedic.com/mainpads/saxophone-pads/individual-saxophone-pads/roopads.htm