Tech/maintenance Abalone key pearls

[griff136]

Here they are...

View attachment 18950

Don't like the fact the shell is smaller than the black acrylic base it's set into. At £4.89, I was going to use them on the Ammoon sop, bringing the total spend to £69.89 for it, a Bari Esprit MP and DJS reed. Using these, I think I may devalue this wonderful instrument?

Send them back???

Could have been worse the acrylic base could have been white!

 

[DavidUK]

While I was surfing Aliexpress (think twice!) for neck corks, which were very good, I also spotted more abalone key buttons at £5.47 shipped. Look OK don't they...

Ad here: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/400...der_detail.order_detail_item.3.f759f19cEcyvI8

Well, after three weeks they arrived, as under. Off-centre; air bubbles in resin; wide black border. No good.
Requested refund yesterday and refund received today...

What did I expect!

 

[mizmar]

If I could ask a side question:

Where's your "go to" for bog standard touches?

My tenor (Vito/yts), having had quite rough previous life, has 4 pearl looking touches, three (inc bis) plain white touches and a button... Literally a shirt button. Since the repad has really upped it's self-confidence, maybe it deserves some fresh, uniform, touches? They don't need to be embedded with gold flecks or such...

 

[DavidUK]

I guess just get some Yamaha pearls (MOP) from a Yamaha supplier. Pricey though.

Otherwise I do like black MOP, if you can find a quality source.

 

[mizmar]

So, no reliable Amazon vendor, set of reasonable looking plastic or such?

 

[saxyjt]

I'm glad I jumped on an offer an ebay seller made me about 5 years ago, when I was busy with several projects.

That's my current stock of a be abalone and black pearls. I am te ne d to prefer black pearls.

I still have a few projects either unfinished or not yet started... So I'll most likely use most of these. I got 8 sets for 50£. I knew the seller from a previous purchase.

Here it is. FWIW.

 

[mizmar]

Here it is. FWIW.

Hmmm... 15.2 mm (0.59'') - mine seem more in the 14mm area. Not bigger than 15mm (judging by plastic ruler)

 

[DavidUK]

I just found the eBay seller I bought some black pearls from in 2018: Saxophone real mother of pearl key buttons inlays | eBay

The first set were mis-matched, top four to bottom five...

...so they sent a replacement set. Originals on left, rounded edge replacements on the right...

I haven't used either set so far but plan to put them into the YAS-21 I has wet soda blasted. It has nickel keys so should be a good combination.

 

[DesertRoads]

The past two attempted pearl shipments from overseas, since the tariffs have passed has resulted in both orders being held up in customs, and being permanently held without release. So... I might have to pay 4 times as much for "pearls" from Music Medic.

 

[Colin the Bear]

Use some shirt buttons. 😉

 

[Ghr9204]

The past two attempted pearl shipments from overseas, since the tariffs have passed has resulted in both orders being held up in customs, and being permanently held without release.

Thanks for the heads up. I was looking at sax parts from China like saxophone pads for a particular model. But I certainly don't want to go through the situation you are going through, especially for something as mundane or benign as key pearls.

Lately my purchases on E-Bay were filtered by location as "USA only". Thus I avoided this issue altogether.

 

[skeller047]

Lately my purchases on E-Bay were filtered by location as "USA only". Thus I avoided this issue altogether.

Maybe…. I would avoid Chinese made pads. The extra cost for Pisoni or Prestini or Music Medic is worth it.

 

[dexdex]

For those of us on the old Continent, I recently bought mop buttons from a French supplier, to replace the slippery poly#### stuff used on the Yamaha 475.
I briefly considered buying abalone ones from … wherever, but eventually preferred the classic look.
Here’s the source:

Le Saxophone - Pièces détachées pour saxophones et bois

Pièces détachées pour saxophones et bois. Pièces d'origine pour saxophone Selmer. Vente de matériels et de pièces détachées : Tampons, feutres, ressorts...

saxophone.ovh

 

[PigSquealer]

The past two attempted pearl shipments from overseas, since the tariffs have passed has resulted in both orders being held up in customs, and being permanently held without release. So... I might have to pay 4 times as much for "pearls" from Music Medic.

1) get a refund. You never received the goods.
2) measure the sizes needed. Give Cannonball parts a call. They’re in your region, Salt Lake City. There’s also a chance a generic set off Amazombie could work. $12-$15/set.

 

[thomsax]

Buy brass and do your own finger touches. Brass sheet can be bought in differnt thickness.

 

[DesertRoads]

1) get a refund. You never received the goods.
2) measure the sizes needed. Give Cannonball parts a call. They’re in your region, Salt Lake City. There’s also a chance a generic set off Amazombie could work. $12-$15/set.

I did get a refund for both of my orders, thankfully.
I will try Cannonball. Thank you for the suggestion. 🙂

 

[DesertRoads]

Took much longer than I thought to remove the key pearls off of my YAS-62. When I sweat my fingers get sticky on the nylon pearls--hence my desire to swap them out. I am debating on whether I want the silver stainless steel key pearls, or the black aluminum key pearls. I have the black Pisoni pads on it. So black would add a contrast. But I also like the fluid all silver look idea too.

 

[Dr G]

Took much longer than I thought to remove the key pearls off of my YAS-62. When I sweat my fingers get sticky on the nylon pearls--hence my desire to swap them out. I am debating on whether I want the silver stainless steel key pearls, or the black aluminum key pearls. I have the black Pisoni pads on it. So black would add a contrast. But I also like the fluid all silver look idea too.

Did the -62 have nylon touches or did they use actual MOP? I prefer MOP because my fingers don't slide around on the touches when they get moist. If you get SS, can you get them sandblasted before you install them?

 

[lydian]

All my 62's have had MOP, but they're several years old. Maybe a cost cutting measure in the current crop? That's a shame as it was one of the few things that made it different from the 475 line.

 

[DesertRoads]

They were nylon. If they were mop, I would have left them in. I prefer MOP as well, but I thought the stainless would add a neat contrast to the silver key work. I will look into getting them sand blasted. Good idea Dr G.