PPT mouthpieces

Broken Octave Key

Rachel33

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7
I have a problem; my octave key fell off my Alto Saxophone (a 1970s Conn).
I have all the pieces, just need to know if anyone knows of someone in the North Carolina area that can fix it for a reasonable price. Most people want nearly $500 to fix it.
 
I have a problem; my octave key fell off my Alto Saxophone (a 1970s Conn).
I have all the pieces, just need to know if anyone knows of someone in the North Carolina area that can fix it for a reasonable price. Most people want nearly $500 to fix it.

Has it (a) just fallen off due to screws coming undone, or (b) have the actual feet come unsoldered?

Either way if you have all the parts it should take a good tech less than an our, $500 is ridiculous.

If it is j(a) then if you post some pictures, somebody here should be able to guide you through reassembling it yourself.
 
Hi Rachel, sorry about your sax. $500 sounds steep to me but I live in England so can't comment on US prices, however @jbtsax is our resident USA tech and I'm sure he'll be along soon to give you some excellent guidance.
 
Try to post some pics of the bits and also where it sits on the sax so that some of the helpful tech people on here can assist you better. I seriously doubt USD500, unlesss it's made of platinum
 
Did a tech actually look at it yet? Could be the $500 quote involved an overhaul or there is other damage.
 
The foot has come unsoldered. Definitely not made of platinum; however, due to "no one working on them locally" the music store here charges outrageous prices.
The Sax is in great condition; it had been dropped about 20 years ago and had major dents in the bell and neck and new pads put on for around $50 -- granted the guy that did it was an old retired High School band director -- so you can imagine my surprise when the guy at the music store said $500 to solder a foot back on for an octave key!
 

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It would probably be cheaper to find a decent tech and pay for it to be posted/couriered there and back
 
Wrap it in bubble wrap inside the case. Wrap the case in bubble wrap and put it in a box or wrap in cardboard and post it to a tech.

I hope you've kept all the bits
 
Yeah, that price is crazy. I'm in Detroit and I wouldn't expect to pay more than $100-$200 on the absolute high end for that kind of a job. I had three horns completely overhauled in the past year for $475, $650 & $900. Those involved total tear downs, dent work, key fits, post adjustments, all new adjustment material and repads. Shipping to a more reasonable shop may be your best bet. Good luck.
 
@Rachel33 If you will tell me where you live in North Carolina, I can recommend a tech who is close to you who will do the job at a fair price. Typically to solder a post runs about $15 - $25 depending on the prep required. The soldering itself takes just a few seconds, but the time it takes to clean the parts and set it up so the part is held tight and doesn't is the major part of the cost. Some shops have a "minimum bench charge", but those normally are around $25.
 
$500 to refit a wayward octave key?? I'll have a piece of that action!!

I can't imagine even the most bonkers-mad repairer (and there's no bloody shortage of 'em) quoting that sort of price for a simple job - so I'm inclined to suspect that what you've been quoted for is 'putting the horn right'...and all that that entails.

What usually happens is this:
Punter turns up with horn. "It's not working...one of the keys doesn't go down". In their mind (quite understandably) all that needs fixing is that one key.
Repairer examines the horn.
Sure enough, there's a stuck key...but it's stuck because the whole action is rusted to hell,and just to get to the worst affected key is going to mean a very complex stripdown operation. And then there's the issue of the worn-out keywork, and the crusty pads, and the off-line bell.
Pretty soon the quote is well into the hundreds...for what, on the face of it, seems like a simple job.

Get some more quotes...but this time really pin them down as to what work is necessary.
If it turns out its just the octave key, and you're quoted more than $50...the correct response is "Yer 'avin' a larf. mate'.
 
I missed the part about where it was last repadded by a "retired band director". Being one of those "retired band directors" who actually learned how to properly repad saxophones and other woodwinds, let me be the first to say that in many cases "a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing". Some repairs I take in actually cost more because some incompetent individual worked on it first. This is because you first have to undo the damage done, before even starting to do the work properly.

Some shops will turn away a customer who insists on fixing one specific thing when there are multiple problems that are keeping the instrument from playing properly, or playing at all. The thinking is that the customer will then take the instrument that still doesn't play and tell everyone that "Music Store XYX "just repaired it"---thereby ruining that shop's reputation. In the shop I used to work in we actually had a mother come in with a clarinet needing lots of work and a beginning band book. She pointed to page 8 and said to fix only the notes need to play the songs on that page. :doh:
 
Guess it's too far away to be one of your jobs, otherwise we'd be confident it was a small job.
 
It's not fixed; I do live near Charlotte, NC. The retired band director has been fixing woodwind since before he was a band director and is trained. I just don't live in PA otherwise I'd have taken it there.
 
$500 to refit a wayward octave key?? I'll have a piece of that action!!

I can't imagine even the most bonkers-mad repairer (and there's no bloody shortage of 'em) quoting that sort of price for a simple job - so I'm inclined to suspect that what you've been quoted for is 'putting the horn right'...and all that that entails.

What usually happens is this:
Punter turns up with horn. "It's not working...one of the keys doesn't go down". In their mind (quite understandably) all that needs fixing is that one key.
Repairer examines the horn.
Sure enough, there's a stuck key...but it's stuck because the whole action is rusted to hell,and just to get to the worst affected key is going to mean a very complex stripdown operation. And then there's the issue of the worn-out keywork, and the crusty pads, and the off-line bell.
Pretty soon the quote is well into the hundreds...for what, on the face of it, seems like a simple job.

Get some more quotes...but this time really pin them down as to what work is necessary.
If it turns out its just the octave key, and you're quoted more than $50...the correct response is "Yer 'avin' a larf. mate'.


You can't put a horn right when there isn't anything wrong with it...lol! This horn is in perfect playing condition...I've turned down offers of $10,000 for it.
 
Now I'm curious. I can't think of a 70's Conn model that would draw that kind of offer. Can you describe your horn a bit?
 
I'm inclined to agree. As a general rule of thumb the only way to make a 70's Conn worth $10,000 is to put $9,500 in the case.

Agree all you want...it's a grand old horn, oh and the last one made in the USA, Conn moved to Mexico after this one rolled down the line. It's also still mint--with the exception of being dropped once; by the previous owner. The guy that offered that has been offering money since he found out I owned the last one made in the States--he's a collector--and no I am not selling it. It's in its original case and I get what you all are saying--I told him to give me his Selmer Mark VI Tenor and we'd have a deal---I am still waiting.
 
Did a tech actually look at it yet? Could be the $500 quote involved an overhaul or there is other damage.

No; it honestly never needed that much work. It did have a dent in the bow, but that was pulled out (with zero damage to the brass and lacquer); new pads were installed and it plays like a dream. I had noticed the octave key being loose, but never thought much of it until it fell off at Christmas. Now the Pastor wants me to play in the praise band at church.
 

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