kevgermany
ex Landrover Nut
- Messages
- 21,367
- Locality
- Just north of Munich
Rant mode on...
I'm fed up with cheap Sops. 4 so far. The first, a curvy, needed a bit of regulation and a couple of pads adjusting, so not too bad, but I couldn't get on with the sound, so I sold it. A couple of sops later I realised the sound was me, not the sop.
Second was a cheap curvy. Seller told me it was bad. Played ok at FF, but anything quieter was useless. Turned out to have many toneholes that were rough/uneven from manufacture. Lot's of filing and adjusting later it plays ok. Just. The soft pads help. Didn't sell it, couldn't inflict it on anyone. Besides I can chuck it in the car and not worry about it. Doesn't sound too bad with a decent mouthpiece. Trouble is the mouthpiece is twice the value of the sax.
So I learnt from it and bought a premium Chinese, checked over by a pro repairer. Brand that's often recommended here. That'll be ok, I thought. Wrong. Turned out to have toneholes as bad as the real cheapy. I guess the pro's skills were directed at getting it playing without spending too much time on it, not at fixing the faults. Much filing, tone hole leveling and regulation later, as well as cleaning out all the grease and replacing it with oil, I had a sop that played well, sounded good and looked good. Idiot sold it to get a nice tenor.
Eventually sop 4 arrived. Supposedly a good Chinese brand. One that's been recommended here. Toneholes weren't as bad as the last two, but needed quite a bit of work. One neck was leaking, making bottom register difficult to impossible at medium and low volume. Pads stick. Lots of leaks that could be blown through at high volumes, but not at P. Springs keep coming loose in the posts. G# had a tricky leak that took ages to fix, cos you can't really get to it. Final key to this was that the lh cluster was holding it open slightly. Neck octave pip hadn't been finished properly, had some swarf sticking up that cut the pad and caused a leak. I still need to find some springs, fit them properly and then hopefully it's right. Hopefully.
Other faults that seem to be common is keys rubbing on each other and the long Bb arm, heavy action, sloppy keywork. Loose/leaky necks.
I've just about had it with cheap Sops. Maybe I'll sell a couple of tenors to get a decent one. But.... I hardly play sop, so is it worth it. Had a quick look at @AlanU's curved Yani. Lovely. Real quality. Didn't dare play it, I'd have wanted one.
Rant off.
But seriously, if you want a cheap sop, be aware that you get what you pay for.
I'm fed up with cheap Sops. 4 so far. The first, a curvy, needed a bit of regulation and a couple of pads adjusting, so not too bad, but I couldn't get on with the sound, so I sold it. A couple of sops later I realised the sound was me, not the sop.
Second was a cheap curvy. Seller told me it was bad. Played ok at FF, but anything quieter was useless. Turned out to have many toneholes that were rough/uneven from manufacture. Lot's of filing and adjusting later it plays ok. Just. The soft pads help. Didn't sell it, couldn't inflict it on anyone. Besides I can chuck it in the car and not worry about it. Doesn't sound too bad with a decent mouthpiece. Trouble is the mouthpiece is twice the value of the sax.
So I learnt from it and bought a premium Chinese, checked over by a pro repairer. Brand that's often recommended here. That'll be ok, I thought. Wrong. Turned out to have toneholes as bad as the real cheapy. I guess the pro's skills were directed at getting it playing without spending too much time on it, not at fixing the faults. Much filing, tone hole leveling and regulation later, as well as cleaning out all the grease and replacing it with oil, I had a sop that played well, sounded good and looked good. Idiot sold it to get a nice tenor.
Eventually sop 4 arrived. Supposedly a good Chinese brand. One that's been recommended here. Toneholes weren't as bad as the last two, but needed quite a bit of work. One neck was leaking, making bottom register difficult to impossible at medium and low volume. Pads stick. Lots of leaks that could be blown through at high volumes, but not at P. Springs keep coming loose in the posts. G# had a tricky leak that took ages to fix, cos you can't really get to it. Final key to this was that the lh cluster was holding it open slightly. Neck octave pip hadn't been finished properly, had some swarf sticking up that cut the pad and caused a leak. I still need to find some springs, fit them properly and then hopefully it's right. Hopefully.
Other faults that seem to be common is keys rubbing on each other and the long Bb arm, heavy action, sloppy keywork. Loose/leaky necks.
I've just about had it with cheap Sops. Maybe I'll sell a couple of tenors to get a decent one. But.... I hardly play sop, so is it worth it. Had a quick look at @AlanU's curved Yani. Lovely. Real quality. Didn't dare play it, I'd have wanted one.
Rant off.
But seriously, if you want a cheap sop, be aware that you get what you pay for.