Do saxophones need adjusting if they sit in a music store

[freddysilk]

I went to a few music stores lately to try out a few mouthpieces. I didn't intend on trying out mouthpieces since I only wanted to get some music books. Anyway, I tried out a Beechler, Vandoren V16 (small chamber), and a Selmer Soloist on numerous saxes at the shop.

I found that each horn I played was stuffy, flat, airy, and had a bad tone to them. I was somewhat surprised since it was a chance for me to play on a Selmer Ref 54, Yamaha 82z, and a couple of P. Mauriats and each horn sounded horrible. The mouthpieces had close facings so I knew my embouchure wasn't the problem.

Do saxophones need adjusting if they sit on display in a music store over a period of time? I couldn't believe top notch horns like these played worse than cheap student model saxes.

 

[griff136]

It depends really.

some shops put instruments on display straight out of the manufactures box and let customers try them.

Other shops have every instrument and i mean every instrument thoroughly inspected and adjusted before they go anywhere near customers.

Even when they are set up correctly if they are man handled, picked up by the keywork insteadof the bell say, then they will get out of adjustment.

Ive never heard a Selmer 54, a yamaha 82z being called flat, stuffy, airy or having a bad tone - maybe it was either your reed/mouthpiece combination - you were trialling the mouthpieces after all, maybe the saxes were slightly out of adjustment, but all of them with something wrong with them?
very strange.

were they all in the same shop?

 

[thomsax]

I used to work extra in a windinstrument store in the 80's and 90's. Saxophones were my "domain". To store saxes in a display is no good. It's warm/hot and dry in a display. Often spotligths that produce the heat. So it was a dilemma: To show the saxes in the display or keep them in their cases in the cool store room. We kept the Keilwerths, Selmers and Yamaha promodels in the store room. Student saxes and intermediate saxes were in the display.

All saxes were adjusted and tested before the customer walk out of the store with their saxes. Promodels were individally prepared for the costumers preferences. A costumer that bought a pro-sax used to take the "old" setup. The neckcork, spring tension, keyheights, lubrication, polishing were done/controlled by the tech before the costumer got the sax. It took a couple of hours. Hard to compete with internet. We had roughly the same prices!! Sometimes we had to give away a package of reeds or an extravaganza neckstrap ... Used/renovated "vintage" saxes got the same treatment. No saxes were sold "as is".

Studentsaxes from the big Japanese company were our best product. Just pack them up and play. Happy kids, students and beginners made our days joyful. No problems. I don't work in the music store anymore cause the sore is closed down ..... .

Sorry for my English.

Thomas

 

[thomsax]

Ive never heard a Selmer 54, a yamaha 82z being called flat, stuffy, airy or having a bad tone - correct ....

..... but I've seen new pro saxes that the edge of the toneholes were so sharp that it damaged the pad. The tech had to inspect them before selling. This was long time a go. To file the toneholes of a new pro sax isn't funny!

Thomas

 

[Bobby G]

Freddy, it sounds as if your reed may have been the problem - did you try it on your regular horn when you got home and was it ok? It may have been a worn out old thing, or just an unsuitable strength for the mouthpieces you were trying; I'd been playing for only a few months when I bought a Soloist and I was amazed at how much more alive it sounded as soon as I put it on my horn in the shop, so I wouldn't think there was a problem with the mouthpieces you were trying out.

Even if the horns you tried weren't particularly well adjusted I would have expected you to have been able to get some idea of their sound, and the fact that it happened on all the horns and mouthpieces you tried points to the one constant in the equation i.e. your reed

 

[jools]

Some music shops just put them out on display as Griff Says. From the factory, even top notch saxes need a bit of fine adjustment. It's all down to cost. They figure "what's the point setting up a horn until someone's gonna buy it?" Besides, a lot of "pro" players want a specific 'feel' to their new sax. Same is true of vintage. I've never bought a vintage that didn't need at least ?80 worth of 'fine tuning' to it.

To judge a mouthpiece you have to match it to YOUR horn.

 

[Linky Lee]

if the mouthpieces had closer tips than what you currently play and you were using one of your reeds, it was probably too soft and that caused the flatness and whatnot of the tone.

You should go back and try the mouthpieces either in an equivalent tip opening or larger. Or use a stronger reed.

It would be similar to dropping a strength or maybe two reeds on your current set up. The effect would be pretty similar. Dull and a bit lifeless.

 

[jonf]

Even if they needed adjustment, it's unlikely they'd have sounded stuffy. If you're confident that the reed/mouthpiece comnination was OK, it's quite possible the part of the shop where you played just had very bad acoustics.