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Saxophones Effect of weight/ bore size on tenors.

Another Colin

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I've recently bought my first tenor, a Couesnon monopole conservatoire via ebay. I have read the online model review. I like it and am enjoying playing it but I've noticed it is much smaller and lighter than my wife's TJ Revolution II tenor.

I've been playing trombone for 30+ years and are well aware that all the major manufacturers make trombone models in a range of sizes according to musical genre. Smaller trombones are typically brighter, clearer, punchier, jazzier whereas larger trombones are typically darker, fatter, richer, orchestral. I have both and can pick according to the gig.

I'm not considering buying another sax for some time although I also have a G4M bari. I am curious whether there are any equivalent considerations for saxes and in particular, tenors. Is it a case of different models or manufacturers? Any thoughts?
 
How old is the monopole? Does it play in tune? Along the whole scale?

Generally the length of the sax has so be the same from maker to maker, but bore/tape can vary. It's possible you have a high pitch instrument. Measure the length from tip of neck to bell opening, going along the centre line as you go round the bends. Should be the same as your wife's. If it's shorter by more than a few millimeters, there's something wrong.
 
Thanks for the replies. I should have been clearer. By smaller I perhaps should have put mostly thinner although I haven't measured them. It tunes up to standard pitch ok and I've played along with the youngsters where I teach.
My sax peri colleague is a pro tenor player and has checked it over for me - no problems.
I'm happy with it. Just surprised there was a visible difference and curious about the differences, whether they are specific to brand or model and what if any significance is attached?
On trombone, there are typical bore sizes based on the inner slide. 0.48 to 0.5 are small, 0.508 or 0.51 are medium small, 0.525 is medium large, 0.547 is large standard orchestral tenor and 0.563 is standard bass.
 
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I suspect it is quite a late Couesnon. Same key layout as on the shwoodwind review but a simpler round logo. No address etc. I haven't found a serial number list yet for Couesnon.
 
I suspect it is quite a late Couesnon. Same key layout as on the shwoodwind review but a simpler round logo. No address etc. I haven't found a serial number list yet for Couesnon.

Well my Borgani horns and Keilwerth horns are,were all more darker,thicker core sounding for me and there very light horns.They both use simple pilliar to post for keywork instead of full body ribbed/plates like top selmer,yamaha,yani etc .The bore size has been talked about alot on here and i agree certain bigger bore horns have this fatter core sound.Borgani,jk,R&C,Conn etc have a bigger overall bore,body and neck.But the main thing is the human at the end of it.Some people blow brighter,some darker then theres mp setup.As ever theres no written rule,just play,pick what suits you and what you like but as said the weight thing i dont think comes in to play.
 
http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/jw/saxacoustics.html


As it has been said the sounding length of a wind instrument has to be (more or less , there are small variations) the same in a wind instrument to produce the same pitch of another instrument but there are variations of bore among instruments and even more complex ones than the a simple linear increase diameter at any given spot because saxophones (according to some) have parabolic bores.

However different bores have an influence on different harmonics so, these variations produce , in a sense, the horn sound identity which of course will be yet again changed by the player (ability to shape the sound and oral cavity shape), the reed and the mouthpiece ( so even two the same horns will sound different when played by different players even if they were, dare I say the impossible, really identical)
 
These kind of threads are a never ending puzzle.For me i try lots of horns and pick the 1 i like most.
 
yet, there are reasons that explain the reason why of our empiric choices if you want to know about reasons why you may look for tthose, if you don’t, indeed, you like what you like and you don’t like what you don’t like
 
As long as it plays and is in tune all the rest is semantics. If anyone mentions "Bore " when I'm playing, I play something else.

I suppose with a heavy saxophone you can play with more gravitas.


Somebody mention the Hollies now. It ain't heavy it's my Bauhaus.
 
well, might be semantics but there are many instruments which play in tune and yet we mostly choose then for their “ sound” (not only the capability to be played in tune) which is mostly due to the harmonics which they produce.

So harmonics are important BUT there is not a rule that large (or narrow) bore instruments will always produce a pleasant (to everyone) sound or not.
 
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