F# lateral pillar movement normal in a new tenor?

[Alex9]

Hi

I've noticed a lateral movement in the F# pillar of my new Yanagisawa TWO10 tenor.
The movement is most pronounced in the central portion of the pillar (a good third), with movement of about 1/2 - 1mm either way.

Is this common? Best to leave it alone or could this be causing any issues?

Many thanks
Alex

 

[Stephen Howard]

By lateral I assume you mean axial...along the length of the key rather than across it.

It's unclear what you mean by the F# pillar (or the central portion). Are we talking the lower stack...or side chromatic F#...or the top F#?
A photo would help.

If it's in the main stack then it's a big no-no. If it's elsewhere it's still not great, but potentially much easier to resolve.

 

[Alex9]

Hi @Stephen Howard , I was hoping you'd reply! I was looking through your manual to find the right terminology. I think I mean the barrel of the F# key is moving. The motion is towards the saxophone body and away from it. I hope the picture makes sense...the arrow is misleading, it's meant to represent toward the wall and away from it. 3D hard to convey on my phone app.

 

[Stephen Howard]

Yep, makes perfect sense.
Bit of a relief too - the last thing you want on a new horn is play in the main stacks...particularly on a shiny new Yani (who tend to be pretty good at getting things right).

OK, any similar movement on the top E key (the one right next to it)? I ask because it's possible the horn's had a bit of knock (probably while in its case - AKA case shock) and this results in some keys acting like mini slidehammers...pushing the pillars out of line.
If it's just the F# it's more likely to be a setup error, or a point screw that's come loose.

There should be provision to turn the point screws a little. Yanagisawa use a drop of threadlock to secure the point screws and leave them with a bit of adjustment left in them.
I would tighten the lower screw up first (say by half a turn...if it'll go that far), then follow up with the upper screw until the key is held in place but can still move quite freely.

While you're at it, give the G key a wiggle too. If it's down to case shock, the G key upper pillar usually gets knocked back too. And if this is the case you may well have other problems elsewhere.

 

[Alex9]

Thank you so much for the advice.

G is solid, the top E does have minor play (about half that of the F# barrel). I've just tried tightening the screws on both and they won't go any further than they are, top and bottom screws. No movement at all, they're as tight as they'll go.

 

[Stephen Howard]

OK, well the good news is there's unlikely to be much to worry about at this stage.
Ideally you want no axial play on any keys - but a small amount on some of the less-critical keys isn't going to have much of an effect. However, the longer you leave it like that, the faster the action will wear.
It would be worth getting it sorted out within the next 6 months - and it would also be worth having the horn inspected for any other minor damage?

Was it a mail-order purchase? If so there's a good chance the damage happened during shipping.

The fix - assuming it's just the E/F# keys at fault - is to undo the top two screws, lift the keys away from the pillar and very carefully tap the pillar back upright. I'd hard put to charge you a tenner for such work.

There is one test that's worth doing. You've got the sax manual, so look up testing for leaks. Get a cigarette paper, lift the E/F# pads up and pop the paper under the rear of the pads. Let the key drop then try to pull the paper out. It should feel resistant. If it does - no worries. If it doesn't it means the free play has allowed the key cup to pitch forward, thus raising the rear of the key cup...and the pad. And that's a leak.
And you'll want to get that sorted sooner rather than later.

 

[Alex9]

Thanks Stephen, much appreciated! The keys seem to have less resistance than others after doing the paper test, so I think it needs attention.

I've already had the bell keys adjusted because they were leaking! It was delivered by courier (DPD), so very likely was knocked about a bit in it's case during transit.

 

[Alex9]

Hi

Just wondered if you're currently doing repair work and are London based at all? I had my last fix on this sax done when I was in Liverpool and I don't know of anyone local in London to do repairs. Tried to message you direct but your inbox is full. Thanks!

Alex

 

[Stephen Howard]

You already had it adjusted and they missed the wobbly E/F# keys? Hmmmm...

It sounds to me like it needs a good checking over.

I'd be happy to do so, but I'm based down in Hampshire (near Petersfield).

Best bet for getting in touch is to contact me via my website (link in signature thingy, below).