Well, after much research and dithering and unsuccessful bidding on ebay and trawling music shops for decent alto, I stuck my neck out and ordered a new nickel plated instrument that was on offer from Gear4music.
It came on Monday. I had no idea if I'd bought a lemon or not. However it looked good and is robustly built.
I was hugely disappointed to find that my usual mouthpiece wouldn't push on far enough to get up to concert pitch.
I played it anyway and was relieved and surprised how responsive the action is and the tone was acceptable.
However what to do about the neck. A close inspection revealed a protective bezel had been placed over the end and this having quite a large diameter was stopping my mouthpiece from progressing.
Only one thing to do. It had to go. With a little careful sawing and fine finishing I have removed the bezel. A bit drastic on a brand new instrument I know.
The outcome is great. I can now play in tune and the tone is much improved.
The intonation is bob on from low Bb to high F#, it's free blowing all though and I am well impressed. If you're looking for a cheap back up or a travelling instrument it's well worth a look. It is built like a tank and should stand the rigours of transporting from place to place.
I thought I'd let you guys know. I can't put it down.
It came on Monday. I had no idea if I'd bought a lemon or not. However it looked good and is robustly built.
I was hugely disappointed to find that my usual mouthpiece wouldn't push on far enough to get up to concert pitch.
I played it anyway and was relieved and surprised how responsive the action is and the tone was acceptable.
However what to do about the neck. A close inspection revealed a protective bezel had been placed over the end and this having quite a large diameter was stopping my mouthpiece from progressing.
Only one thing to do. It had to go. With a little careful sawing and fine finishing I have removed the bezel. A bit drastic on a brand new instrument I know.
The outcome is great. I can now play in tune and the tone is much improved.
The intonation is bob on from low Bb to high F#, it's free blowing all though and I am well impressed. If you're looking for a cheap back up or a travelling instrument it's well worth a look. It is built like a tank and should stand the rigours of transporting from place to place.
I thought I'd let you guys know. I can't put it down.
