Key guard on a Buescher

[RedBottom]

I have an Aristocrat tenor, it's gorgeous. However, the guard over the Eb key (at the back of the bell) has been bent out of true since I got it, causing the Eb key to foul on the guard and make a 'clunk' every time it opens. Not so much of a problem when playing for myself, but I'm about to start using it in a workshop. Is it a job my neighbour can do for me (he's a precision engineer) for the cost of a pint, or should I take it to my tecchy to fix and pay a little more.

The guard is kinda bowed a bit in the middle, and the 'uprights' attaching it to the body of the instrument are slightly off the perpendicular, if that illustrates things a little better. I should also add that nothing appears to be loose or strained - all strong.

 

[Saxlicker]

I'm suprised you haven't had any advice from a couple of 'tecchy' (your words not mine😛 ) guys on here yet.

But by your description your neighbour friend should be very capable of this repair to the 'structure' of gaurd with out any worries.
On most saxes I have come across though there is a felt buffer on the Eb key to limit the travel when it is open and the distance it is allowed to travel here will change intonation and or tonal character very slightly for that note only. But as it already clunks onto the damage, you have nothing to lose. In fact the straightening of the guard should allow what ever machanism you have for the key to travel to work again and should you continue to have problems, it will be relatvely cheap for a repair man to do.

 

[RedBottom]

Thanks for that, Saxlicker. I will accost Mr Nextdoor when he arrives home from work and have a word with him. My tecchy is good, but he'll charge money I don't have just now, good as he is.

 

[Bobby G]

Hi Redb, sounds to me like the guard just needs a careful bend, more careful if the posts are causing the knocking. I'm no expert but it's the sort of thing I might try and fix myself. Also check that felt.

Failing all that, I could always do you a deal!!

Cheers, Bob

 

[Saxlicker]

Yes Bob is obviously suffering another bout of G.A.S. despite his signature and is looking for ways to fund it!
:laugh:


Hi Bob how ya doin? 😉

 

[RedBottom]

Well, I had a work with Mr Next Door, and he had a look at the sax and says he'd rather I took it to the tecchy. He's not familiar with saxes (or any other wind instrument, for that matter) and although it would be a simple enough job, because mine is so old and so precious to me, he wouldn't want to be responsible for causing any damage.

 

[Saxlicker]

Yes,
I suppose it must be a daunting prospect from his point of view!
Shame

 

[Bobby G]

Saxlicker wrote:
Yes Bob is obviously suffering another bout of G.A.S. despite his signature and is looking for ways to fund it!
:laugh:


Hi Bob how ya doin? 😉

I'm doin ok, but I'd like to get my hands on Red's Buescher. I had a quick blast on a 1926 Martin alto today, and now I want to play some more olduns.

Cheers, Bob

p.s. the keywork on that old Martin was *weird*!!

 

[Saxlicker]

Bob Green wrote:

I'd like to get my hands on Red's Buescher. I had a quick blast on a 1926 Martin alto today, and now I want to play some more olduns.

UHT - HO ! 8|

 

[RedBottom]

Oi! Leave my Buescher out of this!! :cry:

 

[Bobby G]

Saxlicker wrote:

Bob Green wrote:

I'd like to get my hands on Red's Buescher. I had a quick blast on a 1926 Martin alto today, and now I want to play some more olduns.

UHT - HO ! 8|

Say what??

I started on a Buescher, an Aristocrat 200 alto with some er, keywork anomalies. Since then, and since hearing Eddie Foster on his Aristocrat tenor (I think it's a '38 and it's lovely) I've wanted to play on an old Buescher. I can't say I was blown away by the Martin alto, but it was nice.

But the keywork was *weird*!

Cheers, Bob (600)

 

[Saxlicker]

Say what??

What I meant was .....some one had better sew your pockets closed and cut up your bank cards.
Asides stopping dabbling about in the back of ATM's

 

[RedBottom]

What I love about mine is that the bell keys are on the 'wrong' side.

I've always liked not conforming, not doing what people say I should (which is why I took up sax in the first place, instead of flute), and having a sax that's a little different, well, kinda fits, really.

 

[Bobby G]

Working on ATM's has two distinct sides to it, Saxlicker; firstly 'top shelf' faults i.e. no access required to the cash dispensing part of the machine, such as card reader, printer, PC core problems etc. Secondly, cash dispenser faults where access is required to the secure part of the ATM; if this is the case, branch staff remove the cash before allowing me access to the machine.

Either way, as you can see, there are no free samples available.

Boo!

Regarding 'wrong-side' bell keys as found on your sax, Redbottom, (or for that matter, one each side, or any other oddly-placed tone holes found on some older horns) I wonder what the advantages are of the modern convention in tone hole placement. Is it cosmetic, a matter of simplified linkage, better sound projection etc? Enquiring minds need to know, and enquiring mouths and fingers would like to blow as many different horns as possible.

The old Martin alto I played the other day had older-style tone hole placement, but seemed to project fine with an even tone.

But the keywork was *weird*.

Cheers Bob

 

[oliver_bentley]

Having wondered why they changed sides from early modles I thought perhaps at first the started out on the left as that was the same side as the spatula keys are, and so the rods could just go straight down. However in more modern horns with more dvanced engineering techniques they put them on the right, so there are no tone holes on the right hand side so that when in its case/put down some where non of them get damaged - when a sax sits in its case all the moving parts face upward or to the side, so preventing things like the key guards over the Bb pads getting damaged. (see how I brought that round back to what the post was originally about? I'm usually the one taking it off on tangents!)

PS: This is only a guess :erm:

 

[Pete Thomas]

I think that bell keys are on the right so as not to damage or wear out your trousers (or skirt).

 

[Bobby G]

Pete Thomas wrote:
I think that bell keys are on the right so as not to damage or wear out your trousers (or skirt).

See, Oli? It's so blummen obvious that we couldn't work it out, could we?

 

[oliver_bentley]

lol - indeed. Its good though, all those delicate silk skirts I wear would be ruined if I played a vintage horn.