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Water leaking from saxophone

natalie27

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Hello,
My sax occasionally leaks around the Bb/A key section and leaks alot when it starts. The actual A pad is a darker colour than the others, a dark reddy brown colour? Any ideas what it is? Someone told me to try lighter fluid on it, which I have but it still happens and also used paper to dry it up.
Any help would be great
Thanks
 
Hello Natalie; just a few quick questions.

Do you mean the sound falters when you are playing around the A/Bb area?
Do the relevant pads appear to close over the tone holes cleanly?

What is the instrument, and how old is it?
Have you had it long, and if so has the problem only recently occurred?
Is the problem the same in both octaves?

Does any part of the mechanism seem to be coming loose?

I'm curious that you say it 'occasionally leaks' and 'leaks a lot when it does'.

Really, lighter fuel will only remove greasy/stickyness from the pad. It evaporates very quickly and wouldn't help a leaking pad to seal.

I'm intrigued.
 
Hi Natalie. Perhaps the A pad is newer than the others and that's why it's a different colour. Or, it could be the one that gets wetter than the rest. On my saxes it's the palm keys that get soaked and I just leave them to dry.

Pads can be dried up with kitchen paper like Bounty, and I've heard of guys spraying a little WD40 on their pull through to try and disperse the water that way.

Jim.
 
It could well have been a pad added at a different time.
Surely the pads above the A would be wetter/darker?


When you've finished playing, use the pull-through several times, slowly.
If possible, leave the case open to allow the instrument to dry naturally.

Do not introduce anything like WD40 into your saxophone, it does not belong there.
The 'water' does not need to be dispersed. It needs to be removed.


Anyway, none of this seems to address the problem of Natalies leaking saxophone!

I eagerly await some answers from Natalie that might help to diagnose the problem.
 
Hello! Wow, thanks for all your replies to try and help me cure my leaky sax!!!
To answer your questions futher-
the sound doesnt falter at all and the pads close fully so the sound is normal, it just leaks alot whilst playing.
The sax is a Alto Yamaha Custom 875 EX and is about 2.5 years old.
The problem seemed to happen about 3 months ago, but Ive been putting off doing it as it only happens about 4/5 times a month and I play it everyday
I cannot see any loose mechanism at all. It doesnt make a difference on which octave as the sound is not effected its just leaking all over my hand and makes it tricky to play. The thing that puzzles me is the different colour pad, i cant say that Ive ever noticed it being different before the problem started happening.
It could do with a service about now, but I wondered if anyone could shed any light on this problem before I get it looked at and they charge me the earth! :)
 
its just leaking all over my hand and makes it tricky to play.

I think this part of Natile's post indicates the problem and has nothing to do with leaking pads causing a sound problem.

This looks to me like like condesation is leaking from the A key, something I get quite a lot on my tenor.

I think the only solution is the same as that suggested for the oft asked question 'I get a lot of 'water' in my mouthpiece'..or something similar.
 

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