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Low notes problem

Last year summer I had it tweaked again as the low D wasn't speaking properly but to be honest it was still never really right and I thought it was just me or the new mpc I was using, so carried on - lots of long tones - you know the drill. Anyway it's gradually got worse again recently and is now playing up from low F downwards :shocked: Sorry to labour the point butgoing on what you ve said here you didnt get what you paid for last timeIts probably too late to complain now but as this tech has seen your sax beforeI think you should take it back to him and explain whats going on Also play the horn in front of him so he can apraise whats happening.Also though get a second opinion from another tech........cant hurt.Thats all . :confused: ;}
 
I don't want to labour the point but got lent the big bands beginner alto as it wasn't right. Leak light showed a tiny adjustment needed in the keywork. Done in a minute and no need for a tech, or a willing assistant come to that! I use a technician whenever a service is needed but when its a 2 hour drive to get it in sorting the straightforward stuff yourself is pretty useful.
As for whether a tech did a good job in the first place - I agree without a hard case you can't judge, but if it isn't right take it back. However as you get more self confident as a player it does become simpler to decide if its you, the reed or the sax :)
 
Check the screws and springs. I had the problem on my tenor - one of the long screws going down to the low pads had come completely out of the thread and so the pad was still moving but not seating - nothing below lower D. 2 minutes with the screwdriver.

On my soprano, I found that when I ran the duster over it after a gig, I often released the bottom C# spring. 2 seconds to fix.

Since here in Hong Kong, a visit to the repairman is a major (and expensive) excursion, I have to try to fix it myself first - and so far so good!
 
Thanks for all your suggestions and comments, it is now in the hands of the tech, who on playing it experienced the same problem as I do and he felt there is a leak somewhere above the F. So here's hoping and I'll report back in a couple of days :thumb:

PS I have a flight case that came with the Sax but it's too heavy for me :(
 
sorry forgot to report back! it had several leaks, needed an adjustment to the arm that goes to the pearl of the C key (left hand middle finger key) and also a rod going to the low Bb had come loose, he couldn't believe what a sorry state it was in considering how careful I am with it! must be all the playing I do! :thumb: so all is VERY well now and playing better than ever :welldone
 
how can you get a loose rod (which probably means that you horn has lost a screw ?) if you are so careful with it?
What di the repairer said of the fact that you had (as you told us) the horn serviced just before all this had happened? Did the leaks appear spontaneously?
 
I dont use the flight case as it is big and bulky and have it in a Gear4music softer shaped case -

This is the root of your problem right here. So so easy for the bell to get knocked around, a post pushed slightly throwing an entire stack of keys off, any number of other things, all from normal use -- picking it up, putting it down, sitting in the car going over a pothole. It'll break in ways that key clamps won't prevent. I swear the gigbag concept must have been invented by an unscrupulous repair tech.
 
I agree with mogan
dont transport your sax in anything but a hard case.
 
Cautionary tale: I had a "flight case" for my Selmer tenor - can't remember the brand but seemed solid enough. Cathay Pacific managed to bend the post of the F# key so that nothing - literally nothing - would work. It took me about 10 minutes to figure it out as I couldn't believe that it could have happened. I have a mate here (sax player) who arranged transportation for a big band from Hong Kong to Singapore. Every sax needed attention on arrival!

I now have a Protec solid wheeled case that I swear would withstand an earthquake - or another flight, whichever is the sooner.

PS: I am told by people who know that if you're flying, the worst thing you can do is to mark your case "Fragile". Invitation for fun and games with the baggage handlers!
 
how can you get a loose rod (which probably means that you horn has lost a screw ?) if you are so careful with it?
What di the repairer said of the fact that you had (as you told us) the horn serviced just before all this had happened? Did the leaks appear spontaneously?

I don't know?:confused:

....but I do know that I am incredibly careful with it - I never pick it up by the keywork as I see people doing all the time - maybe their saxes are made of iron and mine is made of plasticine >:)

Apparently everyone thinks it's down to my soft case but I can't lift the other one in and out of the car. So not a lot I can do about that.

He was as baffled I was - yes they crept up on me over a couple of months but - if I could afford to buy a better one I'd buy a Yani - I'm saving all my gig money up but it'll be a while yet :(

But it's fine now and I'm happy with it :welldone
 
I imported my sax from usa to oz and it came in bubble wrap no damage.
Bubble wraps the go
 
Hi ArtyLady

Sorry to hear of your woes,I'm sure you treat your sax with tender loving care when it's in your hands but you can be sure the boot of your car and the gigg bag don't give a damn about it,please don't disregard the advice about good cases you've been given on the grounds of the extra weight I think some of them would not be that much heavier than your gig bag.If you don't sort this problem now you can bet your life you will be back to the tech in no time,if your interested I have a Hiscox delux case that I bought some time ago on eBay just because it was going cheap Iwould let you have it for what I paid for it which if I remember correctly was £35 plus postage and a donation to Pete's charity,I think your need is greater than mine,it's in reasonable nick a few outside scratches no keys but generally not bad.You can look into the weight issue on the Hiscox site and pm me if your interested

All the best.......john
 
In the repair trade we call the soft gig bags "job security".
 
Hi ArtyLady

Sorry to hear of your woes,I'm sure you treat your sax with tender loving care when it's in your hands but you can be sure the boot of your car and the gigg bag don't give a damn about it,please don't disregard the advice about good cases you've been given on the grounds of the extra weight I think some of them would not be that much heavier than your gig bag.If you don't sort this problem now you can bet your life you will be back to the tech in no time,if your interested I have a Hiscox delux case that I bought some time ago on eBay just because it was going cheap Iwould let you have it for what I paid for it which if I remember correctly was £35 plus postage and a donation to Pete's charity,I think your need is greater than mine,it's in reasonable nick a few outside scratches no keys but generally not bad.You can look into the weight issue on the Hiscox site and pm me if your interested

All the best.......john

Hi John that's a really kind offer will pm you :)
 
if the same problem keeps reoccurring, I'm betting the bell is rotated.

This is the root of your problem right here. So so easy for the bell to get knocked around,

I had this exact problem. Often the detachable bell is not done up as tightly as it might be, and a small knock causes the bell to rotate ever so slightly, putting all the RH stack keys slightly off true. Unless a tech notices it's because the bell turned (only a very slight bit) they will address the problem at the keycup end, by bending cups or shimming pads. Not so good when the fix is to actually loosen the bell, line it all up and retigthen and make sure it stays tightened, or it just keeps happening over and over again.
 
I had this exact problem. Often the detachable bell is not done up as tightly as it might be, and a small knock causes the bell to rotate ever so slightly, putting all the RH stack keys slightly off true. Unless a tech notices it's because the bell turned (only a very slight bit) they will address the problem at the keycup end, by bending cups or shimming pads. Not so good when the fix is to actually loosen the bell, line it all up and retigthen and make sure it stays tightened, or it just keeps happening over and over again.

If it happens again I'll mention this possibility to him :thumb:
 

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