Pad Clearance

[Flipper2008]

Im quite a newbie when it comes to saxophones but am a very experienced guitarist. One of the things I demand from a guitar is a perfect neck setup which includes the distance between the strings and the fretboard to be set exactly as I like it (I do all my own setups so I guess I can be very exacting).

Ive noticed on my budget Alto that the distance between the pad face and the edge of the Tone holes is quite large (on the ones that are open by default)and was wondering what the optimum setting should be if there is one or is it down to personal taste. It seems to me that if the distance is a lot less then the sax will play a lot smoother and faster,seeing as the time it takes to close the pad when playing fast will play a big part in the overall feel of the music.

To adjust the distances it seems to me a simple matter of adding a thicker strip of cork to the key rests ( Not quite sure if thats the right term) thus moving the pad closer to the tone hole.

Ive adjusted all the spring tensions so the pads close with minimal pressure, not because ive got weak fingers (quite the opposite)just because it makes the action really smooth

Ive taken some measurements of the distances I have and would like to compare them with Altos that are of a better manufacture.

they are
Bb=6mm B=6mm c=9mm D=8mm E=7mm F=6mm F#=5mm

any advice or feedback on this would be very welcome indeed.

cheers for your time

Flipp

 

[griff136]

the problem with adjusting key heights is that there is with every pad an optimum height where, to lower the pad further would cause the note above it to become stuffy or flat, conversely you can also raise a pads height and it will make the note above it sharp.

IMHO pad heights should be adjusted and set for optimum venting and intonation, rather than for speed of playing.

also adjusting key springs can if done incorrectly make a sax feel "slower to play as the spring action is not lifing/ closing the key fast enough.


re your measurements, I am a repairer and like most other repairers, I never have measured heights for key openings but have used a tuner to get a sax to be correctly vented and playing in tune.

Most manufacturers dont have key height charts - not that hey publish anyhow.

but hey if what you are doing works for you who am I to disagree?

 

[stephen_howard]

Setting pad heights is something of a 'dark art'. Some people have published measurements, others have postulated on theories about the best relationship between the height of the pad and the resultant tone - but at the end of the day a great deal relies on the player's setup and style of playing.

If you have, say, a Paul Desmond kind of tone then you're not going to get away with a very low action. You already have quite a dark tone and you'll be using a mouthpiece that has a large tone chamber - and you won't be blowing your guts out. Set the pads too close and you'll just sound muffled.
Bung on a Dukoff and play like Tom Scott and you can get away with a closer action.

Bottom line is that there's no right or wrong - there's just a payoff with regard to the balance between speed and tone ( tuning's rarely a big issue on a modern horn unless you have the action set improbably low or high ).

One of the easiest ways of finding out what's best for you is to knock off the corks that sit on the main stack key feet and stick blobs of Blu-Tak under the feet ( pop a drop of oil on the key feet to prevent them sticking or stick a bit of paper on the top of each blob ). Set the action quite low and blow the horn - then to raise the action just lift the keys gently to compress the Blu-Tak.

One thing to bear in mind that it's sometimes possible to set the left and right stacks at different heights - you can adjust the 'throw' of the Bis Bb link off the Aux.F key...but that's another story...

Regards.