Tech/maintenance SHWoodwind Updates

[Pete Thomas]

Stuck in the middle with you - the New Super Dearman alto. Not bad...not bad at all.

New Super Dearman alto saxophone review

Was the Dearman mouthpiece with it? I think those are quite good. Interesting chamber shape with kind of V shaped roof.

 

[Nick Wyver]

Was the Dearman mouthpiece with it? I think those are quite good. Interesting chamber shape with kind of V shaped roof.

Like the ROCs?

 

[Stephen Howard]

Was the Dearman mouthpiece with it? I think those are quite good. Interesting chamber shape with kind of V shaped roof.

I don't think it was. I think it had a short shank Selmer Soloist.

 

[Pete Thomas]

Like the ROCs?

No, those were a sort of V shaped baffle, this is the chamber/throat. It's shaped a bit like a house with a pitched roof.

I think it had a short shank Selmer Soloist.

Shelmer Sholoist eh?

 

[Stephen Howard]

Yes...a short shark semi soliloquy....a sharp suit shanky soulmate...a shipshape shoreditch shabby sheek...a sh...

Actually, on second thoughts, I think it was Berg Larsen.

 

[thomsax]

No, those were a sort of V shaped baffle, this is the chamber/throat. It's shaped a bit like a house with a pitched roof.

View attachment 10422



Shelmer Sholoist eh?

How does this mouthpiece play?

 

[thomsax]

A Dearman Super 3* Ivorex (tenor) mpc. No "V" shaped roof on this. A big round chamber. A mouthpiece guru told me that it was a good
"piece". No "V" shaped roof on this, big round chamber. A mouthpiece guru told me that it was a good "piece".

 

[rhysonsax]

Interesting mouthpiece.

The name on the box and the mouthpiece are "Dearman Super" which support the idea that the horn should be called "Dearman New Super" rather than "New Super Dearman". Why do some people call it that way round ? We don't do it for Selmer MkVI or Conn 10M or King Super 20 or .....

Rhys

 

[Pete Thomas]

How does this mouthpiece play?

It is too closed tip or too long facing for me to tell properly, but it's not bright, it's very warm (as you would expect with what seems to be zero baffle) but it's not stuffy at all. I could probably use it if it was refaced but as it is it's just sitting in my draw waiting for me to sell it.

I have two, the other is a white one and would have come with the Grafton as the ligature has the saem reddish copper colour as the Grafton keywork so obviousl]y made to match with it.

 

[Stephen Howard]

More luverly updates, courtesy of being trapped indoors for three days by the 'Beast from the East'.

First up, we have the John Packer JP044 Mk2 baritone:

John Packer JP044 (MkII) baritone saxophone review

Then we have the Sakkusu tenor (the basic model):

Sakkusu tenor saxophone review

And then there's a very quick peek at a Mauriat 66 tenor...the version with the plain toneholes:

P.Mauriat 66R tenor sax review

And finally, another Benchlife Blog update...The Custom Saxwhacker!

A rolling blog of everyday life on and around the workbench

 

[Nick Wyver]

Your sax straightener looks very posh.
A certain repairer who resides on the south coast straightened my SX90R (who knew zips on cases were meant to be done up before lifting the case? - not me, obviously) back in 2000 ( I think) using a broom handle. Did the trick wonderfully and it's been fine ever since.

 

[Stephen Howard]

Pretty much anything that's a reasonable fit in the receiver will probably do the job - but given that the receiver is meant to be a precision fit I think it's wise to do as much as possible to preserve its integrity. If it gets knocked out of round it's a hell of a job to get it back into shape. Hence the tight fit on the mandrels. There's nowhere for the receiver to go.

 

[Nick Wyver]

Sounds sensible to me. Mind you, I've no idea how tight a fit the broom handle was in the receiver of the alto.

 

[Stephen Howard]

It'd have to have been pretty tight - at least tight enough so that it didn't move when the horn was swung down onto the bench.

 

[Nick Wyver]

I've no idea - 18 years is too long ago for me to remember details. 🙂

 

[nigeld]

@Stephen Howard - In case you haven’t seen it, here is an unexpected report of an “error” in the Hayes Saxophone manual.

Is Steve Howard on this list?

 

[Stephen Howard]

@Stephen Howard - In case you haven’t seen it, here is an unexpected report of an “error” in the Hayes Saxophone manual.

Is Steve Howard on this list?

There's dedication for you.

 

[jbtsax]

Very interesting tool. I have used the Ferree's version which has tapered plugs for many years with no problems. Of course they are "snug" only at the top. I suppose a strong argument could be made for those like the ones you have tooled that fit the entire tenon.

 

[Stephen Howard]

I don't know about 'strong' but it just seemed to me that we make a lot of fuss about the need for precision in the crook joint - so if it's going to be used as a leverage point it makes sense to ensure it's as well-protected as it's possible to be.
Maybe it makes a difference, maybe it doesn't - but the tool feels a lot nicer in use. It's much more positive - and with a sliding fit it's very easy to remove the tool to see how the job's going and then replace it.
I knocked up a split-tube brass shim - just as an experiment - to see how it fares with an undersized mandrel that's shimmed to size. This covers about 95% of the surface area, and seems to work quite well. Could be handy for those times when I'm in a hurry and don't have a mandrel of exactly the right size.

 

[Ivan]

@Stephen Howard - In case you haven’t seen it, here is an unexpected report of an “error” in the Hayes Saxophone

An exception to prove the rule