spares hard to get hold of

C_Claudemonster

Formerly saxgirl22
hi all, I have a Grassi jade series alto sax. Problem is that some clumsy so and so stuck an ill fitting g# key touch and 2 roller keys that look gross. Not to mention the thumb rest at the back. My problem is that I require spare roller keys for these, a G# key touch and D key pearl and preferably a l/h thumb rest to improve the appearance of this sax as it bothers me! If anyone has the things I'm looking for please can you get in touch as i'd be happy to buy them - alternatively, where can I source them from as i want to keep it original?!
Cheers
 
I asked an Italian woodwind repairer who sells reconditioned Grassi horns if he knew of a source and his reply was...

The pearl of Grassi Jade roller are very rare and the original Italy company Ida Maria Grassi closed 10 years ago. The new Grassi sax are made in Taiwan (Mauriat Company).
In the ebay USA you can find some replacement not original (fron China) .
Regards
Gianmarco

I think he may mean these.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SAXOPHONE...nstruments&hash=item5648766b0d#ht_2259wt_1398

You might also wish to consider finding someone in your area who makes custom pens from acrylic blanks as a hobby and ask them to make some matching rollers, and touches, in acrylic jade.

Personally, I'd buy this one, (if it's the same as yours !) make one good horn from two and put the other back on eBay. After all, that's what eBay is there for.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-G...Instruments&hash=item2ebb592890#ht_751wt_1398

Good luck with finding a solution.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
hello, thank you for the advice. I know about the key touches from China as that was what was clumsily stuck on the sax and it looked rubbish! However, I'm glad you pointed out the one on eBay as I will try to get it if I can but don't wish to spend a heap on it as my sax will become pretty expensive by the end! Thanks again 🙂
 
Hi, I've never seen any replacement for these "pearls". If I were you, I would contact arts&crafts or semiprecious stone online stores and see if they have something like oblong beads you could adapt. Same for the G# touchpiece, you could find something of the dimensions you're after and then shape it to suit you... you'll have to get creative!
Cheers,
M.
 
Hi All, thanks for the replies. It just so happens that after the advice from Alley cat I was fortunate enough to win the one on eBay lastnight! I did pay too much for it but the intention is that as it has all the parts I require that it will be a donor instrument and since it has normal orange pads I will just have it fixed up with standard black rollers etc. if it has any potential. I don't beleive in killing this saxophone for mine but my first Grassi has the original green pads! and they are all sealing well for the time being and I hope that in time I will have a full jade series instrument. Unfortunately this works out at nearly £600 and I will never see a return on that but I'm happy so I suppose that's all that matters 🙂
 
Holy cow! Now that's what I call commitment towards an instrument!!!
When you sell the "donor" alto, make sure you mention the jade rollers, these seem to fetch more money than plain black roller Grassi.
Cheers
M.
 
Thinking more, I needed plain white pads for a very old alto I'm rebuilding. A local repairer was able to source these as a special order frmo a traditional pad maker. Maybe.... One could order a set in green, not sure.
 
Hi All, thanks for the replies. It just so happens that after the advice from Alley cat I was fortunate enough to win the one on eBay lastnight! I did pay too much for it but the intention is that as it has all the parts I require that it will be a donor instrument and since it has normal orange pads I will just have it fixed up with standard black rollers etc. if it has any potential. I don't beleive in killing this saxophone for mine but my first Grassi has the original green pads! and they are all sealing well for the time being and I hope that in time I will have a full jade series instrument. Unfortunately this works out at nearly £600 and I will never see a return on that but I'm happy so I suppose that's all that matters 🙂

Glad to hear you won the auction,problem solved then,I love these saxes that have unusual design features,I hope it plays well for you,never worry about the money when it's obviously a labour of love,good luck with the repair....John:thumb:
 
I was alerted about this thread but I was away on a business trip. Yes getting spares for this horns could be tricky and , in fact, although it is possible that someone has some in his possession, the best way is to reclaim parts from a derelict horn.

If someone is interested, I was told that the old building of the Grassi factory still has inside plenty of old hides ready to be made into pads (and perhaps old pads too), my source didn’t think that they were still usable and perhaps they have pearl touches too. After the closing down of the company they sold some of the machinery but a lot was left there is Quarna sotto and, as far as anyone can tell, the building stands unused to this day.

Proel is the new owner of the Grassi assets and possibly of this building too, they are located somewhere else in Italy (far away from Quarna) and although they buy and sell saxophones made in China (while in the beginning was Taiwan) under the Grassi name they are a company better known for their stage lighting and PA systems.

Their mail address is info@proelgroup.com don’t expect too much if you write them , they are NOT very helpful nor are they kind and probably will leave any of your emails unanswered.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Similar threads... or are they? Maybe not but they could be worth reading anyway 😀

Members' Blogs

Trending content

Forum statistics

Topics
29,580
Messages
512,835
Members
8,735
Latest member
Idelone
Back
Top Bottom