Springs

[Bobby G]

I recently took my newly acquired curved soprano to my local repairer for an inspection and adjustment. As well as finding a couple of minor leaks, he also adjusted the spring tension to lighten the action - apparently it's quite common for new horns to have the springs set too tight. While my horn is not brand new (it's an ex-rental, only 3 months old), I suspect it may never have been set up.

Is it possible for a relative novice, who is willing to experiment, to adjust spring tensions, or is it something best left to professionals? On the surface, it seems like a relatively easy job - just unhook a tight spring and bend it a little, hook it back, make sure the assembly works ok etc., but is there more to it than that. I've experimented a bit on my cheap straight soprano and seemed to have improved things, so should I be able to do similar adjustments on other horns, or have I just been lucky so far?

The reason I ask is that a friend of mine, a new starter, has just bought a used alto and has asked me if I'll look it over for him, as I am the only sax player he knows. Being of an inquisitive nature, and having fixed various small faults on my own horns, I'm quite willing to have a look at it, and I'm quite sure I'd know if something was going to be beyond my capabilities to fix i.e. I know my limitations!

Thanks for any help, Bob

 

[saxismyaxe]

With care and judicious manipulation of the springs, one can ease or increase the tension off of many of the springs without a tech holding your hand. The key clusters that are the finickiest regarding getting the key tension "just so" are the left hand G # and octave key, especially on vintage horn designs. There is some counter tension working in both mechanisms which requires some quite precise adjustment for them to work properly.
Work slowly to achieve the right tension, and don't bend the springs too much to avoid breaking the springs, and you should learn this "art" rather quickly.

Be aware that the sad fact is that with many student quality horns, the stiff spring tension is the only thing keeping the pad/pad cups sealing the tone holes. Easing the tension off of some key in this case MAY cause leaking, as pathetic a design/build quality this situation may seem. Cheers.

 

[Bobby G]

Hi Michael, thanks for that reply. I'm doing the adjustments pretty much as you recommend, i.e. slowly and carefully, and your reply also assures me that I'm not likely to cause lasting or irreparable damage.

Having tried it on a couple of horns, I seem to be developing some sense of how much spring bending is needed, or can be done before leaks start appearing. I usually find you need to bend the spring about..... that much.

Now, can I tackle the adjustment screws in the same way? I can see how some adjustments relate to or affect other adjustments, and tinkering with the screws on an unplayable (below F) straight sop led me to having a very playable horn. Actually, I'm impressed with just how many adjustment screws there are on this horn for a cheapie, it's the Antigua I have described before.

Cheers, Bob

 

[griff136]

sound advice from Michael , and if you dont have a spring hook borrow your grannies crochet hook.

 

[Bobby G]

Shhhh, my Doreen's already giving me funny looks since I took a sudden interest in her needlework box...

 

[saxismyaxe]

Hi Bob,
The same advice applies to the adjustment screws, just take care and make mental notes of the original positions to correct any over zealous adjustments! The key to this (pardon the pun) is to learn which adjustments effect more than one key, as this is where any potential trouble lies from tinkering. Make sure you have a good set of jeweler's screwdrivers to avoid slipping and resulting damage to the horn's finish. (being an ATM tech, you likely already have these)

The only way to learn is to cautiously take it a step at a time, but not being afraid to try it out for the experience none the less. I'm very much in favor of the more mechanically minded players learning to work on their own axes, however limited.