Saxophones Tenor Sax - Cleaning it after 23 years?

[TripleB]

I've got a tenor sax I hadn't touched in 23+ years. Opened it up and everything seems to work well but it smells a bit musty.

What product can I use to give it a good cleaning inside, outside, and to get rid of the musty smell?

Thanks for any and all help.

TripleB

 

[Andrew Sanders]

Hello Triple B,
Search the Forum and you'll find allsorts to help you.
Such as
http://cafesaxophone.com/showthread.php?987-smelly-sax&highlight=cleaning

Also it might be nice to introduce yourself in The Doorbell section.

Andy

 

[jonf]

Give it a quick wipe down inside and out, then play the hell out of it. Leave the case open. After a few weeks of this treatment, it'll either stop smelling musty or you'll have got used to it.

(A serious point. Check the pads for mold spores. If there are any, I personally wouldn't play it, but would get it repadded).

 

[TripleB]

Give it a quick wipe down inside and out, then play the hell out of it. Leave the case open. After a few weeks of this treatment, it'll either stop smelling musty or you'll have got used to it.

(A serious point. Check the pads for mold spores. If there are any, I personally wouldn't play it, but would get it repadded).

Thanks for the information.

Is there any type of safe product I may have around the house to use to wipe it down? (ie: Pledge, etc.)

Also, is there anything I can do other than getting it repadded if I find mold spores?

I checked into getting it overhauled and it was going to cost $450 (which included removing a dent). I really don't want to put that much money into it (Bundy II) since I'm just going to be playing it around the house for enjoyment. To be honest (and I know this isn't a good idea), I would almost rather but a new "cheap tenor sax" (ie: under $350 and cheaply made) that is new instead of spending the $450 to get my old one fixed. Maybe a Crystalcello, Mendini, Maxam, etc. since I'll just be playing it around the house.

Thanks for all the input so far.

TripleB

 

[kevgermany]

Pledge is good. Stick with the Bundy for now. Should do you fine!

 

[TripleB]

After closer inspection and cleaning I found this problem. 2 pads have fallen off and worse this 'corrosion' type mess.

Is it still better to get this fixed for $450 instead of getting one of the saxophones mentioned above...sure are a lot of scratches and dents on this Bundy.

Thank for the help

TripleB

 

[saxmaster]

View attachment 2144

After closer inspection and cleaning I found this problem. 2 pads have fallen off and worse this 'corrosion' type mess.

Is it still better to get this fixed for $450 instead of getting one of the saxophones mentioned above...sure are a lot of scratches and dents on this Bundy.

Thank for the help

TripleB

Dude that is one nasty sax!
You don't have to go to those mendini as I've heard they're made of soft metal and my friend has one that has a finish that was painted on
You might try searching YTS 23 on eBay I've seen them go for cheap and they're much more reliable than mendini

 

[TripleB]

Dude that is one nasty sax!

Funny thing is, that is the only place on the whole sax that looks like that...everywhere else it looks exactly like I left it 23 years ago.

TripleB

 

[kevgermany]

A bit of corrosion on the outside like this will easily polish off and will not make it poisonous... Just get a quote for replacing the pads that have fallen out. But there's a lot to be said for new saxes.

 

[jbtsax]

I would also suggest that you take it to a good tech and get an estimate for what the sax needs---not just to replace the pads that have fallen out. In many cases problems exist that are not readily visible to the player that need to be addressed before the instrument will stay playable for any reasonable length of time. In my experience when the shellac fails in two or more keycups there are more pads waiting to fall out as well. Experienced techs will often go through an older woodwind key by key and pull down on the edge of the pads using their fingernail to make the pads that are going to fail do so on the workbench and not after the customer takes the instrument home. This is not to gouge the customer out of more money, but to insure the dependability of the instrument and to safeguard the tech's professional reputation.

 

[saxmaster]

Funny thing is, that is the only place on the whole sax that looks like that...everywhere else it looks exactly like I left it 23 years ago.

TripleB

That is so weird I wonder why it only rotted in that spot…

 

[TripleB]

That is so weird I wonder why it only rotted in that spot…

It's on the back near the bottom. I'm not sure if moisture got to that spot or what. Very strange.

TripleB

 

[saxmaster]

Besides YTS 23 from eBay you might also try Jericho saxes they are very cheap, and from what I've seen and heard they are well built.

 

[milandro]

this is the typical horn that gives this kind of headache when one discovers it in the attic and that it needs an overhaul. What am I going to do with it?

they are worth a couplde of hundreds not overhauled and more and less, or only marginally more, the same, if perfectly playing

My advise is sell it an put whatever you make (200?) towards buying a functional saxophone. What most probably will happen is that a technician will buy it, restore it and sell it for a little more that the overhaul would have costed the original owner.

I occasionally buy horns for selling and I don’t buy these because the cost of an overhaul is not far from the price that I would get if I would sell it.


I strongly disagree with the advise to buy a generic Chinese saxophone ( I would buy a Bauhaus Walstein though) . Whatever amount of money that you have available would be better spent in buying a Vito-leblanc, a Yamaha,(or Vito-Yamaha) an Orsi or any other horn that the market doesn’t like too much but that is a good player (and that includes a Bundy but not the II which I intensely dislike ) rather than fixing this horn.

 

[TripleB]

I took it to my local music store and had them check it out. They are able to get it back in working order for only $50. So I'm going to have them do that, play it a while, and after a while (when some money returns my way) if I feel the need to, I may look for something better.

I appreciate all your input and help.

TripleB

 

[milandro]

well, if they can make it playable for 50$ here is no better solution than using this horn and have fun with it. Good Luck!

 

[TripleB]

well, if they can make it playable for 50$ here is no better solution than using this horn and have fun with it. Good Luck!

Thanks!!!

He looked it over pretty good and said he would need to glue the two pads back on, replace 4 pads, and adjust a couple of keys. Other than that he said he looked pretty good. I was expecting it to be a bit more expensive.

TripleB

 

[milandro]

I don’t know many techs that cheap over here in the Netherlands........... if he can make it playable for that little money it must be worth it!

 

[Bari+sax=awesome]

It smells weird because it hasn't been opened in 23 years. When you play it more, the smell will go away. I would deep clean the mouth piece before playing. And when your done playing, try to clean it. It will help with the smells.