Tech/maintenance The two adjustment screws

[AlonW]

I changed the positions of the two adjustment screws on my tenor (the ones by G and F) and couldn’t get it back to normal. It was fine before I messed with it, I should never have done this. Is there any easy way to explain to how these work so I can reset them myself or do I have to call my tech again?

 

[mizmar]

This?

Low note problems? Check your G# | Taming The Saxophone

The articulated and/or tabbed G# link is a very handy feature on all saxophones, but is a common source of leaks. We show you how to keep it working nicely

tamingthesaxophone.com

 

[PigSquealer]

Back them both out. Leak light in the body. Then close F or E and press pinky G#. Turn the screw over G# cup back in until G# is just gently closing.
Press F or E again and hit G# on & off. See if G# leaks.

Next press F or E. Look at upper stack Bb cup. Adjust the screw over Bis finger until it gently closes upper stack Bb cup.

The adjustments are very fine as to how much you turn the screws. Like 1/8 to 1/4 of a turn is a big difference depending on the maker of the sax.

 

[Stephen Howard]

You can adjust these screws without the aid of a leaklight by simply playtesting the horn.
Back both screws off so that when you press the low F key down, the Bis Bb key doesn't fully close - and when you press the G# key (with the low F key down) the G# cup rises slightly.

Now adjust the Bb down. Press the Bis Bb down, press the low F down and note the gap between the adjuster and the Bis Bb arm. Turn the screw to close the gap (it'll take a couple of goes). When it gets close, blow a long Bb (top B key + low F). It will probably be weak. Lightly tap the Bis Bb - this will give you a rough idea of how far you have to go. Make an adjustment and playtest again. When you get a strong Bb the adjustment is complete.
Now do much the same for the G#, this time using a low D as your reference. Play the D, hit the G# key and see how the note drops out. Adjust and repeat until the D holds strong when the G# is pressed.

The caveat is that this method works fine when the horn is in good order. If there's wear in the action or a few iffy pads you're going to have to go back and forth with both adjusters in order to find the best compromise....which may mean backing one of both adjusters off a little.
It's possible to improve on the adjustment by changing the regulation on the lower stack...but then it all gets very much more complicated. But the method above should at least get you back to where you were before you moved the adjusters.

 

[AlonW]

Thanks! I managed to get it playing better but still felt like I was having issues so I brought it to tech #2 who said tech #1 had not sufficiently repaired it because there were leaks all over the place. Tech #2 is busy for a while, as is tech #1 (not sure why they didn’t really fix it sufficiently though.) So today I’m hopefully dropping it off at tech #3’s shop, where it will stay for a few days. One of things that makes saxophone challenging is how complex and delicate they are, having the ability to repair them is really a great skill and players rely heavily on techs. It almost makes me want to teach myself how to do complete repairs myself, get all the tools, etc. I would love to be able to since regular maintenance is so important to be able to get the most out of the instrument. Hopefully tech #3 will get everything sorted and I get into playing it for a while. Fingers crossed.

 

[cappers]

It almost makes me want to teach myself how to do complete repairs myself, get all the tools, etc.

I have Stephen Howard's 'Haynes' sax manual but am loathe to anything other than check for leaks and take it to my tech. I'm good with my hands but don't feel competent enough to tackle a sax. Previous 'mechanical' experience is repairing and maintaining old Land Rovers where big hammers and brute force were often needed!

I would like to be able to do basic work on my saxes and have thought about a training course. Unfortunately, the days (in the UK at least) of local authority funded training workshops and courses are long gone. I believe the HEA courses at Newick and Merton colleges have stopped.

I can find only two sax-specific repair courses:
Trevor Head in Wales, 5 days £1445. Covers dent removal, soldering, body straightening, tone hole levelling, repadding and more. Courses

Cambridge Makers, one day (10am-4pm) £75. Basic maintenance and emergency repair course. Does not cover re-padding an instrument.
Saxophone Repair & Care - Cambridge Makers

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[mizmar]

It almost makes me want to teach myself how to do complete repairs myself, get all the tools, etc.

Don't know about "complete"!
I, incrementally, launched myself at this issue a while ago; at least for a few basics and, eventually, a repad.
People vary on the diy/handiness scale (I'm reasonably mechanically minded, but also a bit cack handed.) but it's not really that hard... For the basics. And does leave you being able to do better diagnostics, even if you do end up using a pro.

You can follow my story here:

Tech/maintenance - Replacing corks and felts; basics?

Ok, so the scruffy sax (Vito yts 23ish) occasionally sheds bits of cork or felt; it's an age thing, I guess. I've done some running repairs with whatever sticky/padded stuff I've had to hand; but now the situation is not brilliant with - otherwise apparently good - pads not closing properly and...

cafesaxophone.com

 

[Colin the Bear]

The only tools needed to turn a screw is the right sized screwdriver.

Pick up an old Chinese yam or yani copy and have at it.

Maintenance is pretty straight forward. Restoration can be quite involved.

The metal work is the hard bit so unless you drop it or something lets go it's just glue, leather, cork and felt, with a few screws to turn and a drop of oil.

The scarey bit is doing it on your expensive pride and joy.

I've only ever had a cheap pride and joy, so I'm not scared. 😉

 

[skeller047]

I have Stephen Howard's 'Haynes' sax manual but am loathe to anything other than check for leaks and take it to my tech. I'm good with my hands but don't feel competent enough to tackle a sax. Previous 'mechanical' experience is repairing and maintaining old Land Rovers where big hammers and brute force were often needed!

I would like to be able to do basic work on my saxes and have thought about a training course. Unfortunately, the days (in the UK at least) of local authority funded training workshops and courses are long gone. I believe the HEA courses at Newick and Merton colleges have stopped.

I can find only two sax-specific repair courses:
Trevor Head in Wales, 5 days £1445. Covers dent removal, soldering, body straightening, tone hole levelling, repadding and more. Courses

Cambridge Makers, one day (10am-4pm) £75. Basic maintenance and emergency repair course. Does not cover re-padding an instrument.
Saxophone Repair & Care - Cambridge Makers

​

Boston Sax Shop offers an online training course aimed at saxophone players, not professional repairers. Jack’s goal is for players to be able to do regular maintenance and minor repairs themselves. I have not checked the course out, I don’t think I need it (hahaha - of course I don’t think that!!!), but I have a great deal of respect and admiration for Jack. Send him an email and ask about it, I know he occasionally announces the course, but I don’t know all of the details.

Music Medic also occasionally has online courses aimed at beginners, I have taken one, and it was generally pretty good. A bit of emphasis on selling their own tools of course. Their website has a lot of very informative articles and blogs on various topics.

I thank my lucky stars all the time that my clarinet tutor insist that I learn to disassemble and re-assemble my clarinet, and gave me two full lessons devoted to it. When I started playing saxophone I applied the lessons there, and have been doing routine maintenance (and occasionally more than routine) ever since.

 

[Colin the Bear]

Might be a good idea to start with a clarinet. Same only different. Cheaper for a "do upper" too.