Saxophones Trevor James standard of finish

[Sherrington]

Is this standard of finish of soldering on the key posts normal and acceptable for a £3000 professional Custom Raw XS tenor sax? Or am I being picky

 

[Royston]

Is this standard of finish of soldering on the key posts normal and acceptable for a £3000 professional Custom Raw XS tenor sax? Or am I being picky

I wouldn’t say you’re being picky.
I had the XS Alto and didn’t notice any similarly poor soldered joints.

 

[Sherrington]

I also have a alto XS which is perfect. More than happy with it. Just wanted some other opinions before I speak with TJ.

 

[Royston]

I also have a alto XS which is perfect. More than happy with it. Just wanted some other opinions before I speak with TJ.

I would definitely speak to them. I’m sure they’ll put it right but shouldn’t really have been put out like that. Poor quality control which I wouldn’t have expected from them.

 

[Moz]

It does look a bit grim. But how old is the sax as it doesn't look particularly new? Might it be a dodgy repair?

 

[Wade Cornell]

It's your money. If you don't feel you are (potentially) getting what you want then I'd cancel. Poor workmanship that gets passed by somebody that should be doing quality control says to me that there are potentially other issues that are not as visible which may be more serious but not show up for a while...like bleed, slop, poor alignment that wears rods, etc. If in doubt take a specific horn to a good tech and only buy under the condition that the horn passes muster. Any seller/dealer that doesn't agree should not be dealt with (IMHO).

 

[Sherrington]

It does look a bit grim. But how old is the sax as it doesn't look particularly new? Might it be a dodgy repair?

3 months old and brand new. Made by Dave Farley

 

[jbtsax]

It is called a "Raw" tenor.

 

[Moz]

Surely no excuse not to give it a proper finish though? If it wasn't 'finished' deliberately then it shouldn't cost so much -- emporer's new clothes perhaps?

 

[Veggie Dave]

I love my TJ but I can't say I'm overly impressed with its finish. It started showing signs of acid/flux bleed within the first year. There's rather more now.

As for Sherrington's RAW - I wouldn't accept that level of soldering on a bath pipe, never mind a three grand sax.

 

[brianr]

I would for certain take that back to wherever you bought it and ask for either another, in perfect condition, or a full refund.

Mainly because if you ever come to sell it, that nonsense is going to seriously effect what you will get for it.
if i saw that on a 2nd hand sax, I would have serious doubts about its history.

Thats just appalling, especially in a sax costing that amount.

£3k for that. Someone is having a laugh.

 

[Colin the Bear]

How has this been acceptable for three months? Have you just noticed it?

 

[BUMNOTE]

I also have the same sax,must say till I read your post never thought to look at the soldering and such,but after checking it out have to say everything is fine.Yours some way must have slipped through quality inspection,definitely take it back for replacement,also as jbtsax says they are a raw finish to the people who say it looks a bit grim.Bumnote.

 

[spike]

This is the Ad copy:-
"Not at all like the numerous different companies who essentially apply a thin finish to the instrument to give it the presence of being old, we have just taken the saxophone in it’s raw fabricated condition and included the mechanism."
Personally, I don't care what my horns look like, and I don't care what they cost. Those "RAW" joints look pretty solid to me, if they don't meet your standards of aesthetics then take it back. The question begs asking - Why did you buy it in the first place?

 

[jazzdoh]

I own the RAW alto not the XS and my soldering is perfect,i would take it back, the unlacquered finish is expected but you shouldn't expect poor soldered posts.

 

[Sherrington]

As I was already a TJ Raw alto sax owner I ordered one through my local music store trusting the tenor to be as well made. I did notice that the soldering wasn't as good as on the alto, but only realised how bad some of the soldering was recently. Its already been back to TJ due to the neck clamp screw snapping, as the screw wasn't square to the block so eventually fatigue won out. I also haven't played it as much as my alto and Yanni curved soprano. Incedently Dave Farley replied to my criticism of the neck screw snapping by indicating he had done me a favour of spending 1.5 hours of his own time fixing it! After all it was his lack of quality control that caused the problem in the first place. Maybe that explains the poor soldering on a tenor he built. And yes it is a Custom Raw, although I didn't expect a Custom ROUGH. Thanks for all your input. Already asked my music store to send it back

 

[Moz]

Right on. At that sort of money I would expect it to be bloody perfect. Not a good advert for this fellow Dave Farley.

 

[Ivan]

I suppose resale value could be affected, at least in the short term

 

[SaxoFREAK]

Poor workmanship should not be excepted in quality goods and as for this guy stating he spent his own time fixing a problem that he incidentally created smells of arrogance to me, send it back and stick clear of anything this guy puts his name too..

 

[sharkfin]

Was contemplating trading my SR for the Raw (lacquered version}, although Stephen Howard's reviews of both has always made me wonder whether it was worth it. Seeing the poor quality 0f this one makes me even more reluctant to spend the money.
By the way, does anyone know if the new Vintage crook for the Raw is available to buy separately in gold lacquer and does it fit the SR? As the SR is the budget version of the Raw, I thought it might. I have emailed Trevor James today but just wondered if anyone knew.