Tech/maintenance will engraving make a difference

eb424 · Apr 30, 2020

I know theres lots of different opinions on here and i have been advised not to get my conn 10m taken back to bare brass there must only be 15% lacquer left on her; also the engraving is really faint. I can't find an engraver in the UK but if i could I wouldn't want to change the tone; she's not the desirable one she's 1952 Non rolled tone hole but desired by me... Would going over the engraving take out a significant amount of brass to change the tone and should I just enjoy what Ive got...

jbtsax · Apr 30, 2020

No amount of engraving is going to change the tone.

eb424 · Apr 30, 2020

Thanks JBT sax great help as usual.... don't suppose it will happen as sax engravers seem rare in the uk, can I ask another. Ive noticed that there is a small crease ( I dont think that you would see it in a photo).. Is it worth trying to change the bow and get a used one sent from the states or better just live with it. I hadn't noticed it before as the laquers almost gone but you can feel the ripple..

Stephen Howard · Apr 30, 2020

Just live with it. Wait until you drop it before deciding whether to go for a new bottom bow.

eb424 · Apr 30, 2020

blimey that's optimistic...im only 5ft 2 prob wouldn't do that much damage..

Stephen Howard · Apr 30, 2020

Happens all the time...
Once you get the horn much above a foot off the ground you're likely to see noticeable damage from a drop.

DavidUK · May 1, 2020

Some old old information about engravers here: May have found a UK engraver...

I seem to recall @Pete Thomas mentioned someone recently, but could be mistaken.

Anyhow, unless you plan to have Jason Dumars do an all over job I wouldn't be keen on running over the original engraving to have it stand out more. At present your 10M may look as it the engraving has just worn over time, as has the lacquer, and that's precisely as it should be unless it's been polished previously in which case I'd expect the lacquer to be gone or to have been renewed. Re-engraving will likely make it look odd and if you were ever to sell it a buyer may be wary of what's gone on.

As for the bow crease, have you had a sax tech look to see if it can simply be removed? I've had horns with all kinds of dents and generally they can get them out. If it's almost invisible (but annoys you) I think there's a good chance this can be done for minimal cost.

Clivey · May 1, 2020

Most of the engraving on mine ,1935 10m is so faint now that I have to look for it . This is a result of thousands of hours of handling the horn since I first laid my mitts on it/her mid 80's.
In my dreams I would return the horn back to it's original condition but the reality is that it's a tool.
I'm pretty sure that will be collectors out there that would insist that the value in a horn of this sort would be in unmodified as in original condition as possible. All the antique programmes on TV make this a very clear instruction.
So if a player wanted to re-engrave they have to consider that this is an irreversible act that may reduce financial worth of the instrument in the future.
The same is probably true of other mods as well though if the horn is a true " players" horn the value as a tool is increased by improving the ergonomics.

There are many now in the sax world that would love to buy quality replicas of antique and vintage horns. The Musical Instrument industry have done well with this line in the more widely used pop rock instruments but it would appear that the demand is too small in the world of horns which is a pity in my opinion.