The Saxophone and Emergency Repair
What does anybody really need to know about the saxophone and emergency repair?
The answer is not so much. I see a lot of repairmen offering emergency repair kits... complicated things to work with and a lot of advice on the technical way to do the repair.
All repairs of the saxophone that can be made fast by the Band Director or knowledgeable Player at a concert, football game or rehearsal are simple. Most things on the saxophone can be fixed with a few things: Rubber Bands of many different sizes and strengths... buy a bag at the 99-cent store for a buck, Saran Wrap, thin double sided tape and or dental tape, a small screwdriver to tighten a pivot screw or rod and a spring hook incase a spring comes off. A small amount of pads might be good. However unless every saxophonist in your band is playing the same brand and model of saxophone the number of pads necessary could prove to be too large to carry everywhere.. It may be too hard and expensive to keep in stock. So I will talk about using the things you have at hand.
The word emergency itself tells you it only needs to work for a short while. To get you through that football game... then you can take it to the repairman...
So if a spring breaks: You can use one of the rubber bands and fine a way for it to connect to the instrument and lift the key up or hold it down. Choose a rubber band that is about the same tension as the keys on the instrument after it is hooked up.
If a pad is torn: And it will not seat cover it with Saran Wrap and use a rubber band to hold it on.... it might look funny, feel
different to the student when the key is pressed but it will work.
If a pad falls out: Put it back in with the thin double sided tape. Then Wrap it with Saran Wrap and Rubber Band to make sure it stays in the pad cup. Put the Saran Wrap over the face of the pad, pull it to the top of the pad cup, twist it and use the rubber band to hold it in place.
Eric Marienthal one of the great modern saxophonist pretty much always has Saran Wrap on his palm key pads. After seeing Eric’s saxophone I often thought that I would put Saran Wrap on my palm keys and maybe I would play better... I tried it... it just didn’t work for me like I wanted...
If a pad sticks: Put some baby power on it and work it up and down a few times...
Lose a pad:
If your saxophone player looses the pad then fold some paper in the pad cup until it looks about the same thickness as the other pads around it and wrap a few or a lot of layers of Saran Wrap around the pad cup, rubber band it and it will work for a while.
Lose a neck cork: Wrap the neck with Dental Tape until the mouthpiece fits and put the mouthpiece on... it will last for a while. The Dental Tape will also work for a Clarinet mouthpiece or any Tenon.
Remember emergency is just for a short while not a permanent fix. Saran Wrap and Rubber Bands can work on saxophones, flutes, clarinets, brass water keys and just about anything that can be fixed in an emergency. It will likely last through the gig.
Tool List:
Saran Wrap
Rubber Bands
Small amount of baby power..
Thin Double Sided Tape
Dental Tape
Small Screwdriver
Spring Hook (Optional)
These tools will all fit in a very small bag and be easy to keep with you....
If the problem cannot be corrected with these few things... then it is not an emergency repair. It is a shop repair, and must be taken to your local woodwinds repair shop.
These solutions may or may not work for everyone, but it is a solution offered by Rheuben Allen – formerly of the Sax Shop in Los Angeles.
Black Diamond Alto Saxophone
The Black Diamond Professional Alto Saxophone - Designed by Rheuben Allen - Repairman to the Hollywood Studio & Touring Woodwind Players.
This saxophone is a great example of his ingenuity.
The saxophone has rich, dark, and smooth tone. There were only two in existence that were made from the prototype. We have the prototype in our office. This saxophone is taken by our staff to gigs, practice, and try outs to music teachers. It runs a close second to the fabulous RAAS6L - 14K Alto Sax.
The first one was bought by a collector who doesn't play (go figure)!
Black Diamond
Professional Alto Saxophone
Model No. HSASBD
Limited Edition Model
Features:
The Heavy Freedom/Power Neck Brace
Easy to operate High & Trill F# Keys
Easy to reach Front F or Altissimo Key
Black Nickel Plated Body, Neck & Keys
Leather Contour Case
Rheuben Allen® Mouthpiece Manufactured in the USA
Not only are the Black Diamond Saxophones are Beautiful
They Play Outstanding
visit the website: www.kdimusic.com
Kenny G Saxophones & Rheuben Allen Saxophones offer a Five Year Limited Warranty
Kenny G Saxophones & Rheuben Allen Saxophones offer a Five Year Limited Warranty
Kenny G Saxophones & Rheuben Allen Saxophones are covered against defects in workmanship, materials, and manufacturing for five years from date of purchase. This warranty applies only to the original purchaser of the new Kenny G Saxophone & Rheuben Allen Saxophone and only when the original purchase is made from kdimusic.com. KDI Music, LLC, at its discretion, will find the best possible solution to the problem and remedy the situation in a timely manner.
To receive warranty service, please contact KDI Music.com at 4inquiries.kdimusic@gmail.com; explain the problem via e-mail, date of purchase from KDI Music.com, and the serial number of instrument. The Warranty requires prior authorization from us before the instrument can be returned for warranty work. Proof of purchase must be presented at the time of warranty request.
Warranty Exclusions:
KDI Music, LLC, Kenny G Saxophones & Rheuben Allen Saxophones does not warrant against deterioration from perspiration, high humidity, extreme temperatures, oxidation or tarnish of finishes, or other external causes. KDI Music, Kenny G Saxophones & Rheuben Allen Saxophones disclaims and excludes liability for damage done to finish or plating by excess polishing or pressure or use of a polishing cloth or any other product that takes the plating off. Use a soft cloth, free of chemicals for all finishes. Wipe the fingerprints off often and dry moisture off inside and outside the horn as often as possible. Keep your instrument dry and in its case when storing the instrument.
Instruments that have been altered in any way, or the identification numbers removed or changed are not eligible for warranty.
KDI Music, LLC, Kenny G Saxophones & Rheuben Allen Saxophones disclaims and excludes liability for any incidental or consequential damages. Warranty does not cover damage resulting from abuse, negligence, accidents, lack of reasonable maintenance or failure to follow Care Instructions. Warranty does not cover loss or theft of instrument.
Warranty does not cover pads, corks, felts; normal use, normal upkeep, regulation or poor quality repair work done to the saxophone by local repairman and all problems must be reported within 5 days after discovery.
Thank you,
Management of KDI Music, LLC – Limited LiabilityCorporation, a USA Company
Management of Rheuben Allen & Associates, LLC, a USA Company
Management of KG Saxophones, LLC, a USA Company
Rev 06/30/2016
Why is it harder to play Soprano Sax than my Tenor Sax?
Playing the Soprano Sax is very different than playing the alto or tenor saxophones. The Tenor Sax and Alto Sax tend to respond with a loose embouchure and many tenor players strive to keep the embouchure loose for a big sound.
Soprano Sax needs a little firmer embouchure to play it well. Not tight so it does not respond but firm mostly for the upper register response.
For example when you first play the high notes just pushing the key does not mean the note will come in.. a slight adjustment to the embouchure is necessary.
Also the biggest mistake most players make when trying to play Soprano Sax is they do not push the mouthpiece far enough on the neck cork. If the mouthpiece is out a little too far then the bottom of the Soprano Sax and sometimes the high notes will not work.
Pushing the mouthpiece in helps on most saxophones for the response. Find what is called the “Sweet Spot” where everything works.
Remember to Practice as often as you can to achieve the intonation you desire.
We Hope This Helps!!
Thanks for reading from the KDI Music Staff
Black Diamond Saxophones
Not only are the Black Diamond Saxophones are Beautiful - They Play Outstanding!!
When Rheuben Allen started to create the design for the Black Diamond Series Saxophones he wanted a saxophone that a live player could use. Mostly that all clubs, weddings, concerts and generally most live performances are not held in the same location and all rooms are different acoustically.
The saxophonist must adjust to the location and room size. So the qualities of the Black Nickel Plating came to mind. He still makes saxophones with Black Nickel Bodies and Silver Plating and had made a few with Gold Lacquered keys. They play very nice and are very strong. He wondered what the saxophone would sound like with all Black Nickel Plating so he made a couple Prototypes and was very happy with the results.
They did everything he had hoped. Black Nickel is very durable plating and adds a little weight to the instruments providing the saxophonist with a greater projection of sound.
Black Nickel Plating does not start producing the tone as fast as Lacquer or Silver Plating but can be pushed to produce a very strong projection of tone.
This line represents Lacquer and Silver plating tone projection:
Soft__________________________________________ Loud
This line represents Black Nickel tone projection:
Soft__________________________________________________ Loud
*As you can see the Black Nickel can be pushed to a louder volume, and will depend a lot of the tone production belongs to the player, mouthpiece and reed combination.
A Passion for the Perfect Sound
All of us a KDI Music have “A Passion for the Perfect Sound”, in which we are adamant about teaching our younger generation the art of music. Whether it is to play Woodwinds, Brass, Stringed Instruments, Keyboards, Piano or Percussion or to Sing, it is important to all of us to continue this tradition. It doesn’t matter what genre they prefer or what instrument they play, we believe it is in everyone’s best interest to provide musical education for developing young minds.
To that end, we believe in providing quality instruments on our site for the beginning student to professional musicians. We at KDI Music have tested all the instruments we sell on our website and have even purchased many for our own performance use. I have personally purchased the Kenny G G-Series IV Soprano Sax Silver Body/Lacquered Keys for its tone value and looks. Our Staff has collectively purchased and performs with the Kenny G G-Series IV Alto and Soprano Saxes, E-Series IV Alto and Soprano Saxes, Black Diamond Alto Sax and the Rheuben Allen Series 5 Alto Saxophone.
We have both loaned and sold instruments to many organizations including the Nisei Week Foundation Marching Band and schools. We look forward to helping students experience the Marching Band, Concert Band or Orchestra in their schools, so please reach out to us to see if we can help.
Thanks for taking the time to read this blog.
The Staff at KDI Music, LLC