Overhaul'n my Holton

[bariman]

Here's the sax:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=10184&item=3744951 653&rd=1

She could use a good cleaning, a post to stop a palm key from going down too much needs to be resoldered, and a repad. How much do you guys think it will set me back to have a proffesional do the overhaul? I want to use some Saxgourmet pads, with seamless doomed metal resonators. Thanks for all the input,

Bariman

[Dave Dolson]

Bariman: I'd guess north of $500.00 to do it correctly. I'd be mildly surprised if you came up with an estimate lower than five.

I dig that extra key that was discussed earlier. DAVE

[Tharruff]

Bariman,

About 5 years ago I picked up a Conn straight neck C-Sax at a flea market for $ 75. Other than being extremely tarnished, it was in EXCELLENT shape. I had it overhauled for the 'friendly' price of $ 350 because I did all the polishing...not the repair man. (He took it apart and gave me all the pieces...I polished EVERYTHING (took about a week working in the evenings) then gave it all back to him and he put it back together) I had him use Selmer pads with brown nylon tone boosters.

I also bought another mouthpiece, so all-in-all I have about $ 450 in it.

I think that with the repairs you have mentioned plus the Goodman pads, Dave is probably right on target with his estimate.

[bariman]

Thanks for the advice, guys. I'm going to take it to my repair guy when I take my tenor in for a routine next week. I think I'll do what you did, Tharruff, and polish it myself; I know I can make the time, and if it can chip off some of that overhaul price, I might be able to make an ok profit.

Dave: Those extra keys are pretty cool! The G# key needs a little tweaking to get it to open the cup enough, but i'll take care of that in the overhaul. The other key I am pretty sure is a C-D trill, or something, as you guys suspected. The hand postion is ok for the main keys, but the "G" finger key is strangely far out, and it cramps my hand a little, but i'll get over it.

Once again, thanks for the advice,

Bariman

[Tharruff]

Bariman,

I don't know if you have ever polished a Sax body or not...but prepare to have your fingertips 'pricked' by the springs until you are bleeding like a stuck pig !!!

Well...maybe not THAT much...

But you will get plenty of 'pricks' no matter how careful you try to be...

Good luck.

Mine came out looking virtually like brand new by the way...

[Dave Dolson]

I'd be inclined to let the repair-tech do all the work. He/she can dip the thing and it will most likely turn out really nice. I've had vintage horns (Buescher TT sop and alto, to name two) overhauled and they turned out to be terrific players as well as striking in appearance. I doubt if a hand-polish could do as good. DAVE

[bariman]

Thanks for the advi, Tharruff. I think i'm ok on my left hand fingertips (years of playing double bass and 'cello), but my right has nothing to worry about. The first couple of years of Double bass literally made my fingers bleed. During a performance once too.

Do you have any before/after pics of the sax you polished, Tharruff? It'd be cool to see what a good polishing job can do. Diamond in the ruff, you know?

Bariman

[bariman]

Dave: Anything to lower that estimate a little :lol: I'll see what my tech will do it for, and go from there, though it would be rewarding to play something I had a hand in overhauling.

Bariman

[Tharruff]

bariman,

I'm sorry but no, I don't have any pictures. I didn't have a digital camera at the time and didn't even think about taking film photos either.

I could take some pictures of it as it looks now, but it has tarnished some since the time that I had it overhauled several years ago.

When it was done, the only way I can describe it is that it literally looked like new. All the silver was shiny...the gold wash in the bell was shiny...there was no tarnish under the keys or around the posts.

I used a liquid polish (Hagerty's) on the body along with strips of chemically treated cloth and a buffing wheel on the keys. I was VERY GENTLE with the buffing wheel.

That is why it took me a week to do it. I probably spent AT LEAST 20 hours polishing. You can't make money when you spend that kind of time just cleaning and polishing a horn...but I wasn't trying to make money, just to save a little by using my (free) labor.

Good luck.

[bariman]

No prob, Tharruff, just wondering. Thanks for the input!

Bariman

[Dave Dolson]

Bariman: E-mail me at jazzdolsonatcomcastdotnet and I'll forward some shots of my silver Buescher alto from that era, to give you an idea of what a pro-cleaning and polishing looks like. DAVE

[bariman]

Dave: Sent you an email!

Bariman