A2 pitch problems on alto

[yaucante]

:( I'm new to the world of vintage saxes and I recently purchased a beautiful King Zephyr. It has a very nice tone although it's extremely mouthpiece-sensitive (Berg Larsen SMS with medium chamber seem to work best). Now, it has the typical double-octave vent system that shifts between G2 and A2. Incidentally, A2 gets way too high in pitch and it only gradually recovers through the higher register. I have tried with smaller chambers with disappointing results and I thought I would share this with the broader sax community, as I know it's a common problem (I mean this specific break in intonation, and perhaps even more common with vintage saxes ). Any mechanical (or other) advice welcome. I used to play a YAS 875, certainly a more consistent horn, and had no problem at all.

Thks.

[John Robinson]

I play an ancient Buescher alto and had the same problem ( maybe worse ?). For me the best solution so far has been to play the A2 without the octave key depressed. It took a little getting used to but when playing a long, audibly prominent a it is well worth the effort. I frequently do the same with G2. It gets rid of the problem and the notes have a little extra richness having shades of lower and upper overtones. Good luck.[/i]

[gyrofrog.com]

You might try partially covering the octave vent on the neck with a piece of tape. I was having this problem with a King Super 20. Though I hasten to add that my intonation got better over time (actually just a month or two) and I attribute much of this to the "mouthpiece exercise" (described elsewhere on the web site). Eventually the piece of tape came off.

Later I noticed problems with E2 playing extremely sharp (almost a semitone). I switched to a Buescher Aristocrat and didn't have the same problem, so that one I will blame on the Super 20, not my chops. (Too bad because the Super 20 had some serious, ah, huevos).

[yaucante]

Thanks guys, these are useful tips that I have not tried already. With all the good advice I've found on this forum, I'll be able to experiment to improve this rebellious A2.

Y.