How should I keep my sax between practices?

[fballatore]

OK, now I'm thinking too much. I'm wondering how to best keep my sax in between practices. Obviously, I have a case, but I also bought a sax stand. I've started keeping it on the stand between my daily practices, thinking that it's better to be exposed to the air than inside the case. I clean and swab the sax before I store it, and remove and clean the reed, mouthpiece and neck before placing the sax boy on the stand. I only have a neck plug for now, but I have a pad saver on order, and will use that before storing the sax. Is this the best thing to do? How do you store your sax between practices?

Thanks,

Frank

[Dave Dolson]

Frank: This subject has been addressed a few times already here on SOTW. Bottom line is that there are no rules. Seems there are many ways it can be done, all a personal decision.

Personally, I put my horns away in their cases after playing them. I dry my reed and mouthpiece, but don't spend time swabbing anything or washing anything, unless I'm down with a cold. You may find the high-maintenance approach will discourage you over the long-haul. I know many others spend a lot of time washing up, but I do not - and none of my horns have suffered for it. However, I left some horns out on a stand a few years back and could see a noticeable decline in their appearances. DAVE

[Sigmund451]

If Im understanding correctly you are considering a pad saver...ditch that idea altogether...especially leaving it in the horn. This keeps moisture in which is a bad thing. Also they deposit little hairs on the pads which Im told can eventually emboss themselves on the leather then when the key closes against the tonehole it forms micro leaks. There is just nothing good to say about a pad saver except they are colorful and fuzzy.

If your not going to swab every time at least empty the horns content so it doesnt sit in the bow and get nasty. Be sure to whipe off the bell after with a soft cloth. I DO suggest frequently swabing your neck. This can potentially, over time, have a tonal effect. Nasties can build up inside which inhibit vibration. As for a stand...make sure its in a safe place. Leaving the mpc on the cork will shorten the life of the cork but who really cares. The thing that may matter is that if you use other pieces on the cork your are not giving the cork time to dry and partly return to its natural shape...thus other mpcs fit may be poor. I never use plugs unless Im transporting. Why inhibit venting?

I leave my horn out all day, I dump it out. On my last play of the day I frequently disassemble and swab, weekends It stays on the stand but the mpc is off at night. For maintence sake I try to get a good swabbing in at least 4 times per week. I do it when it is at its wettest so to remove particles and such.

There are of course as many variations on the theme as there are players. I try to find a happy medium where Im not always doing maintence but also not inviting problems with open arms. Some laziness is fine but too much can be expensive.

[Sigmund451]

Dave....is the decline in appearance from dust, oils, and grit...from getting bumped around? Or are they the ones that get grabbed the most and receive more wear from use? Im Curious as to why the stand is being named the culprit.

[fballatore]

Thanks guys.

Sorry Dave - rookie mistake - I forgot to do a search before posting.

I don't have a problem cleaning and swabbing the sax after every time I play; it only takes a few minutes - no big deal. (I guess I may get lazy at some point down the road, but not right now.)

Sig - sounds like there is no middle ground when it comes to pad savers. People seem to either love 'em or hate 'em. I ordered one because a friend told me it would help with a couple of sticking pads on my horn.

Dave - I'm also interested in hearing more about the horns you left out on the stand. Although I bought my horn used, it looks new, and I prefer to keep it looking that way.

Thanks!

[Martin Williams]

I agree with Sig on the pad saver. A weighted silk pull through swab is the best IMO

It doesnt really matter if you leave it on the stand or the case, just be sure the sax is safe where it is if you leave it on the stand and nothing can knock it over(freind of mine has had that happen - twice :( )

Martin Williams

[jazzbluescat]

I won't use a swab either, nor use anything with cotton, like q-tips to clean. I'll wash pipe cleaners to get the lint off, then clean/scrub pads, etc.

[Sigmund451]

Well, if your going to use a pad saver dont leave it in the horn unless you want to make your tech's next car payment sooner than needed. Im a little sceptical about the tiny hair issue. However, I can tell you that holding moisture in your horn is going to make more sticking problems. A little gig dust on occcasion goes a long way and cleaning your tonehole edges helps too.

[fballatore]

I won't use a swab either, nor use anything with cotton, like q-tips to clean. I'll wash pipe cleaners to get the lint off, then clean/scrub pads, etc.

jbcat -

Can you describe the pipe cleaner and cleaning/scrubbing the pads? I'm afraid to do anything to the pads; I don't want to risk bending any of the keys, etc.

Frank

[Sassaphone]

I've been using a pad saver in both my horns for the last five years with no problems.

[fballatore]

If Im understanding correctly you are considering a pad saver...ditch that idea altogether...especially leaving it in the horn. This keeps moisture in which is a bad thing. Also they deposit little hairs on the pads which Im told can eventually emboss themselves on the leather then when the key closes against the tonehole it forms micro leaks. There is just nothing good to say about a pad saver except they are colorful and fuzzy.

I understand that a pad saver would keep moisture in the horn if you just stuck it in the horn without swabbing first. My thought was to swab the horn first, and then put the swab in. My understanding is that the swab is designed to draw moisture from the toneholes and pads; wouldn't that be better, and prevent sticking pads?

[Dave Dolson]

I left a silver Buescher TT alto, my Antigua 590LQ soprano, and a Buffet R-13 clarinet on a stand in my home office - for weeks. I kept certain mouthpieces on them (ones that played well with Fibracell reeds) leaving the whole thing assembled and ready to play.

The convenience was obvious - I could pick up any of them and play away without ANY preparation.

The downside was that I noticed the instruments looked bad over time - dusty, etc .

Now anyone who has seen my instruments (and several SOTW posters have) knows I keep them as clean and serviceable as I do my carry-pistols, and this result convinced me that I should put them away after playing.

I too, dump out the moisture, polish off the water-marks, etc., but I do not routinely swab out anything. I have been known to occasionally run a rifle-rod-and-patch through my sopranos to clean out the neck-area, but not on a regular basis, like I read so many posters do. I know what other experienced players have written about that, but I found it a waste of time. DAVE

[Randall]

Leaving a horn on the stand was one of my ways to remind myself, "Time to practice Randy!"
In Boston (when I was going to Berklee) this wasn't too bad...I kept my room vacuumed and dusted well and the humidity was not bad there....
However, when I moved to a more humid climate (here in Japan) this just wouldn't fly. The horn is like a magnet for dust and the humidity guarantees frequent polishings (for silver) and laq deterioration.
If you live in the southern part of the USA or anywhere where there is high humidity, I would say that you should expect the same things I experienced here.

Also, if there are kids or cats around, do NOT leave your horn out under any circumstances!!!

My routine:
Swab neck and sax body twice,
Rinse out the mp and dry it.
Dry the reed and put it in a Lavoz holder.
Wipe it down good (and key clamp it if I am traveling with it).
Put it in a HISCOX with 3M silver tarnish strips.
This process takes me around 5 minutes and saves me a lot of grief in the long run.

[gary]

Oh well - why not. I'll add my 2 cents.

This has come up before and so far the responses are about the same in content as in the past. IMO much of it is pure speculation and preference. So here's what I do.

If I've been on a rehearsal or gig and have little time to pack up, I put a pad saver in the sax. IMO it might keep moisture in the sax but the pad saver is absorbing some of the water that might otherwise be rolling around or settling on the pads themselves. Regarding the other problems angain, IMO pure speculation. I've seen too many professionals use pad savers to think that there is a significant disadvantage to them.

When I've time I always dry the mpc, and swab out the neck and body. If I've put a pad saver in the sax after a gig, I put the sax on the stand to air out when I get home. I leave the neck out and off of the sax also to dry out.

At home the saxes are almost always out. I practice and also give lessons not on ly on sax but on trumpet and flute so they're usually out on stands. It looks cool for the kids I teach (inspiration) and it's a good incentive for me to practice if I can just grab one. but I agree that it likely accumulates more dust than it should. Again, trade offs. I'd rather have some extra dust because I left the sax out than not to be able to grab it periodically and give it a blow.

About humidity, I don't have that problem, but I've been to Fukuoka many times and believe me...that gives "humidity" new significance! Randall's problems would only rival someone in Cajun country.