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View Full Version : intonation trouble on 769BN alto


van_helsing
10-02-2006, 09:42 AM
recently I got a 769BNG-F (black nickel body/neck, GL keywork) special edition alto. It is listed somewhere for orginally for some 1200 US-$.

It it great, I won't give it away, but the middle octave has pitching trouble around e2 that makes me feel quite uneasy about the instrument.

The lower octave/register is perfectly in tune. Great!
But the octave low-e-mid-e is nearly 30 cents sharp, as is (diminishing down the keys) eb-eb and d-d. f-f (f#-f# and up) nevertheless is perfect, as is the whole upper octave key range.

I certainly know that saxes aren't perfect, and that student class instruments are not perfect, especially. 30 cents sharp just seems a bit much to me. Well, I'm no pro, thus being unshure about the whole thing, and the dealer and his doc is not too much help with this special issue. Since I really want to play classical stuff too, intonation with full dynamic control matters (with as few as possible embouchure compromises)

I'm hoping, that there may be some magic repair/adjustment to the lower octave key... so:

- is it something to live with ("go into the shed and practise the trouble away")?
- should I give it to Jupiter/Germany to fix the issue?
- may it be kind of terminally out of tune?

With my Tenor (789) and Soprano (Cannonball) there is not sooo much irregular tendency in any single note.

Any help is apprechiated...

van_helsing
10-05-2006, 07:14 PM
Hmmm.. somebody in a German forum told me this is kind of normal, and another guy suggested to fiddle with the lower key movement range.
Well, I closed the D and C Keys a bit and: Voilá. It helped.

I don't understand completely, why this didn't ruin the lower register, but I am quita happy that the octaves e-e, eb-eb and d-d are now reasonable even.

Saxes are mysterious acoustical systems...

64sax
10-08-2006, 06:35 AM
Glad you got it sorted to your satisfaction.