A Few high notes are sharp
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There were several postings about this on the old board, but I don't see any about it here. The intonation problem above high A seems pretty common on TT altos. There's a relatively easy fix involving making an insert for the neck that clears up the intonation w/o futzing playability.
I used to have an email from one of the contributors here that described how to make & fit the insert, but now I discover I've lost it & I don't remember who it came from!! Hopefully they will pipe up for you.
I used to have an email from one of the contributors here that described how to make & fit the insert, but now I discover I've lost it & I don't remember who it came from!! Hopefully they will pipe up for you.
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Awe, c'mon! Be nice and share your secrets with the rest of us!
There is an inherent intonation problem with (at least some of ) the #1 alto TT necks. Tones above high A get increasingly sharper. This intonation issue is the same with every mouthpiece I've tried, including the original Buescher TT and the Caravan large chamber. The problem is in the taper of the first 5-8 cm of the neck. This was corrected when Buescher produced the #01 neck for the Aristocrat. The bore of the main body of the TT alto and the Aristocrat are identical down to the slightly bigger bow and bell of the TT, and if you put a #01 neck on a TT alto it plays in tune. So this is not a mouthpiece problem. If you put an insert of the correct volume at the right spot in the neck, the intonation gets correct. This also shows that it is the volume of the different parts of the bore that decides the intonation, not the shape of the bore. A small piece of a rubber hose placed at the correct spot makes the trick
My method is a do it on the kitchen bench at no cost type – and you don’t alter the instrument permanently.
You take a hose made o PVC or silicon rubber that has a diameter slightly bigger than the inner diameter of the neck and a wall thickness of 1-2 millimetres. You cut off a piece of 1,5 cm, stand the piece on the table and cut it into two half cylinders, one piece a little bigger than the other. Then you take the biggest one and place it against the inner roof of the neck. If you have silicon rubber it will stick by itself – PVC will need some contact glue. The placement should be centred aprox where the cork ends.
To fine adjust the size and placement of the piece you first have to have a correct placement of the mouthpiece. I do it this way : adjust against a tuner with both F sharps and then keep the embouchure fixed playing from high G and up. If the piece is placed too far into the neck or it’s too big the high A will go flat. If the high B and up still is sharp the piece is too small. Check also the ordinary high A fingering against “ the control high A” -- finger A + G sharp without the octave key pressed (total 3 fingers).
To make a permanent fix you have to retaper the neck internally to mimic the Aristocrat’s "01" neck to about the point where the octave vent is. I've done this using a metal epoxy putty.
Please ask if you need more explanation
ToreH
My method is a do it on the kitchen bench at no cost type – and you don’t alter the instrument permanently.
You take a hose made o PVC or silicon rubber that has a diameter slightly bigger than the inner diameter of the neck and a wall thickness of 1-2 millimetres. You cut off a piece of 1,5 cm, stand the piece on the table and cut it into two half cylinders, one piece a little bigger than the other. Then you take the biggest one and place it against the inner roof of the neck. If you have silicon rubber it will stick by itself – PVC will need some contact glue. The placement should be centred aprox where the cork ends.
To fine adjust the size and placement of the piece you first have to have a correct placement of the mouthpiece. I do it this way : adjust against a tuner with both F sharps and then keep the embouchure fixed playing from high G and up. If the piece is placed too far into the neck or it’s too big the high A will go flat. If the high B and up still is sharp the piece is too small. Check also the ordinary high A fingering against “ the control high A” -- finger A + G sharp without the octave key pressed (total 3 fingers).
To make a permanent fix you have to retaper the neck internally to mimic the Aristocrat’s "01" neck to about the point where the octave vent is. I've done this using a metal epoxy putty.
Please ask if you need more explanation
ToreH
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2,577 Posts
Mark Aronson also retapers necks from #1 to 01 for about $125, I think.
If I ever buy a Tru Tone, that's probably the route I'll take. For now, I like my New Aristocrat and Aristocrat horns. (And I love my TT curved soprano!)
Alan
If I ever buy a Tru Tone, that's probably the route I'll take. For now, I like my New Aristocrat and Aristocrat horns. (And I love my TT curved soprano!)
Alan
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132 Posts
I just joined the Aristocrat club.. and do I love it !!!
I don't think I'm having an intonation problem with my 1954 'crat. Just o'hauled.
Just to make sure, how do I id the '01' neck? All parts on my horn are
original.
Haven't had any luck with altissimo .. Meyer 5M mpc ... any suggestions that don't kill the bottom end ??
I don't think I'm having an intonation problem with my 1954 'crat. Just o'hauled.
Just to make sure, how do I id the '01' neck? All parts on my horn are
original.
Haven't had any luck with altissimo .. Meyer 5M mpc ... any suggestions that don't kill the bottom end ??
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17,204 Posts
One method for playing with bore inserts is to put a small, strong magnet on the outside, and some steel shot on the inside. Move the shot around with the magnet. Adjust the quantity of shot. I've never done this; just repeating somebody. If you really like a result, I suppose you could glue the shot in there.
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Well, of course not. These Aristocrats have the best intonation you'll find in a sax. I guess I was lucky with my TT alto. I have no problems with the high notes being in tune. At least no more than on any other alto.Billyfish said:
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If the problem is specific to these two notes (and you are not playing too high on the mouthpiece pitch to create the problem) you may want to try the tonehole inserts explained in this link. If the problem exists on all notes high A and above, changing the dimensions inside of the neck would be the way to address the problem.
http://musicmedic.com/info/articles/num_24.html
John
http://musicmedic.com/info/articles/num_24.html
John
The short answer/tip for what to do is make a conscious effort to lower those note pitches, short of relaxing your embouchre. My question to you is, "When you play those notes an octave down are those notes in tune? I also play alto sax and have found that the B above middle C tends to be on the sharp side.
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