The American dollar is such strong currency (not speaking politically, but mechanically), because it isn't just paper. It's a paper cloth. Yes, it can rip, but it is also bias. Think of fiberglass. Very similar. It is a layered material. I have use white paper in a pinch, but an American $1, $5, or $10 bill works wonderfully! I used to always keep an unspent $1 bill in each sax case. That didn't last long though, as I'd invariably spend it! I'd buy a similar cloth paper for $2-$5 that would do the same thing, but wouldn't have the same monetary "tempt" factor!
Pound notes (GB£) are made from tough cloth fibre paper so will withstand being drawn between pads and toneholes. Some may already be impregnated with powder which is most likely cocaine.
Not sure about Austrailian notes as I think they're made from plastic.
Lowest pound note is a fiver, then a tenner, then a 20 and 50 - the £1 note disappeared in the early '80s a few years after the pound coin went into circulation. Most recent addition are £2 coins but they won't do the toneholes much good!
Although the best notes in any currency to use are freshly printed ones straight from the cash machine or bank as they're clean and crisp - and haven't accidentally gone through the wash or been used to snort illegal substances!
$ are marginally better than £ or € IME. Seem to be softer and no plastic bits. Pretty much anything will do, even a corner of the last chart in a pinch
What I've observed and what I've heard from old-timers:
Anything strong, malleable, and greasy from use. The non-stick properties of the dollar bill trick come from the cleaning action of the paper being drawn over the tonehole and tonehole impression (which it must be malleable enough to reach well) and the non-stick effect of the oils on the bill from our hands.
If you don't have any oily old bills, pull the crisp new bill over a table corner back and forth to soften it up and then rub it across your nose and forehead. Super gross, but it works.
Of course I think Yamaha powder paper is the best non-stick paper, but maybe that's just because I dislike putting the skin oils of a thousand anonymous people on my pads.
"The non-stick properties of the dollar bill trick come from the cleaning action of the paper being drawn over the tonehole and tonehole impression (which it must be malleable enough to reach well) and the non-stick effect of the oils on the bill from our hands. "
Our currency in New Zealand is solid plastic "paper". It apparently lasts a lot longer than other materials; it will not crease. It's useless for cleaning.
the Euro banknotes (5 € being the smallest Euro denomination in the form of a banknote) are made of cotton fibre. I find the 5 Euro has pretty much the same quality of a dollar bill and gets used as much. I have , in fact, used both a couple of times.
Our shop keepers and supermarkets are pushing to eliminate physical currency and use only plastic. It is already getting increasingly difficult to use cash (although I bought a car a few weeks ago using only cash!) and they have opened some supermarkets where you can only pay with plastic.
I think I should tell our Minister President that you cannot clean a G# by using a credit card. Maybe it would work on the Vibratosax keys!
Our shop keepers and supermarkets are pushing to eliminate physical currency and use only plastic. It is already getting increasingly difficult to use cash (although I bought a car a few weeks ago using only cash!) and they have opened some supermarkets where you can only pay with plastic.
I think I should tell our Minister President that you cannot clean a G# by using a credit card. Maybe it would work on the Vibratosax keys!
I`m willing to perform a thorough and rigorous test of paper currency from all parts of the world. If each of you guys would kindly send me samples of each denomination, I am happy to start straight away.
I've always used US currency because it's where I live. Quarters, nickels, dimes and pennies just don't seem to work though.
I find new bills work great. I don't necessarily buy into to old oily bill theory. You can easily feel how abrasive a new bill is. Not being very knowledgeable about tech stuff I couldn't say for sure, but it seems to me that oils would just attract more gunk in the long run. Clean is good.
If your pad is clean and well-made, it shouldn't be sticking. Non-stick solutions of any kind are a band-aid.
The sticking can come from funk applied by the player/horn (spit, corrosion) or from a bad pad (usually the waterproofing is at fault). If you've got a good pad and the problem is funk, cleaning the pad will do the trick alone- for a time. If you've got a pad that is inherently sticky, you need to apply something to the pad itself to stop it sticking- for a time.
Note: sometimes a good pad will turn into a bad pad if left in a hot car. And if the car is hot enough, it will melt your shellac/glue and you'll have bigger problems.
The dollar bill trick is just that- a trick. To be used on the gig when your G# suddenly sticks. If you keep a dollar bill in your case because it sticks so much, maybe you should add 19 more and take it to your tech to have the pad changed and tonehole cleaned and the rod straightened if necessary and cleaned and the hinge tube cleaned and new oil applied and the springs tensioned and the G# adjustments redone and check for any binding making the spring work harder than it needs to. (Hey when I explain the whole thing, suddenly $20 doesn't seem too bad for "just one pad changed")
Best non-stick solution is to swab out your horn religiously from day one. If you play for hours and hours at a time, swab it out mid-gig during another interminable bass solo (heh). Good pads that never had spit dry on them are happy pads that don't stick and seal better longer.
Best I've found is to ask a band mate if they have a bill (preferably U.S.) of any denomination, and borrow it for thirty seconds to clear the sticky pad and give it back. You don't want to put that gunky thing in YOUR wallet do you?
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