I have a late-'30s Bundy tenor identified by SOTW members as a Conn stencil. The sax is worth just a few hundred bucks but it plays like a dream. I can't get this sound with any modern horn. I've decided to invest in a complete repadding and adjustment, etc. Can anyone recommend the best pads for a horn of this vintage?
Best pads for a vintage tenor
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Pisoni Lucien Deluxe.
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Which ever ones cause it to seal -- which is pretty much all of them.
I use white Roos on my small horns, but it's essentially the color I was after. My tenor and bari have precision pads (brown) and I couldn't for the life of me honestly tell you there's an significantly appreciable difference in the way they feel and certainly isn't in the way they sound. Also can't find a real difference in whether or not a particular type is more or less prone to sticking -- regardless of the long history of opinions on the matter here.
I'd go with whatever your tech recommends, unless you just want white or black (or some other color) pads.
I use white Roos on my small horns, but it's essentially the color I was after. My tenor and bari have precision pads (brown) and I couldn't for the life of me honestly tell you there's an significantly appreciable difference in the way they feel and certainly isn't in the way they sound. Also can't find a real difference in whether or not a particular type is more or less prone to sticking -- regardless of the long history of opinions on the matter here.
I'd go with whatever your tech recommends, unless you just want white or black (or some other color) pads.
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There's something wrong with this notion?
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Not sure it's a Conn stencil at all--Conn always used the 'Mercedes-Benz' shape low C keyguard--Looks like a European stencil. No matter-- use flat metal reso's.
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"Pisoni Lucien Deluxe."
Yes, great pads. Almost zero problem with stickiness. Last very well. Copnmsistent thickness so easy to install. What more could you aske for?
"Actually, the best person to talk to would be your tech. They may have a 'favourite' supplier and might not want to order from someone else."
That too.
Also consider that it is how they are installed and adjusted that is just as or more important than the pads. And how the mechanical infrastructure of the sax is attended to.
Yes, great pads. Almost zero problem with stickiness. Last very well. Copnmsistent thickness so easy to install. What more could you aske for?
"Actually, the best person to talk to would be your tech. They may have a 'favourite' supplier and might not want to order from someone else."
That too.
Also consider that it is how they are installed and adjusted that is just as or more important than the pads. And how the mechanical infrastructure of the sax is attended to.
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3,094 Posts
Looks very much like a Conn Chu Berry.
Any top quality pads will be fine provided they're installed properly and the toneholes are all checked and levelled accordingly. Precision pads as well as Saxgourmet and RooPads (all from MusicMedic) don't use plastic coated leather so are far less likely to stick. If you want to be really authentic, you can use pads with just a plain rivet through the middle, but Conn would've probably used flat metal resos with a rivet through the middle.
Any top quality pads will be fine provided they're installed properly and the toneholes are all checked and levelled accordingly. Precision pads as well as Saxgourmet and RooPads (all from MusicMedic) don't use plastic coated leather so are far less likely to stick. If you want to be really authentic, you can use pads with just a plain rivet through the middle, but Conn would've probably used flat metal resos with a rivet through the middle.
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Conn owned a minority interest in Selmer USA at the time.
Typical stencil saxes of that era had plain, riveted, unresonated pads. The Res-O-Pad® was only fitted on branded Conns.
But any quality pad with your choice of skin and resonator ought to be fine.
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