[danrosesax]

HI
Recently I forgot to latch my case with the saxophone in it and when i pulled up the case the saxophone spilled out onto the floor in front of me. After being paranoid as hell, I finally got to looking at the saxophone in the light and it seemed there were no dents, no breakage of anything, and only one misplaced spring (which i fixed abruptly). I want to know if its possible that maybe some internal mechanism or such thing in the saxophone has been damaged. Currently the saxophone plays fine and well , just like before but i don't want to take any chances with anything that might have happened that I just haven't noticed and will effect my tonal quality/playing in the future. I might be a paranoid freak, but I'd rather be that then having my $2500 sax permanently screwed so please if you can tell me the best thing i can possibly do to check and make sure everything is working to its MAX potential.

 

[Nobby Keys]

If it plays as it did before, then it will most likely be ok. If you are that worried have a sax tech check it over.

In any case if you've used it for over a year without a service it will be worth it anyway.

 

[TeeJot]

Some months ago, my little daughter dropped my Yamaha YTS-475.
At the first glimpse there was no damage to be spottet.
But when I tried to play it, I recognized that it was skewed! :shock:

Better let the sax-doc take a look at it...


Cheers,

TeeJot

 

[coolsax2k7]

If it plays as it did before, then it will most likely be ok. If you are that worried have a sax tech check it over.

In any case if you've used it for over a year without a service it will be worth it anyway.

does this advice apply to my situation? I got one of those cotton sax diapers stuck in my tenor, and I got really impatient and frustrated and started poking sharp metal objects into the toneholes trying to get it out (terrible advice from a band instructor,) finally resorting to flailing the tenor around hanging by the diaper, crying, and finally got it out by shoving it back in (duh) with a swab (or maybe it was my long metal knife sharpener :?)

After all this the tenor played fine. I spent days (and nights) staring at the body to see if it was dented or bent, and at the toneholes to see if they were damaged, and there was nothing to be found, and it played flawlessly as it always did right before I put it in the closet so I could focus on alto for a while. But I really swore I could not find any darned (!) thing wrong with it, after all that (it was a Buescher Big B Aristocrat.)

On the other hand, my first tenor, an early Yanagisawa tenor, was made of such light metal I managed to put a huge gash in it just bumping it in the corner of my table once, it went through the metal like a knife through butter! And that same horn somehow had gotten the body skewed, and had to be straightened, but I don't know if that was related to a specific fall. (But the action felt like feathers under my fingers - so light.) lol, it sorta reminds me of the cheese sax idea... anyway it was in the shop from time to time. Have it checked out if you can, but don't be too paranoid either.

And lock your case, if you can. Every time! I started doing that because my latches are flimsy and if I leave open 1 or 2 from time to time (there are 3,) and then start walking, it could open and fall out. It never happened but forgetting to latch it completely did happen a few times.

 

[jbtsax]

I fix school and student instruments for a living so that makes me an expert on what happens when saxophones are dropped.

The most common things to look for:

-The low B and/or Bb pad does not close properly, either the front or back of the pad touches the tonehole first---this is caused by the bell being bent in relation to the body.....take it to a tech.

-The left hand pinky keys do not work properly---this is caused by the keys being bent in the fall and are touching one another or are out of adjustment.....take it to a tech.

-The levers of the palm keys, especially the D, are out of position---again, bent by the fall......very carefully and slowly bend the lever of the key back to its straight position USING YOUR HAND not a tool which will leave marks.

-The right hand side keys are out of position---same cause and solution as above

-The body of the sax is bowed (usually toward the bell) instead of being straight---this might take a trained eye to see putting a light down into the bell and looking down the body---there are many small problems this creates such as pads leaking slightly, keys out of regulation, and friction in the keys.....very definitely take it to a tech if you suspect a bent body

-If you find "none of the above" thank your lucky stars, you dodged a bullet this time.

 

[TeeJot]

My sax-doc asks nothing for a inspection of the sax (all the more he wants for repairing it).
IMHO there's nothing to debate.
If something happened to your sax, go to the sax-doc and let it be checked.
If it's O.K. you can take it home and go on playing.
If not, it have to be repaired.
You don't want to waste energy for correcting a sax that doesn't play right, don't you?!


Cheers,

TeeJot

 

[Gordon (NZ)]

If it FEELS the same as it did before, and all the notes play just as easily as before, and you do not have to squeeze keys harder than you did before, then it is unlikely you did any amage that needs attention. Wait until you decide on a routine servicing.

 

[danrosesax]

i can't thank you guys enough

 

[JL]

If the horn actually fell out of the case, onto the floor and you did no damage, you are very, very lucky! As Gordon says, if it plays and feels the same, with all notes popping out just fine, then it's probably all right. Even a slight bend in the bell will throw keys out of alignment and you'll definitely know it when you try to play. I'd still take it in for an inspection, though.

 

[bari-gadje]

A friend of mine always sewed tapes into the inside of his cases and tied the sax in as a second line of defence. He had seen too many instruments spill out like yours.

 

[Bennyg]

A friend of mine always sewed tapes into the inside of his cases and tied the sax in as a second line of defence. He had seen too many instruments spill out like yours.

Sounds like a good simple idea for the cautious. I have a Yamaha YTS475 with the plastic case. Several times I have picked it up to find that only one of the two latches had actually latched. Now that I am aware of it I pay more attention but I may get out the needle and thread.

 

[danrosesax]

well it turns out that im about 99.0% sure that the sax is still in relative perfect condition so yeah it looks like I dodged a bullet there

 

[beflat10r]

it's tragic when a horn is dropped. i droppen my circa 1957 MKVI 2 weeks agi right before a gig. i limped it through. band memebers couldnt believe i dropped it cause "you sound so good" etc.. but man it was sickening and horrible to play. long story. sad. i took it to "the " repair guy in town since my former repairman moved to australia just last month. ... so... this guy charged me $550 and indeed there was major work to be done but, it's not happenin. it's not paying as well as when i had the very genorous and understanding employee of my guy that moved, do an emergency repair over night at his apartment with very limited resources as far as tools it played well. better than before i dropped it even having had a partial overhaul done in april.. i'm sick about it and i would have paid MORE bux to have it work well. there was a huge dent removed from the bottom of the horn but its not playing well. i think im going to go back to this $550 guy fir a couple of free go backs and then just let the employee guy do the work. i told him he's a wizzard.
not as bad as the time my second wife through my horn across a room (i dared her-big mistake there) and wrecked it.!.. then about a year later when it was out of the case , she threw it again! needless to say we're not married anymore! =:-O

 

[Hammertime]

what was the second motive for your wife to fling it through the room? I'm just really curious :?