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how often do YOU repad your horn(s)?

8K views 42 replies 19 participants last post by  wilsaxo 
#1 · (Edited)
I was just wondering how often everyone on the forum gets their horn (s) repadded....
 
#2 ·
under normal circumstances I understand that your pads should last several years.....certainly more than 10 is not unusual. If you leave a horn in a closet and don't play it, it is more likely to need a pad job than one that is played, but I have seen and played horns with ancient pads working just fine, if properly used, mantained and adjusted
 
#5 ·
well, I am pleased to read that you never change pads, on the other hand some of those pads which are normally closed might show earlier than others sign of wear, hardening or cracking before than the rest and might need occasional replacing. Enviroment conditions play also a big role here, humid and hot places or extremely dry ones might be just too much to keep pads forever. But most of the times, if properly mantained, they will last a very long time.....
 
#6 ·
milandro said:
well, I am pleased to read that you never change pads, on the other hand some of those pads which are normally closed might show earlier than others sign of wear, hardening or cracking before than the rest and might need occasional replacing. Enviroment conditions play also a big role here, humid and hot places or extremely dry ones might be just too much to keep pads forever. But most of the times, if properly mantained, they will last a very long time.....
True, but I also have only had my Z for 8 months, and the modele 22 for a few days. I shouldn't have to change any pads for quite some time, I hope. But if I felt that they needed the new pads, I would pony up the cash for it.

I had my Bundy for six years, and only repadded once because marching destroyed my pads, and I had to use it for everything, including regular symphonic and jazz band playing. I guess it goes without saying that when you have to press ridiculously hard to get a seal, you should get a repad, at the least. That is the stage the Bundy was at when I repadded it.
 
#7 ·
milandro said:
I am pleased to read that you never change pads, on the other hand....
The question was "reapdded". Which I understand as changing all the pads. I guess someone could do a full repad every ? years but if you maintain the instrument good then you shouldn't need a repad. Overall it *might* be cheaper to do a major repair once in a long time instead of smaller repairs more often, but on the other hand your instrument might not be as good as it could be all that time between repairs. So I think only some instruments need repadding, and only rarely an instrument will need re-reapdding.
 
#8 ·
clarnibass said:
The question was "reapdded". Which I understand as changing all the pads. I guess someone could do a full repad every ? years but if you maintain the instrument good then you shouldn't need a repad. Overall it *might* be cheaper to do a major repair once in a long time instead of smaller repairs more often, but on the other hand your instrument might not be as good as it could be all that time between repairs. So I think only some instruments need repadding, and only very rarely if ever an instrument will need re-reapdding.
yes, but then your horn would deteriorate gradually and you would find playing harder towards the end of each period between major repairs.
 
#10 ·
I think that most of us do a repad as a part of a major maintanance job to take care of a number of issues (dents', general adjustment and proper oiling, intonation and so forth) which, in my experience, costs almost as much as a repad because the actual dismounting of the whole horn, adjusting ad putting back together is most of the actual cost, so, throw in a repad too....won't cost you all that much more
 
#12 ·
Yeah, I'm kind of confused about this myself.

my yamaha no doubtly needs maintenence, the only weird thing is that it got knocked out of adjustment after about 7 months.


btw, does anyone know of a surefire way to unstick sticky keys permanently? I've tried all the methods around here and I havne't found one that doesn't wear off after a bit.
 
#13 ·
kaplac said:
Yeah, I'm kind of confused about this myself.

my yamaha no doubtly needs maintenence, the only weird thing is that it got knocked out of adjustment after about 7 months.

btw, does anyone know of a surefire way to unstick sticky keys permanently? I've tried all the methods around here and I havne't found one that doesn't wear off after a bit.
Use a piece of cotton to clean the edge of the tone hole -- than put runyon pad formula
 
#16 ·
kaplac said:
Yeah, I'm kind of confused about this myself.

my yamaha no doubtly needs maintenence, the only weird thing is that it got knocked out of adjustment after about 7 months.

btw, does anyone know of a surefire way to unstick sticky keys permanently? I've tried all the methods around here and I havne't found one that doesn't wear off after a bit.
I know that when I re-pad, I spray Liquid Wrench Dry Lubricant with 'Cerflon' on them before I install them. This lasts for years with great results! I know, it sounds hokey, but I've been experimenting with different products for years in my shop. I'm not afraid to think outside the box to please my customers. It also keeps them from drying out. If you have a collectable or sentimental horn that you keep stored, treat your pads with this, and put those silica gel packets from new shoe boxes(or other products) in the case with the horn. This will put your horn in a virtual time capsule and keep it from corroding. I have a YTS - 61 from 81' that is like the day I bought it. Plays fantastic, and even smells new.
 
#18 ·
A sax needs repadding when most or all of the pads are wrecked through becoming too hard, or from splitting.

I have been servicing saxes for over 25 years, and done many repads. However I do not recall every repadding the same sax twice.

That is because once the player has got used to playing a sax in good condition, they are most likely to get it serviced periodically, when something is not quite right, if not sooner. At these times a few dying pads may be changed, but never the whole lot.

There are two to downsides to ongoing maintenance of this type.

1. There is never a time when very long-term reliability is re-established.
2. There is never a time when all the keys are off the instrument so that it can get a decent wash.
 
#19 ·
There are so many variables that a general answer here is impossible. An instrument that is regularly cleaned, cared for and maintained, initially had quality pads correctly installed, and has been kept away from extreme temperatures and humidity and hasn't been played to death (with gorilla grip) can have pads that last for 20 years or more. This does not include the palm keys, high E and F# and the low Eb that must be replaced more often because of their "water catching" positions on the instrument. Any variation(s) of any of the above can shorten the time between repads considerably.

John

BTW my Conn 10M "closet horn" has all original pads in top condition that are going on 67 years and it plays great!
 
#20 ·
My alto, in particular, gets played a lot! Hours and hours a day. I usually bring her in to my tech every 6 months for routine maintenance, but it's rare that the tech will find anything significant wrong. (I'm always tweaking and adjusting anyways). On a rare occasion, a single pad might get replaced, but overall, my horn is in excellent shape. This is a Selmer Series II.

When I was playing a student Yamaha YAS-23, my horn would go in every 6 months, and require quite a bit of adjusting! I was playing quite a bit less, but I'm certain I didn't take anywhere near as good care of it, and didn't pay any attention to if I drank a soda or something before playing it. At the moment, the horn is barely playable, but I have no immediate use for it so I'm fine with that. I may start tweaking it later.

I'm curious if I'll notice a difference in the repair schedule of the Conn 10M I recently bought, and if the Conn set-screws actually do anything.
 
#21 ·
rs1sensen said:
...When I was playing a student Yamaha YAS-23, my horn would go in every 6 months, and require quite a bit of adjusting! ....
More than likely because the technician did not (for whatever reason) attend to the underlying problems:

Not very level tone holes, sloppy pivot tubes on the stack keys, sloppy fit of stack key pivot rods in supporting posts, rather hard, unforgiving pads. These make adjustments difficult to achieve, and less reliable.

Attend to them all, and I think you would find the Yamaha just as reliable as the Selmer, possibly more so, because the Yamaha's corks and felts are less likely to fall off or crush, affecting linkages.

You are comparing a student instrument with a professional one.
BTW, I think a Yanagisawa would beat a Selmer for reliability and ease of adjustment. Unless a fair bit of work has been done on the Selmer.
 
#22 · (Edited)
rs1sensen said:
I'm curious if I'll notice a difference in the repair schedule of the Conn 10M I recently bought, and if the Conn set-screws actually do anything.
Generally speaking vintage instruments require more regular maintenance and TLC than new ones, unless they have had a superb "mechanical overhaul". After all they are the "senior citizens" of the saxophone world. The Conn set-screws (also called grub screws) do two things: They keep the pivot screw from turning and coming loose, and they get stuck and the ears of the tiny screw come off when you try to remove them. Hopefully it is more of the former than the latter in your case.

Backing the screws out slightly and putting a drop of oil on the threads is a good idea when you first get one of these wonderful old "Naked Ladies". This suggestion should only be followed if: (1) you have a good screwdriver that is a perfect fit for the small screws, and (2) if you have a sensitive enough touch to stop turning when there is too much resistance. Techs use alternating heat and penetrating oil when a screw tends to be stubborn.

John
 
#24 ·
Gordon (NZ) said:
More than likely because the technician did not (for whatever reason) attend to the underlying problems:

Not very level tone holes, sloppy pivot tubes on the stack keys, sloppy fit of stack key pivot rods in supporting posts, rather hard, unforgiving pads. These make adjustments difficult to achieve, and less reliable.
Gordon, although my horn has been plagued by some of these issues, I've always considered them the fault of myself, and not my horn or my tech. I have a lot of confidence in the tech I let work on my horns. I didn't treat the instrument well, and hence, she required a lot more work than my "baby," the Selmer. As many student horns are, the Yamaha was beat to all heck.
 
#25 ·
jbtsax said:
Generally speaking vintage instruments require more regular maintenance and TLC than new ones, unless they have had a superb "mechanical overhaul". After all they are the "senior citizens" of the saxophone world. The Conn set-screws (also called grub screws) do two things: They keep the pivot screw from turning and coming loose, and they get stuck and the ears of the tiny screw come off when you try to remove them. Hopefully it is more of the former than the latter in your case. Backing the screws out slightly and putting a drop of oil on the threads is a good idea when you first get one of these wonderful old "Naked Ladies".

John
Good to know. You've qualified a lot of my "hunches" with the horn. I actually just replaced all of the set screws (most were missing), after I had a lot of work done on my horn, and of course added a small amount of oil on every one.

Nothing like an old naked lady! haha
 
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