[B Flat]

Today I had a play around with my Selmer Super series tenor and a Series III neck.
The tenon sizes are different but I made them fit with a little Teflon tape.
Surprisingly the results were quite good.
The Series III neck did not present any intonation issues on the old tenor and the sound was pretty good.
Octave key didn’t match with the horn so getting a full sense of how good the match would be wasn’t possible.
I don’t need a neck as I have the original and have no issues with it.
But it was interesting all the same.
Just curious as to whether others have had good results pairing a modern neck with an early (pre MKVI) horn.

 

[milandro]

thanks, very interesting.

I have to say that since I've published the video about the impossible neck made out of copper tubing my thought about necks have been questions more than I thought possible.

https://forum.saxontheweb.net/showt...ssible-neck-to-say-the-least-yet-it%92s-there!

( which appears NOT to be an Hoax but a real thing). In my mind I had to question more than a bit all the issues concerning matchings necks with saxophones.

If Mr Magnusson can play that well a piece of tubing which is not even perfectly conical...what are we talking about?

In other words I am now quite a bit more confused that I ever thought possible to be.

Bob Magnusson is a very good player and probably his embouchure goes way beyond the average player possibilities... still. Look at that!

 

[turf3]

thanks, very interesting.

I have to say that since I've published the video about the impossible neck made out of copper tubing my thought about necks have been questions more than I thought possible.

This relates to something I've been saying for a long time about the Conn 6M. In theory, it seems that it shouldn't work very well at all, since the microtuner interposes a long cylindrical section of tubing just downstream of the mouthpiece, then a big step where the tuner ends, plus the position of that step varies as you screw the tuner in or out, and then there's some degree of leakage where the tuner slides in and out of the neck (keeping in mind that most 6Ms are more than 70 years old at this point). Yet the Conn 6M is well known for being one of the best alto saxophones ever made, with extremely accurate intonation, tonal flexibility, and the ability to work well with a wide variety of mouthpiece types.

I am NOT (repeat NOT) saying the neck is not important. But it does appear that the general-public understanding of what is actually important and what's not, has a lot of gaps.

 

[1saxman]

I'm using a SIII neck on my Selmer USA tenor, which is the best neck I've tried on it, and I'm looking for another one for my MK VI. New Paris SIII tenor necks are somewhat scarce right now - I guess people are beginning to realize how good they are on most Selmers. A major retailer told me that the hot ticket is a SIII neck on an SII tenor. Basically they work on Selmer tenors and probably some others. They come in many materials/finishes and are reasonably priced - no wonder they can't keep them in stock.


turf3; we are not the 'general public'. Pro and semi-pro sax players are a very tiny segment of the general population. While it is true that we tend to be somewhat superstitious/unscientific in our opinions about these matters, when you turn a sax that you don't like into one you love by changing only the neck, it is no longer a 'belief' - it is fact. The importance of necks, particularly and mainly tenor necks (because of the variables imposed by the double curve) has been known basically forever. An older friend who worked in a large music store his whole life told me many years ago that during slow times at the store they liked to put Selmer Paris necks on other tenors because it improved them so much. Altos and baritones, doesn't matter much - small neck, single curve. You'd have to have a really messed-up neck to see a noticeable improvement by changing.

Bflat: I guess you were just trying out the neck so you couldn't modify it, but the tenon and octave key are easily adjusted to fit most any installation.

 

[Parker Loops]

Just curious as to whether others have had good results pairing a modern neck with an early (pre MKVI) horn.

Talking about necks, thought this might be of some help. Grab these two helpful neck check alto/tenor tools (Music Medic) and use soapie water to detect tenon leaks. Once a tenon leak is remedied with the tenon expander (Ferries Tools) the playing difference is chalk and cheese. (go very slowly with the tenon expander, expand 1 turn then check result, patience is our friend) For best neck health always keep the neck tenon and tenon receiver clean and free of gunk by wiping it with a clean cloth.

 

[turf3]

turf3; we are not the 'general public'. Pro and semi-pro sax players are a very tiny segment of the general population. .

Yeah, I didn't mean "the general public" in the sense of the guy behind the counter at the auto parts store. Bad choice of words on my part. I really meant, in contrast to the acoustical engineers at saxophone manufacturers, who may have a better understanding of what matters and what doesn't in sax neck design. I suspect that the majority of players realize the neck is important (and, n. b., I tend to agree with that) but as to what design features do what, not a clue. That's why I used the example of the Conn 6M which according to the saxophone player's common understanding of sax necks, shouldn't work very well but actually works superbly.

Thus the case where a neck made up of copper plumbing pieces appears to be functional.

Similarly, small differences in the neck (like between two models of Selmer tenor saxophone) have subtle but discernible effects due to small differences in their dimensions, yet the whacking great step in the ID where the mouthpiece meets the neck, seems not to really matter. Yet clarinetists will stick little rings into the joint between barrel and body if they have to pull out, because a gap there affects the clarinet's behavior.

As I noted, there is a lot about instrument bores that is not understood by the general run of saxophone players who are not acoustical engineers working for manufacturers.