[botahoratiu]

Hi. I recently bought a Jupiter 587 tenor in near mint condition. All seems ok, except its keys are very noisy. It's not the pads, but the corks that touch the main body of the saxophone. Oddly enough, they look like new, I mean really new and unused. Is there a possibility for the corks to be hardened by lying around for too long? What can I do?

 

[click]

My tech talks about "silencers" by which he means all the various devices he uses to keep the action quiet. Adjustments, silicone tubes, felts, corks, and just whatever. He does not like clatter.

Talk to your tech.

 

[valjeanmeister]

This article may be of use in understanding what's happening
http://www.stohrermusic.com/2012/02/saxophone-adjustment-materials-the-stohrer-method/

 

[botahoratiu]

Now, that was informing and interesting! Thank you very much

 

[valjeanmeister]

If you liked that, you'll love Matt's YouTube channel and his http://opensourcesaxophoneproject.com

 

[clarnibass]

Is there a possibility for the corks to be hardened by lying around for too long?

Yes. If they are not in places where the thickness is critical (like some linkages) if you sand them slightly it might remove the very hard layer. This is if they harder the closer they are to the outside surface, which is sometimes (even often) the case.

 

[milandro]

I find that some saxophones are harder than others to silence my Super 20 has a couple of places that really have a difficult time opening and closing quietly and not quite so much because of silencing devices abut because of the way the horn is built.

 

[motteatoj]

I find that some saxophones are harder than others to silence my Super 20 has a couple of places that really have a difficult time opening and closing quietly and not quite so much because of silencing devices abut because of the way the horn is built.

Same goes for my MKVII. I have been able to quiet quite a bit of the horn through new cork, etc but some parts are just what they are.
Sitting at home in a practice room is a very critical way to listen and you hear every little imperfection.

 

[saxoclese]

I have found that the material between the top of the foot and the backbar and the "tightness" of the key's mechanics also plays a role in key noise---especially in the lower stack. For this application I like to use thin synthetic felt that has been "hammered" to remove any remaining compressibility. For the feet of stack keys I prefer regular cork cut in a regular shape and a thin self adhesive felt "dot" on the body on the lower stack. On rare occasions on tenors when key bounce is a problem I will just use sorbothane or a piece of material cut from a "mouse pad". Upper stack keys rarely need the felt on the body. Regular cork on key feet allows key heights to be easily adjusted by sanding in addition to removing "lost motion". On "independent keys" such as the high E, fork F#, side Bb and C I like to use thick firm synthetic felt since it has the right "feel" and is very quiet. For palm keys where noise is seldom an issue I always use tech cork because I like the positive feel when the key opens. Occasionally on independent keys when a thick material is needed I will glue a thin piece of synthetic felt to a thicker piece of "tech cork".

I don't agree with cutting or sanding feet corks to a "V" shape. In my opinion it just makes them easier to knock off, and increases the tendency for the cork to compress changing the key height or introducing lost motion. When I sand a foot cork to adjust key height or remove lost motion, I cut a narrow strip of 400 grit wet or dry sandpaper and pull that under the cork (abrasive side up) with light to moderate pressure on the key. This removes material in a controlled way and it sands the shape of the cork to conform exactly to the curve of the body. It is a quick, effective, and no nonsense way of installing and adjusting foot corks. Most of the time I start with 1/16" cork, but occasionally I will use 3/32" when a thicker cork is required.