[dropd]

Hi all.

For my 30th birthday, my fantastic girlfriend got me a Yamaha YTS-275. I used to play the tenor many years ago (until I discovered that girls usually prefer the guy with the guitar).

Anyway - there seems to be a problem with the axe (or I might be missing something). The right hand keys, F, F#, E and D keys, don't open properly. When no pressure is applied, the keys rest maybe two millimeters above the hole. What gives? The sax is brand new.

 

[Stephen Howard]

Anyway - there seems to be a problem with the axe (or I might be missing something). The right hand keys, F, F#, E and D keys, don't open properly. When no pressure is applied, the keys rest maybe two millimeters above the hole. What gives? The sax is brand new.

Check the rear of the keys (under the key feet) to see if there are and wedges of cork (shipping corks) left in place. There will be small pieces of cork fitted to the key feet - it is not these you're looking for.

Regards,

 

[dropd]

Thanks for your reply, Stephen. I'll check that out as soon as I get home - I hope that's what's going on.

 

[littlewailer]

When I got my very first rental sax (a Yamaha YAS-23) it had come straight from the company and the bottom keys where practically shut like you say is the case. When I took it in for my first day of band practice my teacher literally just bent the keys up and then they would open and close properly after that. I used that horn for about a year with no problems.

 

[Jeff Foster]

When I got my very first rental sax (a Yamaha YAS-23) it had come straight from the company and the bottom keys where practically shut like you say is the case. When I took it in for my first day of band practice my teacher literally just bent the keys up and then they would open and close properly after that. I used that horn for about a year with no problems.

I guess desperate times require desperate measures but I would prefer to have my bending done by a qualified tech, especially if the horn is a rental or under warranty.

 

[hgiles]

Hi all.

For my 30th birthday, my fantastic girlfriend got me a Yamaha YTS-275. I used to play the tenor many years ago (until I discovered that girls usually prefer the guy with the guitar).

Anyway - there seems to be a problem with the axe (or I might be missing something). The right hand keys, F, F#, E and D keys, don't open properly. When no pressure is applied, the keys rest maybe two millimeters above the hole. What gives? The sax is brand new.

It's easier to fake it on guitar...!

 

[dropd]

Stephen, there were indeed little wedges of cork not under the keys, but between the rods. I cleared them out and the sax works fine, except there seems to be a leak at the G. Is this something I can fix on my own with a hefty pair of pliers, or should i get a tech to look at it?

 

[Stephen Howard]

Is the cup bent out of line?
I'd recommend having it looked at by a repairer - if the horn's had a knock hard enough to dislodge the G key cup then there might well be a few other things wrong with it.
If you take a pair of plain pliers to the key you risk chewing up the metal, and bending a few other things while you're trying to fix the problem.

Regards,

 

[dropd]

Is the cup bent out of line?
I'd recommend having it looked at by a repairer - if the horn's had a knock hard enough to dislodge the G key cup then there might well be a few other things wrong with it.

It doesn't look like it's bent. When i try to play a G, the sounds seems to "wobble" - I can't think of better word to describe it - and wants to climb up an octave. To me it sounds like a leaky cup, but I'm not sure.

 

[milandro]

...or not enough breath support and or wrong throat position (since it has bee a while that you hadn't played.........jumping an octave is , in fact, producing the second harmonic, the octave) ), either way have you horn checked for leaks (it is new, should have some guarantee!) or do it yourself by making or buying a leak light. Some lessons are never a bad idea, it is not like riding a bike, you body might have forgotten how to do that.

 

[Stephen Howard]

It might be a misaligned octave key.

With the horn assembled, finger an octave A. Note how the octave key on top of the crook lifts up. Now finger an octave G - see how the crook key comes down (and the body octave key opens).
If the key isn't coming down fully it will give you an unstable G.

Play the octave G and tap the crook key - any difference in the note?
Lift the octave key and slide a cigarette paper under the pad - let the key drop - does it grip the paper? Does it still grip when you finger an octave G?

If it doesn't grip, you have a bent octave key.

To test the integrity of the G pad seal, see here:

http://www.shwoodwind.co.uk/HandyHints/LeakyPads.htm

Regards,

 

[milandro]

I didn't think of it but it might even be the neck turned too much on one side with consequent opening of the top octave key.........

 

[dropd]

Thanks, guys. I will look into these possibilites - the bent octave key looks like a good candidate. It could certainly be my technique, but I wouldn't expect there to be much of a difference between an A and a G if that was the case.

 

[dropd]

Sorry, what is the crook key?

 

[milandro]

top octave key or crook (colloquial English for neck :bluewink while you are at it check that the side octave key operates well (press octave and play G-A looking at the side octave and see that it operates properly to see that closes whell put a tiny sliver of cellophane or cigarette paper and check that when close the key offers a certain resistance which doesn't necessarily mean that you can't slide it out)

 

[ptung]

To add: 2mm is not enough venting for RH stack keys. In general, this would be expected to be a problem of keyfoot adjustment (as I think SH already suggested above).

The only question is whether there's some other kind of damage that would be a snap to figure out in person, but more complicated in this format. That's why you should go see a tech if you have one available. If the tech isn't very saxo-savvy, you might have to explain -- if your 2mm description is accurate -- that you are looking to get a proper venting (more like 4-5mm, at least, but these are just guidelines, and experienced playtesting is the true guide), and that you are trying to understand why the key cups are not venting more (i.e. to understand mechanically why they're not opening more).

Good luck.