The body tube octave vent on the III is too small. Its a 2.0 and it should, acoustically, it should be a 2.5. Any competent technician can drill it out for you with little trouble.
Steve P
Steve P
Steve,Steve P said:Gordon,
Yes, I got that info from Selmer. Why they keep puting int 2mm pips when they know it is wrong is a mystery to me! This is specific to all III altos. The II alto does have a 2.5, but they went to a 2 on the III for some reason.
Hello Tom and All Series III Tenor Operators.....thanks for that. Im already aware of all these things and actually double on flute so i know what you mean. The problem is reduced when i take less mouthpiece in but it sacrifices the tone i get. Also the fact that i've never had this problem on any other sax i've played lead me to the conclusion that this may be mechanical... However i'm always willing to be proven wrong
In itself, yes, a simple operation. But be aware that this hole is a compromise diameter and location for many notes, 7 in the second octave and more in altissimo. It is not that likely that Selmer has got their compromise wrong, but they have done so in the past.I am thinking of having the second octave pip on my series III alto drilled out. Sometimes, not often, mine gets clogged with condensation, and I have to blow some air through the pip to clear it out. That solves the problem.
Still, I feel like the G and G# are actually a bit low in pitch compared to other altos, and it sounds like drilling out the pip would solve the problem. There are no repair techs where I am, so I was thinking of taking off the keys and having a machinist drill it out. Does anyone think this would be a pretty simple procedure?