[lutemann]

I play my sax standing up, and straight in front on me. Because the ring is placed off to the left side (facing me), I have to angle the neck to the right. I think this is causing some problems, so I'm going to have the ring repositioned to the center. Anyone else had this problem? Can you think of any drawbacks except cosmetic?

 

[MrYikes]

Not to your issue but I turned the ring upside down because of metal strap clips had worn the ring in half. The soldering was simple without any surprises.

 

[Dave Dolson]

Before you make any permanent changes, re-visit the position of the neck. In theory, playing with the neck off-center can affect how the upper octave pad seals (because the upper octave ring may contact that little post the sticks up to work the upper octave arm). However, not in all cases. Some upper octave rings are shaped so there is a wide range of neck-positions possible before contact is made.

This is easy enough to check yourself. If the upper octave pad remains on the upper octave vent without breaking the seal while the neck is in your favorite position, then there should be no problem and you won’t need to make and external changes on the horn. DAVE

 

[suryo]

I have seen this issue on so many horns. Neckstrap ring location dictated by the preference of the maker. May be designed for seated playing (Yamaha 62 & student models), may be designed for soloing only (SML gold medal). If you let go of an SML the mouthpiece will hit you in the teeth because the strap ring is placed so high.

The upper octave pad is not an issue - the octave key is so flexible & easy to bend to the height you need.

Get a new strap ring put on so the keywork fits your hands with the sax hanging in a neutral position. Move the neck from there.

 

[Dr G]

Get a new strap ring put on so the keywork fits your hands with the sax hanging in a neutral position. Move the neck from there.

This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[saxoclese]

What would be wrong with positioning the sax "slightly" to the right of center. For me this puts the hands and arms in a more relaxed and comfortable position anyway. For concert band playing I like to play alto in the center. It doesn't matter where the strap hook is because the sax rests in my lap.

 

[turf3]

Just my two cents:

I used to play alto in the center but some 30 years ago I decided to play it off to the right side just so all the saxophones would be the same. You may want to consider this factor. In theory it shouldn't bother one to play alto in the middle and tenor/baritone on the right, but I found it just annoying enough that I made the change.

 

[lutemann]

Thanks for the advice guys. I think I'm going to move the ring to the center. I'm playing the neck almost in the center right now and it is slightly awkward but the note breaking problems seem to have gone away.

 

[turf3]

Thanks for the advice guys. I think I'm going to move the ring to the center. I'm playing the neck almost in the center right now and it is slightly awkward but the note breaking problems seem to have gone away.

Or you could adjust the key so it works properly over a range of angular positions. This takes less than 5 minutes, you just gently bend it where it needs to go. The key should have just a wee bit of clearance to the actuating rod.

This is why the old style "bar and ring" octave keys were superior; but they didn't offer so many opportunities for branding.

 

[lutemann]

For me it is distracting to play with the neck in any but the optimal position. I played yesterday with sax neck almost straight on and I could feel the sax pulling to the right. I have very definite ideas about how the sax should be held. I use five points to stabilize the instrument: the strap, the right hand thumb, the left hand thumb, my stomach (I don't hold it out) and to very lesser extent my mouth. For this to work for me, the sax needs to be balanced in a good position. In any case I appreciate the help.