Stuffy note...

Open the key height of the low C. You'll know you've gone too far when the key cup hits the key guard.

That's a long ways to go - the felt on that one is almost a half inch thick. The follow up question would be how do I trim the felt down without mangling it? I'm sure there's an easy way.

Don't trim the felt. It should be attached to a threaded plug that you can (carefully) adjust with a large flat bladed screwdriver.

free the regulator by using a normal size screwdriver one slot to the right of the slit, turn counterclockwise. (one of the f4 slits you see on the head goes all the way to the bottom so after you setted it in the place you can wedge a small screwdriver there and the thread gets "locked".

Fader said:

..... My low D is just a tad stuffy. Every other note speaks well.....

Click to expand...

Is it only the low D (D1) that has this problem? How is your D2, both in terms of intonation and how it sounds?

You might want to read this recent thread, which explains there may be a trade off in preventing D2 from being sharp and how D1 sounds:
http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?155615-Fixing-middle-D-intonation

You may just end up trading an overly sharp D2 for a stuffy one if you open the C key more. In fast technical passages, the tone quality of the D is not as important as when the note is sustained such as in a ballad. In those cases you can open the low C# key to increase the venting of the D, although you may end up having to lip it down even more than usual. Another fingering I sometimes use is to add the palm D to the D2 fingering to open up the sound a bit.

harmonizerNJ said:

Is it only the low D (D1) that has this problem? How is your D2, both in terms of intonation and how it sounds?

You might want to read this recent thread, which explains there may be a trade off in preventing D2 from being sharp and how D1 sounds:
http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?155615-Fixing-middle-D-intonation

Click to expand...

Yes - I read that one which is actually why I thought to start this one. D2 plays like a dream as do all the other notes. IT is possible that it's a bit "off" and I wouldn't notice because I've "learned" to play it in tune. I'll check more carefully later....Actually I'll check it now.

harmonizerNJ said:

Is it only the low D (D1) that has this problem? How is your D2, both in terms of intonation and how it sounds?

You might want to read this recent thread, which explains there may be a trade off in preventing D2 from being sharp and how D1 sounds:
http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?155615-Fixing-middle-D-intonation

Click to expand...

Geeze! Thanks for nothing. D2 was fine until you got me critically checking it out. Now I've decided it may be a tad stuffy too though nothing anyone but the player would notice...

jicaino said:

free the regulator by using a normal size screwdriver one slot to the right of the slit, turn counterclockwise. (one of the f4 slits you see on the head goes all the way to the bottom so after you setted it in the place you can wedge a small screwdriver there and the thread gets "locked".

Click to expand...

I'd love to do this but but there's a small problem. I have no idea at all what you are talking about here. *** is a regulator? an F4 slit, and what "head" are you referring to?

Eureka! Thanks to EVERYONE for the help - HarmonizerNJ for causing me to question the D2, JBTsax for giving me a method for hearing another option, Jicaino for causing me to laugh at my own ignorance, averageschmoe for reminding me not to blindly follow all advice given on internet forums, and finally Saxhound for having the solution.

The intonation issue is so very small that I adjusted to it the first time I played the note. It only took about a 1/4 turn to bring out the full power and beauty of the "D". (Duh..I never even realized those were screws) Now I am rockin' for sure

I didn't realize it either. My C felt kept falling out, and I would studiously remove all three screws and the entire key guard, and try to glue it back in by inserting the felt with a pair of tweezers. I finally took it to my tech, and was embarrassed to see how fast he zipped that thing out of there. Other lesson learned - once a piece of felt has dried glue on it, it's almost impossible to re-glue it and have it stay on for any length of time.

Hey, no fair easily solving a stuffy D problem!!! I've gone round and round with this issue on various horns and have rarely gotten completly rid of the problem. One of the most puzzling 'solutions' is that sometimes a different mouthpiece can really make an improvement on D stuffiness without effecting pitch. With the original mouthpiece on my 1929 True Tone, I hardly notice the stuffiness on D2. With some of the modern mouthpieces (1940-50), it feels like somebody stuffs a rag in the horn everytime I hit D2, although every other note is brighter.

I'm even thinking of trying the ridiculous solution of super-gluing stuff to my neck, as mentioned above. Should I start around my adam's apple?

Mark

This thread was a lifesaver =)

After getting my horn back from the tech (routine maintenance, oiling), my low D and E were a bit stuffy in sound, which drove me nuts. Turned the screw to open it up more and now it's back as it was, woot! I did jam the screw driver through the gap by mistake and the felt fell out though... =/