[hornfixer]

What brand do you like to work on the best and why.

Thanks, Paul

 

[Chris Peryagh]

Yamaha saxes without a doubt - very easy instruments to work on due to good design and the keywork is well made so repadding them is dead easy. If they do happen to have uneven toneholes, then they're easy enough to sort out. Spare parts are easy to come by if needed, but usually any minor to moderate mishaps can be rectified with very little hassle.

 

[hgiles]

I think my tech feels the same way as Chris. At least that's what he told me.

 

[ptung]

As far as vintage horns, for me Buescher are the easiest. Part of this is the snap-in design, and part of it is the screw-in springs, and part of it is that the advantage of the springs is that you can take them out and put them back in if you're stripping/restoring-finish on a horn. The original mechanical set-up work on Bueschers also seems to have been better than some other vintage American makes, which makes the tightening up process a bit more friendly to the tech in general.

 

[Stephen Howard]

That's really two distinct questions.

I find the easiest brand to work on is Yamaha - but the brand I like working on best is Martin...because the work is often interesting and there's a high level of job satisfaction when you get one of these horns singing.

Regards,

 

[Gordon (NZ)]

I put Yanagisawa on a par with Yamaha.
And a Mark VI that is not worn out is also really nice to work on.

IMO technicians who have standard prices for repad or overhaul should have significantly lower prices for these, rewarding the owner for his wise buying choice.

 

[griff136]

I would agree with Chris, Stephen and Gordon - Yamaha and Yanagisawa. Like Stephen I also enjoy working on horns that present a real challenge - e.g. soldered toneholes that have been warped through physical trauma lke this Olds (martin stencil)Tenor http://www.myspace.com/my/photos/album/73290

 

[abadcliche]

Easiest to work on: An unadulterated Mark VI, over and over and over every time. You can put the pieces in a bag and shake it and you are halfway done. The design is durable, idiot-proof, and intuitive. I think this is part of where the reputation for greatness comes from- they are so easy to work on, almost anybody can do it. And everything since then is based on it. And they are such a good design they will play through a lot of sub-par work or mechanical problems. So almost anybody can make them make saxophone noises. Not the case with a 10M, not to the same degree, not at all.

To make them play their best, obviously finesse and experience is required.


Favorite to work on: something unusual, rare, and beautiful that needs to be brought back to life. Nothing is more satisfying than seeing a horn come alive and make music again after a long period of being forgotten somewhere. Well, also maybe doing a "last overhaul" for an old-timer who has owned his horn for decades and just wants to enjoy it in the autumn of his years and says its never played better. Seeing a guy look at his horn like he's just met it though he's been playing it for longer than I've been alive will get me choked up.

 

[saxguy007]

Nothing is more satisfying than seeing a horn come alive and make music again after a long period of being forgotten somewhere. Well, also maybe doing a "last overhaul" for an old-timer who has owned his horn for decades and just wants to enjoy it in the autumn of his years and says its never played better. Seeing a guy look at his horn like he's just met it though he's been playing it for longer than I've been alive will get me choked up.

Wow. That's deep. Those moments must be what gets you through the bulk of the drudgery of school horns, or work for other more mundane musical contexts.

 

[dzve]

A MKVI as well,also a yamaha & yanagisawa as they are so similar in key layout & easy to work on for that reason.

 

[clarnut]

Maybe the easiest for pad jobs would be

http://www.hollywoodwinds.com/keyless.1.5.htm

(sorry, I couldn't resist)

 

[Chris Peryagh]

My top 3 favourites in terms of ease and most rewarding to work on would be:

1. Yamaha
2. Yanagisawa
3. Selmer SBA/Early MkVI

I rarely see old Conns, Bueschers, Martins, Kings, Holtons, SMLs, Buffets, etc. but have worked on them from time to time.

 

[abadcliche]

I am a very lucky guy and have at least one of each of those brands in the shop right now (including Yamaha Yanagisawa Selmer) plus a Kohlert and a Keilwerth. My niche is working on saxophones only and unusual and rare saxophones in particular, so I get a lot of that sort of stuff sent my way. I enjoy working on all of them, really. Each saxophone has its own unique personality, but there are few that I find more difficult than they need to be- a modern Selmer with the super deep pad seats and sloppy mechanics would in that group, as would a King Super 20 that has been relacquered and kicked down the stairs- Super 20s with their nickel keywork are really hard to get right again once they've been abused.

 

[clarnibass]

If I try to remember what instrument just felt easiest to work on, meaning fastest and with least annoying design issue along the way, I remember Yanagisawa. Yamaha was close too I think. Mark VI is nice in many ways but also has a few quirks that make it a little less comfortable IMO.

Most fun has more to do with the situation than the instrument. For example right now I like this Conn, which apparently at least two other repairers tried to make worse.

 

[windman53]

when price is not a fact to take into consideration, my vote is to Yamaha as well.

 

[ptung]

I am a very lucky guy and have at least one of each of those brands in the shop right now (including Yamaha Yanagisawa Selmer) plus a Kohlert and a Keilwerth. My niche is working on saxophones only and unusual and rare saxophones in particular, so I get a lot of that sort of stuff sent my way. I enjoy working on all of them, really. Each saxophone has its own unique personality, but there are few that I find more difficult than they need to be- a modern Selmer with the super deep pad seats and sloppy mechanics would in that group, as would a King Super 20 that has been relacquered and kicked down the stairs- Super 20s with their nickel keywork are really hard to get right again once they've been abused.

QFT. They're also given to breakage much more than other makes, not so much rods or hinge tubes but keyarms, esp of touches & neck octave. Ironically, the cups are more malleable than most (established) makes and somewhat easier to both damage & reshape/correct than some.

 

[clarnibass]

QFT. They're also given to breakage much more than other makes, not so much rods or hinge tubes but keyarms, esp of touches & neck octave. Ironically, the cups are more malleable than most (established) makes and somewhat easier to both damage & reshape/correct than some.

I assume you are talking about the King. That's my experience with Kings in general (though I haven't seen that many). Hard key arms with very soft key cups. This was, for example, when a local player bent his baritone and one of tbhe tone holes at the day of a concert. The only option to have a playable instrument was to bend the key cup to align with the tone hole. Easily bent back when it will eventually be repaired. But an awful design for adjusting/aligning key cups over tone holes. I'd say the disadvantages outweigh the advantages for this design IMO.