Sometimes, when an instrument shows up, it's a true pleasure to work on. Repairs and maintenance can be fun, but a pleasure to work on isn't as common as you might think. Most horns are fix them, play test them and get them back to the customer. This was not the case with the customer who brought in his grandfathers tenor sax. He brought it in to me, asking if I could go over it and do some light maintenance on it. When I opened the case, my jaw dropped instantly. It was a Selmer Mark VI, and looked brand new
The Mark VI tenor horn is one of the most sought after vintage saxophones of all time. They started being produced in the mid 50's, when many of the instrument manufacturers in the US were shifting back to making horns after WWII. Many of the factories had halted production and switched to war-time production of tanks, planes, etc...... The Selmer plant evolved the design of the pre-war Balanced action and the Super-Balanced action to make the new model, and it's tone and ease of play made it an instrument that became an instant success.
Usually, when I get in a vintage instrument, it looks like it's had a hard life. The easiest sign of the age is the state of the lacquer or silver finish. Scratches and scrapes abound, showing exposed brass that has turned green with patina. Also, there's usually some other wear and tear on the instruments in the form of dents, dings, or discoloration. There was none of that on this horn. The lacquer on this horn was complete and scratch free. I thought maybe it had been refinished, but the darkening of the finish that was there told me otherwise. The once clear coat finish had darkened over time, so the bright brass underneath now had a smooth caramel color to it. It was gorgeous.
I took the horn apart, expecting to find some clues to tell me it had been refinished or restored, but everything I saw pointed to the fact this was all just meticulously cared for. There was some light cleaning to do on the hinge rods for the keys, and a few pads needed to be readjusted to level. All in all, took very little time to bring it up to specs. Then came the fun part, play testing time.
I'm originally a trumpet player, and only learned basic level of woodwinds for the purpose of play testing them to make sure they were working correctly. I know if the squeak coming out is me or more work to be done, so I know that I don't sound anywhere near good on most woodwinds. That being said, the sound that came out of this saxophone brought the saxophone instructor down the hall to find out what was going in. Big, bold, and well rounded, this was a sax that was a joy to play.
When the customer came to pick up the horn, I had to ask more questions about the history. His grandfather played it occasionally, but most of it's life was spent being cared for, and that level of care really showed. It was a horn I was truly pained to see leave, and hope that it will last and be played for many decades to come
Monday, March 26, 2018
Friday, February 16, 2018
General Tips #6: Cold Season recovery, you and your instrument
Having a winter cold is no fun to begin with. Achy, sneezing and coughing night and day, and everything else that comes with it takes it toll on everyone. It becomes even less fun when you still have to work, and even less if you play a wind instrument. All the back pressure making your head hurt, trying to play music through the mental fog, and having no endurance even before you play. But sometimes the show must go on. The question becomes what can be done to get through it easier and to get over being sick faster, and there are things you can do to help this.
The big problem for a wind player is that it's very easy to extend the length of the illness without meaning to. As the moisture from our breath sits on the interior surface of the instrument, it can relapse the illness upon contact with your body again, extending time of the symptoms. But there are things the player can do to help minimize the recurrence of the illness.
First and foremost is cleanliness both for the instrument and it's case. For either brass or woodwinds, a big part of this can be solved by cleaning your mouthpiece regularly. Get as much of the bacteria and such from your mouth off the instrument at regular intervals. If you have an old toothbrush, most of the mouthpiece can be cleaned with this. Using some warm soapy water, clean the inside and outside of the mouthpiece as much as possible. Brass players typically have a mouthpiece brush that will clean up the shank of the mouthpiece, and they are relatively cheap.
While warm soapy water will do most of it, a disinfectant that is safe for the body is an even better step. While bleach is an acceptable solution for some, the solution has to be left on the surface long enough to work after it is diluted in order to not be harmful. This is done at a ration of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water. There are many commercially made mouthpiece disinfectants, and there is a great debate about their efficacy. They are generally alcohol based, which will kill bacteria. An easy homemade solution is to use an alcohol based mouthwash you are comfortable with. Putting it into a small spritzer bottle and spraying down the mouthpiece after use will go a long way to killing the bacteria you deposited on the mouthpiece. A few sprays, then wiping it down and setting it out to off gas will do wonders towards helping. (Hint to trombone players, make sure you don't confuse this with the water bottle you use to lubricate your slide)
For brass players, the cleaning of the whole instrument is a good idea at a few points during the illness. Lets face it, it's a good excuse to do the maintenance that many forget to do anyway, so might as well do it now if you're not too sick to do it. Warm soapy water and the like will do a lot to get rid of the bacteria from playing, but stay away from anything stronger. Alcohol can damage lacquer if too strong or left on too long.
For woodwind players, there is extra care that has to be taken for the reed. As it will hold moisture far longer than the mouthpiece, the bacteria will live and thrive in the reed, making it very likely to reinfect you as you try to heal. Again, I advocate alcohol based mouthwash. The reed can take a short soak in it and have little to no ill effects on the playability. While the bleach/water solution can work for some, the taste is a bit harder to deal with, and I personally don't want to put anything in my mouth that isn't safe as is. This way you don't have to throw away your reeds, especially because getting sick always seems to coincide with a new reed and you don't want to have to toss it as it's just about to be broken in.
Apart from these cleanliness points, the biggest thing that will keep you from recovering is tiredness. Realize that your endurance and stamina is at a much lower level than normal. This means that your normal play or practice time will have to be shorter so that you don't exhaust yourself. Just because you can normally practice for an hour doesn't mean that you can when ill. No matter what medication you have, it will still take time to overcome the illness to the point you are back to normal, and most medication works to minimize the symptoms while you are sick. Minimizing the symptoms is not the same as getting better. Time and rest are still the strongest methods to get better faster, and even then there's a minimum period that you just have to "ride it out."
The big problem for a wind player is that it's very easy to extend the length of the illness without meaning to. As the moisture from our breath sits on the interior surface of the instrument, it can relapse the illness upon contact with your body again, extending time of the symptoms. But there are things the player can do to help minimize the recurrence of the illness.
First and foremost is cleanliness both for the instrument and it's case. For either brass or woodwinds, a big part of this can be solved by cleaning your mouthpiece regularly. Get as much of the bacteria and such from your mouth off the instrument at regular intervals. If you have an old toothbrush, most of the mouthpiece can be cleaned with this. Using some warm soapy water, clean the inside and outside of the mouthpiece as much as possible. Brass players typically have a mouthpiece brush that will clean up the shank of the mouthpiece, and they are relatively cheap.
While warm soapy water will do most of it, a disinfectant that is safe for the body is an even better step. While bleach is an acceptable solution for some, the solution has to be left on the surface long enough to work after it is diluted in order to not be harmful. This is done at a ration of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water. There are many commercially made mouthpiece disinfectants, and there is a great debate about their efficacy. They are generally alcohol based, which will kill bacteria. An easy homemade solution is to use an alcohol based mouthwash you are comfortable with. Putting it into a small spritzer bottle and spraying down the mouthpiece after use will go a long way to killing the bacteria you deposited on the mouthpiece. A few sprays, then wiping it down and setting it out to off gas will do wonders towards helping. (Hint to trombone players, make sure you don't confuse this with the water bottle you use to lubricate your slide)
For brass players, the cleaning of the whole instrument is a good idea at a few points during the illness. Lets face it, it's a good excuse to do the maintenance that many forget to do anyway, so might as well do it now if you're not too sick to do it. Warm soapy water and the like will do a lot to get rid of the bacteria from playing, but stay away from anything stronger. Alcohol can damage lacquer if too strong or left on too long.
For woodwind players, there is extra care that has to be taken for the reed. As it will hold moisture far longer than the mouthpiece, the bacteria will live and thrive in the reed, making it very likely to reinfect you as you try to heal. Again, I advocate alcohol based mouthwash. The reed can take a short soak in it and have little to no ill effects on the playability. While the bleach/water solution can work for some, the taste is a bit harder to deal with, and I personally don't want to put anything in my mouth that isn't safe as is. This way you don't have to throw away your reeds, especially because getting sick always seems to coincide with a new reed and you don't want to have to toss it as it's just about to be broken in.
Apart from these cleanliness points, the biggest thing that will keep you from recovering is tiredness. Realize that your endurance and stamina is at a much lower level than normal. This means that your normal play or practice time will have to be shorter so that you don't exhaust yourself. Just because you can normally practice for an hour doesn't mean that you can when ill. No matter what medication you have, it will still take time to overcome the illness to the point you are back to normal, and most medication works to minimize the symptoms while you are sick. Minimizing the symptoms is not the same as getting better. Time and rest are still the strongest methods to get better faster, and even then there's a minimum period that you just have to "ride it out."
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