Saxophone service

Saxophone overhaul

  • The first revision within 12 months after the overhaul is free of charge.
  • The warranty of the work performed is 6 months.
  • The warranty does not cover external damage to the instrument- (fall, elements, etc.).
  • The instrument can only be picked up in person after a play test.

Each overhaul is specifically tailored to the needs of your instrument. Below is a standard list of overhaul tasks that is applied to each instrument being repaired. As for the mechanics, I offer its modification or making custom flaps according to customer requirements. Last but not least, the adjustment of the ace, tuning, modification of the instrument, replicas of flaps and other parts, leveling of the sheet after the fall, cosmetic modifications of the instrument.

Disassembly and cleaning

Complete disassembly, degreasing, cleaning of mechanics and the instrument. Silver instruments are cleaned in a special bath and hand polished (requires about 4 hours of extra work compared to painted instruments). Air drying and manual finishing with a soft cloth. Removal of old pads and stop materials.

Alignment of the instrument

The instrument is inspected for deformation, the body tightness with the corpus (for older, soldered Balanced Action instruments) and the air tightness of the ace with the body, as well as the alignment of the tone holes in shape and level. Aligning the instrument after a fall is a subject of an individual action.

Axis alignment

Each spindle is leveled and polished to a smooth finish. It is replaced if necessary.

Alignment of columns

The posts are aligned in the optimal position relative to the flaps and axles. It depends on the quality of production or previous deformation. This may require soldering the posts to the optimal position.

Tone hole alignment

This is done if the tone holes are damaged or less tightness is suspected. The straightening is performed with the utmost care to have as little impact on intonation as possible. This helps improve the tightness of the cushions for a long time. (Saxophones are rarely supplied by the manufacturer with aligned tone holes, which is a consequence of the way the mechanism is mounted on the instrument in an effort not to damage the varnish.) This operation is done by hand, with special trowels and diamond files (fineness - 800).

(This process is applied only during the overall overhaul.)

Pointed screws

One by one, the pointed screws are removed and cleaned together with the columns of settled lubricants and put back in their original place. It is also necessary to precisely lower and remove the axial and radial clearance of the flaps between the posts. This may require replacing or tailoring the bolt, drilling the thread in the posts, or replacing the insert.

Adjustment of flaps

The bowls are levelled and centred to the appropriate tonal holes, which is essential for the functional sealing of the pad for a long time.

Stretching and checking the springs

The springs are optimally stretched for smooth operation of the mechanism. Damaged, oxidized and otherwise deformed springs are replaced.

Replacement of all cushions

Replacement of all pads according to the customer's choice, including the type of resonator, which I mount manually with regard to the diameter of the tone hole. The pads are placed in bowls and aligned in a level, then placed in a position to absolutely cover the tone hole. I apply light test and pressure test. With this procedure, it is not necessary to heat the deep imprint of the tone hole, the player will create it himself over time. With regular cleaning of the instrument the pads seal for 5-10 years before there is a problem with tightness even during regular play.

Replacement of all felt, corks, etc.…

I replace all stop and sealing materials on the whole instrument. I then use a combination of different materials for quiet and functional operation of the mechanics.

Ace adjustment

The arrangement of the ace with the instrument is theoretically designed so that they fit exactly into each other. Any deformation then results in air leakage or capillary attraction of the internal moisture, which have negative effects on the quality of the tone and its projection. The result is tones that sound poor and their deployment can be problematic.

Instrument test

I personally test each instrument so that I can fine-tune the last details such as: vibration on the flaps, fine-tuning the springs, checking the exact operation of the flaps, adjusting the ace - if there are still problems with tones that have their antinodes on the part of the instrument.