1. Visual Inspection
The horn is looked over for serious problems (bent body, large dents, unsoldered braces or key guards). Bent keys are re-aligned.
2. Strip-Down
The horn is completely dis-assembled. Loose, sloppy keys are swedged (stretched) to re-establish a nice, snug fit. Keys that bind on the steel rods are straightened so that they hinge smoothly. All needle springs are removed and their condition noted (rusty or sound). All old pads are removed and key cups are cleaned of all old glue or shellac. All corks, felts, plastic tubing, etc are removed from the keys, body and neck, and all glue or shellac is scraped away to the bare metal. All key rollers are removed.
3. Body Work
Large dents are not only unsightly, they can effect the pitch and playability of the saxophone. So can a bent body. There are special tools used to pop up the dents from the inside of the horn, and to straighten a bent body. Over time, braces and key guards can become unsoldered. They must be removed, cleaned, and resoldered.
4. Cleaning
The body and keys are dipped in a special chemical solution that removes the "green grunge" from the inside and outside of the horn. They are then rinsed, washed with a gentle dish detergent, rinsed again, and thoroughly dried. The insides of the hinge tubes are scrubbed clean with a pipe cleaner dipped in solvent alcohol. All the steel rods and pivot screws are de-greased with a clean rag and solvent alcohol.
5. Re-Springing
The springs are re-fitted to the body in their proper positions. Any rusty, cracked or badly-fitting springs are replaced with the proper diameter spring, or, if needed, an entire new set of springs is fitted. Spring tensions are set slightly "stiff" until the final adjustments are made, later in the process.
6. Re-Corking
A new neck cork is applied. All keys are fitted with the appropriate size and type of cork, felt, Teflon or plastic tubing. All are razor-trimmed for neat appearance and proper fit.
7. Fitting the Pads
We buy our saxophone pads from Kraus Music Products in Oregon. They are thin, Yamaha-style pads with a brown, plastic, Selmer-type resonator. If custom resonators are requested, the brown plastic ones are removed and the custom set is fitted. The thin pads give a nice, firm seat. They are harder to work with than the thicker, mushy pads some repair people use, but, once seated they tend to stay seated for a very long time. These pads are nicely made, with top-grade leather that is glued flat on the bottom. This is important because you can't get the pad to seat evenly, all around the tone-hole, unless it is sitting flat in the key cup. We stock every half-millimeter size, from 8 to 70, so that we can select a pad that fits the key-cup perfectly because the pad will not seat properly if it is too small or too large for the cup. The pads are carefully glued into the cups with a special hot-melt type glue. We stopped using the traditional glue, shellac, over ten years ago because shellac becomes brittle when the temperature drops below freezing. Here in the Northeast, that happens every winter. When the shellac turns brittle, the pads can easily pop out of the key cups if the horn is bumped, even in the case. The synthetic cements are much more tolerant of cold weather. We have not had a pad pop out since we made the switch!
8. Reassembly
Here's where the fun begins! Following a specific order, each key is lubricated and fitted to the body. We use motor oil, in several different weights, for key oil. Today's motor oils are the longest lasting, most highly tested and refined lubricants on the market. They work great on saxophones! Next, we hook the spring to the key and test the action. Each key should be smooth and responsive, and balanced with the others to produce a "feel" for the player. Now, with the key fitted and a leak light inside the body of the horn, we check the pad to see where it is hitting the tone hole, and where it is not. Using a Bunsen burner, we heat up the key cup to soften the hot melt glue, then shift the position of the pad so that it covers the tone-hole completely. Once it's in the right position, we "seat" the pad, giving it the impression of the tone-hole it covers. Once we're satisfied we've got it right, we go on to the next key until all of the two dozen or so pads are seated. Wherever two or more pads work together, they must be regulated to ensure that they all come down at exactly the same time. This is done either with regulating screws, or by carefully bending the keys. It must be done precisely, or the horn will not play. After regulating, we set the key height by adding or removing cork from the "foot" of the key, or felt from the bumper. Key height determines how much of an opening there is between the tone-hole and the pad. Too little and the horn feels "stuffy". Too much and the pitch suffers. We usually set a horn up to be "medium-open" unless the player gives us a specific request for "close" or "open". Once this is done, we close up all the pads against their tone-holes with wedges or corks and let the horn settle for a day.
9. Final Adjustments and Play Testing
After the horn has settled, we open it back up and re-check all our work, making any final adjustments that may be needed. Then we play it for a half hour or so, checking for even feel, intonation and resistance. If we make any adjustments, we play the horn again to check them. Once we're satisfied that we have it right, we swab the instrument out, put it in its case, and call the owner to come pick it up. We then work with the owner to make sure the horn feels right to him/her. Everyone plays differently a softer or harder touch, a softer or harder reed, classical, jazz, rock-n-roll. These variable can effect how the horn responds, so there are often some player-oriented adjustments that must be made. When the player is fully satisfied that we've got it right, the overhaul is complete! Then it's on to the next one...
