A Few Things I Believe About Saxophone Design

I had the opportunity to play a number of new, current production saxophones from some of the "big name" companies (Selmer, Yamaha, Yanigasawa, Keilwerth, and Cannoball) this past week and compare them. Frankly, I was dissapointed. What are these guys thinking? I didn't find much difference in the Selmer, Yamaha, and Yanigasawa (I thought the Yanigasawa the best of the lot), the Keilwerth felt heavy and sluggish to me, and the Cannonball was simply not in the league with the rest of them. For the sort of money these makers are asking for their products, they could all do a lot better. Here's a few thoughts about design that I try to abide by:

IT SHOULD NOT HURT TO PLAY YOUR SAXOPHONE
The keywork should fall naturally under your hands. You should never have to chase a key with your fingers. The comfort and ease of execution by the player outweighs any other consideration. The thumbrests should be comfortable. The strap hook should allow for the differences in human physique. The "alternate" keys (front F, chromatic F# etc.) should be easy to use.

THE MECHANISM SHOULD ACCOMODATE THE WAY A SAXOPHONE WORKS
There's no excuse for the different fingerings for C to have a different voice, and there should not be a big change in the tone when you press the octave key. The G# key should not stick, and the other pads should be quiet and firm. The lower stack F# pad always needs some help to prevent leaks, and this should always be addressed. It's a given that the notes above C#3 are going to be a little high in pitch, so you ought to do something about this on the design end. The large key cups tend to flex in a horizontal plane, so they need to be attached to the rods at multiple points.

ALL THE KEYS SHOULD FEEL THE SAME
I go ballistic over this. There's no reason for the keys not to have a uniform amount of resistance. None. It's all about where you place the springs and using the correct diameter and length. I wrote an article on this topic ("The Rites of Springs") which will appear in the next issue of The Saxophone Journal. It's just not that hard to figure out, folks, and based on the horns I have recently examined, nobody is thinking about this. Shame on them.

SAXOPHONES SHOULD MEET MODERN PLAYING REQUIREMENTS
Today, all saxophones have a high F# key, and all the baritones go down to low A. However, modern literature often extends above high F#. I don't see a lot of acknowlegment of this fact by most makers.

WHY SHOULD THE HORN ALWAYS SOUND THE SAME?
We all have a box full of different mouthpieces. Why not necks? The neck is where the sound is shaped, and every horn should have multiple neck options designed for that specific horn.

THE METAL MAKES THE DIFFERENCE
I am really dissapointed that other manufacturers don't generally offer their saxophones in anything other than standard high zinc content brass. Yanigasawa is a noteable exception, of course. Different materials can yeild significantly different sound results.

I'll step off the soapbox now. Thanks for listening........

"Yellow Jacket" limited production tenor mouthpiece

I made up a special mouthpiece for a special customer last week, and liked the design so much I made up one for myself. A couple of guys played it and loved it, so I made up a few more. This design is VERY labor intensive, so I probably won’t add it as a regular part of the line. However, I’ve made six, and have three still available.

This is the same blank I use for my “Handmade” series, but with a different curve, baffle, and a bit larger tip opening. It’s in bare brass with black highlights, and comes with a Saxgourmet single screw ligature and a Saxgourmet metal cap. It has a huge amount of power, a very complex tone, flawless intonation, and no blowing resistance.

If you want to hear it, go here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/saxgourmetproducts#p/a/u/1/wl3kmKtShH0

This is a very HEAVY mouthpiece (more mass=greater resonance) with a very pronounced “duckbill” beak, a high baffle leading into a large bullet chamber.

$450 FOB New Orleans…..here’s a picture:

Breeze Cayolle demonstrates some of the new products

My long time co-conspiritor and runnin' pardner Breeze Cayolle visited this week and put some of our new products through their paces! The proof is in the listening!

Falling Prices for Vintage Horns

First, I ask that you accept a couple of things as truth:

(1) you can count the number of bona fide collectors of vintage horns worldwide on your fingers and toes

(2) price is a function of demand

(3) old does not necessarily mean good nor valuable

I think the buying public has finally wised up. This includes me, of course, as I was an enthusiastic player of vintage horns (Conns, Bueschers, Martins) for many years. The simple fact of the matter is that vintage horns just do not perform as well as modern instruments. The ergonomics are bad, the intonation often questionable. Why would you want to try to make a living with an instrument that is hard to play?

EBay is at best an unreliable indicator, but it is one that is readily accessible. The old horns are simply not bringing the prices they have in the past. Vintage horn dealers inventories are bloated with unsold saxophones. Of course, there will always be some players who loudly insist that the old horns sound better. They will keep fooling themselves forever, because their minds are closed.

It is true that certain older horns have their charms, but if you play for a living and want the best possible results from your effort, you need to employ state of the art technology. The guy who is competing with you for your gig probably does.

Getting ready for a photo shoot

We're doing a photo shoot tomorrow so we can have good images of all our accessories and products. As I was getting things together, I was struck with how many new products we have introduced over the last year. Here's a PARTIAL "family portrait" of some of our offerings. These products are all unique to our company and available nowhere else.

I'm very happy with the new copper necks......

and so are the buyers. These are NEW designs, with different tapers. The new tenor model is particularly sweet, I spent a long time playing it this morning on various horns. In addition to the new taper, there's a lot more engraving (hand cut!) and an entirely new mechanism.

This neck is dark and full sounding with excellent intonation and really quick response. If you think your tenor is a bit thin sounding, this may be the neck for you.

New Saxophone Import Numbers: Not Pretty!

There are no saxophones manufactured in the USA. They all come from other countries, and the import figures are public record and give us a good idea of the health of the industry and the direction it is taking. Here's what happened in the second quarter of this year:

China was the top exporter of saxophones to the USA, with 10,529 units, compared to 10,517 units in the second quarter of 2008.

Taiwan sent us 6,191 horns, compared to 10,971 in the second quarter of 2008, a decrease of 44%.

Japan brought over only 724 saxes, compared to 1,258 in the second quarter of 2008, a decrease of 42%.

France, Germany, Italy, and other nations were not even a blip on the radar.