Leaks: Saxophone Instrument Repair 

So...once you find the leak, then what?

Took your advice on the leaking B and Bb bell notes and fixed the issue. Many thanks 😎

That was a pretty funny video on the light issue. I've been finding a lot of saxes come to the shop with bent bells because sax players are picking up the sax in the case by the bell. Players are strongly urged to avoid this as the body is too heavy and weighs the upper part down so the bell is bent upwards (brace gets weakened) and the bell keys are not geometric to the tone holes. So, support the bell when picking up the sax in the case!

I used to use car 12 volt bulbs for sax lights. I used the small sizes. Solder the wires direct to the bulbs. You can use a doorbell transformer (16 volts output) for the filament car lightbulbs. A thin strip of cigarette paper taped to a paper match makes a great feeler gauge, and it will see leaks that lights miss. Test all around each pad. Pinch the paper in the closed pad and try to gently pull it out. If it moves, there's a leak. This "repairman" doesn't have a holder and must hold the horns and work on them mostly one handed. Some techs use a vise holding a padded board to fit inside the bell snugly. One guy used a fat table leg. You might use a different one for each size sax, hence the vise. Then you can work with two hands. Fix your own horn; most repairmen seem incompetent. Saul Fromkin was good, but got hit by a car and died. Roberto, his former apprentice does great work too, but maybe only if he thinks you're famous or something. He clearly considered me unworthy of a decent saxophone, when I couldn't tell him precisely where the leak was from my playing the horn.

You can also use cigarette paper to check for leaks: If you slide the paper between tone hole and pad and close it with slight pressure, it is easy to slide the paper out auf the gap between tone hole and pad when there is a leak. If you cannot easily slide the paper out there is no leak.

Jesus Christ guys this video is 90% a light review and 5% finding the leak. I just need to fix it so I don't pay hundreds

A cool trick I use is to take a mini maglight, the AAA size one, to gigs. The head screws all the way off very easy. Then I use a string off an old neck strap threaded in the hole on the end cap of the maglight. Saved many other players at gigs with that trick. For my Bass and Baritone top end I'm experimenting with Glow wire I found on Ebay. Prob so far is the batteries have to be very new or it is too dim and it is a bit too flimsy. Next I will get... Continued next post....

Well, your all your repair-videos helped me a lot...thank you really much👍🏻

Your best bet is to find a qualified repair person for a proper diagnosis and repair.

Great, useful video 😊

Next I'm going to try the whitest and thickest Glow wire I can find, Double it up and stiffen it some with a guitar string. One stiff enough to keep it moving well, but still make the turns in my bass/bari. I'll also try a transformer rather than bats. BTW, best leak like I've ever used was a bare Maglite bulb with wires soldered to the contact. Do one hole at a time. Yes it's Old Skool but the guy that taught me graduated from repair School in '54 and is still the best I know in the biz.

Another way to check for leaks is to put a generic handheld flashlight in the bell. The brighter it is, the easier it is to see. Ive used this before and it works really well.

3:11 For bariton I use a bariton swap rope (with swap removed). I attach it to a led leak light and simply pull it through the instrument. There are several video's on you tube how to use the bariton swap. You do it the same way.

When I was in a situation where the shop was too bright for the rope light that I had to use on bari's I used a large thick cotton cloth cover very much like what photographers used on old turn of the last century camera's. It was a little stuffy but it was pitch dark and even the dimmest leak light would show leaks very sharply.

Thanks for your comment, Jeremy. During this video at 4:30 and 6:50 (minutes:seconds), Master Sergeant Barton briefly explains how to fix a few of the leaks found. I hope that answers your question sufficiently. If not, please feel free to ask any questions you might have.

Thanks Sarge!!!

Hi can you help me how do I can fix the valve section of my old conn 14k sousaphone, I feel like the air escapes and is out of tune. Thank you !!

you can use a strand of Christmas Tree lights. Works great AND they're flexible......

Can't we just shine a flash light in the saxaphone

Another question... For some time I experienced very hard blow when I'm playing sax...It could be related with the problem I've described in my previous comment? Are there any others motif can be related with my this problem? Thank you Sir.

if you're a good player, you can play around it, or you could get some new pads and replace the leaky one, or you could send your horn in for a make-over...

Hi I would like to know if can help me about my saxophone I have the ( Saxophone Alto Palatino ) I lost one the screw of my Sax Since 2 months I cannot play on it Maybe you can help or advise me someone Thanks

Hello Sir, I have an Yamaha YAS-275s alto sax and I have some problems... When I bought the sax from store, it has minor problems with tone. Even after tuning the tone, they are some notes which was not in tune, but the sales representative sad that I have to play some weeks, so the pads start form correctly. It also told me not to clean inside the sax for 2-3 months. I did that and the tone was correct, but after I clean the sax inside, it start to sound again not in tune. Can you help me ? Thx

hello I need help I have cazzen in Africa he need one , the one he have was from Germany and it last 5 years , now I am looking for it in usa it hard to find the one he ask for with plug!

As for the flexible necklace type chemical glow lights, you need the original green ones. They produce the brightest light and last the longest. Any other color just doesn't do it. And of course you need total darkness for the best results. Go in the closet!

can i use cork grease for the body of the saxophone?

you could go to a store and buy one, or buy an old junker and salvage parts off it

Where is the repair part?

Best thing to use is the USB reading light connected to a power bank for your phone (works all the way up to tenors which is the best part)

your chemical lights are catastrophic for the nature

Where can you buy those leak lights at?

"put felt or duct tape" . . . . where?

i have trubble With my low A barisaxophone i have leaklight after two weeks playing it leaks some where else i find the leaks bending the cupps in line again and and 2-3weeks it is leaking again somwhere on the BELL part it is easy to fix but it c\keeps comming back is the material on the horn bad or is the bell twisted sorrey for my teribel inglish im Norwegian frustrated bariplayer

My teacher used cheap Christmas lights

I used my phones flashlight and found my leak

OK in emergencies, but who does that!??

subtitles

Dear Army, Your videos are awkward. America