Tuesday, September 2, 2014

What To Look For In A Custom Saxophone Maker

By Marlene Blevins


Any company that makes custom built saxophones will have many years of acoustic research and feedback from professional saxophonists. A good custom built saxophones should have a wide dynamic range, immediate response and be comfortable to play with ergonomic fingering. There are many excellent companies that have custom built saxophones for sale.

A good quality saxophone should be manufactured to high mechanical standards, and be acoustically refined with precise testing. The saxophone's craftsmanship should also be at a high standard so it will play perfectly and sound beautiful throughout the saxophones long life. Saxophonists that play a custom sax tend prefer them over established saxophone brands. The difference is sound can be amazing with a complex tone, response and intonation. Any superior woodwind instrument should excel in all of these areas.

One of the most important parts of a saxophone is the mouthpiece. A good mouthpiece will provide a wide variety of tones and dynamic range. It should also provide ease of playing at all registers, from vibrant and bright to dark and lush. The mouthpiece should also be highly responsive and stay in tune no matter how the instrument is blown.

The ligature is the device that holds the reed. A springy ligature will enhance the natural vibration of the reed without any dampening effect. It will dramatically improvement the instruments timbre, response and intonation enabling the saxophonist to create the sound desired for an emotional effect.

The neck of a saxophone is the heart and sole of the instrument and is responsible for all of its sound characteristics. A high quality neck should have excellent pitch definition, evenness throughout all registers, immediate response and provide the saxophone with a rich, resonant tone.

A good custom sax maker will have expertise in saxophone acoustics, as well as psycho-acoustics so they can help musicians to find their true saxophone sound. They should offer plenty of consultation time that consists of a question and answer session and let their customers play some scales and intervals in order to make mechanical and acoustical recommendations before they make the perfect saxophone.

The finished saxophone should come in a well made case. One of the reasons that saxophones become damaged over time is due to the instrument moving within the case. A good case should be made from high quality materials and hold the instrument firmly in place while it is inside, so that it does not move and become damaged. The case will need to be made according to the saxophones dimensions.

Owning and playing a saxophone is incredibly rewarding and a custom made sax will be designed to fit perfectly with a musicians specific style of playing. The sax will also be totally unique and last for many lifetimes as it is passed down through generations. If you are a saxophone player why not looking into having your perfect saxophone made for you by an expert saxophone maker and experience owning an instrument that is designed entirely around your style of playing?




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