Not My Tenor Sax
I played the tenor sax from 4th grade through high school. Life got the better of me and I let it sit for about 10 years. Played on and off for about 6 months, let it sit (in a damp basement) for about 7 years, and just picked it up today.
Upon opening it, I was suffocated by the smell of mildew. Bad news. Messed up pads, cork falling off and my mouthpiece was just a mess. Here are some pics for you. Please note that not only am I a terrible photographer, but I also have a terrible camera.
So as you can see some work is needed. And a lot more than a little buffing. Right now I’m committed to repairing this myself. For the sport of it I’m going to get some estimates on how much it would cost for a complete overhaul. I think the only thing I can’t really do is the refinishing, but I’m not totally concerned with that providing I can get the pitting removed with a Dremel.
It’s a pretty huge task, but I’m up for it. Need to do a little more research to see if I can find an appropriate guide. If you’ve ever seen a sax up close there are many many working parts, springs, cork, padding, etc. that unless you’re a seasoned expert (or totally lucky) both taking the thing apart and putting it together could be a complete nightmare.
These folks have a restoration kit for $95 and it seems like a pretty good deal. I’m still looking and collecting data and will have an update whenever I find out more.
