Friday, 29 August 2014

Choosing A Custom Saxophone Maker

By Marlene Blevins


If you are looking for a custom built saxophone there are some things you should consider when choosing a company. A good custom saxophone company should have plenty of yeas of researching acoustics and listen to years of feedback from professional musicians. You can find many instrument manufacturers with 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.

The mouthpiece, ligature (the device that keeps the reed in place) and the neck are the most important parts of a saxophone. A mouthpiece should be able to produce a wide variety of tones and give the saxophone a wide dynamic range. A good mouthpiece will also make the instrument easier to play at all registers. It should also have an immediate response and stay in tune at all times with all types of embouchures.

The device that keeps the reed in place, known as the ligature is another very important part of a saxophone. The ligature should be springy in order to enhance the reed's vibration without dampening. This increases the timbre, intonation and responsiveness of the instrument enabling playing to create a wide range of emotive playing techniques.

The heart and soul of any saxophone is its neck. This part of the saxophone is responsible for the instruments sound. Good quality necks will have perfect pitch definition and be even through all of the registers. There should be immediate response and give the sax rich and resonant tones.

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.

For most professional saxophone players owning a custom made saxophone is incredibly rewarding and they are a joy to play. This is because they have been designed according to the musicians specific style of playing. A high quality custom made saxophone will also last for generations and carry a lot of history. If you are a saxophonist why not consider getting a saxophone made specifically for you? You can enjoy playing an instrument that is tailored to your needs and your style of playing.




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