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 sax should have a wide dynamic range, respond immediately and be comfortable to play. They should also be of a high mechanical standard, precisely tuned and acoustically refined. The saxophone should also have a high level of craftsmanship and play perfectly throughout its long life. Musicians who pay custom saxophones prefer them to manufactured instruments as they have been made according to their style of playing. A custom saxophone can sound beautiful with complex tonalities, high response times and excellent intonation.

The mouthpiece is a very important part of any saxophone and a custom built sax should have no limitation on variety of sound, flexibility of tone and provide the sax with a dynamic range. The mouthpiece should also make the instrument easier to play at all registers from dark and lush to vibrant and bright. The mouthpiece should respond immediately and play in tune while accommodating a wide range of embouchures. They should also be comfortable and require little adjustment time.

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 sax is the neck as it the part of a saxophone that is responsible for the type of sound it makes. A good neck will provide evenness across all of the instruments registers, have a fast response time and superb definition of pitch. The neck should also provide the saxophone with a resonant and rich tone.

Any decent custom sax maker will have years of experience and expertise in psycho and saxophone acoustics. This way they can help saxophonists find their ideal sax sound for their particular style of playing and music. A consultation should be provided where they ask and answer questions. They should also hear the musician play so that they can make suggestions regarding the saxophone's mechanics and acoustics.

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 a saxophone that is tailor made to your style of playing and taste in music enables you to truly explore the instrument. Your custom made sax will last for many generations and become a highly cherished and personal instrument. If you play the sax, why not think about having a saxophone custom designed and made for you from a reputable instrument maker?




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