My Alto

[Dave Tucker]

Hi Dave, ok I'll try to answer as many of those…

When you put a new reed on your mouth piece, you'll know right away if it's good or not. Depending on how bad it is, you'll have to decide if yo want to try to shave it or not, if you even want to do this at all, personally I have done this in the past but don't do it these days. It's something some sax players really get into, and others can't be bothered.

As far as the reeds go, I must tell you that, even though I only use VanDoren on this mouthpiece, I probably wouldn't use them on any other mouthpiece.

That's the thing with reeds and mouthpieces.

Just because the VanDoren Jazz is the best reed for my Guardala mouth piece, doesn't mean that's what I'd use on another MP. So you need to experiment on your particular set-up.

For the Fly Me tracks, it's ok to put my backing tracks on a cd if you like. I use iTunes. You can simply burn it on to a cd from there.

Let me know if this is a problem and I'll try to help.

Johnny

[john]

Hi Dave, ok I'll try to answer as many of those…

When you put a new reed on your mouth piece, you'll know right away if it's good or not. Depending on how bad it is, you'll have to decide if yo want to try to shave it or not, if you even want to do this at all, personally I have done this in the past but don't do it these days. It's something some sax players really get into, and others can't be bothered.

As far as the reeds go, I must tell you that, even though I only use VanDoren on this mouthpiece, I probably wouldn't use them on any other mouthpiece.

That's the thing with reeds and mouthpieces.

Just because the VanDoren Jazz is the best reed for my Guardala mouth piece, doesn't mean that's what I'd use on another MP. So you need to experiment on your particular set-up.

For the Fly Me tracks, it's ok to put my backing tracks on a cd if you like. I use iTunes. You can simply burn it on to a cd from there.

Let me know if this is a problem and I'll try to help.

Johnny

[Troy]

Quote:

Quote from tuck59 on December 3, 2011, 15:28

My Selmer AS500 Aristocrat. I picked it up on Ebay for a very reasonable price in September. It came with a Selmer S-80 C* mouthpiece. It has some scratches and some minor pitting on the chrome, all cosmetic. I'm using Vandoren Java 2.5 and Rico 2.5 reeds. Still trying to find out which I like better.
It's not as pretty as those Tenors, but it's ok for a starter.

Dave T

Dave,

I thought this picture was of a Selmer, much like mine, then when I read your post I saw that this is the exact same saxophone I'm playing. I rented my sax and it came with a plastic no-name mouthpiece, and I purchased a box of Hempke 2.5 reeds. Do you have any video's or recordings of yourself with this Selmer S-80 C* mouthpiece? I'd be interested in hearing what this sax sounds like with your set up. I started playing in October 2011 and I get a lot of squawking when I try to hit lower notes, and frequently enough in the mid-range notes.

[john]

Hey Troy, rentals are usually kept in good shape as they are (hopefully) sent to the repair shop regularly, but even the slightest leak in one of the smaller top pads can make it hard to hit those low notes so it's important to have it checked. A repair guy can tell in a few seconds after putting a long light down the sax.

This is a good idea because it will tell you if the squaking problem is your horn's fault or your mp and reed. After you're sure, them you can move on and fix the problem.

[Troy]

Ahh, the voice of experience. Thanks Johnny, I wouldn't have thought of that, but I'll call the music store and see if they can check it out soon. Let me apologize in advance for some of my questions…I don't personally know anyone that plays a sax or other woodwind instrument to pester.

[john]

Yes you do Troy, that's why we're here!

[Author]

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