Newbie Question

[Steven White]

EDIT: Probably should have been posted in Problems With Sax forum.. sorry.

Hi, my wife bought me a Buffet Crampon 400 Tenor (my first sax, not sure what to expect) and upon opening the case for the first time I found pieces of cork all collected into the area where the strap, reed and a piece of plastic that I think is meant to be inserted into the neck during transit.

There are a couple pieces of cork in the bag with the sax that look like they are used to protect the moving parts during transit.. I don’t know :/

As a complete sax newbie and the fact that this cost her a fair amount I’m left wondering if I should return it and get a replacement.. or give up on this final attempt at attempting the saxophone. I did think about finding a music store and getting them to test it out but the initial impression upon opening the case and seeing those pieces of cork and the fact that too much handling may make the online store refuse a return.. any advice would be welcome 🙁

[Anonymous]

woa – that piece of plastic should be in the neck
of the sax when it is in the case to stop parts
of the neck from being damaged when it is in
the case!
I would send it back, or get it checked out
by a sax shop that does repairs! It might be
Ok, but who ever packed it doesn’t know
much about Saxophones!

[Michael Bishop]

Where’s the neck of the Sax? How’s the cork on it (where we put the Mouthpiece)? Where did you buy it from? Looks like someone may have been in a hurry to get it to you–I would recommend taking it to your local shop and have them look your Sax over; an experienced repair man will be able to tell you very quickly if there’s anything wrong with it. Without looking at it myself, I couldn’t tell you exactly what that cork is or how it got there in your case. Your Sax is covered so it looks like they did intend to protect it.

[Steven White]

Thanks for the replies, the cork on the neck looks fine – there are a couple of similar pieces of cork wedged between some of the movable parts. Debating on whether to take it to a local store for an opinion or just return it. Upon further research I note that it didn’t even come in the correct outer box.. for the price definitely not happy so far, it’s worth noting that this item was bought as new.

Bah, humbug.

[Anonymous]

the most important bit – that piece of plastic should be in the saxophone and not in the case…

[john]

Don’t freak out, it may be fine. So you have the neck for it, even though it’s not pictured right?
The small pieces of cork wedged between moving parts are there to protect it during shipping.
I think the scattered pieces of cork could have been performing the same function but slipped away so no big deal.
Put it together and give it a blow.

[Steven White]

Hi, yeah – the neck is there. Those scattered pieces of cork had somehow managed to come out of the bag which itself was fed into the end of the Sax.. so it looks like it was used/tested prior to shipping and not packed properly. Just don’t want to be lumbered with something that is damaged – as silly as it may sound not sure how to test it and be reasonably confident it’s in good working order.

[john]

Right, it has to be played by someone who can play well… like someone in a sax repair shop.
New saxes should be taken in anyway because they usually will need a minor adjustment or 2.

[Steven White]

I started, so I’ll finish – although I was going to return the Sax and give up the quest.. I heard some appealing snippets that reminded me of why I’ve wanted to give the Sax a try for a number of years. So I took it in to a local store and had it checked out. All seemed fine according to the gentleman there (though only time will tell).. which will mean more questions for you guys I’m sure (preemptive apology).

..still not tried it myself – will squeak tomorrow.

Thanks again for the replies.

[Author]

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