Stephen Howard

Woodwind repairer, author of the Haynes Saxophone Maintenance Manual and the Haynes Clarinet Maintenance Manual

[Stephen Howard @TheSaxDoctor]

@delightfulrepas Hi Jean, I've all but given up on Twitter - it's just now what it used to be. Have looked at the alternatives but haven't been that inspired. Maybe I'll come back one day :)
Hope all is fabby with you!

[Stephen Howard @TheSaxDoctor]

Hmmm...certainly got my work cut out for me on this horn. Onwards and upwards...

[Stephen Howard @TheSaxDoctor]

On the bench today - a Keilwerth SX90R alto. In for the usual tonehole tweakery. Nice horns, but the black nickel finish is a sod to light and photograph!

[Stephen Howard @TheSaxDoctor]

I found a 'Gotcha!'
You can't remove the low B key without first removing the low C# lever...the low Bb's lower pillar gets in the way, and there's not enough space to squeeze the Bb through the gap. I've seen this before on another horn, I'm sure. Quite a tell-tale feature...

[Stephen Howard @TheSaxDoctor]

Another 'interesting' horn on the bench - a Saxgourmet tenor. The use far-eastern fare, with a few tweaks and a bit of bling...and what looks to be quite a problem with flux (acid) bleed...

[Stephen Howard @TheSaxDoctor]

Time for another review - and this time it's something a little bit unusual. It's a modern Chinese C Melody...with a Conn Microtuner fitted. That's different!

https://t.co/ui0C2oFnNU

[Stephen Howard @TheSaxDoctor]

Nifty little job earlier in the week. A Conn 10M with a cracked crook receiver. The slot combined with the crack means that there's barely 5mm of tube left for the crook to seal against...and the joint always wears at the bottom first. Leaky, leaky, notes not peaky. Not anymore!

[Stephen Howard @TheSaxDoctor]

On the bench today - a rather tatty-looking Yamaha 62 alto. Got a few bars under its belt, and on at least its second set of pads. Time for its third.

[Stephen Howard @TheSaxDoctor]

Fun job on the bench today - the Superglue Weltklang bari. Poor old thing's held together with superglue...but has made it to almost ten years in this state before it all got a bit too much. Time for some proper solder!

[Stephen Howard @TheSaxDoctor]

@ellen_hawley @delightfulrepas Yep, the old prescriptive/proscriptive thang.

[Stephen Howard @TheSaxDoctor]

@Globoglobitos Thank you! Glad you liked it - and especially glad that one of my reviews helped you choose a horn!

[Stephen Howard @TheSaxDoctor]

Just up on the site - a review of the new (2024) TJ Evo alto. Full of surprises, this little beastie...

https://t.co/tDQ37iaPat

[Stephen Howard @TheSaxDoctor]

@delightfulrepas Works for me, innit!

[Stephen Howard @TheSaxDoctor]

@CultureOfOne I offer 3 tiers - basic (get going), midrange (decent service), top tier (all the bells and whistles). Most folks choose the top tier. 'Underhauls' are popular - mechanical rebuilds, a few pads, no cosmetics.

[Stephen Howard @TheSaxDoctor]

Working on the YAS-62 that's been 'repaired'. Now I knew the pad job was bad, but I didn't expect it to be this bad. I don't think any new shellac has been put in the cup...it just what was left after the old pad was removed. Just dreadful.

[Stephen Howard @TheSaxDoctor]

@CultureOfOne There's virtually no coverage at all, on any of the pads. And they're fake pads. I never learn - instead of saying "I can make it good" I really ought to say "I'll have to start over, sorry".

[Stephen Howard @TheSaxDoctor]

@RachaelComposes Had a peek...just signed up. Will probably migrate over at some point - I get the feeling this place is dying on its arse.

[Stephen Howard @TheSaxDoctor]

@CultureOfOne Yes it is, in combination with raising the low points. There's still often a need to carry out some light dressing though.

https://t.co/cqy17ZVPUH

[Stephen Howard @TheSaxDoctor]

Getting down to the nitty-gritty on this SX90R - and I can see I've got my work cut out for me. Some of the toneholes are showing half a millimetre gaps. That's almost 20 times the size of a gap that constitutes a leak (0.0245mm - or 1 thou).