Klarinet Archive - Posting 000537.txt from 2003/07

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausmann1@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] anyone interested in saxophone
Date: Fri, 18 Jul 2003 19:03:14 -0400

At 09:03 AM 7/18/2003 -0400, you wrote:
>I own a Mark VI which I bought in 1977 new (and RARELY use). The lacquer
>on mine is shiny as a mirror. My first impression of the Ebay horn is
>that most of the lacquer is gone- it does not look good to me, even dull-
>am I missing something?
>
>Fred

Vintage sax lovers get all freaky about original lacquer. 20% original
lacquer remaining seems to be preferable to a shiny fresh relacquer. The
problem is in the buffing needed to prep the horn for relacquering. They
feel that, since some metal is inevitably removed by this process, the
sound of the horn is irrevocably changed. Of course, the possibility
exists that it COULD be changed for the BETTER, but since there is no way
of knowing beforehand, one must assume the worst. I had my own Mark VI
overhauled and relacquered when I got it. In retrospect, I probably should
not have, since I likely lowered its potential resale value and it was not
all THAT bad to begin with, but it sounds fine to me now and looks better
(although I have aged it a bit again through my own use). Some players
even deliberately REMOVE all the lacquer from their saxes, believing that
this somehow "frees up" the sound. I personally think they have been
sniffing too much lacquer thinner. It sounds to me like stripping the oil
from the grenadilla wood of your clarinet to make it vibrate better without
the oil "dampening" it. In either case, you are better off with the
preservative finish ON the instrument!

One might also consider the question of WHY your lacquer finish is so nice
and shiny by comparison. The worn finish of the eBay sax might suggest a
well-loved and professionally played horn of the highest quality with lots
of gig time. Yours, a very late model besides, has NOT received so much
use, since it spent its life as a doubling instrument. Lacquer finishes
are not permanent, and are subject to considerable wear and tear from chair
bumps, belt buckles, sweat, etc. The less exposure, the less wear.

Bill Hausmann

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is TOO LOUD!

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