Saxophone Outlet

Questions and Answers

Question:

Can I use dollar bills to clean saxophone pads?
I don't want to buy the cleaning paper if something else works too.

Answer:

No... you cannot and should not mess with your saxophone pads. As you know, they are made of leather and if you accidently tear one or pull it away from the cup, your parents will have a repair bill. Your parents will not be happy, but the repair tech will. If you think the pads need to be cleaned, you should phone a repair shop and ask the best way to do that. Unless you have saxophone repair training, it is best that you let the professionals handle issues like this.

Question:

How to tell if my saxophone's pads are loose?
I play an alto saxophone (I don't know if that matters in this case) and I previously asked what is wrong with my sax.... An answer came up about the pads maybe being loose. I checked and they don't seem loose. I just started playing, so I might not know. Thanks!!!!

Answer:

bring it to a repair shop and have them look at it, or if that is not possibly talk to your teacher and ask her to look at it and possible play it to diagnose the problem.

Question:

How much do saxophone pads cost?
I need to replace my register key (octave key) pad. How much do they cost? I don't want to pay a lot for such a small pad.....

Answer:

Most of the time replacement pads aren't going to cost more than $3 or $4. The octave key shouldn't be much more than $1. However if you have a professional fix it for you (which is recommended, because if you do it yourself you'll probably be fixing it again in two weeks, or you may cause an air leak which is a whole new problem) it will cost more due to labor costs and such. That can run you anywhere from $30 to $100 if they fix more than just the pad (which they probably will unless you strictly tell them not to).

Question:

i need to change the pads on my alto saxophone?
I took it to a music store, but it costs a lot of money to replace all those pads. I heard there are kits that you can buy online, so you can change them yourslef. Does anyone know any good sites where I can look? My saxophone is a Selmer Bundy brand.

Answer:

Your best bet will be the music store. First of all, here's a link to a site with pad sets. http://www.musicmedic.com/catalog/categories/cat_5.html You'll see a set of alto pads is about $50-100 depending on how fancy you get them. However, applying pads is not something an amateur should try. To do a good job, you need tools and supplies that will cost you more. Sure, if you become a professional player or play a lot when your older, it may be a good skill to learn, but don't bother if you've only been playing a few years. Therefore, I'd highly recommend taking it to the store. They will do a much better job than you can. Make sure with your new pads that you don't play after eating (sugar/ other gunk) and also make sure you swab out the body of the instrument every day so keep spit off the pads (and obviously don't play in the rain). If you follow these care tips I assure you your pads will last longer, therefore keeping you out of the music store.