Here are some tips on preventing damage to the saxophone.
- When assembling the saxophone, never have your hands over the rods.
- Make sure the cork is greased.
- Never assemble the saxophone while the case is in your lap. Keep the case on the floor in a safe place.
- All of the keys and rods are fragile, so treat them with care.
- Never adjust your instrument, take it to an instrument repair specialist for fixing.
- Never make a repair that you don’t know how to do (or think you know how to do). This can cause you more money in repairs.
- If you have a soprano saxophone, don’t stand your instrument upright without a stand, someone could easily knock it over and bend keys. For the other models of saxophones, tenor and alto saxophone use the same sized stand but have different adjustments. These adjustments are critical to keep your instrument on the stand and to keep from getting scratched or damaged. The baritone sax has a special stand that it sits on for its size. Please don’t place it on a stand made for alto or tenor.
- Always keep the saxophone clean. Use a silk swab to thoroughly clean the inside. This takes the moisture away from the pads and keeps them form getting sticky.
- Don’t eat right before playing. If you do so make sure you brush your teeth (or at least rise out your mouth).
- If your pads do get sticky use cigarette paper or even better, Powder Paper. This can be bought online stores or music stores. This lightly powders the pad and keeps the pads from sticking longer.
- Keep your mouthpiece clean. When you wash it use warm water- not hot water!!! Hot water will warp your mouthpiece and turn it a green color. If the mouthpieces are very dirty, do not boil mouthpieces. Clean them with mouthwash. Keeping your mouthpiece clean will keep you from getting sick and prevent bacteria from growing.
- Do not drop your mouthpiece. They are really fragile and can break very easily. They cost a lot to replace.
- When grabbing the horn, grasp it by the bell. This is the strongest part of the saxophone.
- Have a good strong neck strap that has a clip so the saxophone won’t come off when you don’t want it to.
- Keep your nail short. Believe it or not, your nails can scratch the lacquer of the saxophone. You see it especially on the right thumb on the octave key.
