Care and Maintenance
Care and maintaining your saxophone is very critical to the condition of the saxophone
Here are some of the procedures you can do to keep your saxophone playing in top condition:
Here are some of the procedures you can do to keep your saxophone playing in top condition:
1. Swab out the moisture from your saxophone after every playing session. It is very important that you do this so mould wouldn't grow inside the saxophone and the pads won't get damaged from the moisture. You can use a body swab for the body of the saxophone and a neck swab for the neck (or a neck brush)
2. Apply cork grease to the cork on the neck of the saxophone to prevent it from cracking over time. Make sure to wipe your hands to remove cork grease that may have been accidentally put on your hands. The reason why we do this is to prevent getting the body of the saxophone dirty.
3. Always store your reeds in a reed guard to prevent chipping them. Once a reed is chipped or broken you are advised not to play with it because of the decreased sound quality resulting from the chip.
4. Always try to make sure that no water comes in contact with the pads on the keys of the saxophone. It shortens the life of the pads and when they get damaged to an extent your sax requires a re-pad which cost around $350
5. Never rely on your neck strap to support the saxophone entirely. A neck strap is intended to help support the weight of the sax but not entirely, so don't let your sax dangle while you do something else with your hands.
6. Always wash your saxophone mouthpiece once a week or as often as you can. This helps prevent too much bacteria from settling on the mouthpiece which can get you really sick. To assist you in cleaning the mouthpiece use a mouthpiece brush which comes in a saxophone care kit.
7. Use a microfiber cloth to wipe down the saxophone to remove finger prints, grime build up, and to keep the sax looking great.
8. Never store your saxophone anywhere but in its case or on a stand designed for the instrument. Reason being because you may damage the keys if rested in an un-natural position.
9. Always treat your saxophone with care no mater what. Once you can follow this rule your saxophone may last you a good few years.