August 28, 2014

Choosing A Custom Built Saxophone

By Marlene Blevins


If you are a saxophonist, there is nothing more rewarding than owning a sax that is designed specifically for your particular style of playing. A company that creates customized saxophones should have many years of research into acoustics and plenty of feedback from professional musicians. A high quality sax should have a immediate response, wide dynamic range and be comfortable with good ergonomics. You can fins many reputable musical instrument makes that have custom built saxophones for sale.

A good quality saxophone should be manufactured to high mechanical standards, and be acoustically refined with precise testing. The saxophone's craftsmanship should also be at a high standard so it will play perfectly and sound beautiful throughout the saxophones long life. Saxophonists that play a custom sax tend prefer them over established saxophone brands. The difference is sound can be amazing with a complex tone, response and intonation. Any superior woodwind instrument should excel in all of these areas.

One of the most important parts of a saxophone is the mouthpiece. A good mouthpiece will provide a wide variety of tones and dynamic range. It should also provide ease of playing at all registers, from vibrant and bright to dark and lush. The mouthpiece should also be highly responsive and stay in tune no matter how the instrument is blown.

The device that keeps the reed in place, known as the ligature is another very important part of a saxophone. The ligature should be springy in order to enhance the reed's vibration without dampening. This increases the timbre, intonation and responsiveness of the instrument enabling playing to create a wide range of emotive playing techniques.

The neck of a saxophone is the heart and sole of the instrument and is responsible for all of its sound characteristics. A high quality neck should have excellent pitch definition, evenness throughout all registers, immediate response and provide the saxophone with a rich, resonant tone.

All good manufacturers of custom made saxophones will be experts in saxophone acoustics and psycho-acoustics so they can help saxophonists find their perfect sound and tones. Consultation time should be provided where customers can play the instrument so that acoustical and mechanical recommendations can be made.

A good quality case is an essential requirement for any saxophone and a custom saxophone maker should provide your saxophone in a case that is designed specifically for your sax. A saxophone can become damaged if it is not 100% secure inside the case, as it will move around inside the case causing wear and tear. The case should be made to high quality standards using high quality materials so it will last as long as the saxophone.

For most professional saxophone players owning a custom made saxophone is incredibly rewarding and they are a joy to play. This is because they have been designed according to the musicians specific style of playing. A high quality custom made saxophone will also last for generations and carry a lot of history. If you are a saxophonist why not consider getting a saxophone made specifically for you? You can enjoy playing an instrument that is tailored to your needs and your style of playing.




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