Care & Feeding of Newly Re-padded Sax

Congratulations! Your saxophone has just received a professional quality mechanical overhaul and re-padded! Let me explain exactly what work was done on your instrument. We disassembled the saxophone and swedged the keys (refit them so the key is tight against the posts with no end or side to side play). This enables the pad to come down over the tone hole in the same place every time. The old pads were removed and the key cups cleaned. To insure the best possible contact between the pad and tone hole, all tone holes were refaced, de-burred and polished before reassembly. The body of the saxophone was washed and chemically cleaned to remove old lubricants, dirt, corrosion, etc.. New pads were installed with a sufficient amount of industrial-strength hot melt glue to properly float and seat each pad individually and with meticulous care. Before installation, each pad was treated with a multipurpose silicone sealant. This prevents moisture from penetrating the pad as easily and prolongs the life of your pad job. All hinge rods and pivot screws were coated with a long-lasting lubricant. The instrument was then adjusted. This makes sure that the pads on keys that operate in tandem are closing together. The pads were allowed to settle for 24 hours, after which another regulation was done.

Professional quality re-pads are expensive, but in the end it is worth it, provided you make sure your horn remains in top condition. Here are few suggestions to keep your saxophone and its new pad job in prime condition.

• Bring in your instrument for regular maintenance at least once a year. Often, little adjustments will go out or a key will get slightly bent. It is best to catch these problems early before they affect other parts of the horn.
• Keep in mind that the pads are made of leather and wool, two very porous materials. The silicone sealant will help guard against moisture, but it cannot prevent major water damage. Always swab your instrument out with a pull-through type swab after every practice session or performance. If you are playing for long periods we recommend that the horn be swabbed out every 30 minutes, if this is feasible. Desert Winds carries a two-piece pull-through swab called "The Designer Swab." It is made of absorbent cloth (NOT felt), has a sturdy cord stitched into the fabric, and the drop weight is plastic coated in order not to scratch the inside of your saxophone. We have included one of these swabs in your case with our compliments -- please use it according to the instructions in the package. 
• We do not recommend the use of PadSaver, "shove-it" type swabs. These swabs do not absorb moisture very well, and because they remain inside the horn, the moisture that is on them comes in direct contact with the pads. The fibers of these swabs break off and can get lodged in the key mechanisms, causing binding. The fibers can also come between the pads and the tone holes, altering the seating of the pad and causing leaks.
• Do not eat or drink sugary substances before or during playing. Sugar is an enemy of your pads and key mechanisms. The silicone sealant has no effect against the power of sugar, and your pad job simply will not last.
• The outside of the instrument may be gently polished with a soft cloth. Avoid hitting the edges of the pads as much as possible. It is not necessary to have a cleaning substance on the cloth -- these chemicals put a film on the instrument and attract dirt rather than repel it. Dirt and lint will also cause the keys to bind -- we recommend vacuuming the case once a week to avoid lint buildup. If lint and dirt do appear around the keys, they may be removed with a shot or two of compressed air. Compressed air comes in spray cans and should be available at your local hardware store, camera shop, or computer store. We do not encourage wiping the dirt away with a cloth or a brush -- the springs can be dislodged and the pads are easily rubbed.
• The wool, leather, and cork materials used in the re-pad of your saxophone will expand and contract with the ambient humidity. The seal of the pad will also be affected by the player's own finger pressure. Great care has been taken to "set" your instrument up to play with a "light touch." Variances in touch from the technician to the player combined with early compression and expansion of the leather, felt, and cork will create a need for minor adjustments to be made. We recommend that after you have played the instrument for six to eight weeks that you bring it back to Desert Winds for a free checkup and final adjustments.
• If bringing the instrument back for adjustment is not feasible (i.e.  you live out of the state of Arizona or in another country) and you find it necessary to take the instrument to another technician, tell the technician at all adjusting screws are set with thread locking compound. This prevents the screws from vibrating loose while the instrument is being played. The technician must heat the screw slightly with an electric soldering gun to melt the adhesive before any adjustment. Failure to do this may result in the breakage of the head of the screw.
• Enclosed with your saxophone you will find a few strips of blue, fabric-like material. Should your pads become sticky, pull the strip between the pad and the tone hole with very light pressure on the key. Pull through with the material's darker side against the pad and then against the tone hole. Doing this two or three times should clear up the stickiness.

By taking good care of your saxophone, you will find that in return it will give you a lifetime's worth of making music.