Let’s JAM, Everybody! How to Care for — and Store — Your Sax

I’m sure you realize that this month is Jazz Appreciation Month. This is one month when any instrument that you may play certainly does not belong in storage. Pull it out of storage and let’s JAM!

If you do need to store an instrument, though — when you are done jamming — you’ll want to take good care of it, so we’re offering this series of tips on how to store musical instruments, with an emphasis on jazz-related instruments.

This time — how to store your sax (for some wonderful commentary on saxophone-playing in general, see http://www.mindworkshop.com/alchemy/saxophone.html, and for pictures of parts of the packing process, see http://www.cybersax.com/packsax.html):

• When you are done playing a saxophone, you will want to dry it out (they have a tendency to get wet, and all that moisture can rot the leather pads in a sax and may even corrode the metal). The first step is to remove the sax’s neck, and then remove the mouthpiece.
• Use a neck swab to absorb any moisture that may be left in the neck.
• Then use a cleaning swab to swab out the rest of the interior of the instrument. Lower the end of the swab with the weight on it slowly into the bell of the horn and allow the end with the patch of silk or leather to follow it. Turn the saxophone over, allowing the swab to travel through the instrument’s body and out the other end.
• Using a soft cloth, wipe down the outside of the instrument, taking care to remove any moisture. Take care to also remove any fingerprints or anything else that could corrode the finish.
• Once the saxophone is clean, turn your attention to the mouthpiece and reed. Wash them in warm running water, and then use a mouthpiece brush to clean out the inside of the mouthpiece.
• Make sure that the entire saxophone is dry before you store it.
• To store the saxophone, use its case. This seems obvious, but it is an important step, because it helps to protect the sax from dents that may come from unexpected falls. You wouldn’t, for example, want to store a saxophone out in the open on a bookshelf, or leaning against a wall, because it could fall off, or be knocked down as you move other things, and be damaged.  Dents are expensive to repair and can change the way the saxophone sounds.
• You may want to store the saxophone with neck snakes (wire rods covered with fluff) to absorb any remaining moisture, but if so, you may want to take the saxophone out of storage periodically and dry the neck snakes.
• You should also put a neck plug in the saxophone while it is in storage–partly because storing instruments usually also involves moving them, and moving your saxophone in its case means that you might jar the neck into hitting the top of the case, which can damage the octave mechanism or the neck screws. Putting the neck plug in will prevent this kind of damage. A new saxophone will come with a neck plug, but if you have lost yours, you can get a new one from a music store — they are not expensive. You can also make your own by wrapping utility tape around a cork from a wine bottle.
• Put all of the sax’s accessories into plastic bags. Wrap the mouthpiece separately, and then bag it along with the ligature, cap, strap, and reeds. Wrap the neck by itself in a soft cloth.
• The accessories, in their bag, can be placed inside the saxophone case’s utility compartment. If there is none, wrap the accessories in bubble wrap and put them in a separate box.
• Fill any leftover empty space in the utility compartment with soft packing materials, but don’t overfill it. You should be able to shut the door to the compartment easily.
• Before you place your sax in its case, you may want to line the case with bubble wrap, and lay the instrument on the wrap. This will provide it with extra protection while it is being moved.
• Check to make sure that no part of the instrument can move up and down in its case while it is being moved. If the instrument is still moving somewhat, add pieces of styrofoam or other packing material to prevent movement.
• Cover the saxophone with a second layer of bubble wrap.
• Close the case. Then put the entire case inside a cardboard box with plenty of soft packing material or packing “peanuts.” Then seal the box with packing tape, and label it.
• Finally, take your saxophone to a storage facility that offers climate-controlled units, to further protect your instrument from damage caused by humidity. You may want to insure your instrument as well. Extra Space offers affordable insurance policies to cover the contents of your unit.

For more tips on how to store musical instruments, see “How to Store Musical Instruments,” at the national Extra Space site.

Tags: care, Denver, JAM, Jazz Appreciation Month, saxophone, self storage, storage, tips

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 4th, 2010 at 12:48 am and is filed under Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.