8/29/2014

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 sax should have a wide dynamic range, respond immediately and be comfortable to play. They should also be of a high mechanical standard, precisely tuned and acoustically refined. The saxophone should also have a high level of craftsmanship and play perfectly throughout its long life. Musicians who pay custom saxophones prefer them to manufactured instruments as they have been made according to their style of playing. A custom saxophone can sound beautiful with complex tonalities, high response times and excellent intonation.

The mouthpiece is a very important part of any saxophone and a custom built sax should have no limitation on variety of sound, flexibility of tone and provide the sax with a dynamic range. The mouthpiece should also make the instrument easier to play at all registers from dark and lush to vibrant and bright. The mouthpiece should respond immediately and play in tune while accommodating a wide range of embouchures. They should also be comfortable and require little adjustment time.

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 heart and soul of any saxophone is its neck. This part of the saxophone is responsible for the instruments sound. Good quality necks will have perfect pitch definition and be even through all of the registers. There should be immediate response and give the sax rich and resonant tones.

A good custom sax maker will have expertise in saxophone acoustics, as well as psycho-acoustics so they can help musicians to find their true saxophone sound. They should offer plenty of consultation time that consists of a question and answer session and let their customers play some scales and intervals in order to make mechanical and acoustical recommendations before they make the perfect saxophone.

The finished saxophone should come in a well made case. One of the reasons that saxophones become damaged over time is due to the instrument moving within the case. A good case should be made from high quality materials and hold the instrument firmly in place while it is inside, so that it does not move and become damaged. The case will need to be made according to the saxophones dimensions.

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.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment