I've recently switched to a Selmer S80 on tenor sax (modified with a 
baffle insert, and scooped out the beak a little).

Looking at the long tapered shank with its narrow end, and then googling 
around a bit, I see these have some tendency to crack, and I'm thinking 
a pre-emptive band would be a good idea.  Has anyone has found something 
especially suitable and available off the shelf?

Thanks all,

Barry

A friend has a similar setup. He carbon-banded his. He cut the groove with a
file. Laid the carbon threads bedded in black epoxy, flush-finished and
polished. Looks great.

Tony F.

 

From: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com [mailto:MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com]
On Behalf Of Barry Levine
Sent: Wednesday, 6 February 2013 3:35 AM
To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [MouthpieceWork] Banding an S80 pre-emptively

 

  

I've recently switched to a Selmer S80 on tenor sax (modified with a 
baffle insert, and scooped out the beak a little).

Looking at the long tapered shank with its narrow end, and then googling 
around a bit, I see these have some tendency to crack, and I'm thinking 
a pre-emptive band would be a good idea. Has anyone has found something 
especially suitable and available off the shelf?

Thanks all,

Barry

--- In MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com, Barry Levine  wrote:
>
> I've recently switched to a Selmer S80 on tenor sax (modified with a 
> baffle insert, and scooped out the beak a little).
> 
> Looking at the long tapered shank with its narrow end, and then googling 
> around a bit, I see these have some tendency to crack, and I'm thinking 
> a pre-emptive band would be a good idea.  Has anyone has found something 
> especially suitable and available off the shelf?
> 
> Thanks all,
> 
> Barry
>

Yes, the S80s are known to easily crack shanks.  I have banded quite a number of them, particularly tenors.  I've also banded them "pre-emptively" for some customers.

I use aluminum or copper tubing which I clean up and size with my lathe. I make only a light groove, trying to not weaken the shank any more than it is already, and use enough epoxy to fill the gap all around.

To make the groove, I use a home made tool, made from steel tubing, which I notched teeth on one end, like a "hole saw".  The I.D. of this is the same as the I.D. of the copper or aluminum tubing I use for banding.  It makes a nice, even groove on the shank.

After making and test fitting the band, I use tape to mask off the body of the mouthpiece and outside of the new band.  I coat the shank and inside of the band with epoxy, and slide them together.  By coating both pieces it helps insure that there is good filling of the gap all the way around, not just pushing the epoxy off as it is assembled.

I immediately wipe off excess epoxy.  When the epoxy is beginning to set, where it is no longer runny (I check the mixing card quite often) I peel off the tape.  When almost hard I clean up with Isopropyl Alcohol (NOT containing lanolin) and paper towel. The masking tape prevents any epoxy from getting on the mouthpiece body and outside of the band, but the edges need a little cleanup.

Paul C.

Since the problem with the S-80 tenor pieces seems to be that they are too long and too thin at the end, has anyone cut or shortened the mouthpiece with good results?  Seems to me that would take care of a couple problems at once (and might be easier than banding). 

I've seen students struggle to get the piece far enough on the neck to play up to pitch.  In college, this caused a friend of mine to pull down the neck on her brand new Super Action II. :(

Yes, I Dremel'd the end off my S-80 tenor mpc.  It plays as well as it 
did before, and intonation is indeed easier.

Randy

On 2/7/2013 11:17 AM, naoki wrote:
>
> Since the problem with the S-80 tenor pieces seems to be that they are 
> too long and too thin at the end, has anyone cut or shortened the 
> mouthpiece with good results? Seems to me that would take care of a 
> couple problems at once (and might be easier than banding).
>
> I've seen students struggle to get the piece far enough on the neck to 
> play up to pitch. In college, this caused a friend of mine to pull 
> down the neck on her brand new Super Action II. :(
>
>