New Saxophone Squeak

[Dylan Tucker]

Hi everyone, I have recently bought a new gabriel model tenor sax and upon purchase it was inspected, they said it was all fine. However when I play it it squeaks on longer notes and jumps between octaves rather easily. I have played on a friends student gold and his doesn’t do it.
I was wondering do newer saxophones tend to have a ‘breaking in’ period, or could the technition have missed a leaky pad or two?
Cheers

[john]

Sorry but no, there is no breaking in period. If it’s jumping between octaves and you aren’t having this problem with another horn then it’s most likely a leak causing this. Without having it in front of me I’m guessing it could simply be one of the octave keys not sealing properly. This is a very minor repair but can prevent you from playing your sax any further.

[Dylan Tucker]

Thanks heaps, having a local technition take a look in the next da
y or so. Cheers.

[Dazza]

Mine is not a new sax but a new mouthpiece squeak. I received my new berg larsen mp today and was very excited. Whacked it straight on and stepped back from a 21/2 ZZ to a two Juno reed and got a reasonable sound out straight away. Went from a 4c to a 85/2 grained BL. played well up to the high D and then bad squeaks occurred. They were even present at the second D but only as I finished a note. I was trying not to put extra pressure on the reed but instead tried to ensure a good seals so my embouchure definitely felt more strained. please someone tell me this is not uncommon and that I havent bought a dud. I have never really had an issue with squeaks before. Is it the more open MP that is testing my technique perhaps. I was getting the high F# out ok with the yam 4c and ZZ reed so I hope I can get back there once I fine tune my use of the new BL. It is so much easier to blow with a 1 1/2 reed in fact too easy so I stepped up to the 2 and it gets immediately more difficult. Should I just keep trying reeds until I get it sorted. Any experience you guys have had changing your MP’s lately would be appreciated. Especially you Johnny.

[john]

squeaks will come down to the reed so you must keep experimenting. now you’ve thrown a new mp into the mix so it can get more confusing. since you didn’t have this problem before you need to step back to figure out what the problem is. start with the set up you had, then put that reed on the new mp, take it from there.

[Dazza]

So I did that and still no joy. I soaked every one of my dozen reeds from 11/2’s to 2/1/2’s and EVERY one squeaked and squarked like a bird. What is going on with this you beaut Beg Larsen. I have just finished playing for an hour back on my 4c with all the same reeds and it sounds and plays so much better that the BL. I think I have bought a dud but that don’t make sense. I get the best sound on the Berg from a 1/1/2 Juno reed but that sounds thin and awful and get to c# and squeaking starts! This mouthpiece quest is frustrating to say the least. I would be happy to send this thing to anyone to try and would love it to be me and not the MP. Let me know.

[Anonymous]

Interesting
From my research online-

Mouthpiece Makers say – if you buy a new mouthpiece that is a lot different to your old one – Don’t use your old reeds to try it out,
as those reeds will have moulded to fit your old mouthpiece – Use New Reeds on New mouthpieces.

Altissimo Players on YouTube say – if you are going to play from High D and up into the Altissimo Range, For these Notes,
the Tip of the Reed needs to vibrate a hell of a lot faster! If you have a Soft, Soggy Tip – it’s not going to vibrate fast enough and
you will struggle to get any of these notes, they will be hit and miss and miss more often than not. You need reeds that have a stronger
Tip you can only tell by looking at the grain of the tip or trying it out.

Classical Players on You tube say – if you try out a new reed – for the 1st 5 days only play a new reed for 5/10 mins at the most! Do not
attempt to play in the Altissimo range in the 1st couple of days.

Sax Teachers on You Tube say – to beginners wanting to know how to fit a reed on their mouthpiece! When you start playing higher notes,
the position of the reed is more critical for a tip that wants to vibrate fast! This is a common place where squeaking starts higher up, or reeds
start to stop playing!

Worst case scenario – your mouthpiece could be ill fitting & leaking air?

I would take the mouthpiece off the neck, put the reed on, and see if you can play the scale in Johnny’s daily exercise routine.
if it won’t play the scale – i would get someone to look at the mouthpiece

hope this helps (probably not)

[Dazza]

Thanks mate. Some good info. I will buy some new reeds today and give that a go. It is really very curious though. I used all the same reeds recently in a shop to try a range of MP’s and no squeaks at all. I guess I’m just a bit annoyed at the $100 might have been wasted.

[Anonymous]

If you’ve gone for a wider mouthpiece, it could
be your embouchure needs to strengthen up
for it!
The only other thing i can think of, is mouthpieces
made in the USA can be different to mouthpieces
made in Europe – in terms of the Brand of reed they
work better with! – according to my Sax Teacher!
Can you not get your mouthpiece checked out
by a shop that services Saxophobes?

[john]

Mp’s can certainly be off, that’s why people send them to pro mp makers who can resurface them. When Theo Wanne was here my friend had him resurface his mp and he said it was like playing a whole new piece. So if you have someone nearby do have it checked.

[Author]

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