Review of the Saxophone Repair Kit from Saxophone.org

Review of the Saxophone Repair Kit from 'Saxophone.org'

By Jason Dumars

January 5, 2004

I've had the MusicMedic.com saxophone repair kit for about 10 months now, and during that time, there have been literally dozens of times where it has been worth its weight in gold. This well-designed, well-packaged kit has virtually everything you need for minor (and sometimes not so minor) repairs. Although I have a fair amount of repair expertise, the repair kit and readily available Internet "tech support" for the product make performing complicated fixes easy.

My first task with the kit was to go through my trusty Balanced Action with the leak light, and I discovered some leaking in my D palm key. I filled the included torch with butane and heated the key cup and the old crusty pad popped right out. Included in the kit, I found a suitable replacement pad and shelac to glue it into place. Also included was a pad shim to make sure the pad was level in the cup. Within 10 minutes, I had a completely revitalized horn. I realized that I had been "blowing through" the leak for some time, and once fixed, my horn was responsive again. In the following months a host of mishaps occured, including a broken spring, lost felts and a neck cork that disintegrated right before a gig. If it weren't for the kit, I would've been scurrying for the duct tape more times than I can count.

Since I received my kit, MusicMedic.com has upgraded many of the components inside the kit. My butane torch was a little clunky and not as good as the rest of the tools in the kit, but this has since been remedied with a sleek and functional model. As time went on, I broke the kit out into components, and kept the most useful parts in my gig bag. The plastic case is a little large to carry around all the time, but in short order, you'll discover which tools and parts are handiest. The spring pulling/pushing tool is a lifesaver, especially if you want to adjust some of those weak springs, or put one back in place after it catches on your clothing.

It's hard to write a review about such a useful product without sounding like a paid advertisement. But I will say with no hesitation that this is something EVERY saxophonist should have. And the price ($79.99 at the time of writing) makes this way cheaper than visits to the repair shop.

In addition to this product, MusicMedic.com offers an amazing array of repair and tech products and shouldn't be missed. The next full repad I have on my horn will likely include their astounding 'Roo Pads'.