1927 Martin Handcraft Tenor Saxophone Overhaul

[@thomaskipfer1008]

Not letting the years of corrosion take this beautiful horn down; your craftsmanship is beautiful! I bought a 1938 Martin Committee II Lion and Crown. Bad lacquer, but that thing plays almost by itself. From intermediate horns in college, the Martin Pro horn changed my musicianship immediately. The precise treatment of the break on this Martin, blows me away. Thanks

[@DarthPeachy]

I dont see your videos popping up in my notifications enough. I subbed back when you did the first cafe racer but I love all your tinkering, its inspiring.

[@MrJti8899]

It's so inspiring to see someone bring something of such beauty back to life with love and patient craftsmanship. That this piece of art is both visual and auditory just makes the end so much more rewarding. Masterfully done sir.

[@francistaylor5097]

Your videos are amazing. Best 30 mins spent on KZbin for a while. I missed out one of these beauties last year and ended up with my rickety Holton 241 instead. Thanks for your previous tip about the metal polish by the way.

[@francistaylor5097]

I'm now feeling smug. Today, I've fixed three issues with my Holton, managed to remove three keys successfully (and put them back on!!), Replaced some cork and cured a couple of leaks. Thanks for helping my confidence.

[@eyesofisla]

Fantastic, thank you so much! I have just bought my first vintage sax to restore thanks to your videos

[@glennmcclellan8853]

Great DIY job. Exploring different projects is what this channel is all about. Musical instruments are deceivingly challenging. Man that’s a ton of work cleaning that brass. You did an excellent job making this one play again.

[@DeanSegovis]

Thanks Glenn. ;)

[@rayislooking2]

WoW Great work looks awesome I like the sound of this one best. Can't wait to hear more

[@bobwright2692]

That was great thanks, a passion and respect for the instrument, all brought back to life for a long time. Best wishes, Bob from Portsmouth UK

[@HackaweekTV]

Many thanks!

[@twoowls5570]

Enjoyed the video, you have presented a lot of great information. Thanks for sharing your skills. Regards, Jimp

[@jseligmann]

Excellent work. I have the same tenor, same year, in gold plate. Well worth the time and effort.

[@gusmarrero]

I would buy this horn for sure..... love it.

[@maycreekcruiser]

You'd be correct on the relacquer part. The vast majority (if not all) of instruments made before the Great Depression & the 1930s came in some sort of plating, whether it be Silver (probably the most common), gold, and also Nickel (believe it was used occasionally on some instruments.) Bare brass wasn't too uncommon either. If done properly, they're nothing to worry about. Factory relacquers were usually done pretty well. If it was done by just an average joe, the mileage may vary and the instrument can get affected in some not-so-nice ways. The lacquer on that Martin definitely looks older, but who knows. You really made this thing shine though, so well done! Seeing the application of skills carry over to instrument repair from basically a foreign background is really interesting to see and watch as well, and you've come up with a lot of cool and creative solutions to fix problems.

[@HackaweekTV]

Thank you! It was a rewarding project and I love this sax!

[@barryfleischer6553]

I play a 1933 Martin Handcraft Troubadour alto. It blows great. They were great horns.

[@ronaldharris9169]

Back in 1975, I bought a 1952 "The" Martin Tenor from a paun shop for $100. It came with a white plastic mouthpiece with Brilhart, 4* , Streamline markings. The reed land fit an alto reed, way too small for a tenor, but the neck hole fit the tenor neck perfectly. I already had an alto, so I got a sharp flat file and enlarged the land, increasing the angle relative to the neck centerline. Then with a dremel and other tools opened up the inside with a shape the transitioned from rectangular to round. All this ad a 17 yr old kid. It plays fantastic, with a big warm sound. Also, the pads have no resonators--always thought that was unusual.

[@benhostetler268]

Thank you for the video that it seems like you had a good time and the Sax looks and sounds great. I’m not sure about the filing of the tone-hole since there is a tapping method that works quite well.

[@stevel6895]

I know Martin didn't use tone boosters in 1927 but why not put them on? They came with the pads. They definitely boost the sound as well as take away that stuffy sound. And I wouldn't remove the lacquer either as it protects the horn. But otherwise it's a beautiful job, you're just gonna have to keep polishing it all the time....

[@HackaweekTV]

...or, let it just get a natural patina. That's what's happening to it and I personally like it. Also like the tone as it is now. :)

[@ariksax]

Very nice and informative Video! Thank you. I am wondering why do you remove the resonators from the pads?

[@davidwood351]

Nice work, I saw a technique for leveling tone holes, where they put black magic marker on the rim and worked the area until all the color was gone. Low spots were dark until the entire tone hole was even.

[@ThomasATorr]

This is a dumb question but why are the springs so sharp on the pointed end? Also, is the never dull product good for extending the beautiful shine on brass?

[@tazseattle2289]

Great video! I've got a 1924 model of the Martin Tenor (got really lucky getting it!), I was wondering if you had any recs on pads and springs?

[@HackaweekTV]

Music Medic.

[@topinambour84]

Fantastic!! I have a C melody about this time period . Did you have to replace one of these flat springs? Not the needle spings Did you find a supplier?

[@HackaweekTV]

Yes I did. Music Medic. www.musicmedic.com/

[@windsurfer3329]

I really appreciate your in-depth videos. They are great! An important question to you: where did you find the sequence to disassemble (and assemble) keys because every instrument is different from each other, and you can't apply the knowledge for one instrument to overhaul another. I would appreciate it if you show us a database for vintage Martin, King or Yamaha or some other brand. Take care.

[@HackaweekTV]

I just take a lot of pictures before I take it all apart, then refer to them later.

[@mitchelldrake7113]

Just bought me a 1935 King Cleveland Alto brass and I’m learning how to clean it up. It’s got a ton of minor scratches on the original lacquer. Do you know anything I can do for that? It’s hard to find a solution for it since it seems to be so specific. I’m new to the sax world and come from guitar and bass so any advice would help! Thank you so much for your videos!

[@HackaweekTV]

Not much to do other than a complete strip and re-lacquer. I'd suggest just leaving it as is. It's the character of the instrument.

[@mitchelldrake7113]

@@HackaweekTV that’s the problem I have. It’s the original lacquer but there’s some rust bits and a dent that was fixed poorly. The scratches cover up all the details on the bell. But at the same time I want the original lacquer on it. Stuff decisions…

[@terrywells1655]

Just watched this video great job on that old martin just wondering if your still playing it

[@HackaweekTV]

Yes but not recently.

[@XavierJordanMusic]

Are you in the US? Got an email? I wanna contact you about some old horns.

[@HackaweekTV]

In the US. [e-mail]

[@thegoodlightllc4093]

Where are you located? I'm in North Carolina and just got a Martin handcraft committee to that needs some work. I'd love to be able to see if you'd be willing to take on the project. It does look fairly immaculate though.

[@HackaweekTV]

Cool find. I don't have the time to do anything with it. Check out Matt Stohrer in Durham. www.stohrermusic.com/repair-services/

[@mstidham6842]

I know this is an old video, but, I just bought some Ajax Wax for metals! It does brass , aluminum, etc… holy cow! It’s worth twice what they’re asking for a bottle! ($20) I’m not even kidding! The stuff shines metal like none other!

[@ChrisDragotta]

Another way to level the tonehole (and necessary in the case of rolled toneholes) is to tap from the inside with wooden wedges and blocks.

[@mitchelldrake7113]

15:00 cleaning supplies to get

[@mvalor2020]

I have been playing tenor sax since 1975 and currently have a 1959 Dolnet Jean Cartier series tenor bought in 2016 and a 1957 "The Martin" Bari given to me in Sept 2020. Both were banged up pretty much and like you I was able to fix them to playing order. But now that I've seen your video on the NH White King Bari and The Martin tenor, I will re-do my saxes since I was not that familiar with some of the tools and methods you used to straighten the body and take out dents. Especially fixing the soldered tone holes. I am very pleased to meet you on this channel and also wish to express my condolences to the late great Dennis Bradbury as well. Many thanks for your instruction. It is priceless.

[@topinambour84]

I also have a Dolnet tenor M70 and just got a Martin Handcraft tenor from Goodwill in poor shape. This video was fery informative. I miss 2 key ingredients: time and patience!

[@owenwalter451]

Do you have another horn to work on yet?

[@HackaweekTV]

Yes. A 1923 Holton tenor sax. :)

[@Hero10838]

I just picked up a bundy made in Italy A2569 and I can’t find any info on it at all but the key covers looks the same as yours