Saxophone (Questionable) Repair Topic: Quik 'N Easy Leak Detector

DISCLAIMER: The method described above is for things that you might not otherwise find with leak lights. *This is not a substitute for leak lights*, and since a suction test can pull leaky pads shut, this is really only good for the exact things I talk about in the video: solder leaks, neck tenon leaks, cracks in the body, porous pads, leaks at the bow joint, etc.
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Saxophone Repairman Matt Stohrer of www.StohrerMusic.com continues giving out non-standard repair advice with this latest installment of the new series, Questionable Repair Topics.
When standard methods of leak detection fall short, this quick, easy, and cheap method of leak detection can sometimes shed light where before there was only darkness. This is non-standard and pretty low-resolution, but sometimes this really does work.
And if you speak UK English, bonus for you because I accidentally use some vulgar slang.
If you like my content and would like to see more, you can support me on Patreon or by "buying me a coffee"!
Patreon: / mattstohrer
Buy Me a Coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/mattstohrer

[@mgpvii]

You said "if it takes longer than what you see here, you have a pad leak" --- I believe you meant the opposite...if it is quicker than what is shown in the video, you have a pad leak.

[@StohrerMusic]

+mgpvii yes, thank you!

[@profProsky]

Brilliant. Thank you sir! As the owner of 5 old horns... your videos are the bomb!

[@babiesmakinbabies]

Someone else may have said it but I would think a high pressure environment would be a better test that would more likely reproduce actual playing conditions. A vacuum will cause the pads to seal, when they may actually be leaking.

[@chisaomusician7752]

The Stohrer Glove Test. Master repair trick.

[@craigdouglas9979]

Your whole series of these videos are wonderful. Good, open honest convey of accurate information. Thank you Matt.

[@StohrerMusic]

Thank you!

[@aaronkarlin3241]

Wow, amazing tip! Thanks Matt.

[@ratch74]

Man I can swipe the gloves from work! Never thought about doing that. Been told the light check is the best. Thanks!

[@jonniewadd56]

Cool. Think there would be a mouthpiece made with a baffle that would allow the air to be sucked out and close off when there is no suction happening. Similar to a check valve...try making one Matt and get the patent!!

[@matteodeste]

Great as usual!!! This method is quick easy and effective. I'm not sure I'd blame the pads porosity though: the glove is not sealing perfectly on the bell, I guess some air could sneak through there. Thanks a million, you're giving extraordinary contributions to the sax community. Ciao, Matteo

[@pjcoop]

Freakasarus! I've been struggling with low notes on my Yamaha Tenor (YTS-61) for ages - when I do this test, the glove springs back out really fast. Time for a repair I think!

[@RogelioEscobar]

Awesome. Just tried on my Tenor. I believe it has some leaks....nothing major. What I thought was a major issue was actually me not getting the glove completely well passed the lip so it was allowing air to escape. Thanks for all your info! Id really like to get into instrument repair in a much more involved way one day. I just do my own horns and when someone needs a quick fix I look at it and see if I can do it before saying yes. Dont want to ruin a horn. Its fun! And frustrating! Sometimes!! Again thanks!!

[@SamChaneyProductions]

Great test. After doing my best to fix the leaks on this 60's Conn 10M, the glove stays sucked in for about 10-15s. I think these pads are getting old and overly porous

[@EddieHaskelll]

This worked great... found a small leak in my neck... thanks! btw, it's very entertaining (though not particularly helpful diagnostically) to blow OUT while the glove is fitted to the bell! In fact, leave it on and play a bit. Every low Bb creates "new wave" music, heh.

[@livingtheapocalypse8248]

Ha yes, it's quite late at night and it's taken me a while to realize why inflating rather than suction wouldn't work . . despite it being more convenient to have eyeball on the inflated glove . . smh

[@espr7564]

Great vid Matt thanks.

[@dominickruocco7412]

Matt thanks so much for your rubber glove airlock video Sax under Edison Bridge Fort Myers river district

[@daniel_moretti]

Great tip! Thanks so much!!

[@stevejones1635]

Thank you very much.

[@seminoleairsoftteam9332]

Beautiful bell on the horn

[@keithwins]

Seems like, somewhat inconveniently, one could remove the neck, create some little jig out of tubing, duct tape and baling wire, and eliminate the neck valve and tenon from the equation, for comparison. This is really awesome, btw, thanks so much for this and all your videos. The more I watch the more impressed I am at your skill and your generosity.

[@SaxJockey]

I have a leak light and thin paper pad gauges...but I'm going to try this out just for the hell of it 😁.

[@shaggybreeks]

Genius idea!

[@princetonaudio]

Great Video!

[@uragunnnn]

Thank you !

[@Rickard-Nygren]

Great content as usual. However, when will we get to meet your chickens? 😁

[@tedtedsen269]

Nice i im gona test this on my baritone saxophone baris is prone to leak one tiny leak and the lower notes is first to go on baris even on the pigg tail (the neck receiver) on the baritone sax

[@eighties8]

Thanks Matt! Nice tip. Is the horn for sale?

[@bnolsen]

sweet! i'm looking at buying a used beginner sax and I'm guessing this method will at least help make sure the pad work is still decent.

[@StohrerMusic]

Definitely better to take it somewhere to have it looked at, but this won't hurt it.

[@TWO20]

The way I test for leaks on my own horn is by trying to sub tone a low Bb, if I can’t do it after switching reeds 3 times then something is messed up

[@Tuca-Luthier.]

Good afternoon, cool I liked the video, let me ask you and without using the mouth, we use a homemade vacuum machine?

[@woogong01]

you are genious

[@ornettebreaker]

I have a question: I'm looking into buying an intermediate to professional saxophone within a decent price range and I was wondering where I should start looking. Could you give me some tips?

[@forestsandman]

Omg thats smart!!!!!

[@ivrz]

Excellent genius idea, thanks so much :-)

[@robertballard8833]

I've done this on a tenor and alto. On some tenors I have a hard time finding gloves big enough to fit the bell and the gloves tend to split. how do you handle larger bells ?

[@paulineblairs1031]

Hi, great video. Love the look of your sax, its stunning, what is it ?

[@mauricioalonso2157]

That's a King Zephyr, that particular model seems to have a silver neck or a silver plated neck. It probably isn't his, just a repair work he made.

[@EriksWorld14]

Hey Matt, I'm not sure how active you are on older videos but I was wondering what I could do about my Yamaha YAS-52. I stopped playing for a few years after graduating HS and I recently decided to pick it back up; this prompted me to take my sax to my local Music store (Art's Music Shop in Birminham, Alabama), in order to get it in good working order. Prior to taking it there, it played fine, but I wanted it to be at 100% so i took it to Art's to have them do everything they could. I just got it back and boy am I disappointed. Upon inspecting it at the store, my side F sharp key was missing the tension rod and my thumb octave key didn't make contact with the neck piece so it wasn't even playable. I knew exactly what to do to fix it and did on the spot since their 'repair guy' had left for the day. I was like "whatever", it's a small hiccup. I paid close $300 for the "servicing" which I believe only involved cleaning because nothing else seems to be different about the horn (ie no new pads or anything). After getting home, I was more than excited to play on it but it just isn't in the condition that I expected it be after paying $300. The low C key pad isn't making complete contact with the hole and the test you just explained wasn't even possible as I could audibly hear air rushing in. I don't know what to do and I'm incredibly demoralized considering I'm broke college student who can't afford to get swiped like that, and it not be worth it. The store's policy is that "all sales are final" (whatever that means), so I don't know whether to take it back and tell them to fix it (and maybe replace the pads) or just ask for my money back considering I don't know if I can trust them to actually do a competent job the second time around. I'm also unsure about what services are to be expected for paying the amount that I did. If you could give me some feedback and/or direction, I would greatly appreciate it. I wish that I would have discovered your channel sooner - I would have much rather sent my saxophone to you /: . Thank you in advance!

[@riseaboveoakland4768]

fuck i know what u mean i took my the martin tenor to a so called pro in berkeley c.a. steve deutsch after 600 still didn't play ...alot of garbage techs be careful or take it to matt

[@gangofgreenhorns2672]

I'm literally going to have to get XL Magnums to do this on bari lol.

[@spiketaterman5181]

Do you know any good sax techs in the Boise Idaho area? I'm taking up playing again, have a vintage tenor, Selmer Mark VI and no, I won't take this to the local music shops where they rent band instruments to school kids....

[@ballymenochbob]

cool

[@EddieHaskelll]

So, I tried this test on my Mark VI tenor before and after Matt's full overhaul. Before I sent my horn to Stohrer, it was OK... after about ten seconds, the glove would very, very slowly -- almost imperceptibly -- begin to relax. AFTER Matthew's overhaul the glove does not move at all, at least not as long as I could comfortably keep the neck of the horn closed up. In fact, the horn is now SO tight that I can apply suction to the neck then completely remove one hand from the keys and the glove STILL does not move. I.e., the keys stay closed on their own! The pads seal so completely that I don't even have to hold all the keys closed! This was totally unexpected, to say the least. And I can let go with either hand. However, if I let go with both left and right hands the keys finally do pop open, so it isn't magic. But, damn, what a seal!

[@StohrerMusic]

:-)

[@Jazzmarcel]

wow!........i need the necks tightened on all hornS !

[@GMak79051]

I recently had my horn re-padded. It was a later model mark VI in almost pristine condition. When I got the horn back, I noticed what looked like scratches or residue of some kind on the outer side of the pad cups. I've been hesitant to try to apply any type of cleaner for fear of affecting the lacquer and making it worse. I took it back to the shop, they told me it was normal deterioration of the lacquer. Total B.S. as it wasn't there when I brought the horn in. Any tips on what I could try to apply to clean it(Assuming it isn't scratches.) I thought about using Honda pro cleaner and polish as I used it on my motorcycle paint to remove tar, with no damage to the paint. What do you think? The horn plays great, but I'm more than miffed that they didn't treat my horn with the care they should have.

[@StohrerMusic]

+GMak79051 Obviously without seeing your horn, I don't know what exactly is going on, but I would not use anything meant for motorcycle paint on a saxophone. Paint used on vehicles is extremely durable, the nitrocellulose lacquer on saxophones is not.

[@GMak79051]

+Matt Stohrer Thank you for the advice. I'm not going to mess with it. I certainly don't want to make it worse. They obviously didn't handle it with care. I've had work done there previously with no problems, but maybe a part of the work was done by an apprentice or new guy...who knows. Won't be taking them anymore biz. Thanks again.

[@ozups]

Wouldn't the low pressure pull the pads closed so hard that you can't simulate the pressure your fingers put on the pads?

[@StohrerMusic]

+ozups from the description of the video: "DISCLAIMER: The method described above is for things that you might not otherwise find with leak lights. *This is not a substitute for leak lights*, and since a suction test can pull leaky pads shut, this is really only good for the exact things I talk about in the video: solder leaks, neck tenon leaks, cracks in the body, porous pads, leaks at the bow joint, etc. "

[@DaveCaseyin3D]

I'm curious, why are you sucking the glove in instead of inflating it? As you mentioned, the vacuum might artificially make the pads temporarily seat better. Wouldn't it be better to test them under pressure instead? I'm not asking to be snarky, I'm sure you do it this way for a good reason.

[@StohrerMusic]

The sprung shut keys will let air escape under surprisingly low pressure.

[@DaveCaseyin3D]

@@StohrerMusic Sounds like a good reason! Thanks for these helpful videos!

[@monguskooklord7867]

What model horn? So beautiful :')

[@MrPast7]

King Zephyr Special

[@marselmusic]

Everything was going great then suddenly someone in the hall knocked it over right after a lesson and now there is aleak

[@Vampxy]

Sax lung 101

[@danbunch1514]

Have you messed with kangaroo pads? They should be less porous.

[@StohrerMusic]

I find the opposite to be true. Kangaroo skin is porous. Good pnuematic leather is not.

[@danbunch1514]

@@StohrerMusic Cool I had them with noyac resonators on a yts 61. really gave that horn life usually played with a 6 bell metal gold plated link. (The cheap ones) LOved the punch on top of the horn and the smokey lowend