Instrument Construction
The main body of the saxophone is made out of brass with lacquer finish, metal plating, cardboard, felt, and leather. The main parts of the saxophone are the mouthpiece, neck, neck cork, ligature, octave pin, octave key, neck screws, keys, bell, key guards, bow, reed, body, neck strap, thumb hook (right hand), thumb rest (left hand).
A labeled diagram of an Alto Saxophone
Tenor Sax Diagram
How the Saxophone is Made
Brass tubes used to create saxophones and other instruments made out of brass
Saxophone Keys
The Steps of Making a Saxophone
-The body of the saxophone is the first part made
-It is made by taking a brass tube and lubricating it
-The brass is now reshaped and made a consistent thickness by a donut shaped die
-The brass tube is heated after that to make it more tractable/adaptable
-The tube is now soaked in sulfuric acid because an oxide residue is created on the tubes surface from the heating
-Now the tube is taken to a shaping station where it is bent to give it the required curls
-To bend the tube, it is placed in a die which matches the shape of the end result, after that, highly pressurized water is forced in the tube causing it to expand and match the walls of the die
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-Now the tone holes are produced, this can either be done by hand or by machine
-The hand method is done by slipping the brass tube on a mandrel (something that holds a work piece) that was loaded with pulling balls
-A drill press is now raised pulling the balls through creating a hole with a rim/chimney
-The machine method is done by loading the tubes on to a machine where a computer controls the creation of each tone hole, ensuring that it is the same each time
-At the end of all the procedures to form the shape and tone holes, the body is coated with a clear lacquer finish
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-The keys are now made for the saxophone
-When keys were first made instrument makers created them by hand, but now they are die casted or stamped
-With the die casting method a molten alloy is forced into a die made out of steel
-When this cools, the metal is shaped
-The stamping method is done by using a large stamping machine
-The keys are cut from a sheet of metal by the stamping machine
-Keys may be soldered together depending on its purpose on the instrument
-The keys are now metal plated and polished to improve durability and appearance
-Pads are also attached to keys
-The pads are made out of layers of cardboard, leather, and felt
-Pads are stamped, cut and glued to each key by line workers
-At the end keys are drilled and fitted with screws and springs to assemble on the body
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-Mouthpieces and corks are applied to the instrument as well as the company brand
- Finally the instrument is assembled, tested, and shipped to the retailer
-It is made by taking a brass tube and lubricating it
-The brass is now reshaped and made a consistent thickness by a donut shaped die
-The brass tube is heated after that to make it more tractable/adaptable
-The tube is now soaked in sulfuric acid because an oxide residue is created on the tubes surface from the heating
-Now the tube is taken to a shaping station where it is bent to give it the required curls
-To bend the tube, it is placed in a die which matches the shape of the end result, after that, highly pressurized water is forced in the tube causing it to expand and match the walls of the die
..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
-Now the tone holes are produced, this can either be done by hand or by machine
-The hand method is done by slipping the brass tube on a mandrel (something that holds a work piece) that was loaded with pulling balls
-A drill press is now raised pulling the balls through creating a hole with a rim/chimney
-The machine method is done by loading the tubes on to a machine where a computer controls the creation of each tone hole, ensuring that it is the same each time
-At the end of all the procedures to form the shape and tone holes, the body is coated with a clear lacquer finish
.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
-The keys are now made for the saxophone
-When keys were first made instrument makers created them by hand, but now they are die casted or stamped
-With the die casting method a molten alloy is forced into a die made out of steel
-When this cools, the metal is shaped
-The stamping method is done by using a large stamping machine
-The keys are cut from a sheet of metal by the stamping machine
-Keys may be soldered together depending on its purpose on the instrument
-The keys are now metal plated and polished to improve durability and appearance
-Pads are also attached to keys
-The pads are made out of layers of cardboard, leather, and felt
-Pads are stamped, cut and glued to each key by line workers
-At the end keys are drilled and fitted with screws and springs to assemble on the body
.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
-Mouthpieces and corks are applied to the instrument as well as the company brand
- Finally the instrument is assembled, tested, and shipped to the retailer