As a repair technician, I saw first hand what happens to saxophones that don’t get swabbed out on a regular basis and let me tell you, it isn’t pretty. In fact it’s downright disgusting, not to mention how it affects the way the instrument plays. Gunk builds up in the neck, tone holes and mouthpiece which besids being gross, has a significant impact on how the sound of the instrument. Think about it, If you add a layer of material (effectively slime) to the bore of the saxophone the tuning and tone get thrown off. Leather pads coated with this sludge become hard which causes leaks.
The bottom line is that swabbing your saxophone out each time you play it is the most basic and minimal level of maintenance every saxophone player must do. If not just for hygeine then at least to keep your instrument functioning properly.
This swab kit is a small investment that will pay big dividends saving you money on repairs, maintaining the resale of your instrument and keeping things from getting nasty and stinky. Don’t be stinky, swab your sax.
Instructions:
The large swab takes care of the main body tube. Pass the weighted end through the bell and out the neck tenon receiver. Pull the swab through 3 times or until it’s dry inside. The smaller swab takes care of the neck and mouthpiece. Same procedure, pass the weight through the larger hole and out the smaller end then pull it through until dry inside. The pad dryer can be used to absorb moisture on the pads. Check pads from G and above on your instrument. These are usually the ones getting wet. You may also want to check low Eb and C#. Close the pad dryer between the pad and the tone hole and gently pull out. This will remove moisture and clean off the surface of the pad and tone hole gently.
Best swab I’ve used. I’ve been playing for 25 years after a 32 year hiatus. I’ve used other swabs that I had to cut down or the silk ones that just didn’t absorb much..
Agreed! Glad you dig it.
Just received the swab’s for alto and tenor and they are high quality and work well. The material is better than this silk swabs replaced them with. Great produce
My daughter recently started playing the Alto Sax and was having a hard time cleaning her sax after practicing. This is better than what she was using previously, she loves it.
Love the Better Sax swab set. Was using a similar swab that would get stuck in the body and had to be forced out and ended up bending a couple of keys. This thicker swab absorbs more of the moisture. Great product.