SAXOPHONE KIT

2.0 Saxophone Reeds

2 reeds have been included with this care kit to get you familiar with your instrument and blowing techniques. These reeds generally won’t last more than a couple of weeks before needing to be discarded. If the reed chips or breaks it will no longer serve its purpose and then also need to be discarded. To elongate the life of the reed, it is advised to use a reed guard like the one supplied in this kit. Rotate your reeds on a daily basis instead of using one all the way to its expiration.

Woodwind Mouthpiece Brush

This is a woodwind specific mouthpiece brush designed to fit the size of most common woodwind mouthpieces. Remove the ligature and reed and soak the instrument’s mouthpiece in the sink using a light amount of dish soap to create a lather. Scrub the inside and outside of the mouthpiece vigorously. Rinse the mouthpiece until any trace of soap or bubbles is gone. You may use an air compressor to dry if you have one (avoid direct air on the cork) or you wipe it down by hand using any light cloth. This should be done once or more times per week.

Saxophone Swab

The saxophone swab is a cloth, pull-through swab designed to remove dirt and moisture from the inside of the instrument so as to reduce the affect on the pads and mechanisms. With the neck removed from the instrument, drop the weighted end of the string through the bell and tilt the saxophone (carefully, of course) so that you can pull the string through the upper part of the saxophone where the neck is inserted. Drawing the cloth through the instrument, the backing (fan bristle or circular sponge) should push the cloth against the inside of the instrument bore, taking any dirt or moisture along with it. Repeat this process as many times as necessary to ensure that the bore is dry before putting the instrument away.

Cork Grease

Apply a light layer of grease to the neck cork each time you play the instrument. After a week to 2 weeks of applying grease prior to playing, the cork may become saturated and will no longer need extra grease. If the mouthpiece can be installed on the neck without difficulty, you do not need to add extra grease. Eventually the cork will wear out or tear and need to be replaced with a new cork (covered under your rental maintenance). Re-grease your new neck cork as necessary.

Reed Guard

The reed guard is where you should store your reeds when they are not being used. This is preferable to leaving the reed on your mouthpiece or putting the reed back in its packing plastic which will cause the reed to wear out quicker. After you have used one reed for a day, put it in the reed guard and pull out a fresh reed for the next time. You should put 3 total reeds into rotation, using each for just one day at a time. Doing the rotation this way will maximize the lifespan of your reed.