The Living Dead: A Complete Saxophone Restoration

In life, you encounter constant ups and downs. We find ourselves in those moments where reason doesn’t exist, and making the right decision is what can allow your tool—whether your work instrument or your daily escape—to help you on your path of personal growth.

That’s why, for us, it’s a pleasure to bring your instrument back to life so you can give it your all.

Whether the interventions are small or large, you should always consult a specialized professional with a good reputation for your instrument, to avoid suffering a problem like the one we faced in our workshop. Social media is flooded with charlatans—people without scruples, respect for the craft, or respect for your instrument. Repair courses lasting one to four weeks are not enough to allow someone to work professionally in this field; they barely cover the basics. Practicing on someone else’s instruments and charging for it is outrageous.

With that context, we had to deal with a real disaster—and no less than a Selmer LargeBore!—which forced us to perform a complete saxophone restoration.

We encountered replaced parts, such as the G# key button, where the intention was good, but the soldering work was worse than what even an apprentice would do. The bumpers that dampen the low keys’ rebound were also severely damaged—if one leg was missing, the other wasn’t there either—so the felts were held only by glue.

One of the worst jobs I’ve ever seen was on the receiver, such a crucial part for the connection between the neck and the body of the saxophone. Here, we must ensure not only that there are no leaks but that the fit is perfect, producing minimal turbulence as air returns through that area.

The lower elbow protector had been replaced, leaving it worse than before, with hundreds of scratches from file and stone abrasion using some sort of manual lathe. Keys were drilled all the way through to create new holes and threads for the flat springs. Rollers were jammed and marked by pliers. On top of that, the mechanism had its silver removed along with the rest of the instrument, but the rollers and many screws and keys weren’t disassembled during this process, which uses reverse electrolysis with acids—leaving them severely damaged.

The overall scene was desolate. Mother-of-pearl buttons had been replaced with cheap plastic ones, Chinese pads painted black to simulate “quality,” though it’s worth noting that the color of a pad doesn’t determine its quality.

The mechanism had been adjusted with Teflon on the ends and stretched using improper pliers and supposedly learned techniques from a short course by a globally recognized instrument brand—something I strongly doubt.

How is a complete saxophone restoration performed?

Due to the extent of the damage, our intervention had to be very thorough, which involved:

• Replacing the lower protector again
• Filling holes
• Fabricating new bumper supports
• Fabricating a receiver according to the original dimensions and shape
• Replacing and adapting original Selmer pivot screws throughout the saxophone and replacing all axles
• Installing original mother-of-pearl buttons
• Installing new rollers
• Straightening and re-soldering protectors in place
• Reworking chimneys that were supposedly already corrected
• Soldering cracked chimneys
• Installing new springs throughout the instrument
• Aligning the low key levers

In other words, restoring the instrument to its original condition.

Additionally, to leave the neck tenon in optimal condition and remove all marks, we created a custom-made tool to preserve as many original parts as possible—something we believe is the truest form of restoration.

This project gave us immense satisfaction, performing a rewarding task for another musician who truly deserves it.

We leave you with a video showing the entire process, accompanied by a song that does justice to the work—of course, it’s “The Living Dead.” Having overcome this crisis stage, we can take it with a little humor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJqbmqnoh-I&t=1s