Overhauls
I spent several years training on hundreds of vintage and professional saxophones. By far the most rewarding repair job for me is to overhaul these saxophones. While many customers mail me their saxophones for this service, I also try to prioritize handing off a finished overhaul in person so I can dial in adjustments to a customers specific preference. For customers in New York City, please know that I frequently travel back to the area to visit family and can accommodate hand delivering finished overhauls.
Check out some of these listings for instruments I have overhauled for other shops:
Balanced Action – 23,xxx
Balanced Action – 23,xxx
Balanced Action – 25,xxx
“I sent the sax out to Mike Livingston for a mechanical overhaul, who truly did exceptional work on this sax. The sax feels tight and locked in in every register. The low range speaks very easily, a great mark of his exacting detail during this overhaul. The neck is original to the horn and very straight.”
SBA Alto – 37,xxx
SBA Alto – 38,xxx
Mark VI Tenor – 92,xxx
Mark VI Tenor – 95,xxx
Mark VI Tenor – 98,xxx
“This sax is in excellent physical and mechanical condition. It just received a full mechanical overhaul from Mike Livingston, who does fantastic work … There is wonderful energy and vibration to the sound. The sax has great dynamic range and feels easy to push or whisper. The low range pops out with absolute ease down to low Bb.”
Mark VI Tenor – 105,xxx
Mark VI Tenor – 135,xxx
Mark VI Tenor – 137,xxx
Mark VI Tenor – 141,xxx
Mark VII Alto – 270,xxx
Conn 30M – 298,000
“The saxophone just received a full mechanical overhaul from Mike Livingston, who does incredible repair work. Mike is a top notch saxophonist as well, so he puts in the time to make sure that horns that he overhauls are in perfect playing condition. This means pads that are sealing very well, and tonal balance between all registers.”
King Saxello – 77,xxx
King Super 20 – 333,xxx
Buescher Aristocrat – 341,xxx
Selmer N Series – N397
LeBlanc Symphonie – 11,xxx
“The clarinet is in really solid physical condition for its age, with standard play wear for an instrument of its vintage. There are a few pin repairs on this horn just above the “A” key on the upper joint, which have been done very well. Along with this, the horn has been recently rebuilt with new pads and corks and is ready to play!”
Noblet Model 27 – 90,xxx
Online Repair Coaching
Whether you are a player needing help diagnosing and fixing an issue with your instrument, or a hobbyist looking for guidance repairing at home, I’ve been there. Let’s schedule a repair coaching session and decide what you can do yourself and what should be brought in to a shop.
Recommended Tools
Essentials
Leak Light
This one is light, flexible, and durable. Keep it in your case and you’ll always know if it’s your horn or your reed (it’s not you).
Screwdriver
Toss one of these in each case. Keep your hinge rods from backing out, and use this with your leak light to dial in F# timing on your set break while the drummer is at the bar and the guitarist is selling CDs.
Teflon Tape
Teflon tape makes a great band aide on the gig. Help a loose fitting mouthpiece, save a crumbling neck cork, even strap in a ripped or loose pad. This roll is extra wide!
Lemon Oil
You probably have some of this laying around the house. A few drops on a Q-tip can clean and soften a sticky old pad. This bottle will last a life time.
Tools to Fix Common Issues
Spring Hook
Some springs can be placed with your fingernail. Some can’t. Make your life easier and get a spring hook. If you’re crafty you can make something like this with some scrap metal and a file.
Key Oil
You should be comfortable taking keys off, and you should always oil them when you put them back on. 10ml is plenty.
Pipe Cleaners
Whenever you pull a key off, it will feel great to clean the out the hinge tube. It’s also fun to make snowflake decorations.
Sax Neck Corks
Pre-cut to make your life easier. Make sure you have contact cement and razor blades.
Clarinet Tenon Corks
Pre-cut to make your life easier. Make sure you have contact cement and razor blades.
Sheet Cork
You’ll notice when bits of cork fall off your instrument. Keys start opening too far, metal clicks on metal, other keys stop closing together. It’s an inevitable problem and you can fix it. Start with 1/16. and 1/32.
Felt Assortment
Pick up this set before you need it. Felts fall out, we’re all had it happen. You don’t need to take a trip to your music store to put a new one in.
Contact Cement
If you want to glue cork or felt to your instrument (or elbows), this is the stuff. This tube should get you started.
Razor Blades
Just buy them in bulk.
Sandpaper
240 grit sand paper is great for shaping cork. These rolls are a convenient size for sanding neck corks.
Ruler
You’ll want a good straight edge when cutting materials with a razor blade. These two sizes are both handy, and sometimes it’s nice to measure things.
Hobbyist Basics
Shop Towels
these are more durable than your standard paper towel
Screwdrivers
You’ll want the right sizes for a variety of jobs. Start with B and D.
Parallel Pliers
With a strong emphasis on smooth-jawed, these pliers will allow you to get a tight grip on instrument parts with a very reduced risk of leaving marks and scratches.
Butane Torch
The pointy flame on these little torches is awesome for melting shellac and hot glue. They can be used with one hand, and if you let go of it the flame stops. The only down side is that they don’t all last forever, so I buy a few at a time.
Butane Refills
You’ll need these for your new torch
Dental Tools
You’ll find lots of uses for these, especially with pad work. Just keep them out of your mouth.
Drum Stick
Any old drum stick will do. You’ll saw it into pieces and make primitive tools that will become your best friends. Bonus points if you get a used stick from a drummer that really swings.
Steel Wool
0000 is as fine a baby hair and will delicately clean valuable vintage brass parts.
Rawhide Mallet
For lightly smacking brass around.
Polishing Compound
For surfaces so valuable, you hate to use the word abrasive
This stuff is great on nickel surfaces
Pad Sets
You can get sets of pads sized for your model of saxophone here. You might want to start with “soft feel” if it’s your first time doing this.
Shellac
You’re entering a worldwide debate: hot glue vs. shellac.
Triangular Scraper
Once you have it, you’ll use it every day
Getting Serious
Tiny Ultrasonic Machine
Great for clarinet keys
Peening Pliers
These will shrink a saxophone post around its hinge rod. When you need then, you need them.
Swedging Pliers
If you use these once, you’ll want them forever.
Body Tube Straightening
Saxophone body tubes tend to curl forward towards the tone holes. Smack it straight with this.
All Things Dremel
There are a few models of Dremel tools, this one has variable speed.
wire brushes, nice for cleaning clarinet tenons.
mini buffing wheels, great for small jobs.
Some of these are amazon affiliate links. Using them doesn’t cost you anything, but it does help me run this site and make more videos for you.