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C Melody Saxophone Forum / Repairs and Refurbishing / Restoring a newly acquired c-mel

Jeff User ID: 9238183	May 14th 1:01 PM I just became a new parent of a Great Greatsch c-mel with beveled toneholes, so i guess it's a martin. Can get some notes out of it, but it is desperately asking for new pads, springs, and a good cleaning. It looks like it is bare brass - and i'm not so sure how to clean it up. Also, if i attempt to renew it's life myself, does anyone know if the white pads (or equivalent) are still available? Thanks, Jeff
SelmerSaxMan User ID: 8688133	May 14th 5:57 PM No, cant get them marshmellow pads anymore, but Curt alterac does sell some pads that are white, but they are only 185 thousandths instead of 305 like the marshmellow pads, gonna need some shimming I am going to start battling that with my true tone that I am about to get started on. (1916)
WW2 User ID: 2302834	May 14th 6:09 PM Hello Jeff; Welcome to the club. I would not recommend trying to polish the bare brass. It will only tarnish in short order. Just give it a good cleaning with a damp cloth. However, for pads and such any competent saxophone repairperson should be able to do the repad and adjustment.
Lewis Pelham User ID: 0770504	May 15th 5:27 AM Jeff. I do not know where you are, but here in the U.K. although white leather "pillow Pads" are obsolete, the materials are available from Windcraft at Windsor. If originality is not an issue then standard reflector pads can be obtained from the same firm;from memory they stock pads ranging in diameter from 6mm to 72mm in half millimeter increments.
Alan Tucker (UK) User ID: 0798784	May 15th 8:33 AM Jeff -it really is a 'long haul' if you decide to polish the brass, it's much harder going than with silver, and, unless you do the complete horn, you'll end up with a mix of 80 year old tarnish and modern tarnish, not a pretty sight. I tried it, not for the faint-hearted ! There are sax players out there who would 'kill' for a bare-brass horn, so just get it playing well and enjoy. It is maybe preferable to just gently polish it a little inside the bell, around the bell engraving, and the parts of the keys and sax that the fingers touch etc. - so it makes the horn look well-used and just not neglected - that was the compromise I eventually went for.
Lewis Pelham User ID: 0770504	May 15th 8:55 AM Jeff. Alan is correct when he says that some find bare brass horns preferable; some claiming that the sound is un-fettered by plating or layers of "clear paint". Indeed, two of the Italian makers, Borgani and Rampone & Cazzani feature bare brass horns in their catalogues. We have a jazz club locally & it always amuses me that famous visiting saxophonists who, in the magazines, endorse, & are photographed holding the latest shiny "Carlos Fandango" tenor, drag from their case a battered, insanitary looking ancient horn bereft of even a trace of lacquer. So jeff, play it with pride; some would, and do, pay extra for a bare brass horn. P.S. As a point of interest how does Selmer prepare it's saxophones in order to guarantee that the lacquer falls off in a relatively short period?
Jeff User ID: 8688133	May 17th 3:04 PM Thanks for all the info! I originally thought of the horn as a "project", but much to my surprise I put the included mouthpiece on (over tightly wrapped paper - no cork LOL) and WOW, the sound is vintage - and most of the notes come out pretty easily. SO, I'm gonna try to find a craftsman who loves working on old vintage horns to fix the odds and ends to make it a great player. We can probably salvage most of the pads. BTW, I'm located here across the pond, in Pennsylvania. Lewis, I can't begin to explain what Selmer does with their lacquer, but lacquer is definitely out - the greatest horn that I have played is the new bare brass Yamaha custom Z alto - just didn't want to put it down.
Doc Frazier User ID: 1271794	May 18th 12:13 PM J and J Woodwinds http://JandJ_Woodwinds.tripod.com
Jazzy Jay User ID: 0373644	Jan 21st 2:36 AM I just picked up a nice conditioned Bauscher C-Melody, all original one owner since 1926, stored, slight tarnish, and I am currently cleaning it up, ordered new pads and needle springs, flat springs in great shape, neck not seating too good, will work that out later, I also have a Martin C-Mel rebuilt never played, looking for the right mpc for both, have C-mels but too stuffed for Jazz, any suggestions on mpcs, that are good for cont. Jazz/blues
Jim B User ID: 1913054	Jan 21st 7:42 AM Check out the mouthpiece section on this site for Ideas. As for a bare brass instrument, I took a french horn down to the bare brass (really bad old lacquer). Brasso did the work but be careful not to take if off too much--bell of the french horn is really thin. Once done I applied a paste wax (or Johnson's Pledge) to keep the brass from corroding. It worked;sealed up the metal. Note: brass instruments can also corrode from the inside out.
DeanoTheSaxman (UK) User ID: 9377263	Jan 22nd 6:03 AM Lewis..... "Carlos Fandango" does he have extra wide wheels on it then?????