I’ve long admired the work of the ProShop that is part of Music Medic, run by Curt Altarac. They are always doing interesting, fun and creative projects. They have a great series of repair articles, offer great repair tools and supplies for professional and DIY repairmen, provide incredible insight into the major overhaul of an original Adolph Sax saxophone, and are always releasing innovative new products – and some wacky ones like the keyless overtone sax.
Having met Curt and a lot of his team at various saxophone events around the country, I can personally attest to their passion and knowledge about the saxophone. In Georgia recently I geeked out with a fellow saxophonist about the intricacies of building sax necks and how they have changed over the decades.
Another thing I love about Music Medic is that Curt is a baritone saxophonist himself, so the big horn does not get neglected the same way it might in other situations. The most recent news on this front is that Music Medic’s ProShop is now offering custom made necks for Conn 12M baritone saxophones!
Check them out!
The neck is important on any saxophone, but from my experience the neck on 12M’s makes a huge difference, and an under-performing neck can ruin an otherwise good horn, especially intonation wise. So I am happy to see a new option. I hope to get my hands on one or two of these to test out in the future, and I will be sure to post an update or demonstration if I do.
If you get a chance to try them out, let us know how they are!
-Andrew Hadro
Curator, JazzBariSax.com
hi i just bought a 12m baritone sax in london i love it gr8 sound , its my first bari theres one thing i fiend is the crook is very long and I’m not comfortable playing the instrument can i buy a short crook to get the horn closer to me I’m streaching my right hand as far a s i can to play i only have the bari a week and i can feel its do me damage if i continue , can you help me please , all the best p sax
Congrats on the new horn! While some people search out longer necks for tuning reason I have not heard of a shorter one. This would most likely make the horn play very sharp and not respond well.
I might recommend a harness or something other than a neck strap to take the weight off your neck and perhaps your right hand. Other than a bit more weight a properly set up baritone should not necessarily feel that much more cumbersome or awkward than other saxophones.
Enjoy!
-Andrew
I would agree. Try out different harness systems, until you find one that works for you. I’ve found that, as a shorter person, the Conn actually has far better ergonomics than any other vintage horn except for the Mark VI. (Which is why I won’t play any other horns!)
You miss the vital information ie How much does it cost & how can I order one , re longer & shorter necks when I first played baritone the neck I needed lengthen the neck to play in tune a year later I desoldered the extension because I could now play in tune on the original length you need to work on your embrochure not the sax neck
We should have a full review up of one of the necks on the site very soon! We’ll include all the details.
Full review of the new Music Medic 12.5 neck is up here!