Kessler Custom “Handmade One” Soprano Sax – Dark Lacquer

Pisoni Pro Pads
Kessler Custom Handmade One soprano saxophones utilize the Pisoni Pro pads. These pads are the best leather pad available on the market today and are the same pads you will find on the Selmer Paris horns new. These pads are a firmer pad than typically found on most saxophones. In order to use these pads, a saxophone has to be manufactured to a much higher level of build with more precise toneholes. Once installed, these pads offer 2 major benefits:

Stability
When combined with the better tonehole manufacturing necessary to use the Pisoni Pro pad, these pads are more stable and less likely to develop little leaks. They also provide a much firmer feel to the mechanism of the sax.

Tone Projection
Pads are made from leather and felt which serve as an acoustic dampener which is why saxophone pads use resonator discs. However, even with a resonator, your air column still comes in to contact with the leather and felt of the pad. With the firmer Pisoni Pro pad, you will have less acoustical dampening from the pad which yields better projection, response and power.

Red-Brass Alloy
Typically, saxophones are made out of the alloy called “cartridge brass” (also known as “yellow brass”). While the exact formulation of brass can vary from vendors and suppliers, the typical formula is a brass that consists of 70% copper and 30% zinc. Our Handmade One Soprano Sax is made from “Red Brass” which consists of 85% copper and 15% zinc.

The extra 15% copper adds a little more mass to the alloy helping to produce a darker core tone. When combined with our professional bore and enhanced resonance from the Handmade construction, this alloy produces a wonderfully complex tone while maintaining excellent response and projection.

Is this the Right Soprano for You?
Soprano Saxophones are very misunderstood instruments. They are commonly considered more difficult to play than an alto or tenor saxophone.

In reality, the problem with soprano saxophone has more to do with how they are played rather than the soprano sax itself. Plainly put, you cannot play a soprano sax the same way you would an alto sax as they are not the same instrument! Dave Kessler wrote an article about this very issue and details:

• Why is soprano harder to play?
• How to choose a soprano
• How best to approach playing soprano

Take a moment and read the article here: Dave Kessler’s Music Blog – Choosing a Soprano Sax

Every soprano sax that we send out includes a copy of our “Soprano Sax Playing Tips Guide” that will help players achieve the best performance out of their soprano sax. You can also download a PDF copy of that guide by clicking here.

Professional Setup
Every horn we send out to a customer is not released from us unless it has been completely setup in our shop first. This is because the setup on the horn is of the utmost importance! Sometimes, a saxophone (regardless of who the manufacturer or the price point is) comes in needing 20 minutes of adjustments and then the very next one can require 2 hours! So if you were to get 5 of the same model right out of the box, they will all play different which leads people to believe that they are “good” or “bad” saxes… but the reality is that the one that was the best out of the 5 was likely the one that needed the least amount of work and on the flip side, the “bad” sax was the one that needed 2 hours worth of adjustments!

Once the same 5 saxophones are properly regulated and adjusted to perfection, they become near identical saxophones that even the pickiest of players would be challenged to pick a true “favorite” horn. However, since most stores do not or even can not perform this setup, the player never knows this and is simply relying on the luck of the draw. This is why we perform our setup (in our www.SaxophoneRepairs.com ProShop) on them before delivering your new sax to you. You trust us with your purchase and we want to make sure that you are rewarded by giving you your ideal saxophone setup flawlessly!