| What saxophonist does not love that "kissing" sound | | | | and dabble it with some cleaner. Swab the tone-hole |
| when they let go of their keys? Here are my personal | | | | (or the actual pad if it is really bad) and then let it close. |
| favorite remedies to combating the stickiness. | | | | You should notice an instant difference. It may not be |
| #1 - The Good Old Washington Dollar | | | | perfect but it will be pretty darn close. |
| Or the Jefferson, Lincoln, Hamilton, Jackson, Grant, | | | | #4 - WD-40 |
| Franklin... depending on how lucky you feel. Open the | | | | I swear I am not making this up. Just like the wood |
| key and place the dollar under the pad. Let the pad | | | | cleaner, WD-40 is a sealant and will work the same |
| close and gently apply pressure to the pad to make it | | | | way as the wood cleaner. Again, just apply some to a |
| close all the way. Pull the dollar bill out from under the | | | | cotton swab and swab away. Just be careful not to |
| pad slowly and carefully. This can be done multiple | | | | get these products all over your saxophone as it could |
| times. | | | | damage the finish. |
| #2 - Coffee Filters | | | | #5 - Replace the Darn Things |
| Coffee filters have many uses other than for making | | | | My saxophone pads once became so saturated with |
| coffee. Because of the small fibers in a coffee filter, | | | | fluid that they were just permanently damaged and it |
| they are often more effective in grabbing onto | | | | was no longer worth it to keep them around. I had to |
| particles that are making the pad stick. Just as with the | | | | get them replaced. The "kissing" sound would come |
| dollar place it under the pad and gently pull out. The fun | | | | back within a day and it really just was not working |
| (and often embarrassing) thing about this is that you | | | | out for me (there were also other things that were |
| can actually see the residue a lot clearer with this kind | | | | wrong with a few pads but the "kissing" sound was |
| of white surface! | | | | what was really bothering me). Sometimes fresh new |
| #3 - Old English Oil | | | | pads are really the way to go. The sound no longer |
| Yes, the wood cleaner. This is my favorite remedy. | | | | haunts me. It is very important to take care of your |
| Think about it. It is a wood cleaner, so it is like a sealant. | | | | pads straight from the beginning. Guard them with your |
| By applying this to your pads, it acts as a sealant and | | | | life, and when in doubt, turn to the good Ol' English. |
| makes your pads like brand new. Take a cotton swab | | | | |