Making Saxophone Necks by Hand in NYC | KB Sax
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- čas přidán 31. 05. 2024
- #bettersax #saxophone #kbnecks
Jay Metcalf meets with Kim Bock of KB Saxophone necks for a look at how he makes his custom necks.
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00:00 Intro
00:59 Making custom saxophone necks
07:47 Selmer Mark VI neck
08:38 Redwood hand hammered copper
09:21 Vanguard hand hammered copper
11:26 Vanguard hand hammered bronze
12:09 Vanguard M61 brass
12:59 Selmer Mark VI neck
13:54 Final thoughts
In a 3D printed world, it’s great to see old world craftsmanship alive and well! Something so cool about hand made equipment, so much character and it’s uniquely YOURS. Love the vid, Jay!
Yes!
The original traditional arts are extremely difficult to improve upon now a days.
This is pretty fascinating, might get one myself
Also happy 94th birthday John Coltrane!!
I guess you are already subscribed...
@@bettersax 😂😂
Better Sax haha, been subscribed since you’ve had 9k subs
My highest respect to people who can form metall with Handtools to this perfection.
I ruined the like count and I’m not sorry
I've had the fortune to play these necks and they didn't disappoint. Incredible sound and feel difference right off the bat. Truly incredible craftsmanship.
With all respect, I simply don’t think that you can hear any difference. May be someone can explain to me what a good neck is, and then I mean in technical terms.
@@hansmathiasthjomoe4817 fair enough, I’ve thought the same thing about most fancy ligatures and I realized the difference is often most importantly how the saxophone feels to play. It’s been a few years so you’ll have to forgive me for not remembering specifics but my abiding memory involves resonance and openness. Because the necks were different diameters/materials, they felt much more open to play. It also affects the ease of playing of both ends of the sax range. Easier altissimo/overtones or low register.
Also, in person the difference was much easier to notice IMO, it was subtle and probably doesn’t come across super well on CZcams.
Another fantastic video, highly informative and very well made.
WOW! I am Blown Away by the rich tone differences those custom necks achieve, RESPECT! I'm a Biophysicist following my family Luthier /instrument building in retirement, I I also Volunteer at our local school to teach the Science of Music Innovation. We have mixing boards and oscilloscopes to quantify the tonal differences of all sorts of instruments, ranging from Irish Uillean bagpipes (played with helium), to a 17th century Maggini Violin, and of course guitar physics from the Doyle Les Paul innovation. I played the Baritone and Alto Saxophone in High school, and have restored my 1950's "The Martin" Alto. I will certainly include these videos to recruit students and teach the joy of creating music with hammers metal leather and wood..wind..(Smile).
10/10 would agree that the Vanguard Hand Hammered Bronze sounds nicer than the WO2 Bronze Yanagisawa. Beautiful work!
To you...the player.
Have you tried the comparison with an audience that can't see which neck you're playing?
Just like the boston sax shop reeds, now the poor guy is gonna have orders piling in for weeks! Love the video!
I started out as a sax player but became a bassoonist. We spend years searching for the perfect bocal (the neck on the bassoon) to match our instrument and the right bocal makes a world of difference. I'm not surprised that sax players are now exploring this relatively easy way to realize the potential of their instruments. Sounds great!
This sounded like one of those traveling segments on discovery channel. LOVE IT!!!
I liked the M61 brass you tested best, it was warmer and more expressive to my ear. And on the Yanagisawa I liked the original neck better for much the same reason, the newer neck sounded more pinched and nasal to me.
Days of wine and roses. A song I play during nearly every practice session.
i am thrilled. the KB neck truly sounds rounder and more interesting than the Yanagisawa orginal neck
I have been to Kims shop here in NYC where I live, AWESOME man and a FANTASTIC place, and what’s even better I was there on a Day when Ravi Coltrane was there trying some different necks, he was kind enough to let me get a pic with him. Love going to Kim’s shop.
KB neck sounds better for me. When you speak and emphasize points your voice overdrives and becomes uneven and loud. Vocal consistancy through ranges makes a great sound to all of us animals. Thanks for the video. I stopped playing years ago but I think that I will purchase a kb neck.
Wow. KB neck really adds a lot more power and character
Just like any hobby the attachments are neverending!
i have one... amazing... and Mr KB customer service is stellar
KB sounded richer and more focused at the same time. Normally I don't hear these slight differences so I was surprised that I did on these necks.
That 3rd Vanguard the brightness of it is incredible, thats the sound i choose for my Yanagisawa Tenors and Alto saxophones
WOW! Great Artisan and master craftsman! Really enjoyed video!
Love your descriptions!!! I'm a follower now!!! Thanks
At first I was expecting this to be some kind of factory. Fascinating! Craftsmen are few and far between.
I love brass , sounds warmer and thicker.
KB neck surprisingly sounds so much better than the Yanigasawa neck! It's got some sort of spiciness, some sort of sizzle that adds depth to the sound
Great projection and killer tone from KB sax neck . Easier is better , thanks for the video Jay !
Very interesting. I always heard that after the player, the mouthpiece & the reed, the neck makes a big difference in the sound, but never had a demonstration of this theory. When you tested the different necks the difference was audible (even via the youtube medium)! On the Yani - the KB neck sounds much more alive!
glad it was easy for so many to hear the differences.
Wow, I wouldn’t have known that a neck would make so much difference. To me the KB neck sounded so much more ‘rounded’ and less buzzy than the Yani neck.
Huge kudos to Kim’s work and well done for a great video Jay.
Got one of these for my old SMK6(50 yrs) and it completely changed the responsiveness and feel of the instrument. Enabled me to keep the instrument for a few more years.
The Bronze hammered neck makes the tone come alive. More rich sound, wonderful improvement
I prefer the KB neck. Gives a more breadth of sound
Man the sound really projects, and has that Sizzle you talked about. Man I Believe It sound like a different Sax.
I'm a flutist in the NYC area and even I know Bock is a legend. Respect.
Redwood sounds amazing
Thank you for this wonderful visit in the factory, what a treat! Wish it was longer. Blown-away by the No-Testing philosophy!!! 🙏
KB is my favorite
The Vanguard Hand Hammer Bronze Neck has a clearer sound. The original neck had a heavier , or darker sound. I can play either necks .
I definitely prefer the sweet sound coming out of the KB SAX neck
Wow that sounds much better. Amazing difference. Glad you shared the process with us.
Yani sounds more melodic and smooth to me and thats my favorite. The KB had a buzzing sound.
Both sounded super!
Excellent thorough review! Thank you.
Great video Jay, fantastic to see Kim working metal in this way. The different tone they all made to your stock MKv1 neck is astounding.
What a true craftsman and genius. I really dig this kind of content man. Thank you
Thanks for the video!!! that was an amazing change!!! beautiful
Great video! Thanks for show us the work from this good master.
All combinations sounds really good, hard to decide without feeling the differences by blowing.
The M61 Vanguard was the one for me. Seemed to have a more balanced mix of high and low harmonics at the front of the note with a nice amount of weight behind. Then again, it's as much about how it feels on the player's end of the mouthpiece as much as the sound in front of the bell.
I really liked the M61
Beautiful... Appreciate your introduction
This is a fantastic episode! Thanks for the attention to detail you put into it. I’ve been considering one of these for a few years and this video certainly has answered many of my questions and given a amazingly clear closer look at them. Well done. Great work!
A KB Neck has been on my MVI upgrade wish list for some time. Now after hearing your demo I'm even more anxious to get one. Thanks Jay.
Kim is so great! I've been playing on the HH copper Redwood model for a while and absolutely love it. Thanks for exposing such a great product and human being. 😁🙌🏼
I like the sound of the KB sax neck!!
I’m impressed how much of a difference it made.
this wass a very cool experience just to watch .. thank you
Wow! How long have I been waiting for this video.. Thank you so much!
Wow!!! Such an incredible difference. I will be ordering one immediately!!!
I agree the KB hand hammered neck sounds a bit better. Good review and happy you are sounding better and better each times. Greetings from Mexico
The Selmer with the first Vanguard (after the Redwood) and the last Vanguard sounded the best to me. I agree the last Vanguard sounded darker.
Thanks for this great video! love the KB more
The KB Hammered Bronze neck sounded really great on every note. Keep the KB!
Great video...
I loved the arrangement of that amasin tune you play to compare the different necks...
Great video Jay. People just dont know half of the process which would have included; annealing, cooling, brazzing (soldering),annealing again to take the stresses out of the piece and allowing the hand tapping, the heat monitoring and the precision manufacturing of all the parts, and this is all before the assembly and testing. Engineering meets the arts.
As for sound, I would be as well buying one to hang on my wall to admire whilst listening to Jay.
Both sound great but I really like the KB neck.
Great improvement with the Vanguard Hand Hammered Bronze neck! Full round tone. Again, a great video. Thanks, Jay.
Crazy, I haven’t played in 35 years but you can hear the difference
I loved, thank you 🤜🏽🤛🏼
I feel that.....before all of these new necks.....Coltrane,Getz,Gordon, Brecker,Hawkins,Webster,Young,
Cárter, Parker,Desmond,Sims,Konitz, Hodges,Henderson.....all of them...
sounded.....marvelous...!!!
I believe that all of these variations on the same...including these new necks.....,is a way to pursue the eternal sax business
I bought a B-991 from Kim a couple years ago. He was wonderful to deal with and the horn arrived in amazing condition - perfect adjustment and smooth action.
That tune always reminds me of an old boots Randolph recording my dad loved. You are right about sounding like your self on different gear. If you feel the improvement, that is enough. And yes the KIm B is CRAZY good on tenor.
More core, power, articulation and clarity of the overtone spectrum on these necks than anything else out there. Kim has spent years testing and learning and we are now all benefiting from his research.
I own 2 of them and prefer them to my sba necks.
This is so interesting! Thank you!
Great video Jay! Need to try these one day!
Wow! What amazing craftsmanship. Superb video, Jay. I personally liked the sound of the M61 brass; so powerful and rounded.
The sound comes from the internal dimensions of the neck (99%) and the material (1%).
The vanguard hand hammered copper sounded amazing
Great video, I could definitely hear the difference!
It felt like the necks really improved your playing. It felt more free and even more sexy. Not only did they just sound better off the bat, but after you had played them for a bit you really opened up more than on the stock necks. Amazing.
Love the video! Super informative and the production quality is incredible
Thanks Daniel
Ordered a bronze tenor neck after seeing this video. Looking forward to it!
Great video Jay!
I love the sound of both of them .... I’d use a Redwood for a big band situation where you’re competing with the brass and it’s all about the big open sound of the sax .... the Vanguards I’d use for solo performances and have a couple for different styles ... the second Vanguard you played was a stunning neck ! The very focused sound was just brilliant !! The next one was dark and very “jazzy” for a highly responsive sound .... the last one was such a wonderful sound but very focused and really easy blowing .... I’ve not played them but would love to own just one of them .... one day perhaps ....
J'aime vraiment beaucoup ta chaine, j'apprends tellemment... De l'info de qualité, livré sans prétention (et pourtant!). Merci et bisou du Québec!
Merci!
Good review. I like how you describe your reaction rather than asking us to "hear" the difference. To me, the important part is how the player has to adjust or not adjust that is important. Most people can force about any sound to a degree, it's the ease of getting the sound by the player that matters. You summed it up right at the end.
Jay and KB . . . from what I can tell, two true masters of their craft who are willing to spread their knowledge and joy about the sax and music to the world. You guys are great thanks for sharing as always!
Jay - FWIW . . . the M61 Brass was the best by far to my ears.
That KB is a keeper!
With KB neck your Yanagisawa sounds very close to vintage Selmer SBA sound!!! Great!!!
The KB sounds so much richer than your selmer neck. Great vlog 👌🏻
Kim Bock has dedicated his career to making awesome saxophone necks that improve the sound of the original necks. He can also adjust your original neck to make it sound better. I have many saxophones that he restored for me, and they all play amazingly well.
Definitely like the WO2 Bronze... Just my preference...
Wow, great video Jay and really interesting. I like the idea of updating your sound / setup by updating the neck. Very cool. BTW I like the sound of the new neck on your Yani.
The KB neck on the lower notes sounded deeper & richer than the stock neck the upper and mid notes say to a G note were pretty much the same but the lower notes really popped. Good decision!
Yes the second one, impressive
Comparison of intomation on a tuner would be interesting . Great video and love K.B. playing as well as Jay .
Vanguard Bronze without a doubt, beautiful sound.
Thanks Jay. The sound on the KB with your Yani was free... I love it. I play a SA80ii Tenor and everything else is Yani in my study. I want a Tenor, but I've played the Selmer for 28 years, so it's hard to change. But I want to try one of these necks.
Wow, your Yanagisawa is so much more with this new neck...
It has been 2 years since I acquired a KB Sax Redwood wrought copper neck for what was a very, very rough vintage tenor I was getting restored at the time. Kim's neck helped transform a dodgy intonation horn into an astonishingly great professional player! Not only were intonation tendencies corrected but the tone and altissimo just opened up making the horn a real joy to play.
I'd like to point out that the remote purchase process was a breeze. After a quick discussion about the horn and my setup, Kim recommended two necks, 3 days later I had the tenon measurement tools in hand and by week 3 the mail delivered the 2 pre-fitted necks for evaluation.
the second option is highly compressed! The first option is flight and volume! In this regard, I have a traditional view here
Big improvement! Richer....and more stable...especially on higher pitches.
Gorgeous
Your Yani sounds richer to me with the KB neck. Your Mk VI with the original neck has that true Selmer sound, but the Vanguard M61 in brass takes it up a notch.
yeah I almost ordered the M61 neck but didn't want a dark neck on my already dark WO2 horn
Why do these videos feel like I’m watching mr.Rogers at the crayon factory 😂 love the vid!