Agave Music

Trombone Transformation!

We recently had the pleasure of restoring this vintage trombone. After a full chemical cleaning, precise slide alignment, and careful hand polishing, it’s shining brighter than ever!

This is why we love silver plating. With a little elbow grease, it looks brand new again.

Swipe to see the before and after, the difference is incredible. From dull and worn to silver brilliance, this horn is ready to play and catch every eye.

It's demolition day at Agave as we start another remodel to be as efficient as possible.

Yamaha Custom Mod

These side keys (Bb and C) with the early Selmer Mark VI ball system are usually very worn out, adding noise and lost motion. I have seen many solutions but this is my favorite because they do not look any different once assembled, they feel great and the repair lasts a very long time.

I use precision reamers to enlarge the hole in the ball and add teflon tubing to the key. This is the way Yamaha does it on their Custom saxophones.

Mark VI Update. Balancing the spring tension.
I learned this trick from attending a handmade flute workshop.
I use a spring tension gauge to balance the spring tensions and record the number so I can always set the sax back to the same tensions I had before. This helps give that original Selmer feel after replacing all the springs.

I am happy to report that our lead technician, Chris Moller, has fully recovered and his hand is back to 100%. We are almost completely caught up on repairs. We are so grateful to our clients that were very patient and understanding.
We love this Arizona music scene!

Mark VI Update. Replacing the key silencers.
After the pads are seated, I remove the keys again. While I disassemble the sax again, I check what type and thickness of silencer is best for each application. I use cork, leather, felt, synthetic felt, Gummy Kork, and sometimes auto-gasket material.

Summer is almost in full swing here in Phoenix. Make sure to protect Your Musical Instruments from Summer Heat! ☀️

Musicians, take note! 🎵 Leaving your instrument in a parked car during hot summer days can cause serious damage. 🚗🔥

🌡️ Extreme heat can:
🎻 Warp wood and damage glue joints
🎺 Ruin pads and valves in brass & woodwinds
🎸 Cause tuning instability and cracked finishes

Even on a mild day, car interiors can reach dangerous temperatures in minutes! Keep your instruments safe by taking them with you or storing them in a climate-controlled environment.

Your music deserves protection—don’t let the heat ruin your sound! But if it does, we can help! 🎶💙 www.AgaveMusicAZ.com

Mark VI Update. Seating the pads. I like a medium-deep seat, enough to give the pads a solid feel. They are a little less deep than Selmer's factory pad work.

🎶 Looking for something fun to do this weekend? 🎶

Join the Desert Overture Wind Symphony for a FREE concert in the park featuring our very own business manager, Joseph, performing on Bassoon! 🌵🎷🎺

Enjoy familiar tunes ranging from Selections from Wicked to music from the Marvel Universe and Moana and more – there's something for everyone! 🎭🎶✨

Bring your friends, family, and a blanket, and get ready for an exciting musical afternoon! 🎵🎉

🎵 When: Sunday, March 9th, 2025, at 3:00 PM
📍 Where: Margaret T. Hance Park, 67 W Culver St, Phoenix, AZ 85003

More Details at www.desertoverture.org/performances

Here's some updated pics of the Mark VI restoration in progress.
Showing off a few before and after pics to see the change so far. When dealing with vintage saxophones, it is better to leave some corrosion than risk losing more lacquer or changing the color of the bare brass parts. We plan to do a little more spot cleaning, otherwise it's ready to start being put back together.

Update on the Mark VI Overhaul

It's been completely disassembled so it's on to probably my least favorite part of this overhaul. I gently scrape the "3D" crud off every key so the chemicals can clean them without harming the lacquer or changing the patina of the exposed brass. It is like cleaning tiny chalkboard pieces with a scraper.