Kessler Custom Handmade Alto Sax Necks Superb Performance | Affordable Price! Our Kessler Custom lineup of saxes offer players exceptional performance and value. All of our altos use an exceptional performance design that is based around French tonal characteristics. Combined with our direct sales channel, we can offer players a higher value than industry standards. At the heart of our Handmade Series alto sax design is our custom neck. This neck uses a slightly tighter French bore (similar Series III) but with the weight of more traditional designs (similar to Mark VI / Series II design). This design is then paired with either a Red Brass alloy or a Nickel-Silver alloy to produce either a more focused ore more open tone. Our Kessler Custom Handmade Alto Sax Necks are available in 5 total configurations: Red Brass – Lacquer Finish Red Brass – Dark Lacquer Finish Red Brass – Antiqued Matte Lacquer Finish Nickel-Silver – Lacquer Finish Nickel-Silver – Antiqued Matte Lacquer Finish Differences in Alloy Most saxes utilize a standard “cartridge brass” or “yellow brass” alloy. While every company uses their own unique formulation, most are roughly a 70% Copper / 30% Zinc alloy. On our Kessler Custom Handmade Alto Sax Necks, we use one of two heavier alloys to achieve a different tone and response. Red Brass Nickel-Silver Red Brass is a higher copper content, heavier version of brass. Our Red Brass specifically is 85% copper and 15% zinc. This gives the tube a more copper-ish color and increases the weight of the tube. This helps produce a more focused tone with increased warmth. Excellent for players that feel they have to back off when they play and need something more substantial throughout the whole horn, especially in the palm keys and left hand stack. Nickel-Silver has less copper, but adds heavier nickel into the mix. Typical Nickel Silver is a 60% Copper, 20% Nickel & 20% Zinc formula. However, in our testing, we found our preferred performance sweet spot to be a 63% Copper, 17% Nickel & 20% Zinc alloy formula as it gave a slightly quicker in response throughout the range than the traditional formula. This alloy is unique in that it is actually heavier than the Red Brass, but it vibrates very easily meaning that it tends to respond quicker. So while it is heavier, which helps keep a rich tone, the ability to change frequency of vibration faster helps improve response throughout. This tends to open up the more “free-blowing” characteristics for horns without thinning out the sound. Additional Information Fit Will it fit? Our Handmade Alto Sax Neck uses a standardized Selmer tenon. The dimensions of the tenon are: Outer Diameter: 24.50 mm Tenon Length: 21.50 mm This tends to be the design used on a LOT of saxophones. This includes Selmer Paris, Yamaha, Yanagisawa, Eastman, Cannonball, P.Mauriat and a wide number of your Asian manufactured horns. It will not work on most vintage American saxes however or Keilwerth models. Trial & Return Policy Our standard store policy applies to necks as well. Once you receive the neck, you have 3 days to evaluate it. If you are not 100% satisfied, simply let us know and send it back for a full refund or exchange, less shipping fees. We do NOT charge a restocking fee or processing fee unlike many other shops. We want you to be able to test out a new way of enhancing your sound without having to worry about being nickel and dimed with possible fees later on! There are of course a few caveats to this, such as: No Cleaning Fees – we are not going to charge you a cleaning fee. If the neck comes back to us and there are no issues with it, we will still disassemble and sterilize the neck, but we will not charge you for that! That’s just the cost of doing business! Neck Condition – Obviously, if you scratch or damage the neck, there is not a full refund, but that is just common sense! Also take care that you are handling the neck properly so as to not bend the neck. We always recommend placing the mouthpiece on to the neck with the neck off of the horn, and with you holding the neck at the tube directly behind the cork, so as to not risk putting pressure on the neck tube’s curvature. Cork Condition – The neck must be returned in new condition. If the cork is overly compressed to the point we have to replace the cork, then there is a $20 re-corking fee. In the end, mouthpieces do not fit the same so this is just part of the reality of it all. However, if you let us know ahead of time, or at the time of the order, which mouthpiece you use, we might be able to verify cork fit before shipping it out to try and avoid this. Multiple Neck Fee – If you are ordering multiple necks, you force us to pay more credit card processing fees. This amounts to roughly 3% of the transaction. When we refund your money, we do not get those fees back – which is why many shops charge a 3% restocking fee across the board regardless. If you are ordering one neck and send it back, we will NOT charge that fee. If you are ordering more than one neck, then there is a 3% credit card processing restocking fee on the additional necks. You can find the full policy on our Terms & Conditions Page. if you have any questions, please let us know!
