Now this is an interesting homemade saxophone. Apparently this player made the instrument himself.
According to Google’s translation program, this is what the caption of the photo says:
He even creates his own instruments and sound of the sax is quite similar to the original (at least for lay people).
The original Portuguese goes like this:
Ele mesmo que cria os próprios instrumentos e o som do sax é bem semelhante ao original (pelo menos para leigos).
DIY Sax
Photography by Silvio Tanaka Source: Flickr
When you look at this photo in its original size, you can see that the player is using an alto sax mouthpiece, with a Rovner Light ligature. I wonder what this horn is made of? Some kind of plastic I presume. I’m also guessing the instrument would use a type of recorder fingering, but perhaps I’m wrong on both counts.
Something that probably aids in the horn’s ability to produce a saxophone-like sound, are the instrument’s interior dimensions. The inventor has created an horn with a conical bore.
hi everyone ! really interesting !! I m also working on a similar project but with much more humble skills.
I use different diameters pvc pipes and couplers, also some heating/molding.
now facing some issues with holes and diameters/position..
would be great to hear from your experience.
btw where could I get a template of an alto sax ?
feel free to mail me
cheers,
Vg
how about the holes?what should the diameter of the pvc should i get to do it?how about the space of one hole to another hole?
Hi there eeee.
Gibran spent some time and his own money figuring out exactly how to make it. I think it’s only fair that he sells some now to recoup some of that money. Perhaps in time he’ll let people know how to make it, but for now, IMO he should be able get some of his money back.
If you haven’t read it yet, check out my follow-up piece that I wrote about this Gibran and his DIY sax.
Thanks for dropping in…helen
tel us how to make it
It actually does not take all that much heat to get PVC to a workable temperature. You can’t exactly handle it bare-handed, but a pair of gardening gloves should be enough. The easiest way to do this is to hold it over a gas (methane, butane, propane, whatever) flame while rotating it so it doesn’t scorch. When it goes all droopy, it’s time to work. Pulling at the unheated ends will stretch the heated section of pipe in length and narrow it in diameter. This is how I make headjoint tapers for plastic flutes, and I imagine a similar method may be in use for the conical bore, though he would likely use segments joined together since stretching a PVC pipe excessively will make it thin and brittle.
For consistency, he may be using a wooden or metal cone inside the pipe while he pulls on it. Since the diameter of my handmade instruments is much smaller, I use drumsticks sanded to my needs.
Hello Tanaka. Welcome to my site.
Thank you for the information on the DIY saxophone you photographed.
Yes, if you do see the player again, please let him know to stop in for a visit sometime. I’d love for him to tell me some details about his horn.
By the way, there is nothing wrong with your English. It is perfectly understandable. You would never be able to make sense of my Portuguese. 😉
Thanks for the visit.
Regards,
Helen
Hello! handmade saxophone fiberglass http://saxarte.wordpress.com/
gibran Saints in sao paulo Brazil …
Hello gibran.
Welcome to my website. Thank you for stopping by.
Your instrument is wonderful, as the story about how you came to design and build it. It inspired me to write a post about you and your saxophones today.
I wish you all the best in your expansion plans.
Best regards,
Helen
It’s plastic, the guy said that he made it by himself using plastic pipes (that one used inside the walls to conduct water)… Maybe he melted and welded the plastic and after that he painted in black. He used to play at Vila Madalena wich is the my neighborhood. If I see him again, I’ll ask for his contact and tell him that his sax is through the world, not just in Vila Madalena, Sao Paulo. =)
Thanks for the credit and sorry about my bad english.
Tanaka