Old Topic with the scientists' unscientific reply - mainly for Per

[Richard Sales <richard@glasswing.com>]

Well... we've all been very busy with the holidays but I finally got a reply from my friend who was a big hoo hah for one of the biggest chemical companies on earth.  In this he will claim he's not a scientist but he is.  Interestingly, I've heard this argument about electronics and why some older electronics just sound different even when modern companies reverse engineer the circuitry and totally reproduce it - better metals, more to pick from in days past.  Anyhow....

I do have an unscientific opinion.  I do not believe the sound of metal instruments is because of aging but more because of the type of metal  (brass) that was used and how it was formed.
 
Many of us old geeks tend to believe the earlier brass has better sound characteristics that we like. The more hands on  technique for making gave each instrument a character. The newer instruments are reproducible. much more precise and consistent. The vintage instruments have heart. If I were to play jazz I would want vintage, for concert, I would go with a new instrument.
It is true that the set up of a sax is key, ,,,springs, pads, resonators are a significant sound factor as is reed and mouthpiece. I have over 30 different mouth pieces and they all give a little or significantly different sound on the same instrument.
I think this is an argument, like politics and religion, which one can not win. Maybe a real scientist can add some scientific data, but I will still take my old Super 20 or Mark VI over any of the pretty new axes that are on the market. 

Happy New Year

richard sales
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