If any of you are interested in my background and views on a variety of subjects related to music, the saxophone and life, I was interviewed by Donna Schwartz for the “Everything Saxophone Podcast” a couple of weeks ago. Donna asked some great questions and we were able to discuss some personal subjects having to Read More…
Up Close and Personal Interview with Steve Neff on Everything Saxophone Podcast
July 23, 2019 by Leave a Comment
GetaSax Echo Master Brilhart 3-Band Style Saxophone Ligature Review
May 31, 2019 by 7 Comments
I received an email a couple of months ago from a fan of the site asking if I could review these new Echo Master ligatures (formerly Echo Brass) being sold by Getasax.com. These are reproductions of the infamous Brilhart 3-band ligature that Kenny Garrett uses. I have been curious about these ligatures ever since I Read More…
The Boston Sax Shop Custom Tenor Saxophone Reeds Review
May 30, 2019 by 45 Comments
Today, I am reviewing a new BSS custom saxophone reed released by Jack Finucane at the Boston Sax Shop. Jack has been my repairman for the last six years and always gives me the inside scoop on new saxophone gear that is coming out. Besides being a phenomenal repairman and craftsman, Jack is always up Read More…
Michael Brecker International Saxophone Competition
February 7, 2019 by 1 Comment
I was recently informed about this new competition by Brian Plautz and Susan Brecker and thought I would pass on the information here on the site. If you are an aspiring saxophonist between the ages of 16-30, are a citizen of the world (no extraterrestrials) and can burn it up on the saxophone, then this Read More…
The Difference a Neck Can Make: Boston Sax Shop Heritage Alto Saxophone Neck Review
January 17, 2019 by 20 Comments
I have to admit, I usually stay away from anything to do with trying saxophone necks or different brands of saxophones. So much of my time is already consumed with trying so many different saxophone mouthpieces that adding necks and saxophones to the mix is just too overwhelming for me. The reality is that changing Read More…
Guardala Mouthpiece Informative Brochures From 1990
December 21, 2018 by 2 Comments
A friend of mine on Facebook, Adrian Chia, posted these pictures of hardcopy Guardala mouthpiece brochures that he received from Dave Guardala in the mail back in 1990. Dave was living in Hicksville NY at the time and working out of his garage from what I have heard. If only I had a time machine…………… Read More…
The Art of Imitation-Michael Brecker on Peep
October 11, 2018 by 14 Comments
Someone on SOTW (Sax on the Web) posted a video this morning of Michael Brecker soloing over his tune Peep from the early 90’s. Peep was a Brecker tune from the album “Now You See It… (Now You Don’t) that blew my mind when it was released in 1990. I was a young Brecker head Read More…
The Secret to Altissimo (no one has ever told you about before) Lesson
August 19, 2018 by 3 Comments
I know, you are sick of it! Trying to play overtones past the second or third overtone. Trying to get out an altissmo G or G#. Trying to sound like you know what you are doing and can play any altissimo note with confidence without failing miserably………I have been there and know how you feel. Read More…
Boston Sax Shop Signature Reed Cases
March 28, 2018 by 3 Comments
Today, I am reviewing a beautiful new product I received with a reed order from Jack Finucane at the Boston Sax Shop. Last week, I ordered some new reeds to try from Jack and when the package came, I opened it to discover this added gem inside. This is the Boston Sax Shop signature reed Read More…
Great Instructional Video on Intonation by Michael Lake
March 7, 2018 by 2 Comments
Michael Lake over at altobone.com put out a video on youtube this week on intonation that I think is excellent! Michael is not a sax player, (he plays alto trombone….I know, “How dare you Steve, this is a saxophone site!!“) but his thoughts on intonation in this video are right on. Every note you play on Read More…
Balam Saxophone Backstrap Comparison and Review
January 10, 2018 by 21 Comments
Today, I am reviewing a new saxophone neckstrap that I received from my saxophone repairman Jack Finucane at the Boston Sax Shop. Jack has been my sax repairman since 2013 when my long time repairman Ernie Sola died. The last 3-4 times I went in to see Ernie before he died he told me about Read More…
Improved Selmer Saxophone Model Chart
January 9, 2018 by 18 Comments
Here is a cool chart of the serial numbers and models of Selmer Saxophones through the last 100 years. This chart was researched by Douglas Pipher and shared on SOTW today. The cool aspect of this chart that I have never seen before is that Douglas has included the quantities of each type of sax Read More…
Finding Sax Mouthpiece Gold Among the Rubble
November 14, 2017 by 16 Comments
I’m always amazed when saxophone player’s tell me that they can know within seconds if a sax mouthpiece is right for them or not. The reason that this amazes me, is that my experience has been so different from that. For example, I received a sax mouthpiece a few months ago that is an old Read More…
Need a Metal Sax Mouthpiece Facelift? Contact Matt Marantz for a Replating
October 14, 2017 by 2 Comments
For many years now I have been looking around for someone who replates saxophone mouthpieces. Back in the 90’s, I had a mouthpiece that had the bite plate fall off and then the gold plating was all wearing away. I read about health hazards that could come from playing a raw brass or copper mouthpiece Read More…
Finding the “Holy Grail” of Sax Mouthpieces
August 19, 2017 by 45 Comments
Today, I’m going to write about an important subject that I haven’t addressed very often on my site here. This article is about the elusive search for the “Holy Grail” of saxophone mouthpieces. I have encountered thousands of sax players over the years who have been searching for their “Holy Grail” sax mouthpiece. They might Read More…
Marc Jean Saxophone Ligature II Model 700 Review
July 24, 2017 by 17 Comments
Today, I am reviewing a beautiful new ligature called the Marc Jean Saxophone Ligature II Model 700. I reviewed the original Marc Jean ligatures a little over seven years ago. Original Marc Jean Ligature Review When I heard that Marc was coming out with a new ligature I knew I had to review one. Marc Jean was kind Read More…
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