Flat high F# on a Mk VI tenor

[singlereed]

I have a Mk VI tenor from 1968 that has no high F# key. It plays well and I am happy with the intonation with my set up (and my playing!) except for high F# (front F, LH2, side Bb) which is very flat (perhaps a quarter tone), and I cannot lip it up. This does not seem to be affected by choice of mouthpiece, and I have 5 or 6 of different chamber designs covering most bases.

This note/fingering has not caused me problems on other tenors I have owned in the past, or on a Yani T901 we also have.

I have found a workaround which is to add RH1 and low Eb key, this gets it right into tune but is a bit of a handful. Adding the G# key instead makes a tiny improvement to tuning, but not enough.

Is this a common problem with this model, and does anyone have a better solution?

[sessionsax]

I have the same problem with a super action 80 tenor with that fingering.

Add the lower stack F key with the same fingering that you are using. It fattens up the F# and raises the pitch

[RadioImp]

Try lifting the G# key on the pinky table.
Works on my CigarCutter :D
have fun experimenting anyway

[JL]

singlereed, try this fingering:

Octave key, LH 1, 3; RH 1 + Eb key

Plays perfectly in tune on both my VI and Buescher tenors. Hope that works for you.

[singlereed]

Thanks, guys, as you'll see in the post I'd already found a fingering that works for me (add RH1 & low Eb) but I'd just prefer to use the 'normal' fingering and was wondering if this is fundamentally a 'bad' note on this instrument or whether some adjustment could be made to its set up to make the usual fingering for F# (front F/LH2/side Bb) to play the note in tune?

[JL]

singlereed, I tried the "usual" fingering you describe for F# and found it to play flat on both my tenors, so for me that is not the correct fingering. I couldn't find anything to make it work except adding the F and Eb keys, as you point out. Maybe someone else can come up with something. But I find the fingering I mentioned in my post above to work very well and it doesn't feel awkward, since I'm so used to it.

By the way, I just hit on something while fooling around with this. When playing D4 with the front F key, try adding the side C key. That helps the note pop out and brings it right in tune for me.

[singlereed]

Thanks, JL, as you say, I suppose its a matter of getting used to the 'right' fingering for my horn :wink:

[jd]

i have a 1968 mark 6 tenor that does the same thing. use the same fingering on the left hand and with the right hit the side key and the f natural with the right index finger. its hard to explain without the sax in my hand but when i hit the side key with out hitting the f natural it plays flat . when i push the key with everything else being the same in comes into tune. i dont have that deal on mark altos but the tenors i have all have that problem