New Borgani... Part II

[DoublTyme]

After playing on the gold pearl alto for a few days, there were some quirks about the horn that were bothering me. I loved the sound and the feel, but the palm keys felt dead and the horn just wasn't cutting enough for lead section work... it was almost too warm and dark. I headed back to Roberto's and showed him what I was unhappy about. He made sure that the horn was functioning correctly, and after he realized that it was just an inherent flaw in that particular alto, he suggested that I try out the other altos. I settled on the vintage finish, which was amazing. Buying a new horn is tricky business, but I feel confident that this is the one! I'm so impressed with Roberto and how helpful he was during this whole process. Even though his shop was packed with customers, he took plenty of time out to help me. I ended up swapping the pearl gold for the vintage finish.

One question: Should I clean the brass regularly to avoid corrosion or will that not happen?

[Tryptykon]

I think if I were buying a new Borgani Tenor(I have a pearl silver) the Vintage
finish, is the one I'd go for; good choice !

Is that model actually exposed brass ?

I think a lot of people wipe a brass horn with w/ Pledge furniture polish; not
a heavy coating by any means - just take a rag and use a light amount of it.

There may be other/better means, of course; hopefully someone has better
ideas..

I just sold a bare brass 10M that I never polished, and it settled into a nice
medium patina.

You might consider having a light coat of clear lacquer shot onto it, also ?

[Pinnman]

Bare brass will darken over the years. The museum pieces I have seen from the nineteenth century are a very dark brown.

[bari_saxxy]

What did Roberto find to be the problem? Was it a problem with that particular horn, or is it a problem with the Pearl Gold altos in general?