Oleg side key risers ~ oh man!

[Sax_on_legs]

I just bought a set of Oleg side key risers for my YAS62 - and they don't fit! The Yamaha side keys are quite wide, and the slots for the Oleg risers are too narrow to slip in :( ...sob... the palm key risers are absolutely fine, but... I'm thinking about moving on to a Selmer quite soon, so it may not be necessary to send them back. Does anyone have Mark VIs or the new Reference altos with Oleg side key risers? Does it fit well?

[Morry]

I bought a set, and they wouldn't fit well on my Keilwerth either. I was affraid I would bend something trying to force them on.

[sattva]

I have Oleg side key and palm key risers on my MK6 tenor which were simple to fit and feel just right once you have adjusted to them.

I suggest you get a MK6 to fit the risers! :lol:

[sattva]

Sorry - that was not funny, I have just remembered how much I paid for the Oleg risers - you have my most sincere sympathies.

[Sax_on_legs]

Dear All,

As I realised I couldn't fit these Oleg side key risers on my saxophone (a YAS 62), I decided to try these on some of the other saxes. I've managed a Mark VI so far, with a 5 digit serial number. I didn't have much success with the MKVI either unfortunately - it was about the right size, but the fit was too loose as the screws failed to secure the side key risers. I needed to place a piece of cardboard on the back of the side keys in order to make it fit properly.

For all those who are looking into buying one of these - make sure you have the option of sending them back for a refund! Yes, they are great risers no doubt, but unfortunately, they simply do not work with a lot of saxophones, even ones as common as Yamahas or MKVI!

[Gange]

Why not just wrap some rubber bands around your keys? It works perfectly, and is quite much cheaper. Also you got the advantage of being able to customize the height of your keys.

[awholley]

I have used them successfully on Cannonball (alto and soprano), Buescher (New Aristocrat) and Yamaha 875 altos.

They _never_ fit right out of the package. You have to bend them, which is relatively easy. If you are not comfortable with bending them, have your tech do it, or at least take a look. Chances are they'll fit. Once they are on, they are great!

[dingfelder]

careful using rubber bands. didnt someone say rubber could mess up a silver finish ?

[Gange]

Dingfelder, you might have a point there. I haven't heard of it though, and may horns are not silver plated. Also my rubber bands have been there for 10+ years and I haven't had a reason to remove them so I don't know what it looks like underneath. :-)
I will also most likely not sell them. Ok, I was thinking of selling the soprano if I could find something with more guts, but I 1. don't have time to learn a new soprano, and 2. I got a newly purchased bari lying around at home so that cured the buying-a-new-horn-disease. At least temporarily...
Hmm, actually my soprano (yana S880S/G) is silver plated, but the keywork is lacquered.

How would rubber mess up the silver? By contact or just been inte the case? Would it tarnish faster/more or what?

[Stencilman]

How would rubber mess up the silver? By contact or just been inte the case? Would it tarnish faster/more or what?
From my understanding, sulfer is used in the process of manufacturing many types of rubber. Sulfer reacts with the silver. A rubber band with direct contact will eat right through the plating. Rubber bands that are in the horn case can produce sulfer gas and tarnish silver at a highly increased rate.

[awholley]

So does anyone know if the Runyon risers are safe on silver?

[sattva]

I used them once on my silver plate Mk6 with no ill effects on the silver. However, they did have a habit of falling off in the middle of a solo!

The gold plate on the Oleg risers is not very thick and the silver plate below is soon exposed with rubbing.

[goodsax]

I read somewhere that some riser users apply a kind of glue to prevent them from falling off. Does anyone know the best (read least damaging) kind of glue to use for this?

[Paul Coats]

For this I use a clear rubbery glue called E6000. It is made by Eclectic Products, and can be found in the craft department of Walmart, and in many hobby and craft shops.

If the riser is removed later, you can scrape the glue off with your fingernail, and it will not have harmed the lacquer or plated finish.

[goodsax]

Thanks, Paul. Good to "hear" from you again. As a quick update, the 520 is working out great. Used it last Thurs night at band rehearsal and it sounded excellent and in tune - I had a Korg CA-30 on the music stand the entire session and saw a lot of green (LED). Now maybe I'll be able to keep the risers in place.

[Paul Coats]

Rob, shoot me an email.

Paul