Looking for rocking thumbrest

[max]

Hey SOTW, long time, no post!

I have the "pearl button" thumbrest on both my tenor and my alto. I had an SML soprano for a bit, which had the rocking thumbrest (although it had been "derockified").

I really liked the feel of it, and would like to switch the thumbrest on my tenor to one (I'll do the alto too, if I can get my hands on two of them).

Anyone have one leftover from switching it out, or a beater parts horn that I can swipe it from?

Thanks!

[hafuch]

Hi Max,

For what it's worth, the rocking thumbrest mechanism is a fairly simple one, so actually making one from sheet brass should not prove overly involved. The only problem I foresee in your case is that you have the pearl button-type thumbrest. To replace that with a rocking thumbrest mechanism, you would have to remove it entirely and solder onto that same spot a suitable mount that will receive the rocking thumbrest mechanism.

I have seen an SML tenor that featured a remade rocking thumbrest mechanism to replace a missing original one. When I saw it, the original rocking thumbrest plate had been removed or lost, although the mount receiver for the thumbrest plate remained attached to the saxophone body tube just where it should have been: immediately below the octave key. Apparently, only the rocking thumbplate was missing.

The skilled repair tech simply cut a small sheet of brass of the correct thickness to the appropriate size (which which he obtained from the rocking thumbrest mechanism of a comparable SML sax). He then soldered onto the back of the brass thumbrest plate a threaded mount that fit into the existing receiver mount that was still on the SML saxophone body. He slid a small rod-like screw (about 1.5 cm long) into the receiver, through the mount attached to the body tube, and voilà: the famous SML rocking thumbrest was restored. The final result was indistinguishable from the original (save, perhaps, for the lack of wear on the new brass thumbrest plate, a situation quickly remedied with some regular practice, I'm sure!).

Bear in mind, though, that this horn originally featured a rocking thumbrest mechanism of which only the thumbrest plate had been either lost or damaged. This sounds fundamentally different from your pearl button-type thumb rest, but I figure, in principle, such an installation would require only that a suitable receiver mount be soldered onto the body tube below the octave key at the point where the pearl button-type thumbrest was prior to removal.

As much as I like the SML rocking thumbrest, I'm not sure it would be worth it (to me, that is) the trouble or the scars this would leave on your horn in the end. But then again, this is a decision you would have to make, not I.

I do hope hearing about this little experience helps you in some way, though.

[max]

Thanks for the detailed info!

As it turns out, I found a tenor with a rocking thumbrest and it turned out to be an even better player than my horn! It's only got about 5% of its lacquer left, so I was able to pick it up fairly cheap, but now it's my main player.

And I really do like the rocking thumbrest... I don't care so much about the rocking as I do the big flat surface, but the rocking is nice, too.

[CraigH]

Thanks for the detailed info!

As it turns out, I found a tenor with a rocking thumbrest and it turned out to be an even better player than my horn! It's only got about 5% of its lacquer left, so I was able to pick it up fairly cheap, but now it's my main player.

And I really do like the rocking thumbrest... I don't care so much about the rocking as I do the big flat surface, but the rocking is nice, too.

So in the process of looking for a new thumbrest, you ended up with a different tenor? I'm going to try that on my wife...hey, honey...I need a new tenor, this thumbrest just isn't working out for me....;)

Hey Max, just giving you sh*t

Craig

[NissanMarkVII]

I did that w/my Zephyr. Only, I bought the one I have now w/out permission, and sold the other one. Easier to ask forgiveness, then to ask permission sometimes!

[DaddyRabbit]

Could someone post a pic of a rocking thumb rest? As an SML fan, I've never encountered one. Thanks

[max]

Thanks for the detailed info!

As it turns out, I found a tenor with a rocking thumbrest and it turned out to be an even better player than my horn! It's only got about 5% of its lacquer left, so I was able to pick it up fairly cheap, but now it's my main player.

And I really do like the rocking thumbrest... I don't care so much about the rocking as I do the big flat surface, but the rocking is nice, too.

So in the process of looking for a new thumbrest, you ended up with a different tenor? I'm going to try that on my wife...hey, honey...I need a new tenor, this thumbrest just isn't working out for me....;)

Hey Max, just giving you sh*t

Craig

It really was something like that... I was planning to swap out the thumbrests and then flip the new one, but it turned out to be such a good player that I kept it.

I finally decided to sell my Selmer Series II (the one I got in college) in order to fund it (which it did, and then some). :D

[max]

Could someone post a pic of a rocking thumb rest? As an SML fan, I've never encountered one. Thanks
Actually, mine is currently in pieces at my tech's - I decided to pull the trigger on an overhaul.

Here's a real purdy one that shows it, though:
http://www.saxpics.com/cpg143/albums/sml/revd/tenor/silver/1457x-wws/after/ALSSML9.JPG

You can see it in profile, and can see that it has the rocking mount. I wish I could find a shot of the thumbrest itself - it's a flat metal plate. Sometimes you see them with the rocking mount, and sometimes they're just mounted onto a post so they don't rock, but they're still really comfortable.

Okay, so I guess they're not any more comfy than the modern large flat round plastic thumbrests, but they're worlds better than the smallish rounded pearl thumbrests.

[DaddyRabbit]

Thanks. I have tenor and alto Rev.d, both fixed. As I said, I've never even seen one.