– Est 2001 –
– Now based in Palo Alto, CA, pick-up and drop-off service available in Live Oak / Santa Cruz –
Please note: Hostmonster tech support utterly decimated my website this November (2023). The good news, there: I have changed providers and will redo the whole site bit by bit, so it will soon cease to be as outdated as it has been. The bad news: the whole site will be a mess for a while! Please write for info and updates any time (the “Contact” page is working), with the knowledge that I am not taking a lot of repair work at the moment. Info on the site is mostly up to date, but stock is sometimes lower than noted, and some costs have recently changed. I do have a lot more mouthpieces than are listed or generally known (I have been refacing for a few years now, and will be releasing stock retail pieces soon, beginning with a very good C-Melody mouthpiece). I will update and work on the website as time allows!
Just Saxes is a one man operation, specializing in saxophones (and only saxophones) since 2001. At times, especially during Just Saxes’ first 10 years in New Orleans, I have hired some staff, but for the foreseeable future it’s going to stay “just me,” responsible and accountable for all aspects of service.
A vintage saxophone enthusiast myself, restoring and fine-tuning vintage and classic saxophones has always been primary, and after 20 years of obsessively tinkering with and experimenting equipment — serving all levels of clientele from established virtuoso players to passionate beginners — my specialty is understanding what is going on with players and equipment, and finding ways to improve players’ experience, progress and pleasure in playing. Sometimes my job is just to repair and optimize the saxophone. Sometimes it is to discover and repair a different issue in the combination of factors that make expression easier and more rewarding or more difficult and challenging.
I buy and sell only those instruments and equipment that I know to be good candidates for professional quality performance. When you purchase a saxophone from Just Saxes, you can be sure it is up to the requirements of any musical demand. While some musical contexts certainly favor certain equipment over other equipment — for R&B a Martin tenor, or for swing a Conn Chu Berry Tenor, or a Buffet Superdynaction or Buescher True-Tone for classical — and while best choices vary according to many factors including skill level, we can work together to determine just the right fit.
A newer fascination for me is mouthpiece work, and that will be reflected in Just Saxes retail offerings more and more as time passes. The experience of playing is only as good as the weakest link in sound production. I’m here to shore up any and all weak links and impediments toward the full enjoyment and expression of each person of their particular instrument. For the best result, all aspects contributing to tone and sound production — expression — should be as optimal as practically possible. For each player, the best choices are common (communal, even), but unique. One player’s “holy grail,” is another’s “ugh, thanks but no thanks,” even in some cases when two players may have similar sonic goals. The job is to match players to the equipment and specific combinations that suit each individual best, and to remove any impediments to the freest, fullest, most rewarding playing experience.
