Do Dents Affect a Saxophone’s Sound?
Dents in an instrument can be stressful. I think that a lot of saxophonists can become stressed about how dents in their instrument will affect their ability to play. If this is an issue you are currently dealing with, then hopefully I will be able to help you. So, do dents actually affect the sound?
Dents in a saxophone will affect the sound if they are on the keys or near the neck. Dents in the keys can cause serious difficulties in playing, whereas dents in other areas will only cause intonation issues. Severity tends to be higher for dents that are larger and closer to the neck.
The good news is that dents in some areas (such as the bell) will cause almost no noticeable effect except in the lower register. However, dents certainly can be a problem if they occur elsewhere.
My goal for this article is to help you assess the likelihood that a dent will cause you problems.
Dent locations and their effect
I’ve listed below different locations on the saxophone, and how likely a dent in that location is to cause you problems.
A dent in a location is not guaranteed to cause the problems I suggest. Rather, I make generalizations on the effect that I think a dent would have. Dents are more likely to cause problems if they occur in an area that has a smaller diameter of tubing. Also, a dent can only affect sound that travels past it, meaning that dents low on the instrument are mostly harmless. My estimates below are based on these ideas.
| Dent location | Problems it may cause |
| A key | Key may not seal, and saxophone will become unplayable below the key |
| Neck | Intonation problems over full range |
| Near palm keys | Intonation problems over full range, but not as severe as if it were in the neck |
| Below palm keys | May cause some intonation issues, but is often minor |
| Bell | Causes minimal problems, possibly some minor intonation problems in the lower register |
A key
Whether you notice severe problems with a dented key or tone hole depends entirely on whether the key is still able to seal. If it is still able to seal, then consider yourself lucky – you’ll probably get away with only minor intonation problems.
If the key is not able to seal, then the key will leak and cause all the problems that leaks normally create. At worst, everything below that key will become unplayable. At best, you may notice some resistance and squeaks below that key. Either way, your instrument should get immediate repair if a key isn’t sealing properly.
One of the easiest ways to check if the dented key is leaking is with a leak light. You can also take your saxophone in for a repair, and the repair person can check it for you. If there is no leak and the dent is relatively low on the instrument, you might be able to get away without repairing it (though repairing it is still probably preferable).
Neck
Dents in the neck tend to be rather severe. Although they might not affect the tone of your instrument, they will most certainly affect the intonation. If you have a dent in your neck, I’d recommend checking every pitch with a tuner. You will most likely find that most of your pitches are quite off.
It is generally worth taking your neck in for a repair if it is dented. If you are using a relatively cheap neck, it may be worth getting a new one.
Of course, there is also the possibility that the dent doesn’t make your intonation worse. In the rare instance that it doesn’t (or that it actually makes the pitch better), repair or replacement may not be necessary. If the intonation of a saxophone is already flawed, sometimes a dent can make it better. It is certainly an acoustical anomaly if this does happen, but it isn’t unheard of.
Near palm keys
Dents near the palm keys are generally similar to dents in the neck, though slightly less severe. The diameter of the tubing near the palm keys is wider than that of the neck, so it is easier to play in tune with a dent near the palm keys than one near the neck.
One major downside to having a dent in this area is that you can’t replace it with a different part. Most necks for the same type of saxophone are interchangeable; the same is not true for the area around the palm keys.
Again, tune every note. Determine to what extent the dent is causing intonation problems, then decide if the issue is bad enough to warrant fixing.
Below palm keys
The area between the palm keys and the bell has a lot of keys, so if you have a dent in this area you’ll have to check whether the dent is impacting any of the keys.
If it is not, you can most likely get away without repairing it. I’d still tune every note after getting a dent in this area, but they often aren’t all that bad. The intonation issues are likely to be minor if present.
If you are playing in an environment with high expectations for playing in tune, it may still be worth repairing (as even being slightly out of tune can be problematic at the professional level). Unless you are actively gigging or focusing solely on a career playing saxophone, though, I wouldn’t worry about it too much.
Bell
Dents in the bell are the least severe, and will only ever affect your lower notes. Fixing a dent in the bell may not necessarily be worthwhile (practically speaking) unless you are 1) held to the standard that you always need to play perfectly in tune for every note, or 2) the dent affects one of the keys. You should still be able to play well with a saxophone that is dented in the bell.
The other downside of dents in the bell is that they tend to look ugly, but this doesn’t affect how you play.
Fixing dents
If you are interested in getting a dent removed, I recommend finding a trusted repair person. Ideally, you should find someone who specializes in the saxophone.
While you could technically do this yourself, I’d advise against it. Fixing dents requires specific pieces of equipment (such as a dent-removal rod and a magnet) which have a cost of their own. You can also botch dent repairs (it isn’t uncommon), so I’d recommend caution if you decide to go this route.
The price for dent repairs is generally under $100 for smaller dents, though this may increase for larger or multiple dents.
Conclusion
In short: dents affect intonation if anything, not tone. Whether the dent impacts the intonation depends on where the dent occurs.
I’ve been around during instances where peers of mine accidentally dropped their saxophones, and admittedly it’s a bit painful to see a newly created dent and worry that the saxophone is ruined. The good news is that it often takes more than a single dent to completely ruin a saxophone. You can usually still play it, and it might not even perform worse than it did before.
I hope that this article has given you a better understanding of how dents impact a saxophone’s sound.
