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Just Saxes is William & Myself

"Just Saxes" began as "just me," and up to now has been largely a one-man operation.   In the past few years, though, Just Saxes has grown a bit faster and larger in scale than I could have predicted.  I was fortunate, in 2002, to be able to hire and work with talented & able local professional musician, William Terry (Soul Rebels Brass Band, Cronk, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Counting Crows, Denise Marie, and more).  William has contributed generously of his time & good company to Just Saxes, when he's not too busy gigging, and with William's help Just Saxes has continued to grow.
 
 

About Me (Palo)

Currently at work on a Master's thesis at New York University, I originally moved to New Orleans to do research for that project.  Just Saxes grew naturally, and largely by accident, out of my own search for the perfect saxophone, and a few fortuitous introductions that led to an education in saxophone repair.  I was taught the basics of saxophone overhaul and repair by a local repairman named Joe Haddad (in Houma, LA).  Joe repairs wind and brass instruments, roughly according to the approaches taught at Allied Music in Elkhart, Indiana, and in the repair manuals by Ronald Saska and Eric Brand.  What I learned from Joe has been fortified, and sometimes improved upon, through many conversations with numerous saxophone technicians who have been very generous with their knowledge and time, as well as by hands-on instruction and contact with many horns (and thereby the work of many other repair persons).

Because hundreds of horns have now come through my hands, and because I've had many of the most famous repairmen in the U.S. perform repairs on my horns while living in NYC -- e.g. Roberto in NYC, Rod Baltimore at Rod Baltimore's in NYC, Emilio Lyons at Rayburn in Boston -- I've been able to observe firsthand many of the strengths and weaknesses of various repair approaches.  I've also had the work of numerous unknown repairmen pass through my hands, and have taken their work apart and often learned both what to do (and not to do) from examining their work.  I've had the benefit of reviewing both good work by lesser known techs, and poor work from better known ones, and owe these experiences a great deal, in my own repair education.  My greatest thanks, however, go to Joe Haddad, to whom I owe an enormous debt of gratitude, for his willingness in generously, and in the genuine spirit of sharing, imparting his own overhaul techniques with me on my first rebuild.  I owe an additional thank you to a fine player, teacher, and repairman in Brooklyn named Martin Krusche.  Martin was my first saxophone teacher, and his work on my own horns was the finest I encountered while still receiving repairwork by others; his repair work is widely recognized "on the ground" as among the best in the world, and Martin's standard has always -- even in his absence -- been my first reference point in measuring the progress of my own work & competency.
 
 

About William

William Terry came to Just Saxes through an introduction by a mutual friend, at a birthday party.  I knew William through his tenor and soprano work with The Soul Rebels Brass Band, and knew that a player as serious as William is about saxophone technique would be a natural for repair work, because quality repair really comes down to detail of attention and, simply, focus.  William is also an extremely quick study, as is evidenced by his status as perhaps New Orleans' only practicing brass/string/woodwind "triple threat."  William has toured with some of New Orleans' most well-loved acts on not only saxophone but tuba and bass as well.  I'm more than fortunate that William wanted to study saxophone repair, as much for his good company as the quality of his assistance -- not to mention his example as a saxophonist and musician.
 
 

 Mission

I came to saxophone collecting and repair simply through my own search for good equipment, and in particular an enthusiasm for vintage saxophones.  Just Saxes grew naturally out of my own search, as a player, and I approach Just Saxes business as a player first.  My guiding principle, in all aspects of Just Saxes' operation is to simply be fair, and forthright, and to give my best effort, to both customers and myself.  I know how difficult it is to find a repairman, or a saxophone dealer, in whose hands one can genuinely place one's trust without fear of having that trust abused.  Indeed, the reason I started doing repair in the first place was that I found it difficult myself to find dependable and top-flight repair close-to-home, after moving to New Orleans.  Because I know from experience how much it means to a player to find a repairperson, or saxophone dealer, who really is "on the up & up," I see it as an honor to be entrusted with the care of others' instruments, and with buyers' confidences.  I won't ever try to "sell you a bill of goods," or to "get over" on you by abusing my position as trusted consultant.  For me, any breach of good faith toward a player who has entrusted me with her/his horn insults us both.

I always try do the best repair I possibly can, and to go the extra yard in getting saxophones to respond optimally.  I want my own saxophones to be as perfect as possible, because I know very well the difference between work that is "passing" and work that is top-rung.  I don't want to suffer through the myriad, unnecessary embouchure/airstream/oral cavity adjustments one has to make when dealing with a poorly regulated horn, and I take my responsibility to others very seriously.  I've suffered myself through my share of half-hearted repairs on my own horns -- sometimes done by very renowned repair persons (or more often their assistants) -- and I don't want to put any one else through that.  Every saxophone that I sell is checked, rechecked, and checked yet again - twice - before it goes out the door.  Every overhaul is played by, at the minimum, myself and Will, throughout the adjustment phase; whenever possible I solicit the impressions of additional professional players in order to further check the work's rigorousness.

Retailwise, JS's mission has always been, & always will be, to find the best possible equipment and horn/set-up matches to meet musicians' needs, and to make these items available at the best possible price, under the best possible conditions, for musicians of all abilities.  In many instances, you'll find that retail prices found here are the lowest not only in the US but the world.  Every retail item account that exists at Just Saxes was originally opened because I myself wanted to buy the products offered through them, for my own use.  Business decisions at Just Saxes are always made from a player's perspective, and moreover from the perspective of players whose own main instruments are vintage horns (I play vintage Conn, or custom Conn, primarily, and up until recently Will's tenor of choice was a 10M as well).  Enabling saxophones to perform at their best -- whether it be through attention to the horn itself, its interaction with the mouthpiece, or its long term care and preservation -- is always the first priority, here.
 
 

A Few Notes on Internet Selling

Some of the horns at Just Saxes will be listed on eBay, on occasion, but most will not.  Since putting this site up, and at this writing, most horns sell before I have a chance to fully list them, whether locally or by mail-order (indeed, a good number sell before there is time to list them on the website at all).  Additionally, as time passes, and as is natural for a new business, local business has continued to grow at the speed of word of mouth, and this growth tends to pick up momentum over time.  While there isn't always time to attend to updates to this website as often as I'd like, I make every effort to keep this site and the inventory pages up to date.  If you see an item listed anywhere on this site, it most likely is in stock and the listing current; I generally am able to make updates on a by-need basis, but I also try to make thorough updates on a roughly on a bi-weekly basis at a minimum.

I fully recognize - more so every day as I myself find more and more of my own shopping taking place online - that shopping online can be a harrowing experience (especially, for some reason, when shopping for things like electronics and cameras).  When you phone or write Just Saxes, though, you are always dealing with me directly, the proprietor and owner, and there is no such thing as "passing the buck" or "front-line" customer service.  I recognize that, in large part because internet shopping does tend to be more stressful, doing business at a distance actually requires greater consideration, in many ways, than doing business face-to-face.

*Thanks, sincerely, for visiting, and for taking time out to read, here*
P. Tung
New Orleans
inquiries@justsaxes.com

last updated:  10.25.03