Factory Tour-P.Mauriat Saxophone




Finally comes the task of assembly. Saxophones have a huge variety of small but sophisticated parts. Take for example the movable "keys" that are pressed to open or close "tone holes" in the sax, thereby determining which note is played. Each key is made up of more than 20 pieces, and each sax not only has 12 keys, but each key has a different shape and construction. This is why the final assembly stage requires the greatest amount of experience and skill of the whole sax making process.


Because there inevitably remain some minor imperfections when all the parts have been attached, after assembly micro-adjustments must be made to correct any remaining flaws; at this point everything depends on the individual skill and experience of the craftsman.

When the assembly stage is complete, the craftsman will insert a small "leak light" into the body of the horn, to see if there are any leaks around any of the tone holes. In the past, before leak-light testing was invented, craftsmen would blow cigarette smoke into the horn; it took about two packs to test each horn. We can assure you that this is no longer done !!