Factory Tour-P.Mauriat Saxophone


Initial Shaping

The carefully selected brass material is cut and folded. Then the initial shape of the bell will go through an annealing process (heated and cooled slowly) to allow the horn to be flexible during the shaping process.

Hand Hammering

After the process of initial bell forming, each bell will be hand hammered to a final shape by P.Mauriat's experienced technicians. Each bell needs to be hand hammered hundreds of times to achieve the famous P. Mauriat sound. The Hand-Hammering process not only makes the metal harder and more rigid, but also gives P.Mauriat saxophones a great resonance, ring, and longer durability. P.Mauriat insists on applying the Hand-Hammering process instead of sending the instrument through a machine to shape it because we believe that only the most classic and traditional Hand-Hammering process can give our saxophones a great sound.

Hand Burnishing and Finishing

P.Mauriat's technicians will carefully examine the hand hammered bell and eliminate any that have even a tiny defect. The selected bells will be hand burnished and annealed again to prepare for the surface finishing process.

The first step in making a sax is the shaping of the bell and body of the horn. To create the bell, a sheet of brass is cut according to a pattern and then the edges are welded to form a bell-shaped circle. The shape is carefully refined into and elegant curve by placing it over an iron form and pounding it with a wooden mallet. If a metal hammer is used, the brass will be stretched and flattened, becoming increasingly thin, affecting the consistency of the tone. When shaping the bell, the process of cooling must also be carefully controlled, so that the metal does not become brittle and crack. After two or three hours of hammering. as the brass becomes tempered, the metal's sound reflection properties improve, which increases the resonance of the instrument. Soldering comes next. After being cleaned in borax in order to dissolve away impurities, the body and bell are sealed together by silver soldering them at a temperature of 700°C. However, when smaller parts are attached to the body, low- temperature "soft" soldering is used, for fear of damaging the horn. During the soldering of the bell and the body, because the brass includes zinc or tin, oxidization will produce bubbles. So it is necessary to beat the soldered seams with a 　　　metal hammer to increase their density, and then they must be buffed flat. Only when there are no visible marks of the soldering process can the sax be considered finished.