Woodwind instrument advice, reviews, care, repair & maintenance.

Whether you're interested in buying an instrument, maintaining your flute or clarinet, hints on saxophone repairs or just plain curious about woodwind - you'll find something to interest you here, presented in a clear and relaxed manner.

I'm hugely excited to be able to present the largest piece of work since the Haynes Saxophone and Clarinet manuals - namely the SHWoodwind F.O. Guide To Octave Key Problems.
Four years in the making, it aims to be the most comprehensive troubleshooting guide to octave mech ever published - and it's still not finished! Have a look, see what you think - and let me know if it helped you diagnose and fix a problem. And if it all gets a bit too much, there's an accompanying Notes article on why I wrote it.
There's also an update to my article on Oiling the action - for geeks, which details my tests on what I'm calling the 'multigrade method' of oiling the action. And if you have 20 grand to spare, check out the review of the Eppelsheim bass sax. Oh yeah.
As for the rest of the site, you'll find hard-hitting reviews that show no fear or favour; commonsense advice about looking after your instruments; myths debunkified; clear explanations and maybe one or two laughs. So fill your mug/glass/pipe/atty, give your mouse a buff and click on. You know it makes sense....

Latest reviews: "Don't blow it - bench it!"
New: The Eppelsheim bass saxophone. Put it on your bucket list.	Recent: A very British affair - possibly the best Hawkes & Son XX Century alto out there.
Recent: The (take a deep breath) Rare Saxophones Super Tone Series VI TS-7306L. Hmmmmm...	Recent: The Yanagisawa A500 alto. Get one now, before the prices go up.
Updated: The King Super 20 (Series V) tenor sax. Had a nice example come in, so took the opportunity to revamp my original 14 year old review.	Recent: Mauriat's knuckle-duster bari - the PMB-300UL.
The Mexican Conn 12M. It often gets a bad press - so let's see if it deserves it.	Recent: It's wee, it's in C - it's the Adler Symphonie C soprano.
It's 'foreign' and it cost twenty quid in 1938 - but just how super is the New Super Dearman alto?	Another 2012 built (126xxx) Keilwerth Shadow comes in for an inspection.
Supercharged - the Andy Sheppard Autograph series tenor.	Updated: The Mauriat 66R tenor. Buy something else. Updated (again): The Mauriat 66...the one without the rolled toneholes.
Handy Hints: Hints, tips and maintenance advice
New: The SHWoodwind F.O. Guide To Octave Key Problems. (Warning: It's long. It's very long. It's very long indeed.) Updated: New sections added 21/12/2018	Updated: Oiling the action - for geeks. Testing the 'multigrade method' of oiling.
Miscellaneous: All the other stuff...	Glossary: What does it all mean?
The Black Museum's latest exhibit: The dreaded school bari.	All you need to know about point (pivot) screws...and more.
Testing...Testing: What works, and what doesn't	Notes...from a small workshop
G# geometry - striking a balance between friction and functionality.	New: The end...of the octave key article.
Haynes saxophone & clarinet manuals	Benchlife...the workshop rolling blog
Everything you need to know about looking after your sax or clarinet.	A section devoted to the (almost) daily dabblings on and around the workbench. Latest entry: More oily fun.

All material on this site copyright Stephen Howard Woodwind, unless otherwise stated. 30/01/2019

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