I know absoloutly NOTHING about the sax, Just bought one yesterday for dad, and.... blimey, this is gonna sound stupid! But, which way does the mouth piece go? with the wooden bit facing up or down? Only I don`t want to wrap it up, I want to set it up for him and leave it on the kitchen table on christmas morning!
So, reed facing up, or down?

Becky-Lu x

Down. If you need to know something, you could try searching for a picture of a set-up saxophone on the internet and go by that. Hope your dad likes his present.

I suggest NO REED ON MOUTHPIECE...no matter which way you face it there is a chance it might break.

I`d place the instrument on the table, watch his face when he sees it and then hand him the cup of water with the reed soaking in it.

Forgot....the cork (brown) portion of the neck goes up not into the instrument. My students ask me that all the time when they first begin to put it to gether.