My sax`s cleaning instructions didn`t make it clear if you swab out the neck and mouthpiece or not. Are you supposed to, or does it do damage. (If you can`t tell, I`m new at this).

I`m going to bring this to the top, in hopes that people actually see it. Does anyone know, I`m worried I`ll damage my sax.

You`re supposed to swab out the neck and mouthpiece but don`t use the same swab as you do with the body of the sax. You`re supposed to use a smaller piece of swab. I think u might damage the neck and mouthpiece if u use the big piece which is for the body.

By the way, the reason you swab it out is so that it is dry and nothing will grow in there that u dont want to grow in there :-)

Buy one (actuall 2) of those feather dusters (don`t remember what they`re called) for your sax. They`re easier to use than swabs. Push them in and out a couple of times and the horn is dry. You then leave them in the horn (small one in neck) and they protect pads. Much better than swabs.

Thanks everyone!

Bob - I don`t know if the saxophone is anything like a flute (which I play), but doesn`t leaving a wet padsaver swab keep the moisture against your pads, and damage them? I don`t know, it might be different on saxophone.

Thanks again,
Newbie

Unlike a flute the sax has leather pads. I`ve never seen a cow damaged by standing in the rain.

Seriously though, these things work. The brush seems to wick away the water and never appears wet or even damp. It tends to dry while you play the horn. I`ve been using them for 2 years. I`ve got friends who have used them successfully for 10.

I love them. They are called pad savers. They have them for clarinets also. I`ve never see on for a flute.

actually bob, leather can become "water logged". damamge to your pads is not the only thing that pad savers cause, they also leave moisture in the saxophone that bacteria can grow on and could make you sick, not to mention maybe eat at your laquer. using the pad saver is ok if you use it and store it outside of the saxophone, i suggest just using a swab a couple of times, plus a swab is a little more compact.