ALL GUITAR CHORDS SHEET

The F key cup is the topmost key cup on the right-hand stack. In this and the following pic notice a bit of corked metal extending from the side of the F key cup upwards and at a right angle to the chord of the cup's circumference. When installed on the horn, this arm extends over the key cup for the G note, which is the lowest pad and key cup on the left hand stack.

When the F key is depressed, this arm ensures that the G pad remains in its depressed position and maintaining a seal on its corresponding tone hole. When you play a note like the alternative fingering for Bb where you use the first finger of each hand, or low F# using the right hand middle finger, this arm keeps the G pad down so the notes play in tune, or play at all.

It's a small but very important part. On any saxophone, if the arm isn't adjusted correctly, the G pad won't close all the way and won't allow various notes to play at all.

The extension pictured here is more complicated that the same part on the earlier versions of the True Tone. On those, and most other saxophones (even today, it seems) the extension is a simple bar of metal with a flat underside. Cork is glued on the underside and filed down to a thickness that keeps the G pad closed but also allows the F key to fully close over its tone hole.

Buescher started installing this connector with a "rocker" cross bar late in the 1920's, I think around serial number 220,000 or so. It was not present when Buescher started adding the Front-F key and crescent-shaped pinky G# key at around serial number 200,000.

I guess it's supposed to make the operation of the connecting bar more precise and secure. The cross bar is attached with a screw rod running through on the perpendicular; you can barely see the slotted top of the screw at the flat end at the tip of the extension. The bar "rocks" on the screw. As you can see, you still have to apply cork and adjust that.

I am actually a bit dubious as to whether or not this is really an improvement over a solid bar. Could be it just made things a bit more complicated. It would be interesting to hear what a tech familiar with Buescher horns has to say about it.

The 'B' is for Bass. The serial number puts the manufacture of this saxophone in 1922. The L signifies that it is a low pitch instrument.