John Korchok

Sometimes the case you have is not optimal for the sax that needs to fit in it: the case could be too generic, it could be old and in need of repair. It could be a low-A bari case that your Bb bari is swimming around in. The example I am using is creating a snug home for a C-melody sax out of a tenor sax case.

To create my custom-fit case, I bought some new lining fabric (I found some cool leopard-print velvet on-line) and an aerosol can of expandable insulation foam from the hardware store. I draped the fabric inside the case with lots of spare fabric to fit into the folds of the case. Then I uncovered one side of the case and sprayed about a 1″ layer of foam all over the inner well where the sax lies. I covered the foam back up with the fabric, then uncovered the other side and repeated the process, filling the well about 1″ deep. This used up the can and I covered the wet foam with the fabric.

Then, with a deep breath, I put the sax into the case, closed it and wrapped it with wire to keep it closed.

24 hours later I opened it: the foam had expanded enough to conform to the shape of the sax, but not so much I couldn’t get the sax out. Whew!

I trimmed the edge of the cloth to about 1/4″ inside the case zipper, then glued down the edges to the old liner fabric with transparent glue. There are a couple of pockets inside the case for the neck and mouthpiece, I cut and glued the fabric to fit as well as possible into them.

The end result is a perfect fit for my sax with absolutely no movement when it is inside the case, plus a custom look for the interior. Here is a photo: