FAQs

Instructions and Video Help for products?
Yes! Click Here. 



Guaranteed?

Yes. We're a family business striving to make great products that serve you well. If you aren't happy with a product simply contact us and we'll do all we can to make it right for you.

 

How do I fix sticky G# sax pad?

Key Leaves helps you totally prevent sticky G# key pads on your sax. Because when you leave open Low C# on modern saxes it also opens G# to air dry clean. And Key Leaves help you do that instantly and safely. Some early vintage saxes don’t link G# and C# but you can adapt Key Leaves sax key props to work on even early vintage saxes. 
LEARN MORE at KeyLeaves.com/HELP

 

Will it bend keys? 

No. We make Key Leaves sax key props from silicone that flexes and bends so your sax doesn't. We are sax teachers and parents so one of our design goals was, “make it safe enough for a 10 year old!” WATCH THIS DEMO

 

Safe in the case?

We discourage use of soft-wall gig bags because of their unsafe design. But one of our early product testers has been using Key Leaves sax key props in his leather gig bag since early 2017 without any trouble. Meet Nick Torretta. 

 

Safe for pads? 

Yes. All Key Leaves products leave keys open to dry without touching pad leather. That is the simple, natural beauty of our all our patented technology. Check out this user review focused on this concern.  

We do not recommend young students use Vent Vine™. It is a premium professional product that demands careful use or damage to pads may occur. When used properly, Vent Vine has been proven to radically improve pad life and the health of your horn. We provide detailed instructions and video so you can enjoy the full benefits of proper use. 

 

Safe for spring tension? 

Yes. Key Leaves products are absolutely safe for spring tension. Sax springs are designed to hold their spring for decades and decades of use. Our products open keys the same distance (or less) as normal playing. During more than three years of field testing with pros, teachers, and students, not one player expressed concern about their springs or any change in playing action.

If you look at the saxophone needle springs on Low Eb and C# keys they are almost 2" long. When pressed open the tip (not the core) of the spring moves about 1/8". That amount of movement is well under the movement needed to change the metal memory of the spring. Saxophone springs are designed to hold spring tension for decades and decades use. 

 

How much time does it take to use? 

It only takes seconds to use Key Leaves sax care products but they add years to the life of you saxophone. After basic practice...

 

Safe for my instrument finish?

Yes. Safe for silver, copper, bronze, vintage lacquer, wood and more.

 

Key Clamps for my sax? 

You cannot use key clamps and Key Leaves products at the same time. Clamping keys is sometimes useful when mailing saxophones or rough handling them as checked baggage but discouraged for daily use because clamping traps rotting moisture on the pad leather and tone hole. The best way to keep saxophone pads healthy and stable across all climates is to leave keys open to dry with Key Leaves. That said, there are players who use Key Leaves products daily and then clamp keys when they travel. For example, see this product review by Donna Schwartz. 

 

Side Bb, Side C and side F# keys... what about those keys?

The Key Leaves premium kit is so effective at preventing sticky saxophone keys, it even helps stop sticky side Bb, sticky side C and sticky alternate F#. By allowing clean air through the top and bottom of your sax, you help air dry the middle of the horn. We were happy to discover how well this worked during our intense field test, because sax cases press side keys closed and opening them proved risky.
 

Can Vent Vine™ be used with my own end plug or end cap? 

Yes. The Vent Vine™ has a Vent Cap™ to allows radical air drying of your sax. But you can choose the standard loop option during custom fitting and use Vent Vine with any end plug you like. One of our biggest fans on Instagram, The Sax Spy, uses Vent Vine with his hand-made wooden sax plugs. 

 

What do Repair Techs think about Key Leaves? 

Band instrument repair techs love Key Leaves and are some of our best dealers and endorsers. Sax repair techs prefer the preventative care of Key Leaves products. Notable world-class pro shops recommend Key Leaves, including Meridian Winds, MusicMedic, and Sax.co.UK pro shop. Here are some interviews with two Click here to meet some of the pros and repair techs who recommend Key Leaves. 

 

Soprano sax palm keys? 

We looked carefully at those high soprano keys and didn't feel right making a product for them. Almost every soprano sax case we found presses very tightly against the high palm keys and we felt the risk of damage was greater than the benefit.

To keep the high pads of your soprano sax healthy, swab your sax after playing then open the high pads and blow forcefully across the tone holes a few times. This blows away the dripping moisture so they don't go into the case totally soaked. It's a simple trick that also helps other saxes.

 

Bari Saxophone Vent Vine?

We do not offer a custom fit Vent Vine for baritone saxophone at this time. Most bari saxophone cases use intense padding and clamp force to hold the bari sax around the top crook. That prevents high pads from being opened safely to dry. We do strongly recommend you use a bari sax swab to keep the bari crook clean and we sell our favorite bari sax cleaner in our shop.