Craftsman Ship

At Aizen, we make our mouthpieces with absolute and dedicated precision, with a meticulous hand-finished touch. Our process creates completely reliable, uniform pieces of the very highest quality.

While we can’t give away all the details, let’s take a look at the Aizen manufacturing process:

Step 1Step 1
　To hold it steady when being engraved, the mouthpiece is firmly fixed to a support surface. The engraving tool has a point of 0.5mm, but the carved line is 0.3mm in width.

Step 2Step 2
　After the hand-craft work is finished, Aizen mouthpieces are sandblasted and each one is given a uniform matt finish, creating a sophisticated look. At the same time, this process improves the harmonics and gives a richer sound quality.

Step 3Step 3
　Next, the shank is shaped using a lathe. When the shank is at the ideal length, the sound can be controlled to the maximum degree.

Step 4Step 4
　Using a specially-developed process, the table of each mouthpiece is filed to make it perfectly flat. When the table is horizontal, the air flow is at its best. At this point, the facing is also shaped to just the right length.

Step 5Step 5
　A very slight depression is hand-crafted into the center of the table. This keeps air flow resistance to a minimum, and also gives a richer, more harmonic sound. Using a special technique, we check that the facing curve is precisely symmetrical in each mouthpiece.

Step 6Step 6
　Vintage mouthpieces tend to be different from each other even if they’re the same make and model. But at Aizen, we’ve added modern computer technology to traditional hand-finishing skills. This means that we can keep variations to the absolute minimum.That’s right. No Worries. It’s an Aizen.The production process at Aizen takes such time and labor that, to guarantee the highest possible product quality, our current output is limited to five saxophone mouthpieces per day.

Step 1Step 1
　Today, most saxophone makers shape the sax body by machine. Not Aizen. We handcraft our sax bodies with wooden mallets, in a traditional hand-hammering process.

Step 2Step 2
　Metal hammers damage the sax metal and have a negative impact on the sound, so we only work with wooden mallets. This gives us a richer and more reverberating sound, with less resistance. The hand-crafted body is harder and more durable than a machine-made product. The bell, body and u-bend are all made using the hand-hammering process.

Step 3Step 3
　The parts are now finally finished by hand-hammering.

Step 4Step 4
　Before drawing out the tone holes, openings are created in the body. Each tone hole is mechanically checked and adjusted to make sure that the sound will be right.

Step 5Step 5
　The tone holes are now drawn out. The templates are double-checked, and the machine is polished every time a sax body is passed through. We also polish each and every sax body each and every time inside and out. In this way, we end up with perfect tone holes and no scratches on the body interior.

Step 6Step 6
　The tone holes are polished to make the rims perfectly smooth and even. Unevenness can cause a lot of problems later, such as damage to the tamp pad, etc.

Step 7Step 7
　Next, we make the key parts. All Aizen key parts are molded and pressed, making sturdy, durable keys. This allows.Kcy adjustments of saxophones laast etc.

Step 8Step 8
　The keys are polished using a specialized apparatus. They’re very carefully surface-polished in order to make even the finest parts smooth. This polishing process is where the Aizen saxophone’s outstanding beauty comes from.

Step 9Step 9
　The key posts are now blazed with silver solder. This is a vital step in the process, and it takes a lot of care and experienced craftsmanship. The keys are worked on over and over, until they are fully uniform in appearance.

Step 10Step 10
　Now we craft the neck. Pitch, tone, resistance and feel are all influenced by the slightest variation of angle. Our experienced craft workers have to focus one hundred percent to handcraft the neck in just the right shape, at just the right angle.

Step 11Step 11
　After the tone holes are formed, they are cleaned with a chemical detergent. Then they are buffed smooth, cleaned out with a compressed air jet, and lacquered. After lacquering, they are once again polished to a smooth finish.

Step 12Step 12
　At this point the parts are assembled. All key posts are electronically measured to make sure that even the smallest parts are correctly aligned and positioned. This is another step in the process that requires great skill and experience.

Step 13Step 13
　Now the saxophone is skillfully hand-engraved by experienced craft professionals. Once started, the engraving has to be done through to the end without a single mistake. So, absolute concentration is called for here, too.

Step 14Step 14
　The overall balance is now checked, and the tamp pads are added. Balance is checked by highly skilled professionals, and the tamp keys are made as even as possible for a soft key touch. Your Aizen is now ready for shipping and ready for playing as soon as you take it out of the box.