Vibratosax

The Grafton saxophone was an Alto saxophone with a plastic body, available between 1950 and approx. 1968, which had very good musical properties and therefore was, amongst others, played by some of the biggest legends of Jazz, namely Charlie Parker[2] and Ornette Coleman.[3][4]

The saxophone however had, besides its high weight, the disadvantage that the ivory-tinted acrylic, which was shaped using low-pressure molding, tended to be very brittle,[4] so that the body got easily damaged irreparably, especially on the bow. The high weight was mainly caused by the mechanics, which had been comparatively conventionally made from metal. The manufacturer had to cease production after only a few years due to – in relation to the rather low sales price – high production costs and low market acceptance.

Because of the improvements made in plastic quality and manufacturing (keyword: thermoplastic injection molding) over the past 50 years, the Bangkok-living entrepreneur and passionate saxophonist Piyapat Thanyakij decided in 2009 to revive the concept of a plastic-made saxophone, with its advantages over traditional metal-made saxophones – i.a. low weight, robustness (when using modern plastics), consistent and precise reproduction of the body parts – and named the new instrument series Vibratosax.

The first edition was offered in two models, which differed in the body material used, and have been made distinguishable through differently colored pads. The A1 (light grey pads) was a bit cheaper and had a slightly "darker and warmer" sound as the A1S model (orange pads).

The A1 is made of Bayer's blend, a blend of polycarbonate and ABS plastic.[5] The ABS gives elasticity and flexibility, while the polycarbonate provides resonance.[5] The A1S is made of solid polycarbonate.[5] This denser material gives extra resonance, and a more projected and focused sound.[5] The A1 has a darker and warmer tone when compared to the A1S.[5] The "S" in A1S stand for solid, in reference to the A1S' denser and more solid design.[6] The instrument is available in different Colours and even in a transparent Version.

Due to the consequent use of plastics (besides the body, also in the mechanics) Vibrato instruments are very light-weight. The A1 models for instance weigh approx. 850 grams,[7] which is roughly just a third of conventional Alto saxophones, which typically weigh more than 2 kilograms.[8]

The saxophones are also very immune to mechanical damages and corrosion, which has been impressively demonstrated through a video, in which the Hawaiian saxophonist Reggie Palida is playing a Vibratosax A1S while surfing, on, in and "below" the water.[9]

The body is assembled from numerous glued parts. The main body tube is divided in six sections lengthwise, the bow, bell and neck consist of two mirrored halves each. The mechanic consists of smaller plastic parts which are mounted on hexagonal aluminium rods.[10] The individual keys are secured with screws onto the body. Coil springs are used throughout. The pads are made from Silicone[10] and are mounted glue-free with the mechanics for easy replacement and are self-leveling. They move on a pivot to better cover the entire tone hole with less finger pressure required by the player.[11]

The only bigger metal part is a brass tube at the end of the neck, which accepts the mouth piece with a rubberized foam coating instead of traditional cork. The instrument can be played with any mouth piece for Alto saxophones. Furthermore it is comes with an included mouth piece, which is white, just like the body. The neck-body connection is sealed with an O-ring and has unusually small, bottom mounted mechanic.

• Vibratosax Homepage
• A full description of the A1
• A full description of the A1S