[Dixielandjazz] Bates Sax Chain

Sat Dec 6 11:33:56 PST 2008

I do use a strap with my soprano.  The custom Yamaha is a little bit heavy 
and my thumb gets sore after awhile.  My other soprano is much lighter in 
weight and I didn't use one with it.

You are right about the Bates being hard to find.  At one time I had two.  I 
loaned one to a student who that night moved out of the state and we never 
saw the horn or the strap again. (some people will do anything for a Bates)

I was prepared to give the guy $50 for it.  He asked me what I would give 
for it and I hesitated a bit and he said how about $10.  I think they sold 
for $2 or less in the 50's.

They are no good for Bari although it wouldn't be hard to change out the 
chain.  I think some didn't like them because they tend to get tangled up. 
That is a bother until you figure out how to untangle the chain.  After that 
it isn't much of a bother.  When I first got mine I didn't like it because 
the strap sort of cut in to your neck and you would sweat under it but since 
I always wear collars now that isn't an issue.  I don't think they would be 
very comfortable for Bari without something under the strap to pad it.

I like the hook too.  You squeeze it just so it will go on the ring easy but 
won't fall off.  I have had other straps slip free from the hook.  I have 
only dropped a horn twice in my life and the neck strap coming free from the 
horn was the reason for one of the accidents.  The horn slipped off my lap 
as I reached to change a chart.  Today the hooks are either plastic or have 
a plastic coating on them.  Neither of them I trust or like.

I like that there is no give in the strap and they don't slip.  I played 
tenor in a parade to honor the Tuskegee Airmen once and used a new style 
strap with a lot of padding and some stretch.  It almost knocked my teeth 
out with every step.

 When you stand up to take a solo the strap needs to be slightly adjusted or 
at least for me anyway.  It's not that I can't use the same adjustment but I 
like to change it just a little and you don't have a lot of time to do it. 
It's that speed of adjustment that I like a lot.

I'm playing tonight with a band leader that allows almost no time between 
tunes.  By the time I get the tune opened up on the stand and change horns 
he's already counting off or sometimes we are already in the first several 
bars.  I just can't change charts, bend over, change horns, stand up and hit 
it without a pretty fast strap that won't get hung up on the ring or that I 
have to fool with.  He calls up about 20 charts on break or before the gig 
starts and just doesn't leave any time to do all the stuff I need to do 
without the Bates.

Some years ago I played a gig where one of the attendance prizes was a full 
length fur coat.  Some old guy won it and walked over to a young gal and 
dropped it in her lap.  She went screaming out of the place with her new 
coat.  That's what I felt like after the gig and the guy gave me the strap.
Larry
StL
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Paul Edgerton" <paul.edgerton at gmail.com>
To: "Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
Sent: Friday, December 05, 2008 7:19 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Bates Sax Chain

> Yeah, I'd buy one for $10 too, but they a basically impossible to
> find. So I wear multiple neckstraps when I'm doubling. Besides, I like
> a 2 inch neckstrap for the bari, but one inch or less for the alto.
> Tenor get's whatever is left. And who uses a neckstrap for soprano?
> This way, I get to look like something like Michael Phelps at the
> awards ceremony.
>
> -- Paul
>
>
> On Fri, Dec 5, 2008 at 3:41 PM, Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis
> <larrys.bands at charter.net> wrote:
>> I don't know if anyone has ever used a Bates Sax chain neck strap but at 
>> one time I owned two.  The one I currently have has been with me for over 
>> 50 years.  It broke about three weeks ago after more than 50 years of 
>> use.   I went to the local hardware store where I bought three feet of 
>> beaded chain and had it back like new in about 15 minutes.
>>
>> Why the Bates?  It's the fastest adjusting sax neck strap in existence 
>> which is worth it's weight in gold if you are a doubling musician.  It 
>> also locks in place and is capable of micro adjustment even while you are 
>> playing.  If you do shows where switching from one sax to another then 
>> you come to appreciate a quick adjusting strap.
>>
>> Yesterday I played a gig with a band that I don't play with very often. 
>> The lead alto player and leader of the band had one.  I told him that I 
>> would simply have to kill him or put out a hit on him to get his neck 
>> strap.  He offered to sell it to me for $10.  I instantly whipped out a 
>> ten and now I own a second Bates.  So he saved his life and I can give up 
>> my life of potential crime and quit stalking other sax players.
>>
>> The patents ran out years ago and I can't believe that anyone hasn't 
>> started making them again but then maybe nobody doubles much anymore.
>> Larry
>> St. Louis
>>
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