I had yet another question, and emailed Steve. He called me within an hour and patiently answered. Saxgourmet is the ONLY saxophone company where you can actually talk to the man who designed your stuff. Thanks, Steve!

I don't understand why more companies don't do this, but they don't. I rather enjoy answering the questions.

Hello, SaxFolks

I just wanted to share with you how I know Steve and what I think of him and his products. I was riding the trolley in New Orleans back in the early '90s, I think it was, and noticed a music store along the route. There was something different about this music store. Unlike most, this one didn't have its display windows full of guitars, amps, and drums. There were saxophones. Lots of them. Well, I pulled the cord and got off at the next stop and walked back to that store. As it turned out, a very good move on my part. I met Steve Goodson that day, who was working at that store, and spent nearly an hour hanging out with him and talking about saxophones. It didn't take me very long to realize I was talking with a REAL PRO.

I completely re-padded my 1963 Selmer MkVI tenor (that I bought new) in '93, and I did it myself. There just wasn't anyone anywhere near where I live in Colorado that I trusted with my horn. I did a pretty darn good job, if I do say so myself, and my horn was playing great. Just to be sure things were as they were supposed to be, I called Steve in New Orleans and made an appointment with him to have him look at my horn. I think he expected something worse than what he saw, since re-padding a saxophone is not something that amateurs usually do very well. After checking out my horn, he told me I'd saved myself at least $600 by doing the pads myself and that I'd done a very good job. He only needed to tweak a couple of things. And he convinced me to get a set of key clamps and use them religiously. THEY WORK! Since that day, I have purchased a new (used) mouthpiece from him, a new neck, and a neck enhancer. Each item made an immediate and startling improvement. A couple of weeks ago, I bought one of Steve's new copper necks with the built-in neck enhancer. WOW! I repeat. WOW! It took some adjustment to make the octave key work right on my horn, but once that was done, my horn began to sing like never before. So, if any of you are wondering if Steve knows what he's talking about, trust me. Steve's the real deal.

I thought I was the only one here who had know Steve long enough to remember the store on Magazine street! I used to stop in whenever I was in New Orleans. He kept a lot of vintage horns on hand then, always had pretty much at least one example of everything. The repair shop was like a visit to saxophone hell: Steve had at least six guys working in the repair shop in the back of the store, and called them his elves. There was an inflatable doll sitting on top of the bench presiding over the whole affair. The cigarette smoke in the shop was always so thick you could barely see, much less breathe. Ben Ellman was the foreman of the shop, this was before he became a rock star. Steve spent most of his time in the front of the store showing horns and answering questions. You never knew who would drop in to see him. On various visits, I met Masceo Parker, Michael Brecker, Charles Neville, and Blue Lou Marini there. I think he closed this operation sometime in the mid-90's to go 100% internet. It was quite a scene in the day. You had to be there to appreciate it.

The thing I remember about the Magazine street store was the big sign in the window that said (in two foot tall letters) "The Best Place to Take a Leak". Steve used to "hold court" after hours at the bar a couple of doors down the street. As long as you would keep buying him shots of top shelf bourbon, he would answer all your questions about saxophones, the state of the economy, or the meaning of life.

That sounds like a real deal to me! He has forgotten more about Saxophones than most people ever knew! I'm looking VERY Forward to becoming one of his students after getting myself moved to New Orleans. John