Here is a story of engineering gone awry..... Back in the 80's a good friend wanted me to learn and take on instrument making and custom mods. Specific instruments were Classical Flutes, Clarinets, Oboes, and Saxophones. During that time, he was retained by several instrument makers as a consultant and tester of prototypes. Yamaha at that time wanted to knock off Selmer Saxes from the top position of preferred Sax played by the best. The Yamaha engineers and designers assumed that having a harder brass would provide better results as to longer intervals between adjustment and provide a crisper sound. Long story short the Yamaha Saxes keep leaking after 4 to 6 weeks of playing and testing, the Yamaha design group could not believe it. The computer modeling showed their design was better, more resilient. It was not......
Moral of this story, just because the numbers test shows it is better, does not always translate in to real live performance. ...... And..... the reason as it turns out, was the softer brass was more forgiving and could better handle the sloppy fingering pressing on the keys that so many players do without deforming or bending as quickly.
