How do you unstick a G-sharp key on a saxophone?

I’ve got the answer to your question. G# is a chronic problem for all saxophone players. Over the last 45 years I’ve tried all of the powders that actually end up compounding the problem and also sliding a dollar bill through as you put a little pressure to clean the 2 surfaces is only a temporary fix at best.

The best fix which I learned from my repairman in LA, Ivan Lukyanets is to use Lemon Pledge. It is totally clean, no harmful chemicals and leaves no residue.

Procedure: Use a Q-Tip and put a little of the Pledge on it and rub it on both the cup and really get it into the pad groove, and you’ll see the Q-tip get dirty as you clean thoroughly. You may need to use a couple of Q-tips. Finally just take a new Q-tip and do a final cleaning to get all of the residue of the Pledge off.

Easy as that, and keeps it clean usually for a couple of months. If you’re drinking any kind of drink other than water while playing the saxophone you’re likely to get a lot more stickiness problems from other keys as well like the low C# and Eb key, so cutting that out will also relieve the problem a bit. You could also have your repairman strengthen the spring slightly in case it’s too light.