Just send it to the shop! Recently we have had several instruments come in that were in worse condition than they had to be. Why? Very “Good Samaritans” tried to fix something and ending up doing more damage. The number one case we see with this is stuck mouthpieces. A trumpet player got their mouthpiece stuck and someone took a pair of pliers to the mouthpiece to try and remove it. Now instead of a free mouthpiece pull they are paying to buy a new mouthpiece, solder on two braces, and replace one broken brace. The best advice we can give to do-it-yourselfers is: if you can’t repair it easily, NEVER use force – just send it to the shop! You will thank us later.
