Spa Day
It’s a spa day for this Muramatsu SR. When was the last time you had your instrument serviced? Every horn needs a day off for pampering! Contact the shop today.
What About Woodwinds?
Almost exactly a year ago we posted an article with this same topic. What about the woodwinds? Do you need to chemically clean them? The answer is both yes and no. Yes you do if you have a metal instrument … Continued
Why is annual maintenance so important?
Practically every day in our repair shop we come across emergency repairs. What we discover is that these repairs are not a result of a traumatic injury but rather a slow break down over time from lack of regular maintenance. … Continued
Bassoon Bocals for Beginners
The Bassoon is one of the most intimidating instruments in the band but when you break it down it’s really not that complicated at all! The first thing to understand about bassoons is at the top of the instrument, the … Continued
All screws are not created equal!
Recently in the shop we have come across several instruments that have the incorrect screws in the posts or guards. We are here to tell you that NOT all screws are the same and they are definitely not interchangeable. There … Continued
What do you do about sticky pads?
We have all been there. You are in a practice room or on a stage and that dreaded silence killer comes back to haunt you, the sticky pad! Before we can address how to fix the sticky pad we need … Continued
Overhaul or Lamp? Woodwind Edition
We see so many instruments at the beginning of the school year that have been hiding out in a closet for the last twenty or so years just waiting patiently for someone to play it again. When it emerges from … Continued
Clean your mouthpieces!
In our shop the technicians have their own mouthpieces to play test every instrument that they repair. It’s a good thing too because the mouthpieces that we see in the cases are gross!!! We often go over swabbing out woodwinds … Continued
Oiling Key Mechanisms
Too many times this year we have had the displeasure of trying to remove an extremely rusted hinge screw from a binding key and post. There is a very simple solution to prevent your instrument from looking like this: … Continued
Aren’t all pads the same?
Let’s talk about pads! Many times we will be asked to change a pad in a woodwind instrument on-site or bring a pad with us to replace (i.e. “Can you bring a Bb pad for a clarinet? An Eb pad … Continued