Saxophone Services
Estimates and Services quotes
Emergency Repairs and Adjustments (by appointment)
COA (Clean, Oil, Adjust)
“New” horn set-up
Mechanical Silencing
Instrument overhaul
My philosophical approach to saxophone repair
Estimates and Services quotes
“What will it cost to fix my saxophone?” It’s the most asked question I get. And my answer is, I don’t know! Every horn is different, every horn has a different need, and there are many levels of “attention” that a horn may require. To give you a quote I simply have to see an instrument. But to give you an idea, I currently charge $60 an hour for my work. If you come to my shop and your adjustment takes less than 30 minutes, I probably won’t charge you at all because it’s good business, and I love meeting new people and being helpful. But if it’s more complex, I will give you a free quote while you visit, which will include how long the repair will take, and an estimate of hours involved. Repairs will come with an invoice and a six month absolute guarantee. Included on your invoice will be a list of recommended upgrades and the cost of those upgrades should you desire them (but generally not related to the original repair). Often, many of these services need to be combined to produce the desired result. Having said this, know that I feel strongly that the customer should receive more than promised.
Emergency Repairs and Adjustments (by appointment)
I know what it’s like to have an impending concert when something unexpected happens to your horn days or even hours before the big performance (for example, a spring breaks, a pad falls out, low notes suddenly don’t work). As a working musician myself, I will make every effort to get you up and running again as quickly as possible, along with providing advice for longer term solutions. And I am happy to do this outside of the usual working hours.
Clean, Oil, Adjust (COA)
A COA is very much like general maintenance of your car and should happen on a regular schedule to keep your instrument from deteriorating. I suggest that you do this every two years or as necessary. During a COA your horn is disassembled, cleaned, old oil and other lubricants are removed and replaced, your horn is reassembled and any leaks and noises are removed. I can usually do this in 3-4 hours if your horn is clean and in reasonable good condition, 5-6 hours if it is not. On older horns this often is just a first step in a process that involves key fitting, new pads and replacement of touch materials (cork, felt, teflon, etc). $200-$400
“New” horn set-up
New-horn set-up can be as simple as giving an instrument a once over to mechanical silencing, adjusting key heights and spring tension, addressing tuning, and removing leaks that your seller didn’t address or that developed after a few hours of playing. Some instruments come from the factory nearly perfect, while other manufacturers are somewhat less diligent in this respect. Stop by for a free evaluation and a chat on the possibilities for your saxophone.
Mechanical Silencing
Professional musicians require the highest standard from their saxophones, and this includes a perfectly functioning and completely silent mechanism. Even the most expensive new saxophones can benefit from this service on some level. In most cases, all touch materials are replaced with upgraded materials (most often two differing materials taking the place of the original one), teflon and tech materials are added to any keys that need to glide against each other (for instance all of the left hand table keys). Lost motion is removed from keys, and pads that have become hard or brittle are replaced. Because an important part of silencing an instrument is cleaning and oiling, this service is only offered along with the COA, and the cost is added to that service. This generally takes ~4-5 hours. $200-$500
An Example
A good friend and professional saxophonist recently brought in his beautiful alto saxophone. He plays this instrument all the time, in many conditions. It’s a top work horn. It had become mechanically noisy, and had quite a few leaks. It was also very dirty and hadn’t been serviced properly in a few years. Although no pads needed replacing (some will need to be replaced very soon and are on order), quite a bit of key fitting needed to be done, the the horn took a long time to clean (including a lot of surface corrosion), and every cork and felt was changed to a new and better material. In the end it was about ~13 hours of work to get this horn back into shape, or about $800 labor+$50 in materials. But, he is very happy with the instrument as it plays better, and is quieter, than the day he bought it.
This is also an example of the value of purchasing a professional instrument over something else. My friend has a beautiful saxophone that he loves and knows how to play, and knows what to expect from. With care, this instrument will last a lifetime (or more - I regularly see instruments in good condition that are more than 100 years old). A $300 instrument from Amazon may seem like a good deal (and for a horn to play at the beach it might be), but these instruments fail quicker than a good instrument, are more difficult and expensive to repair, and as you can see from above, it would be cheaper to purchase a new one than repair, which simply isn’t sustainable for the world, or as an artist. Something to think about.
Instrument overhaul
This includes a version of the COA and Mechanical Silencing, but also includes new pads, all lost motion in the keyword is removed, and possibly springs replaced and spring tension balanced. You can expect your horn to have a silent mechanism that seals perfectly. This work is unconditionally guaranteed for two years. $1600-$2500.
My philosophical approach to saxophone repair
You wouldn’t think there is much, philosophically speaking, to think about in saxophone repair, but there is. For instance, what is your objective with an overhaul? Are you trying to restore your instrument to original condition? Do you feel strongly that the materials used in your instrument are original (or as original as possible)? Do you want firmer or softer pads? Do you need your older saxophone to “look” new (this last can be accomplished, but can also lower the value of your instrument)? Would you like your instrument to play better than when it was new (and I can do this by the use of new materials and/or horn modifications)? My approach, first, is to do no harm. Absolutely nothing will be done to irreparably change how your instrument functions without your approval. Also, even though I am a professional saxophonist with very strong ideas on how a saxophone should be set-up (key height, spring tension, key placement, etc.) I don’t impose my requirements on your horn without a good conversation. If you like the feel of your instrument, it won’t change without your approval. In the end, the instrument must meet both my standards and yours. It is expected that whenever possible, we work together at the end of the repair process to achieve the saxophone of your dreams (in other words, you play the instrument if you pick it up, and we make adjustments to get it just the way you want it). This time is expected and already included in the price of your repair. Let’s just call it the Happiness Clause in your invoice.
What I don’t offer
Re-padding
Some repair shops will offer a re-pad option in their service lists. I don’t offer this because I feel that without the COA and Mechanical Silencing I can’t achieve what I expect from my own saxophones, and I simply wouldn’t feel comfortable letting instruments out of my shop knowing they are going to need more work soon, work that I couldn’t guarantee.
Engraving
This is simply outside of my abilities. But I know just where to send you for this service!
Re-plating or re-lacquering
Although I can do “spot” versions of these, I don’t have the materials and tools to do either of these things on an entire instrument. But again, I can refer you to shops across the country that can handle something like this.
