OK, sorry. The title was intended to stir up controversy. What I'm really asking is this:
How obsessive are you about instrument repairs? As a repairman, I see three general categories, sometimes with sub categories:
1. The best players in town
A. These people are often very conscientious about keeping their horns in good playing condition. That's how they make their living. Often they have another top quality spare horn for everything they play so I can take my time on complicated repairs. Usually I can make their horns play perfectly in an hour or less.
B. These players have one horn, and they can't leave it. They work every day, and their instrument looks like it. I usually have to put a coating of oil on their rusted springs (Florida air), and there is so much dirt inthe mechanism that I can hear it when I chip it off and it hits the ground (and you think I'm kidding). The horn needed an overhaul 3 years ago, but there's a gig in two hours. I try to isolate the really bad problems and fix them, along with anything that might hang up the player in the immediate future. Actually, this repair is my specialty. A long time ago I found myself where these guys are. I want a great playing saxophone, but I don't have thetime or money to wait for an overhaul. Even today, I don't obsess over my own horn. If it plays well, I leave it alone.
2. The people with more time than they need
A. Some of these people are professional players.
A tiny percentage of them are overly concerned about legitimate issues that can be overcome with practice, not repair, but in all fairness these customers deserve the top quality repairs that they demand, and sometimes a short lesson solves the problem more than the repair.
B. There are those who have genuine equipment problems, like the really good player who is playing on a wooden mouthpiece that has warped, but he insists the 'piece gives him the greatest sound ever - he just can't play in the low register.
3. Beginners, students, and sometimes everyone else
Most of my work involves those players who have basic, simple, mechanical problems or simple maintenanace problems. Perhaps I should have put this subject first. Get the leaks out and fix the mechanical problems and you're done. Most everything else just drives up the price.
Woodwind repairmen tend to be scrupulously honest, although there are glaring exceptions to the rule. Find the guy who fixes horns for the top players in the area and trust him - at least once. If the horn doesn't play up to your expectations, give the repairman a chance to make good. This is not an adversarial transaction, like many other deals. Most repairmen respect players and want to help. Give them a chance to provide their insight.
How obsessive are you about instrument repairs? As a repairman, I see three general categories, sometimes with sub categories:
1. The best players in town
A. These people are often very conscientious about keeping their horns in good playing condition. That's how they make their living. Often they have another top quality spare horn for everything they play so I can take my time on complicated repairs. Usually I can make their horns play perfectly in an hour or less.
B. These players have one horn, and they can't leave it. They work every day, and their instrument looks like it. I usually have to put a coating of oil on their rusted springs (Florida air), and there is so much dirt inthe mechanism that I can hear it when I chip it off and it hits the ground (and you think I'm kidding). The horn needed an overhaul 3 years ago, but there's a gig in two hours. I try to isolate the really bad problems and fix them, along with anything that might hang up the player in the immediate future. Actually, this repair is my specialty. A long time ago I found myself where these guys are. I want a great playing saxophone, but I don't have thetime or money to wait for an overhaul. Even today, I don't obsess over my own horn. If it plays well, I leave it alone.
2. The people with more time than they need
A. Some of these people are professional players.
A tiny percentage of them are overly concerned about legitimate issues that can be overcome with practice, not repair, but in all fairness these customers deserve the top quality repairs that they demand, and sometimes a short lesson solves the problem more than the repair.
B. There are those who have genuine equipment problems, like the really good player who is playing on a wooden mouthpiece that has warped, but he insists the 'piece gives him the greatest sound ever - he just can't play in the low register.
3. Beginners, students, and sometimes everyone else
Most of my work involves those players who have basic, simple, mechanical problems or simple maintenanace problems. Perhaps I should have put this subject first. Get the leaks out and fix the mechanical problems and you're done. Most everything else just drives up the price.
Woodwind repairmen tend to be scrupulously honest, although there are glaring exceptions to the rule. Find the guy who fixes horns for the top players in the area and trust him - at least once. If the horn doesn't play up to your expectations, give the repairman a chance to make good. This is not an adversarial transaction, like many other deals. Most repairmen respect players and want to help. Give them a chance to provide their insight.
Occasionally one of these will want the best repair but it is not very often.
