Repair shop etiquette

[AtomicClock]

Let's say the TC brain trust recommends a repair tech. "Go see Igor at Madman Music." Does that mean I should walk into Madman Music, and insist that only Igor can touch it? Or just drop it off at the service desk, and trust that Igor will watch over the work he delegates?

[Bach5G]

At the LMS, I will ask to talk to the person who will be doing the work. They’re the experts.

[Bonearzt]

When you visit the store, ASK for such and such tech.

[AtomicClock]

I often find myself visiting the store on weekends, when there is only a skeleton crew; no techs. And regardless, it won't be worked on right away. A 2-3 week backlog is pretty normal.

[tbdana]

I'd call Madman Music ahead of time and ask to speak to Igor. I'll tell Igor that I trust only him (though he knows because I've dealt with him before), and inform him of the problem, then ask him when I can bring the horn him to work on. I make an appointment, then show up and ask to see Igor, so that I deal only and directly with him.

I'm super picky about slide work, as are lots of folks, and repair shops generally understand that. Certain guys develop a reputation for slide work and stores are accustomed to trombone players (especially professionals) wanting to deal only with the "slide guy." And, added benefit of having a personal relationship with a slide guy, shops will often let someone who makes a living with the horn leap frog over the students and others waiting for service, and get the work done quickly.

[hyperbolica]

Due to experience, I'm very cynical about local shops. You leave your instrument with the person at the desk, and the person doing the work ignores whatever I said and looks at the horn from the school instrument repair perspective.

I may actually get the work done that I asked for, but probably not. Last time I took a bone with a wrinkled valve knuckle and asked the owner that it be repaired up to replacing the valve. I got it back and they just put a mandrel in the slide receiver and bent it a little to increase the gap between the slide and the bell.

We have 2 different shops in the area, and they both look at everything as if its some version of a school repair. I tried to get a plug-in valve made, and I just picked up a half-assembled managerie of parts after 8 months. Custom work or anything where you ask for something specific takes an entirely different frame of mind. I'm going to have to start driving 3-4 hours to get to a shop where I can get real work done. I used to send stuff to Paul Abel, who was a friend from college days, but he has sadly passed, and I haven't yet picked a new favorite.

Just be aware that part of the etiquette is understanding if a shop is mainly a school repair shop or a real pro shop.

[ghmerrill]

Due to experience, I'm very cynical about local shops. You leave your instrument with the person at the desk, and the person doing the work ignores whatever I said and looks at the horn from the school instrument repair perspective.

I think this depends very much on where you live, how close a "real" repair shop is, and whether you're going to a "music store" of some sort or to a dedicated "repair shop". I've had nothing but good results around here because (over virtually the past 40 years) there have always been several very competent REPAIR shops in the Raleigh/Durham/RTP area. So I was always talking directly to the person who would be doing the repair. Absent that, I don't think I'd take any of my horns to a shop using an alternative approach. But if you don't have such a genuine repair shop (even as part of a larger organization -- like Tuba Exchange, for example) locally, then you're stuck unless you're willing to drive some distance or (much worse) ship your instrument back and forth.

[hyperbolica]

I think this depends very much on where you live
..

You mean the "banjo belt" is real?

We used to have a dedicated repair shop, but both techs retired and the shop shut down. Next closest is DC, maybe Richmond or Raleigh.

[ghmerrill]

I'm sorry. I thought Virginia was so much more civilized -- I mean, aside from the DC area.

[harrisonreed]

I just sent my horn down to Sweeney Brass, speaking of Raleigh NC. Can't wait!

[ghmerrill]

I have not dealt with him. "Jim Fixes Horns" has been my go-to guy for a number of years (except for Mike Morse who worked at/with Tuba exchange, and who at one time partnered with Jim). But Sweeney (a recent returnee to the area) seems like an excellent choice, and the new generation.

[harrisonreed]

Yeah, his work looks top notch. I am having my 3BF-Silversonic slide inners replaced, outer slide dent repaired, leadpipe pulled, and lacquer removed. Scratch-satin finish.

I initially had booked Rogue repair (after seeing that flugabone project that was up here on another thread), but Melanie is so busy. She seemed almost relieved when I said I had to cancel, so I could get an earlier repair date somewhere else. Hopefully her plan to hire some more staff will help her keep up with what is obviously a very high demand.

To keep it on topic in the thread, for etiquette in my case I would say that just being really open, calling instead of emailing (or in person), and being nice when telling the staff who you want to work with and what you expect will go a long way for you. You're a paying customer, and if you're nice nobody is going to feel bad. If the shop tells you that "Igor" is too booked, but Zeke works right next to him, maybe give Zeke the benefit of the doubt.