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TubeNetters...

I would like to have the rotary valves on a tuba serviced. I am guessing 'dissemble, clean, assemble, and adjust' is in order.

I know Tim's in Sacramento gets high marks. (And I sometimes need to attend a meeting there. But not anytime soon...) There are several shops right here in the Bay Area. Any recommendations?

Thanks in advance!

Best Instrument Repair in Oakland. Ian's done very good brass repair work for me recently - he knows his stuff and is very forthright and direct about what your options are.

In Santa Cruz, Thomas Musical (thomasmusical.com), owned by John Thomas (tuba player).

Small, busy shop, so you'd be best served by scheduling an appointment and waiting for the repair to save yourself a return trip and to get the horn back fast (the one knock on his shop is that he can take a while to get to your horn). John does great work with old-fashioned, honest business values and good prices. He opened his first shop in his early twenties, and he's about fifty now, and has earned a lot of trust and respect in the community over the decades.

While you wait, there's lots of decent, inexpensive ethnic food in the area (I like the cheap Chinese place a block away on the corner), and a dynamite donut shop right across from the Chinese (Ferrell's @Mission & Fair Ave). I recommend the chocolate-frosted chocolate cake, and they're best earlier in the day when they're fresher. Crispy on the outside, moist and fluffy on the inside. If you know of a better donut, tell me where. They also sell Mariane's ice cream - made right there in Santa Cruz.

kilt_lifter wrote:Best Instrument Repair in Oakland. Ian's done very good brass repair work for me recently - he knows his stuff and is very forthright and direct about what your options are.

Is Dick Akright no longer there? He is a master repairman.

Ace

Ace wrote:

kilt_lifter wrote:Best Instrument Repair in Oakland. Ian's done very good brass repair work for me recently - he knows his stuff and is very forthright and direct about what your options are.

Is Dick Akright no longer there? He is a master repairman.

Ace

Wow, I'm behind the news about three years.

http://baybrass.org/concerts-4.html" target="_blank

Ace

Yeah, he's enjoying some well-deserved retirement Hear he still drops by the shop from time to time to check in and help out.

Check out Park Avenue Music Center in San Jose. Heard really good stuff about Tim's in Sacramento.

Bridgepoint Music in Menlo Park (owned by sometimes TubeNetter and frequent clown-costumed sousaphonist, James Manganaro)

I get most of my brass work done at Hornucopia in San Carlos (although Best Music Repair is also excellent - just not as handy for me at this point.)

Thanks for all the help, guys!

I took it to Allegro Music in Fremont and Joel got the valves working very well. Got it back in 2 days. I have a buyer for this horn, so I was especially interested in a fast turnaround.

I have used Ian at Best for many, many trombones. He does great slide work. The turnaround is pretty slow there right now. They are just getting out from under a big pile of school horns.

Will have to give some of these other shops a try with other horns. A road trip to Santa Cruz might be in order at some point! And I have been wanting to check out Hornucopia in San Carlos. Heard lots about them but have never made it there.