QUESTION FOR REPAIRMEN

Casey Tucker · Post by **Casey Tucker** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 1:19 am

im currently studying music to acquire my degree in music performance. but there is something that i've always wanted to do. i've wanted to be a repaiman. i searched for previous topics and didn't find anything (if i missed it, please share). i'm wondering what would be the process or your process to becoming a repairman. did you go to school? if so, where? what about being an apprentice? what are the requirements to be accepted to that sort of situation? a reply or a PM would be greatly appreciated!

thanks

-casey

windshieldbug · Post by **windshieldbug** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 9:51 am

Search

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 3:12 pm

Hi, Casey! Here's a place to start:

http://www.napbirt.org/

tubaguy9 · Post by **tubaguy9** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 11:21 pm

A good school is Redwing...Dunno where, just know that it's really good...then to be an apprentice...try to get Matt Walters...but this is just some nosey high school student, that knows too much already...

Captain Sousie · Post by **Captain Sousie** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 1:46 am

Try this as the search results can turn up some hard to sort through stuff.

viewtopic.php?t=16635

Good luck, though you might get a better response from talking face-to-face with a couple of repair guys.

Sou

prototypedenNIS · Post by **prototypedenNIS** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 3:23 pm

As much as people suggest doing Red Wing, (or Keyano up here), I would say that you'd be better off apprenticing. IMHO.

You learn more from the real world anyway, people don't come out of Redwing and Keyano as master repair technicians... they have alot of knowledge, but the repair comes down to practical skill which is best learned on the job.

However, repair college can help you get your foot in the door. You do learn alot of methods to repair instruments (though some of them are less useful in the real world where you can't spend 12 hours to fix a student clarinet). Some schools even give you business courses.

ASTuba · Post by **ASTuba** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 3:26 pm

prototypedenNIS wrote:As much as people suggest doing Red Wing, (or Keyano up here), I would say that you'd be better off apprenticing.

You learn more from the real world anyway, people don't come out of Redwing and Keyano as master repair technicians... they have alot of knowledge, but the repair comes down to practical skill which is best learned on the job.

I completely and respectfully disagree on apprentice training. A college gives you something apprenticing won't: a certificate or a degree! That is a factual thing which will look good on a resume.

Your first job will always be an apprentice job, no matter where you get your training. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. I didn't go to Redwing or Keyano, and I think I did ok as a repair technician.

prototypedenNIS · Post by **prototypedenNIS** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 3:52 pm

The degree means nothing after you get a reputation

That degree will only help you get your foot in the door. If you can get in without it (part time help over summers for example) and stay in until you build a reputation, you don't need it.

ASTuba · Post by **ASTuba** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 2:57 pm

bloke wrote:
ASTuba wrote:I completely and respectfully disagree on apprentice training. A college gives you something apprenticing won't: a certificate or a degree!

Wizard wrote:Why, anybody can have a brain. That's a very mediocre commodity. Every pusillanimous creature that crawls on the earth, or slinks through slimy seas has a brain! Back where I come from we have universities - seats of great learning - where men go to become great thinkers. And when they come out, they think deep thoughts, and with no more brains than you have. But - they have one thing you haven't got - a diploma!

Therefore, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Universita Committeeatum E Pluribus Unum,
I hereby confer upon you the honorary degree of Th.D.

Scarecrow wrote:Th.D.?

Wizard wrote:Yeah - that - that's Dr. of Thinkology

Joe,

Sorry, but there are a lot of people out there who claim to be technicians, that they can't do anything right. I've seen way too much of it. If the person were to apprentice with someone I know and trust, I wouldn't have an issue, but the colleges that have repair degrees all have quality instructors, and the education that they are getting is truly solid.

ASTuba · Post by **ASTuba** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 4:07 pm

bloke wrote:I'm not ridin' you Andy, but most of those are 8-9 month programs doing (with TONS of help) one each of each type of brass and woodwind instrument...

I did WAY more than that at Renton, not sure which program you're talking about, but I know I did more than that of all the instruments. Still not enough to have a clue to open my own place, but still, faster than most guys out of colleges.

Lee Stofer · Post by **Lee Stofer** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 10:49 pm

In reply to the original question, I'd suggest that one who is interested in instrument repair should spend a summer cleaning rental returns and picking up as much apprentice-type time as possible. At the end of the summer, you've gotten paid for a summer job, and after seeing what actually transpires daily in a working instrument repair facility, one should have a lot better idea of whether they want to commit the time and resources to go to a repair school.

Andy Smith's point is good, in that the repair school environment will ensure that one gets a thorough grounding of knowlege, and relatively quickly, in 9 months or so. And, the repair school diploma is a tangible that will enhance a resume, which is particularly important if you want to work for a music store or large chain.

Joe Sellmansberger also makes good points, in that whilst the repair school provides you with a lot of knowledge, you would most likely leave that institution with only entry-level skills and speed. If you read-up about Renton Technical College, or any of the repair schools in the US and Canada, they state that the graduates are armed with the knowledge to be successful, and upon the daily practicing of the techniques they have learned, they will gain the necessary speed and proficiency to succeed or excel at their profession. Joe is an independent that runs his own shop, and always has. He argues for apprenticing being more efficient, I believe, and I can see that point, too. If you apprentice with a local craftsman, he will likely only show you one way to accomplish the task, which is how he does it. This may not give the apprentice a broad base of knowlege on the particular task, but he has learns a way to do it which is successful in the local market, and that may be all the apprentice needs to know about the subject, at least initially.

I apprenticed with a number of different repairmen here and in Europe while I was in the Army, and although I eventually learned a fair amount about repairing and restoring instruments, this route did take quite a while. I would add that the most significant improvements in my knowlege and skill levels coincided with brief periods of time when I was in a school environment.

I don't think that most people realize how much time is spent at the cleaning sink, and doing a lot of seemingly menial, repetetive tasks, even when working on professional-grade instruments. Try working as the cleaning guy or apprenticing, and see if you REALLY want to do this or not. If you do, you'll love it and nothing will stop you from reaching your goal.

All the best,

ASTuba · Post by **ASTuba** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 12:18 pm

Yeah, if jobs were only repairing what we wanted to do, we'd all be broke...