Stupidest repair stories?

[Mark]

Some of the stupidest things I have ever seen I did myself, so I think I'll keep quiet about them.

At least you realized they were stupid. This is more than a lot of "professional" repair tecnicians can manage.

Since moving to Seattle and meeting Dan Oberloh, I have only had more than perfect repairs. My tubas always come back from his shop better than they went in.

[Tubaryan12]

Soaked the horn overnight in a warm, soapy bath – wondered why the lacquer came off…

I didn't wonder, I knew

Tubaryan "been there....done that" 12

[windshieldbug]

Soaked the horn overnight in a warm, soapy bath – wondered why the lacquer came off…

I didn't wonder, I knew
Tubaryan "been there....done that" 12

They put lacquer on these things!? No wonder I had such a darn time polishing it off!!

[jonesbrass]

They put lacquer on these things!? No wonder I had such a darn time polishing it off!!

You mean I shouldn't be using BRASSO on my tuba!?!?!

[Chase]

When I was in 10th grade I took my trombone to have the slide straightened and a tiny dent taken out of it. The repair technician I took it to, a man named Juan who works at Baum's Music in Albuquerque, NM is recommended by every teacher in town and known for his excellent work. When I got the horn back I found that he hadn't straightened the slide or taken the dent out. Of course I was furious and took the horn straight back to him and asked what he did that was worth the 80 dollar bill I had received if he hadn't done what I asked. He told me that my trigger for my F attachment had been set up wrong (it hadn't). I should have tested the horn right there but I figured I would not pay the bill and take the horn elsewhere. When I go into jazz band the next day, I'm shocked to find out that he took my perfectly working F attachment trigger...and reversed it! He essentially put my horn in F. What an idiot!

[Tubaing]

...I'm shocked to find out that he took my perfectly working F attachment trigger...and reversed it! He essentially put my horn in C.

Wouldn't that essentially put the trombone in F?

[TubaRay]

...I'm shocked to find out that he took my perfectly working F attachment trigger...and reversed it! He essentially put my horn in C.

Wouldn't that essentially put the trombone in F?

It would seem the answer in most cases would be "yes."

[Chase]

That's what I meant. Haha, good catch though!

[TubaSailor]

I did all the research, asked friends for references, then took a horn to a highly recommented small shop to have some shorter ferrules put on a valve slide. About 300 mile round trip - It was promised in a week, finally was ready after 3 1/2 weeks. When I picked it up, the slide was so loose it fell out (or in - wouldn't stay put), and one inner slide was no longer nickel silver, but had magically become brass! When I expressed my displeasure, I was told by the shop owner -"the guy buffing it got carried away - just use heavy grease" Why would this inner slide leg have to be buffed at all? The whole slide would have been only about 5 minutes worth of work to clean & polish by hand.

[eupher61]

self-deleted

[Slamson]

Several years ago I was asked by the conductor of our university wind ensemble to be the faculty soloist for the "president's honor concert". I had just gotten my 186CC back from our tech who was supposed to re-solder one of the braces for the first valve slide (which takes a beating from all that yanking I do on it...), and was going to perform the Barnes concerto.

I got introduced, came out on stage, shook hands with the conductor, and as I sat down, the entire 1st valve slide came off in my hand. I looked at the conductor, who calmly stood there and said "well, are you going to put that back on or not?"
I had to play the entire concerto with my left hand holding the slide onto the rest of the horn (and had to remember to lip down my Fs). Other than that, the gig went off without a hitch.

The next day I went to back to the tech, who had already been told what happened by one of my colleagues (who, no doubt, was still laughing his tuchas off when he told him). He smiled, and simply said "oops! guess I should have cleaned those joints before I soldered 'em..." and had the slide back on in a few minutes (it's still ok today).

The next time I came in for a flush and a valve alignment (on my F) he charged me $10.

terry solomonson

[ljdalen]

I sit next to a trumpet player in the local concert band. He had his fairly new Bach trumpet chemically cleaned by the local repairman (late 70's or early 80's). The horn was left in the chemical bath way to long and remembered in the middle of the night. All that was left was the lacquer. That repairman now makes some of the most expensive hand made trumpets (if not the most expensive) available on the market and the waiting list can be over a year.

This same person also whipped out his handy dandy gauge to measure the bore on my 1922 Holton to see if the instrument manufacturers could produce to their wares to the specifications stated. There wasn't a 1/1000 from the specs.

Funny how things turn out.

John

[OldsRecording]

I sit next to a trumpet player in the local concert band. He had his fairly new Bach trumpet chemically cleaned by the local repairman (late 70's or early 80's). The horn was left in the chemical bath way to long and remembered in the middle of the night. All that was left was the lacquer. That repairman now makes some of the most expensive hand made trumpets (if not the most expensive) available on the market and the waiting list can be over a year.

This same person also whipped out his handy dandy gauge to measure the bore on my 1922 Holton to see if the instrument manufacturers could produce to their wares to the specifications stated. There wasn't a 1/1000 from the specs.

Funny how things turn out.

John

This 'person in question'- he wouldn't happen to have a French-sounding last name and build most of Winton Marsalis' horns, would he? I guess we all have to start somewhere...

[MaryAnn]

I admit to never having had my french horn cleaned; I don't like the entire idea of a chem clean. I'd much rather have an ultrasound cleaning done. If you leave it in too long, I can't imagine any negative effect other than rattling its brains a little too much. It isn't full of green goo, so I figure we're ok so far.

My repair story is on an oboe....guy highly recommended by some, others a little askance about him; new in town. I took it in because the low Bb was not sealing well. He made a negative comment about the oboe and literally started tearing it apart. He got many pieces off of the top joint (nowhere near the low Bb) and then told me it would cost $500 for a rebuild. I told him to put it back together, which he sort of did, but it was un-useable because he had started "adjusting" the stuff he took off. I decided to buy another one. This was only last summer this happened. But....the oboe community is pretty close-knit here in town, and I doubt he ever got any more oboe business after that.

MA

[bttmbow]

Try doing it yourself, then you can stop blaming others for the work that they did that was BETTER than your own. FWIW

CJH

[MaryAnn]

What, you want me to work on my own oboe, when I don't even know how to play the thing? Do you have any idea how incredibly quickly you can mess up an oboe if you don't know what you're doing? Ask Bloke...I bet he's seen a few.
MA

[ASTuba]

I think he's talking in general, not directed toward you.

[eupher61]

Try doing it yourself, then you can stop blaming others for the work that they did that was BETTER than your own. FWIW

CJH

And I thought I've made some rude responses from time to time.

I'm with John_L if you bring your videotape to me to edit it, and I don't do it to your instructions or satisfaction, you have a right to complain*. If you order a pizza and it's not what you wanted, or cooked thoroughly, or has raw tomatoes on it, you have a right to complain.

You chose to have someone else do it because 1) you can't do it yourself or 2) you expect that the person you're paying has the experience, knowledge, and integrity to it better and properly.


*unless it's completely clear that it can't be done as you requested, and that's been explained to you.

[Todd S. Malicoate]

Try doing it yourself, then you can stop blaming others for the work that they did that was BETTER than your own. FWIW

CJH

Man, care to share the bug that flew up your butt right before you posted that?

"It's better than you can could do" is a debate tactic best left on the elementary school playground. It's certainly not a standard that reputable instrument repair professionals subscribe to.

From a TubeNet contributor with "professional" by their screen name...ridiculous.

[ASTuba]

deleted because I was an idiot for writing this.