Emergency instrument repair contest?

[Michael Bush]

I heard something recently about a contest at some conference where instrument repair guys compete in the area of emergency repairs. An acquaintance of mine has apparently won it a time or two, and for reasons that make sense to me at the moment I don't want to ask him personally about it. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

[Tubajug]

Is this just a friendly competition between colleagues or an actual, "go to a place, each participant sits down with a table full of instruments to repair, and ready, set, go!" kind of thing?

Edit* - Oops, I just caught the part about it being at a conference. I'm still interested to see what the set up would be. I've not heard of such a competition before.

[Schedonnardus]

Sounds like the tractor mechanics contests they have in FFA. They give you a broken tractor, and they time you on how long it takes to get it running.

[Michael Bush]

I got a good reply backchannel that let me know it is the Road Rep Olympics at the National Association of School Music Dealers.

[Dan Schultz]

pass

Me too. Sounds like the sort of activity I put up with most every day!

Over the phone:
- (customer) - "Little Johnny's trumpet thingy goes down but won't come back up."
(Me) - "What brand of trumpet is it?"
- (customer) - "I'm not sure. I think he said it's a 'Hunter' or something like that."
(Me) - "Bring it by before 5pm and I'll have a look at it".
- (customer) - "Johnny has to have it back on Monday 'cause he has a contest". (this if Friday at 4:45pm)
(Me) - "I'll be here for another 15 minutes but if it's really an emergency... call me on my cell at XXX-XXXX")
- (customer) - "What will it cost?"
(Me) - "I won't have a clue until it's fixed."

(click)

[Ken Herrick]

I know the feeling, Dan. Some years ago mummy dear shows up with juniors smashed tenor sax. Needed first thing next day for contest.
I stayed up all night doing virtually a full overhaul. 8 next morning daddy shows up to collect it. He complained about $100 I charged which would get 1hour in his auto workshop. Paid by cheque which bounced.

Couple weeks later he was back. Kid had dropped the sax again and needed it overnight again. Told him to take it to big city shop where labour rate was $100/ hour with a minimum 2 week waiting time.

[Michael Bush]

Why not have "church gig-playing" contests?

pass




Actually, I'll take a pass on the contest too, as far as it matters to me.

Just curious what these band directors were talking about when they were saying this about the repair guy. He's pretty skillful, whatever merits the contest has or doesn't.

[The Big Ben]

Band directors occasionally ask me to "bring my tools" and "repair their instruments and their students' instruments onsite".

yeah... I can partially dismantle my shop, work with no vise, only have about 1% of my stuff on hand (no parts...), and do ~GREAT~ (and effortless, btw) work on their stuff in the back corner of their band rooms.

There is a music store here who brings a trailer with tools and parts and parks out behind the band room for a couple of days. Our band director says it's OK.

But it ain't bloke.

Jeff "If it ain't bloke, don't fix it" Benedict