Hi Everyone,
I am a 20 y/o college student pursuing a degree in instrumental music education and my primary instrument is the tuba. I have been thinking about trying to get into doing some instrument repair in order to make some extra money on the side but I'm not really sure what kinds of supplies i would need to get. Any tips or suggestions on supplies needed and/or where i could also purchase needed supplies would be very helpful.
If you are willing to relocate to Canada, Long & McQuade:
There's a few spots open for learners at Long and McQuade.
Applications are being accepted for band instrument repair apprenticeship positions at our Ajax, Ontario (L004), Halifax Distribution Centre, Nova Scotia (LX54), and our Delta Distribution Centre, BC (LW49) locations. Our goal being to train technicians for woodwind and brass repair positions at our band repair facilities.
Applicants Skills
Working knowledge of woodwind and brass instruments
Mechanically inclined
Good problem solving skills
Enjoy working with their hands
Well organized.
Works well with others
Please send resumes to bflagler@long-mcquade.com" target="_blank
tubari wrote:If you are willing to relocate to Canada, Long & McQuade:
There's a few spots open for learners at Long and McQuade.
I meet all your requirements and wish I were young enough to apply, because to me this would be the cat's meow. And relocating to Canada would be superb, even if it would freeze my butt off.
I would suggest that, if you're really interested in instrument repair, start out by getting a summer job cleaning rental returns, etc., at a music store with a reputable shop. If someone there is willing to teach you repair lessons, as it were, take advantage of that. As you do this, you will learn what tools and supplies you need, which will change with your skill level. Music instrument repair is every bit as difficult and demanding as instrumental music performance, and should not be looked upon as, "something to be done on the side." This is a profession, not a side job.
If you are looking for a side job for extra money, there are a number of options. Musical instrument repair is not highly profitable - many months, I would have made more money if I worked at Chick-Fil-A, and had less stress.
I mess around with tubas for fun as a hobby, but I don't think I'd ever be able to make it profitable, nor do I want the responsibility of messing around with other people's horns (musicians generally tend to be quite discriminating). To set yourself up with the proper equipment you would need to do it correctly is quite considerable, and would likely negate any profit in doing it "on the side".
Hint: it's not in best form to come on a forum where many really good and highly respected technicians meet and ask them how to make "some extra money on the side", in a field where they've devoted their lives and efforts.
roweenie wrote:
Hint: it's not in best form to come on a forum where many really good and highly respected technicians meet and ask them how to make "some extra money on the side", in a field where they've devoted their lives and efforts.
Where is one supposed to ask??
The dog grooming forum??
I am committed to the advancement of civil rights, minus the Marxist intimidation and thuggery of BLM.
JLSmith97 wrote:Hi Everyone,
I am a 20 y/o college student pursuing a degree in instrumental music education and my primary instrument is the tuba. I have been thinking about trying to get into doing some instrument repair in order to make some extra money on the side but I'm not really sure what kinds of supplies i would need to get. Any tips or suggestions on supplies needed and/or where i could also purchase needed supplies would be very helpful.
I think Lee Stofer has the right idea. Go to a shop and start however you can. (sweep floors, anything) You can learn a lot by observation, and maybe even learn the right way to do it first.
I have customized electric guitars beyond all recognition to great results: change wiring, change body contours, etc., reset fingerboard inlays, bridges, etc., on some very expensive instruments.
I have rebuilt Jaguar engines so they run better than new, including the 3-SU-carburetor E-type engine I used to own before the divorce judge decided otherwise.
I have completed so many home repairs that, given a good cement truck, I could almost build a house, from electrical to sweating plumbing joints, studs, siding, all manner of things interior, etc.
I can, even as a city boy, because of Mom's folks, run a farm, as well as all the city jobs I have had.
But...to quote Harry Callahan, "A man's got to know his limitations." No brass.
I send all my brass instrument repair work out. I do not have the tools, the training, the time, nor the inclination to "learn from mistakes," which on a brass instrument can be lethal, both to the horn and the person.
To the OP: make a choice: either go with your current performance curriculum, or drop out, and get into a NAPBIRT education & apprenticeship program. Working on brass instruments and occasionally playing is a good mix to understand how a horn works. Playing brass instruments and occasionally working on them is a recipe for disaster.
What do I do to maintain my own brass instruments: oil, grease, occasional felt/cork job. And this, knowing I can tell by feel to within a 1/1000 of an inch what strings are on an unknown guitar, the complex adjustments to an SU carburetor, fixed tornado damage to a house I used to own to where, when I sold it, the inspector wrote down, "fixed better than new," and so forth -- send everything brass related out.
I've spent hours watching pro's like Lee Stofer work. He's right you can lean a lot by jet being in the near vicinity and observing. If you politely and unobtrusively ask questions, you can learn even more. What I learned is I can do a few simple things, but what I really learned is what I can't do. Like any technician, the bulk of your knowledge and skill comes from long hours of doing and seeing a lot of things (aka experience). To be good at this profession, you can't do it part time. I have a repair tech who has retired from his electrical engineering job and then went to the Red Wing, MN repair school for a year of so full time. His house has a shop attached which he has a lot of tools. Instrument repair is his retirement job. He is not in it to make money, he is in it because he enjoys it. He is reasonably good at brass, especially fabricating parts. I wouldn't bring any woodwind to him. After watching watching him and Lee, it is obvious that Lee is much more skilled and efficient. My wife plays flute. She takes her instrument to a repair person who specializes in flute repair. That repair person only accepts instruments that he deems worthy of his skill. My point is, taking an instrument in for repair is like going to a doctor. A GP can do simple stuff, but anything else requires a specialist. You can't do justice to the profession part time, you'll do more harm than good.
