You have several options: 1) New  2) Used  3) Horns that people give you  4) Buying over the Internet

1) If you buy a new instrument please buy a brand name horn and buy from a reputable dealer. Don’t buy a band instrument from “Big Box” stores, from stores that also sell furniture or stores that also sell food. They might be less expensive and just as shiny as the instrument you see at your local music store. However, if it needs repair, most repair people will refuse to work on it. Why? They are not made well and parts are not available. So again, if you are buying a new instrument buy a brand name horn and buy from a reputable dealer.

2) If you decide to buy a used instrument, also, buy a brand name horn. If you aren’t sure what the most common brand name instruments are then call or bring it by the shop. We can certainly tell you if it’s a good brand and if it’s worth the asking price. Treat buying a used instrument like buying a used car. If you buy a used car (excuse me, a previously owned car) from a used car dealer, wouldn’t you first take it to your mechanic to check it out? Also, if you see a used car for sale in the newspaper wouldn’t you first take it to your mechanic to check out before buying it?

3) Horns that people give you might be good or they might not. Especially if they are really old. An example: “Here, this was your grandfathers horn. It’s probably a good horn. Older horns are better that newer horns.” Well, not always true. Sometimes the cost to restore an older instrument to playing condition can be dramatically more than the horn is worth. Plus if it does get restored it still might not play that well. In this type of situation we definitely need to see the horn.

4) Buying over the Internet! Danger Will Robinson! Danger! Or, as my dad would say, “That’s like buying a pig in a poke.” You don’t know what you’re actually going to get until you purchase it and open the box. However, if you must, stay with sellers that have good ratings and good feedback from previous buyers. Look over the photos of the instrument well. Hopefully they are photos of the actual instrument. Also, ask if there is a return policy. Get that in writing!

I enjoy buying and selling used instruments. Sometimes you can find amazingly good horns at very reasonable prices. However, keep your eyes open. Have an experienced repair person look over the horn for you, before you buy it. Except for you Internet buyers. Also, just because someone plays an instrument doesn’t mean that they can evaluate its playing condition. For example, I use a computer everyday but I don’t know how to repair one!

I hope to see you soon with a true gem.

Michael

Not only can we repair your case, we can modify or upgrade your case. For example: A local middle school had two Baritone Sax cases that were too big for middle school students to carry. I added a set of wheels and an additional handle to each one of the Bari cases. It is now tremendously easier for the students to move the cases themselves.

If your thinking about buying a new case because your current case looks “done for”, let us see if we can help. Bring the case in for us to evaluate. Having your case repaired might be less costly than buying a new case. We’ll let you know. If the repair is too expensive then we also carry new cases.

Stop by the shop on Rio Road East.

This is a sign of things to come!

Now we’ll be easier to find. That’s right! We have a business sign, finally. Our first two years of business were primarily just doing repairs. This year marks the beginning of our third year in business. We have now added a retail dimension to the place. Not many people know this but as soon as I placed the original order for all those retail items i.e. reeds, oils  and mouthpieces, I had a dream. John Coltrane came to me in this dream. He spoke to me in a reverb-ish, echo-ish sounding voice. He said, “Put up a business sign and they will come.” I was, of course, obligated to do as he said. I mean he is ‘Trane. It was a true omen. So, come see the shop. Come buy some stuff. John Coltrane says you must. I hope to see you soon.

A few of the mouthpieces we now carry!

We now carry Yamaha mouthpieces, ligatures and mouthpiece caps for Bb Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Alto, Tenor & Baritone Saxes. If your current mouthpiece is lost or damaged then the Yamaha’s will be an upgrade in sound quality and ease of playability. Also, reasonably priced. I personally use Yamaha mouthpieces here at the shop when ‘play testing’ a customers instrument. Stop by the shop on Rio Road East and check them out.

Additionally, we are now a Humes & Berg dealer. You’ve probably heard of Humes & Berg’s Stone Lined mutes. The best in brass instrument mutes.  They also make several series of custom made hard shell instrument road cases, heavily padded gig bags, case hardware and more.

There's a Hetman oil for every occasion.

We have used these synthetic lubricants in our shop for years. Now they are available to our customers. These lubricants can be used by themselves or in conjunction with conventional oils. So, if you are in the middle of a gig and you run out of Hetman oil, no problem. Go ahead and use regular oil with no worries.

A few of the brands we now carry!

• “Traditional” Vandoren Reeds (blue box) for All Clarinets and All Saxes

• Mitchell Lurie Reeds for Clarinets

• Gonzalez Reeds for Sax

• LaVoz Sax Reeds

• Rico Royal Reeds for All Clarinets and All Saxes

• Rico Reeds for All Clarinets and All Saxes

• Premium Oboe and Bassoon Reeds

• Rovner Ligatures for Clarinets and Saxes

• Cleaning Clothes for Lacquered & Plated Instruments

• Woodwind Mouthpiece Brushes, Clarinet & Sax Swabs, Woodwind Cleaning Kits

• Brass Mouthpiece Brushes, Valve Casing Brushes, Brass Bore Brushes (Snakes), Brass Cleaning Kits

• Bore Oil, Cork Grease, Tuning Slide Grease, Valve, Rotor & Key Oil

• Trumpet and Trombone Mouthpieces

• Clarinet & Saxophone Mouthpieces

• Slide-O-Mix and Trombotine

• Al Cass Valve Oil

• Mouthpiece Caps & Ligatures

I could certainly go on and on about each and every thing that we have, but I won’t. Come into the shop and see if we have what you need. If we don’t, then let me know what accessories you use. I’ll see if I can have them available for you.