Repair Wind Instruments

Since 1983, professional musicians, amateurs, music schools, fanfares and orchestras have come to us for maintenance, repair and overhaul of their brasswind instruments. After more than 35 years, the repair department is still the core of our company and we now repair and overhaul nearly all brass and woodwind instruments.

You are welcome to bring your instrument to our workshop in Edam (20 km north of Amsterdam) for free advice. Please feel free to call us at 0299-371 999.

It is also possible to send your instrument to us. It should, of course, be well protected for shipment. If you include a return address and contact details we will be in touch with you as soon as we have determined which repairs are necessary.

Instruments we repair:

Flutes (Flute, Alto Flute, Bass Flute): Flute repair is a profession in itself. Since the mechanism of a flute is rather delicate and has a great influence on the entire playability of the instrument, accurate setup and adjustment of the keys is essential. Our flute technician has been a professional flutist for many years and we service student flutes through to professional instruments as well as alto and bass flutes.

Piccolos: The compact key mechanism and the necessary accuracy of adjustment make the piccolo a relatively difficult instrument to repair. We have a broad experience with piccolos and carry out small adjustments through to complete repadding.

Saxophones (Soprano, Alt, Tenor, Baritone): If taken good care of, saxophones have an almost infinite lifespan and experience has taught that certain vintage instruments have substantially appreciated in value over time. For the discerning player maintenance and setup can make all the difference in the world. Our saxophone technician Stuart Jenkins has over 20 years experience in repairing saxophones as well as being an accomplished musician, a combination which has created deep insight into both saxophones and the needs of saxophone players.

Clarinets (Bb, A, Eb, C, Alt and Bass): The mechanism of a clarinet is delicate and the correct setup is essential for the tuning and playability of the instrument. We provide regular clean, oil and adjustment as well as complete revisions in which all pads, corks and felts are replaced and the mechanism is polished completely.

Trumpets, Flugelhorn, Cornets: Problems with Brasswind instruments are usually associated with malfunctioning valves, stuck slides which interfere with tuning, or dents which are not only unsightly but weigh on the value of an instrument. We provide regular cleaning and maintenance but also dent removal, solder work, etc.

French Horns: Normal use of a French Horn leads to a buildup of calcium in the body and valves of the instrument. During a periodic cleaning the Horn is completely disassembled and all valves and tuning slides soaked in a bath which removes the built up calcium. All these parts are then polished and the body of the instrument is then treated for calcium deposits. After this thorough cleaning, the horn is then carefully re-assembled, valves first. They are checked for the correct freeness of rotation. Then the tuning slides are lubricated and replaced properly on the Horn.

Trombones: The slide is a terrifically sensitive part of the Trombone. Problems with the slide are often caused by a buildup of grease or by small dents interfering with smooth action. Fortunately, problems with the slide can usually be resolved by a thorough cleaning and removal of these dents. For trombones with valves whether tenor or bass, periodic removal and cleaning of the valves is necessary for optimal functioning of the trombone.

Euphoniums and Basses: Problems with Euphoniums and Basses usually involve heavy buildup of calcium in the valves as well as the tuning slides. During a periodic cleaning the instrument is completely disassembled and all valves and tuning slides soaked in a bath which removes the built up calcium. All these parts are then polished and the body of the instrument is then treated for calcium deposits. After this thorough cleaning, the horn is then carefully re-assembled.

Repair Atelier

reparatie werkplaats matthews muziek

Repairing and maintaining Woodwind and Brasswind instruments requires technical knowledge as well as a wealth of experience.

1. Knowledge: Absolutely necessary is an understanding of how wind instruments actually work and how their parts relate to one another leading to the successful functioning of an instrument.

2. Materials: Good specialty tools as well as high quality parts and materials are indispensable in delivering excellent work.

3. Experience: Years of experience are essential in learning to apply the knowledge and materials in the correct way.

To deliver high grade maintenance on a wind instrument it is also necessary to understand the relationship that a musician has with his/her instrument. It is therefore a great advantage if the wind instrument technician can play the instrument as well.

In our workshop in Edam we have everything to be able to restore your instrument to optimum condition. We attach great importance to giving honest advice. If there is a cheaper or easier solution, we will let you know. If the repair costs are higher than the actual value of the repaired instrument we will advise against the investment. The quality of our work and your satisfaction with your instrument always come first.

In recent decades we have built up a well-equipped, spacious workshop with all necessary repair tools. We use the best available materials for maintenance, overhaul and repair.

Because we are proud of what we do and because optimizing an instrument is a process involving instrument, repairman and player, the repair workshop takes center stage in our store.

Matthew’s Music Repair Team

David Crane

David Crane speelt Dwarsfluit

David moved from New York to the Netherlands in the early 1980s to continue his career as a flute player. While working as a professional flutist, David started repairing wind instruments at home. First flutes and piccolos, but soon also clarinets, trumpets, saxophones and other wind instruments. Over the past thirty years, many repairmen in the Netherlands have gained experience at David's workshop, but in this way he has also been able to learn from others. After more than thirty years of repair, David's history as a professional flutist is still indispensable.

Stuart Jenkins

Stuart Jenkins Saxophone Repair

Stuart (originally from London, UK) came in our shop for the first time in 1995 as a customer for maintenance of his own saxophone and learned the basis of wind-instrument repair from David. After years of experience with us, Stuart started his own business and specialized in repairing and overhauling saxophones.

We are very happy to have Stuart back in our repair workshop since 2018 with all the experience and techniques that he has acquired. Besides repairman, Stuart is a professional saxophone player (alto, soprano and tenor) and Jazz enthusiast.

Eelco van der Brug

eelco-reparatie

Eelco has been working in the store since 2002 and although he himself does not play an instrument, he has a well-trained musical ear and has built-up unsurpassed knowledge about wind instruments. Eelco is also responsible for the communication and logistics of the repair shop.

Work we perform

The condition of instrument is of great importance to keep pleasure in playing and for making progress while studying. An instrument with defects or intonation problems can be terribly frustrating and can affect your confidence and pleasure in playing. We are happy to help you make sure that you as a player become the limiting factor instead of your instrument.

The work that we perform can be roughly divided into three categories, although these often overlap.

Repair of Wind Instruments

As a result of an accident, careless colleagues or simply due to regular wear, your instrument may damage. In most cases, an instrument can fortunately be repaired and brought back to its original state. We as an official dealer of many brands we have a lot of genuine spare parts in stock and, we can order original replacement parts from the manufacturer of your instrument where necessary.

From a loose cork, broken spring or sluggish valve to badly damaged or teared instruments: we are there for you.

Maintenance and Adjustment of Wind Instruments

There is a lot of maintenance on your instrument that you can (and should) do yourself and if you regularly play your instrument and handle it carefully, you should be able to play it without any problems for a long time. Over time however, dust, grease and calcium will build up in hard-to-reach areas, mechanical parts will wear out, loosen or become slightly bent, pads will stick, corks will dry out and felts will come off.

Unfortunately, it is inevitable that your instrument deserves the attention of a specialist at some point. Sometimes because specialized tools or materials are needed, sometimes because experience is needed to perform an operation and the risk of damage if you do this yourself is too great.

If your instrument no longer plays comfortably, or you cannot reach certain notes anymore, it is advisable to have your instrument serviced. As a guideline, we recommend that you bring your instrument once a year, but this is not always necessary in practice.

When we take your instrument in for maintenance, we sometimes recommend a full maintenance service, whereby the instrument is fully or partially disassembled, cleaned and problems are addressed. However, it may also be that a small targeted operation is sufficient.

Revision / Overhauls of Wind Instruments

A complete revision or overhaul goes beyond a maintenance service and means that we will return your instrument to its new condition as much as possible. During an overhaul, the instrument is completely disassembled and all wear-sensitive parts such as pads, corks and felts are replaced. The instrument is professionally cleaned, dents and scratches removed where possible and the mechanism and springs are readjusted to perfection.

This is a time-intensive process and is usually only necessary after many years or even decades of playing. Because of the higher costs associated with an overhaul, it is not always self-evident to have this done. We will always honestly advise you about this.

Dwarsfluit Kras Verwijderen

Process: How we work?

Minor repairs and maintenance we try to do immediately if possible, while you wait with a cup of coffee or tea. However, we can never promise in advance that this will work because of the workload in the workshop (especially on Saturdays and during the summer break season) and the fact that an apparently minor repair sometimes unexpectedly take more time. We appreciate it if you call or e-mail us in advance so that we won't have to disappoint you.

Intake: For repairs that do not take place immediately and for maintenance and overhauls, we will take your instrument in. We record your data and take note of specific problems or wishes.

Diagnosis and Advice: We usually immediately examine the instrument together with you and advise on what we can do for you. If this is not possible, we will do this at a later moment and we will contact you to discuss what we advise to do.

Pricing and Planning: For the work we recommend, we always give an indicative price and estimate when your instrument can be ready. If you agree, we will get to work.

Work: We try to perform most work within 1 or 2 weeks. However, during the summer holidays it can be so busy that it takes longer. Also if we need to order special parts or have to carry out very extensive revisions, it may take a little longer. However, we always try to take your musical obligations into account as much as possible.

Delivery: We always encourage you to pick up the instrument yourself and test-play it when it is ready. This way you can immediately test whether the desired result has been achieved and where necessary we can do some adjustments together with you. If at a later moment you are not completely satisfied with how your instrument plays, please do not hesitate to contact us.

David met Groot Koper