Repairs

It is important to adjust the material on saxophone keys to allow for equal timing between one key and another. Keys that are correctly adjusted provide proper venting for tuning and allow for a quick response when pressed.

The head cork on a flute head joint is a vital piece of the instrument because it controls tuning and tone. It must be fit correctly in order to ensure proper intonation. Every head joint has a different diameter and the flute will respond better when the joint and head cork is fit by a professional.

This turn of the century saxophone was brought to us in unplayable condition and had significant cosmetic damage. The sax needed all new pads, cork, and felt, as well as a good cleaning. Everything needed to be adjusted to get it back in playing condition. For final effect, we hand polished it to a final glowing finish.

When a key snaps off, we can silver-solder them back on so you do not have to replace the entire instrument. This work requires a trained, delicate hand and is worth every penny to get your instrument back up and running.

Over time, the hair on a bow will fray and thin out. This results in a bow that is less effective or entirely ineffective at resonating the strings. It may also become dirty over time and the rosin will not take to the strings, causing the instrument to be silent even when drawing the bow across the strings. We use traditional methods of installing new horse hair on a bow. A bow rehair will rejuvenate the life of your favorite bow.

Not all frets are made equally. Frets made from lower quality material can get worn down over time and develop divits from contact with the strings. This can result in buzzing and in some cases can cause the wrong note to be played. We use a special tool to curve the frets at exactly the correct radius to ensure a perfect fit on your fretboard.

Amanda is a 2003 graduate of band instrument repair at MSC-ST Red Wing, Minnesota, a NAPBIRT member, and a certified Straubinger flute technician. She started repairing band instruments at Brass Bell in 2003 and specializes in brass and woodwind repairs with an emphasis on flute, trumpet, and trombone. She is also a trumpet player, vocalist, and brass and woodwind instrumentalist.

Dora has been an orchestra instrument technician at Brass Bell since 2016 and, since then, has had the opportunity to do a number of other exciting things for the store additionally such as mural painting and video making. Her main instrument is the cello but she also enjoys playing guitar, bass, and other string instruments as well as singing. She is currently a student at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee studying studio art, German, and creative writing. In her free time, Dora loves biking, making art and music, eating breakfast foods, writing, and finding new and exciting things to do to her hair.

Eli Drews grew up immersed in the performing arts of the Milwaukee area, having attended public arts schools and surrounded by a family of actors and singers. He has served as the principal horn of the UW-Milwaukee Community Orchestra, American Legion Band of Milwaukee, of the UW-Milwaukee Symphony Band. He’s also performed with the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra, UW-Milwaukee Wind Ensemble, as well as in pit orchestras for several musicals in the area. He has composed works for ensembles ranging from band and orchestra to chamber groups and solo works, with compositions performed or recorded by Present Music’s Tatine String Quartet, the Cosmo Reed Quintet, and by MYSO’s Chamber Orchestra. He has studied horn with Richard Tremarello and Gregory Flint and composition with Ron Foster, Dr. Phillip Sink, and Dr. William Heinrichs. He is currently pursuing a B.F.A in Composition and a B.F.A. in Horn Performance at UW-Milwaukee. Mr. Drews is also a repair technician here at Brass Bell, cleaning and fixing brass instruments.