Repair Services

Our Repair Staff (from L-R) Eric Anderson, and Matt Reich (See Below for Bios)

Rate

Please call (800) 926-5587 for current repair rates. 

News from our repair technicians:

Our current turn around time is 2-5 days (from receipt of instrument), depending on the size and type of repair. Call ahead to place a reservation.

The repair shop is open on Saturdays!  This allows customers to have small "walk-in" servicing done while they wait.  These repairs will be done on a first-come first-serve basis, and the rush rate will not apply on Saturdays.  Customers with repairs that will require more extensive work will be advised to leave the instrument with us or to make a repair reservation.  Feel free to contact our sales staff about shipping, drop-off, reservations, or repair.

For years, we have been known for specializing in double reed repair, but we want you to know that we are also equipped to handle clarinets, flutes, and saxophones.

---Eric Anderson
    Head Repair Technician 

Tips from the repair staff:

Plastic Instruments and Cork Grease:  "If your oboe or clarinet is plastic, I would recommend using paraffin wax instead of cork grease.  Cork grease makes it difficult to line up the bridge keys between the joints because it increases the friction between the cork/plastic relationship, whereas paraffin wax creates a smooth, “gliding” between the cork and plastic sockets.  It seems logical that if there is tenon/cork tightness, then more cork grease should be applied; however, it is possible to over-apply cork grease, which will only make things worse.  Excessively applied cork grease is messy and can deteriorate the bond of glue holding the cork to the plastic tenon, as well as the glue bond on the surrounding key corks.  Applying paraffin will protect this glue bond, and can be purchased inexpensively at any grocery or convenience store.  If you do not have paraffin, cork grease is better than nothing at all."  --Eric Anderson

Stuck Swab: Remember to swab out your oboe after every playing session! Always check a pull-through swab for knots before sending through the instrument. The slightest knot in the silk or string can be enough to get the swab stuck near the crown (inside the top of the oboe). If a swab seems to be stuck, but the tail string is still showing out the bottom of the top joint, you can pull on the tail string (with MINIMAL force) to retrieve the swab from your oboe.  However, if your swab does get stuck with no string visible to pull back through the bore, bring it in to us or another qualified repair technician for proper removal. Do not attempt to remove a stuck swab on your own at home! Midwest Musical Imports offers stuck-swab removal at no charge.

Tight Tenons: This summer has been exceptionally humid, especially in the upper Midwest, which leads to the swelling of wood. If you play oboe, bassoon, clarinet, or other wooden instrument, you may be experiencing tight tenons (where the joints fit together). If your tenons reveal slight friction when assembling your instrument, but come apart when you are finished playing, then just wait out the summer; the tenon/socket fit will get better in a month or two. It is best to not remove material if possible because the tenon will be loose in the Fall after the humidity decreases, and with oboes and clarinets this can mis-adjust the bridge mechanism. However, if your tenons are so tight that force is needed to assemble and disassemble your instrument, bring it in and we will turn down the wood to a proper fit. Do not force the instrument or you can risk bending the keys!

Octave Vents: If you are experiencing excessive water in your octave vents on your oboe, we have something that may help!  When you bring your horn to us for repair, we can apply a thin layer of silicone inside the octave well and cap, which will help repel water. This technique has seemed to help others in the past...please inquire for more information.

Adjustment Screws: If you play the oboe or any or any instrument with adjustment screws, and you are not trained in proper adjustment techniques, I would advise against fixing or turning them on your own.  It is easy to turn a small problem into a larger one with the slightest turn of a screw (this includes all screws perpendicular to the oboe).

Services offered: 

• •  Maintenance of instruments including disassembly of all key work, cleaning, lubricating, and adjusting of mechanisms
• •  Replacement of torn or worn pads and corks
• •  Rebuilding of loose or broken tenons
• •  Repair of wood rot in bassoons
• •  Tone-hole repairs required due to chips and cracks

• •  Repairs to keywork including modifications and fabrication of parts

• •  Repairs to cracks and leaks in instruments

• •  Minor bocal repairs, including recorking 
• •  Mechanical Overhauls (this does not include key plating or re-finishing work)

This is only a sample of the many services that we offer.  Please call for more details.

What Our Customers Say

"I am very happy with the repairs and adjustments that were done on my oboe and am happy that I brought my oboe to Midwest Musical Imports. I definitely plan to send my oboe to the repair techs at MMI in the future. I don't think my oboe has played this well since I've purchased it!"    -E. Miller, Kansas City, KS

Estimates

If you would like to know how much your instrument repair will cost before the work is done, Midwest Musical Imports will provide an estimate for a non-refundable fee of $25.  Estimates will be available within a week of bringing the instrument to the repair shop.  We highly encourage customers to pre-approve work in order to avoid the time and expense of the estimate fee. We will happily provide information about how much time you need to pre-approve for the necessary or requested repairs.  

Reservations

You may now reserve your space in the repair queue.  Please call or email for more details.

Repair Warranty Policy

Repair Staff