Musical Instrument Repair
Crown Juhl Music LLC is proud to offer the highest quality of musical instrument repair.
Contact us to set up an appointment today! All prices are given after inspection of the instrument.
Playing Condition
A playing condition does exactly as it says. It brings the instrument into proper playing condition. In this service I adjust bent key-work to proper position, replace any missing or worn corks/felts, fit keys to remove unwanted movement, level all pads, regulate (the timing when one key closes another), and remove lost motion.
It is very common to get used to playing on an instrument that is out of adjustment.
My instrument looks pretty clean, why do I need a clean oil and adjust (COA)?
A clean oil and adjust (COA) is crucial to keeping your instrument feeling good, playing well, and looking good. While the COA does clean up the outside of a horn, removing water stains and hand gunk, the main purpose is to remove old oils and clean up the pivoting points of the instruments.
Typically keys are made of either brass, silver, or nickel silver depending on the instrument. On longer key sections, like the left and right hand stack of a flute or saxophone, they are hanging on a steel rod. Steel is much stronger than brass, silver, and nickel silver. So as old oil evaporates and gunks up it causes the steel to rub away at the inside of the key introducing a new axis of movement known as “slop.” In order for an instrument to be playing well the seat in the pads are very important. The pad seat should have a single perfect ring the exact size of the tone holes edge and it is critical the key puts the pad in that same exact spot every time it is closed. Getting a COA on your musical instrument is just as important as an oil change for your car. Do not worry if you find a lot of slop on your musical instrument, you probably will, everything is repairable!
Clean
The first step in a COA is to clean the instrument. I disassemble it completely removing all keys and any other screwed on parts. Afterwords, I chemically clean the instrument appropriately depending on lacquer and finish. To keep the integrity of the pads and key corks I then hand clean all keys. The most important step is cleaning out the hinge tubes, hinge rods, and pivot screws of the keys.
Oil
The next step is fairly straightforward, oiling every moving part of the instrument. The different pivot points require different oils. Typically hinge rods use a lighter to medium oil while pivot screws require a much thicker heavy oil. On wooden instruments this is when I oil the bore and body.
Adjust
The final step of a COA is the most time consuming, the full adjustment. I believe that every instrument, no matter the quality, can have good responses throughout the whole range and be playable with a light touch. Included in the adjustment I level all pads to seal with a light touch, replace any missing or worn corks/felts, remove minor key slop, regulate the keys that close other keys, and remove lost motion. If you find yourself squeezing to get out lower notes, it is probably time for a COA.
Contact us to set up an appointment today! All prices are given after inspection of the instrument.
Playing Condition
A playing condition does exactly as it says. It brings the instrument into proper playing condition. In this service I adjust bent key-work to proper position, replace any missing or worn corks/felts, fit keys to remove unwanted movement, level all pads, regulate (the timing when one key closes another), and remove lost motion.
It is very common to get used to playing on an instrument that is out of adjustment.
My instrument looks pretty clean, why do I need a clean oil and adjust (COA)?
A clean oil and adjust (COA) is crucial to keeping your instrument feeling good, playing well, and looking good. While the COA does clean up the outside of a horn, removing water stains and hand gunk, the main purpose is to remove old oils and clean up the pivoting points of the instruments.
Typically keys are made of either brass, silver, or nickel silver depending on the instrument. On longer key sections, like the left and right hand stack of a flute or saxophone, they are hanging on a steel rod. Steel is much stronger than brass, silver, and nickel silver. So as old oil evaporates and gunks up it causes the steel to rub away at the inside of the key introducing a new axis of movement known as “slop.” In order for an instrument to be playing well the seat in the pads are very important. The pad seat should have a single perfect ring the exact size of the tone holes edge and it is critical the key puts the pad in that same exact spot every time it is closed. Getting a COA on your musical instrument is just as important as an oil change for your car. Do not worry if you find a lot of slop on your musical instrument, you probably will, everything is repairable!
Clean
The first step in a COA is to clean the instrument. I disassemble it completely removing all keys and any other screwed on parts. Afterwords, I chemically clean the instrument appropriately depending on lacquer and finish. To keep the integrity of the pads and key corks I then hand clean all keys. The most important step is cleaning out the hinge tubes, hinge rods, and pivot screws of the keys.
Oil
The next step is fairly straightforward, oiling every moving part of the instrument. The different pivot points require different oils. Typically hinge rods use a lighter to medium oil while pivot screws require a much thicker heavy oil. On wooden instruments this is when I oil the bore and body.
Adjust
The final step of a COA is the most time consuming, the full adjustment. I believe that every instrument, no matter the quality, can have good responses throughout the whole range and be playable with a light touch. Included in the adjustment I level all pads to seal with a light touch, replace any missing or worn corks/felts, remove minor key slop, regulate the keys that close other keys, and remove lost motion. If you find yourself squeezing to get out lower notes, it is probably time for a COA.
