Information for Band Directors

One of the sayings I use to describe what I repair is…”If you can blow through it, we can fix it”. I am equally proficient in brass and woodwind repairs ranging from the simple to the complex. The only repairs I don’t handle in house are relacquering of brass instruments and tenon, socket and tone hole replacements on woodwinds. These repairs are farmed out to shops that specialize in those repairs. I also do percussion repairs.

There are some brands of instruments out there that are so poorly designed and manufactured that they are financially unwise to try and repair. Also, the lack of available parts makes it unwise for me to take a chance on breaking a part and having to replace an entire instrument because I cannot replace or repair a broken key.

Yes, I will work with you to make sure that your repairs are done and returned to you in a timely manner while working within the accounts payable process for each school I work with. All you have to do is let me know how your school handles your accounts payable and I will customize my billing procedure to match.

I will have a rental program set up for your beginners for the fall 2015 school year. I will be using a nationally reputable company to supply me with quality new and used instruments that will provide that best playing experience for your beginners. These rentals will be available both at my showroom in Park Rapids as well as at rental meetings at your school if you desire.

Since my primary business focus is on repairs, I am limiting my sales at this time to used instruments that I buy, refurbish and sell, or instruments that I sell on consignment. Every instrument that I purchase and sell goes through the shop and is in the best playing condition possible. The consignment instruments will either go through the shop for the best playing condition or they will be marked showing how much it would cost to bring it up to playing condition. New instruments could be a possibility in the future.

The only music that I will stock will be method books. I will make sure that I know which methods all of the schools in the area use and will keep them in stock. If there is a certain piece of music you need, I can surely investigate whether I can get it or not.

I will keep a variety of accessories in stock to match what you request that your students use.

I have some sound reinforcement equipment in stock and will add more as I evaluate the need. I have access to some string and fretted instruments, but no access to some of the more recognizable product lines at this time. I continually monitor the needs and demand for those lines and will investigate acquiring them as demand dictates.

I will pick up and deliver repairs if it is financially feasible to do so. I will be glad to work with each school to find the best solution for getting your repairs in and back to you in a timely manner. I have found that responding to your repair needs on a case by case basis is better than having a regularly scheduled “route”.

Since my focus is on repairs and the timely turnaround of those repairs, I do not supply loaners. I will make sure your repairs get returned to you quickly so you do not have students sitting without instruments for a long period of time.

I have done many seminars that range from in-service presentations to college level presentations to professional technician clinics. My extensive span of experience in the music industry that ranges from classroom teaching to dealing with professional technicians and professional musicians gives me a broad and unique knowledge base from which I can draw from for presentations and consulting services.

My shop is state of the art. I have done away with the old “chem flush” method of cleaning instruments and replaced it with a state of the art ultrasonic cleaner. This method of cleaning instruments is more thorough and less harmful on the environment and me than the chemical method. I use only premium parts and supplies such as pads, corks, felts, etc. I have also acquired the Magnetic Dent Removal System (MRDS). This system allows me to access dents in areas of instruments that were impossible to reach without unsoldering and resoldering branches of instruments, especially tubas, sousaphones, euphoniums and baritones. This system allows me take out those dents that, in the past, were too time consuming (price) and cosmetically impractical to remove.

As you can see in my testimonials (shown on the side of this page), I have received praise from professional musicians at the highest level as well as teachers needing repairs for student level instruments. I am not a repair “snob” who will look down their nose at anything less than a professional level horn and I am very comfortable working on instruments for players that depend on that instrument for their livelihood. In my nearly 30 years of repairing instruments there is not much that I have not repaired.

Most definitely, yes. Although, as I evaluate a repair, I will be cognizant of the cost associated with that repair. In other words…Is the best repair for this instrument to replace the instrument? But I will not back down to challenging repairs. Some of the more unique repairs that I have done range from rebuilding a 1930’s era Conn curved sopranino saxophone, to rebuilding a sarrusophone, to adapting an F-attachment trombone for a player with symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.

I have access to parts for every major manufacturer of band instruments. I also have the equipment and knowledge to manufacture obsolete parts. I also have a substantial collection of “dead body” parts. These are parts taken from instruments that were not worth repairing.

I am a member of NAPBIRT, the National Association of Professional Band Instrument Repair Technicians. This organization is for the sharing and improving knowledge, skills and techniques for the trade. I have attended as well as presented at their conferences.

RPT Music and Consulting, LLC strives to make the experience of making music more enjoyable by allowing the performer to play on an instrument that is at its optimum playing condition. I strive to be professional in all aspects of business, whether it is the image I project through my finished product, or through my interaction with the customer both in person and by other means of communication. I also realize the professionalism does not end with the closing of the shop doors. I carry this professional attitude into the community with me. I strive to uphold the ethics of Band Instrument Repair as set forth in the Code of Ethics statement by NAPBIRT.