Klarinet Archive - Posting 000171.txt from 1997/09

From: Michael Norsworthy <mnorsworthy@-----.net>
Subj:
Date: Thu, 4 Sep 1997 22:46:51 -0400

Bill Hausmann Wrote:

I'm going to get in trouble again for asking this, but I don't understand
how a repair person can "ruin" and instrument. Assuming he did not do
anything ridiculous like alter the bore, what could he do that could not be
repaired or readjusted relatively easily by someone else? Not to say that
there are not incompetent people out there, just that I don't think they
can do that much damage without messing with things they have no business
messing with. And I doubt that they would go that far out of their way if
they didn't know what they were doing..

Bill,

One horror story happened to a friend of mine. She took her clarinet to a reputable
(or supporsedly reputable) repairman to have a few pads replaced and some spring
tension adjusted. He asked if she could leave it and pick it up the next day. Sure,
no problem, she said. When she went to pick it up the next day she opened her
case and about screamed. This person took it upon himself to STRIP THE WOOD
because he thought it was necessary. The clarinet had to be immediately re-oiled
and needless to say, she ended up buying a new instrument, at the REPAIRMAN'S
EXPENSE!! (go girl!!)

I have learned, that unless I trust someone implicitly, I don't leave it overnight, AND
I tell them EXACTLY what I want done and tell them to do nothing else unless they
consult with me first. I also learned, through my friend's experience, that it pays
to know quite a bit about repairing an instrument. I'm able to take a very active role
in determining what gets done to my instrument, and I'm usually satisfied with the
repair results about 99.9% of thed time. If I'm not satisified, I hand it back to them
tell them what I'm not happy with. They're usually happy to fix whatever it is.

For the knowledge I've gained about repair, I have to thank Mike Hammer, in Philadelphia,
for that. He's done my work for over 10 years and I don't think I would ever go with
someone else. He's taught me how to do minor repairs by myself, so that I don't
have to spend so much money UPS'ing my instruments to him. He taught me these
things when I was an eager young person (not that I'm not still that) trying to learn
as much as he could about anything that he could. He was very patient and let me
sit right next to him at his workbench and watch him for hours and hours on end.
I've not met a better repairman, nor one that cares so much about the quality product
that he produces. Again, he's highly recommended.

Perhaps this is a bit more than asked for, but I thought I would share and toot Mike's
horn a little bit. He's worth the salt, as they say, repair-wise and personally. Take care
and I hope this helps *someone*.

Regards,
Michael Norsworthy
mnorsworthy@-----.net