 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: mcdaniels
Date: 2009-12-10 12:35
greetings all. i'm looking for a respectable, reasonably priced repair shop in the philadelpia area and would appriciate any recommendations. thanks.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2009-12-10 12:47
Hammer Woodwinds, 215-244-4981
Mike Hammer is among the best anywhere. His shop is just outside the city limits at the intersection of Route 13 and Woodhaven Road (near Franklin Mills mall).
Karl
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-12-11 00:46
I've heard Hammer is very good but pricy and does note always do the work himself. I'd suggest Vincent Marinelli in Wilmington DE, very close to Philly, a lot of Philly players use him. He does all the work himself and is extremely reasonable. Phone number is 1800-396.1585 or 302-479.0373. Mention my name if you wish, it can't hurt, he will only charge you double. ESP
http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: jimk
Date: 2009-12-11 01:49
If you go to Vincent Marinelli, I recommend you call first. I stopped by during his posted shop hours a couple of years ago. He was giving a lesson at the time. I was willing to wait a few minutes to the end of the lesson, but I left after being curtly told I had to have an appointment.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2009-12-11 02:26
Most busy shops want you to arrange an appointment for non-emergency work or anything that's going to take more than a few minutes. Both Mike Hammer and Vince Marinelli have considerable amounts of work backlogged and they try to schedule it so it doesn't sit around too long once it's in the shop, especially if you want to wait instead of leaving the instrument. Hammer has done emergency work on short notice for me on occasion, although I still called to see when he could fit me in. Most of the time when the problem isn't pressing I can get an appointment within a week.
I don't know what you needed or how overloaded Vince was feeling that day, but in general calling ahead always makes sense.
By the way, I don't think Hammer gives clarinet work to anyone else very often - the two others who are currently in the shop regularly these days seem always to be working on other instruments whenever I'm there - the shop works on all the woodwinds and saxes. In any case, they are both very competent and Mike supervises their work closely.
It may come down to who you live closer to. Hammer is at the northeastern extreme of Philadelphia and Marinelli is in Wilmington. They are both excellent, knowledgeable and supportive.
Karl
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Author: salzo
Date: 2009-12-11 11:38
My students go to Malarskey woodwinds-kind of a hike from Philly (located in Erwinna, bucks county). His work isn't bad, and his prices are good. 215-491-5383.
I have gone to the others mentioned, there work is good, but all things considered I prefer sending my students to Steve.
There is also a place on Chesnut in center city that does woodwind repair, but I do not know their name. I have never been there, but have friends who have gone to them and they say they aren't bad.
Personally, I do not trust any clarinet repair person if they aren't rude, nasty, crusty-seems that behavior is a necessary prerequisite for good work.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2009-12-11 16:56
He does the *clarinet* work himself (or nearly all of it). His assistants do a lot of the sax work, although as far as I know he did the work on both my soprano and my tenor himself when I brought it to him and the work was excellent.
Karl
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Author: donald
Date: 2009-12-11 17:16
One of my students had to make an emergency visit to Gordon Palmer (who posts on this board) on a Sunday morning, after the bottom of the lower joint swelled and cracked, and then the student shattered the tenon trying to put the bell on (a Leblanc Concerto- no cracks for 10-15 years then this????).
Gordon was neither rude, nasty or crusty- and yet his repair work was exquisite. Of course, my student had phoned first....
dn
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2009-12-11 18:28
I had certainly expected him to do the work as it was a Mark VI that had been knocked over so it needed high end expertise. The damage that was done by Mike's crew was a result of either stupidity or carelessness.
Mike never would have done that. He is a first rate technician agreed.
But I'll tell you, he won't be getting my business again. When my student told Mike what had happened he started being argumentative that they didn't do the damage.
I knew it was either from heat or a solvent that had melted the finish off of an area on the neck otherwise pristine condition). I knew what I was looking at, but he argued to the student that I wasn't a repair tech so didn't know what I as talking about.
Trouble was that I had already shown it to a (Marinelli Sax guy) Sax Repair Specialist who immediately agreed with me as to what it looked like. And the student had "before" pictures.
When Mike finally saw it himself he had a sudden change of attitude.
But did he discount the $1000 repair at all? Nope, none. The student could have taken it further but he decided not to.
Gave me a real bad taste for his business practice. Mark VI necks in great condition aren't cheap and the damage was real.
A discount was in order.
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: Steve Hartman
Date: 2009-12-11 20:24
Mark Jacobi is an outstanding, meticulous craftsman who lives and works in Philadelphia. 215-755-9253
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Author: kdk
Date: 2009-12-11 22:34
Where is he working these days? Last I talked to him I think he was working out of his home, and he used to do setup work for Vince Marinelli. But he doesn't advertise, so I've lost track. He is excellent.
Karl
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Author: Steve Hartman
Date: 2009-12-12 11:48
Mark Jacobi has a shop in his home. It's no more than a ten-minute taxi ride from the 30th St. Station.
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Author: salzo
Date: 2009-12-14 13:37
Mark is the best. And for those without coin for taxi fair, you can hop on the broad street line and get off at Morris (or is it Moore?). He is a stone throw away from the broad street line.
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Author: Tom Puwalski
Date: 2009-12-15 11:52
Marc Jacobi does great work. I've had loads of work done by him over the years. Tom Puwalski
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