 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: KTJ78
Date: 2012-10-22 04:36
Everything is expensive as heck in San Francisco - including clarinet repair!
I am looking for a good repair guy in or near SF that does really solid pro (cork or equivalent) repad/overhaul jobs in the $300-$400 range.
As an antidote, I got a quote from a top SF repairman for a replate/repad job at $1000! The same job with a well-reputed guy on the east coast was $450. I think that kind of differential is, honestly, insulting.
Any suggestions??
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: clarnibass
Date: 2012-10-22 06:09
I have no idea what are fair prices in your area but FWIW it's impossible to compare prices unless also comparing the result. Sorry to say I've seen lousy $200 overhauls and lousy $800 overhauls... but good ones varied a lot in price also.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: KTJ78
Date: 2012-10-22 06:16
Like I said I am looking for some recommendations from in-the-know locals, but thanks for the input.
KTJ
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: gwie
Date: 2012-10-22 07:34
Can't beat the Brannens:
http://brannenwoodwinds.com/
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: JHowell
Date: 2012-10-22 13:01
Steve Roberts used to have a shop in Pasadena. Maybe not "local," but closer than, say, Philadelphia and he's always done great work.
Post Edited (2012-10-22 13:02)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2012-10-22 19:44
KTJ78 wrote:
> As an antidote, I got a quote from a top SF repairman for a
> replate/repad job at $1000! The same job with a well-reputed
> guy on the east coast was $450. I think that kind of
> differential is, honestly, insulting.
>
Are you sure that both those quotes included replating? I'm highly skeptical that you could get an overhaul and have the keys/posts replated for only $450. Often the cost for replating the keys and posts will run a few hundred dollars by itself.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: KTJ78
Date: 2012-10-22 19:57
Yes. The estimate was specifically for a "silver replating" job from someone who does in-house replating. Of course the instrument needs to be totally repadding for any replate job. The estimate I got back was this:
"The estimate on your clarinet would be $350 with bladder pads and $450 with cork pads on the top joint."
Mind you, this is the most competitive quote I could find anywhere, so yes, it is quite a good price.
KTJ
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: srattle
Date: 2012-10-22 20:03
Have you tried asking Daniel Deitch?
http://danieldeitch.com
I have always found him to be an excellent repair tech (I bring my clarinets to him, and I live in Germany) and I also find he is always very fair with his prices. If you haven't asked him, I would recommend you do!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2012-10-22 20:20
KTJ78 wrote:
> The estimate was specifically for a "silver replating" job
> from someone who does in-house replating.
The "in-house" part would be enough to make me run away from that deal. Doing a good plating job requires the use of cyanide-based plating solutions that are pretty much restricted to professional plating shops for hazardous waste disposal reasons. An "in-house" plating job will almost certainly use one of the many "cyanide-free" plating solutions that a really meant for plating electrical components and not decorative plating. The quality and durability of the finish will be a concern.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: KTJ78
Date: 2012-10-22 20:29
Excellent point. I have actually done my research and read positive reviews about this technician's replate work, as well as emailed past clients and confirmed the quality of the work. He has been doing his own replating for well over a decade.
KTJ
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: trice035
Date: 2012-10-22 22:23
Ken at Best Music (Broadway in Oakland) charged me $450 for an overhaul 3 or 4 years ago. Nice work.
Best Instrument Repair (14th in Oakland) charges $500, they tell me. I have had them do lots of clarinet repairs and adjustments for me with excellent results.
Daniel Deitch has done a lot of clarinet repair for me but no overhauls. Fabulous work!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2012-10-22 23:42
Thanks to all who have posted overhaul costs. As of now I'm going to double my charges to get in line with (apparently) everyone else. I may not be good, but even at that it would seem I've been undercharging.
Post Edited (2012-10-22 23:43)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2012-10-23 00:19
David Spiegelthal wrote:
> Thanks to all who have posted overhaul costs. As of now I'm
> going to double my charges to get in line with (apparently)
> everyone else. I may not be good, but even at that it would
> seem I've been undercharging.
>
Having been a repeat customer of yours I'll admit that your prices are on the low end but not extraordinarily so. Based on my experience the going rate for a basic overhaul (tenon/key corks + bladder or leather pads) seems to be ~$300 on the east coast (probably more in places like NYC due to higher overhead costs). Extra work like adding cork pads or replacing springs will raise the price. One thing that seems to be a recent development is that some techs are now adding a surcharge for older clarinets.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: clarnibass
Date: 2012-10-23 06:26
>> I may not be good, but even at that it would seem I've been undercharging. <<
Does most of your income come from repairing instruments and is this your main job? Obviously you don't have to answer, but if it doesn't, it is likely you can charge a lot less than if it was and you were depended on that.
>> Like I said... <<
OK, my post was in reply to the "antidote". A $1,000 repair might be completely overpriced just like a $300 repair might be a complete waste of money if it has to be re-done because it was lousy.
>> The "in-house" part would be enough to make me run away from that deal. <<
I'd rather look more into it, ask questions and find others with experience, rather than let two words make me run away. I know of at least one repairer who is a great replater but does it "in-house". He is a specialist in plating and follows the same "safety" issues that everyone else has to. He is working where he is because it's convinient.
You might want to contact the person from http://www.2ndending.com
He used to live in that area and he constantly posts on SOTW about this exact issue and how and who he found to be good for more reasonable prices. He mostly deals with saxophones but might know about clarinets too.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2012-10-23 12:18
David Spiegelthal wrote:
> Thanks to all who have posted overhaul costs. As of now I'm
> going to double my charges to get in line with (apparently)
> everyone else. I may not be good, but even at that it would
> seem I've been undercharging.
>
Well, we're off-topic now, on the opposite side of the continent from San Francisco, but just in case people don't realize David Spiegelthal was kidding by way of a subtle sales pitch.... I live in the general area where he does his work and everything I've heard about him has been positive. Disclaimer: I'm an amateur doing my own repair work as a hobby and I've never done any business with him. Although I've been introduced to him at a couple of music events locally, I don't know him personally. I do know some of the clarinet players who've had good experiences with him, though, and I trust what they've said.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
