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How Often?
The Workshop
Booking In
Workshop Opening Hours
Payment Methods
Instrument Servicing Pricing
How Often?
We recommend bringing your instrument to be checked in our workshop once a year, to ensure that everything is working smoothly and that there are no problems around the corner (think of it as the equivalent of giving your car an MOT!).
As well as this, we would advise that a woodwind instrument be given a general service every two years. This will help keep mechanical wear to a minimum, meaning that your instrument will continue to be reliable.
The Workshop
Ian McLauchlan is our full-time on-site flute repairer, and our team of world-class technicians are able to repair, service and overhaul all types of woodwind and brass instrument. Ian McLauchlan has been repairing, servicing and overhauling flutes and making flute and piccolo headjoints since 1980, and is available to discuss maintenance issues or repair problems that you may be experiencing.
We can only give a rough estimate for repair work without seeing your instrument first, and so we suggest that you bring or send your instrument to us for evaluation.
Booking In
We are always busy with repair and servicing work, and operate a booking-in system. For student instruments, work takes approximately 10 days (e.g. book your instrument in for a Friday, and your repair will be ready for collection a week on Monday). Intermediate and professional instruments are usually booked in for a particular day (so you can bring your instrument in in the morning and collect at the end of the day). Please arrange a date well in advance, especially in the run-up to half-terms and school holidays. We will always try our best to carry out small repairs while you wait; but miracles can take a little longer!
If you can't get to us to bring the instrument, we are happy to do repairs by post. It's safe and reliable. We suggest Royal Mail Special Delivery, although there are plenty of couriers out there. Make sure your instrument is well-packed and adequately insured in transit (as most instrument insurance policies don't cover an instrument in transit). Remember to include as many contact details for you as possible! Instruments for repair should be addressed to:
Repair Workshop
Jonathan Myall Music
46 South End
CROYDON
CR0 1DP
To book an instrument in for service or repair, please contact our workshop directly on 020 8662 8420, or by email via Ian McLauchlan's website.
Workshop Opening Hours
Our workshop opening times are different to the shop hours, so please call our workshop on 020 8662 8420 to check that it is open prior to travelling.
Payment Methods
You are welcome to pay for repairs and servicing by cash and cheque. Please note that the workshop does not currently accept credit or debit cards.
Instrument Servicing Pricing
We offer three levels of service: Thorough check, General service and Overhaul
1. Thorough Check This is the traditional ‘put the instrument back to working order’ type of repair. It involves:
- Ensuring that all pads are sealing properly
- Ensuring that the adjustment is correct between linked keys
- Checking and adjusting, if necessary, the fitting of the joints
- In flutes, inspecting the sealing of the headjoint cork and replacing if necessary
- Giving the insturment a dust off and general clean
- Oiling the keywork
Suggested interval 1 year
Price guide
- Piccolo check from £40.00
- Flute check from £45.00
- Clarinet check from £45.00
- Oboe check from £40.00
- Saxophone check from £50.00
- Bassoon check from £50.00
2. General Service
- The instrument is totally stripped down and polished
- Pad sealing is checked and adjusted
- Any worn or torn pads are replaced
- Dents and scratches are removed as far as possible
- The old oil is fully removed and the keys are re-oiled and adjusted
- On wood instruments, joint corks are fitted and replaced as necessary
Suggested interval 2 years
Price guide
- Piccolo service from £75.00
- Flute service from £85.00
- Clarinet service from £85.00
- Oboe service from £100.00
- Saxophone service from £150.00
- Bassoon service from £145.00
3. Overhaul This is over and above the work of a ‘general service’ and involves putting the instrument back, as far as possible, to ‘as new’ condition. On top of the work of a general service,
- The instrument is totally disassembled
- Any end play (longways mechanism movement) is removed from the keywork
- All pads are replaced
- On wood instruments, joints are re-corked
Suggested interval As required (2 -30 years! Depending on the condition of the pads)
Price guide
- Piccolo overhaul from £120.00
- Flute overhaul from £160.00
- Clarinet overhaul from £160.00
- Oboe overhaul from £160.00
- Saxophone overhaul from £320.00
- Bassoon overhaul from £280.00
*These prices are a rough guide only. All instruments are inspected to establish the work required, and we will confirm the exact cost before proceeding with the work.
Also See
Instrument Insurance
Care and Maintenance |
