Mid-Atlantic woodwind tech

February 21, 2013 4:45 PM

Help me find a great saxophone/clarinet repairperson within basically any radius of Baltimore.

I live in Baltimore and I'm looking for clarinet and saxophone repairs to make me very happy. I'm happy to know who's right in my town, and I also would love to know the hidden or not-so-hidden masters I might go to when travelling. (D.C? Philly? New York? Delaware? New Jersey? Richmond, VA?)

(If you're around Boston, I highly recommend both Joe Calo and Les Arbuckle. Les has a particular talent to perfect things so finely that all the clickety-clacks and key jiggles disappear.)

posted by spbmp to sports, hobbies, & recreation (6 answers total)

L & L Music Wind Shop fixes all the wind and brass instruments for Montgomery County public schools, so they've got to be good for something. Gaithersburg is kind of a drive from Baltimore, though.
posted by Nomyte at 5:05 PM on February 21

There's someone who is supposed to be excellent in Philly but I am blanking on his name. I'll ask my clarinet friend and drop you a MeMail when I hear back from her.
posted by Sidhedevil at 5:20 PM on February 21

Several years ago I took an old Martin alto off eBay (that ended up being outside my price range to get fixed up) to Beverly Hawkins at Windworks Studio in Philadelphia. Looks like they're only doing pro setup of flutes now, though. She could probably put you in touch with the right people.

The woodwind faculty at the Peabody would probably have good contacts as well, and probably more local to you.
posted by supercres at 9:11 PM on February 21

Stopped by to recommend asking the folks at Peabody too. With a world-class conservatory here in town, you shouldn't have to go far to find what you need.

Also, call up Bill's Music in Catonsville for their opinion.
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 4:31 AM on February 22

Yeah, I've talked to Windworks & they aren't doing saxophones anymore. To piggyback on this, if anyone has Philadelphia recommendations I'd like to hear them. I took my tenor to Hammer Woodwinds a couple years back on the recommendations of a few people and was not super impressed with their service, unfortunately, plus it's way out of the way from where I live.
posted by zempf at 7:10 AM on February 22

Thanks, folks, I'll follow up on some of these suggestions and see what I can find!
posted by spbmp at 5:20 PM on February 22