Need to find a good saxophone repairer :(

Jobylou · Jul 17, 2011

I am still in shock, my yamaha alto 275 just fell, somehow it detached from the neckstrap, I have no idea how. It fell onto a wooden floor and the result is a nasty bent bell, a small dent in the bottom and it must have got twisted somehow because the d pad (not sure what the proper name is) no longer closes. I am totally gutted and it hasn't quite sunk in yet 🙁
I really hope it can be repaired, I have only been playing for 2 months and love it so much.
My parents live near MIR in Halesowen so I was thinking of taking it there when I can get over there, doez anyone know if they are good? Or have any other suggestions? Does anyone know what a repair like that may cost?
Thank you for any advice.

jazzdoh · Jul 17, 2011

Sorry to hear about your sax.

MIR in Halesowen no longer exists,the shop went bust about 2/3 years ago,however Charles Connolly of MIR now has a repair business called Connolly MIR.

Their website is connolly-mir.co.uk and they are now based in West Bromwich, West Midlands.

Brian

Jobylou · Jul 17, 2011

Hi Brian
Thank you for your reply, the shop in Halesowen is still there, I went there a month or so ago, I didn't notice if it had a different name, I think they still have a workshop there.
Best Wishes
Jo

MartinL · Jul 17, 2011

Dont panic too much, I repaired a Trevor James with the same problem a few months ago... OK not the dent, but the action came back easily... It'll be fine..

There is a good repair shop in Cannock if needed too.

griff136 · Jul 17, 2011

Hi Jobylou

Because your bell/bow has been twisted your D probably wont sound due to the Low Eb pad not closing fully. The bottom post that holds the Eb key is soldered to the bow.

its a relatively simple evoloution to get your sax back to playing order assuming theres no other damage.

the bell and bow need to come off - which is good because it'll be easier to remove the dents on the bow and straighten the bell. The bell then needs to be reattached in its correct position, and ideally new pads on the Low Bb, B, C and Eb.

Cost wise I usually charge around £70-90 for repair the above and set to good working order.

kevgermany · Jul 17, 2011

Send it to Griff. If the other posts on the forum are anything to go by, it'll come back better than new!

Jobylou · Jul 18, 2011

Thank you for your replies, now calmed down a bit, although still frustrated!
PM sent to Griff!
Jo 🙂

jazzdoh · Jul 18, 2011

Jo the shop is still a music shop called Oakleigh Music, it doesn't have a workshop there and they use Charles at Connolly MIR.
Oakleigh are not connected in any way to MIR.

Brian

Jobylou · Jul 18, 2011

jazzdoh said:
Jo the shop is still a music shop called Oakleigh Music, it doesn't have a workshop there and they use Charles at Connolly MIR.
Oakleigh are not connected in any way to MIR.

Brian

Thanks Brian 🙂 Just got a bit confused I think because the guy spoke as though they had a workshop there, but perhaps I misinterpereted what he said, we were only having a general chat though I didn't think that I would be needing a workshop any time soon 🙁

jazzdoh · Jul 18, 2011

Hope all goes well with your repair.

Brian

Rogerb · Jul 18, 2011

My teacher used to use MIR for his MKVIs, and I think he now continues to use Charles Connolly (not 100% certain, but I'll try to find-out). He was certainly very satisfied with the service.

I book-in with SH, several months ahead, to coincide with one of my UK trips.

old git · Jul 19, 2011

Yes, send it to Griff. He did a bloody good job on my horn and the only words of criticism I've heard about him, is failing to cut loose with a baritone solo during an organ concerto at the Fairfield Halls in Croydon.

Pyrografix · Jul 19, 2011

A bit of advice: if you need to trust your sax to any mail/courier system - make sure it is VERY secure within the case, packed with bubble wrap so it can't move at all!

From someone who's learned through experience!

Jobylou · Jul 19, 2011

pyrografix said:
A bit of advice: if you need to trust your sax to any mail/courier system - make sure it is VERY secure within the case, packed with bubble wrap so it can't move at all!

From someone who's learned through experience!

Thank you for your message - I am getting cold feet at the thought of sending it off in the post 🙁 also it is very very expensive to send it insured there and back, so I am currently exploring local alternatives...

Pyrografix · Jul 19, 2011

I don't want to put you off sending it - I've successfully mailed a few saxes to various parts of the world without incident. I usually use parcel2go.com who provide courier services at a reasonable rate (cheaper than the mail in most cases).

old git · Jul 19, 2011

PM Griff to see if he is in this Thursday. If it is not too bad, he might fix it there and then. If not, he'll take it away in his WRC Citroen van and bring it back to Croydon next week.
Jonny Myall's is on the 119 and 312 bus routes on the other side of the road if you come out of the main entrance at East Croydon station.
As a further incentive, you could be invited to a CaSLM lunch and we promise not to mug you.

Jobylou · Jul 19, 2011

old git said:
PM Griff to see if he is in this Thursday. If it is not too bad, he might fix it there and then. If not, he'll take it away in his WRC Citroen van and bring it back to Croydon next week.
Jonny Myall's is on the 119 and 312 bus routes on the other side of the road if you come out of the main entrance at East Croydon station.
As a further incentive, you could be invited to a CaSLM lunch and we promise not to mug you.

Hi, I think you meant to post this on the other thread? 🙂

TomMapfumo · Jul 19, 2011

Hi Jobylou!

Sad to hear about the sax. What is the strap that you currently use? I would tend to avoid any with plastic hooks - the ones that fasten like a dog lead, particularly as they do seem to invite errors in attaching. For a while now I have used the Rico straps - both padded and unpadded, which have an excellent shaped metal hook which is virtually fool proof.

It can be a scary thing when there is just a hand or a strap hook holding our lump of precious metal between us and the floor. I also am careful to do any mouthpiece fiddling whils leaning over a table or seated in a carpeted area to avoid accidents. If you do have a decent strap then ignore my concern. It can be scary also posting off saxes etc. but confidently sent my Tenor off to Norfolk recently
with Parcel2Go, who collected it from my house (I used the bubble wrap method) at 10am and it arrived at its destination less than 24 hours later, for a mere £6.

But there do sound to be decent ones locally as well. Good luck getting it fixed!
Kind regards
Tom

Jobylou · Jul 19, 2011

Hi Tom
The strap is a Neotech Soft Sax Strap with swivel hook, it wasn't cheap so I am absolutely gutted. I have emailed the company to let them now what has happened. The wierd thing is that the hook is fine, it works and the spring is fine - it didn't break so I am baffled as to what happened. One thing is for sure, I will never trust a strap again!
The worry that I have is of posting something worth £800 off without it being insured - you are very brave Tom! 🙂
Cheers
Jo

TomMapfumo · Jul 19, 2011

Hi Jo!

The Rico straps can be found here www.rapidreeds.com/categories/rico . I trust the hooks as there are no moving parts and you know clearly when it is safely attached - only £6.68, inc shipping is worth investing in - my ex teacher used to use one on his tenor in gigs very safely. My guess is that the strap hook was not quite closed. I have had straps supplied with saxes (Yanagisawa and System 54 with a similar hook - refuse to use them, personally.

You've got to know who and what to trust.
Kind regards
Tom