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Cue Ted Mack's theme



 
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James Becker
Heavyweight Member


Joined: 02 Sep 2005
Posts: 2827
Location: Littleton, MA

PostPosted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 3:09 pm    Post subject: Cue Ted Mack's theme Reply with quote

Since this is the place to post grievances here's mine.

In the past week I've received instruments that were "serviced elsewhere" but weren't quite right. It strikes me that if you are going to promote yourself as a professional (receiving payment for services) repair person you'd take a little more pride in your work than turn out the kind of rubbish I've seen. You might expect this kind of thing from someone starting out, but one guy's been in the game nearly as long as me and should have known better. I happen to believe every job I do is my calling card, so I can't afford to turn out less than my very best. Thankfully, these customers decided they weren't going to settle for "good enough" and showed up at our door.

I just needed to get that off my chest. Thanks for reading.
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James Becker
Brass Repair Specialist Since 1977
Osmun Music Inc.
77 Powdermill Road Rt.62
Acton, MA 01720
www.osmun.com

Our workshop is as close as your nearest UPS store https://www.ups.com/dropoff?loc=en_US


Last edited by James Becker on Wed Jan 25, 2012 6:39 pm; edited 1 time in total
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fraserhutch
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Joined: 09 Oct 2006
Posts: 2548
Location: Oakville, ON Canada

PostPosted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 3:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Amen!!!!
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stumac
Heavyweight Member


Joined: 19 Nov 2008
Posts: 696
Location: Flinders, Australia

PostPosted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 7:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The two things that I would impress on my employees when I had a small factory were " Good enough is'nt " and "Do not expect the customer to pay for what you would not be prepared to pay for yourself". In 30 years of manufacture and repair we never had a complaint or rejection of our work.

Like Jim we did a lot of fixing of others less than satisfactory repairs.

Regards, Stuart.
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James Becker
Heavyweight Member


Joined: 02 Sep 2005
Posts: 2827
Location: Littleton, MA

PostPosted: Fri Dec 06, 2013 6:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It happened again this week and I have to say I am completely tapped out from digging myself out of a hole someone else created.

The trumpet in question was a 1960 Mt. Vernon C180L239 purchased by a second year conservatory student for a premium price from a well respected symphony player. I first performed our pressure test showing significant loss of seal. I was not prepared for what I was about to discover. It was bad enough that the cylinders were scored by some sort of tool but had opened up the first valve by +.012"! Mind you the maximum allowable for Bach trumpet cylinders is +.005". I don't know what sort of trauma this trumpet had been through but for some unqualified so called repairman to ruin the casings is unforgivable.

Next, in preparation for the rebuild I measured and precision aligned #2 & #3, good so far. However when I went to align #1 the top slide port ended up -.087" because it was an Elkhart Bach piston, which no matter what I did would never index properly. Time to rummage through my used pistons...what do you know I find a late 50's Bach #1 piston, crisis averted.

Time to hone the cylinder and see what can be done. Again second and third valves were not too bad just +.003" and I'm good. However when honing the first cylinder I had to proceed gingerly not to thin the wall of the bottom threads. Typically the wall is.024" and are now only .017"! After applying two cotes of copper and honing I got the piston built up .010" and then another .005" of nickel before final honing. I've never had to build up a Bach piston by this much.

Toss in a bunch of loose solder connections remounting the leadpipe on center, and a couple of new slide legs on the second slide and I'm done.

I certainly hope this young man appreciates all the hard work that went into this job. Time for me to go home and rest up, thank God the weekend is here!
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James Becker
Brass Repair Specialist Since 1977
Osmun Music Inc.
77 Powdermill Road Rt.62
Acton, MA 01720
www.osmun.com

Our workshop is as close as your nearest UPS store https://www.ups.com/dropoff?loc=en_US
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James Becker
Heavyweight Member


Joined: 02 Sep 2005
Posts: 2827
Location: Littleton, MA

PostPosted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 3:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, I really do like my job, but some days leave me shaking my head.

Customer on the phone: "I took my trumpet elsewhere and now the tuning slide doesn't work. I'll never do that again."

Perhaps it's time to change my job title from brass repair technician to cleaner http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleaner_%28crime%29
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James Becker
Brass Repair Specialist Since 1977
Osmun Music Inc.
77 Powdermill Road Rt.62
Acton, MA 01720
www.osmun.com

Our workshop is as close as your nearest UPS store https://www.ups.com/dropoff?loc=en_US
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Don Herman rev2
'Chicago School' Forum Moderator


Joined: 03 May 2005
Posts: 8951
Location: Monument, CO

PostPosted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 5:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Perhaps so, in which I must remember to pay you fully and promptly for any service!

Your explanations of the repairs are really useful; I would not know without such a description how much effort there is in involved with some repairs. Nice to know.

Also nice we have guys like you around, artists as much as technicians, who take pride and care in their work.

Hang in there - Don
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"After silence, that which best expresses the inexpressible, is music" - Aldous Huxley
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Craig Swartz
Heavyweight Member


Joined: 14 Jan 2005
Posts: 7769
Location: Des Moines, IA area

PostPosted: Fri Dec 18, 2015 7:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You are so right, Jim. A big issue is that in many smaller venues, the local guy/gal is what you have and it doesn't occur to the local Gomers/Gomerettes to send their horn somewhere a couple hundred miles away when someone in town can "take care of it". We're blessed to have some outstanding techs here but I'm not sure that is becoming the norm, nor is pride in one's work, a concept that used to be a foregone conclusion in ages past.

You job description in that case could become "Father Confessor", but probably not advertise that on TH- it'd make the mods nervous.

And JEEZ- I didn't think you were old enough to remember Ted Mack... HOLY CRAP!!!
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