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A Guide to Instrument Set-up
What other companies call a ´Platinum Service´
Dawkes Music give to you as standard...
When checking new instrument stock in our workshop, we carry out comprehensive checking and setting up which has been referred to by other companies as a ´Special Platinum Service´. For us, this level of quality service is our standard.
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The instrument is inspected for any dents, chips or scratches. Wooden instruments are checked for cracking, machining marks and general finish. Lacquered instruments are checked for stains, especially acid stains from soldering around pillars and bell flares. Plated instruments are checked for plating defects, stains and finish.
The visual inspection continues with checks for damaged or missing corks, pads, felts, etc. and toneholes are closely scrutinized for irregularities, dirt or buffing compounds (especially in saxophone octave bushes as buffing compound can easily become lodged here).
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Work is carried out by our technicians to ensure that every instrument assembles correctly, has no binding joints, bad fitting tenons or crooks, binding keywork, poor fitting tuning slides, missing or loose screws or corks.
On woodwind instruments the springing is checked and adjusted, regulation adjusted, keywork lubricated, whilst on brass instruments valves are cleaned and lubricated, springs greased and slides cleaned, greased and adjusted as necessary.
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After the instrument has been examined and setup, it is blown and carefully checked for tuning, free blowing and fuzzy notes.
This is especially important with student instruments as most professionals can play a badly set up instrument, a beginner cannot...
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Additional Services (available on request) |
Clarinet
- Adjust spring tension to customer's requirements.
- Adjust tuning to customer´s requirements.
- Polish tone holes.
- Remove the sharp edges from tone holes to give a ´blown in´ effect and ease the stiffness.
- Replace corks on E/B and F#/C# with leather.
- Reposition thumbrest to customer´s requirements.
- Waterproof skin pads, especially side Eb/Bb.
- Waterproof end grain and tone holes to help eliminate cracking.
- Apply a thin varnish to top trill holes to help prevent cracking.
Saxophone
- Adjust spring tension to customer´s requirements.
- Adjust tuning to customer´s requirements
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