Brass Repairs

A: When quoting for any work we primarily work from our hourly rate of £60. The time required to do various servicing related work can vary based on brand and build-quality. As such we encourage all customers to contact us directly to get an exact quote for their specific instrument. We’d be happy to guide you on the various levels of servicing and what may be appropriate for your needs.

A: We do offer on-the-spot repair slots, but these are primarily designed to assess your instrument. We can sometimes fix small issues via this on-the-spot service, but these are limited to 60-minute appointments which must be booked in advance via our online booking system or with a member of the team.

If we advise booking your instrument into our Repair Diary for routine servicing or more advanced work, we inform you of the next available date at the time of booking. We only need the instrument dropping off the day before, then picking up the day after the agreed repair date. So, in theory you're without the instrument for just 3 days.

A: Yes, absolutely! All brass repairs are offered with a 3-month warranty. We encourage all players to test their instrument thoroughly upon collection which allows us to make any minor tweaks if you require them. However, this isn't always possible if you're a parent collecting on behalf of a child, or if you're using our mail-order system.

As such, any repair done by the team is covered by the 3-month warranty which allows you to book with confidence. The technicians are on-hand 6 days a week to help and we pride ourselves on the many thousands of independent 5* Feefo reviews for our repair work and customer service.

A: This can be related to how often you play the instrument and how well you keep up regular maintenance such as; cleaning valves and slides, bathing the instrument, and oiling/greasing relevant parts. However, on average we'd suggest getting your brass instrument checked by a professional technician every 12-18 months.

The level of servicing required can vary based on age, condition, amount of use, build-quality, and the previous upkeep/maintenance schedule.

A: Absolutely. Our team have many years of experience when it comes to all the main issues associated with brass instruments. Stuck valves or slides are very common, and we would always advise leaving them to a professional repairer to resolve. Sometimes we see instruments that have been damaged due to well-meaning but poorly informed home repair attempts.

The technicians can offer a speedy and cost-efficient solution to help repair any stuck or sticky valves or slides. Often, it's due to a build-up of debris in the valve casings, or it can also be caused by small abrasions/imperfections on the surface of the valve due to minor damage or wear. Sometimes the actual valve casing can be slightly dented which can also cause sticky or stuck valves. Our team will get your sorted and the instrument back up and playing perfectly!

A: Yes, we can help with everything dent related from minor dings to crumpled bells and more. Our workshop is equipped with all the professional tooling required to offer effective dent removal solutions. Some dents are purely aesthetic, but others can affect the playability and even the sound of your instrument.

We can quickly quote for the best solution for any dent related issue. Often, it's a multi-step process to carefully repair brass instrument dents. The technicians work with a variety of tools to help remove the dent as effectively as possible. The aesthetics can usually be greatly improved, sometimes with little or no signs of previous damage.

A: We do work on an appointment system which you can view here. This allows customers to book a day/time that best suits them, plus you get an allocated repair technician who will carefully assess your instrument and give you all the information you need to progress with any quoted work. Our team are very knowledgeable, approachable, and friendly. We'll make sure you're comfortable with the timings, costs, and work required before we proceed.

A: Yes, we do. Our technicians have many years of experience repairing everything from piccolo trumpets down to BBb Tubas! Whatever your brass instrument we can help. Commonly we deal with all the main orchestral and brass band instruments such as cornets, trumpets, French horns, trombones, euphoniums and tubas. But we also help customers with some of the rarer brass instruments such as; mellophones, alphorns, and even Ophicleides!

A: We do offer customers re-lacquering/re-plating solutions. The team here in the workshop would assess your instrument and quote accordingly for the full cost.

The prep work is carried out on-site; this involves stripping the instrument fully and preparing all the surfaces for the new lacquer or plating. The instrument is then sent off-site to one of our specialist partners to complete the lacquering or plating of all relevant parts. It is then returned to us on-site for the re-fitting and finishing.

A: Yes, and this is something we're very proud to offer, and another reason the Dawkes workshop is so unique and popular amongst professional players. Our brass technicians can offer an array of brass instrument customisation. This can include technical work such as leadpipe modifications, detachable bells, adding triggers and more.

We love to work alongside players to improve their instruments. Some of our acoustical work can also help the performance of your instrument in terms of intonation and response. Just get in touch with us to take the next step in developing your own signature instrument and sound.

A: Yes, we can. We use trusted courier services to collect instruments for repair and deliver them back to customers all over the UK. This process is timely, secure, and we aim to make it hassle-free! The process would be to get in touch with the team via email or phone, discuss the work required (we may sometimes ask for photos/videos), and then we'd quote you accordingly.

Once you've decided to go ahead, we would arrange the best collection date with you. We advise you to package the instrument in its case, and the case in a larger box with ample padding material inside to help protect it. Once we receive the instrument, we'd confirm the quoted work is suitable and proceed with the repair accordingly. When finished you'll be notified with a payment link, and when that's complete, we'd safely and promptly ship the instrument back to you.

We can help with customers outside the UK, however since Brexit we have noticed that there can be more steps to go through in terms of the instrument being returned. This is usually to do with customs in the inbound country of origin. This can vary country to country, so we'd advise you to check with your local customs authority as to the best course of action. Unfortunately, we cannot be held responsible for any delays due to local customs rules outside of the UK.