While it may seem obvious, an instrument that is not in the best possible playing condition will handicap the abilities of the musician using it to improve faster. Unfortunately, many musicians fail to take seriously the need to have their instrument adjusted at minimum on an annual basis. We actually recommend two adjustments a year—once every 6 months—for the average musician who is playing and practicing on a daily basis. The less you play, actually, the faster your instrument will fall out of adjustment and the sooner it will require someone to look at it. Woodwind instruments require moisture—or use—to be able to keep the pads working and if the instrument is wood, to keep it performing at its best level and help ensure it will not crack easily.
At Lisa’s Clarinet Shop, we tremendously value the benefit playing your best offers to each client we serve. In order to achieve this, all of our instruments are professionally set up, regardless of if they are used or new. We consider this to be a critical step to not only ensure the playability of the instruments but equally to discover its personality in order to apply our color ring methodology to it to identify its color and shape of sound. In order to do this, all of our instruments receive a professional overhaul.
A Lisa’s Clarinet Shop overhaul includes:
*Complete cleaning of the instrument
*The instrument will be swedged to maximum tolerances
*All pads replace with synthetic pads
*Corks and bumpers replaced if needed
*All rods and screws will be tested to ensure free movement
*Joint corks replaced as needed
*Tone holes chips repaired
* Checking of tone holes for correct amount of undercutting to ensure proper pitch alignment
While you may ask, why would a new instrument need all these things? It’s because the instruments from all manufacturers are hastily put together after they are finished being made. They are then put into a container and shipped overseas and subjected to all kinds of elements. From there, once arriving at the manufacturer, someone attempts to put them in ‘playing condition,’ which never really does the job necessary to ensure they seal well enough or play at their best level.
As a result, all of the items listed above need to be done to new instruments and we also complete the same list to the used instruments we take on consignment to sell to ensure playing success. Our goal is to ensure the money you spend on lessons and the time you invest in practicing and playing are best spent making progress musically and not spent compensating for problems the instrument has that you should not have to overcome.
Once this process is complete, we then use our color ring methodology to identify their playing characteristics, which allows us to ensure a perfect match between our client and the instrument they might consider purchasing.
Our 90 Day Adjustment
After you have reached a decision as to which instrument is the right one for you from Lisa’s Clarinet Shop, while the instrument you purchase will be in excellent condition mechanically, in order to raise your awareness about how often and how easily it falls out of adjustment based on the climate you live in, amount of time daily you play it, how well you clean and properly store the instrument in its case, we offer a free 90 day adjustment with a woodwind technician you trust.
The instrument needs to stay at the same level of adjustment to ensure it offers maximum flexibility of expression to help its player play their absolute best. We want you to learn what the level requires to maintain and how subtle some of the issues can be that affect its performance and your own. This awareness alone will increase your ability to play your best.
In order to take advantage of our 90-day adjustment, you need to book a time with a technician you trust close to the 90-day mark from your date of purchase. We ask the technician to look over the instrument to ensure it is sealing well, the tenons fit together properly, and to address any other minor adjustment to key heights or any other issues you have experienced up to that point. We offer up to $100 for this adjustment, but it usually costs way less, like $25-50 dollars is what most need to be reimbursed.
You can send us a copy of the invoice and we will send you the payment for the adjustment. You can also have us do the work if there is no one locally in your area to do it for you that you trust.
I hope you can see from the level of care we place on professional set up and adjustment, exactly why we can offer you a far better purchasing and playing experience to ensure you can play your absolute best all of the time. We also hope you will come to understand the mechanical issues and needs of your instrument, by offering this level of service, so that you will care for your instrument timely and as often as needed, but no less than twice a year or every six months.
