Jeez! Repairs Are Expensive! Part 2: Specialist Pricing

Warning: GMSM Content (Guaranteed to Make Someone Mad)

Disclaimer: These are my own opinions as a specialist. I am not intending to represent anyone else’s perspective whether a customer or fellow repair specialist. This is the way I see it. Your experience may differ.

Story Time

A few years back, my wife and I planned a trip to the UK for our 20th wedding anniversary. It was a big deal that we had planned and saved for a long time. Our grand plan was to drive hither and yon between London and Wales. I determined if this was to be a special experience that may not happen again, I was going to go all out. So I rented a Mercedes Benz at Heathrow to take us west in style. I had never ridden in a Mercedes before, much less driven one. It was an absolute joy, apart from it being larger than I anticipated and an extra challenge on narrow country roads.

When we returned we flew into Dulles and had to drive back to Baltimore, so we rented a car to drive and drop off at BWI. The car we were issued was a Chrysler 300. I had never driven one of them either. It was about the same size as the Mercedes, but that was where the similarity ended. Even though the Chrysler 300 is not a bad car, we could feel how much less good it was compared to the Mercedes. From the feel of acceleration, to the feel of the braking, to the turning, to the layout of the console, to the suspension, to the way the doors felt and sounded when you closed them, to the way the darned windshield wipers moved, and more, we could not help but notice how much tighter and more refined the Mercedes was.

I would imagine some drivers would not notice a difference—a car is a car, press the gas and go, whatever. I would imagine some would perceive the differences but not care all that much—hmm better acceleration, smoother steering <shrug>. I would further imagine some drivers would appreciate the difference but not for the price jump— yeah, it feels better, but not worth 2x as much. I can certainly imagine there are people who buy the Mercedes simply for the name and price without understanding why it commands the price it does. And I know that some drivers would appreciate the differences, understand the value and worth of those differences, and celebrate them even if they could not afford them. I found myself in that last group for sure. Can I afford to own a Mercedes? No way. Can I appreciate all that makes a Mercedes what it is and understand why it is priced as it is? Absolutely.

What’s the point of this story? There are similarities in the world of musical instruments to be sure. People choose the instruments they play for any number of reasons. Some are fine with the Chrysler 300 model instrument and nothing better will provide better results; some must have the Mercedes and can tolerate nothing less. Some see buying the Mercedes-comparable instrument as a sound investment in their craft, and some think the Chrysler 300 model instrument is actually in the same league as the Mercedes and that the cost is unjustified.

While the topic of what instrument is “best” is a whole other discussion, it does inform a bit on this edition’s focus on the cost of specialist service.

You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know

I worked with a man some years ago at a music store who was not from the music business. He had no mechanical background either. He was a businessman with an MBA and was the worst sort of person to hold such a degree, wielding it like a great gnarled cudgel making everyone know that he knew better because he had gone to business school, and every other detail, particularly those he had no knowledge of, paled in importance to his singular outlook on things.

At the time I was advertising Straubinger pad work on handmade flutes and he could not understand why I was charging $1000 (~15-20 yrs ago) when the regular repad price in the band shop was $300. As I was trying to explain (I admit, not well) he interrupted and exclaimed, “Oh! It’s like a Mercedes.” For a moment I thought he understood, that yes, I was dealing with Mercedes-level flutes and in the band shop we dealt with Nissan Sentras, not to mention Chrysler 300s. But he continued with a story about how he asked a mechanic at the Mercedes dealership why an oil change cost what it did and the mechanic replied, “Because it is a Mercedes…”. This had meaning obvious to the mechanic but was completely lost on this dundering buffoon with a business degree. Mr. Buffoon continued to make his stance clear by sneering with a roll of his eyes, “…because it’s a mercedes…oooh…”. I gave up trying to explain the topic to him at that point.

There is a segment of musicians, sadly, including some educators, professionals, and even technicians who think a flute is a flute is a flute, or a saxophone is a saxophone is a saxophone. To these people it doesn’t matter if it is a flute stamped Bundy or Brannen Brothers—the way you fix one is the way you fix the other and pure elitism is the only difference. They think a new Selmer USA CL200 (this dates me, sorry) is better than a Selmer Center Tone because it is shiny. This group of self-proclaimed experts will espouse that a Cannonball saxophone is in the same league as a Yanagisawa simply because the Cannonball sales literature describes it as “professional” and all professional saxophones are in the same category. These people have no clue as to what makes an instrument what it is and what differentiates different levels, qualities, or makers of instruments. It is a tragically reductionist, short sighted, and willfully ignorant “understanding” of the topic. As you may be able to tell, I have little patience for such fools proclaiming their everyman expertise on the topic.

This segment of people will also tell you that there is no need for specialist repair technicians, that anybody can fix what the problem is. It is important to be able to spot such hucksters and develop the skill to smile and nod unthreateningly as you slowly back towards the exit. Following their advice can potentially wreck your instrument.

What makes a Specialist?

A specialist in the field of musical instrument repair can be loosely defined as someone who focuses predominantly on a class, family, or type of instrument and has developed specific expertise and cultivated specific knowledge in that discipline. By class of instrument, it could be all professional level instruments. An instrument family specialist could be a specialist in woodwinds. Obviously there are numerous specialists who only work on flutes or bassoons or whatever.

Most of the time people seek out a specialist to handle a repair on a high end instrument that they have specific requirements and expectations of how it needs to play. The skills often developed by specialists who work with such customers deal with mechanical precision and a very finely honed practice of diagnostics. In short, specialists know how things are supposed to be, how much variance it takes to make things not as they should be, and how to identify or detect such conditions. They know acutely what can go wrong to foul the extremely precise mechanical or acoustic system. Many are also finely attuned to hearing what the client is unable or unwilling to put into words and are able to make diagnostic discoveries based on the unsaid.

Sure, in a broader scheme, all technicians do this to a certain extent. So what degree of precision are we talking about? Understanding precision requires understanding measurements that quantify that precision. Even in the general school band shop, these measurements are very small and not something regular people have to deal with or even consider. This can be challenging to get your head around, so I will use some common examples

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• a typical brown paper grocery bag is about 0.008” thick.

• paper money is generally about 0.005” thick

• a typical sheet of printer paper or a post-it note is about 0.004” thick

• a human hair is generally between 0.002 and 0.004” thick.

Let’s consider the sheet of paper as an example. Imagine we have a way to slice that sheet of paper through its thickness. Now there are 2 sheets of paper 0.002” thick. Do that again and we have sheets of 0.001” thick. This is the general measurement standard for many things in the world of instrument repair. Many components, tools, and supplies are measured in thousandths of an inch. In the general band shop, being off by 0.001” can mean the difference between something working well and something not working too well.

Now take one of those 0.001” sheets and slice it one more time to give you a layer 0.0005”. Among woodwind specialists, this is the standard for checking the quality of pad contact on toneholes. It seems like an extremely small measurement, but where mechanisms are concerned the precision of specialists often goes smaller still. My standard for mechanism fit on many high end instrument repairs is 0.0002”. I will go smaller if I can in specific situations.

Consider this measurement: 0.0002”. Two ten-thousandths of an inch, which machinists call “2 tenths”. If I have steel hinge rod that measures 0.9942” on its outside, and a key that has an inside measurement of 0.9944”, the 0.0002” standard is achieved. This means there is a gap of 0.0001” all the way around between the steel and the key (1 tenth on the top plus 1 tenth on the bottom = 2 tenths). Remember that the thinnest human hair is 0.002”, 20 times thicker than that gap around the steel. This is the degree of precision many specialists must attain to keep their customers satisfied. On some instruments with some players, being off by 0.0002” in the wrong place can be felt in the fingers and the response. Being off by 0.002” means they are shopping for a new technician.

Do you even need a specialist?

This is a very subjective topic. To make some sense of the answer, you must consider the following questions:

• Does how well your instrument functions matter to how you make a living?

• Do you find yourself bumping up against limitations in your instrument?

• Do you have recurring issues or concerns that never seem to stay fixed?

• Do you strive to “get the instrument out of your way” as a musician?

• Does your technician encourage you to use more finger pressure?

• Is your instrument of hand made quality, a cherished fine vintage or antique specimen, or an example with unique playing qualities or modifications?

• Do you simply want to have the best quality repair you can find, regardless of cost?

If you answered yes to more than 2 or 3 of these, then you may need to find a specialist who fits your needs. Certainly, if you have an instrument with special pads that require special training, you need that sort of specialist. If you have an instrument made by a maker or company that insists people working on them need specific training to be authorized, you need that sort of specialist.

The truth is the majority of instrumentalists do not need a specialist for their repair needs. If you have a Taiwanese made saxophone for your community band playing, you probably do not need a specialist. If you have your old flute from high school that has sat for 20+ years and you want to play it again, you probably do not need a specialist. If you had a tenon cork come off your oboe but everything else is fine, you probably do not need a specialist.

If you have a Chrysler 300, you don’t need to take it to the specific Cadillac or Mercedes mechanic for an oil change and tire rotation. Your corner mechanic will probably be fine. In fact, if you have a Mercedes and you need the oil changed, your corner garage may be fine too.

I am trying not to sound snooty and elitist, but many specialists are in the elite level of repair technicians. Many have earned the right to be snooty and elitist and many of their clients may match this character. To do things at the highest degree of precision, one has to have uncompromising standards. Sometimes the strict adherence to those standards can bleed into and color one’s manner of personal interactions. So cut the snooty elitist specialist techs a break if they rub you the wrong way. It’s not personal.

Sometimes a specialist may be the worst technician for certain types of repairs. As a general example, consider instruments used in a marching band. With the exception of the high level military bands, the quality of the instruments for this use is often lower, meaning the mechanical tolerances are looser, that they can take an accidental bump or drop and possibly not be rendered completely unplayable. They just have to function. A specialist in high precision instruments will tear their hair out working on such instruments. They will obsess over minutiae that simply does not matter. They will take way too much time improving aspects that will not really make it all that much better. A general technician who sees lots of these repairs is far far better and more economical to do such repairs.

There’s a saying in the instrument repair community to encourage continuous growth: “Do you have ten years of experience, or do you have one year of experience ten times?” This is not meant to suggest specialists are on one side and generalists on the other. Not at all. But which technician would you prefer to have working on your instrument? You can find conscientious technicians in every discipline, not just among specialists

There are techs who are considered specialists in one area, but still have a foot in more general or lower end instrument repairs. This can be a specialty within specialists. It can be very difficult to be able to go from the precision of a hand made piccolo to fixing a dropped marching band saxophone back on its feet to then voicing an antique bassoon. The cognitive discipline required to keep these two paradigms in their own boxes is incredibly demanding and taxing.

Speaking for my shop specifically, the demands on my time as a specialist serving professional clientele and the various niches I cover does not leave me any time or mental bandwidth to handle anything outside of my specialties. If someone calls me up with a student model oboe or an intermediate flute, I refer them to one of my colleagues who has the skill and focus to serve them most expediently and most cost effectively. Yes, I fix oboes. Yes I fix flutes. But I don’t handle those.

But why are specialists so expensive?

There are a few factors to consider.

First, consider simple economic theory. Specialists are in high demand for their skills and there aren’t many of them. When demand is high and supply is low or fixed, the price often goes up. Obviously there are limits to this, but it is a major factor to specialists commanding a higher billable rate

Next, think back to my description of degree of precision. This takes an enormous amount of practice, repetitive application, and tactile sensitivity. People who have this skill should be compensated for the time and toil to master its application.

Likewise, some specialists have gone to great lengths to become true subject matter experts in a topic. Just as a computer scientist with a doctorate focusing on cyber security intrusion prevention should be compensated for their knowledge and time to assimilate that knowledge and the value of their application of the knowledge compared to someone with only a fresh bachelor’s degree, a repair specialist who has studied the evolution of the design of oboe bores and voicing should expect to be compensated for the application of that knowledge more than the repair journeyman who is pretty decent at crack repair and oboe padding.

Additionally, time is money. Many specialists bill their time by the hour. Many general repair techs bill by a pricing schedule or menu. If you bring a saxophone neck for a cork to a general shop, they may have a price of $20 on their price list. It may take 20 minutes to half an hour, but they have multiple techs churning out multiple neck corks while glue is drying so it is a profit machine through quantity. If you take the same neck to a specialist, it may take the same amount of time, but since it may be billed by the hour, that one neck cork could cost twice as much or more. Remember, specialists generally charge a higher rate to start with.

To further add to the perception of specialists pricing things from another planet, quite often specialists have to price their repairs more on a regional or national level than geared to the local market. Many specialists have repairs shipped to them from around the country or around the world. For a rurally based specialist technician, the UPS truck stops at their shop just as easily as stopping in Boston or New York City. It is largely a protective measure that if they are applying comparable skills and knowledge to their jobs as the specialists in urban centers, they should charge at least in the same general pricing ballpark.

The consumers who enter the repair market searching for a tech often have little subject matter knowledge to apply so they go by price to gauge quality. A tech with a national following in Dayton, OH may charge $750 for the same job a shop in Chicago is charging $1200. At a glance, the uninformed consumer in Montgomery, AL planning on shipping their instrument may conclude the shop in Dayton isn’t as good. So the specialist in Dayton raises their price to $1050. This is an unfortunate negative side of modern technology spanning across regions, homogenizing pricing, and driving little pockets of inflation.

We have also seen a creep up of general repair service pricing as the pricing of specialists is able to be seen more easily at the click of a mouse. It used to be the term COA (clean/oil/adjust) was specific to the world of hand made flutes. Then techs who handled multiple types of high end woodwinds (such as Jeff Peterson at Yamaha, Shelly Tanabe, and myself) started using the term with saxophones and clarinets. Before long the term had spread downward into the nomenclature of the general band shops and the meaning of the term started to degrade. What used to be a known meticulous process of examining, cleaning, and adjusting a hand made or other professional grade instrument that took multiple hours to complete, was now being conflated with a 60 to 90 minute “check up” in a general shop.

This is certainly discouraging, but unfortunately, it’s just the way things are. Educating the consumer and battling against the armchair experts who know nothing but what their opinion is can be a daily struggle. People in the market need to know it’s the way things are so they can know what they are shopping for and know to ask the right questions.

If you need a specialist’s services but think specialist pricing is exorbitant, the best way to combat this long term is to support your local techs, find your local specialists, support your local musicians who use them, and help the local economy sustain itself. If a specialist can sustain themselves within a local market that may be less expensive to live in than a pricey urban center, prices could come down locally because they will not have to compete and draw on clients from outside their area as much.