When and where to take your oboe to the shop; an ever growing list of great repair techs
Below is a list of over 25 experienced oboe repair techs across the USA. They have been recommended to me by professional oboists and though I have not worked with all of them they are reputable enough to be trusted. They are organized by state, and I have done my best to make sure their information is up to date. Click here to jump to the list.
Whether you need to get your oboe repaired or maintained it is important that you take it to an experienced specialist who will know how to handle the instrument with care and precision. Avoid taking your instrument to a generic band instrument shop if possible, and remember to get maintenance done on your oboe every 1-2 years.
The following are common questions my students ask about repairs:
Justin Young doing annual maintenance on my oboe in San Antonio Tx
What is the difference between oboe maintenance vs repair?
Repair- must be done by a specialist with appropriate tools. Regards stuck swabs, bent keys, or anything else that renders the oboe virtually unplayable.
Maintenance- should be done periodically to keep the oboe playing like new. This might be changing bumper or tenon corks, or changing a worn out pad. Irregular maintenance work will make repair jobs more severe and urgent.
While it can be tempting to only take your oboe to a specialist tech when something is not working at all neglect on this front will leave you compensating for a leaky oboe with your reeds or hands and your technique will suffer.
How much can I expect to pay to maintain/repair my oboe?
Repair work is charged by the hour. If you are in need of a simple swab removal it probably won’t cost very much and in case of emergency you may be fine not using a specialist. For annual maintenance I might expect to leave to the instrument in the shop for a week and pay between $100-150. If more needs to be done the cost will be greater as well.
How do I know if my instrument needs to be serviced?
Check the suction of the top joint by closing all the keys and covering the bottom with your palm/ thumb muscle. If there are leaks your oboe may need to be looked at by a technician.
Another simple indicator is if the joints are wobbly when you put the instrument together. Additionally, if your first octave pad starts to stick, you may blame the spring but springs are seldom to blame. More often, the pads need to be changed. If you have skin pads on the low notes, low B and Bb, for example, look for discoloration and fraying on those pads. It may be time to change other pads as well or switch to cork.
Take a look at the bumper corks between the keys, they will wear down over time and eventually have holes in them where the adjustment screws make contact,or they will have just fallen off. This will make the oboe hard to adjust and seal. There may also be keys where the action is delayed or slow; this has lots of different possible causes and a technician will be able to solve the issue.
Should I learn to do repairs on my oboe myself?
First, when in doubt: take your oboe to a specialist!There are some simple repairs that experienced players can accommodate themselves and your teacher may be able to show you some tricks to get your oboe working again in the short term. College bound musicians need to be familiar with the basics of the oboe mechanisms and be able to do simple adjustments with a screwdriver, of course ask your teacher first.
For everything else please use the list below to find a trusted oboe specialist near you.
Use this menu to jump to your state: A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S,T,U,V,W,X,Y,Z
Many people have requested that their trusted double reed repair person be added to the list, and I am happy that the responses and request volume is high. However, I will not be able to add them with out the adequate information so please fill out the form below with all the required information of the repair person and I will be happy to add them to the list.
THank you for mentioning Rennick Ross. He was Ray Still’s Repairman after Bill Brannen of EVanston Il. ANd I went toRennick for many many years. What a great guy and wonderful repairman. He passed away in 2012. As my instruments are C series Loree’s I now go to Paul Wolz of Kennelly Keys Music Store in Bellingham WA. another great repairman. I am Lucky to have found him.
David Tietelbaum is no longer in Brewster NY.
He set up shop in Rhode Island.
Can you find his new contact info from one of your many contacts and pass it along to me ?
Thank you . John
Lori Kunde
21 Dec 2018But Wisconsin had George Jameson amd Rennick Ross….great repairman!!!
DannyCruzOboe
21 Dec 2018are they still doing repairs? can you please email me their info?
Marianne Petersen
30 Oct 2021THank you for mentioning Rennick Ross. He was Ray Still’s Repairman after Bill Brannen of EVanston Il. ANd I went toRennick for many many years. What a great guy and wonderful repairman. He passed away in 2012. As my instruments are C series Loree’s I now go to Paul Wolz of Kennelly Keys Music Store in Bellingham WA. another great repairman. I am Lucky to have found him.
Larry Mueller
24 May 2020John Peterson and others at RDG, Angela Wells in the Los Angeles area, and John Kirkner in PA. I’m sure I’m missing some.
Justin Young is working in IT now, David Weber has closed shop but might be doing a little at home? Pat McFarland has passed.
I myself am mostly retired but have been doing a slight bit of training.
Thanks for this list! I know things change as soon as you post something.
Larry Mueller
Donna Votino
24 May 2020https://coleswoodwind.com/index.html
When I lived in upstate NY I had my instruments serviced and maintained at Coles.
Kelly (Ramsey) Rega
30 Jul 2020Thanks Danny! I’m working for home in Marietta GA now! No longer in Roswell. Also I recently got married and am now Kelly Rega.
John Holenski
17 Aug 2020Hi Danny,
David Tietelbaum is no longer in Brewster NY.
He set up shop in Rhode Island.
Can you find his new contact info from one of your many contacts and pass it along to me ?
Thank you . John