[tomsch]

Since I live in the land of ZERO decent repair techs (Folsom/Sacramento CA) I'm looking for someone even if it means a trip to the Bay Area. I've used a few techs here and either they are impossible to get ahold of or just flat out do not do good work. My last repair adventure resulted in a horn that actually played worse than when I dropped it off and all I wanted was a simple adjustments to eliminate leaks. I have a tenor in a local shop now to repair some damage and so far there is no evidence that the repair tech has even been for the entire week.

Good thing I have two other tenors to gig with or I would be screwed.

 

[averageschmoe]

Have you tried http://www.timsbis.com ? Scott Mandeville and John Gill are pretty sharp.

 

[JayeLID]

Gabe or Tony are the only guys anyone'll ever need....

http://forum.saxontheweb.net/forumdisplay.php?306-California

Look at the first 2 listings....Gabe at Allegro, Tony at Anthony's.....

 

[William Bua]

Call Jeff Alkire at Zebop's in Sacramento (916) 381-9301 or me at (916) 381-9301. I work there. We offer full service at much more reasonable prices than Tim's charges and our work is done by actual saxophone players who obcess over every detail of saxophone repair.

 

[trice]

Contrary to what you may think, the Bay Area has SEVERAL decent techs. Not cheap, but good.

 

[jazfyrski]

+1 for John Gill, who recently set up a shop of his own, Got a Gig Music, in Sacramento:

http://gotagigmusic.wordpress.com/

I've taken my horns to every shop in Sacramento, and several in the Bay Area, and have had fair to good results with all. But with John, my search for THE saxophone tech has ended. Many techs have knowledge and skills, some are obsessed with making every instrument sing as closely to perfection as possible, but just a few have 40-plus years of experience; John has all of these qualities---that makes him unique, in my view. He also delivers on schedule, caters to your needs, and is upfront and honest.

How many techs can restore a 1928 Beaugnier Apogee-system alto? Or a Grafton? Or a 1858 Adolphe Sax? And yes, he's also magic with my modern horns!

 

[John Gill]

I appreciate the kind words in this forum. I also make some of the 'coolest' palm key risers on the market today. Each riser is fit specifically to your hand, polished to a high luster and completely hand carved to fit the individual key touch piece. Visit www.gotagigmusic.com to see these exotic risers. I will ship to you within 1 week of receiving your order or stop in and get them custom fit and installed in 48 hours. All the best to SOTW friends and members. John Gill 1-916-531-1118

 

[SaxJazz12]

+1 for Scott Mandeville. Even though I live in San Diego, I still bring my horn to him when I'm in the area. He overhauled my Balanced Action tenor and did a marvelous job. His prices are more than fair.

 

[SaxTon]

Tim's in Sacramento SCOTT MANDEVILLE! Best repairman in the area and he runs a great music store

 

[museology]

well, john gil was the head tech at scott mandeville's until last month. that's the guy who did your work (probably) there, but now he has his own place-GOT A GIG.

 

[SaxTon]

Rufus Acosta in Mountain View is highly recommended

 

[hornfixer]

Welcome to the forum John, I hope you decide to stay and hang out for a while.

 

[SaxJazz12]

well, john gil was the head tech at scott mandeville's until last month. that's the guy who did your work (probably) there, but now he has his own place-GOT A GIG.

Actually Scott is the only guy in Sacramento who ever worked on my horn. I've gone to him for years, even when he was @ Northridge Music. He's the best! I'm unfamiliar w/ John Gill, but it sounds like he is great too...so it's cool that there are options and to see that scene growing in Sacramento.

 

[Buescher]

If you can make it up to SF, Lee's Sax Worx does very good work, but it can be pricey. Also, Best Instrument Repair in Oakland (not to be confused with Best Music, which is also in Oakland) does a great job and has been pretty affordable in the past for me.

 

[owasso]

John Gill did a superb job overhauling my son's YSS675. A mid-August repair at Got A Gig Music was quickly done, in contrast to shops that are swamped with student repairs at that time of the year.

 

[artstove]

Eric Drake in Berkeley does good work, especially dent repair/metal work. Not cheap, though. But he will do whatever level/amount of work you want - tune up/adjust/few pads to full overhaul.

 

[nemonty]

This thread saved my butt last week while in the Bay Area. The unthinkable happened to my '62 Mark VI tenor on a Tuesday night rendering it unplayable. I didn't take a back up horn and I had another session Friday night & Saturday. Looking through the thread I found "BEST MUSIC REPAIR" in Oakland a mere 3.5 miles from my lodging. Talked to Jeff and explained my dilemma, they did a complete overhaul & had it ready at 3:30 p.m. on Friday................plays better than ever........and the really good part, they didn't take me to the cleaners.......$850.00. These folks are the BEST.