As I sit on the plane returning home from the 2012 NAMM Show, thoughts of the show are buzzing in my head. Every year I'm amazed at the warm and wonderful reception I get at the show, and this year was no exception. I think I have the world wide web and the staff at MusicMedic.com to blame for our warm welcome and kind reception we got at the show this year. It surprises me sometimes because I find myself completely absorbed in the projects that I'm working on and the fires I'm putting out. I try to share things that I'm doing which I believe may somehow result in forward progress in areas that all of us at MusicMedic.com want to advance, such as the trade of Band Instrument Repair...

I remember my first NAMM show when I showed up in a white T-Shirt that I had ironed a "MusicMedic.com" logo onto. I thought I was pretty sporty. As soon as I saw my friend Steve Goodson, he politely said, "hey man, go to the store and buy some decent clothes". So, I ran to the nearest Target and spent some money I didn't have for a new shirt and pants. I wore those cloths for the whole show washing them in a hotel sink. I was poor and MusicMedic.com was me and a garage.

In those days, I would go from booth to booth, trying to meet exhibitors and make friends with those who sought to advance instrument repair. In subsequent trips, I noticed that the vendors were more and more willing to talk to me and look at my products, and most importantly, share ideas. It always amazes and excites me that more and more great people in our industry accept the work we are doing at MusicMedic.com!

This year was even better. This year, I was way too busy to leave the booth. Rich, aka 'The Trade Show Ninja', was showing people all of our new products and many older products that the repair world is catching onto. Meanwhile, I was constantly surprised by how many great people took time out of their day to visit my booth. Many of the great people I used to pine to chat with were coming to us to share their projects with us! What an incredible honor.

There were a number of really great RooPad endorsers at the show including:


Jay Mason of the Big Phat Band (you rock Jay!), with Jeff Peterson and Scott Mandeville.


Don Menza, with whom it's always a pleasure to talk (photo with him later in the blog).



James Carter, who is in the process of installing RooPads in all his horns! Thanks James!

I also ran into Skinny, whom I had randomly heard play recently when I was wandering around Chicago.



Here's me and Lee Kramka.



I had a meeting with Jerry Chang from Tenon, who will be giving lectures at the Saxophone Smackdown. Jerry is a great guy and a truly knowledgeable guy... plus he spends his days making saxophones!

Jerry and I talked about the difference in manufacture between the various Asian countries and how that affects us as players and technicians. Jerry promised me that he would share some of his knowledge about theses matters with us at the Saxophone Smackdown. I'm truly honored to know Jerry and Kevin and I really can't wait to get to know them and the others at Tenon better!



One meeting yielded some very exciting news that is just now public info and I'm excited to share. I've been in on this project for a few years now--sorry I couldn't tell you all sooner!!

MusicMedic.com is working closely with our good friends at Theo Wanne Mouthpieces on their new saxophone, the Mantra. Theo came to me years ago and said, "I want to make the greatest saxophone in the world". After long conversations with Theo in Frankfurt, Germany, I started to realize he was not kidding. Theo is looking to make the world's greatest saxophone and for that we think he needs our help. So the Sax ProShop and I are on the job. We have had many conversations with Theo about design and improvements to his saxophones. After years of R&D, Theo is ready with a prototype. Soon the Sax ProShop and Theo will meet to discuss the improvements that we can implement to make Theo's horns even better. Every technician at the Sax ProShop is committed to continue improvements to Theo's saxophones as he develops it and as we set it up. Oh yeah, the greatest overhaul shop in the world is going to set up every one of Theo's saxophones. The Sax ProShop takes instruments from around the world which are riddled with problems that no one else wants to fix, and we make them great. Can you imagine what we can do with instruments that are already great AND that we can have a major influence on in their manufacture? Wow. One need not have special talent at spotting rare and impacting opportunities to see that this one is really special. I can not imagine a better mix of mechanical know-how, practical skills, creativity, acoustical awesomeness, direction and drive than the collaboration between Theo Wanne and the Sax ProShop. Folks, this is going to be great!




Here's me with RooPads endorsing artist Don Menza and Theo Wanne.


For the repair world, the NAMM show was also a success: we had great meetings with several folks who will be helping us to make and supply parts. We received bags of supplies that were made in Taiwan for us. Keep an eye on the site for more great parts at very reasonable prices. We are working with several manufacturers who will be making parts for us to offer to the repair world. Some parts are replacement and some improvement. Since we are making parts and buying in huge quantity, the music world will once again enjoy parts at reasonable prices!

I brought my mouthpieces with me but didn't have the time to try any horns at the show. However, I was able to get a look at some new instruments. The Keilwerth saxophones that are now owned by Buffet look good as usual. It looks like Buffet is either making a smooth transition to the new factory or they are selling horns that were already made. Either way, the Keilwerth saxophones look good.

I also got to visit with my friend Mike Smith who is now with Powell. Yeah, the Flute People. They are making a sax with Mike and it looks good. The horn I saw looked hand-made, like a prototype. Turns out, it was hand-made. Chris French made it in the factory. The work looked good and the horn looks like a saxophone. It has soldered-on tone holes which are silver, a silver bell, and a silver neck. When they go into production, I'll be interested to see how the saxophones go.

I found a pretty cool neck strap that I might start carrying on the site. I bought one and will try it out. It's more of a 'thing' than a neck strap and it distributes weight differently. If you see it on the site in a few months, you'll know that the folks in the Sax ProShop approved it. We'll have to gig test it!

The show was great and it was great to be in Anaheim once again. Thank you to all the great people that came to the booth to see us -and that came to party with some 5 o'clock wine! Thanks to those that kept us up too late sharing stories and ideas. Mostly thanks to the amazing people at MusicMedic that made going to the show, growth, and good times all possible. You all rock!

Here's me and my buddy Zach with Sexy Sax Man!

We had a great first day at the show and showed up with plenty of time to set up. When we got there, some things weren't exactly as we thought they would be. We were missing a wall and the booth was moved down one. At a trade show, anything can happen and if you aren't prepared to roll with the punches, it can be debilitating. So we improvised.



Even with this delay, we got the booth set up before the island carpet went down! That's a first!



Now I'm having coffee and donuts and getting ready to head into the show for Day One. It should be great: we've got a lot of big good meetings with great people and there's a lot of excitement in the air!

Save the dates and join us for the Saxophone SmackdownII!

On February 10th and 11th, when you come to the Smackdown, you're going to enjoy the following:

-Free Breakfast
(including the famous MusicMedic.com Coffee)
-Free Lunch
(Oh Yes, Flaming Amy's is stand by...)
-Live Music
(Wally West Trio and The North Carolina saxophone Ensemble)
-Clinics from 4 of the most amazing innovators in our industry.
(Jerome Selmer, Jerry Chang, Theo Wanne, Jason DuMars)
-A facility tour of MusicMedic.com and it's unique Assembly-line ProShop.
-Product demonstrations.
(see the cool tools at MusicMedic.com!)
-Hang out with The SaxGourmet himself Steve Goodson.
-Hang out with Curt Altarac owner of MusicMedic.com
-Try instruments and mouthpieces.
-Be near and enjoy all things saxophone.

DO NOT MISS THIS!!!

You will learn how saxophones are made by 2 people who make saxophones and are the leaders in our industry; Jerry Chang and Jerome Selmer. How to reface mouthpieces from Theo Wanne and how to Engrave Saxophones from Jason DuMars! It will be a party you will not soon forget. We're all going out for Dinner each night too.

Jason will have a table set up to engrave Saxophones on site (when he's not teaching a clinic) and Theo Wanne will be refacing mouthpieces for players, a service very few are able get from Theo. This is truly a rare opportunity!

Jason and Theo are scheduling times during the Smackdown in advance and those slots are filling up fast. So, contact Kellie@MusicMedic.com if you would like to bring a horn or mouthpiece to have Jason or Theo do some work.

You don't need to be a NAPBIRT member to come and you need not be a technician to enjoy the 2 day event. Of course NAPBIRT members and technicians are welcome!

Register now, although the MusicMedic.com facility is huge, space is limited.

The Sax ProShop must have been very good this year, because over the holidays, we got a visit from two wonderful friends and spectacular players. Wally West and Ken Coon both came in for their yearly Clean, Oil, and Adjusts and they certainly brought some holiday cheer with them!



Anyone who will be attending the Saxophone Smackdown on February 10 and 11 will get to see Wally perform on his freshly maintained tenor! As you know, Wally is a monster on the Tenor and his sound is HUGE. When Wally's in the Shop, the techs are saying, "You better play test that horn for a while longer!" Wally has been coming to the Sax ProShop since it was just me at my house and over the years he has become a good friend and we all delight in Wally's incredible talent and his knack for storytelling!



Ken was with us last year at our holiday party, and it wouldn't have been the same without him! Ken was visiting not only for a COA on his bari, but also to pick up his just- Uberhauled tenor. Ken Coon of the Rascher Quartet is not only a monster bari player but also a kind soul and a dear friend. Now the world will get to hear him on his new Tenor. What a treat!

We wrapped things up just in time for everyone to head out to visit their respective families and loved ones, and wrapped up another great year at MusicMedic.com. A sincere thanks to everyone who has trusted us to supply their woodwind repair needs and relied on us to make sure their saxophone was as good as it could be.

Happy 2012!

-Curt

If you were thinking about submitting your application to the MusicMedic.com Sax ProShop, there's still time! We've decided to add yet another member to the Sax ProShop team!

If you submitted your resume previously, please feel free to re-submit or let us know that you are still interested.

Submit your resume by Wednesday, Jan 11 to: Curt@MusicMedic.com

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The MusicMedic.com Sax ProShop is excited to announce that we're looking to add a new member to our Sax ProShop team! Here is your chance to join a one-of-a-kind repair shop that allows you to do the best work that can be done, while constantly striving for more! Our clients are professionals and professionally minded players and we never allow compromises in the quality of work. Our specialized shop is one where each technician excels in certain aspects of the overhaul process and this allows the technician to be highly skilled and to use their creativity to push repair to a new level.

We are seeking a saxophonist with strong repair skills and a desire to learn and excel. Our ideal candidate will have a degree in saxophone performance and is a quick learner who is able to adapt and continually improve. They would be personable, reliable, and work well in a fast-paced and high-energy team environment.

Qualifications:

Must be proficient in saxophone performance.
Strong desire to make saxophone repair a career
Mechanical aptitude.
Upbeat, Self-Directed, and Punctual
Interested in elevating the level of saxophone repair.

A degree in saxophone performance or band instrument repair preferred.
Machining skills preferred.

Job:

Highly specialized
Professional saxophone overhauls for the world's top players
Commission based after training
Enjoy the coastal life in Wilmington, NC

For more information about the Sax ProShop and what we do, visit: http://SaxProShop.MusicMedic.com

Please send a resume to Curt@MusicMedic.com
To help us save time and resources, please do not call about this position. We all look forward to having you on our team!