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  • 2010
    • August
      • MusicMedic SaxProShop Layout
        08/23/10


        In a traditional musical instrument repair shop, one technician works on an instrument from start to finish. For a shop to be great, each technician must be an expert in every aspect of repair. The only way a shop can grow is to retain more technicians with the required level of expertis

    • July
      • Selmer MKVI octave level
        07/27/10
        When a part breaks or arrives broken we are given a choice. Replace it with an original style part (AKA, create a part that looks and functions like an original) or replace it with an improved part or design.

        Here's a cool repair that came from the shop today. One of the rounded par

      • New videos on YouTube!
        07/21/10
        We just finished a few more videos for some of our products. I'm also hoping to do more detailed instructional videos on YouTube as we get better at this.

        All the editing for these videos (the real work) is being done by our own Buck White who also answers the phone when you call. If

      • Simple modifications to a Series III alto sax.
        07/05/10
        The Sax ProShop has sent out a bunch of really beautiful horns lately. I've been so busy fixing these horns that I've barely had time to tell anyone about them.

        So here's my quick Monday morning post about a horn that we finished up last Friday; A Series III Alto Saxophone

    • June
      • The Mana Quartet is heading to Phoenix...
        06/30/10


        RooPad endorsing artists, the Mana Quartet are heading to Phoenix to play a series of concerts. If you're anywhere near Phoenix in mid July, don't miss these guys! I'm not sure if the RooPads they use are what make them sound so great or not but they certainly are a wonder

      • The Air Torch rocks
        06/22/10


        Sometimes I have to admit I was wrong. Usually I that's not so easy, this time it's a piece of cake. I was wrong about the Vortex Air Torch that's for sale at MusicMedic.com. I've shown this tool around at various trade shows and to many-many technic

      • A letter from Wally
        06/18/10
        Shortly after I posted to this blog about my friend Wally West, he wrote me a letter. Remember I said Wally is a super-great guy? Check out this letter, I mean really folks, this is why I love my job. If you ask me, Wally's stories are best enjoyed over a good meal and libations...

    • May
      • A visit from RooPad endorsing artist Wally West!
        05/25/10
        When Wally West comes to town, everything stops and the MusicMedic.com Sax-Pro Shop becomes Wally-World. Everyone comes out of the woodwork, office doors open and stations where folks were working become quiet and empty. If you know Wally, you know what I'm talking about. Wally West is not only

      • Growth and Change of the MusicMedic.com ProShop
        05/21/10

        A totally new approach to saxophone overhauls....


        Imagine working at, or bringing your horn to, a repair shop that only tries to do the best work, regardless of the time or money spent. A shop that is constantly improving even when that improvement leads to uncharted territo

      • Lov'in my new Bass Sax Case from www.NationOfMusic.com
        05/18/10
        If you've ever lugged a Bass Sax around you know two things: 1. Bass Sax gigs are the most fun and lowest pay a saxophonist can get and 2. The bass, in it's case, is a heavy beast!

        Even with the scarcity of Bass gigs out there, when someone asks me to play I find myself thinkin

      • Introducing the Vortex Air Torch
        05/10/10



        I guess it's re-introducing really.... At the NAMM show in Anaheim CA, we introduced the Vortex Air Torch to the public after a long testing period.

        During the show we took so many orders for this tool that we ran out completely. By the time I returned home, they w

      • RooPad endorsing artists "Trio Bel Canto" offer a summer workshop!
        05/07/10
        I just got an Email from my favorite classical tenor player ever... John Moore.

        John wrote to let me know about the Workshop he is putting on this summer. I'm going to do everything I can to make it this year. I used to go when this workshop was in Louisville and had an excellent ti

    • April
      • My new Reed Case in today from KenKase!
        04/29/10




        I have very few possessions that I cherish. I mean, if my office was on fire, and I had just one trip in, what would I save? My Bari and my Bass are what I would grab. But, if my reed case was sitting on my desk, I would grab it and slide it in my pocket. Yeah, my reed case..

      • Turning a Cheap imported instrument into a finely crafted machine.
        04/23/10

        You may know that we set up an entirely new shop at MusicMedic.com and it's completely different than anything you've seen. We've taken the idea of specialization to a huge new level. The new shop has material specialists, key fitting experts, body work gurus, tone hole finisher

      • The NAPBIRT Convention is well under way....
        04/11/10
        I shouldn't be here writing this blog. I ought to be in one of two places; either in a Hotel room sleeping off the late, and great, night I had or somewhere talking to someone about something-to-do with instrument repair, business, life or the future.

        The largest instrument repair co

      • From The NAPBIRT convention in Tampa Florida!
        04/10/10
        When I walked in the door from my trip to Messe in Germany, with only one day to get ready for the NAPBIRT convention, I thought I would come back to the shop and tell the guys everything I had done and put out a BUNCH of fires. To my delight, the guys already had the fires out and they had their ow

      • The Mana Quartet uses RooPads!
        04/08/10

        The Mana Saxophone Quartet sporting their RooPads!

        MusicMedic.com, and specifically RooPads, are stoked to introduce our newest endorsing artists! The Mana Saxophone Quartet; -we call the them MSQ for short.

        Like all of the Endorsers for RooPads, the Mana Quartet found

    • March
      • Musik Messe Frankfurt Day 3... the future is brighter than Selmer Series III!
        03/27/10
        The Musikmesse in Frankfurt is a four day event with it's own life and development. For me, it goes like this:

        Day one: Excitement and introductions. Excitement and hustle abound..
        Day two: is day one light. People are very excited and the weekend Messe-goers are coming in. It&#

      • German nights.... Day 2 at the Messe Frankfurt
        03/26/10
        It's the morning before the third day at the the show. My head is absolutely pounding from last night and I could use about 8 hours more sleep. We tore Germany up last night and I really enjoyed it! Jen and I went to dinner and drinks with our good friends at Theo Wanne Mouthpieces and Saxfoonw

      • We're huge in Europe! Frankfurt Musik Messe Day 1....
        03/25/10
        -The first day of the Musik Messe was blast!

        As I sit here in the cafe again this morning, I have to admit that no matter how tough the show was and no matter how much my feet hurt at the end of the day this tiny little German coffee and huge German baked good make it all worth it. If the

      • Come visit us at our Frankfurt Messe Booth. Hall 1.1 A22!
        03/23/10
        RooPads are all the rage in Europe! Although American saxophonists have known about and used RooPads from MusicMedic.com for years, the Europeans are now catching on!



        The flight to Germany was very relaxing I even had a little time to snap this photo and try my phone camera.

      • Saxophone Smackdown 2010 Recap
        03/03/10
        If your kicking yourself for missing the Saxophone Smackdown at MusicMedic.com, you need to kick harder!


        To the Music Medic team: Thanks for everything! You guys have significantly raised the bar regarding what a regional clinic can be. - Jeff Peterson Yamaha


        This y

      • There's more to Red Wing than a pair of shoes....
        03/02/10


        Every year I make a pilgrimage to Red Wing Minnesota, home of the Red Wing Repair School and the location of a NAPBIRT Regional clinic. Every year it's snowy and beautiful and I'm caught off guard by the program and the people in Red Wing. This year was no exception.

      • Overhauling a Saxophone with the MusicMedic.com repair kit...
        03/01/10
        A customer of mine just sent me a link to this Blog where he is going through a saxophone overhaul using the MusicMedic.com saxophone repair kit.

        Pretty cool.

        Check it out!

        http://www.bridgesax.blogspot.com/

    • February
      • A Benchside Interviews with Wayne Leechford.
        02/15/10

        Curt Altarac, Wayne Leechford, Matt Scott



        The other day, I had a talk with a player while I was working on his horn. After a few hours of sitting there talking, the player said to me, “You should be taking notes on this...” Of course he was joking but it got me thin

      • Merry X-Brace! Adding a Conn X Brace to Kenneth Coons Buescher Baritone Sax!
        02/09/10
        The Rascher Saxophone Quartet!



        Here's a cool and unusual modification we did in the New MusicMedic.com sax-repair-facility. The Bari in question belongs to our good friend and RooPad endorser, Kenneth Coon of the Rascher Saxophone Quartet. When we overhauled Ken's B

      • The SAXOPHONE SMACKDOWN was a HUGE SUCCESS!
        02/08/10
        The Saxophone Smackdown was great! Clinicians came from as far away as Chile to be part of what may be the biggest, and certainly the best, saxophone repair clinic of all time!

        I'm completely amazed at how wonderful everyone was! If you're not a NAPBIRT member already you should

      • The weather outside is frightful!
        02/05/10
        Here we are, the day before the big NAPBIRT regional clinic at MusicMedic.com and the weather is getting bad:

        The band is ready to play, the girls at Flaming Amy's are ready with 50 Burritos, a case of wine is here waiting, some of the clinicians are already in town and the MusicMed

    • January
      • From the NAMM show
        01/14/10
        We're here, set up and ready to rock. The NAMM show looks like it will be great! Thanks to all of you that helped get us here and a special thanks to the guys (and gal) at MusicMedic.com who are holding down the fort. You guys are the best!

        We arrived early and got set up in good ti

      • Come visit us at the NAMM show in Anaheim CA!
        01/12/10
        Come see us at the NAMM show!
        MusicMedic.com
        Booth # D3012

        Today is the day. Rich and I are headed out West to the NAMM show in Anaheim California! Every year that we prepare for the NAMM show, we reflect on the previous year(s) and consider what the following year(s) will be

      • Building a woodwind padding room
        01/11/10
        Although the old shop was ridiculously small it did have one great benefit; It could be made dark from the bench while working. Man, that was cool. You could drop a light into an instrument then dim the lights just as much as needed. The downside was that others working the shop had to cope with the

      • Adding a Front F to a Vintage Buescher Curved Soprano
        01/06/10


        OK, here's a cool and useful little modification that we did in the MusicMedic.com SaxProShop the other day.

        A picture tells a thousand words and you all know what a front F is. This Buescher Curved Soprano did not have the front F so we added one. We made the key with s

      • Everything you need to know about the Clinic at MusicMedic.com
        01/05/10


        Lots of people have been asking where to stay when they come to the Saxomania-NAPBIRT clinic here in February. This blog should answer those questions....

        First off though, let me tell you the good news! You don't have to worry about being the only one at the clinic. We g

  • 2009
    • December
      • It's the simple Mods that mean a lot -Yanagisawa soprano Eb key fix.
        12/14/09
        After the mod, can you see what was done?



        It could also be argued that invisible modifications are the most wonderful! Well this little mod, done in the MusicMedic.com pro shop, may not look like much now that it's done but, before it was done the horn was barely playabl

      • SAXORAMA, SAXOMANIA, SAXFEST, SAXESGALORE
        12/03/09



        SAXORAMA, SAXOMANIA, SAXFEST, SAXESGALORE


        No matter what you call it, it's happening here at MusicMedic.com and it's gonna be outrageous!

        What's this all about? MusicMedic.com has been asked to host a regional cl

      • North Carolina Saxophone Ensemble to play at the Navy Symposium!
        12/02/09
        I'm super excited and really disappointed all at once.

        The Saxophone Ensemble that I play with, The North Carolina Saxophone Ensemble, was asked to play for the Navy Saxophone Symposium this year.

        This new and energetic group is comprised of outstanding players from all-

    • November
      • we're in! A building update
        11/12/09
        About 8 months ago I posted about this building that we bought and our crazy plan to for fixing it up. I promised some updates along the way. Then, it started, the huge undertaking of renovating a 40,000sqft warehouse including indoor parking a new shop, the supply house, storage, a residence etc..

      • MusicMedic.com shellac sticks and Z-gun are put to the test!
        11/03/09
        In a recent NAPBIRT clinic given by Carl Thacker of Carl's Pro Band, Carl tested our Shellac right there under the watchful eye of a panel of NAPBIRT technicians.

        After the Clinic, Carl sent me an Email about his finding. Check out Carl's test!


        "Hey thank

    • September
      • High note response on a Keilwerth SX90R Baritone Saxophone
        09/14/09
        Working with a professional player is among the most rewarding experiences we have in the repair shop. Very often we are forced to find ways of 'repairing' an instrument that borders on re-manufacturing. Our most recent overhaul certainly falls into that category.


        When pro

      • Saxophone repair tweets.
        09/13/09
        Well, we've done it. MusicMedic.com is now twittering. None of use know where it will go but we hope you follow us there!






      • Conn 12M Baritone sax neck extension take two
        09/08/09
        After I posted the last neck extension that saxophone repair technician Matt Scott made for My Conn Baritone, we received a number of calls and emails to do the same, or similar, to other mouthpieces.

        Well, we've done a bunch. The most recent extension was put on a stainless steel m

    • August
      • Email debacle
        08/29/09




        My computer went down and took my inbox with it. If you have not gotten a response to an Email recently, please resend it to me.

        As you can see, I'm tooling up to fix the computer.

        Thanks!

        Curt

    • June
      • Super cool use of RooPads for Bass Clarinet!
        06/18/09

        Carl and Travis Thacker from Carl's Pro Band

        Today I received a call from my good friend Carl Thacker at Carl's Professional Band Instrument Repair in Bloomington, IL. If you're anywhere near Bloomington or if you've ever had the pleasure of having Carl and Travi

      • The RSQ at FSU
        06/03/09

        photo by Malcolm Crowthers

        When I started playing saxophone in Cambridge NY, I had no idea that the world's most respected classical saxophonist had retired to a small town bordering mine. After some time, I learned about Mr. Rascher and heard his music as well as the music of

    • May
    • April
      • Back from the shows! Here's a brief report and some pics.
        04/16/09
        Hello!
        We're all just getting back from our trips and I thought it might be a good time for a quick update. As you may know, Matt and Rich went to Louisville Kentucky for the NAPBIRT convention while Jen and I went to Frankfurt Germany for the Musik Messe. A great time was had by all.
    • March
      • Show Time!
        03/30/09
        It's hard to believe that it's that time of year again! Every year MusicMedic.com exhibits at many shows around the world but this time of year is particularly special for us. This is the time of year when we make the journey to Frankfurt Germany to exhibit at the Messe, followed by a trip

    • February
      • Great things are happening in Red Wing Minnesota!
        02/26/09

        Downtown Red Wing on a snowy night

        One of my favorite things to do is go see other repair shops. As a tech, it's very cool when another tech lets you into their world, giving insight into how they do things and how they set up shop. This week I was able visit on of the most &#

      • Conn 12M mouthpiece extension
        02/10/09
        One question I get in my emails a lot is, "How do I extend my Conn 12M Baritone Sax neck so I can use modern mouthpieces on it?"

        My answer is usually that the neck should not be extended if possible. I see these neck extensions as a non reversible job that will alter the instru

    • January
      • Mixing Epoxy for Palm key risers and such
        01/29/09
        OK, Here's a quick shop tip that someone out there is going to enjoy.

        The problem:
        Mixing epoxy is messy and it gets air bubbles.

        Adding heat to epoxy makes it flow much better and takes out the air bubbles. It also, makes it thin and thus difficult to work with.
      • The Navy Sax Symposium
        01/21/09
        I just returned from the NAMM show in Anaheim CA. Rich Zimmerman and myself exhibited for MusicMedic.com again this year. It was a great show and I have some news and pictures to share. However, Rich stayed out west to do a series of Clinics on Jazz improvisation. Rich has the camera so I'll wa

      • A letter from Kenneth Coon
        01/08/09
        Shortly after I posted this Blog about our visit with Ken, this letter showed up in the mail.

        "Dear Curt,

        Just a quick note to thank you, Jen, Matt and the entire MusicMedic team for making my visit to Wilmington such a fruitful and enjoyable one. I know all too well how

      • Kenneth Coon Visits MusicMedic.com!
        01/06/09


        There are a lot of reasons that I love my job. Repairing saxophones is a wonderfully fun and challenging sport were I am constantly pressured to outdo my previous work and solve new problems. It can be hard work but it is not without rewards. Sometimes these rewards come in the form of g

  • 2008
    • December
      • Installing Tan (or RooPads) in a Buescher Saxophone!
        12/16/08
        In the MusicMedic.com repair shop we often get requests to re-pad Buescher Saxophones with RooPads. This is something we do on a regular basis for professional players around the world who play Buescher saxophones at a very high level. The results are excellent and I believe it is in a large part du

    • November
      • How's the building going?
        11/12/08


        Well, it's a lot of work my body and mind are taking a beating! Everyone in the shop has worked wonderfully to help with this project. Some have gone to the building to clean and prep for the work that will happen and everyone has picked up the slack around the shop for those of us

      • Another Buescher mod.
        11/10/08


        The best modifications are the ones that you cannot see. How well do you know your Buescher mechanisms? This is a Buescher 400 Tenor you are looking at, can you tell what we did? -no, it's not the addition of a rubber riser on the D key...

        If you can tell what the mod is

    • September
    • August
      • Some great new files
        08/29/08
        It's kind of funny the things that excite a repair technician. In my shop I was struggling with files that I didn't really care for. So about 6 months ago I bought all new files. This made my repair-shop life a lot easier. Manufacturing keys and such is a breeze with good files. I'll

      • Temporary spring cradle for key mods
        08/14/08
        Changing the angle or location of spring cradles on woodwinds.


        We do a lot of modifications in our shop and have developed some tools and techniques to make this work faster with better, more predictable, results. One modification that can be completely invisible to the player yet c

      • Sanding cork -a quick tip.
        08/06/08
        A better way to sand.

        At the last national NAPBIRT (National Association of Professional Band Instrument Repair Technicians) convention in Tuscon, Matt Scott from MusicMedic.com gave a clinic and MusicMedic.com exhibited tools and supplies. Although these activities were great, the best p

    • July
      • Headquarters: The Layout
        07/17/08
        Headquarters Post 2 the layout.

        As we enter the design phase of our project, I'd like to share a few pictures so you can have the before and after experience. This is quite a project and the end result will be impressive, especially if you see what we are starting with.

        F

    • June
      • Headquarters: MusicMedic.com is planning a move to a new location!
        06/30/08
        If you are reading this blog, there is a good chance that you, through your patronage, moral support and friendship have helped MusicMedic.com grow and thrive. For this, all of us at MusicMedic.com are thankful.

        For the last 2 years, we have been looking for a new location for our busine

    • May
      • Leveling tone holes with a power drill!
        05/12/08
        Update: We have received a huge response to this blog post. So, this blog entry is now an article on our site.

        Here is a link to the Tone hole article:
        http://www.musicmedic.com/info/articles/num_39.html

        Here is a link to all our articles:
        http://www.musicmedic.com

    • March
      • MusicMedic in Germany and Holland!
        03/09/08
        MusicMedic.com is going to Germany to exhibit at the MusikMesse again this year. If you are going to the Messe in Frankfurt next week, stop by our booth and say Guten Tag!

        MusicMedic.com will be in Hall 1.1 booth A22.

        I'll also be giving a clinic at the Conservatorium van

    • January
      • How to save money and get a great new student Flute, Sax or clarinet!
        01/07/08
        The most reliable way to purchase a new woodwind instrument made in Asia.

        One of the most common questions I get is “which student instrument should I buy?” If you have searched for an inexpensive woodwind instrument made in Asian such as Flute, Clarinet or Saxophone, you know that there

  • 2007
    • December
      • Saxophone repair kit feedback.
        12/31/07
        I just got some great feedback on our Sax repair kit. I would like to share it with you all.

        Curt,

        I wanted to send a quick thanks to you and MusicMedic for making repair supplies available to the every day musician. I was able to repad and properly adjust my Mark VI tenor w

    • September
    • August
      • Clearing up tones on the Saxophone (octave key modification)
        08/16/07
        For saxophonists, and particularly those playing acoustically in quartets or solo literature, the hiss that is often found on the second octave notes such as octave A, G# and octave D on many Alto and Baritone saxophones can be a real nuisance. This hiss is most noticeable when playing softly on a h

    • July
      • More modifications to the a Buescher Alto
        07/20/07
        After I posted the Buescher Alto modifications, I received a bunch of Emails asking for more modifications. It's too bad we don't take more pictures here at MusicMedic.com! Maybe this new blog will change that. I'll try and take more pictures of our work as we finish. It may keep othe

      • RooPads are gainging in popularity!
        07/13/07
        In 1999 I started making RooPads (Kangaroo Skin Saxophone pads) in my small shop in Mississippi. The air there was so humid that everyone's pads were sticking. Coming from NY, I had not seen anything like it. I did some research and found that Kangaroo Skin, when properly tanned, will not stick

      • The New Z-Gun!
        07/09/07
        The Z-gun makes news!

        Today a technician and Z-gun (pat.pend.) owner sent me a link to a write-up in the Frankfurt Musik Messe news. The Z-Gun was previously featured in Jazz Times magazine and now it's on the Messe site. I feel like a father who's child just made the team! I fe

      • True Tone Saxophone Left Hand Table key modifications
        07/05/07
        True Tone LH Table Modifications

        Today we're finishing up an overhaul on a very nice True Tone Alto. The horn was in good physical condition when I started the overhaul. Now it's tight and fast with great intonation. One modification I like to install on True Tones is the low B

      • Announcing the MusicMedic.com News Blog!
        07/02/07
        There are so many things happening here at MusicMedic.com that I set up this blog to share them with you.

        On the repair side, we are working on projects that any saxophone junkie will appreciate. We are always trying new things. Apparently I can upload pictures to this blog, so I'll







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