Something’s wrong with the instrument? Bring it in.
Repaired in our own shop
Tuning & small fixes free for renters
Every instrument we rent is looked after by our own luthiers and technicians, on our own bench in Norwalk. Nothing gets shipped off to a third party and nothing sits in a queue for a month. A stuck valve or a fallen bridge is usually a same-visit fix.
Most rental companies don’t have a repair shop. We are one.
This is the part of the business that’s hardest to see from the outside and matters most once something goes wrong. We employ trained luthiers and band technicians — people who set up instruments, reseat bridges, replace pads, rehair bows, and fix the cracks that winter heating opens up in a cello.
It’s why every instrument is properly set up before it leaves, why a returned instrument is restored rather than just wiped down, and why a student with a problem in October isn’t waiting until December to play again.
Every instrument we rent is set up, checked and repaired by the same people, on the same bench.
Free while you’re renting from us
These are the everyday things. Stop by the Norwalk shop and we’ll sort them out, usually while you wait, at no charge.
Strings
- Tuning, any time you’re in
- Resetting a slipped or stuck peg
- Straightening or reseating a bridge
- Sizing your student, and swapping to the next size up as they grow
Band & brass
- Freeing a stuck mouthpiece — we have the proper tools to loosen it without scratching, so please do not try it at home
- Sticking valves and seized slides
- Minor key adjustments and leaking pads
- Restringing a French horn rotor
When in doubt, bring it in early. Small problems are quick fixes. The same problem left for three months is usually not. If you’re not sure whether something is worth mentioning, it is — call us.
Two benches, one building
Strings and band instruments need different hands and different tools, so they get their own benches and their own people. Both are at 547 Main Avenue, and nothing leaves the building to be fixed.
Accidents happen.
Someone trips over a cello left in a hallway. A case gets stepped on. It looks like the end of the instrument — and usually it isn’t.
What the damage insurance covers
Insurance is optional on most rentals and required on A Line band instruments. Rather than give you a policy summary, here’s the honest version — the kind of thing that actually happens, and whether we cover it.
Things we cover
“I was playing my violin in class and another student bumped into me and knocked it out of my hands.”
“I slipped on some ice and landed on my cello.”
Accidental drops, minor dents, stuck valves and keys, ripped corks, mouthpieces. Plus a loaner instrument while yours is on the bench, when one’s available, at no extra cost.
Things we don’t
“I was playing swordfight with my clarinet with a fellow classmate.”
“I accidentally ran over my son’s cello with the car.”
“My dog chewed on my bow.”
“I left my instrument at school and somebody took it.”
“I was angry and took it out on my instrument.”
Theft or loss of any instrument. Consumables like reeds, oils and straps. Deep scratches and carved-in names. Routine cleaning. And anything caused by mishandling, abuse or neglect.
We don’t like to nickel and dime our students for scratches, dents or other minor accidents. Accidents happen every day, to everyone. Our main goal is simply for kids to enjoy their instrument and have fun with it.
Bring all the pieces with you — screws, corks, fragments — we need them to repair properly. Without insurance, you’re responsible for damage or loss, and in the case of theft or loss that means the retail replacement value. Damage at home, at school or in a car may be covered by your homeowner’s policy, the school’s insurer, or your auto policy.
Repair questions
Answered by the technicians and luthiers who do the work, on our own bench. Browse all questions.
Will I be charged for normal wear and tear?
No, not for normal wear: strings wearing out, rosin used up, bow hair breaking strand by strand, a case zipper giving out. That is expected, and it is never charged to you. Damage is different: dents, cracks from drops, a broken bow, carved initials. We always tell you which side of the line we think something sits on before any chargeable work happens, and the insurance exists for the genuine accidents and the gray areas.
What does the damage insurance actually cover?
Covered: accidental drops, minor dents, stuck valves and keys, ripped corks, mouthpiece mishaps, the ordinary catastrophes of a student's year. Plus a loaner instrument while yours is on the bench, when one is available, at no extra cost. One request from the repair side: bring every piece. Screws, corks, fragments, the works. We repair better with all the parts.
Do you repair instruments that weren’t rented from you?
Yes. We repair all types of instruments, whether or not they came from us, and every job starts the same way: bring it in, and you will have an estimate for cost, time, and parts before any work begins.
How long does a typical repair take?
Small emergencies are usually while-you-wait at the counter: a stuck mouthpiece, a fallen bridge, a tuning. Ordinary bench work, pads, corks, a regulation, a seam, runs a matter of days depending on the season, and anything needing ordered parts or serious restoration takes longer and we say so up front. Either way you will never be guessing: every repair starts with an estimate of what, how long, and how much, before we touch it.
My child’s instrument stopped working. What do I do?
Call us at (203) 957-8300 and describe what is happening, or bring it to the Norwalk shop. We are open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm, and you do not need an appointment.
Do I get a loaner instrument while mine is being fixed?
If you have the damage insurance and we have one free in the right size, yes, at no extra cost for the duration of the repair. If we do not, we move your repair up the queue instead, so your student is not waiting long.
Can I get my rental repaired somewhere closer to home?
Please bring it to us instead. Repairs to our instruments need to be done on our bench, partly so the work meets the standard we set, and partly because outside repairs are not covered by the damage insurance.
Not sure if it’s a problem? Ask us.
Call and describe it, or bring the instrument to the Norwalk shop — 547 Main Avenue, open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm. No appointment needed. We’d far rather look at something small now than something expensive in March.