Restoration

We offer complete restoration of vintage and antique brass instruments. Our goal is to preserve historical instruments for the next generation, and our restoration process involves the highest level of detail and an uncompromising commitment to quality. We are fully equipped to repair original instruments and manufacture replica parts when necessary. If you are interested in having your brass instrument restored, please contact us for a quote. 

 

 

See some examples of our work below:

 

Restoration of a pre-WWII F. Besson Brevete trumpet:

When this trumpet arrived in our shop, it was in good condition cosmetically, but left much to be desired from a playability standpoint. The valves were leaky and the horn sounded dead. When we started heating up the bell-to-leadpipe braces to take off the bell, the bell "popped" off of the braces as soon as the solder melted, meaning the whole instrument was under tension. After having the valves rebuilt by Mark Metzler and doing a tension-free re-assembly, we were able to greatly improve the resonance of the instrument and improve all aspects of its playability. The formerly dull sound had been transformed into a lively, sparkling tone. In addition, the upper register became much more accessible, and the notes around and above high-C really locked in and took much less effort to play. We gave this horn a light hand polish and left the finish in raw brass, preserving as much of the original metal as possible. 

 

Restoration of a Burbank Benge 6X trumpet:

This trumpet arrived with deep scratches in the bell, worn-through silver plate, a cracked mouthpiece receiver, and a rotted out leadpipe and main tuning slide. We stripped the silver plate, disassembled the entire instrument, and burnished out the scratches by hand. The burnishing process is incredibly time consuming, but the end result is a smooth surface that preserves the original thickness of the metal and doesn't need excessive sanding or buffing to make the surface smooth. We fabricated a replica mouthpiece receiver and leadpipe, based on the original, and replaced the tuning slide crook, matching bore size, shape, and metal thickness of the original. The Benge 6X was then reassembled, tension-free, and given a light polish. Luckily, the valve compression was excellent when the instrument arrived at our shop, so this trumpet did not need a valve rebuild. The end result, a great playing and very rare Benge that is ready to be enjoyed for decades to come! 

 

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 Stay tuned for more photos of restored vintage trumpets from our shop!