Instrument Repair
Tenor Madness specializes in world-class saxophones, clarinet, and flute repairs.
You will be working closely with the repair technician working on your instrument to perfect it to your needs. We also offer a 1-year warranty on our setups and overhauls.
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Payment for repair work is due within 48 hours of completion unless otherwise arranged with your technician.
TM PRO OVERHAUL
One of the top saxophone overhauls in the world designed to not only bring your sax into top mechanical condition, but to play better than ever!
Saxophone
We at TM have been refining our process of overhauling saxophones for years now and feel strongly that it stands as one of the top overhauls in the world. Not only is the mechanical work done with extreme precision, but we spend a lot of time on the setup after the fact to maximize the resonance and voice of your saxophone. While Randy Jones is the guru behind Tenor Madness, the final product is a result of the TM Team including Randy, Thomas, and Johnny.
TM Pro Overhaul process:
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Disassembly and cleaning of the instrument.
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Body is checked for proper alignment and straightened if necessary.
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Dent work is completed. All minor dent work is included in normal labor. If extensive dent and body work is need, you will be quoted the additional cost before we start the work.
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Tone holes are addressed and properly leveled.
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Keys are fit properly to remove lateral and radial motion.
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Pad cups are checked on a jeweler's anvil to ensure flatness.
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New pads and resonators of your choice are installed. Our preferred pad is the Pisoni Pro Pad with either TM Brass resonators or Nylons depending on the saxophone.
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Springs replaced as needed.
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Key corks, felts, and all other adjustment materials are replaced.
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Neck tenon / receiver seal is checked. Basic refitting is included in normal labor. If excessive lapping or reworking of the tenon and receiver is needed you will be quoted the additional cost before we start the work. In general, neck lapping can be a very positive thing, but it will change the feel, response, and core sound of the saxophone to a certain degree and is best to talk about before having any work done!
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Meticulous regulation, play testing, followed by more regulation and play testing!
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In addition to the techs actually playing the horn when it's finished, extensive break in and play testing is done by 3 different top notch professional saxophone players. All of their input, as well as the customers specific requests, will go into tweaking the final setup. This final step is CRUCIAL to our overhaul and sets it apart from many other places where you can get exceptional work done. This is where we spend time adjusting things that improve the feel of how the saxophone takes air, how it resonates, and nuances of the key-work to ensure a great personal fit for each individual client.
Prices on overhauls break down as follows:
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Sopranos, Altos and Tenors - $1600 + price of pads, resonators and any other parts.
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Baritones - $1800 + price of pads, resonators and any other parts.
As stated above, excessive dent, body, and neck work will be additional and will be quoted before the work is started.
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Contact us if you are interested in a saxophone overhaul.
Clarinet
Tenor Madness uses the finest grade materials available, with careful attention paid to detail. You decide what kind of pads you
would like us to use. Each customer has his or her preference regarding spring tension, key heights, key placement, etc.
With this in mind, the more information you can give us, the easier it is for us to tailor the instrument to your needs.
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Clarinet mechanical overhaul process:
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Disassemble and gently clean the instrument and keys.
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Carefully inspect body for any cracking or other leaks, fill and repair as needed. Serious cracks requiring pinning, banding, new tone holes, etc. will be discussed with the customer.
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Tone holes addressed (fill in grains/pits, level, recut pad seat).
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Oil the clarinet body. When finished oiling, the body will be gently buffed and polished inside and out.
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Keys are cleaned and polished. Replating services available at an additional charge.
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Keys are swedged as needed to remove excessive play and noise.
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Springs are inspected and changed as needed. Spring tension is balanced to your preference. Changing more than half of the springs will incur an additional charge.
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All new pads installed (your choice of pads-synthetic, cork, leather, or gore-tex, etc.), and resonators if wanted.
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Tenon corks are replaced and all joints properly fit.
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Key corks, felts, and all other adjustment materials installed and regulated.
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Meticulously regulated to customers specifications.
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Wiped down, oiled, and play tested.
Prices on overhauls break down as follows:
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Bb, A, and Eb clarinets - $700 + price of pads and any other parts.
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Low Eb bass clarinets - $1350 + price of pads, resonators, and any other parts.
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Low C bass clarinets - $1600 + price of pads, resonators, and any other parts.
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Contact us if you are interested in a clarinet overhaul.
Flute
Flute and piccolo mechanical overhaul process:
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Disassemble and gently clean and polish the instrument. For wooden instruments, oil the bore if necessary.
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Carefully inspect body for any dents, misaligned posts, etc., and correct any damage. For wooden instruments, carefully inspect for cracks or other leaks in the body and seal as necessary.
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Tone holes addressed and properly leveled.
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Keys are cleaned and polished. Replating services available at an additional charge.
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Key mechanisms are disassembled, cleaned, and fit as needed to remove excessive play and noise.
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Springs are inspected and changed as needed. Spring tension is balanced to your preference. Changing more than half of the springs will incur an additional charge.
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All new pads installed and rigorously shimmed to perfection.
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Tenons cleaned and properly fit.
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Head joint cork replaced, waxed, and properly aligned. Embouchure hole cleaned and polished.
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Key corks, felts, and all other adjustment materials installed and regulated.
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Meticulously regulated to customers specifications.
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Wiped down, oiled, and play tested.
Prices on overhauls break down as follows:
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Piccolo - $1150 + price of pads and any other parts.
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Flute - $1350 + price of pads and any other parts.
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Alto, bass, contrabass, etc. - $1500 and up, by quote only + price of pads and any other parts.
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Contact us if you are interested in a flute overhaul.
TM PRO SETUP
With a reputation for outstanding setups, if your sax has had a recent pad job but still isn't great, it's time for TM Setup.
Saxophone
Tenor Madness has a reputation in the saxophone community for delivering outstanding customized setups on vintage and modern saxophones. If you have a saxophone with good pads that just isn't performing 100%, then it could be a great candidate for the personalized TM Pro Setup!
Due to the cost of manufacturing, companies today cannot afford to detail modern instruments to their full potential directly off of the assembly line. If you have a modern saxophone that has never been professionally set up then you will definitely benefit from the Tenor Madness setup. We are obsessed with bringing out the very best in current production saxophones as well as vintage saxophones, and strive to give the customer the best setup for them!
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Custom Setup Process:
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Disassembly and careful cleaning of the instrument with mild detergent if necessary.
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The horn is meticulously reassembled and adjusted one pad at a time.
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The spring tension is reset to your personal preference.
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Key venting is adjusted for an even playing scale.
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Intonation and overall playability is checked.
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The saxophone is allowed to sit for 2 days to settle in and then rechecked and adjusted, if necessary, before shipping.
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Bell soldering is an extra $100
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Prices on setup break down as follows:
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Sopranos, Altos, Tenors, and Baritones - Estimate at $75 hourly rate
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Contact us if you are interested in a saxophone setup.
Clarinet
Clarinets, especially wooden ones, are sensitive instruments that require a precise seal to play at their peak. We recommend that you get a clarinet check-up every 6 months at a minimum to ensure the pads are sealing and the wood is properly treated to repel moisture and help prevent cracking. The pro setup for clarinet includes a thorough cleaning that helps prolong your pad life and prevent cracking by removing gunk build up that can cause extra pressure to the wood,
especially inside the tone holes.
Pro Setup Process:
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Disassemble and gently clean the instrument and keys.
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Carefully inspect body for any cracking or other leaks, fill and repair as needed. Serious cracks requiring pinning, banding, new tone holes, etc. will be discussed with the customer.
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Tone holes addressed (fill in grains/pits, level, recut pad seat).
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Oil the clarinet body. When finished oiling, the body will be gently buffed and polished inside and out.
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Keys are swedged as needed to remove excessive play and noise.
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Springs are inspected and changed as needed. Spring tension is balanced to your preference. Changing more than half of the springs will incur an additional charge.
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All keys installed back on the horn one at a time and pads checked individually for a proper seal. Changing more than 5 pads may incur an additional charge.
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Tenon corks are checked for proper fit and replaced if loose or damaged.
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Key corks, felts, and all other adjustment materials inspected and changed if damaged.
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Meticulously regulated to customers specifications.
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Wiped down, oiled, and play tested.
Prices on clarinet setups break down as follows:
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Bb, A, and Eb clarinets - Estimate at $75 hourly rate
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Low Eb and C bass clarinet - Estimate at $75 hourly rate
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Contact us if you are interested in a clarinet setup.
Flute
Flutes are finicky instruments on their best day. Even one small leak will cause that stuffiness that we all hate! We recommend that you get a flute check-up every 6 months at a minimum to ensure the pads are sealing and properly regulated. The TM Pro Setup for flute includes a thorough cleaning that helps prolong your pad life and ensures your keys aren’t sluggish. Proper seal and cleaning of the head joint will also ensure your tone is reaching its full potential!
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Flute and piccolo setup process:
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Disassemble and gently clean and polish the instrument. For wooden instruments, oil the bore if necessary.
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Carefully inspect body for any dents, misaligned posts, etc., and correct any damage. For wooden instruments, carefully inspect for cracks or other leaks in the body and seal as necessary.
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Tone holes cleaned and repaired or leveled if necessary.
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Keys are cleaned and polished.
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Key mechanisms are disassembled, cleaned, and fit as needed to remove excessive play and noise.
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Springs are inspected and changed as needed. Spring tension is balanced to your preference. Changing more than half of the springs will incur an additional charge.
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Pads are leveled and shimmed to ensure proper seal.
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Tenons cleaned and properly fit.
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Head joint cork waxed or replaced if necessary, and properly aligned. Embouchure hole cleaned and polished.
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Key corks, felts, and all other adjustment materials inspected and changed as needed.
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Meticulously regulated to customers specifications.
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Wiped down, oiled, and play tested.
Prices on flute and piccolo setup break down as follows:
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Piccolo & all Flutes- Estimate at $75 hourly rate
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Contact us if you are interested in a flute setup.
TM PRO
MOUTHPIECE REPAIR
TM proudly works with Jimmy Jensen for all our mouthpiece services! To us, "reface" means the mouthpiece leaves playing at its peak.
Mouthpiece
Tenor Madness proudly works with Jimmy Jensen for all of our mouthpiece services! To us, "reface" means completely balancing the mouthpiece to play at its peak. This includes ensuring the table is "stable" and level, the rails are even and symmetrical, the tip rail is shaped to match a reed and then made symmetrical on the inside, and baffle shaped to optimize response and sound. This includes tip changes within .05" up or down. Keep in mind that every mouthpiece is individual and exact details of the reface will be thoroughly discussed with each customer to make sure we get it right for you!
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Standard refacing prices*:
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Hard rubber, plastic, resin, etc. - $125
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Soft metal such as brass, silverite, etc. - $150
*some exceptions apply that will be discussed prior to repair
Repairs:
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Broken tips/bent tips will require a full reface plus an additional repair charge, generally $50, but an exact price is done by quote only. This includes rebuilding chips/breaks in hard rubber mouthpieces, reshaping tips on brass pieces, etc.
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Bite plate fills start at $25, but an exact quote will be made upon receipt.
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Full bite plate replacements start at $50, but an exact quote will be made upon receipt.
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Shank repairs will require a quote- this includes straightening bent shanks on metal mouthpieces, banding cracked shanks on hard rubber/resin pieces, rebuilding the full shank, etc. Our hourly rate for this type of repair is $75/hour.
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Clarinet mouthpiece recorking is $15.
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Contact us if you are interested in mouthpiece repair.
Contact Us
Fill out this form to inquire about a repair service! Please put the service you are interested in as the subject line so we can get your message to the right technician. Be sure to include your name, phone number, and what horn(s) or mouthpiece(s) you want to send in. We look forward to working with you soon!