Roman repairs damage to a saxophone body.
Our Chief Repair Technician, Roman Dubchak, recently returned from a 4 day intensive training session at the NAPBIRT (National Association of Professional Band Instrument Repair Technicians) Technical Training Center in Normal, IL. The course was sponsored by Yamaha and featured industry legend Jeff Peterson, who is widely known for his work with Yamaha and as a highly successful, independent repair technician. Jeff currently works with Yamaha in improving and designing their world renowned line of professional and student model saxophones.
Roman working closely with clinician Jeff Peterson at the NAPBIRT Technical Training Center.
The purpose of the course was to give experienced repair technicians further training and the most cutting edge techniques, in order to achieve the highest level of saxophone repair. Along with other top technicians from around the country, Roman explored many advanced elements of saxophone repair that can make subtle differences and allow a horn to play to its maximum potential. Some of the specific topics included:
- Precision neck fitting
- Precision key fitting and alignment
- Spring selection and tensioning
- Key regulation
- Tuning and tone color adjustments
- Tone hole repair (damage and leveling)
- Body damage repair
- Pad and resonator selection
- Custom modifications
When asked about his experience, Roman said, “this course has definitely opened my eyes to some new skills and techniques that can be applied to many aspects of saxophone service, especially on professional instruments. I am proud to be part of such a great organization, where members are so willing and eager to share their knowledge and are constantly looking for new ways to improve the instrument repair industry.” In addition to attending specialized courses such as this one, Roman and his staff also attend the annual NAPBIRT conference each year. Please visit the repair page at davidfrenchmusic.com for more information regarding the repair shop.