If you're new to the trumpet, recently purchased one and are looking for possible repairs needed, or are renting one and want to make sure you know what to look out for you're in the right place.
Here we'll describe 5 common repairs needed on a trumpet, and why they need attention:
Dent Removal
Chemical Cleaning
Valve Repair
Mouthpiece Removal
Slide Repairs
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Below we'll explore what each of these repairs entail and why you might need them:
1. Dent Removal: Dents are probably the most obvious issue to spot on your instrument. You may see irregularities on the surface like dimples, or larger depressions /wrinkles. You might not be able to spot dents with the naked eye but running your fingers along the bell, lead pipe, and tuning slides may help you feel something out of sorts. Removing these doesn't just affect the look of your trumpet as dents can disrupt the airflow inside of the instrument creating turbulence that can affect the tone, resonance, and playability.
2. Chemical Cleaning: Often called "chem clean," this is a process of deep cleaning the instrument that helps to remove build-up, grime, dirt, corrosion, and mineral deposits that may have formed on the inside of your trumpet. Saliva, oils, and hard water can accumulate over time even if you're cleaning out your instrument regularly. This can result in poor airflow, and even sticky valves. If the inside of your instrument hasn't been cleaned thoroughly in years, your instrument is starting to feel sluggish, or you're simply having tone issues, this might be necessary. Technicians will disassemble the entire instrument, soak the parts in a safe chemical solution that will help dissolve all of the gunk and grime, and then they'll scrub, rinse, and reassemble everything.
3. Valve Repair: If your valves are starting to feel sticky or sluggish they may need some attention from a technician. Most commonly this can be addressed with lubricating the valves with oil or replacing worn out springs, felts, and/or damaged valve guides. Sometimes technicians will need to perform valve lapping to help improve the fit of the valve in the casing. In some worst cases bent pistons, or heavily damaged valves may need to be straightened or replaced.
4. Mouthpiece Removal: Uh oh! Your mouthpiece won't come out! This has never happened before! You've pulled, you've tried using a little more elbow frease but it just won't budge. Put down the pliers and bring it to the repair shop! Mouthpieces are tapered and stay in the leadpipe via tension, but if it's stuck it needs a specific amount to tension and pressure to remove it. Technicians use a mouthpiece puller to remove stuck mouthpieces because simply yanking it out with your hands or another kind of tool can damage the finish of your mouthpiece, can pop solder connections apart, and warp your instrument. Leave this one to the professionals or invest in a mouthpiece puller yourself.
5. Slide Repair: Just like mouthpieces, slides can become stuck. This usually happens due to build-up inside the horn but can also happen because they've become misaligned, dented, or warped. Technicians can figure out what the culprit is, remove your slide, clean, and adjust things so they're running smoothly again. You may also need some adjustments to your water key if it's become leaky, sticky, or has become loose.
Regular maintenance and repairs are the key to your trumpet's performance and longevity. Schedule your next repair!