By Train
Main line to Newton Abbot then to Paignton. The rail station is only ½ mile from the shop. Walk through the bus station opposite and follow the road sign for Totnes, turn right at the traffic lights into Winner Street, we are the 2nd shop on your right.

By Bus
Paignton Bus Station is on the bus route from Exeter and Plymouth. From Paignton bus station walk out through the entrance your bus entered the station. Follow the road sign for Totnes, turn right at the traffic lights into Winner Street, we are the 2nd shop on your right.

By Road

• M5 from Exeter take the A380
• Straight over Pen Inn roundabout at Newton Abbot,
• Through Kingskerswell 2 miles turn right at roundabout onto Torbay Ring road,
• Straight over three roundabouts
• Down Kings Ash Hill until you reach traffic lights at main crossroads (Riviera Tile company on your left),
• Turn left and then go past Paignton Zoo on your right, after ¾ of a mile you will come to traffic lights,
• Turn left into Winner Street. We are the 2nd shop on your right.

Click here for a map

Parking
There is parking in Winner Street with hourly restrictions. For public car park go past our shop take 2nd right into Palace Avenue, then 2nd left and there is a pay and display car park.

Because of the great demand we have for repairs we run an appointment system, this means your instrument can be booked in and the work will be carried out on a specified day and ready for collection at an agreed time, so you don´t need to be without it any longer than necessary. Our booking schedule varies according to the time of year, but we will endeavour to make sure your instrument is a priority in certain circumstances such as an exam or a gig approaching and emergencies.

Once we have seen your instrument we can give you an estimate of the cost for the repairs necessary. Only in extreme circumstances such as an unforeseen problem which becomes evident on strip down will your final bill be more than our original estimate.

We pride ourselves on the quality of our work and every care is made to ensure that your instrument is set up to play to it´s full potential allowing you to concentrate on playing and enjoying your music.

Brian says "My reputation is very important to me. When a great player thanks me publically during his performance for the way his instrument is playing, (as happened recently), I get as much pleasure knowing he appreciates my work as he does by giving a great performance. Equally it gives me great pleasure when students call me to say how much more they are enjoying playing since I set up their instrument correctly."

We only use the best grade materials such as pads, springs etc. to ensure that our repair is first class. On saxophones you can request if you would prefer plastic or metal reflectors or we will advise with our recommendation. on clarinets in certain circumstances (such as military bands playing outdoors in all weathers) leather or Gortex pads might be more suitable than standard skin pads. On flutes we always use premium quality double skin pads.

With our strong links with Windcraft Ltd. we carry a very large stock of spare parts for most instruments therefore reducing the chance of any delays on a repair.

Checkover for leaks, renew regulating/articulation corks/felts where required, level pad cups, re-seat pads where required, lubricate and regulate keywork., apply bore oil to wooden instruments. Test.

Dismantle. Clean body & keywork, polish silver/plate, remove any dents from the body, check wooden body for cracks, apply bore oil to wooden instruments, check brass/silver body and straighten if required, straighten any bent pillars, apply bore oil to wooden bodies, examine keywork and take up any free play by swedging hinge tubing, examine springs and renew where required, check pads and renew where required, level and dress tone holes, check bow joint seals on saxophones, renew regulating/articulation corks/felts and nylon/teflon tubing sleeves, sax keyguard bumper pads, check clarinet tenon corks/flute headjoint tuning corks/saxophone crook corks and renew where necessary. Re-assemble, seat pads, set spring tensions, lubricate and regulate keywork. Test.

As above but renewing all pads.

Metal Flutes - make sure the tenon joints are clean, use a silver cloth to clean both the tenon and socket. Any stuborn marks can be removed with a little methylated spirit on a clean cotton cloth, never apply any grease to metal joints, this will only result in the joint sticking eventually. The joints should, when clean, twist together smoothly with a firm joint, the footjoint shoud not be able to rock in the socket and the joints should not be so tight that you have difficulty assembling them. If in doubt take your flute to an experienced reapairer to have the tenons adjusted.

Wooden flutes - Make sure the cork tenon joints are greased with cork grease which is smeared around the corks using a finger, the joints should be twisted together and never forced, be careful not to put pressure on the keys which could bend them when assembling, the joints should be firm but not too tight, if you find it difficult to assemble take your flute to an experienced repairer to have the tenons adjusted.

Before dimantling your flute and after every practice/performance it is very important that you clean it thoroughly to dry out the bore, this will increase the life of the pads and reduce the chance of them sticking to the tone holes, cleaning the outside of your flute will prevent the body and keys from tarnishing, this can be done with a silver cloth, do not use any liquid cleaners. There are a few options for cleaning the inside of your flute. You should remove the headjoint and then either drop a ‘pull through’ cord through the body and foojoint, pull through a couple of times to make sure all the moisture is removed from the bore. Alternatively you can remove the footjoint and headjoint and use the cleaning rod usually provided with your flute and attach the corner of a cotton handkerchief into the slot in the end of the rod and mop out the inside of your flute. Make sure the rod is well covered with the cloth to prevent scratching the inside of your flute, plastic of wooden rods and preferred to aluminium rods.

You can adjust the tuning of your flute when playing with other instruments by pulling out the headjoint slightly to flatten the pitch or pushing the joint in to sharpen the pitch, but you should also check that your flute is in tune with itself, this is called it’s ‘intonation’. The intonation of a flute can only be adjusted by an experianced repairer, but you can check it. To do this look on the handle end of your cleaning rod and you will see a line marked on it, insert the rod through the end of the headjoint until it touches the reflector plate on the end of the tuning cork which is fitted in the headjoint, look through the embouchure hole which you blow across and the line on the rod should be exactly in the middle of the hole. If it is not in the middle your tuning cork may need adjusting or replacing, do not attempt to do this yourself, take it to an experianced repairer.

These vary in quality and some makes are liable to leave fluff stuck to the pads, if you do use a pad saver make sure it is not one of these and only use it when the flute has been pulled through a couple of times, never use a pad saver instead of a pull through.

These are a good idea if your pads become sticky, simply place a cleaning paper between the pad and the tone hole, close the key and pull the paper out to clean the pad and tone hole, the paper will also remove any excess water from the pads.

These are similar to cleaning paper but one side is coated with powder which is used in the same way as cleaning paper with the powder side facing the pad. I would not recommend regular use of powder paper, although they can be usefull to stop sticking pads occassionally regular use will cause more problems, consult an experienced repairer before using these.

Make sure the cork tenon joints are greased with cork grease which is smeared around the corks using a finger, the joints should be twisted together and never forced, the second ring key (D/A) should be held down when assembling the bottom and top joints, be careful not to put pressure on the keys which could bend them when assembling, the joints should be firm but not too tight, if you find it difficult to assemble take your clarinet to an experienced repairer to have the tenons adjusted.

Before dimantling your clarinet and after every practice/performance it is very important that you pull it through to dry out the bore, this will increase the life of the pads and reduce the chance of them sticking to the tone holes. Pulling through should be carried out with the instrument together as follows – take of the mouthpiece, drop the cord through the instrument, I always pull through from top, barrell to bell but I know some players prefer to go from bell to barrell, I don’t think which way is important but it is important to be carefull not to get the swab caught on the speaker tube which protrudes into the top joint. I have noticed that most of the stuck swabs bought to me to be removed have been pulled from bell to barrell. Remember that the purpose of pulling through is to get the moisture away from the clarinet, so don’t then keep the swab in the case and lock the moisture in with the clarinet, this can damage the wood and the pads and will make the springs rust and liable to breaking.

These vary in quality and some makes are liable to leave fluff stuck to the pads, if you do use a pad saver make sure it is not one of these and only use it when the clarinet has been pulled through a couple of times, never use a pad saver instead of a pull through.

A common complaint on new wooden clarinets is that a tenon joint is stuck together, this is caused by the wood swelling from absorbing moisture when being played. Do not apply any excesice force to dismantle a joint, take it to a repair shop where it can be dismantled using the correct tools and procedure to ensure it is not damaged and the swollen tenon can be adjusted to fit the socket.

These are a good idea if your pads become sticky, simply place a cleaning paper between the pad and the tone hole, close the key and pull the paper out to clean the pad and tone hole, the paper will also remove any excess water from the pads.

These are similar to cleaning paper but one side is coated with powder which is used in the same way as cleaning paper with the powder side facing the pad. I would not recommend regular use of powder paper, although they can be usefull to stop sticking pads occassionally regular use will cause more problems, consult an experienced repairer before using these.

This oil is used to protect the wood absorbing water causing swelling and shrinkage as it dries out ,which could cause the wood to crack. A small amount of bore oil should be applied to the bore of wooden instruments on a regular basis. A few drops of bore oil goes a long way! Apply a few drops to a mop, any excess oil can be removed from the mop by holding it in some kitchen roll. Apply the oil through the bore and around the end of wooden tenons. Be very careful bore oil will distroy the pads, if in doubt take your instrument to an experianced repairer.

Remove the end plug, this is a plastic plug which is kept in the crook/neck receiver to protect the octave mechanism while the sax is in it’s case. Gently twist the crook tenon into it’s receiver, this should be a smooth fit and the screw should only need a slight turn to stop the neck moving while playing, be careful not to over tighten the screw, they can easilly break. If the joint is tight it should cleaned with a cloth with methelayted spirit cleaning both the tenon and receiver. Do not grease metal tenon joints, they will only gum up and jam in time, a perfect clean dry joint will always work better. If the joint is too tight or too loose ( remember if it’s too loose it can act as a leak and affect the way your sax plays) take it to a repair shop and have it adjusted and correctly fitted.

After every practice/performance it is very important that you pull it through to dry out the bore, this will increase the life of the pads and reduce the chance of them sticking to the tone holes. Use a good quality chmois style pull through which is large enough to fill the bore but not too tight so that it can pass the 2nd octave tube which protrudes into the bore near the top of the taper. Remove the crook/neck and pass the cord through form the top, gently push a bit of the chamois into the neck receiver then turn the instrument up so that the cord falls out of the bell, now you can pull through, do this a couple of times to make sure it is dry. Remember that the purpose of pulling through is to get the moisture away from the sax, so don’t then keep the swab in the case and lock the moisture in with the sax, this can damage the pads and will make the springs rust and liable to breaking.

These vary in quality and some makes are liable to leave fluff stuck to the pads, if you do use a pad saver make sure it is not one of these and only use it when the saxophone has been pulled through a couple of times, never use a pad saver instead of a pull through.

These are a good idea if your pads become sticky, simply place a cleaning paper between the pad and the tone hole, close the key and pull the paper out to clean the pad and tone hole, the paper will also remove any excess water from the pads.

These are similar to cleaning paper but one side is coated with powder which is used in the same way as cleaning paper with the powder side facing the pad. I would not recommend regular use of powder paper, although they can be usefull to stop sticking pads occassionally regular use will cause more problems, consult an experienced repairer before using these.

Brian left school in 1974 and became an apprentice engineer for W.H. Allens Engineering in Bedford, there he learnt the art of sheet metal work in the smithshop, later to come in very useful with brass instrument repairs.

Having played music since the age of eight, instead of carrying on as an engineer Brian returned to his first love, music, against his parents wishes he joined a band and went on tour.

A life of gigging continued for several years until he decided to study for a degree in music, which led him to move to Devon and Dartington College of Arts where he majored in clarinet & saxophone.

In 1987 Brian opened his first music shop and employed a repairer, Ralph (Tony) Corona, an ex-Rudall Carte flute maker and ex-drummer with the Edmondo Ross Band. With a background in both engineering and music it was a natural progression for Brian to start working with Ralph, learning about woodwind and brass repairs.

Brian travelled to Germany to study instrument repairs in more depth with Gurtz & Co. Erlangen and Allied Tools USA.

Since then Brian has worked exclusively in the music industry, as Woodwind Specialist and one of the founder members of the then Band & Orchestral Division of Yamaha Kemble Music UK. While there he visited their instrument manufacturing factories in Japan. Brian also worked for Vincent Bach International (Selmer Paris, Bach, Adler, Elkhart) and United Musical Instruments, Elkhart, USA (Conn, King, Benge, Artley, Armstrong) where he was involved with instrument research and development working closely with artiste/endorsees, among them some of the worlds finest orchestral and jazz musicians.

Brian is still gigging, mainly playing jazz saxophone and clarinet and is a Professional member of N.A.M.I.R (The National Association of Musical Instrument Repairers).

In 2001 Brian went into partnership with Dawkes Music Ltd. and opened Dawkes Music Southwest. Brian’s second love has always been motorcycles and he still rides among others a 1974 Triumph T150V 750 Trident.