When you buy an instrument, it can be hard to know how often it needs to be serviced. It might be that some instruments need more servicing than others depending on things like their age, or you might just never have played an instrument before and so have no idea how to look after it. Getting your instruments serviced regularly can be expensive, so it’s important to know to what extent it’s actually necessary.
Most people will tell you that you should get your instruments serviced about once every 12 months. Although this is a good rule of thumb, in reality, it depends on a few things – how often you play, how well you look after it (cleaning etc.), how old it is and what it’s made of.
The type of player you are can have a big influence on how often your instrument needs to be serviced. Are you a beginner, or someone with more experience? Do you play every day or every couple of weeks? All of these things can affect the amount of maintenance required for your instrument. Let’s start by talking about what level you are.
Do beginners need to service their instruments more?
It might not be clear how your level of playing ability can influence how often you need to get your instrument serviced, but there are quite a few factors to consider. First, how competent is the person at taking care of the instrument they own? If the player is a young child who has just started on their instrument, chances are they won’t be the best at taking care of it. It might get scratched, flung about in the case or even dropped. Keeping on top of this can require quite a lot of maintenance.
Another thing is that a beginner is likely to have a cheaper instrument. These will be lower quality and therefore more likely to need regular maintenance, as the parts won’t be designed to last as long. Having a cheaper instrument can also mean you are more careless with it – you would be much more likely to clean it every day if it cost thousands of pounds!
On the other hand, if you’re a beginner, you won’t be playing your instrument as often as a professional. You might get it out most days, but you certainly won’t be playing it all day. This can also make a difference. Instruments that are played almost constantly will likely need more maintenance as the keys are delicate and things like screws will likely come loose over time with excessive playing.
A beginner is likely to have less awareness of their instrument than a professional. If something small is wrong that makes playing more difficult, but not impossible, a beginner will often adapt to it, thinking that they are the problem. This increases the need for regular maintenance checks, as you don’t want to be putting up with something that makes your life more difficult. A professional will be much more likely to know if something is wrong and can therefore predict when maintenance is needed.
It’s always an option to visit your local music shop or a local instrument repairer. Even if you don’t think there’s anything much wrong with your instrument, if it’s been a while since you had it looked at, you can just take it along. Chances are they’ll be honest with you and tell you whether any work needs to be done or not, especially if you always use the same place. It’s a good idea to take your instrument and ask about once a year, but if you don’t play that regularly, you can probably wait longer for a service.
If I clean my instrument more, can I service it less?
It’s definitely true that cleaning your instrument can affect how often it needs to be serviced to some extent. It’s good practice to clean your instrument every time you play it, but plenty of people don’t actually do this. I find this is particularly important with woodwind instruments, as you don’t want to put them away damp.
If you keep on top of cleaning your instrument, you’ll help with some parts of the maintenance. Probably the biggest thing it can help with is the pads on the keys. If you don’t make sure your instrument is dry when you put it away, pads can become soggy in the case and even develop mould. Changing these can be really pricey, particularly if you have to do a lot of them at once. Keeping on top of this can save you quite a bit of money.
One thing to be careful of with cleaning your instrument regularly is how you grip it. Always make sure you’re not about to bend any keys while you’re holding it. It can be tempting just to grab it tightly anywhere and push cleaning cloths through, and put pressure on keys. It doesn’t take a lot of pressure to bend a key so watch out for this. You don’t want to put the effort in to clean your instrument and then end up damaging it in the process!
If you’re a more experienced musician, cleaning your instrument regularly is likely to help you notice if something is off. You might see that a key looks slightly out of line, or that a screw is loose. Try to look out for things like that while you’re cleaning, as it can save you time later trying to work out what is wrong.
Do some instruments need servicing more regularly than others?
It can be the case that some instruments require more regular servicing than others. A common example of this is if you buy an old instrument. Some older instruments can sound amazing when played well, but they can be harder to maintain to a high standard. This is because the material is older and more worn. It may also be that the instrument has been damaged in the past and has weaker points, e.g. where a dent has been pushed out.
Wooden instruments can require more maintenance than metal, particularly if they are in an environment where temperature is hard to control. In extreme cases, temperature changes can cause warping and cracks in wooden instruments. They’re also a bit more susceptible to water damage, so be especially careful about keeping them dry when you put them away.
What if I can’t afford to get my instrument serviced regularly?
If money is a big issue for you when considering instrument maintenance, you should think carefully about the instrument that you buy. If you buy a newer instrument, you might be able to get away with servicing it less. The amount of time you play it for is important as well, so think about whether you’re likely to play every day or not.
I have loads of different woodwind instruments and I definitely don’t get them serviced every year. Because of this, I find it useful to know a bit about instrument maintenance myself. I’ve taken a couple of courses on instrument repair for beginners and it can be really helpful for things like bending keys back into position and tightening springs. It also teaches you how to diagnose your instrument and you’ll probably end up having a better idea of how to keep things working for longer.
Paying for a repair course does, of course, cost money, but it can be a worthwhile investment. You might find that you pay for that one course and over a few years you only have to get your instrument serviced half the number of times because you can do small maintenance jobs yourself.
Be careful with this too, though. If you are fully sure how to diagnose all aspects your instrument, still take it in to a repair shop every couple of years to get it checked. You could end up spending much more money if you leave a problem undiagnosed and it keeps getting worse over time. Better to try to get it seen every two years even if you’re doing minor repairs yourself.