At the Bench Daron Anderson
Q: Can we repair it? A: Yes! Q: Is it worth it? A: Well…?

Sometimes we technicians have to make difficult decisions as to whether an instrument is worth the time and effort to put it back into playing condition or donate it to Lamps Unlimited. A good technician will never throw a quality instrument in the trash before it is time and sometimes the better quality instruments have been found in other people’s trash! Trust the opinion of your local professional repair technician. Tell the parents of your students to do the same. Most reputable repair shops will provide a free evaluation of an instrument, an estimate of what it will cost to put it in excellent playing condition, and whether it is worth the expense. If the parents of your student want to buy their own instrument, tell them to consider some of the following:

• Is there a school instrument available to them? Most school districts provide the larger and most expensive instruments at no cost (including repair and preventive maintenance charges)
• Is the make and model of the instrument common to their local repair facility? There are a large number of cheaply made instruments, for which your local repair shop can’t obtain replacement parts, making them “in effect” disposable.
• Sometimes spending the difference of $50 to $100 more to buy a good quality instrument is all it takes to avoid getting something between a musical instrument and a child’s toy.