Welcome to the website of Mike Rolph woodwind repairer. Specialist in the repair of Flutes, Clarinets and Saxophones.
I carry a good supply of parts for the above instruments and can often repair your instrument the same day and if you live in Ipswich or the surrounding area and find it difficult to get to me I will collect and deliver your instrument for a small fee ( to cover the cost of petrol), some repairs I can even do at your own home if required.
If you live further afield I offer a postal service, please contact me to arrange.
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Instrument care
All instruments require regular care to keep them in good playing condition and should be put together carefull to avoid damage to the keys and generally need to be serviced annualy to keep them in tip top playing condition.
I have prepared some basic hints for various instruments and will be adding them soon
Flute Assembly and care
1. Holding the top of the body and not the keys gently push the head joint into the body keeping it in line, do not push it all the way in leave a small amount for tuning.
2. Still holding the body attatch the foot joint to the body with a gentle twisting motion making sure you dont crush the keys.
3. Line the centre of the embouchure hole up with the ''c key and then the 'd' post on the foot with the 'd' tone hole on the body.
After using your flute use the cleaning rod supplied with a large gents hankie or similar non fluffy cloth to pull through each joint seperately to remove moisture then gently wipe fingerprints off the outside with a soft cloth. Never push a cloth under the keys as this can damage your instrument, this area will be cleaned when your instrument is serviced. After cleaning put the instrument away in its case. Remember an instrument that is serviced on a regular basis will be a joy to play!
Clarinet assembly and care
When assembling a clarinet it is important not to grip the keys tightly as this can bend them, align each part of the instrunent and gently push and twist, when assembling the top joint to the bottom joint gently hold down the ring keys on the top joint so the link key does not get bent then line it up.
Clarinets have tennon joints usually with cork on them, periodically this needs to have a light smear of cork grease to make it easy to assemble, on wooden instruments a few drops of linseed oil on a pull through should be applied occasionally, especially when new (usually done during servicing). This can lower the risk of cracks in the wood.
After using, use the weighted pull through cloth supplied with your instrument to remove moisture, never leave your clarinet assembled when not using it as this compresses the corks so put it away in its case!