General Services
In addition to being a custom shop, Del Quadro Custom Trumpets offers a wide array of services to support all players from those just starting out in their school band program to the most seasoned professional artist. How can we help to keep your instrument in top playing condition?
General Repairs
General service repairs on all trumpets. We also cover all brass instruments, but my specialty is trumpet repair.
Our standard shop rate is $110 per hour.
Ultrasonic Cleaning and standard servicing
On most trumpets, a thorough Ultrasonic cleaning and removal of common dents takes 1½-2 hours. This allows me time to thoroughly burnish out all of the imperfections in the metal and remove as many of the scratches to the plating that I can. Valves are aligned after the cleaning and the instrument is put through its paces. Depending on how busy I am and how bad damage is to your instrument, cleanings usually return ship within 3 days.
$150-$300
Valve Alignments
I do not align pistons with cork or felt. Cork and felt both compress over time and the felt is never consistent in thickness. I use a neoprene material that never compresses over time and is resistant to wicking oils and other substances that typically enter your horn… with the exception of pizza, hot wings,and beer. My process brings your alignment to within .005″.
Starting Price $110
Valve Rebuilds
Sometimes even good valves go bad. After years and years of shedding and gigging, trumpet valves do eventually lose their tolerance. When this happens, pistons and casings need to be trued and re-plated and brought back to the closest tolerance possible to make the instrument play like it was young again. All rebuild pistons are aligned before they are returned.
Pricing is $225 per piston or $600 for a set of 3
Complete Overhauls
This is the whole shebang here. The end goal is an instrument that looks as close to brand new as possible. Every small imperfection is removed from your instrument and the metal is carefully polished by hand to obtain the highest possible polish while removing the smallest amount of metal possible. The instrument is then polished on a wheel and either spray-lacquered or plated. I can do a variety of lacquer and plated finishes. If you are curious about a specific finish, ask!
Contact for pricing
Instrument Restoration
Sometimes a player might find themselves in need of giving an old instrument some TLC to make it playable or aesthetically pleasing again. Whether it is the instrument you are dusting off to pass down to your beginning band student, your great-grandpa’s heirloom that you just inherited, a really great horn you found at an estate sale, or just a horn that you have been playing forever and need to pamper, our shop can help give it some new life.
Contact for pricing
What people who have worked with us have to say
After being a professional trumpet player and band leader for over 43 years, people kept telling me that what I wanted in a new trumpet could no longer be made.
Michael Del Quadro built the trumpet of my dreams! His master craftsmanship, meticulous attention to EVERY detail, and his superior understanding of MY personal desires are unmatched!
Thank you Michael I am so proud to perform with your handiwork. Harry James would also be very proud!
I have sent 6 trumpets so far…mostly for cleaning and valve alignment. All work was excellent..plus quick turn around…Michaels work is neat and very professional.
I wholeheartedly trust Michael, his talents, his desire to make the client happier than possible, and his professionalism. Every job he’s done for me has been outstanding. DQ is the man!!!!
Michael does great work at reasonable prices. Definitely recommended for those who won’t trust their horn to just anyone. He is a conscientious craftsman and made my horns look and play their best.
Michael recently did the rebuild on a large bore Bach Strad for me(it’s the one in the photos) and really did a fabulous job on it. He’s also done 4 PVA’s that have made my horns play and sound so much better. He’s easy to work with and it was a very pleasant experience to work with him. I look forward to having him do some more work for me in the future! I HIGHLY recommend!
Whether I need regular maintenance or major repair, I send all of my trumpets and all of my students’ trumpets to Del Quadro Custom Trumpets exclusively. You won’t find better workmanship and overall professionalism anywhere else, especially at such reasonable prices.
Equipment:
• Taylor Chicago Custom Trumpet
• Schilke B5 Trumpet
• Leblanc Al Hirt Trumpet
• Taylor Flugelhorn
• Yamaha Z Flugelhorn
• Taylor Pocket Rocket
• Conn 40A Vocabell Cornet
A few years ago I sent DQ a really ugly Olds flugelhorn. This thing had seen a lot of bad road. The lacquer was completely shot and there dents and dings all over the place, including some real problem areas. DQ stripped the lacquer, knocked out all of the dents and dings (which took quite some doing), polished it up, and added a 3rd slide trigger. At that point, it became a horn worth taking on gigs. He did all of this for a VERY good price and the turnaround was much quicker than you’d expect from a shop that does work this good.