I have a BetterSax Alto that was overdue for a checkup. So, by way of a local recommendation by Dave Good, we were directed to Jim. First and foremost, Jim is just an outstanding human being. He is warm, friendly, and very approachable. My wife and I met him for the first time today, and we can't say enough as to how impressed we were with his professionalism, integrity, knowledge and experience. We were able to sit comfortably in his shop while he thoroughly looked over my sax, making needed adjustments, and sounding AMAZING while playing it! Even though he had an upcoming music lesson to give, he did not make us feel rushed, and took the time to answer our questions. I have a Yamaha flute and BetterSax Tenor that will also be entrusted to his care in the furure, as we feel that Jim is 100% trustworthy, and knows a great deal about, and LOVES what he does. Thank you, Jim. read more

My alto sax was in need of a tune-up, and Jim came to the rescue, highly recommended by my music teacher. Jim is everything you're looking for when it comes to woodwind repair- - he's skilled in making repairs -he's honest and will give you recommendations that are in your best interest - he's timely in his communication/appointment-setting - he's very personable - he has several years of experience - above all, he's an incredible musician! If you're looking for someone skilled and trustworthy to fix your woodwind, give Jim a call! read more

Wonderful experience with Jim! He fixed my 20 year old Buffet clarinet and figured out what was wrong immediately. It's in perfect working condition 15 minutes later! Very knowledgeable, kind, and reasonably priced. He was worth the 35 minute drive - highly recommend! read more

My son plays a clarinet. I should say that it is a very subtle and fragile instrument. Somehow it always breaks right before an audition or recording. I always text Jim and he always save my son. We are more than 100% satisfied with the quality of the work he has done. The repair comes with very reasonable charge and sometimes with good surprises. I strongly recommend Jim. 5 star!! If you have to wait for a few hours while Jim is fixing, stop by Santee Lakes park near his workshop. Nice place for walk. :) read more

My flutes have never played better than since I've been taking them to Jim. if you are looking for absolutely first rate repair and courteous and conscientious service on your woodwind, look no further. Jim has been doing the annual check up on my Selmer and Pearl flutes for two years, plus addressing any problems that come up. such as --I opened the case on the Selmer today and a cork had fallen off. when I called Jim about the problem, he said it was a repair he could do in one day tomorrow. Also he said he had been working on my Pearl flute all day and listed off about eight or 10 things he had done to give it a complete tuneup. He takes instruments completely apart, readjusts the pads, adds pads if it's needed, tests for any air leaks, and so on. I can't even list all the things that he does but it is all done with a fine tooth comb as he says. it's pretty nice to get your instrument back all shined up and cleaned and in perfect playing condition. Jim's a find. read more

Jim's Woodwind Repair - Clean and shiny Selmer flute - Musical Instrument Services Near Me

I got the clarinet repair service this afternoon. He was so knowledgeable and expert. Even he found and fixed the issue I was not aware of. I will definitely get his service again in the future. Highly recommended! read more

Jim repaired the spit valve on my son's bari sax while the two of us at comfortably on the couch in Jim's workshop/garage. Some observations: 1) Jim loves his work and excels at it. 2) Jim plays music, appreciates music, and appreciates other musicians. 3) Most importantly: Jim educated, encouraged, and empowered my son in the short hour we were with him. Meeting and talking with Jim was a wonderful experience. I'll never go anywhere else for instrument maintenance or repair. read more

I rarely write reviews but Jim Weiss is a gem of an individual both as my saxophone repair shop but also as a saxophone teacher. Jim has helped me out numerous times with very last minute repairs and he plays saxophone himself professionally, so he has the highest sense of empathy and efficiency you could hope for. Jim is amazingly patient and understanding of what needs to be done and incredibly thorough and professional with his work. Also Jim has been a great resource as a teacher on the the saxophone in general. Whether it's a major or minor repair, or a saxophone lesson you won't find a better individual than Jim to contact. read more

I can not say enough about Jim's work as a repair man. He has worked on all three of my horns to include a full overhaul on my Baritone and it was out of this world. He listened to my every want with the horn and had it done perfectly. I can firmly say that he is the best repair man I have ever used. It has been a joy getting my horns worked on by him and it is a sad day that when I leave San Diego I will have to find a new repair man. read more

Was referred to Jim by a friend at church. Met with him today. I've been playing sax for over 60 years. Jim was amazing. Talked over the issues with my horn and he fixed it on the spot. Great to hear him play my horn as well. Have other horns that will definitely be coming to Jim!! Friendly, professional and talented!! read more

Jim evaluated my tenor sax, and saved me a bunch of money by convincing me the repairs could be done but the money was better spent buying a new sax. The evaluation and a chunk of time to discuss was all free of charge. Jim's going to do the best thing for you, not the best thing for him. I won't be looking elsewhere for my next repair. read more

I can't recommend Jim enough. He is a talented, honest technician, who will not try to upsell you! I took my tenor sax for him to evaluate for a tune up. He checked for leaks, made some small tweaks, and fixed a dent in the bell. After he determined there were no fixes to be made, I asked him how much I owed, he said NO CHARGE! I will definitely be taking my tenor and other horns back to him when I need work done. Thanks Jim! read more

Jim is by far the best saxophone technician in town. Thorough, knowledgeable, kind, patient.

Jim is an amazing individual. He truly cares about your musician and making sure their instrument is in tip top shape. I brought both my boy's instruments (Saxophone and Clarinet) and he gave us advice on maintenance, purchase of new instruments, and repairs. He spent his own time advising me without expecting anything in return. Of course after purchasing the a new Sax I took it to Jim and he repaired everything that it needed quickly and at an extremely fair price. I would recommend Jim for any and all work for your instrument without reservation. I will continue to go to him for all my students needs. He is exceptional not just with his work, but also professionally and in general nice man. read more

I was on a tight schedule and Jim came to the rescue. He fixed my daughter's flute in no time. Very friendly and accommodating. You can tell he is passionate about his craft. He wanted it to be perfect and it really is perfect. Sounds like new again. read more

I just played my 1954 Mark VI tenor for the first time after Jim tuned it up. It had some pretty bad leaks. I did about 20 minutes of long-tones and overtones. The difference, before and after his work, is astonishing! For the first time I was able to get the third overtone on low C# and I was able to play all low notes with ease. He's also a really good guy. I think he's my guy from now on. read more

My daughter recently purchased a new flute for her school band and it needed some minor repairs. Most repair shops around town had long wait times or exorbitant prices. Jim was so kind to schedule us on the day we called and did the repairs at no charge. He's super friendly and knowledgeable. It really put my daughter at ease knowing he's a flute player too. There's no doubt he's the best in San Diego and has our business from here on! read more

Jim was so nice and professional and honest. I didn't end up needing to get work done but the consultation of my daughters clarinet was incredibly informative and meeting Jim was well worth the drive. He's super responsive and I appreciated how helpful he was! read more

Jim is super! I had him take a look at my tenor sax for a tune-up and he treated it as if it was his own. Jim also gave me some saxophone playing and maintenance advice and he is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. He is very meticulous with his repairs and truly cares about his craft. He will make your woodwind instrument sound the very best that it can. I would give six stars out five! read more

A great and very capable woodwind tech. Jim is dedicated to quality repair and he definitely went many extra miles when working on my tenor. He's friendly and honest as well. Thank you Jim! read more

Jim is an awesome repairman, as well as a great guy. He has great skills as a woodwind technician (and as a musician), all the tools necessary to do the job right, and a huge supply of all the parts needed to keep saxes, clarinets and flutes in working condition. I've known Jim for a long time, owing to the fact that we're both professional sax players; he recently began working on my instruments, too, and I realized that I should have been using his extensive skills as a woodwind repair specialist long ago. I've been sending my students to him for repairs for several years, and I'll be seeing him frequently, too, since I play a lot of horns, and one or two of them are always in need of some work. It's truly my great fortune to know Jim both as a colleague and as a resource for keeping my instruments in shape. read more

Jim Weiss deserves all the five-star reviews. Everything that is said about him is true and it is hard to find something new to add so I will just write about my last experience. I bought a Jean Paul tenor sax online. They get good reviews so rather than continue to rent I bought one. Unfortunately, it must have been jostled during shipping and it had problems which my teacher suspected, and he suggested I take it to Jim for adjustment. Jim looked at it, dropped the light down the horn and saw leaks on both stacks. Ninety-five dollars would be the charge to set up the horn, fix the leaks, adjust the spring tensions and regulate the key combinations. Ok with me lets fix the horn. But, Jim said, that this should be under warranty. I have had the horn for less than a month. Jean Paul has repair centers which can take care of this and I should call them. I called Jean Paul support. They do have repair centers and would be glad to send the horn there but offered to let me get the horn repaired locally. The horn went back to Jim and a few days later I have a great playing sax. Lesson learned, Jim Weiss has his clients' interests at heart...along with being a master of woodwind repair. read more

Prices are great, work is great. Everytime I take a sax to him, I tell my wife, "Honey, I'm leaving to go get my nails done... don't wait up" because when I get the horn back it's like I'm playing like a brand new guy again and don't want to stop. Feels great to be able to have everything in perfect shape and get all my ideas out of the horn w/o any complications... have fun! read more

Jim is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet and a wonderful repair tech. I recently began learning alto saxophone for my woodwind methods class but had to return my school instrument, and I ended up buying one of my own off craigslist because I fell in love with the instrument. I figured it would need some kind of work, and my teacher recommended Jim, so I gave him a call. Jim looked it over the same day at no cost to let me know what kinds of repairs it would need. It ended up needing a complete overhaul ($800-$900) and wasn't worth it (It was a YAS-21 that I spent like $150 on), so I started looking around for one that was in better shape. I found one that looked much better and brought it back to Jim to have it looked over. It seemed to play fine to me when I purchased it, but Jim's attention to detail led him to make a few small adjustments to help it play even better, and he replaced a couple corks that were missing--once again at no cost (other than $5 to buy a neck cap since it didn't come with one). When he found out I kept the first alto so I could practice learning how to do some repairs, he took the time to tell me about good suppliers and some online resources to help me along the way. Before I left, I pulled out a key and rod screw from my "junk horn" and explained how I was trying to familiarize myself with how the saxophone is assembled, but I thought the key hinge was bent or dented because the rod seemed straight but was sticking, even with some PB Blaster to lubricate it. Jim took a look at it, confirmed my suspicions, and proceeded to fix the problem right there while he explained what he was doing so I could learn. Jim is a fantastic repair tech who is meticulous about making sure the instruments he sees play at optimum levels, and demonstrates his passion for music through the care he takes in his work. He is also an incredible person and a joy to do business with. I would absolutely recommend him to anyone needing woodwind repairs; he will be the first person I send my students to when I begin teaching band classes. read more

Perfectionist! Jim is an exceptional sax repairman. He is friendly, extremely knowledgeable, honest and a perfectionist. I felt very confident having him work on my son's very expensive Selmer Sax. I really appreciate that he took the time to explain in detail what he was looking for and what needed to be adjusted. I would positively recommend Jim. read more

My son's saxophone was in bad shape. Missing parts and a big dent. When we got it back from Jim it played beautifully! It has never sounded so good. Jim is a reasonably priced professional and a true woodwind expert, not to mention a super nice guy!It's a pleasure to work with him. Highly recommend! read more

I was referred to Jim by my jazz band director who, like Jim, is a professional saxophonist. Jim inspected both my 50's vintage instruments: a Vito alto sax, and a Buffet clarinet. Within a week, he had replaced pads/corks and adjusted keys where needed, so that both instruments worked perfectly. I would definitely return to Jim for any future repairs! read more

I found Jim here on Yelp. He answered me immediately and I met him with my son's clarinet that was quite a mess. He promised to have it back to me in a week, but had it done in three days. Very organized and nice and the price was very reasonable. I'm very pleased and we will go back for any future repair needs. read more

What a great experience. Jim has always given concierge type personal service for his repair clients. He has overhauled or serviced 3 of my instruments. He is always friendly, generous with his time, reasonably priced, and meticulous in his repair. If you want a woodwind repair done right by the "repair tech to the stars," give Jim a call. read more

I was referred by my sax teacher to Jim Weiss when I bought a used saxophone online from Ebay. It arrived with a key that stuck. I was able to make a quick appointment with Jim. He really knows his stuff and cares about the instruments and the people who come to him. The repair was made on the spot, and he reassured me that I had purchased a great instrument. He was gracious, charming, and professional, and I would not hesitate recommending him. Five stars really isn't enough! read more

We have used Jim's services several times to repair a very well-loved clarinet and have been very satisfied every time! He's knowledgeable, efficient, professional and incredibly nice. We will use him every time. read more

Jim Weiss has repaired and adjusted several Bb and bass clarinets for me over the four years. In every case Jim has performed the service quickly, expertly and at very reasonable cost. He has also evaluated several clarinets that I was considering to purchase. Jim steered me to a couple of excellent instruments and helped me avoid a couple that could have been trouble. I have recommended him highly to a number of other fellow musicians and am pleased to share my experience with Yelp users as well. read more

Had my horn playing like new in a single night for reasonable price. Thorough and meticulous with his work and clearly knowledgeable in his expertise. read more