We inherited an old flute for our child that my husband's aunt had used in her high school days many decades ago. It looked very vintage, to put it nicely, and definitely needed a lot of TLC if it was even still usable. After some research, we found the Windsmith, located in the neighborhood of North Park, with exceptional reviews. We were lucky to have found Franco, who specializes in woodwind instrument repairs, to take a look at the old flute. He said the necessary maintenance was not extensive and gave us a very affordable quote for repairs to get the flute back in shape. In less than a week, we had the flute fixed up and ready to be played. Thank you Franco, and we will be back again for regular maintenance. My other child is interested in playing the trumpet so we hope to bring business to his partner Jim at the Windsmith, who specializes in brass instruments. We are so happy to have found this place. Thank you! read more

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Been going there for years for several of my horns, and they are always on top of everything, and do great work. Can't recommend them strongly enough. read more

Came to get an estimate (by appointment only). Friendly and honest, although I haven't used his services.

Trust Franco to take care of your flute. He will tell you when you need just minor adjustments, versus when you need a major service. He is very gentle and kind. While there is usually a wait for a repair, he has always repaired my flute within the time window promised. read more

I brought my daughter's trombone in today for a spit valve repair and it was fixed in less than 15 minutes for a very low price. I will definitely be returning to the Windsmith in the future when her trombone needs fixing. Thanks for the quick work and low price! read more

Attention wind players! I had a sudden emergency with my bass flute, so I called The Windsmith. Jim answered and quickly scheduled me an appointment within and hour. Franco worked his five fingered magic while I waited. Within ten minutes I was walking out the door happy and contented with Franco's professional attention. read more

Jim has done repairs several times on my trombones- straight tenor, large bore tenor with F attachment and bass. Work is first class, service is good and price is reasonable. Fortunately all my problems have been minor, but based on my experience, I think he would do a good job of anything read more

I bring my daughter's trumpet to Jim for cleaning. Jim does a great job and always has it done on time! Highly recommend Windsmith and Jim.

The service was very poor. I got stressed over the location and they don't have what I need,

I called "The Windsmith" and had the pleasure of speaking to Jim. I explained that my daughter's trombone had a stuck tuner and asked if he could squeeze me in before her lesson. I know how busy Jim is and am so grateful for his flexibility to see me during his lunchtime. I didn't hesitate to drive half an hour down to see Jim because his service was worth it. Not only was Jim able to miraculously remove the stuck tuner from my daughter's trombone, but he was also able to smooth out the dents and dings that caused the tuner to be wedged into the trombone to begin with. Jim's craftsmanship produced a newer looking trombone for my daughter and he skillfully accomplished this in time for me to make it to my daughter's lesson. Jim's a master at what he does and is genuinely a class act. Thank you, Jim!!! read more

Amazing work on my flugelhorn Tim is a master in repairing brass instruments highly recommended Thank you! read more

We have been going here for a very long time when our son was young to take in his saxophone. Now that he's older, a musician and responsible for his instruments he still drops by when he's in town . read more

These guys know their stuff! They took my yard sale flute and got it as perfect as possible. My flute teacher told me to go there and I was so impressed with what they did. read more

Very professional and kind business people. Came to service my saxophone and very pleased with the overall experience

Señor Jim and Franco are outstandingly helpful. I got my instrument back in working order in record time. Thank you!!!

Jim recently did great overhauls of my two trumpets: Benge and Schilke. On both, he got all slides working and added water key and slide finger hook. Great work; professional in all ways. Thanks Jim! read more

Our daughter plays saxophone and our son is now playing the trumpet. Every time we visit The Windsmith, we receive quality, timely and friendly service.  Thank you for helping us get our kids back to practicing their instruments so quickly. read more

I've been here a fair amount of times for my flute and piccolo COA. Price is fair and the job is done in a timely manner. I am never disappointed whenever I play on my instrument again. There is usually a significant difference after maintenences. Probably the best place in town if you need repair. read more

This is an update to my initial review... Franco from Windsmith called me today... He was apologetic regarding the communication problem, and invited me for an appointment this day. He said he could take a look and see it was something simple and I could wait for diagnostic. Turns out it was a spring that had sprung off a post, of my own doing. He saw the problem as soon as I took my sax out of its case. He took it into the back for a lookover, he reseated the spring at no charge. I was in and out in minutes. My music instructor highly recommends this business. I will gladly go back when it's time for my yearly service. Original review-Looking for service on my Tenor saxophone. I sent a message through their online portal on a Sunday. By Thursday I still hadn't heard back, so I called in the afternoon, about 12:30, no one answered, but was diverted to leave a message. I left a message, with my request to make an appointment, and my telephone number, but have never received a call back. So you have to make an appointment but can't reach them to do that, so I can't say their service is good or bad, but I can sufficiently state, their customer communication could certainly use improvement. YMMV read more

Brought a 40yo flute here to have it cleaned and repadded. Generally, there isn't a lot of parking in the neighborhood, but I didn't have any difficulty finding a space nearby. Don't be put off by the tiny space which may seem a bit drab. The person I worked with was very efficient. The process was simple and prices were clear. They finished the work when they said they would, and the flute came back looking and sounding great for a reasonable price. read more

I took my husband's 20-year old trumpet here for some much needed love and Jim made him look and sound like new. I was so impressed with the service, the affordability, the turnaround time, and more. Can't recommend enough! read more

If you hang out at The Windsmith long enough, you may be lucky enough to see a real, live jazz musician. San Diego doesn't have much of a jazz scene, but we do have one--Dizzy's, the Onyx room every Tuesday night and good ol' Croce's--and I think those who do play end up using The Windsmith as their resource for high-quality musical instruments and repair. I was there the other day and I saw a dude that looked like Dizzy Gillespie. Yeah, I know he died years ago, but a girl's allowed to pretend, isn't she? read more

The Windsmith - Who dat? - Musical Instrument Services Near Me - San Diego, California

I'm and Everyone here are professional and courteous and do amazing work. From older models to present. Highly recommended.

Franco was able to identify and adjust my clarinet in minutes and the price was very reasonable. He tested it and then let me test it to make sure I was happy with the adjustment. Would definitely recommend and go back for my repair needs read more

Great and fast service. It only took 15 minutes to replace the cork tenon joints on an oboe. Will definite use them again in the future. read more

The Windsmith - Musical Instrument Services Near Me - San Diego, California

Excellent work on our french horn.. removed dents on the bell and lead pipe .. also got it done sooner than promised

The Windsmith has serviced by son's trumpet three times and has done an amazing job each time. The staff is friendly and very knowledgeable. I felt that their prices were reasonable. My son is heading into high school where he'll be playing in the marching band, which means I'll be marching back to the Windsmith again and again. And I'll do it happily. read more

Great people! I brought in my trumpet to get a look just because I've having hard time making tone, turned out to be that it was just me so away from playing it. However, I really felt kindness from this gentleman Jim who helped me out and confirmed there was nothing wrong with my trumpet. I wanted to contribute to the store by purchasing some accessories but he told me he has not much in store that I'd need at this point. So I am writing this review to let everybody know that this is the store you want to take your instrument for repair. It is great to know that they are here to take care of my future needs! read more

I have now used their services three times and they took a personal interest in my gold plated flute and handled it with great care (even though it is not a particularly expensive instrument). They are conservative with their turnaround times and had the repair done quicker than they promised. They also did a beautiful job polishing the plating making tarnishes disappear that I thought were permanent. They are very nice and knowledgeable and quite clear and honest about what they are able repair and improve with your instrument. read more

Some of the friendliest guys I've met. They were able to quickly and expertly repair my bass clarinet. Prices were reasonable and turnaround time was great. Super communication about the status of the repair, cost estimate, etc. Thank you!! read more

Fixed the issue in less than 20 minutes, did more than asked, and charged a surprising reasonable price. I will definitely bring our other instruments here. read more

Okay, music nerds unite. And make your way to the Windsmith. I'm a band teacher, and I love taking the instruments that my students beat the shit out of to the Windsmith. They do excellent repairs. Their customer service is unrivaled in San Diego county, AND they have just about everything you need to outfit your little one with an instrument and supplies. Whenever a student needs supplies or did something really stupid to their instrument that they need to get fixed on their own, I always recommend this place first. Now the Windsmith doesn't sell guitars (there's a place across University that's right down from here), nor do they sell drums (go a couple doors down to Page Drums). Just woodwind and brass instruments and accessories, as well as method books. They do provide music lessons here, so inquire within. I used to live near here, but now I'm somewhat far away. I still make my way over though, because they're just that good. read more

Fabulous. Serviced my flute and piccolo beautifully; their sound is incredible.

I took my prof trombone in to fix a major bell crease and have the slide aligned. I did this on a Fri morning and had a show that night. I didn't expect them to be able to fix it, but wanted a quote and eta. Much to my glee they said, "no problem I can fir you in this afternoon." They did an outstanding job on the bell (sterling silver) taking care to work the metal so as to leave no unevenness or marks. The slide was so fast I was actually worried about it being too fast! Great work, great price, outstanding service! read more

I have been a customer of The Windsmith for over 2 years. This is your full-service woodwind store. You need go no where else. I had my flute looked over and was told I should wait a year before getting an overhaul...anotherwords in a business where ripoffs are rampant, The Windsmith has a staff of extremely knowledgeable musician technicians who are not out for a buck. They also informed me that my flute was of good enough quality for my level that I need not upgrade right away. The staff of independent flute instructors is also amazing. I took lessons from Lori Bell for 2 years and learned so much...she is incredible. Then picked up with Adan Provencio and his Avanti Flute Choir so that I could brush up on my group playing. How is it there are two such excellent flute instructors in the same square mile? I feel very fortunate to have found The Windsmith! read more

Franco's great reputation continues. I brought in my 1928 Buescher True Tone Soprano Saxophone, that I inherited from my Father, to be checked out. It passed with flying colors and I received some coaching from Franco on the care and maintenance. I will highly recommend The Woodwind to anyone. I'm planning on bringing in my new Mendini by Cecilia B Flat Tenor Saxophone to get a once over too. read more

Wow, Great guy and easy to works with. I needed a spring for my kids horn and they had it in stock and had a great price. Tks Steve read more

I have been a professional musician for 50 years. 25 of those years (at least) I have gone to The Windsmith for repairs to my instruments. I am a bass trombone player, so I have worked with Jim there for the whole time. Not only does he do an excellent job, He thinks ahead to what musician's needs are for their instrument to work on the next job. Always done extremely expertly and professionally and I am very satisfied with how he took extra care with my instrument. This last time, June 2021, he not only repaired the damage I have done to my bass trombone from knocking it off the trombone stand. He also figured out how to repair some other things which I have been thinking about. Jim is the best brass instrument repair person in SD right now. I have heard similar things about Franco (the other technician at WS) with his work on woodwind instruments. read more

The only spot in San Diego I take my woodwinds for repair! Friendly folks, great services and skills and good price! Cheers to The Windsmith(s)! :) read more

This gentleman helped me out, I came To replace my daughters saxophone reeds and instead he tried the reeds she already had, they worked fine. read more