This review is a little convoluted. Contacted a music store in El Cerrito looking to rent a clarinet. They were out, so they referred me to Rockin Robins in Concord. Was then referred to Shawn at Wind and Brass in Berkeley, since Rockin Robins rent some instruments there. Shawn was great helping us out. Kudos to the other two shops for good business. read more

I'm very glad that I chose this repair shop over other ones and I would definitely recommend it to my friends and anyone needing a repair for their instruments. Before visiting the shop, I called this shop and another repair shop in the area, but I chose this one because they told me a definite price range whereas the other one did not. When I visited, the guy at the shop quickly identified the problems with my DiZhou flute and said that its keys need to be taken out and lubricated and it would cost $50, which was much cheaper than what I had expected. Then, after 3 days, when I visited again to pick it up, he had not only lubricated the keys but also fixed two dents on my flute and fixed some pads too. His work was supposed to be worth $75 but he just charged the original quote which was $50. read more

I brought my French Horn to Shawn for the first time last week. He fixed several issues that had been bothering me for months. He was thoughtful, careful, and clearly very knowledgeable. My search for a competent technician for my horn is over. Thank you Shawn. read more

What a great find! Shawn is a meticulous craftsman. Took loving care of my vintage vocabell cornet. Great price. Great service. Great work. Doesn't get any better than that. read more

Wind & Brass - Shawn using his keen eye to get things just right. - Musical Instrument Services Near Me - Berkeley, California

So, apparently I was late in renting my som's instrument. The next day was his first lesson. I lucked out more ways than one. I got the last clarinet and receive one of the most friendly guy, Shawn, who gave me great advice, service, and care. He even followed up with me via email. It was worth going across the bridge from San Francisco. read more

Due to bad saxophone parenting, my horn was in urgent need of repair one Saturday and I found Shawn's shop online. He did an excellent job fixing a dent and soldering the tone hole, just in time for my gig later that day. I'm forever grateful! He's a great repairman and made me feel at home while I waited. It was great getting to know him while I waited. Thanks Shawn! read more

Excellent Service - I was very happy with Shawn's work on an antique brass piece he repaired for me. This repair was on an antique coat tree arm and I'm very happy with the quality of his work. It was worth my drive into Berkeley from East County! Shawn's quoted price was very very fair. read more

Excellent service and fair pricing! Highly recommend

Shawn is absolutely meticulous and has cleaned, tuned up and de-leaked almost my entire collection of french horns at this point. In particular he did extremely fine work on my obtusely designed 1930's french piston horn, bringing it from "marginally playable" to "wow". No matter what class of instrument, Shawn can be trusted to make it perfect, every time. read more

Best repair on my trumpet I've ever had. Plays better than when brand new. Very exciting!

When Wind & Brass first opened in Berkeley, I went in with a vintage wood flute that was badly in need of an overhaul. Eva and Shawn quoted me a very reasonable price. Even so, they went to great lengths to bring this instrument up to full playing condition. Shawn had to order, and re-order pads to fit this instrument, and did considerable research to get this accomplished. This flute now plays beautifully, thanks to them! On another project, adjusting another instrument, Shawn went to great lengths, and did not even charge me, because it did not meet his high standards. I highly recommend them. read more

We are now the proud owners of a completely (and affordably) overhauled Yamaha saxophone. We couldn't be happier with the results and the experience. Shawn was hoping to work with most of the pads that he ended up replacing but still kept the cost within the range of his estimate! The work was done within the time frame of 3-weeks he'd originally quoted. Thank you Shawn! read more

When in here to get my neck recorked last minute and Shane did a great job. Nice shop great tools. Recommended!

An amazing discovery! Shawn is honest, fair, and knowledgeable. These are the key ingredients to happy customers, which do not fall short here. I look forward to much future business with Shawn. read more

I don't know if their quote for a piccolo repair was competitive as I didn't have another quote to compare it to, but they seemed to have a good job on the repair, finished in the time they said, and ended up charging me about 20% less than the quote. read more

I had neglected my french horn for a few years and the valves were stuck. I took it to Shawn for a clean. He first made sure there were no other loose joints or other issues, and did a thorough cleaning, replaced all of the bumpers and strings, and polished it up. They do great work here, follow Covid precautions, and got me back playing! read more

I'm very glad that I chose Wind & Brass Instrument Repair shop this very clean very inviting repair shop. Beyond that, I'm glad I met Shawn very knowledgeable, honest with empathy. I would definitely recommend it to my friends and anyone needing a repair for their instruments. Before visiting the shop, I have been in different sax repair places to make sure my Selmer Ref 54 LTD is serviced well, but I chose this one because the quality of his work. I'm glad I found him. read more

My usual sax repair guy was out and my 1920's Martin alto decided to pop a spring, a week before a performance. I decided to try the new guy in town. Shawn answered on the first couple rings and said he could fit me in even though his schedule is full right now. He was great! He looked over the whole horn and fixed a sticky octave mechanism (the old ones are pretty complex!) in addition to the spring and low C &Eb keys. He's a nice and honest guy and his shop is well put together. And his price was fair. I've got some other vintage horns I might send his way, especially since my usual repair guy is often not available! read more

I hate leaving negative reviews for small businesses like this because I know we need them and I know they struggle to survive, but I do want people to know this is currently not a good place to get a wooden recorder repaired. I have a 40+ year old maple moeck alto recorder and over the years the thumbhole wore out, which is not an uncommon problem with wooden recorders. The solution is a thumbhole bushing, so I brought it in to get that done. The person who took my recorder wasn't the person who works on wind instruments but he left a note for his colleague. A few days later I received a call that my recorder was ready, but to my big surprise it turned out that the thumbhole issue had not been addressed, instead they did work that I didn't ask them to do. The guy said he wasn't familiar with the term "bushing". I wonder why he didn't call me to clarify, and I also wonder whether he knows anything about recorders. I will find a different place to get my recorder fixed, not sure how many wood recorder players there are still out there, but if yours needs fixing, don't go here. read more

Quite refreshing to meet such a talented and knowledgeable Craftsman, who takes the time out to explain what needs to be done and how it should be done, in the world of brass repair. Shawn repaired an Olds Recording trombone I brought in ,circa 1950's and the slide action is now smooth as silk. Initially I was concerned because it has the fluted inner slides. His work is exemplary. He also pulled some minor dents, chemically cleaned and polished it up. Shawn made me feel at ease and once he spoke, you immediately sensed the intelligence of a man who knew what he was talking about. He explained specifically what he was going to do and gave a realistic and honest opinion on how long to expect it to be done. He's a man of his word and such an asset to the musical community here in the Bay area. I highly recommend his quality services and sage advice! Rick J. Concord ca read more

I have an old, beloved clarinet that I have been rather harsh with. I play it a lot and just love it. It's an Albert system G clarinet I bought in Turkey in the late 80's and have not played an instrument I like better. I was embarrassed to show it to Shawn, but he was cool. We arranged a time to bring it in that fit my playing schedule, but I needed it back for a big gig. He said no problem. I got nervous when I went in 3 weeks later and there was not much progress, but he had a couple of other suggestions about what to do, and said he'd get it done. And He did. It was ready when he promised, and he did a fantastic job. And there had been A LOT to do - it was a complete rebuild. Lots of structural work. Even the keys got re-plated. I've been playing it now for two weeks and can not be happier! Thank you Shawn. It's great to know that such a good craftsman is in my neighborhood! I can not recommend him more highly. George Chittenden read more

What a delight. I came in 30 minutes before closing expecting to drop off my daughters trumpet for a possible two week repair. Shawn fixed in on 20 minutes while I waited! Amazing. I haven't had service from a small business like that in years. Thanks! read more

First, let me just say that I know nothing about wind and brass instruments, and I wandered into this shop because I just happened to pass by it. I am going to Cuba, and one of the requested gifts was reeds for wind and brass instruments. The woman in the shop was endlessly helpful to a customer who knew nothing, and she aided me in picking out the perfect sorts of reeds to take. My partner was equally enthusiastic about my purchase, and we have been back twice since then, to purchase mouthpieces, ligatures, and cork grease. So, whether you are a rank amateur or a professional, you will find a warm atmosphere here as well as consummate professionalism. What a great addition to the neighborhood. read more

My beloved Sealos flute that I bought in 1985 has needed new pads for many years now, but since I don't play much, and after calling around several places and getting odd responses and exorbitant quotes but just didn't never pulled the trigger. Just so happens Wind & Brass opened the same week as my flute finally gave up for good. I poked my head in and met the two nicest people - Eva and Shawn - who looked at my flute and showed it the respect it needed. Their price quoted was substantially less than other people. After some research they suggested we order special pads from France because the instrument was so unique, but it still came in $300 under other quotes. My baby came back in pristine condition and I had no clue that many of the problems I had been having were due to lack of maintenance of the instrument vs. my rusty skills. You can't ask for nicer or higher quality folks to provide technical support for your musical endeavors. read more

Shawn repaired my son's trumpet and we are happy with the results. The turnaround was quick and the price affirdable. Location in Berkeley is great. I's definitely recommend Wind and Brass Instrument Repair. read more

So I am practicing for an upcoming series of concerts when suddenly a very important solder joint gives it up on my Paxman french horn. I'm in a panic but I remember a fellow horn player telling me about a new repair shop set up in Berkeley, about a mile and a half from my house. I give them a call, and they say bring it in. Shawn is the brass man, and he says, no sweat. Since its there I ask him to do the whole cleaning service, which includes removing and cleaning valves, and an ultrasonic bath, new strings, and rubber stops. Less than 24 hours later he gives me a call and its done. It looks brand new, even the slides have been cleaned like new, and he took out numerous small dents as well. The price was more than reasonable. The other half of this business is Eva, who is well known to woodwind players. Did I mention that you can park right in front of their beautiful shop on San Pablo, near Gilman. I'm a tool freak and Shawn took me on a tour of his shop and showed me all his cool tools. Great little business! read more

I stopped by with my son who plays trumpet in his high school jazz band. We live in Berkeley but have been going to downtown Oakland to have his trumpet maintained and repaired over the years. I saw the shop when I was driving by a week ago, so we decided to check it out. He was having some problems with his trumpet that Shawn was able to resolve promptly. Shawn didn't have the exact size of stopper but was able to adapt what he had on hand to fix the issue on the spot. My son, who is very meticulous about his trumpet, was very pleased with the result. The service was great and the cost was extremely reasonable. Great to have a resource like that in Berkeley! read more