A place to make your own musical instrument like a t-bone,sax,clari,? or a place to learn.canada prefer?

Question

is there like a place preferable canada, that allows you to make your own real instrument with help?

instruments trombone, sax, clarinet, trumpet

how much do you think it would cost?

or is there like a lesson I could take that will teach me how to make a trombone (easiest to make it think) and i get to make my own one at the end or something like that

Answer 1

Wow... this is a really interesting question!  I don't know how much help I can be, but I'll give it a shot!

The biggest problem with manufacturing your own instrument is having the equipment and chemicals needed... I'm sure you need special licensing.  Obviously, you are looking for a place to go and use THEIR facilities, but the cost to manufacturers for base materials is fairly high.

Most employees that work for the manufacturing companies have degrees in things like metalurgy, engineering, physics, etc., and getting a position with these companies is VERY hard.  I don't think they let people in off the streets to play around (unfortunately!), nor do I know of any "workshops" or "master-classes" that they give.    However, I know you can apprentice at some places, but it takes YEARS to learn how to make an instrument... even a trombone.  There are very precise measurements and calculations that go into each instrument, ranging from the correct density of metal or wood to where tone-holes are placed to what thickness of lacquer or stain is to be used to get a certain sound.

Now, as far as techs go (the guys that do repairs on already finished horns), many of them "just picked it up"... they have been doing it for years, and kind of "grandfathered" in to the industry.  They took apart any instrument they could get their hands on, and often broke them beyond repair (while learning, of course).  A lot of these guys have actually made their own horns by taking scraps of wrecked horns and "frankensteining" them, or figuring out their own processes to mold the metal, etc.

I think your best bet would be to take a few metalworking classes, maybe through your school or college (community colleges often allow non-students to take a class), or maybe a community center.  Or start visiting scrap yards and collecting metal to see what you can do with it with limited equipment.  Trial and error will be your new best friend, but I bet it could be fun, anyways! LOL

You could take a tour of an instrument manufacturer... depending on WHERE in Canada you are, the Selmer Company in Elkhart, Indianna is probably the closest (though I just learned there's a smaller one in Rockford, Illinois)... don't expect to actually get to make anything though, or take anything home! :)

Here's a neat article about instrument making (including some neat details on the processes) and a tour of the Selmer Factory: http://www.dornpub.com/SaxjPDF/Selmer.pd...

And here's the toll-free number to see about your own tour:

1-888-287-8196

Again, sorry I couldn't have been more help... if I do ever run across a class like you describe though, you'll probably see me there!