By DAVE DEWITTE
The Gazette
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — When Aaron Barnard opens a box at Barnard Instrument Repair Inc., he seldom knows exactly what he'll find.
Barnard, 33, handles some jobs that other instrument technicians won't touch at his tiny repair studio in the New Bohemia Arts and Entertainment District in Cedar Rapids.
They often include bodywork, gently hammering out dents in vintage saxophones.
Sometimes, the damaged instrument is a basket case.
"I've restored four saxophones that have been run over," Barnard said.
A full mechanical restoration of a vintage professional-quality saxophone can take a week, and cost $800 to $1,000. Some repair tabs run higher, but Barnard finds many professional saxophone players feel passionately about their instruments.
Vintage professional-quality saxophones made in the United States and France from the 1930s through the 1950s command high prices because of their hand craftsmanship and superior tone. A Selmer Paris sax made in France during the 1950s could fetch upward of $15,000, Barnard said.
"Even the untrained ear can tell the difference," Barnard said.
On a recent Saturday night, so late that Barnard usually has his cell phone turned off, he received a call. It was Ray Blue, an acclaimed saxophonist who had been performing in eastern Iowa. Blue's robe had caught on his tenor sax while it was resting in an instrument stand, knocking it into his soprano sax. Both were damaged, and Blue had to know when they could be fixed.
Barnard wasn't able to help Blue in time for a church performance scheduled for the following Sunday morning — Blue had a third sax that served the purpose — but he was happy to perform emergency surgery on the other two so Blue could complete his bookings.
Barnard's studio has drawers and shelves full of tools, including tools more typically used by gunsmiths, machinists, jewelers and auto body shops. He works alone in his shop, usually listening to recorded jazz or blues, for hours at a time.
Barnard planned to pursue a music degree in college when he was growing up, but "I've always had fun tearing things apart, seeing how they work, and putting them back together." He was steered to the Red Wing (Minnesota) Technical College.
After completing the one-year program, Barnard performed an internship with Randy James at Tenor Madness, an instrument repair shop in Cedar Falls.
Barnard started his own business in 2002 in the basement of his Cedar Rapids home. He moved in 2007 into the Kouba Building on Third Street SE, sharing a studio with Sue Millar of Millar Woodwind Repair.
The building known for its rooftop solar array was severely damaged by last June's flood. After replacing his equipment, Barnard worked from his home for a while, and from a shop in Waterloo.
He moved last November into the nearby Cherry Building, 329 10th Ave. SE, which is home to many other creative businesses, craftsmen and artists.
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Information from: The Gazette, http://www.gazetteonline.com/
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
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