Four Easy Ways to Reduce French Horn Repair Bills

1) Play your French Horn regularly

Like most mechanical devices, a good Horn will actually last longer if it is used regularly. If your French Horn sits for weeks or months without use, the lubricating oils dry up, leaving a gunky residue that can't always be cleaned at home.

2) Clean your Horn after every use

Lets face it...there's a lot of saliva moving through a properly played French Horn. If it's cleaned regularly, the added moisture won't hurt the mechanism. If it sits there and dries up on its own...it can hang up the rotors and slides. Your music teacher can show you how to take things apart and clean them, or bring the horn into McClellan's and we'll show you. Click here for a recommended list of French Horn accessories.

3) Give it a bath once in a while

Even with the best care, if the rotors start to hang up, or your French Horn just isn't playing right, you might want to bring it in for a bath. Our ultrasonic cleaning tank can gently shake loose the accumulated gook you can't reach at home.

4) Keep it in the case (or on a stand).

We see lots of dents and dings on French Horns. Some are just cosmetic, but others can affect the way the instrument plays. Handle your horn like a newborn baby when taking it out of the case, but spank it hard when you play! If you have a good quality Horn, we can usually massage the dents out of it here at McClellan.

If the unexpected happens, here's a rough guide to how much we'll charge you to fix it:

(Bring it in for a free estimate, anyway).

Single Horn Ultrasonic Cleaning  $62

Double Horn Ultrasonic Cleaning $83

Stuck Slides $15 each

Refit Rotor Bearing $15

Restring Rotor $5

Resolder Brace/Flange $15 - 20

Remove CA Glue or Tape Residue $25 - 50