Over time, deposits and corrosion build up inside your instrument. This can impair valve or slide action, affect the sound and the "blow" of the instrument, and eventually damage the metal itself. I use an ultrasonic cleaning machine that literally vibrates the corrosion out of your instrument. A good way to check for corrosion is to look into your leadpipe. With a trumpet, you can pull off the main tuning slide and peer through the leadpipe toward a light source. With a trombone, take off the outer slide and do the same. With instruments that have curved leadpipes, you can try shining a flashlight down the mouthpiece receiver. If you see a rough surface inside with a lot of "gunk" clinging to the inside of the tube rather than a nice smooth surface, even after you have cleaned out the instrument with a snake or swab, it might benefit from ultrasonic cleaning. The leadpipe and first branch of the instrument tend to get the dirtiest because they are the closest to where you are blowing, but the valves and valve slides can also get quite a bit of build-up.
ULTRASONIC CLEANING SERVICE:
Instrument is disassembled and cleaned in ultrasonic tank.
Insides of tubing, tuning slide inner tubes, and valves are polished with soft brass brushes to remove staining and give a bright brass appearance.
Pads, corks, valve strings, and rubber bumpers are checked and replaced if needed.
Instrument is re-assembled and lubricated.
This service is for cleaning the INSIDE of the instrument. I would recommend having this done at least once every 2 years.
Trumpet $150
French Horn $275.
Trombone with no valve $150
Tenor trombone with one valve $175
Bass trombone with two valves $200
Hagmann valves $25 extra per valve
Euphonium: $225
Compensating or rotary valve euphonium: $250
I am no longer doing full ultrasonic cleanings for tuba.