Ultrasonic Cleaning is all the rage these days – it has been touted as the “innovative way to deep clean brass instruments.” But as we learned from a nationally-known repair technician at a recent School Music Dealers’ Convention, it really doesn’t do anything that good old-fashioned “elbow grease” can do ... except add to your cost.
Ultrasonic machines are expensive to purchase and maintain, so companies that house these machines may charge significantly more for repairs. While these machines claim to offer a “safer, more thorough manner than traditional mechanical or chemical cleaning methods;” the truth is that traditional cleaning, when done properly, is just as effective. Yes, it takes more time, and takes more hands-on labor, we never mind spending the time to make sure your instrument is re-conditioned properly – and we prefer the hands-on approach as it allows us to notice things a large tank of transducers and cleaning solution might not spot. There’s no substitute for a trained tech looking over and running his hands over every inch of your instrument!
Call us old-fashioned, but we like to be able to disassemble and cleanse your brass instrument ourselves. Our techs are trained to spot broken or loose braces; misaligned slides; worn bumpers, felts and guides; lacquer/plating damage; dents that might affect the intonation or sound of your instrument; and other things that may affect your instrument’s playing condition. And in comparing the photos you find online of instruments that have been ultrasonically-cleaned with ones we’ve cleaned, we can honestly say we don’t think you’ll see a difference.
