Deitch’s Woodwind Workshop

A while ago, Daniel overhauled my all-​sterling open-​hole Yamaha flute. That was years before Unilocal even existed, but this review is nonetheless long overdue! Daniel deserves the highest possible accolades for his expertise, friendliness, professionalism, and fair prices. In addition to the work requested, Daniel offered to perform some kind of what must be voodoo metalwork magic on my Yamaha’s head joint, transforming it from what had been pretty good to nearly astonishing. The improvement in articulation and responsiveness was amazing. Thanks Daniel, and sorry this took so long to write!

I was in San Francisco for an Early Music workshop and had to bring my baroque oboe to Dan for an emergency spring replacement. He was quick to get back to me and saw me later that day. Luckily it was a fairly easy fix, but it was such a blessing to find someone who is great at working on period instruments AND very nice and accommodating. I’m sure his repair skills extend to all of the instruments he works on. Very grateful to him for helping me out in a pinch, and would highly recommend his services to all woodwind players!

My wife bought a used Patricola rosewood CL4 Bb clarinet. She found it hard to play. So we took it to the workshop to check it out. Mr. Deitch figured out many problems immediately and we left the clarinet at his workshop. 2 days later his finished. Many pads are replaced. He even found a crack that is so hard to spot. We spend around $ 170 and was very happy about the result. Now my wife says this is the easiest playing clarinet she ever had. We are considering taking her old Selmer Paris Signature to him to see if he can improve it further. It was overhaul recently but I bet he can still squeeze something out of it.

I brought a 40 year old clarinet to Daniel and took home a new instrument after he cleaned and serviced it. It now sounds way better and is easier to play. I am so happy with his work! He had been recommended to me by several sources and am so glad that I listened to their advice! I’ve been to other places for repairs, but after Daniel this is the only shop I’ll be visiting. He’s very professional and a pleasure to visit. Only downside to Daniel is that he’s so good, he’s very much in demand and very busy. The cost was very reasonable and worth every penny!

Daniel is the best in the Bay Area — which is why he is always so busy and hard to make an appointment with when symphony season begins. Love his tiny shop. He can also tell you a lot about your instrument. I take my daughters’ flutes to him for repairs and routine clean-​oil-​adjustments, and whether it is a $ 1500 Yamaha intermediate flute or a $ 12,000 Muramatsu DS, he will treat it with the same level of attention and care an instrument deserves. Everyone else brings their flutes to him. Why not you?

If you are trying to figure out the best place to have your woodwind instrument (other than saxes — Daniel doesn’t work on them) repaired and adjusted, you should stop looking and call Daniel. You will need an appointment. He does not do walk-​ins. You will probably need to leave a message on his phone too. He is constantly busy and returns calls in a day or so. The extra effort is absolutely worth it. He is a fantastic craftsman and a really wonderful person. You will enjoy meeting him and be happy you didn’t go anywhere else. Cash and check only.

Dan & yukari have worked on my irish flutes for years now. I’m always happy with the service. they’re very reasonable price wise and informative regarding maintenance. Dan has also done some great custom key work for me. It’s always great to stop by their shop.
vinny cronin

This is the finest place for woodwind repair in the Bay Area. I don’t think I will ever trust my instrument in the hands of anyone else in SF. Mr. Deitch’s work is exceptional.
I had a Buffet R13 clarinet that was in need of repair and cleaning. I’ve tried a couple of shops in the Bay Area and was disappointed with their quality of work. When I lived in Chicago, I used to go to Sam Gordon in the Fine Arts Building. Repairs are expensive, can take up to weeks, and just getting an appointment with him is difficult. I was prepared to make a trip back to Chicago to visit family and visit him again for much needed work on my clarinet… until I discovered this shop.
While examining my clarinet, he noted that I had work done in Chicago just from looking at the pads. Impressive. That was 15 years ago! He took the time to explain what would be done, possible trouble spots, and answered all my questions. He is such a wonderful, pleasant person.
My clarinet was completely disassembled, cleaned, oiled, had pads replaced, and keys centered properly.
I was very happy with the high quality of work, surprisingly reasonable price, and the time it took for the repairs.
Note: They accept cash and checks only.

Love this place. It’s tiny, crammed with all things musical, and smells of churchy incense sometimes. Daniel does outstanding work. He has worked on my daughter’s clarinet in the past, but she is no longer playing, so we decided to sell it rather than let it collect dust. We didn’t even know the model of Buffet. I thought I could pay him for an evaluation and a tuneup, but he checked it all out, played it a little (better than it’s ever been played; made me want to take up the instrument!), and told me it didn’t need any work. He gave me the info on the instrument, didn’t charge me a penny.
Old-​fashioned service like that is hard to beat. If you have a woodwind and need a repair or tuneup, you need to check this place out!

Wonderful, attentive service. I admit I haven’t gone to many (well, really any) other woodwind repair workshops, but I can’t imagine it being better than this. I took my old, tarnished and unplayable clarinet in and they cleaned, oiled, and adjusted it so that it works and sounds great. The downside is that I can no longer blame the instrument. Now I know all of the squeaks, squeals, and hissing are my fault and my fault alone.