As I am fond of saying, there are almost as many ways to do this job right as there are to do it wrong.
Use this information wisely. Do not learn repairs on a great saxophone. The great saxophones of today and in particular yesteryear are singular and irreplaceable, and properly cared for will last for 200-300 years. This means they belong mostly to future generations, since the majority of their useful life lays ahead of them. We are stewards of these instruments, not owners, and you owe it to the future generations yet to come to err on the side of preservation, always.
What you find on this site is not the only way to do it. It probably isn’t the best way for you, and might not even be the best way for me. But it is what I know, today. And if I wait to share what I know until I’ve got it down perfect, it will never happen.
There are certainly people who believe that sharing the sort of information you find on this site is dangerous to them and their livelihoods. I happen to disagree, believing that in order to value a repair done the right way, the best way for the instrument, education is absolutely necessary. But yes, educating people can also mean that someone with the drive to do so can teach themselves to do repairs they were formerly paying for.
I believe that we face a choice: do we accept that our shared saxophonic future must be in the hands of the few in order to prolong the life of a calcifying status quo? Or do we freely give away hard-won knowledge in order to advance the state of the art for the benefit of all?
Because the most disruptive thing that we can say is that this isn’t about money. This is about passion. And that that may be why we have a chance. Because the bottom line is what has destroyed Conn, King, Buescher, SML, Martin, Dolnet, Buffet… and the bottom line has no power here.
So that’s what this is all about. It isn’t about making money, and it certainly isn’t about saving you money on your own repad- you won’t, not if you do it well and buy the tools you need to do it right. It is about trying to contribute to a slightly better future for saxophonists.