Our Story
About Kowal & Son — Clarinet Repair in Gainesville, FL
Our Journey
While Lucas was growing as a player, I was looking ahead toward retirement from a 30+ year career in IT and searching for a meaningful new craft. Conversations within the music community opened my eyes to the nationwide shortage of instrument repair technicians, particularly for woodwinds. That idea stayed with me.
I grew up in the 1980s, when a teenager could pick up a paper route or other small jobs and learn responsibility along the way. Those opportunities are much harder to find today, so as Lucas’s musical interests and repair skills grew, Kowal and Son became our way of creating that same kind of meaningful, hands-on work experience—just built around music, craftsmanship, and serving our local clarinet community.
I started gathering tools and supplies—corks, pads, adhesives, hand tools—and purchasing vintage clarinets to learn the restoration process. As I experimented with repairs and refinishing, Lucas watched, became curious, and soon joined me at the bench. Together we studied techniques, learned from experienced technicians, and made mistakes we could learn from.
Because we are also 3D-printing hobbyists, we began designing and printing some of our own tools—tone hole restoration aids, fixtures, and jigs inspired by what professionals use but tailored to our workflow. This blend of traditional craftsmanship and modern technology became part of our identity as repairers.
To deepen our skills, both Lucas and I traveled to Wilmington, North Carolina, to attend MusicMedic’s in-person clarinet repair courses, where we trained in bench layout, padding, cork work, and advanced clarinet repair techniques alongside other technicians. Learning from specialists in a dedicated repair shop setting gave us new tools, methods, and standards that we brought back to our own workbench.
What started as a hobby—bringing beautifully built vintage clarinets back to life—naturally grew into something more. Lucas’s abilities as both a player and a young craftsman continued to develop, and we realized we had the foundation for a true family business. In 2025, Kowal and Son Woodwinds was officially born as a father–son clarinet restoration and repair service.
Our Expertise
Today, Kowal and Son Woodwinds focuses primarily on clarinets, from student ABS instruments that need fresh pads and corks to vintage intermediate and professional wooden clarinets that deserve careful, detailed restoration. We serve musicians in Gainesville, North Florida, and the surrounding areas, offering personalized service and a genuine respect for every instrument that comes through our door.
As a small, family-owned shop operating out of our home, we keep our overhead low and are able to pass some of those savings on to our customers while still allowing the time each instrument truly needs. Our prices may not be the very lowest you can find, but they reflect the level of care, training, and attention to detail that goes into every clarinet we service—you are investing in quality work from craftspeople who stand behind what they do.
At the bench, we aim to combine precision, patience, and personal attention in every job we take on. Our work commonly includes:
- Full or partial clarinet repads with high-quality pad materials
- Tenon and key cork replacement and adjustment for an airtight, quiet mechanism
- Clean, oil, and adjust (COA) services to keep instruments playing at their best between major repairs
- Deep internal and external cleaning, polishing, and cosmetic revitalization
- Regulation and mechanical adjustment for better response, intonation, and consistency across the range
- Light tone hole work and preparation for more advanced services such as crack repair and wood restoration
Our training at MusicMedic’s clarinet repair courses in Wilmington, NC, reinforced our foundation in both basic and advanced clarinet servicing, from disassembly and cleaning to precise pad and cork work and more sophisticated mechanical corrections. We continue to build on that education as we move toward offering dedicated wood clarinet crack repair services and, over time, expanding into oboe, saxophone, and bassoon repair.
Why Choose Kowal and Son
- Family-owned, local, personal – Father and son team in Gainesville, FL, who treat your clarinet like one of our own.
- Lower overhead, fair pricing – Home-based workshop means less overhead and more value passed on to you.
- Quality over “cheapest” – Our pricing reflects careful, detail-focused work backed by training and pride in our craft.
- Specialized clarinet focus – Student to professional, plastic to vintage wood, with dedicated tools and methods.
- Formally trained technicians – Both Lucas and Brad trained at MusicMedic’s clarinet repair courses in Wilmington, NC.