Chris Cromer

Your Trumpet Hates You: Bimetallic Corrosion, Lubes & Other Delights

Chris Cromer started A minor Tune Up LLC (now Cromer Music) in February  2001 while attending the University of Delaware as a music education major.  After a pivotal visit to the repair shop of Best Music in Oakland, CA, (headed by  Dick Akright at the time) Chris was inspired. 

After many more visits to Dick’s shop, Chris took a personal interest in  brass design and started studying the research of great craftsmen such as  Renold Schilke & Zig Kanstul, among others. Chris eventually had the  opportunity to apprentice at a local repair shop near his college and realized he  had an aptitude for brass repair as well as realized there was a market  opportunity in that area. He discovered a small storage space in the basement  of the music building [at U of D] and got permission to use it as a lab of sorts to  work on projects in between classes. In exchange for use of the space, he  performed free repairs for the university owned instruments. Eventually other  students & even some faculty started bringing in their own instruments for repair. 

After about 2 years of working in the basement shop it became clear this is  what Chris wanted to do with his life. He decided to forgo pursuing a degree in  teaching and instead focus his attention and financial resources on his new  growing business, while maintaining a full-time job a Bank of America. By 2011  Chris hung up his banking apron to run his shop full time and never looked back. 

Twenty-five years and thousands of trumpets later he now works with  players as far away as Italy & Australia. Brass players from every facet of music  trust Chris with everything from a basic repair that needs just the right touch, to  

complete rebuilds & equipment consultation. From the Los Angeles studio scene  to tour buses and the Philadelphia Orchestra he has earned his name as one of  the most trusted brass technicians in the industry today.