TRUMPET PLAYER & BRASS REPAIRS

Will Spencer studied the trumpet in London with Denis Egan, Paul Cosh and Crispian Steele-Perkins, specialising in Baroque and Piccolo trumpets. While still at music college, he began to take an interest in teaching and repairing.

Based in the picturesque village of Elstead, Surrey, Will currently runs a busy brass repair and trumpet reconfiguration consultancy. In 2005 he was asked to host the "Ask The Expert" section of Brass Forum UK where he answers questions about general brass repairs and specialist trumpet queries. Will has also lectured at the Royal Academy of Music.

Will keeps one the largest selections of custom leadpipes and tuning slides in the UK and is the UK distributor for MK products. The MK slides and leadpipes are designed mainly for Bach and Yamaha Bb and C trumpets and can enhance the tone, efficiency and tuning of the instruments to suit the individuals needs. During a consultation a customer can reconfigure an instrument and have it rebuilt within a single visit. Examples of Will's work can now be found in most professional British orchestras and in some cases, whole trumpet sections use his instruments.

In 2004 Will developed Snake Oil, a unique valve oil which contains PTFE. There is now a range of three products. Snake Oil Classic, Snake Oil Trigger & Rotor Oil, and Snott, developed for lever linkages and short mobile slides such as those found on high-pitched trumpets. These products can be purchased on line through this site.

In 2007, a collaboration was formed with Denis Wick and an improved Snake Oil Classic formula is now being sold under his brand. The oil is now available in music shops around the globe.

Denis Wick products have also embraced Will's "tone collars", which, like heavy valve caps, increase the mass of the valve block. They fit most makes of trumpet and cornet and are rapidly gaining popularity.

The dawn of 2008 saw the release of the first Spencer/MK trumpets. These instruments are based around the Spencer modular system and use the many combinations of MK leadpipes and tuning slides. They will initially be sold through the workshop in Surrey, but will hopefully be available in the US. The trumpets will also be displayed at this years’ ITG in Banff.