Burke Woodwinds Reviews

Liam is GREAT! He has an incredible selection of instruments, is extremely skilled as a technician, and is very communicative & kind. My clarinet has never felt better since having him work on it recently. He does amazing work!

Booked a Zoom consultation with Liam to inquire about a quote to refurbish and revive a decade-old clarinet. I sincerely appreciated his honesty and advice in our conversation. Additionally, he generously connected me to an instructor for clarinet lessons closer to my location. A straight-shooter and nice guy.

Liam was super friendly and has amazing instruments to try!

Amazing repairs! He is the best repair guy I have gone to in the New York City area. I have gone to Mr. Burke multiple times for emergency repairs and he works his magic every time. I have also bought a Tosca from Mr. Burke and he has a stellar selection of clarinets to choose from.

I am the ecstatic owner of two new Buffet Festival clarinets! As a clarinet performer and educator in upstate New York, I feel lucky to have found Burke Woodwinds. Liam Burke is personable, knowledgeable, and beyond helpful. What sets him apart is his immense expert knowledge of the Buffet inventory, the nuances of each clarinet, but most
of all, his interest to help understand my clarinet needs to tap into finding my best sound.

I appreciated his professionalism even before meeting him with his quick email responses and supportive phone conversation to talk through my various needs and his inventory.

Trying out a plethora of fantastic instruments, I highly valued his insightful opinion. I immediately trusted him. He has a phenomenal ear and his experienced understanding of the clarinet repertoire allows him to be meticulously perceptive about each unique instrument. He knows how the instrument should sound throughout the entire range. His attentiveness to my playing helped him to work through his inventory to find my best sound. His comprehensive knowledge of the clarinet was clear as we chatted extensively about tone quality, repertoire, alternate fingerings, and responsiveness throughout each instrument.

Liam helped me articulate and understand the differences of each instrument I played. It was not only beneficial but essential to finding the perfect instruments for me.

I highly recommend Burke Woodwinds!

Absolutely fantastic service in every way. Easy to deal with via email, postage was quick and secure, and the product first class. I would recommend to anyone as one of the best places to shop for anything clarinet related. I will be back!

Liam Burke completed wonderful repair work on my Bb Clarinet. His thorough and meticulous efforts included showing me photos of the clarinet during the repair process and was very communicative throughout.
I highly recommend him

My 13 year old daughter’s love of music has taken off over the last year. She started private lessons and has been growing by leaps and bounds as a musician. It was time for her to take a step up from her beginner instrument. Her instructor recommended a Buffet R13. This was an expensive investment for us and I am so glad that we found Liam at Burke Woodwinds to help us through the process.

Our visit to the showroom was a great experience. Liam was very knowledgeable and patient from beginning to end. My daughter was able to try a number of instruments, and Liam helped her pick out the qualities of each option. I could see she felt empowered that an obvious expert recognized her passion, and took time to help her find the clarinet that was just the right fit. She is thrilled and sounds fantastic. As a parent, I’m happy that we’ve found an instrument that I’m confident she can use for years to come. I would highly recommend Burke Woodwinds.

Liam Burke has done some incredible work on my clarinets! Cleaned, oiled, replaced pads and fine tuned the keywork immaculately. Would highly recommend his work!

I brought my three clarinets to Burke Woodwinds in August 2024. Liam was very thoughtful and diligent in reviewing my Bb and A clarinets, and provided clear recommendations on what was and wasn't worth it to fix for them. He also fixed an issue I had been having with my bass clarinet on the spot. Thank you!

As a fine musician, Liam brings to his work as a clarinet repair artist an acute sensibility to the feel of the instrument in the hands. He also has a sensitive eye: his work is quite beautiful. Needless to say, it is a pleasure working with Liam.

I had an excellent experience at Burke Woodwinds while choosing a clarinet to purchase. I was recommended Burke Woodwinds by someone I knew, and I am confident in saying I recommend anyone else looking to purchase a clarinet to come here. The owner, Liam, was incredibly helpful throughout the entire process. He patiently guided me as I chose the best clarinet for me, offering me various models and clarinets I could try out. Through the whole experience, he was not only friendly, but gave me valuable insight on how I sounded on each clarinet, which was very helpful. One of the clarinets I tried out had a slight issue in one of the keys, and he fixed it in a short amount of time, showing his expertise in the instrument. In addition, I left my clarinet reed case in the shop, and he was extremely diligent in making sure I was able to get it back by mailing it to my address. I would highly recommend Burke Woodwinds for repairing or buying a new clarinet.

Friendliness: (5/5)
Expertise: (5/5)
Customer Service: (5/5)
Selection of Instruments: (5/5)
Overall Experience: (5/5)

Liam did a phenomenal job with my clarinets, they feel brand new again. Highly recommend!!

Liam is an excellent repairman. It is well worth it to have someone who is also a great clarinetist work on your instruments. He has strong instincts and does meticulous work.

Liam has been repairing my clarinets for four years, and I have a great experience every time. I look forward to every visit, because I have such a good time chatting with Liam about the clarinet and always learn a new maintenance tip or trick. Especially after a COA, it feels like my clarinet is brand new again.

One of the big highlights of coming to NY was meeting Liam. I took him my ailing clarinet held together by elastic bands that was used by Reg Kell in the historic 1949 Brahms Busch recording! I’m rather protective of this absolute stradivarius of the clarinet world. He was totally beyond brilliant. Poor Liam I’m so pleased I’ve found him there’s another 51 other historical clarinets that I have that have too many elastic bands on them !!!

Liam was fantastic. He took the time to get the feel of my instruments in his hands and fingers, talk to me about what I was experiencing and wanted to improve, and then did excellent work. Plus my wife and I both enjoyed talking with him. I couldn’t be happier.

Liam is exceptional! He is kind and patient! I had minor issue with my son’s new buffet crampon e12f, which would have cost me few hundreds easily, waiting time, and I have to travel,, but his expertise guided me to resolve the issue pleasantly without any headaches!
Thank you so much Liam! You are a gem!!!

Liam does fantastic work and is also conveniently located on 32nd and Broadway. Thanks for seeing me so quickly Liam!!!