NEW YORK - Roberto Romeo holds a saxophone in place as his colleague brings down a hammer on a metal rod inserted inside the shiny instrument.

Romeo isn't looking to destroy it but rather to smooth out a dent that appeared after the instrument fell to the floor.

For 36 years, Romeo has been one of the city's go-to repairmen for people looking to bring music back to a silenced instrument.  

"You know, when I take it apart, and it's all apart, it's like wow, I hope I can put it back together," Romeo joked.

Romeo got his start in the business not long after emigrating from Italy, working for the man whose West 46th Street business he would eventually take over in 1989 and rename Roberto's Winds.

He admits repair work was something he never wanted to do, but says he quickly became fascinated with exploring the inner workings of instruments.

"I wanted to be a musician - and I hated to get my hands dirty," said Romeo. "I don't want to be a mechanic, I don't want to do this. But now I love it. And if I come back one day in a different life I wish I can do it again."

When he started, Times Square was the center of the music instrument business. But now nearly all of the stores are gone - victims of high rent and an industry that has moved online.

"Walking down the block, you don't see anything. You don't see a sign of music store any more," said Romeo. "It was great."

But Romeo has survived, working every day, alongside his cat Mucio, troubleshooting instruments for amateurs as well as celebrities and professionals. Just two weeks ago, he repaired Woody Allen's clarinet. Other clients include jazz great Sonny Rollins, whose saxophone he still remembers fixing.

"I was super nervous. I hardly slept that night," recalled Romeo. "And 9 o'clock in the morning he showed up, he tried the horn and he liked it."