Instrument shops blend Old World craft, modern marketing

MIAMI — Paris Banchetti's instrument shop is an invitation to rethink everything you know and appreciate about music.

The pungent smells of Brazilian rosewood and lacquer make you forget about your inseparable iPod and transport you to a time when composers and virtuoso musicians were exalted by crowds for their performances. Banchetti, 76, is a traditional luthier — a craftsman who builds and repairs string instruments such as violins, cellos, basses and guitars. At his shop, he utilizes Old World techniques while incorporating modern technology to create or restore the instruments.

He may rely on Old World techniques in his workshop, but his marketing always keeps up with the times. He maintains an interactive Web site and will start selling his instruments — as well as restored classical instruments he has collected over the years — on eBay.

Longtime Seattle-area violin maker, Henry Bischofberger, said he recently expanded his Web site from a single home page. The third-generation luthier says he also stays in touch with local orchestras and has a radio commercial. Bischofberger's shop is in Kirkland. His father, Hermann, and brother, Ken, also have a shop in Seattle.

"To succeed in this business, you have to know how to work wood, but also have perseverance and patience," Banchetti says. "Once a customer told me, 'I bet you put all your love in an instrument,' but I told him that a lot of times it is hatred and frustration, but also pride."

Banchetti was born in Italy, where he started working with wood as a teenager — first on coffins, then as a cabinetmaker. As a young man, he emigrated to Brazil and there learned how to make instruments under the guidance of a Spanish luthier.

"I was a fast learner," he said. "After six months, I made a batch of guitars without any help."

Banchetti and his mentor moved to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, to open an instrument store, but soon they went their separate ways.

In 1968, Banchetti rented a shop in the city and started selling his guitars.

He moved to the United States with his wife in the mid-1970s, after a long odyssey to obtain a visa.

In Uruguay, Banchetti built a name for himself as a fine craftsman.

"I sold a guitar to a famous musician once, and he spread the word that I was the god of instruments," he said.

And that's another way luthiers build a business — word of mouth among musicians helps solidify their reputations.

Banchetti has his own brand of handmade instruments that include classical, flamenco and steel-string guitars, as well as his patented electronic upright bass.

A single guitar can fetch more than $3,000.

His Practical Bass sells for $3,800 and has been used by musicians who perform with Billy Joel, Frank Sinatra and Dolly Parton.

Although Banchetti produces instruments for top musicians, his core business consists of repairs and restorations.

"Repair is the real hard part of the job. You have to constantly create ways to fix an instrument."

Seattle Times Job Market editor Bill Kossen contributed to this report.