instrument repairmen-technicians

Rebecca Apodaca is the president of A&D Music in Southern California. Her father was an instrument repairman and so she grew up replacing strings and adjusting necks on guitars. Over the years she was trained on instrument repairs and expanded the services of her business to include appraising musical instruments. She was the first person certified as a “Personal Property –Musical Instrument” appraiser by the American Society of Appraisers in 2011.

Glenn Axelton managed a few stores for the famed Jenkins Music Company in and around Kansas City before opening his own store in Manhattan, Kansas. Glenn’s Music soon became a music center for the town and surrounding areas and led to one of the largest music lesson programs in the area. As a repairman, Glenn saw to it that the store created and maintained a well respected band instrument repair service, which has been a key element of their success over the years. Behind the company and its mission to bring music to the lives of its customers stands Mr. Axelton, a passionate music maker himself who has enjoyed his career in the music industry.

Don Banks was a band director who felt he could have more of an impact on music makers by providing them with quality instruments. In 1967 he opened Don Banks Music in Tampa, Florida to serve the local school bands. Over the years he expanded the store to include a full line of product offerings and repair service for all musicians. Don’s son, Mitchel, joined the company right out of school as did Don’s grandson.

Mitchel Banks has been working in the music store his father established as far back as he can remember. After serving as a band director, Don Banks formed his retail store in Tampa in 1967. Mitchel worked side by side with his father and took an active role in band instrument repair as well as using the ever-changing technology, such as the Internet, to benefit the business. Mitchel is also active in industry groups such as NAPBIRT, NAMM, NASMD and RPMDA.

Andrew Barta was born in Hungary and came to the United States with a dream of working in the music industry. Having been in rock bands in Europe, Andrew formed a band in America and worked as a technician repairing instruments in New York music stores. Along the way, he began designing a project based on his own ideas as a player. Andrew formed Tech 21 and introduced a line of innovative products including the SansAmp, and the Trademark series and the Power Engine series of guitar amps. 

Peter Bartkus grew up in Rockford, Illinois and was proud to establish a music shop there in the early 1950s. True Tone Music became a hub for musicians and was known throughout the area for Peter’s creative and precise instrument repairs. With a passion for the accordion, Peter enjoyed the innovations he witnessed over the years including the Roland accordion complete with MIDI. Peter also made his own True Tone brand of guitars and basses.
 

Bryan Bell was given the task of engineering a working synthesizer using all of Herbie Hancock’s favorite keyboards back in the early 1970s, well before MIDI. Herbie’s single instruction to Bryan was that he wanted all of the sounds of his 20 plus instruments powered and fully controlled by one unit to allow Herbie to make all of the musical changes on the entire bank of synthesizers. Bryan succeeded and went on to play a vital role as one of the music industry’s most innovative sound engineers. Bryan’s NAMM Oral History interview was completed on January 21, 2005 

Frank Bilz applied his passion for music into the expansion of the Markneukirchen Germany music school programs entitled Musicon Valley. As Marketing Director of the school, which is located in the music-rich village where musical instruments have been handcrafted for hundreds of years. Frank has helped create the school’s programs and oversees the programs that focus on providing both hands on training and a well-rounded education of the art of instrument making. 

Gene Brown joined the Ovation Guitar Company within the first year of the company’s establishment in 1966. After serving in the United States Army during Vietnam, Gene was immediately offered a job in the shipping department. The Ovation Guitar Company is located in New Hartford, Connecticut, and was founded by Charles Kaman. Mr. Kaman pioneered several designs and guitar innovations such as the round back fiberglass guitar. Gene was among the first to participate in the production and shipping of the Ovation Guitar. Gene worked in various positions over the years, most recently in the service department taking care of customer needs. 

Lewis Brown joined the CG Conn Company in 1941 working in the band instrument assembly department. Less than two years later he was drafted to serve the United States during World War II. When he returned to Elkhart his job was waiting for him. He soon gained experience with the building of French Horns and stayed in that position from 1946 until 1971 when Conn closed. Lewis stayed in Elkhart to work for the Blessing’s Band Repair Shop where he once again focused on French Horns but also worked on all other types of band and orchestral instruments. When Quinlan & Fabish purchased the repair shop in 2007, Lewis stayed on as a repairman, which is where he was working when he was interviewed in 2010 when Lewis was 90 years old.