I met Dino back in 1992.  I can honestly say that a common interest brought us together and have since developed a wonderful relationship.  The "tank" was the reason we met face to face back then.  the "tank" is a bouzouki I purchased from my late uncle and great musician Demetrios Stavridis, before he moved back to Greece with his wife Theresa and son Anthony.  He used to call it the "tank" because of what it had been through yet, the sound kept coming out as it did back in the 1960s.  I brought it to Dino because I guess time caught up to it.  It needed what I had figured an overhaul--new neck, frets, bridge...  Dino asked me to leave it with him and through my eager eyes patted me on the shoulder and said:  "Don't worry, I won't do anything unless I speak to you first".  Sure enough, a couple of days later Dino called me at work, and simply told me: "we'll save it".  His appreciation of another luthier's skills by the name of Panagis -- known mostly for his guitars -- challenged Dino into looking real hard to find ways to save the warped neck and keep the instrument original.  Dino, you did it.  Eight years have gone by, and the instrument sounds perfect.

During the past eight years, I always tried your instruments.  It seems that every time an instrument appeared on the showroom wall, I played it.  The sound your instruments put out is matched by no-one.  Maybe that's why you have made four custom instruments for me, everyone different yet, they all have the same great sound.  My baglama, my three chord bouzouki, my four chord bouzouki and the latest three chord tzoura, keep me very busy and keeps my neighbors "rocking" every night.  I am sure that in the years to come I will come to you for something else, but in the meantime I just want to thank you for your patience and expertise to guide me, as well as all the other professional and aspiring amateur musicians to finding the perfect sounding instrument.  I hope others will get to smile every time they hit the strings as I have for so long.

Thanks,

Your friend,

Michael Antoniades