James Vastine

James Vastine is a Master Musical Instrument Repair Technician with 27 years of professional restoration, manufacturing, and education experience. Apprentice trained under the leadership of Rex Bullock, Duane Heuson, Paul Weaver, and Bob Staley, James learned the trades of musical instrument restoration, precious metal plating & spray coating, buffing/metal finishing, tool making, metal forming, fine machining, engraving, and pad/small parts manufacturing, and leading a repair shop. He also holds a MA in Business, BAS Communications, Certificates in AutoCAD, Revit/Navisworks, Grasshopper, 3D Scanning/Printing, and other engineering and design software. In 2019 James formed 5 Line Technology, a design, restoration, and manufacturing firm serving the musical instrument industry, and has worked on collaborations with many different major brands in the music industry. He is a member of NAPBIRT and has given industry talks at universities and local schools, state MEA conferences, and industry meetings.

James has a passion to pass along the knowledge and skill of the instrument repair trade and in 2021 he founded the Panther City Musical Instrument Repair Training program. Unlike a traditional classroom style school, Panther City is a true apprenticeship style program. PC/5 Line is operated as a fully functional instrument restoration shop serving local school ISD’s and universities, professional musicians, DCI/WGI organizations, community bands, and other musical organizations. Panther City students step into a real-world instrument repair shop setting where our Master Techs guide them to learn the tools, methods, materials, manufacturing and operational processes of a live shop. James' goal is to graduate knowledgeable technicians who produce the highest quality instrument repairs in the industry.