You may not have heard of Manuel Delgado. Yet, the music you love speaks his name.
That’s because you’ll often hear a Delgado guitar in your favorite jazz, bluegrass, rock, mariachi or classical performances.
In an age of mass production, there are still cases where only craftsmanship will do. That makes a Delgado guitar more than an instrument. Instead, it’s testimony to a man who believes in the importance of things well-made.
“It’s a dying art,” Delgado offered. “We don’t live any more in an age where the true apprenticeship model holds, the old-world way of living where people did what their father did.”
Small wonder, then, that Delgado Guitars & La Tradición Music in Nashville is a true destination for musicians everywhere. Yet, even with all his worldwide recognition, Delgado is most proud of the customer experience he provides.
“One of the greatest feelings is when a customer comes in the door and takes a deep breath and exhales their stress. The fact that they can leave the world behind when they cross the threshold, where they can let their guard down and relax, there’s nothing better.”
Made from Wood, Steel, Bone, Soul and Love
It doesn’t matter if Delgado and his team create instruments from the ground up or repair someone’s long-prized guitar. The essential tool on their workbench is mindfulness, a constant awareness of the songs that depend on all they do.
And every customer – whether world-famous or picking up a guitar for the very first time – gets the same virtuoso treatment.
“Our goal is to make people feel welcome,” Delgado added. “This is a place where someone can be taken seriously and with no judgment. This is my sanctuary, and whatever energy we feed one another as a team is what we offer our clients.”
That makes respect for the artist the most important component of everything Delgado does.
“Everybody feels comfortable, even if you’re trying a guitar for the first time. What I’m proud of is that a lot of female artists come in here. I’m 54 and have two daughters, so I want women to feel comfortable. That requires giving the best advice, treating the customer the way you want to be treated when walking in the door.”
A family business with time-honored values, passed down from one generation to another.
Art That Takes Months. And Generations.
Dedication to craft didn’t originate with Delgado. Instead, it’s a tradition passed down, with Delgado hearing echoes of family in every chord.
“I get to work with my dad and my grandfather every day even if they’re not here. I started when I was seven and my grandfather was active in the business. So, I had the chance to learn from them. At first it was about them teaching me lessons about building instruments. But as I grew up and became a husband and father, I realized they were really teaching me life lessons.”
Life lessons Delgado is passing on to his own daughters, too. As one example, Ava built her first guitar at age ten and Lila by the age of nine.
(L to R) Darien Rizo, Vice President / Commercial Relationship Manager; Manuel Delgado; Chris Claybrook, Commercial Banking Leader
A Bank That Plays the Same Tune
Banking isn’t just a matter of credits and debits, numbers and figures. It’s about aspiration and dreams fulfilled. Of working in perfect harmony with customers. In other words, the kind of banking Delgado found with Chris Claybrook and Darien Rizo of Regions Bank.
“I was frustrated with my former bank, and someone connected me with Chris. He came by the shop and introduced me to Darien. I like that traditional approach to doing business, where it’s face-to-face and phone calls are answered. I work with people with whom I respect, and they are good people.”
Over time, Regions’ unique brand of client attention won Delgado over.
“I would say that Regions doesn’t just care, but that they also listen. And if they don’t have an immediate answer, they work towards a solution. That’s why I bank with Regions – not because it’s convenient or I don’t have another choice. Instead, I bank with them because they care about me, know my plans and want to help my business grow.”
That’s why I bank with Regions – not because it’s convenient or I don’t have another choice. Instead, I bank with them because they care about me, know my plans and want to help my business grow.
Manuel Delgado, owner of Delgado Guitars
In short, values matter. When it comes to service, both to clients and to the larger community, Claybrook found common ground.
“Manuel is very civic minded, engaged with the community. He is highly involved in the Tennessee Latin American Chamber of Commerce and its efforts to help young entrepreneurs. At the same time Manuel and his team devote a lot of time to schools in the area, as well as helping the homeless and those struggling with addiction. Community is very important to him and seeing a bank equally involved means a lot to him. He wasn’t getting that with his previous bank.”
Rizo agrees on that score. Having come to Regions from a different banking culture, he appreciates the Regions approach, how everyone works to serve the client.
“Honestly, it’s interesting how similar my thinking is to Manuel’s. In the bank, I work with a group of friends. It’s a healthy environment in which to work and produce. When you like your colleagues, it’s like night and day. What matters is making sure the customer is happy and that we’re helping them solve everyday problems.”
Not Just Responsive – Attuned
Relationships matter, whether in a music studio or in the boardroom. And a big part of that relationship is keeping a careful ear out for changes in tempo and always remaining in concert with the customer’s needs.
In that sense, thanks in part to the efforts of Chris Claybrook and Darien Rizo – as well as the rest of Regions’ Nashville team – Manuel Delgado can provide musicians and the larger Nashville community with the support they need for years to come. That’s how you strum up business.
And, as far as we’re concerned, that’s music to our ears.