Few things are as important for an instrumentalist as the right instrument. Bjorn Ranheim just found his.

Ranheim, 32, is in his fifth season here, both playing cello with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and looking for a replacement for the cello he bought at 16. "I had a devil of a time," because his old cello, valued at $35,000, sounded as good as instruments worth three or four times as much.

After having a couple of possibilities sold out from under him, Ranheim discovered the one: a cello built in 1942 by American luthier Carl Becker - the same kind his teacher played. "I had a special spot in my heart for that maker," he says.

After intense negotiations, he bought it. "And now it's all mine - well, mine and the bank's. It's like paying a mortgage. It's tricky to afford that; you have to make a lot of sacrifices in other areas."

The Becker is valued at $135,000, "but these instruments become your voice. It's hard to put a price tag on that."

"It has a lot of layers to the sound, and a certain warmth and character that make it just compelling to play. Now it's a process of really getting to know all the ins and outs of the instrument, all its capacities for tones and sounds. It's like getting to know a wonderful new friend. It makes you want to play more and more, because you like the sound that's coming out. It feels great to play - and it feels great to have the search behind me."