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A p r i l 2 0 1 3w w w . m m r m a g a z i n e . c o m
MMR iPad APP NOW AVAILABLE
Upfront Q&A: Voyage-Air Guitars’
Michael Ferrucci
Survey: Acoustic Stringed
Instruments
Turning Sales up to10
‘Lunchbox’ Amps–
Cover April final.indd 1 3/25/13 2:13 PM
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Luxurious comfort.Exquisite design.Ridiculously soft.
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MMR_COV2 COV2 3/25/13 2:05:31 PM
2 MMR APRIL 2013
www.mmrmagazine.com
MMR Musical Merchandise Review® (ISSN 0027-4615) founded in 1879, is published monthly by Symphony Publishing, LLC, 21 Highland Circle, Suite 1, Needham, MA 02494 (781)453-9310, publisher of School Band and Orchestra, Choral Director, Music Parents America and JazzEd. All titles are federally registered trademarks and/or trademarks of Symphony Publishing, LLC. Subscription Rates: U.S.A., US possessions, one year $32; two years $40. Canada one year $80; all other countries one year $159. Single issues $5 each. May Supplier Directory $35. Periodical-Rate Postage Paid at Boston, MA and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER/SUBSCRIBERS: Send address change to Musi-cal Merchandise Review, P.O. Box 8548, Lowell, MA 01853. Periodicals circulation is directed to music dealers and retailers, wholesalers and distributors, importers and exporters and manufacturers of all types of musical instruments and their accessories, related electronic sound equipment, general musical accessories, musical publications and teaching aides. The publishers of this magazine do not accept responsibility for statements made by their advertisers in business competion. No portion of this issue may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. Copyright ©2013 by Symphony Publishing, LLC, all rights reserved. Printed in USA.
In every issue:
4 Editorial6 Upfront22 People24 Financial66 New Products75 Supplier Scene81 Classifieds88 Advertisers’ Index
28 Upfront Q&A: Voyage-Air Guitars’ Michael Ferrucci
The folding guitar from Voyage-Air is catching on in shops across the country. Sales and marketing VP Michael Ferrucci discusses the com-pany’s ascent toward retail cruising altitude.
36 Survey: Deep RootsA wide-ranging survey of MI retail-ers, covering the dynamic trends in acoustic stringed instrument sales.
44 Fretted: Notable New Products
Our annual special feature on brand new guitar and guitar-related prod-ucts.
54 Amplification: Introducing Colby Amplification
Mitch Colby is a seasoned veteran from the workshops of Marshall and Vox. This year, he steps out with his own, brand new boutique brand of amps.
56 Special Report: Musical Passports
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service leads the way toward a new system of ensuring that traveling instru-ments are protected under CITES regulations.
60 Webwise: Blogging for Business
A few easy steps to increase your website’s SEO, increase traffic, and ultimately snag more sales.
64 Survey: Do Clothes Make the Brand?
Opinions from across the spectrum about in-store and online sales and promotional use of branded apparel. Are you getting the most out of this often overlooked piece of your inventory?
ContentsAPRIL 2013 VOL.172 NO. 4
32 Spotlight: Tube Crunch for LunchAn in-depth look at one of the guitar market’s fastest growing product categories – the small yet powerful pieces of equipment that have come to be known as “lunchbox amps.” Manufacturers argue that these wallet-friendly counterparts to full-size amp heads can serve as space-saving solutions as well as perfect “gateway drugs” to the wider world of amplification.
TOC April.indd 2 3/25/13 2:14 PM
© 2013 Samson | samsontech.com
PE
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Expedition Express Portable PA with Bluetooth.Samson’s Expedition Express is an all-in-one sound system that goes anywhere you want great sound. It’s battery powered, weighs 10 pounds and even Bluetooth enabled, so you can pair the Expedition Express with your smartphone, laptop or tablet and play your music without any need for cables. It’s perfect for parties, presentations, classrooms and the rest of a rapidly pairing world…
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MMR_3 3 3/25/13 2:06:40 PM
EditorialSidney Davis
sdavis@ symphonypublishing.com
PUBLISHER Sidney L. [email protected]
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Rick [email protected]
EDITOR Christian [email protected]
ASSOCIATE EDITORS Eliahu [email protected]
Matt [email protected]
CONTRIBUTING WRITERSChaim Burstein, Dennis Carver, Kevin Mitchell, Dick Weissman
ADVERTISING MANAGER Iris [email protected]
ADVERTISING & MARKETING EXECUTIVE Matthew King [email protected]
CLASSIFIED & DISPLAY AD SALES Steven [email protected]
PRODUCTION MANAGER Laurie [email protected]
GRAPHIC DESIGNERSLaurie [email protected]
Andrew P. [email protected]
CIRCULATION MANAGERMelanie A. [email protected]
SYMPHONY PUBLISHING, LLCChairman Xen Zapis
President Lee Zapis [email protected]
Chief Financial Officer Rich [email protected]
Corporate Headquarters26202 Detroit Road, Suite 300, Westlake, Ohio 44145440-871-1300www.symphonypublishing.com
PUBLISHING, SALES & EDITORIAL OFFICE: 21 Highland Circle, Suite 1, Needham, MA 02494 (781) 453-9310 Fax: (781) 453-9389www.mmrmagazine.com
Volume 172 Number 4 April 2013
®
4 MMR APRIL 2013
You Don’t Have To Be A Player The following sentence appeared in the best selling novel, Defending Jacob: “He stood with his skinny calves against the couch, in gym shorts and a black t-shirt with the Zildjian logo across the chest.” In point of fact, music product logos are among the most recognizable. You don’t have to be a player to identify the distinctive trademark of the above-mentioned Zildjian or Fender, Peavey, Yamaha, and Gibson. Exposure is universal and, as such, one would surmise that most (if not all) full line dealers would be hawking these wares along several lines: traffic build-ing, impulse purchase, brand promotion and tie-in sales. That being said, this ob-server had his finger walk through industry websites in search of music apparel logo with the following results: not surprisingly, suppliers did the best job of promoting their logo items, while dealers (with some rare exceptions) did little to acknowledge the items online. The main exceptions were Guitar Center, which displayed several pages of logo apparel along with web-only music product sites. According to our ap-parel survey this month (see page 64) of a random sampling of 200 dealers, slightly more than two-thirds carry these products. However if one were to read between the lines, the responses were less than enthusiastic.
While you cannot compare the traffic or enthusiasm of a concert versus a dealership, it has been reported in Billboard that the per capita spending on mer-chandise roughly parallels the price of a ticket. For example, last year’s Rolling Stones concert tour generated nearly $40 per head count. The same article quot-ed an industry executive as stating that, for many artists, merchandising is their biggest source of income. One might question whether our industry is positioned to capture more of these dollars, both with product and artist apparel. Newbury Comics is a 28-store New England-based chain that has made the transition from comic book purveyor to record outlet and ultimately to a pop culture outlet. Are we leaving some revenue on the table?
Further case in point, how does the public respond to brand and logo apparel? For Nike, licensing rights to the National football League represents approximately $350 million in annual sales and, while there are many reasons for pro and college sports to change uniform styles on a regular basis, certainly the opportunity to sell “new” team merchandise plays a role in the decision making process. Witness the changing of the guard, when LeBron James moved from Cleveland to Miami, his number logo apparel was discounted in his past home and topped the charts in the southland. Even the U.S. Postal service, last in the creative department, has launched a clothing line of menswear heralded to be “on the cutting edge of fashion” called “Rain, Heat, and Snow” in honor of the USPS motto.
It may be time to think outside of the box, or more specifically in this instance, to open and/or re-evaluate the opportunities for plus profit sales. Quoting Jake Biggerstaff of Strings Attached Music in this month’s survey, “We find that most musicians – from beginners to the pro guys – enjoy and will purchase a shirt or hat, to proudly display their choice of gear. Also, it’s a great free giveaway when a new customer purchases an instrument. They feel like they are getting special treatment from you and it builds loyalty. It’s great for the younger students and at Christmas-time too! (And it gives the ladies something to shop for and keeps them occupied while their guy shops for a new guitar.)”
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Fukutome Named President of Yamaha Corporation of AmericaHitoshi Fukutome has been named presi-dent of Yamaha Corporation of America (YCA). He succeeds Takuya “Tak” Na-kata, who will return to Yamaha Cor-poration Japan (YCJ) to lead sales and marketing for the Musical Instrument (MI) and Audio Products Group, and will continue to work closely with YCA.
Nakata has served as president of YCA since April 2010, overseeing a pe-riod of growth for the company despite a difficult financial climate in the United States.
“Our company achieved important milestones during my time here in the U.S., including YCA’s 50th anniver-sary and Yamaha’s 125th anniversary,” said Mr. Nakata. “With our exception-al management team, we successfully pulled YCA out of the severe recession that began in 2008, and I believe, built a stronger foundation for our company. I know that Mr. Fukutome will bring us continued success in the future.”
Fukutome has been president of Ya-maha Korea since 2010. He previously
served as general manager, Sales and Marketing Department of the Piano Division at YCJ, where he worked on many milestone events at the company, including the acquisition of Austrian pi-ano manufacturer Boesendorfer and the
implementation of the new global factory strategy.
Fukutome began his career at Yamaha (then Nippon Gakki Co., Ltd., which of-ficially changed its name in 1987 to “Ya-maha Corporation”) in 1982, and in 1987, he joined the staff of the Piano Division’s Overseas Sales & Marketing Section.
In 1990, he was promoted to manager, Piano Division of Yamaha Europe GmbH in Hamburg, Germany, and in 1995 be-came CEO, Yamaha Music Austria GmbH in Vienna (which in 1996 became a branch of Yamaha Europe). He was named man-ager, Overseas Sales & Marketing Section of the Piano Division in 1997.
Fukutome’s tenure in the United States began in 2000, with his appoint-ment to the position of assistant general manager of the YCA Keyboard (then Piano) division and later to assistant gen-eral manager of the Music Marketing Group (MMG) before returning to YCJ in 2004. He was promoted to general manager, Sales & Marketing Depart-ment of the Piano Division in 2005.
“As we continue to celebrate Yamaha’s 125th anniversary, it is a pleasure and honor to return to the U.S. as president of YCA, where I had such a rewarding experience earlier in my career,” said Fu-kutome. “I look forward to building upon our company’s legacy of unparalleled quality and technological innovation.”
MakeMusic Sale to LaunchEquity Under InvestigationThe recent sale agreement of Make-Music, Inc. to LaunchEquity Acquisi-tion Partners, LLC Designated Series Education Partners (“LEAP”), is cur-rently under investigation in New York for possible breaches of fiduciary duty. The New York law firm of Levi & Kor-sinsky has stated that it will focus on whether the MakeMusic Board of Di-rectors breached their fiduciary duties to stockholders by failing to adequately shop the company before entering into the transaction. The concern is that LEAP is underpaying for its shares, thus unlawfully harming MakeMusic stockholders.
LEAP, an affiliate of LaunchEquity Partners, LLC, announced on March 13 that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which LEAP will acquire MakeMusic through an all-cash transaction. A special committee of MakeMusic’s Board of Directors, consist-
ing of independent directors, and Make-Music’s Board of Directors unanimously approved the transaction.
Under the terms of the agreement, LEAP, through a wholly-owned sub-sidiary, will commence a tender offer
to purchase all outstanding shares of MakeMusic at $4.85 per share in cash, which represents a premium of approxi-mately 31% over the closing share price on March 12, 2013, the last trading day prior to the announcement. MakeMusic anticipates that tender offer materials will be provided to shareholders around the end of March 2013.
The tender offer will be followed by a back-end merger, which may be effected without the need for a shareholder vote depending on LEAP’s percentage own-ership of MakeMusic’s common stock
after the close of the tender offer. As of the date of the agreement, LEAP ben-eficially owned approximately 27.8% of the outstanding common stock of Make-Music. At the effective time of the merg-er, each share of common stock that has not been tendered and accepted in the tender offer (other than shares owned by LEAP or its affiliates or shares subject to perfected appraisal rights under ap-plicable law) will be converted into the right to receive the offer price of $4.85 per share.
The transaction was expected to close in the second quarter of 2013, sub-ject to the satisfaction of customary clos-ing conditions, including the tender of a number of shares that, when added to the shares owned by LEAP and its affiliates, constitutes a majority of MakeMusic’s outstanding shares on a fully-diluted ba-sis. The acquisition is not subject to any financing contingencies.
Hitoshi Fukutome
Upfront.indd 6 3/25/13 2:18 PM
From time-tested traditional methods to cutting-edge contemporary ones, and for every style or type ofplayer, Hal Leonard has what your customers need to learn and play guitar to the best of their abilities. Talk to your Hal Leonard Sales Rep for what will work best for your store during our April guitar sales special!
The Hal Leonard E-Z Order Line 1-800-554-0626 | www.halleonard.com
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Upfront
Music Education. He worked as a teach-er, professional musician, and instrument repair technician from 1976 until he and his wife purchased the business from Ward in 1986. Pam, his wife, graduated from Susquehanna in 1980 with a double major in English and Communications and worked in retail management until joining Nevin in the purchase of Haines
Music. In 1987, Rob Ensinger joined the Haines team as a school service represen-tative after graduating from Ithaca Col-lege with a Music Education degree and working as a teacher and professional musician. Over the years Nevin, Pam and Rob grew the business, which relo-cated to the modern, present day facility in Selinsgrove in 1993.
Family owned and operated for over 75 years, Robert M. Sides Family Mu-sic Centers has grown into a NAMM ranked Top 100 Music Store. Sides will incorporate the Haines business into their 52,000 square foot headquarters in Williamsport, Pa.
In 1939, T.J. Getzen founded The Get-zen Company in a converted barn be-hind the family home in Elkhorn, Wis-consin. That year, a family tradition in the musical instrument business was born.
Following that heritage, Brett and Adam Getzen, the great-grandsons of the company’s founder, have announced that they have purchased the Getzen Company from their father, Tom Get-zen. The sale marks the fourth genera-tion of the Getzen family at the helm of the company.
Brett and Adam both have several years of experience with the company.
Each has worked extensively in the fac-tory since a young age and has been in-volved in nearly every aspect of instru-ment manufacturing. Today, Brett’s focus is on sales and marketing while Adam is currently managing produc-tion. Both are also heavily involved in research and development, as well as quality control.
Tom Getzen will remain an impor-tant part of the company as he takes his new position as chairman of the Board. Brett Getzen will become president with Adam serving as vice president.
Benedetto Guitars Celebrates 45 Years Founded in 1968 by American luthier Robert Benedetto, Benedetto Guitars, Inc. of Savannah, Georgia is celebrating 2013 as their 45th Anniversary. The small but internationally renowned company builds some of the world’s most collectable and expensive instruments while still focusing their production on the needs of profes-sional and aspiring jazz guitarists.
Benedetto guitars have been played by three generations of jazz masters including Johnny Smith, Kenny Burrell, Bucky Pizzarelli, Martin Taylor, and Pat Martino. The Benedetto guitar appears on countless recordings, videos, and TV and film soundtracks, and has been featured in books, magazines and museums (including the permanent collection of The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History), and on concert stages and jazz festivals around the world.
Born in the Bronx, New York in 1946, Benedetto’s great American journey has taken him from his personal work-bench as an independent luthier, through prominence as author of the 1994 publication Making An Archtop Guitar, to overseeing construction via licensing agreements at Fender and Guild guitar companies, to chairmanship of his own Benedetto Guitars, Inc. manufacturing company.
To commemorate the occasion, a one-of-a-kind 45th An-niversary guitar is being made.
Robert Benedetto inlays the fingerboard of his 45th Anniversary guitar.
Adam, Tom, and Brett Getzen.
Robert M. Sides Family Music Acquires Haines MusicRobert M. Sides Family Music Cen-ters recently announced the acquisition of Haines Music in Selinsgrove, Pa. Haines Music owners Pam and Nevin Garrett are retiring after 37 years in the music business, while 25-year Haines school service representative Rob Ens-inger will continue to serve his schools
as the newest member of the Robert M. Sides team.
Haines Music was founded in 1965 by Ward Haines who was a percussion-ist in the military band and graduate of the Conn Repair School in Elkhart, Ind. Nevin Garrett graduated from Susque-hanna University in 1974 with a degree in
Peter Sides, Pam & Nevin Garrett, Rob Ensinger, Alysha Sides Greevy.
Getzen Company Changes Hands
Upfront.indd 8 3/25/13 2:18 PM
When you need a huge, 360-degree, room-filling bass tone, step up to the Bass Boost Fuzz. Get the fat, gritty sounds of the ‘60s fuzz bass and put some musical rage in your low-end. When you need more focus and edge, dial in the +CLEAN control to add just the right amount of direct tone to your mix.
www.tech21nyc.com
Vintage pedal hounds know that germanium fuzz sounds are way sweeter than silicon fuzz…but only when the temperature is just right and doesn’t spike. The Boost Fuzz solves that problem by nailing that creamy germanium tone, consistently all night long. This SAG control allows notes to bloom and sing at your command, for dynamic, organic performances.
Putting an overdrive pedal in front of a hard-pushed amp has been the secret weapon for generations of guitarists wanting to punch up the midrange and add sustain. The Boost Overdrive is packed with voluminous amounts of screamin’ tone. Just hit the Boost switch to go bigger and badder. The unique SPARKLE control adds upper harmonics for an open, snappy sound.
Hey, remember the ‘80s? A lot of bad clothes perhaps but some way-cool, aggressive distortions. Tight, muscular grind with buzz-saw harmonics never went out of fashion and the Boost Distortion delivers that fast punchy tone. It features its own unique SAG control that adds an expressive,tube-like response to every pick stroke.
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Summary Judgment For Ultimate Support Systems in Patent Infringement LawsuitAs previously reported in MMR, on March 23rd, 2011, K.H.S. Musical In-strument Co., Ltd., the manufacturer and supplier of the HERCULES Guitar Stands, filed a patent infringement law-suit against Ultimate Support Systems Inc. of Loveland, Colorado.
The lawsuit involves US Patent No. 7,105,732 owned by K.H.S. and claims infringement by Ultimate Support and its Guitar Stand GS-1000, built with a grabbing system called the “Self-closing Yoke.” K.H.S. Musical Instrument Co., Ltd. contended that the stand infringed K.H.S.’s patent, which was issued detail-ing a self-locking neck mechanism for a musical instrument stand that would hold an instrument, such as a guitar, in place while on the stand.
Ultimate Support moved for summary judgment on the basis that the GS-1000 did not infringe the patent. The federal court agreed with Ultimate Support on all counts, granting its motion for summary
judgment, and ruling that the GS-1000 did not infringe the K.H.S. patent.
In a 22-page opinion, the court care-fully analyzed the differences in the two companies’ musical stands and found the components at issue in the GS-1000 to not only be non-infringing, but also to be “the exact opposite of what the claim recites.” As the court explained, an ac-cused product does not literally infringe a patented invention if it fails to meet even one claim limitation found in the patent-in-suit. “Here, the GS-1000 does not literally infringe at least three claim limi-tations.” Accordingly, the Court found that the GS-1000 stand did not literally infringe the K.H.S. patent as a matter of law. The court then went further by rul-ing that, in addition to its finding of no literal infringement, each element of the claims presented in the accused product was not equivalent to those found in the patent-in-suit, and therefore there was no infringement by equivalence either.
NAMM’s 2013 Top 100 Dealer AwardsEntries are now being accepted for NAMM’s 2013 Top 100 Dealer Awards, which spotlight the music instrument and products industry’s best, brightest and most proactive retailers. The awards will be pre-sented during Summer NAMM, July 11-13, 2013 in Nashville, and recognize retailers in seven “Best of” categories, with the 2013 “Deal-er of the Year” chosen from among the Top 100. This is the opportuni-ty to give recognition, celebrate ex-cellence, and honor the year’s most successful strategies.
Judges look for retailers with in-ventive, visionary approaches, pro-active business practices, and stand-out performance as they review the Top 100. Categories include, Best Exterior Presentation and/or Mer-chandising Display; Best Marketing and Sales Promotion; Best Online Presentation; SupportMusic Advo-cacy; Music Makes a Difference; Best Emerging Dealer “Rookie of the Year;” and Best Special Event.
Retailers from mom-and-pop stores to larger chains that are interested in competing for Top 100 recognition should enter by April 30, 2013 at www.namm.org. NAMM will announce the 2013 Top 100 Dealers at the end of May, and the “Best of” category winners and “Dealer of the Year” July 12 in Nashville.
This year, Summer NAMM moves to Nashville’s new, state-of-the-art Music City Center, filling the space with live music, thou-sands of buyers, and product debuts from the most exciting established and emerging brands. In addition, NAMM is designing a full slate of professional development opportu-nities tailored for retailers including a return of the popular “Retail Boot Camp” on July 10.
Audix Rep of the YearCliff Castle, Audix VP of sales and mar-keting, announced the winner of 2012 Audix Rep of the Year award at the an-nual rep and distributor meeting.
This year’s winner, Reflex Marketing, is headed by Bob Brennan, along with Rob Schnell and John McFadden. Cov-ering the Metro New York, New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania regions, Re-flex Marketing has represented Audix for over 14 years.
“Sales performance is certainly one of several factors considered when choosing the Audix Rep of the Year,” said Castle. “Reflex Marketing showed very strong growth in their territory for 2012 in spite of the hurricane Sandy disaster, which had at least a four-week impact on busi-ness in the New York metro area. How-ever equally important to sales is Reflex Marketing’s success in bringing the deal-er and manufacturer together as a team, providing winning results for both sides.”
Bob Brennan explains, “My philoso-phy is that the relationship between man-ufacturers, dealers, and reps should func-tion like an equilateral triangle: All parts need to interact equally for everyone to feel that they are partners. I really enjoy working with Audix and Cliff. Getting the Audix Rep of the Year award means a lot more than just ‘Thanks, you sold a lot of gear.’”
Audix’s Cliff Castle, Bob Brennan and Rob Schnell of Reflex Marketing, and Gene Houk of Audix.
Upfront.indd 10 3/25/13 2:18 PM
SAME INNOVATION.
NEW OFFERINGS.
We want to put this innovative product line from Zildjian in reach for more consumers. So we’re revising the model offerings and pricing of our box sets in 2013. Now more drummers can experience all of the dynamics of real acoustic cymbals on their edrum kits without the latency or audio compression associated with digital sounds.
©2013 Avedis Zildjian Com
pany
ZILDJIAN.COM SOUND LEGACY
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Orange Announces Dealer & Sales Repre-sentative of the YearOrange Amplification announced that Sweetwater Sound Inc. has been award-ed USA Dealer Of The Year 2012 and Bill McDaniel has been presented with USA Sales Representative Of The Year 2012 at the Winter NAMM 2013.
Sweetwater Sound, Inc. surpassed all previous Orange USA Dealer Of The Year winners’ sales records in 2012. Sweetwater has nearly doubled its sales each of the last three years. This achieve-ment is even more remarkable consid-ering the guitar amp market has been down for the last few years.
Bill McDaniel of The Sales Guy Company wins the USA Sales Repre-
sentative Of The Year for the second time. He has worked in the Midwest as an independent sales representative for over thirty years, and for the past eight years with Orange Amps. In a difficult economic climate Bill has substantially grown sales of Orange Amp over the last few years.
Phil Rich, VP of merchandising Sweetwater; John Hopkins, executive VP COO Sweetwater; Matt Duncan, senior category manager Amps Sweetwater; Jeff Radke, executive VP sales, CFO Sweetwater; Chuck Surack, president CEO Sweetwater; Eric Sands, national sales manager, Orange USA; Luke Zollinger, general manager, COO Orange USA; Suzy McDaniel, Sales Guy, Inc.; Bill McDaniel, Sales Guy, Inc.
Mike’s Monster Guitar Opens in CambridgeOn March 1st, the Massachusetts Avenue space in Cambridge, Mass. that had for-merly housed longtime local music retail mecca, Sandy’s Music, reopened as an entirely new operation: Mike’s Monster Guitar.
The store’s owner Mike Feudale (“Skinny Mike,” guitarist/frontman for Boston-based garage rockers The Cof-
fin Lids), worked at Sandy’s for 18 years, doing repairs and giving lessons. “The main reason behind Sandy’s closing was his [Sandy Sheehan, owner] declining health,” explains Feudale. “When the space opened up I saw the opportunity to open my own store.”
Already on display at Mike’s Monster Guitar is an eclectic mix of drool-worthy vintage guitars and amps, along with ‘50s and ’60 collectibles [I already scored a sweet bowling-pin ashtray and Bulova AM radio - Ed.]. “My wife, Stepha-nie, and I run the shop together,” Mike says. “There are no other employees, yet. I am buying and selling new and used in-struments and amps, as well as vintage gear. We also do consignment. Plus all the collectibles, toys, and horror stuff.”
Anyone who reads MMR doesn’t need to be told that starting up an independent MI operation in today’s marketplace can be an uphill battle, but with a cherry location (right in between Central and Harvard Squares) in a city teeming with musicians, an already well-defined and distinct character, and helmed by a well-known and respected player/repairman/teacher, the smart money is on Mike’s Monster Guitar.
Mike Feudale behind the counter – and in front of some must-have-give-me-right-now guitars – at Mike’s Monster Guitar.
School of Rock Opens 100th LocationSchool of Rock recently celebrated the opening of its 100th School in The Woodlands, Texas.
“We are excited about reach-ing this 100 school milestone,” said School of Rock CEO, Chris Catala-no. “Our sustained growth helps en-sure that we can continue to expand the inspirational opportunities for our students while at the same time creating employment opportunities for musicians in the neighborhoods that we serve.”
Providing a powerful mix of a sol-id business model and performances that fill families with pride, School of Rock is expanding its franchise op-eration with growth opportunities in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Toronto, Vancou-ver and other US areas. Meanwhile, interest in the franchise continues to grow overseas, with new schools opening in Australia, the Philip-pines, Brazil and Chile.
For more information about the franchise opportunity, visit franchising.schoolofrock.com.
Upfront.indd 12 3/25/13 2:19 PM
U-320
Saga Musical Instruments • P.O. Box 2841 • South San Francisco, CA 94080 • [800] [email protected] • www.sagamusic.com • DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED!
A Sure Cure for Island FeverA Sure Cure for Island Fever
When you’ve been in the Islands too long, a Mahalo Ukulele isjust the thing to snap you out of the doldrums. Fifteen modelsand a full palette of color choices will suit your every mood.
It is so easy to get started and Mahalo Ukes won’t pile yourbudget onto a reef either. Just follow Miss Hawaii into your localmusic store …surf’s up!
Mahalo UkulelesPriced from $29.95 Retail
Nicole FoxMiss Hawaii 2008
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Upfront
My Cat From Hell Star Jackson Galaxy Appears at TKL’s NAMM BoothOnce a part time animal shelter worker with a growing reputation as a “cat whisperer,” Jackson Galaxy is now the star of the suc-cessful Animal Planet television show, My Cat From Hell, which begins its fourth sea-son in 2013. Galaxy, who carries around a trademark “Guitar Case o’ Cat Mojo” on his calls to troublesome cats, appeared Sat-urday January 26 at The NAMM Show, in the TKL Products Corp. booth.
The guitar case he carries on the show, custom built by TKL, holds an
eclectic collection of cat toys and tools. The distinctive cases are built at TKL’s headquarters in Oilville, Va. under the supervision of Tommy Dougherty. Gal-axy is comfortable toting a guitar case, as he is also a songwriter, singer, gui-tarist, and bandleader. Capping off a busy year, Galaxy penned a memoir, Cat Daddy: What the World’s Most Incorrigible Cat Taught Me About Life, Love, and Coming Clean with Joel Derfner, published by Jer-emy P. Tarcher/Penguin in 2012.
During Galaxy’s appearance, TKL made a surprise presentation to him, in conjunction with their friends at the Gib-son Guitars Custom Shop. In honor of Galaxy’s commitment to animal welfare and adoptions, Dougherty presented Gal-axy with a custom TKL case – which held a brand new 1958 reissue Gibson Les Paul.
“I had such a blast at NAMM 2013 and I can’t wait to come back next year,” Galaxy remarked after the event. “My
thanks to TKL Cases for setting every-thing up, and of course for the mojo-rific guitar case. And to put in that case... all thanks to the folks at the Gibson Guitars Custom Shop for bringing my childhood dreams to life – in the shape of a gor-geous Les Paul!”
Gretsch Celebrates 130 YearsThe Gretsch Company, an American family-owned business, celebrates its 130th anniversary this year. In 1883, German immigrant Friedrich Gretsch launched what would one day become an iconic American guitar and drum maker for such well-known artists as Chet Atkins, George Harrison, Charlie Watts, Chick Webb and Brian Setzer among many others.
According to a recent study conduct-ed by Family Enterprise USA, there are 5.5 million family businesses in the U.S. that contribute $8.3 trillion or 57 percent of the U.S. GDP, employ 63 percent of the workforce and are responsible for 78 percent of all new job creation.
The Gretsch Company has outlasted the majority of family-owned businesses that typically see a life span of 24 years according to familybusinesscenter.com. About 40 percent of U.S. family-owned businesses turn into second-generation businesses, while approximately 13 per-cent are passed down successfully to a third generation, and only three percent
to a fourth or beyond according to Busi-nessweek. Remarkably, The Gretsch Company has seen six generations of family members who have been active in the business and remain so today.
Women are increasingly playing key
management roles in family businesses with nearly 60 percent of all family-owned businesses placing women in top management team positions according to a 2007 Mass Mutual American Family Business Survey. This is also true of The Gretsch Company with matriarch Dinah Gretsch’s active involvement in the daily operations of the company.
“The past 130 years have been quite an amazing musical journey for the Gretsch Family.” said company president
Fred Gretsch. “And today, the family is still deeply involved with customers, dealers, artists as well as the manufactur-ing and marketing aspects of the busi-ness. And we are very pleased to build that level of family connection, pride and value into all of the great instruments that we put into musicians’ hands.”
The future of The Gretsch Company looks to be in good hands with Fred and Dinah Gretsch’s oldest daughter current-ly working in the business and several Gretsch grandchildren expressing inter-est in joining the company as well.
“Antonio Stradivarius also made amaz-ing stringed instruments and led a prosper-ous life,” says Gretsch. “But his family did not benefit from his name and his designs. I want to ensure that the Gretsch family remains a key part of this company for the next 100 years of business.”
To learn more about Gretsch’s 130th anniversary instruments and ac-tivities, interested parties should visit www.gretsch.com.
Galaxy with cat fans at TKL’s NAMM booth.
TKL’s Tommy Dougerty with Jackson Galaxy.
Upfront.indd 14 3/25/13 2:19 PM
16 MMR APRIL 2013
Upfront
D’Addario & Co. Receives Long Island Cares Humanitarian AwardD’Addario & Co. is the recipient of the Long Island Cares Corporate Hon-oree award. Chairman and CEO Jim D’Addario and wife Janet accepted the award on the company’s behalf at a cocktail reception and sit-down dinner on January 31, 2013 at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury New York.
“We believe that life is all about sym-biotic relationships – everyone helps each other,” says Jim D’Addario. “Janet and I are extremely grateful for this award as well as the opportunity to give back to the commu-nity wherever and whenever we can.”
Jim D’Addario has served on The Long Island Regional Economic Coun-cil for Governor Cuomo and Co-chairs Congressman Steve Israel’s Long Island Manufacturing Task Force.
As head of the Charitable Works Committee, Jim and Janet D’Addario’s daughter-in-law, Gina D’Addario, orga-nizes company fundraisers for such orga-nizations as Long Island Cares, Hospice Care Network’s Children’s Bereavement Program, and PRONTO of LI, and re-
cently accepted PRONTO’s Elena Perez award on behalf of D’Addario & Company at their annual Gala. Since 2004, yearly food drives have been conducted to support the efforts of Long Island Cares, and in 2011 D’Addario & Co. helped create the “Beat An End To Hunger” campaign, fea-turing Evans Drumheads, which supports the Long Island Cares’ Endowment Fund.
In addition, directed by Jim and Janet D’Addario’s niece, Suzanne D’Addario Brouder, the D’Addario Music Founda-tion, established over 30 years ago, do-nates up to 7 percent of company profits annually to not-for-profit music educa-tion programs. The foundation identi-fies high quality, impactful programs that have a strong need for support. D’Addario is not only deeply committed to music education but to the belief that mentoring and building communities
through music can positively affect social change.
Amongst other awards, D’Addario & Company has been honored with the New York State Environmental Excellence award, the Certificate of Congressional Recognition, and is a proud member of the Long Island Forum for Technology and the Leadership Initiative Action.
Dan Siegel, executive VP of Lifetime Brands (Individual Honoree); Brian Seidman, LI Cares Board president; Janet & Jim D’Addario (Corporate Honoree); David Herold; Paule Pachter, executive director of Long Island Cares.
Morty and Iris Manus Receive MTNA Achievement AwardMorty and Iris Manus were honored with the Music Teachers National Associa-tion (MTNA) Achievement Award at the Awards Brunch during the 2013 MTNA National Conference at the Disneyland® Hotel in Anaheim, California, March 13. The MTNA Achievement Award is the organization’s highest honor. It is be-stowed upon individuals who have made significant and lasting contributions to the music teaching profession.
Morty and Iris Manus have been fierce advocates for music education all of their lives. As president of Alfred Mu-sic Publishing, Morty has watched the company grow from a small importer of music for silent films under his father, Sam Manus, to the largest educational music publisher in the world with more than 90,000 active print, DVD, audio
CD, enhanced CD, software, and Blu-ray titles in international circulation. The company is made of composers and authors, as well as staff members in seven offices worldwide. Alfred publishes a va-riety of music genres for all levels of dif-ficulty, from novice to expert. The styles include educational, reference, pop and performance pieces for teachers, stu-dents, hobbyists and performers.
Iris is vice president and executive pro-ducer of Alfred. She began working at the company part-time while in high school, where she met Morty. Through the years, Iris continued to work part-time at Alfred in a variety of capacities, providing leader-ship for the company in many areas. She began work on a full-time basis in the late 1960s as executive producer and a member of upper management.
US Music Corp US Distributor for DigiTechHarman’s DigiTech has appointed US Music Corp (USM) as its exclusive US distributor effective April 1, 2013. Headquartered in Buffalo Grove, Il-linois, USM is an international MI company that manufacturers and dis-tributes worldwide.
Commenting on the agreement, Craig Paller, senior director, sales, Harman Signal Processing stated, “We will be working closely with US Music Corp over the next six weeks to ensure a smooth transition for our dealers and make certain we continue to provide comprehensive sales and technical support across the country. We look forward to joining USM’s portfolio of class-leading companies and benefit from their network of resources to enhance DigiTech’s na-tional presence.”
Upfront.indd 16 3/25/13 2:19 PM
18 MMR APRIL 2013
Upfront
GAMA Launches New WebsiteThe Guitar and Accessories Marketing Association (GAMA) recently launched an updated www.guitaredunet.org web-site for classroom-guitar teachers. The new site features blogs, articles, tips & tricks and also GAMA member content.
The website aims to complement GAMA’s Teaching Guitar Workshops program through which it trains school music educators to start classroom-guitar programs. The site is intended to help teachers be even more success-ful at teaching guitar. Early tests of the site indicate that teachers are eager for resources that help them enhance their guitar programs.
GAMA decided to launch a more comprehensive site in order to give teach-ers year-round access to information and tools to make their careers better. GAMA
has trained over 3000 teachers, who have taught guitar to 1.28 million students. By giving these teachers more resources they will be empowered to have an even greater impact.
Future plans for the website include more content and audience development, specifically: video footage, more blog-ging, success stories, and GAMA mem-ber integration.
Radial Names Stage Audio Works as Distributor for African RegionRadial Engineering has appointed Stage Audio Works as their Distributor for the African Region. Stage Audio Works, based in Southern Africa, is a leading supplier of cutting-edge live event audio and lighting technologies.
Radial’s international sales manager Steve McKay notes, “Their philosophy of providing the highest quality products in their distribution lines up perfectly with Radial Engineering’s product brands; Radial Pro Audio, Tonebone guitar ped-
als, and Primacoustic acoustic products. Having well-developed service, train-ing and technical support departments further enhances the possibilities for the future.”
Stage Audio Works technical direc-tor Gustav Barnard says, “We are excited to increase Radial’s presence across the African region. The quality of the con-struction and audio performance make Radial the perfect fit in our product port-folio of world-leading brands.”
The Stage Audio Works Team: Heinrich Burrows, Will Deysel, ArnoldSerumula, Nomsa Kheswa, Gustav Bar-nard, Xolani Madwe, Rudolph Maswanganyi, and Shaun Xavier
Upfront.indd 18 3/25/13 2:19 PM
APRIL 2013 MMR 19
More from Anaheim!A few more shots that we weren’t able to squeeze into our NAMM Show Report in the March 2013 issue…
1
67
3
2
8
4
5
1. Tyler Koorndyk, Youngest Strap Designer: 11-years old. Special series at Capturing Cou-ture. 2. INMUSIC: Eric Palonen 3. Crystal Frets: David Darling 4. Magneta Enterprise: Joe Risolia 5: Capturing Couture: Carolyn Deberard, Christie Loza, and Caprice Cortinas. 6. AIRTURN INC’s Hugh Sung. 7: Stevie Wonder spotted at Behringer. 8. Moku Uku-leles: Michael Bower and Mike Mulqueen.
We are proud that for the past 10 years Ventura Guitars have only been sold to brick and mortar
independent music stores. NO Internet web sites! NO national music chains! NO big box stores or other retail!
We understand your business and make it easy and desirable for you to do business with
us: NO buy-ins! NO annual requirements to keep the line! NO minimum orders! Just buy
only what you need, when you need it! And, a LIFETIME WARRANTY!
The Ventura Guitar Line is designed mostly for retail price points of $100-$300. We usually
have most everything in stock, and ship the same or next day. All products have a
lifetime warranty, without exclusions, and it is your call!
AND NO APPLICATION PROCESS: if I know you are a brick and mortar
independent store, that is all I need! Our only requirement is that you
not sell any of the Ventura product on the internet. That’s all…that
simple!
Tom Oliphant, Owner Ventura GuitarsMany of you may have seen me in your store already. I spend several weeks a year out in the field and from that perspective I understand the independent store opera-tion, your problems, concerns and needs. You have told us what your customer wants and what they are willing to pay and Ventura Guitars are designed with the features and value to meet these requirements and allow you the reasonable profit your store needs to stay in business.
Let’s get started, Tom Oliphant (817) 689-7732 or [email protected]. Check out our catalog at www.venturasoundideas.com
Warehouse: Austin, Texas Office: 4925 S. Meadow Ridge Cir., McKinney, Texas 75070
Tired of Matching Internet prices…competing with the local GC?
V e n t u r a G u i t a r s
Upfront.indd 19 3/25/13 2:20 PM
20 MMR APRIL 2013
Upfront
Harman Completes Acquisition of Martin ProfessionalHarman has completed its acquisition of Martin Professional A/S of Den-mark. Martin is a leading provider of lighting solutions for the entertainment, architectural, and commercial sectors,
and its acquisition advances Harman’s capacity to serve customers in a wide variety of applications and geographic markets with highly integrated AV and lighting systems.
Clinton Voigt, 92, of Beloit, Wis., passed away on February 10, 2013.
In the spring of 1939 Voigt purchased and took over a guitar
studio in Beloit that specialized in Hawaiian guitar, known as the Hono-lulu Conservatory of Music. After a number of years, as the business di-versified, the operation’s name was changed to Voigt Music Center, which is still in business to this day in Beloit, with a branch in Janesville, Wis.
Clinton started his music busi-ness career as a Hawaiian guitar teacher, and then changed over to hiring teachers, offering instruction in guitar, accordion, piano, organ, and band instruments. He became in-volved in expanding his business from a music studio operation to full time MI store. Voigt Music Center grew to expand its business servicing school band and orchestra directors covering an area from Oregon, Wis. to Oregon, Ill. Clinton helmed Voigt Music Cen-ter for 61 years, retiring in 2000. The business ownership and management was transferred to Tony and Londa Farrell Sr. and their son, Tony Far-rell Jr. The business is celebrating its 74th year of business in Beloit and 26 years in Janesville, Wis.
Clinton was a former member of NAMM, American Music Conference, National Association of School Music Dealers, Illinois Guitar League, and
International Guitar League. He was awarded a lifetime membership of the American Guild of Music for his many years of service as president, secre-tary, contest director, and convention manager.
Morley Thompson died on March 7 at the age of 86.
Thompson’s fi-nancial background was a key element in
the expansion of the Baldwin Piano Company during the 1980s. He cre-ated a credit company and finance programs under the Baldwin name to branch off from the company’s core technology and invest on a larger scale. The changes came in the years following the popularity of electronic instruments and the onset of MIDI technology when many traditional piano companies feared the end was near. Morley’s strategies were recog-nized outside of the industry as well as within, with Forbes magazine pro-filing Morley and his new approach to the music industry.
William Fuller has passed away on March 8. Mr. Fuller worked for the Wurlitzer Company in DeKalb, Ill from 1953-1987.
NAMM’s Dan Del Fiorentino notes, “He was very helpful to me in the early days of the NAMM Oral History program and was a key con-tact for us being able to interview so
many people who had long careers with Wurlitzer. Not long after our interview, William began experienc-ing memory loss and over the years struggling with Alzheimer’s, which robbed him of so many of the stories we sought to capture. His daugh-ter… said on especially hard days she would play the interview from the NAMM Oral History program to recall his voice and see him smile.
Bertil Larson worked in the account-ing department for Wurlitzer in DeKelb, IL from 1954-1987. Ber-til passed away March 3 in DeKelb at the age of 86.
Well known and respected industry figure, Bill Crowden, passed away on February 14 at the age of 82.
A pioneer in the retail percussion business, Crowden was the owner of Drums Ltd. and later Frank’s Drum Shop – both in Chicago. Bill’s friends and customers included the likes of Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, Elvin Jones, and Max Roach, among many others. Fittingly, Bill married into the Ludwig family when he married the founder’s granddaughter, Brooke.
The family is requesting that dona-tions made in Bill Crowden’s name be made to the Percussive Arts Society at www.pas.org or by calling (317) 974-4488 and referencing the “William F. Ludwig, Jr. PASIC Scholarship fund.”
Trade Regrets:
Breaking News!Find it in the
Hot News section of MMR’s Web site, www.mmrmagazine.com
Upfront.indd 20 3/25/13 2:20 PM
22 MMR APRIL 2013
Allison Dorsty has also been hired as an inside sales rep, serving the Mid-At-lantic States. Most recently, she worked at EMI Music as a coordinator of Online Sales. Kyle Taylor has been hired as the ISR for the Lâg Guitar brand. Taylor obtained his BFA in Music Theatre from the University of Hartford, and most re-cently, he managed Rudy’s Music Shop in New York.
BGE Financial announced that Cory Gray has joined BGE as vice president of sales and marketing, and will be responsible for the day-to-day sales and mar-keting functions for the company. Gray will also help to further develop and grow BGE’s programs, so that the company will continue to meet the needs of the music industry.
Gemini has appointed in-dustry veteran Jeremy Pace as their new USA sales manager, effective April 1. Pace previously has worked at Chauvet Lighting and Guitar Cen-ter. In his new position, Jeremy will be focusing on strengthening and organiz-ing Gemini’s USA dealer network.
Unison Saxophones has named Den-nis Switlick as national sales manager for Unison Saxophones USA.
Yamaha Corporation of America (YCA) has named Jun Fujimoto in-stitutional solutions group manager, southeast region. In this role, Fujimoto will be responsible for cre-ating and supporting insti-tutional keyboard business initiatives and will report directly to Bob Heller, di-rector, institutional solu-tions group and national sales director, keyboard division. Jun comes to YCA from Yamaha Canada Music, where he served as the Institu-tional Marketing and Artist Relations Manager for eight and a half years. He is also an award-winning amateur con-cert pianist.
Gator Cases., Inc. has hired Mike Barnhill as its new plant manager for the company’s USA-based ro-tational molding factory in Grabill, Ind.
Previously, Bamhill was the manufacturing manager for Ameri-can SportWorks for seven years and then moved on to be the operations manager at Grabill Cabinet. Most recently, Mike worked for Harlan Cabinet.
PeopleJeff Shreiner has been hired as a Korg USA in-side sales rep (ISR) serving the Central & Midwestern States. Shreiner comes to the company having most recently worked at Guitar Center in Brooklyn. He also has several years’ experience as an audio engineer and music producer.
Shreiner
Dorsty
Taylor
Gray
Fujimoto
Barnhill
Pace
People.indd 22 3/25/13 2:21 PM
Financial
Steinway Musical Instruments, Inc. (NYSE: LVB) has reported earnings for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2012.
Fourth Quarter Results Compared to Prior Year Period• Sales of $100.7 million, up 6.5% • Gross profit of $34.7 million, up
14.6%• Gross margin increased to 34.5%
from 32.0%• Income from operations of $12.0
million,up45.3%• AdjustedEBITDAof$14.2million,
up 61.2%• Diluted earnings of $0.51 per share,
up from $0.26 per share• Adjusted diluted earnings of
$0.53pershare,up from$0.24pershare
2012 Results• Sales of $353.7 million, up 2.2%• Gross profit of $114.6 million, up
9.0%• Gross margin increased to 32.4%
from30.4%• Income from operations of $28.6
million, up 79.5%• Adjusted EBITDA of $35.2 million,
up 26.0%• Diluted earnings of $1.08 per share,
up from $0.13 per share• Adjusted diluted earnings of $1.13
pershare,upfrom$0.48pershare Non-GAAP Adjustments are detailed
intheattachedfinancialtables.
Balance Sheet Highlights• Cash of $73.4 million; net cash of
$5.4million• Borrowing availability of over $100
million• Inventory reduced $7.3 million, or
5.5%, from December 31, 2011
CEOMichaelSweeneysaid,“Wefin-ished the year with very positive results in the fourth quarter. Revenue and gross mar-gins increased in both our band instrument and piano businesses. While we incurred some unusual operating expenses in the fourth quarter of both 2011 and 2012, our normal SG&A expenses were in line with sales. All in, our operating income rose a verystrong45%.Wearequitepleasedwithour overall performance.”
Segment InformationPiano SegmentFourth Quarter Results Com-pared to Prior Year Period• Salesof$71.4million,up7.0%• Steinway grand piano units up 7.0%• Boston and Essex piano unit de-
creaseof2.4%• Gross margin increased to 39.4%
from 37.2%
2012 Results• Sales of $216.8 million, up $1.3 mil-
lion• Steinway grand piano units down
0.6%• Boston and Essex piano unit de-
creaseof5.4%• Gross margin increased to 36.9%
from 35.6%
Band SegmentFourth Quarter Results Com-pared to Prior Year Period• Salesof$29.4million,up5.1%• Brass and woodwind units up 2.0%• Gross margin increased to 22.6%
from 19.7%
2012 Results• Salesof$136.9million,up4.7%• Brass and woodwind units down
1.5%• Gross margin increased to 25.3%
from 21.8%
Steinway Reports Q4 Results
Financial.indd 24 3/25/13 2:21 PM
*Based on available retail sell-thru data.
Child’s Play Is Big Business.
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MMR_25 25 3/25/13 2:08:53 PM
visit us online at www.namm.org
NAMM News is published by NAMM. To keep up-to-date on the
latest breaking industry news, sign up for our NAMM News e-newsletter
NAMM News April 2013
Note from Jon
Celebrating the Passion of Music Retail“Retailers are truly the backbone of our industry because, in most cases, they are the ones who first get people hooked on making music.”
We work in a great industry—one that I’ve been in all my life. I got my first job in a music retail shop when I was 15. In 1989, I opened my own store. It was a tiny place, but we kept growing and eventually grew out of it. Now we have three full-line stores and a pro audio showroom, and we’re still expanding. These years of experience have taught me that you never stop growing.
So it’s great that NAMM is recognizing retailers with the Top 100 Dealer Awards—acknowledging the people who take care of customers face-to-face and help them get their first instrument. Retailers are truly the backbone of our industry because, in most cases, they are the ones who first get people hooked on making music.
Summer NAMM is a great place to celebrate our business. The last summer show was one of the best NAMM trade shows I’ve been to as far as networking and meeting with my contacts. A lot of people look at it like it’s a sleepy show—and it’s obviously smaller than the winter show—but you really have some quality time to get things done there. It’s also a great music town to get the juices flowing and keep focused on why we’re in this business in the first place. I would encourage everybody to go to Nashville and be a part of this.
Of course, last year’s show was special for Alto Music. When I heard our name called as Dealer of the Year, it was a real surprise and an honor. The whole event was well done and the presentation was excellent. It was also exciting being in a room with other retailers in our industry—learning from other people and really celebrating what we do every day.
While our day-to-day business keeps us pretty busy, it didn’t take long at all to submit our store in the Top 100 and share what we think we do well—and it was obviously worth it.
We continue making the most of this honor by using it in all of our marketing––putting the Dealer of the Year logo on our website, on Facebook, and really anywhere we can brand our company. We’re proud to share this with our customers.
I hope you that you’ll take the time to throw your store’s name in the ring for this year’s Top 100 and make the trip to Nashville. It’s a win-win for your business . . . and for our industry.
Jon Haber
MMR_26 26 3/25/13 2:09:30 PM
BUILD your brand
SHOW your products
your customers
www.namm.org/summer
The Top 100 Dealer Awards entry deadline is April 30—visit www.namm.org/summer and submit your store today!
Advo MMR April13 indd 3 2/26/13 2:04 PM
MMR_27 27 3/25/13 2:10:11 PM
AQ&
It’s all the more impressive, then, that Voyage-Air Guitars (www.voyageairguitar.com) have taken off (pun unintended, but it stays) as they have. Heartily embraced by players of all stripes, these revolutionary folding guitars are no gimmick, but rather high quality instruments that successfully address the issue of portability. Now fielding five lines of acoustic and electric guitars at a number of price points, Voy-age-Air is poised to make a serious impact on the market.
MMR recently spoke with Michael Ferrucci, Voyage-Air Guitars’ VP of sales & marketing to get the scoop on how these guitars work so effectively, how the company is cracking the market, and what’s on the horizon…
MMR: To start with, can you briefly talk about the origins of Voyage-Air?
Michael Ferrucci: The concept of a full-size folding guitar came from master luthier and world-renowned inlay artist Harvey Leach. With over 35 years experience at making custom acoustic guitars, Harvey has crafted over 400 high-end acoustic and electric guitars that have graced both studio and stage. He responded to customer demand for a compact, yet full-size instrument – one that could travel easily as “carry on” luggage for commercial airliners. He hit on the idea of a guitar that could fold in half, based on a unique patented hinge that locks the neck firmly in place without sacrificing the sound and particularly the ergonomics of the instrument.
Harvey’s decades of experience with design and materials enabled him to bring volume, tone, and resonance to production-based guitars – Voy-age-Air models that challenge his own hand-built masterpieces. After years of R&D and prototypes, Voyage-Air began shipping guitars in October 2008.
“ The bottom line is: in a store where an employee can touch one of our guitars, fold it in half, and then hand it to a customer – it sells itself.”
Voyage-Air Guitars’ Michael Ferrucci
Upfront
Innovation often gets (mis) interpreted as “fad” – nowhere more so
than in the world of musical instruments. Taking that one step further,
it’s likely that no group of musicians, as an aggregate, are as stub-
bornly, immovably rooted in “tradition” as guitarists: “If it’s not the
way things were 50 years ago, we don’t like it!” So paved is the road
that provides the uphill struggle for any guitar designer or supplier
who tries to sell players on self-tuning guitars, “robot” guitars, MIDI-
interface guitars, and so on.
28 MMR APRIL 2013
Upfront Q&A.indd 28 3/25/13 2:23 PM
APRIL 2013 MMR 29
MMR: Let’s get some vital statistics out of the way – how many people are currently on staff at Voyage-Air and what is the facility like?
MF: We have a core staff of fifteen employees at our Livermore [California] headquarters: Customer Service, Sales and Marketing, two full-time luthiers for guitar assembly, set-up, and warranty re-pair. We have always maintained a poli-cy of 100 percent QC inspection for each and every guitar before shipping. We also have full-time employees who “tele-commute” their expertise in Marketing Communications, Website Design, and Artist Relations from Northern Califor-nia, Nashville, Alabama, and Michigan. The majority of Voyage-Air employees are lifetime guitar players who know our products, believe in our products, and frequently use them for their own perfor-mances.
Voyage-Air Guitar headquarters is in Livermore, California. It’s a 5,000 sq. ft. facility that features computer-controlled temperature, humidity, advanced work-stations for guitar assembly and QC, and more. We employ the latest computer da-tabase systems to track individual prod-uct, shipping, dealer quantity status, and Internet website performance. We are located near the central corridor of the San Francisco Bay Area (45 minutes from San Francisco), which facilitates immedi-ate transport and shipping for critical components and deliveries. Voyage-Air also maintains a satellite headquarters in Nashville. Here, music pros from all over the world can have a “hands on” ex-perience with the full line of Voyage-Air acoustic and electric guitars.
MMR: How much of a challenge is it to “convert” those whose initial impression may be that a folding guitar is inherently – and fundamentally – a gimmick?
MF: People have at-tempted to make porta-ble guitars before, but it’s never been an instrument like this. This isn’t rocket science: Here we have a guitar that folds in half, opens up, and essentially goes right back to where it was.
The first question that peo-ple ask is, “What happens to the strings? What happens to the tuning?” Well, what do you do when you first take your guitar out of the case? You tune it. Same thing here – it’s really not a big deal. Of course the hinge, the latch mechanism, is very important. Our mechanism, which is patented in all sorts of ways, can’t be copied. It’s very finely tuned – no pun intended. They’re precision pieces of machinery.
MMR: I’d imagine that once you get these in people’s hands, the very same quali-ties that might, at first glance, raise the “gimmick!” red flags, become very strong selling points for dealers.
MF: Our guitar is almost like a magic trick. One of my favorite things to do is to hand the guitar to someone and then if they like it say, “Wait, check this out” and then fold it – their jaws drop. They can’t believe that what they just played and confirmed is a great guitar is now folded in half. It’s such a cool thing for a salesman in a store to create new busi-ness. No matter how we market this thing, the bottom line is: in a store where an employee can touch one of our gui-tars, fold it in half, and then hand it to a customer – it sells itself. It’s a profit-able line, there’s no competition, it’s not a joke, it’s not a gimmick, there are profes-sionals playing Voyage-Air guitars.
MMR: How do you help deal-ers get that message across to that customer who has just walked into the store?
MF: For the dealers we’ve created a POP such that the guitar goes on the wall in the folded position. Any guitar player in his right mind who walks into the store is going to stop dead and say, “What the heck is that?” It’s the perfect opportu-nity to engage the customer. Our guitar sells itself: One, it works; Two, it’s a per-fect opportunity to engage the customer. You can’t do it by saying, “Do you want to see another Dreadnaught? Do you want to see another Strat copy?”
MMR: Describe Voyage-Air’s distribution network.
MF: Historically, Voyage-Air gui-tars have been sold and shipped directly to the consumer and to our dealer base from our California facility. Telemarket-ing and occasional field sales calls were the only methodology employed.
Today, as of January 2013, we have now assigned a total of twelve inde-pendent rep companies that cover the continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii. We are also distributed in
Upfront Q&A.indd 29 3/25/13 2:24 PM
30 MMR APRIL 2013
AQ&Upfront
Japan, Western Europe and UK and Australia.
MMR: How would an interested dealer go about acquiring the line?
MF: Simply calling the 800 number (800-371-6478) will start the process of entering into a dealership relationship. We are actively seeking both internation-al and domestic dealers. All inquires will be promptly followed up by my profes-sional staff and representatives.
Due to the fact that Voyage-Air has little or no competition, it is unlikely that there would be any product conflict, thus it makes total sense for a music store to carry the Voyage-Air line! All stores will be given free point of purchase fixtures.
MMR: Parting thoughts?MF: In almost five years of sales to
a wide range of customers, Voyage-Air Guitar has over a 99 percent customer
satisfaction rate. That’s incredible: our customers take our guitars into the most extreme conditions – camping, hiking, on stage, motorcycling, and more.
Most guitar players are initially skep-tical that a folding guitar can match the sound of a traditional guitar. All of our satisfied customers know they have the
best of everything: a great sounding, af-fordable guitar that is lightweight, with a special backpack-style case so they can take their music everywhere.
Again, the dealers are the ones who benefit because they have a story to tell. It’s new and nothing new has happened with guitars for over 100 years.
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Classics
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All Things Uke.indd 1 6/6/2012 12:13:41 PM
John Oates of Hall & Oates with his Voyage-Air guitar.
Upfront Q&A.indd 30 3/25/13 2:24 PM
Grainger BassPRSthe
© 2013 PRS Guitars / Photo by Marc Quigley
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In 2003 Gary Grainger sat down with our engineers and helped us create the genesis of the Grainger Bass. Originally available only through Private Stock, the Grainger 4 and Grainger 5 are now available from our core line in an elegant and simplified configuration. This instrument has become the go-to bass for many of today's top musicians. Because of the extraordinary woodwork, hardware and proprietary pre-amp, these basses have all the tone, clarity, power and feel a player needs.
MMR_31 31 3/25/13 2:10:21 PM
32 MMR APRIL 201332 MMR APRIL 2013
Spotlight
‘Lunchbox’ Amplifiers – Turning Sales Up to 10
forTube Crunch
LunchOffering genuine tube amp tone in a package – and at a price
– more appropriate to many guitarists and bands not playing
in mega-arenas throughout the world, micro- or “lunchbox”
(some truly hate that term…) amps have really taken off over
the past decade. These little guys are versatile units, which
have in some cases gone on to exceed their manufacturer’s
expected usage, and are now a regular sight on club and even
stadium stages everywhere (Hey, if you have a PA and you’ve
got a mic on the guitar rig, who says you need a 100 watt full-
stack?).
Lunchbox amps do, however, also serve as entry points to further sales for MI stores – they’re “gateway drug” amps as Alex Auxier of Orange Amps calls them. So you’ve got a hot-selling, reasonably priced quality prod-uct that virtually guarantees some degree of step-up sales down the road. Sounds like a winner, no?
MMR recently spoke with a few of the big names in this sub-category of guitar amplification to get their thoughts on the upsides – for players, deal-ers, and suppliers – of lunchbox amps, as well as any potential downsides and future trends.
“Typically a lunchbox head is all about tone
over volume… They’re the amp of choice for
tone-monsters.” – Tim Marshall, Yorkville Sound
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APRIL 2013 MMR 33
Tim MarshallMarketing ManagerYorkville Sound
Our first real “lunchbox” amp was the Traynor DarkHorse (DH15H), which launched in the fall of 2009. The bigger
40-watt IronHorse (DH40H) followed in the summer of 2010. The most unique product we offer is the 25 watt solid-state DH25H “Stompbox” amp that we call the
QuarterHorse, which also came out in Fall 2009. It was a completely unique de-sign, and an interesting product opportu-nity that just appeared in our design lab with one of our younger and more inno-vative engineers.
In the case of our QuarterHorse, they’re selling to anyone who owns a head and cabinet of any description that’s looking for a back-up “head,” or a really quick convenient rehearsal amp. It’s a 25-watt two-channel head with reverb & effects that will literally fit in your gig bag and can be a lifesaver. For the rest of the more traditional heads, they’re selling to anyone and everyone that realizes they don’t need huge power anymore – play-ers who want great tone and more man-ageable stage volumes, people who don’t have room in the rehearsal hall, studio or
ride to the gig for a 4x12 and a full-sized head. Typically a lunchbox head is all about tone over volume, as well. They’re the amp of choice for tone-monsters.
I don’t think there is a downside to lunchbox heads. They’re typically affordable, so they have a wider sales opportu-nity than a much higher priced traditional 50 or 100-watt head. They fit an obvious niche with players looking for tone with more controlled volume for stage or stu-dio. But they don’t fill all needs either. I think they’re an entry point into the mar-ket for some players to build brand loyalty before they do step up to the 50 or 100-watt heads that we offer – if they do find they need the volume. I think there are a lot of players who own both a traditional head and a lunchbox head for different ap-plications, but truthfully I think they sell to a consumer who in a lot of cases wouldn’t be buying any head if it wasn’t for the com-pelling story (features, price, size, tone) that the lunchbox amps provide.
There are more and more manufac-turers venturing into this market. Some companies like Hughes & Kettner are in-troducing combo versions of the lunchbox heads. That seems like a great idea – of-fering the same feature sets and benefits of a small head in a combo for people who just aren’t going to go and buy a cab, too.
I think you’ll see more companies skewing the designs to favor the home re-cording market – much like the Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister product with the XLR direct out and power soaks that al-low silent direct recording with the tube tone. There are so many home record-ing guys out there who are dying for bet-ter tone options than plug-ins or model-ing products, but who are in apartments, bedroom studios or have kids sleeping
somewhere else in the house when they want to record. Amps that fill that market are going to be the big winners. We already see that distribut-ing the TubeMeister product in North America.
Alex AuxierMarketing/US Artist RelationsOrange Music Electronic Co. Ltd.
Orange released what many consider the first “lunchbox” amplifier (I person-ally hate that word, by the way), the Tiny
Terror guitar head, in 2005. It was a total game-chang-er for us. We’ve expanded the line into combos, dual channel heads, and bass heads. We even used the Ter-
ror range to launch our first-ever signa-ture amp, a guitar head endorsed by Jim Root of Slipknot and Stone Sour fame.
If you make a low wattage, more cost-effective head (that still shreds), why wouldn’t people buy it? The reason I hate using the word “lunchbox” when referring to these amps is the connotation. If you add the word “lunchbox” to any product, you’re automatically debasing it because you’re equating it with something gim-micky. Instead of thinking of it as a gim-mick, players are beginning to understand that just because an amp isn’t $1,000 or more and can be carried onto a plane, that doesn’t mean it isn’t an amp you can gig and record with full-time. I put Ryan Waters (Sade) out on a two-year arena tour with only a Dual Terror and a PPC410 cab and he found every tone he needed in that package. He also didn’t have to change the tubes even once. Although if he had needed to, it would have been as simple as
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taking out some screws and putting new tubes in since our Terror amps don’t need to be re-biased.
Our Terror range often becomes a “gateway drug” for guitar players. There’s no question that they lead to fu-ture purchases. If I’m a dealer, I seize the opportunity. Not every amp manu-facturer is making a full range of amps, from solid-state practice combos to 30-watt hybrid heads to 200-watt all-tube multi-channel beasts. Those manufac-turers that are can stay profitable, and
even grow, in a recession. Orange has succeeded in accomplishing growth. We owe that all to our dealers seizing their opportunity.
The trend is that everyone is build-ing [these types of amps] now. Seriously though, a couple of manufacturers have begun to include digital modeling and USB outputs. I don’t think that’s a bad idea at all. I’m not excited about the tone you get from those amps, though. If Orange ever did something like that it would have to be done extremely well.
Our fan base isn’t really into digital mod-eling. They’re buying our smaller amps because they want true tube tone.
One day, in the near (nearer than we’d like) future, a band will consist of only five dudes standing on stage with sticks that they “think really hard to-wards” in order to generate noise. In al-most all of the collective world’s endeav-ors throughout the entirety of history, we have tried to make things smaller. Why stop now?
“There’s no question that they lead to future purchases.
If I’m a dealer, I seize the opportunity.” – Alex Auxier, Orange Music Electronic Co. Ltd.
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Spotlight.indd 34 3/25/13 2:26 PM
APRIL 2013 MMR 35
Loren MolinareProduct ManagerBlackstar U.S.
Our popular HT-1 and HT-5 tube
amp series have been around for a few years, now (HT-5 launched in 2009 and
HT-1 launched in 2010). First start-ing with the award-winning HT-5 series, then as the even more com-pact 1-Watt, HT-1 series.
In this particu-lar case, we’re offering high quality tube tone in a compact, portable practice amp that sits at a great price point for begin-ners. In fact, you can also use it to re-cord direct or recording at low volume, so these types of amps offer versatility, and they won’t break your back or your wallet.
The goal, of course, is that when gui-tarists are ready to step up to playing larger gigs and they need more power, they will have had a good experience with their practice amp and will hopeful-
ly stay within the same brand of amps. But don’t forget that sometimes
established guitarists are in the mar-ket for a smaller practice amp because the notion of carrying around their 60 or 100 watt amp from the studio to gigs and back home isn’t appeal-ing, so those guys are also “stepping down” to these lunchbox amps. It sometimes works both ways, especially with Blackstar, since the design of the HT5R and HT1R helps them to sound like miniature versions of the higher wattage models with lots of gain and massive tone.
Since we just launched our Ltd. Edition Arctic White versions of these amps, we’re hoping this trend continues for a while! But seriously, I think there’s always a market for this type of product, espe-cially amongst younger players who are living in a world where the size of ev-erything is shrinking – from computers to video cameras and music players – so they are not of the mindset that you need to have a full amp stack behind you at all times to sound good.
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Frank FaccioloElectronics Merchandiser/ Asst Acoustic Guitar MerchandiserIbanez/Hoshino USA
Ibanez got involved with lunchbox amps in 2011. We saw a trend of people moving towards smaller and smaller amps. At the same time we were looking for a way to incorporate our legendary Tube Screamer circuit into our amp line. The two came to-gether perfectly and the TSA15H was born.
I think two different groups of people are buying. Due to the general price points these amps live in, they make great amps for young people looking to step out of the DSP realm and into a tube amp. The other [group is made up of] working musicians
who are looking for something small they can practice and also record with. I think con-sumers are smarter than ever due to the amount of in-formation available
to them through the Internet. The days of people buying 100-watt stacks to play in their room or in small clubs are over. They realize now there is no point in using a 100- watt amp if you can only turn it to 3. Lunchbox amps pack plenty of volume for most people’s needs and sound great be-cause they force you to turn them up result-ing in that real tube sound.
In case of the working musician I feel these amps just provide additional busi-ness. With the younger generation, though, I feel it should definitely lead to future set-up business. One downside, if you can real-ly call it that, is you can only pack so many features into these small boxes. This limits the functionality of these amps, which is a good thing for some and a bad thing for others. Those looking for more will step up to the next level when ready.
You are starting to see companies add DSP effects. I expect to see more hybrids in the future to meet the needs of the younger generation. I don’t see this cat-egory going anywhere anytime soon be-cause they are so practical. They address needs that musicians of all levels have.
“ The days of people buying 100 watt stacks to play in their room or in small clubs are over… there is no point in using a 100 watt amp if you can only turn it to 3.” – Frank Facciolo, Ibanez/Hoshino USA
TRENDSETTERwww.orangeamps.com
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APRIL 2013 MMR 37
Armando VegaProduct Manager – GuitarsYamaha Corporation of America
Yamaha Guitars launched the THR Series of amplifiers at Winter NAMM 2012, which was our official entry into
the “micro” ampli-fier market.
Most music gear enthusiasts know that Yamaha is fully capable of designing a guitar modeling amplifier and effects proces-
sor that sounds great with tons of cutting edge technology. That is pretty much a no-brainer, and the THR line of ampli-fiers is no exception. But what truly sepa-rates these amps from all the current mi-cro amps are the following:
1. Hi-fi Stereo Playback that per-
fectly blends music/audio with your guitar sounds (via USB or Aux) in play-along mode or for just listening and enjoying music
2. “Near Zero” latency from an ex-
ceptional Guitar Recording In-terface (Cubase AI6 DAW soft-ware included)
3. A Modern Retro Aesthetic: this amp looks so cool that you never have to put it away, it doesn’t look like a mini-version of your live amp rig, and it looks perfectly fine in a bedroom, office, living room, dorm room, kitchen, etc.
4. The ability to Slow Down Audio for the purpose of learning com-plicated passages in play-along mode (via THR Sessions App)
We find that our customers
vary from the student/novice to the working professional touring musician. Especially now that we have the new models that are helping to expand our customer base: THR10X (high-gain modern), THR10C (classic hand-wired boutique), THR5A (acoustic mic modeling).
I would have to say the only limita-tions that come to mind [with these types of amps] are channel-switching possibilities when the amp is taken into
“I believe that this category still has a lot of room to grow,
in years to come.” – Armando Vega,
Yamaha Corporation of America
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38 MMR APRIL 2013
the performance environment. A lot of THR enthusiasts are so thrilled with the sounds they are getting from these units at home that they want to translate that into the live arena. Which is interesting because this unit was originally designed to go everywhere you go, except the con-cert stage. Not a bad problem to have… especially for the future development of this amplifier line.
The THR amps will definitely lead to step-up opportunities and repeat busi-ness. No bones about it, this product is
a useful tool that helps you improve as a guitarist (acoustic players and bassists included) and inspires you to play more. That is good for the guitar business through and through.
What we are still seeing is the further creation of miniature versions of the usu-al live rigs… this is not really our direc-tion. Also pricing can be a bit of chal-lenge in the micro amp market – some of these other small amps don’t really carry a smaller price. This is thing that rules about the THR series – they’re an amaz-
ing product that doesn’t completely crush your gear budget.
I believe that this category still has a lot of room to grow, in years to come. Compact multi-tasking solutions are a huge part of the world we live in; this will translate into amp strategies as well. For active gigging/touring musicians, the perfect situation would be to have a killer realistic sounding interface that you can plug into any PA and get all your studio sounds, without the need for huge speaker cabinets, all in one universal lightweight package. I think we could all be a few steps closer to this dream.
Price HarrisonP3 Amplifiers
We introduced our “Squarehead” 8-watt amp in 2012. It is a hand-wired, point-to-point recording amp that has a
line out if you want to run bass or keys through a tube de-vice before going in to a DAW. [P3 also offers the Sonic Ac-tion 20-watt head, which fits within the broad param-
eters of the “lunchbox” category –Ed.]I suppose size is the big attraction. If
you don’t need the power our little amp delivers a super analog circuit path. Mostly guitarists who record at home [are interested in our Squarehead amp].
There are no limitations, really. You can use the Squarehead as a super high qual-ity front end to a power amp. It is defi-nitely a “gateway” to a bigger P3 amp!
The trend I would like to see is more US manufactured hand-wired amps that are designed to be repaired infinitely. Most of the mass produced amps sound terrible.
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Spotlight.indd 38 3/25/13 2:27 PM
Survey
Deep Roots…Acoustic Stringed Instrument Sales Thrive
This recent poll easily elicited the highest response
rate of any in the past year or so: Nearly 300 MI Retailers
chimed in to share their thoughts on acoustic stringed instru-
ments associated with folk and bluegrass.
This was also one of the more “positive” surveys in recent memory with nearly 90 percent of respondents reporting that sales within this category are either up or level. Other trends that emerged include: an increase in interest for these type of instruments amongst younger customers and female players; a general speculation that, while still going strong, the “ukulele craze” may have reached a critical mass (or at least begun to slow down); and that the banjo is becoming a hot item.
There’s a lot to sink your teeth into here, so read on…
“I wonder if the bluegrass market – except for large urban areas – isn’t saturated…”
John Diffley, Diffley Guitar StudioStewartville, Minn.
“Gretsch ukuleles are GREAT sellers, Kala is always good, and Gold Tone banjos are hot sellers...”
Stu Herreid, The Strum ShopRoseville, Calif.
Sales of fretted instruments specific to the folk, bluegrass, and related genres are…?
Up: 68%
Down: 12%
Level: 20%
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Fretted Survey.indd 40 3/25/13 2:28 PM
APRIL 2013 MMR 41
“I will sell lots of Ukes as long as this trend lasts. In the mean-time, we will continue to stock our more ‘traditional’ strings: mandolin, banjo, fiddle, et cetera.”
Chrystine Mollett, Aeolian HarpAngels Camp, Calif.
What trends have you been noticing with respect to Folk/Bluegrass stringed instruments?
“It’s open to all genders and ages. It’s not a stereotypical genre.”Jason McKay, Keyboard Galleria Music Center
Canyon Country, Calif.
“They put pickups in everything at this point and now tuners, [as well]. Sales in aftermarket preamp systems/pickups (and the install of those systems) is now just about at an end.”
Rusty Olson, RockhausMilwaukee, Wis.
“This is a market that is constantly growing with people [who] want vintage sound and quality without the high pricing that contributed to these vintage instruments. Many people want and seek these independent builders that offer what they are looking for, and what not everyone has.”
Dan Jones, Smoky Mountain GuitarsPigeon Forge, Tenn.
“Folk instruments in general are up. Our store is doing more with banjos, mandolins and, of course, ukuleles. We discovered a really cool niche piece from Gold Tone called the Duciborn. We’ve sold a lot of those.”
Jim Hill, Senseney Music, Inc.Wichita, Kan.
“Banjos and mandolins have started to increase over the past year now and ukes have leveled off or even slightly declined from the big growth we had two years ago.”
Damien Smith, Wardbrodt MusicMadison, Wis.
“The banjo is visible again in mainstream country (Taylor Swift, Old Crow Medicine Show, Mumford and Sons). Steve Martin’s involvement with banjo has [also] been noteworthy (again).”
Steve Miklas, Acoustic Music WorksPittsburg, Pa.
“The new folk/indie bands are getting younger people inter-ested in traditional instruments again.”
Dan Park, Forgotten PlacesEast Aurora, N.Y.
“Trending toward Roots and Americana style. More females [are] picking up banjos, mandolins, ukes, et cetera.”
Gordon Wilcher, Owensboro Music Center, LLCOwensboro, Ky.
“[There is] greater interest from the 20-30 year old age group.”Peter DuBaldo, Dubaldo Music
Manchester, Conn.
“The Deering Goodtime series of banjos continues to sell very well. The fact that they are U.S. made makes them easy to sell.”
Jeff Simons, Watermelon MusicDavis, Calif.
“In-store is competing with [the] ‘lowest pricing’ customers find on the Internet. Yet, people want better quality (which mid-range pricing provides), over lowest pricing likely found for an overseas product found online.”
Candice Stojkov, Music 101Cortland, Ohio
“[There is a] need for good, inexpensive banjos under $200.”Dana Clark, Sweet Music
Oak Creek, Wis.
What price points are doing best?
Low: 49%
Intermediate: 40%
High-end: 11%
What one, specific instrument within this larger category is currently selling best for your business?
Banjo: 10%
Ukulele: 59%
Mandolin: 12%
Violin/Fiddle (traditional or fretted): 9%
Lap Steel: 3.4%
Other: 6.8%
Do you plan to expand or contract your store’s involvement in this category in the coming year?
Expand: 54%
Remain the same: 44%
Contract: 2%
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“Lap Steels and Electric Resonators [are] way up, Banjos and Mandolins rising, Ukuleles dropping quickly thanks to a glutted market.”
John Justen, Eclipse MusicW. St. Paul, Minn.
Strumstick Founder Bob McNally An instrument manufacturer’s take on the success of folk and acoustic instruments
Bob McNally founded the Strum-stick company in 1984, promoting an instrument that he designed for easy mastery. The instrument fea-tures three strings tuned to either D-A-D or G-D-G and, like a ukulele, proved popular with beginners as well as experienced players looking for a simple, dependable voice for music making.
Do you feel like it’s been a good few years for folk instruments in general?
Absolutely. I think the salient phenomenon is the explosion in ukulele playing. Of course, that’s coming on top of 20-plus years of expansion of acoustic music already, going back even longer possibly. The ukulele brought attention to what I call an “informal” side of acoustic music. The Strumstick, along with the ukulele, is an instrument that is focused on bringing people into playing music, and I think both of those instruments’ sales are also generating future customers. Anybody who brings new people in is laying the groundwork for growth in the future.
How has that trend worked for Strumstick?We’ve seen Strumstick orders hold pretty steady and
even slightly increase through the arc of the recession.
What was your goal for the Strumstick origi-nally? How did you think it would fit into this market?
I had taught guitar for a long time and knew first-hand the frustrations that all guitar players experience in their first five or six months. I thought it was a shame that so many people would quit. I’ve even heard Eric Clapton discuss in an interview how he quit guitar after just four or five months, waiting a year before trying again. I thought, “What chance do mortals have, then?”
Do you think the concept of accessibility to music making is the central part of the explo-sion folk and acoustic music?
I think it’s not a coincidence that some of the more immediately accessible instruments are found used in traditional and acoustic music, whether it’s a ukulele or Strumstick or dulcimer – things that are very easy to get results on. So I guess there must be a connection!
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Notable New Products for Fretted Gear in 2013
Electro-Harmonix 45000 Multi-Track Looping Recorder
RS Custom 64 Supreme Guitar
The 45000 Multi-Track Looping Re-corder combines the familiar controls of a multi-track digital recorder with state-of-the-art features. Each loop has four mono tracks and one stereo mixdown track. Recording, which is non-com-pressed, 44.1 kHz / 16-bit CD quality, is direct to removable SDHC cards with a capacity range of 4 to 32GB. Each card holds up to 100 in-dividual loops ac-cessed with the op-tional 45000 Foot Controller. Re-
cording can be done by overdubbing or punch in/out. Stereo In and Out jacks are provided and the 45000 records in either stereo or mono. Quantize and non-quantize (free running) record-ing modes are supported. Loop speed is adjustable over a two octave range, and reverse recording and playback are
also possible. A built-in metronome goes to a separate Monitor Out for extra convenience and a Headphone Out is also included. Retail price: $634.94.
www.ehx.com
Nashville’s Custom Red Special Guitars are handcrafted using the same designs used to build the ‘60s models they repro-duce. The 64 Supreme is built using cus-tom-made Block board with Oak inserts layered to enclose the inner chambers of the guitar. It’s covered with select fine one-
piece Mahogany Veneers, while the body is bound front and back with white bind-ing. The Classic Red finish changes colors in the light from a deep red to a washed out brown . The neck on the guitar is a short sale 24” with a zero fret and pearl inlay dots. The headstock is topped with locking tuners with pearl buttons. Each fret board is finished in a high gloss 2-part finish, with epoxied frets. Neck and body are joined at the 20th fret in a pocket that runs all the way to the bridge pickup where it is screwed in place with two wood screws and a single bolt running through the body, exposed on the back of the gui-tar. The pickups are correct reproductions of the modified Burns Tri-Sonic Pickups from the original, made in the U.K. A 6-position pickup switch allows players to use one pickup or all three at the same time without each pickup having a phase reversal selector switch. The tremolo is a reproduction of the original design with
motorcycle valve springs and its arm is made of brass and stainless steel. Limited lifetime warranty included. Custom colors and maple tops also available.www.rscustomguitars.com
Capturing Couture Kids’ Guitar StrapsFrom girly glam to urban chic, there’s a pattern for any style and personal-ity. For young girls, Capturing Cou-ture offers Organza straps, available in cobalt blue, hot pink, red and sweet pink, and Sparkle straps, avail-able in black, gold, blue, hot pink, turquoise, and red. On the other hand, The Reaper and Racer Check designs can help any little rocker feel
like the next rock ‘n’ roll icon. Me-ticulously con-structed in the USA and crafted for comfort and quality, Cap-turing Couture Guitar Straps for kids feature
a strong Nylon webbing base, plush velvet-lined surface for added com-fort, neoprene shoulder padding, custom embossed leather ends, and shiny nickel-finish hardware. Each strap is two inches wide and adjusts from 35 inches to 46 inches with ad-justable features for preferred posi-tioning. Retail price: $49-$79.www.capturingcouture.com
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APRIL 2013 MMR 45
Chandler Limited GAV18T Guitar Amplifier
Chandler Limited’s GAV19T Guitar Amplifier is a cathode-biased, class A, all-tube, 19-watt guitar amp designed in the vein of classic English amplifi-ers and a big, vintage sound. Chandler Limited will also offer guitarists a se-lection of loudspeaker enclosures opti-
mized for use with the GAV19T Guitar Amplifier.
The GAV19T incorporates its over-drive and tone circuitry directly within the power section. This design enables the GAV19T to be highly overdriven while still maintaining the amplifier’s classic
tone. The drive portion of the GAV19T is a boost / overdrive circuit that works only on the power section of the ampli-fier. As a result, instead of adding preamp gain and distortion to achieve the over-drive effect, the GAV19T uses the power amp. The Drive has two controls – the
amount of boost and the tone of the boost. Selections include Treble Boost, Full Range, Aggressive, Mids, or Bypass.
Tone can be se-lected as either Nor-mal or Intense. The tone control section of the new GAV19T Guitar Amplifier
has a Baxendall tone stack that uses an ECC803 tube. The GAV19T’s Bias con-trol affects only the bias of the preamp tube – enabling the guitarist to gently tweak its overall tone independently of the power section. Retail price: $2,385.00. www.chandlerlimited.com
Gretsch 130th Anniversary Hollow Body GuitarTo commemorate Gretsch’s 130th anniversary, the Gretsch Cus-tom Shop introduces the new U.S. Custom Shop 130th Anniversary Hollow Body guitar. Its 2½”-deep single- cutaway three-ply maple body has a 15½” lower bout, arched top and back, and trestle bracing. The guitar is a striking beauty with its two-tone gloss nitrocellu-lose lacquer finish in Me-tallic Gold on the top and Black on the back and sides, with multiple silver- sparkle bindings. The three-piece maple neck has a 12”-radius ebony fingerboard with 22 medium vintage frets, mother-of-pearl Neo-Clas-sic™ “thumb-nail” inlays and polished alumi-num nut; and a mother-of-pearl Gretsch 130th An-niversary headstock logo. Other premium features include dual TV Jones® Filter’Tron™ Clas-sic pickups, a black pickguard with 130th Anniversary logo, “G” Arrow control knobs and chrome hard-ware, an Adjusto-Matic™ bridge with pinned ebony base and Bigs-by® B6C tailpiece, and Gotoh® open-back tuners. The guitar comes in a deluxe black faux-alligator skin TKL hard-shell case with a Gretsch 130th Anniversary leather strap, embroidered utility bag and certificate of authenticity signed by Gretsch Custom Shop Senior Mas-ter Builder Stephen Stern.www.gretschguitars.com
Mick’s Picks Model 8 Luthier’s Tool ChestThe Model 8 Luthier’s Tool Chest is an all-wood, eight-drawer tool chest styled in the tradition of machinists’ tool boxes of yesteryear. Stored in the upper section is a wooden cradle that quickly attaches to the top of the cabinet and holds instru-ments in the perfect position for re-stringing, polishing, repairs, set-ups, et cetera. The custom cradle features high quality, non-marking, and non-slip safety pads to securely hold an instrument throughout a project. The cradle position adjusts to accommodate all sized in-struments from mandolins and ukulele’s to acoustic & electric bass guitars. The as-sembled chest is the perfect height for working on an instrument while standing
(when placed on a table) or sitting (when placed on the floor). The overall dimen-sions are 20” long x 10-1/2” deep x 16” tall, weighing 20 pounds. Retail price: $259.95www.mickspicks.com
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Traynor Small Block Bass Amp Line Traynor’s new Small Block Series are load-ed with essential features including Active and Passive level instrument inputs, XLR DI output, a versatile four band EQ with an additional low frequency expander, so a player can dial in any tone quickly and easily. The Low Frequency Expander al-lows the player to finely tune the bottom end response of any Small Block Series head or combo. A top mounted ¼-inch Auxiliary Input allows source material to
be blended with bass making the Small Block a perfect rehears-al amp. Con-venient ¼-inch headphone out is provided for private practice
Other features include a 4-band EQ w/ Low Frequency Expander, Active and Passive Instrument Level Inputs, XLR Balanced D.I Output Switchable Pre / Post, ¼-inch Headphone Output, ¼-inch Auxiliary Input, All Metal Chassis, and Solid Plywood Cabinet Construction.
Retail price: $569 (SB110), $629 (SB112), $699 (SB115).www.yorkville.com
Schecter Guitar Kenny Hickey Signature Series GuitarKenny Hickey’s well defined baritone sound was the heart of Type O Negative, while the bite of his tone found with Sev-enth Void and his touring stints with Dan-zig proved that regardless of the set-up, his tone was an organic extension. His Schecter Kenny Hickey Signature C-1 EX will allow play-ers to harness the tools of his sound and maybe even conjure some “green light” spirits up.
Features included Set Neck w/ Ultra Access Contstruction, Mahoga-ny Body, 3-pc Mahogany neck, 26.5” scale, Rose-wood fingerboard, Graph Tech Black TUSQ nut, 24 X-Jumbo frets, Green block inlays, Seymour Duncan JB (SH-4) / Sustainiac pickups. $1,399.www.schecterguitars.com
Fender ’57 BandmasterHailed as one of the true holy-grail amps among guitarists and collectors, vintage examples of the ’57 Bandmaster are rare and highly sought after. The new ‘57 Bandmaster amp now joins the com-pany’s Custom series, with all-tube hand-wired circuitry and premium compo-nents. It’s faithfully reproduced the clas-sic 5E7 circuit, which pumps about 26 watts through three 10” alnico-magnet speakers, and Jensen’s P10R-F driver (a Fender exclusive) is voiced for warm, sen-sitive response. The Bandmaster amp’s harmonically rich clean tones are per-fect for vintage rock, blues and country styles, and its naturally touch-sensitive overdrive tone sounds electrifying – es-pecially when cranked up.www.fender.com
Boss Multi Overtone MO-2Powered by Multi-Dimensional Pro-cessing technology (MDP), the MO-2 Multi Overtone uses a guitar’s harmonic characteristics to create a wide range of extraordinary new sounds. This next-generation BOSS compact pedal with innovative Multi-Dimensional Processing is realized with proprietary technology and cus-tom DSP. It’s designed to work well with both clean and distorted guitar tones and bass guitar, and is ultra-responsive to volume changes and playing dynamics. The pedal works in three different sound modes for wide range of tonal adjustment with simple control, with both mono or stereo output
Roland’s innovative Multi-Dimen-sional Processing (MDP) analyzes audio signals in many dimensions and applies ideal effects to each. By giving differ-ent dynamic changes relative to the in-put signal in real-time, MDP can cre-ate bold, all-new sounds. Retail price: $259.50www.bossus.com
The Warwick LWA 1000 Lightweight AmpWarwick’s lightweight LWA 1000 is equipped with two individual channels
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Fretted Products.indd 46 3/25/13 2:39 PM
APRIL 2013 MMR 47
with a separate 4-band EQ and com-pressor, an effects loop, as well as DI and Tuner outputs, weighing only about six pounds. The amp is 1000 watts at 4 ohms and 500 watts at 8 ohms, with a Class A Low Noise preamp. Its two channels have individual mute switches and +/-
12dB over each channels 4-band EQ. Other features include an FX Loop, tun-er output, line level output, DI out with Ground Lift switch, selectable pre/post EQ+COMP+FX functionality on DI out, Neutrik speakON speaker output, and an Aux In. Additionally, the amp has a headphone out jack, and temperature-dependant fan. Retail price: $1,199.www.warwickbass.com
Tech 21’s Private Stock Blonde DeluxeTech 21 is issuing a deluxe version of their popular Blonde pedal from the SansAmp Character Series through their Private Stock division. The SansAmp Blonde Deluxe features a combination of an all-analog signal path and convenient digi-tal recall. Changes can easily be made on the fly by turning the knobs, double clicking on a footswitch and saving it in that channel. Users can tailor and pro-gram any six sounds, from sparkly clean to lead boosted tones.
The Character control offers the ability to travel from the ‘50s Fullerton through the tweed, blonde, blackface, and silverface family of amp styles. Dual inputs allow users to have two instru-ments on-line and ready to go. With six program locations, users can create three custom tones for each input or use all six for a single instrument.
There are four independent, pop-free footswitch actuators and the same con-trols as its sibling – Drive, Character, Low, Mid, High and Level. The Sans-Amp Blonde Deluxe can be used as a pre-amp or stomp box with any amp/combo, power amp and speaker cabinet,
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or direct into any mixing console.There’s a ¼-inch instrument level in-
put, as well as ¼” and XLR outputs with selectable levels, and an effects loop. The SansAmp Blonde Deluxe is phantom power operable, or utilizes an optional 9V DC power supply (Tech 21 Model #DC2), or 9V battery.www.tech21nyc.com
Kala Resonator Ukulele Kala Brand Music has blended the worlds of blues and bluegrass tone with ukulele mellow in the 2013 Kala Reso-nator Ukulele. An aluminum continental resonator cone has been crafted into a
figured mahogany body resulting in a distinctive voice and appearance. The Kala Resonator is available in two colors, Natural Mahogany and Sunburst. Both colors come in both concert and tenor sizes. Other fea-tures include a rosewood fingerboard, mahogany neck, satin finish, brass covered cone plated with
polished silver-nickel, open geared tuners with black buttons, and a custom Kala headstock logo and tailpiece cover. The resonator models are strung with Aquila Nyglut Strings. All models are set up and tested by Kala’s custom shop team. Re-tail price: $379 (concert size), $409.99 (tenor).www.kalabrand.com
G&L Jerry Cantrell Superhawk Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell bought his first G&L Rampage while working at a Dallas music store, and he still plays them today. He just recently learned of the G&L Su-perhawk, though, simi-lar to the Rampage but equipped with twin hum-buckers. G&L has now launched the G&L Su-perhawk Jerry Cantrell Signature Model, avail-able in two USA-made versions.
The Superhawk starts out with the same soft maple body and fast-play-ing maple neck with ebo-
ny fingerboard as the Rampage, as well as the Rampage’s Seymour Duncan JB pickup in the bridge position. This guitar adds a Seymour Duncan ’59 in the neck position as well as a three-position pick-up selector and tone control with push/pull coil split. The Rampage’s Kahler vi-brato is swapped for a G&L Saddle Lock hardtail bridge for improved comfort, stronger sustain, and rock-solid tuning stability. The Superhawk Deluxe adds a premium flamed maple top to the soft maple body with a choice of Blueburst or Blackburst finishes and chrome hard-ware for contrast. Retail price: $2,265 (G&L USA Superhawk Jerry Cantrell Signature Model), $2,665 (Deluxe).www.glguitars.com
Levy’s Distressed Leather Guitar StrapLevy’s new distressed leath-er guitar strap feels like it’s been used for a hundred years and promises to last a hundred more. Each strap is a 2½” wide cut of distressed carving leather, fin-ished with a burnished edge, and em-
WWW.BENEDETTOGUITARS.COM
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bossed with a tribal design. Simple, styl-ish, and comfortable. Pictured is model M17DT10 available in dark brown only.www.levysleathers.com
II:XX Alpha and Omega Modular Guitar StandsThis system itself consists of three prod-uct lines – the Alpha single guitar stand, the Omega multi stand rail, and the Al-pha head modules.
The Alpha stand system and head module uses the II:XX’s LOC-BRIDGE design to fully secure guitars and bass guitars and prevent them from tipping forward or sideways out of the guitar stand. The Alpha stand uses the weight
of the guitar or bass to actuate the spring-loaded cradle, which secures at the waist of the instrument. The design is self-au-tomated and once the guitar is lifted, the Alpha stand releases and remains in the open position. The Alpha stand is com-patible for both solid body and acoustic guitars. Acoustic guitar stands are avail-able or can be retrofitted by using re-placement adapters.
The Omega Stand is a multi-stand rail system which comes in lengths of 14” (holds two guitars) and 24” (which holds four guitars). The rails can also be coupled together to hold up to six guitars. The model’s compatible head module de-sign allows heads to be removed from the Alpha stand and added to the rail system, letting the player to customize his or her multi-stand set-up with lateral adjustabil-ity to customize distance between instru-ments. To further customize the Omega stand, additional head modules are sold separately in both solid body or acoustic modules. Retail price: $99 (Alpha stand), $75 (Omega rail system).www.iixxstands.com
Graph Tech Ratio Tuned Machine Heads With Graph Tech’s new Ratio-Tuned Machine Heads, all strings respond equally to any winding adjustments, tak-ing into account each string’s gauge. A half turn equals one semitone change
on all strings, making the tuning pro-cess easier and quicker. Ratio is the first and only machine head to incorporate the string gauge into the tuning equa-tion. Graph Tech believes Ratio -Tuned Machine Heads has reinvented how ma-chine heads function with the musician.
Ratio machine heads fit most major acoustic and electric models in both a 3 + 3 and 6-in-line head-stock configurations.
Players can choose from popular button styles (Standard, contemporary, vintage or contemporary mini) all with durable triple-plated finishes including chrome, gold, black, or nickel. Ratio gears are made from hardened steel to precision tune for years and years. Retail price: $99, $110 with gold finish.www.graphtech.com
AER Compact 60/3 Acoustic AmpAudio Electric Research’s Compact-60/3 features a smaller and lighter cabinet (12
SHUBBNew for 2013...
Roller replaces delrin cap: • smoother action • superior geometry • reduced wear
Rounded corners are softer to the touch.
Contoured lever is easier to use.
[email protected] • www.shubb.com707-843-4068
Our most popular capo — the standard C1 — now sports the design features of our deluxe models!
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mm Finnish birch plywood), represent-ing 15 percent reduction in weight from previous generations of the Compact 60 while offering the same performance. This newest version also boasts a slight
voicing-modification to the overtones, resulting in an im-proved response to modern percussive playing styles. Final-ly, the gig bag includ-ed with the version 3
is now sleeker, offering a more profes-sional look. The ultra-portable amp still offers the same reproduction of acoustic instruments as always. www.aer-amps.com
Cordoba 30 Series UkulelesAvailable in four wood combinations, the 30T, 32T, 35T, and 35T S models will hit stores in the first quarter of 2013. Breaking away from the traditional Portuguese build and ornamentation of their other ukuleles, Cordoba has adopted luthier Pepe Romero Jr.’s vision of building ukuleles as if they were small guitars by using traditional Spanish methods. The result is a light-
weight tenor ukulele with a deeper and wider body, featuring a Spanish heel neck joint, fan bracing, and a wider fingerboard for easy playability. Entire-ly handmade, the 30 Series are Cordoba’s first ukuleles featuring twelve frets to the body rather than fourteen. This creates greater move-
ment of the soundboard, greater resonance and volume, and a warm, balanced tone. Each model features an abalone rosette, premium all solid woods, Grover tuning machines, and includes a durable Cordoba polyfoam case. Retail price: $499 (30T), $549 (32T), $599 (35T and 35T S).www.cordobaguitars.com
Flex SmartAmpThe Flex SmartAmp encompasses an analog, pure vacuum tube amplifier cir-cuit which can be digitally controlled via iOS to build a vast number of amplifiers. By using specially designed iOS software, the Flex SmartAmp has an intuitive con-trol touch-screen interface. The versatili-ty of Flex SmartAmp is also tour friendly
thanks to its genius design. All of the amp’s designs and presets are stored in the user’s de-vice (an iPad, for example) and can travel in a user’s carry-on luggage, meaning touring musicians will have their sounds and set-tings stored in their smart phone, table or laptop. They can hire a Flex SmartAmp at the destination and the sounds will be ready to go. www.miaudio.com
Peerless Retromatic Guitar The Retromatic’s distinctive headstock, truss-rod cover, and pick guard design makes a bold statement from Peerless. As a crowning touch, the quirky Peerless logo has been die-cast, set, and attached onto the headstock. The 628mm scaled neck is maple, with rosewood fret board, and angled Mother of Pearl inlay, con-sisting of 22 polished frets. Neck width at nut is 43mm, and 57mm at end fret, with black binding to match the headstock,
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giving a sophisticated appearance and a comfortable playing profile.
The Retromatic comes with a variety of options – either a single humbucker or a combination of humbucker and P90 pickups, with or without the 6-way vari-tone. The Peerless branded pickups are designed by Matt Gleeson, of Monty’s Pickups London, and were specifically
created for the Retromatic body shape and its acoustic characteristics. Ivory model shown with aged / black / aged binding. The bridge humbucker is Al-nico II wound at 7.9k / 8.0k to give you that ‘vintage crunch’ when required. The neck is P90 Alnico V wound at 7.1k / 7.3k which provides clarity with plenty of good strong rock.
The laminated maple archtop con-toured body consists of a mahogany sus-tain block and single ‘F’ hole to retain that lively, dynamic vibe while facilitat-ing effortless performance, at high vol-ume. Several retro finishes are available. These include natural, teal green, honey sunburst, ivory, black, gold, and candy apple red, finished off with a combina-tion of either black or aged white/ black binding and nickel hardware. Retail price: $1,050-$1,350.www.peerlessguitars.com
Walden Guitars B-1 and B-1E Walden’s B-1 series – the B-1 and B-1E (Electric) – are based on the Grand Audi-torium body shape, have a 26 ¾” scale, a Sitka Spruce soundboard with Rosewood back and sides, a graphite-reinforced soft C profile neck with bone nut and saddle.
A unique feature is an off-set sound-hole with side port that allows the gui-tarist to experience the full range of the instrument while allowing space for its baritone specific bracing pattern. The B-1E comes with a Fishman Prefix Pro system with 3-band EQ, brilliance, notch and phase adjustments to
customize the sound to accommodate a wide range of musical settings. Both the B-1 and B-1E will come standard with a Walden hardshell case. Retail price: $1,099 (B-1), $1,429 (B-1E).www.waldenguitars.com
Fender Competition Series Effects PedalsFender’s new Competition series pedals are a new line of effects pedals designed and built to provide “inspirational tones in a reliable package at an astounding value.”
The Fender Dis-tortion pedal drives tube or solid-state amps into thick dis-tortion and singing sustain, designed to evoke the edgy hard-rock tones of the ’70s and ’80s. It’s re-sponsive enough that a guitar’s volume control can be adjusted to the exact amount of distortion desired, from ag-gressive crunch to full-on saturation.
The Fender Drive pedal creates a warm overdrive reminiscent of classic ’60s and
The Kyser® Quick-Change® is built to last. It is still handmade like it has been for the past 20 years by our expert engineers
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’70s rock and blues tones. It can be used to push tube or solid-state amps, creating har-monically rich crunch and sustain.
The Fender Chorus pedal will add sparkle to clean open chords, animate strummed passages, and thicken distort-ed power chords. Users can get just the right amount of chorus desired, cleanly and quietly. Operates in mono or with stereo outputs. The Fender Delay pedal creates richly resonating echo effects from short slap-back rockabilly sounds to longer repeating echo. Dedicated de-lay time, feedback and level controls give users complete command of a sound’s spatial characteristics. Operates in mono or with stereo outputs for two-amplifier setups.www.fender.com
Benedetto Bambino Elite GuitarOne of the custom archtop jazz guitars made from Benedetto Guitars, the Bam-bino Elite model is a Carved Archtop: 14 ½” lower bout, 2 ¼” body depth, Floren-tine cutaway. Features select quilted ma-
ple back and sides, maple neck with burl faceplate, select spruce top with custom floral soundholes (a la the Benedetto La Cremona Azzurra blue guitar made for the late Scott Chinery), koa binding, and custom ‘diamond’ inlays. Custom made for Dr. Jack Harris. Photo by Stephanie Ward. Retail price: $15,000.www.benedettoguitars.com
TKL’s Black Belt Series for OM and OOO ModelsRecognizing the surging popularity of acoustic guitars in the OM/OOO size, TKL is adding a Black Belt ® bag in their 4600 and 4700 series to offer a pre-cision fit for these instruments. TKL’s Black Belt series offers a combination of aggressive pricing with substantial fea-tures and protection. The Black Belt se-ries offers musicians many alternatives, with several levels of protective padding,
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and numerous specific instrument sizes, each offering a precision fit for their instruments. The addition of the Black Belt 4605 and 4705 adds to the already extensive offerings of the series.
The Black Belt 4600 series includes 16 choices, including eight for various sizes and types of guitar, four for uku-leles, two for banjos, as well as options for mandolin and bass. Every bag in the series comes with a rugged 600D black/
grey nylon exterior, soft 420D nylon lin-ing, 12mm of padding, and dual detach-able shoulder straps.
The Black Belt 4700 series includes 10 choices for various sizes and types of guitar, including expanded choices for electric guitars, as well as options for bass and mandolin. Every bag in the 4700 se-ries comes with the same tough yet flex-ible exterior as the 4600, a soft brushed tricot lining, and 15mm of padding, in addition to the dual detachable shoulder straps. Retail price: www.tkl.com
THING 3D Guitar Sculptures by John HoytThing 3-D Studios presents new pieces by artist John Hoyt, who is also a guitar-ist and co-founder of underground hard rock bands Contact and Thing. The art-works are wall-mounted guitars adorned with various sci-fi inspired elements, some tamer than others though they all “still approach that edge of insan-ity.” Most of the guitars are permanently mounted on the artwork, but customers’ own guitars can also be immortalized by Hoyt. At request, the artwork can serve as a “docking station” and still be easily removable for use. www.JohnHoytArt.com and www.JohnHoytGuitars.com
New Wall Mount System for McNally StrumstickMcNally Instruments, makers of The Strumstick®, introduce this new mag-
netic wall hanging system. The system securely holds the Strumstick out from the wall, held safely in place. A gentle pull releases the in-strument for playing, and it snaps back into place with a satisfying “click.”
The Strumstick is designed for complete beginners as well as expert musicians and built to provides a spontane-ous outlet for musical expres-
sion. The new mount system is in keeping with that spirit. The Strumstick is designed to give beginners an immedi-ate experience of success – it makes sense to have the in-strument hanging ready for instant use in home or stu-dio. The system can be easily retrofitted for customers who already own a Strumstick. Retail price: $60. www.strumstick.com
Often Imitated, Never Duplicated!Accept only Authentic, Certified Floyd Rose Tremolos and Parts.
Floyd Rose is a Division of AP International. For more info, call 732-919-6200 or visit www.apintl.com or www.floydrose.com
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What’s new:- Floyd Rose Titanium Tremolo, - All New 8-string Tremolo, - “Low Profile” Pro 6 & 7 string Tremolos, - Upgradable Tungsten and Brass blocks, - Certified Replacement Parts, - Floyd Rose Custom Shoppe
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Amplification
When the economy went south
in 2008, one of the first things to
drop out of the MI sales picture
was the category of high-priced
“boutique” amps. From tiny op-
erations to household names,
everyone selling higher end gear
seemed to take a hit.
That’s why it’s encouraging to see Mitch Colby, a longtime specialist with Korg who worked on Marsall and Vox amps for decades, head off on his own to start up a brand new niche amp compa-ny. Not only does it provide gear-hounds with a fresh new piece of equipment to covet (his dtb50 was already named Vintage Guitar’s “Best Amp of the Year”), but it’s another solid sign of a confidence welling up throughout the industry. Col-by took a moment to meet with MMR during this past winter’s NAMM Show in Anaheim and look back on the path that lead him to stamping his own name on these handsome amps.
Growing up in New York, Colby began tinkering with amps and guitar equipment when he was 13 years old. He never stopped. “Amplifiers are my pas-sion,” he says. “Some people collect gui-tars – I collect amplifiers.”
Introducing Colby AmplificationLongtime Marshall and Vox vet Mitch Colby unveils the first of his boutique amps – the Dual Tone Booster
I just want to make the best amp I can that
musicians would want to play and record with. Something that I could
be really proud of.
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Colby’s first job in the business was in 1978, working as a tester at the old Electro-Harmonix headquarters in New York City,, checking switches and pots on Big Muffs and Memory Man ped-als. Soon after, he moved to a position with Unicord, who were then distribut-ing Marshall in the U.S. He’d been with that outfit – which was bought by Korg in 1985 – for the rest of his career, work-ing up to senior vice president of product development and support. In 2010, after weathering the rough economy and see-ing hits in its higher end amplifier and synthesizer segments, Korg finally went through restructuring. Colby headed out to find a new direction.
“I had been part of a team where you need to make an amp at a certain price so it will sell, so that created certain limita-tions,” says Colby. “When I left Korg, I realized that I had the opportunity to be free to anything, and I’m going to make the amps that I and my friends would want to play.”
For Colby, that meant all top-of-the-line components, hand-wired circuits, hardware built to last, and a general feeling that price would be no object. “Plus it would have a certain tonal fla-vor to it.”
He knew immediately where he was going to go for this sound. Working with British brands like Marsall and Vox, he had gotten used to their way of set-ting up an amp and grew to love those sounds, but he knew his roots lie in the tones of old Fender Blackface and Tweed amplifiers. His mission would be a cre-ate a similar tone but with extra special features, chief among them being dedi-cated EQ controls for both clean and overdrive channels, while including a built-in effects loop. “I wanted to crack the code and include that in the amp,” says Colby.
“I thought, ‘If we can do this, then we really have something.”
Colby took the idea to his friend Jim Weider, a touring guitarist who had worked with Levon Helm and the Band since 1985 and has a studio in Wood-stock, New York. The two workshopped the idea for a year and a half, trying ev-
ery possible combination of capacitors, resistors, and transformers until they felt like they’d come up with the perfect amp. Special attention was paid to the tube selection. “For example, my amp uses five 12AX7s and I’m using four different types in those five slots. Because they all sound different and more appropriate in different functions such as whether it’s a clean channel or an overdrive channel or an effects loop.”
“It was a learning process,” says Colby. “I’d never really delved this deep into amp design, and I think it’s going to make the second amp we design much easier. But I think we really nailed what we were trying to accomplish.”
The amp is indeed a beauty. Aside from its sleek, mod looks, the amp deliv-ers its promise of separate EQ settings, plus two overdrive boosts controllable via footswitch. The tube effects loop works tightly, with no change in tone as players bring effects in and out.
The amp won’t be available every-where you look. In fact, Colby expects an extremely niche audience, expect-ing to eventually only partner with around five retailers. The market (not to mention his one-man workforce) just doesn’t support it. “Before 2008, amps in this price category were selling,” he remembers. “For example, when I was at Marshall, we sold a lot of expensive amps. When 2008 came along and the economy crashed, that was all over. For my small company, that’s okay. I don’t want to sell a ton of amps. I just want to make the best amp I can that mu-sicians would want to play and record with. Something that I could be really proud of.”
And though he does expect business to broaden eventually – he’s planning on a cheaper amp next time around, based on Marshall circuitry and keeping chan-nel and tone-switching to a minimum – Colby has no plans to expand things beyond a personal scope.
“Everything comes to me and I burn it in, tweak it, and make sure everything’s perfect,” he says. “It’s got to be fun. I’m passionate about it and this is what I’m going to do. It’s got to be fun.”
Colby.indd 55 3/25/13 2:42 PM
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Special Report
That pre-war guitar of yours now has a ticket to ride
(with restrictions, of course).
Last month in Bangkok, at the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), 176 nations passed a resolution to establish a “passport” program for instru-ments made with material that today is considered illegal. The program will be effec-tive in June.
This effort, spearheaded by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS), aims to fix an as-pect of the law that members in this industry have sharply criticized. Under the previous conditions, a musician traveling with a pre-CITES instrument – say that pre-World War
Traveling Instruments to Receive Passport Protection The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service responds to MI concerns with a ‘passport’ for pre-CITES instruments, though catches remain...
“ We see this as a positive first step in streamlining required paperwork for musical instruments with CITES-listed materials.” Mary Luehrsen, NAMM
II guitar made with Brazilian rosewood featuring inlays made from tortoise shell – could legally have that instrument con-fiscated by custom agents. Possibly even destroyed. A permitting system has been in place to protect instruments in that sce-nario, but many have complained that the process is convoluted and burdensome to the average traveling musician.
Though no one in the FWS, nor this industry, has been able to cite a single ver-ifiable situation of this scenario happening
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APRIL 2013 MMR 57
or even being a problem for a musician, FWS director Dan Ashe stresses that the new passports will make it easier for musi-cians to protect their instruments.
May I See Your Papers?In the aftermath of the 2009 and 2011
FWS raid on Gibson for obtaining wood in violation of the CITES, some raised their voices against what was perceived as over-reach and even persecution. None were louder than Gibson CEO Henry Juszkie-wicz. While the FWS disputes much of Juszkiewicz’s version of events (and Gibson did settle), Juszkiewicz used the opportu-nity to emphasize a problem in the inter-national rules. To the letter of the law, the scenario of old-guitar-confiscated-and-de-stroyed was possible, if not inevitable.
In an October 2012 MMR feature, and again in an interview for this article, FWS head Dan Ashe reiterated that the agency is not interested in targeting indi-viduals with guitars. He says they don’t have the resources to do so even if they wanted to. Still, the new passport rule is designed to give the traveling guitarist peace of mind.
“This will allow a musician with an instrument that contains regulated prod-ucts to get a passport and go to other countries without needing to get a case-by-case permit,” Ashe says. “This will make it easier to comply with the law.” The current system specifies that, for every journey, a traveler needs to get a brand new export permit going to a country, and a re-export permit to re-turn. Under the new rules, passports, like those issued for personal travel and identification, would be reusable and only require renewal every three years. Branch of Permits chief Tim Van Nor-man expects the renewal process to be simple. “It should be as easy as renewing a driver’s license,” he says.
Mary Luehrsen, NAMM’s direc-tor of public affairs, sees the news as a positive sign of the more cooperative role that the FWS has taken with the music instruments community. “We see this as a positive first step in streamlining required paperwork for musical instru-ments with CITES-listed materials,” she
says. “NAMM will continue to work with FWS and canvass NAMM members for comment and reactions as the passport is implemented.”
While noting that they are just mov-ing forward in making this a reality, Van Norman emphasizes that they are going to make obtaining a passport as easy as
possible. “We’ll have a form available for download on the Internet, and are aiming to process a request and turn it around in about 30 days,” he says. He also adds that plans for an all-electronic process are already on the table.
The traveler would have to provide documentation, manufacturer, and se-
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58 MMR APRIL 2013
rial numbers. When some or none of that information is available or unknown, the FSW will accept documentation from a professional appraiser, just as they do now with other antiques. “Either way, it’ll be a relatively straight-forward pro-cess.”
A Work in ProgressOf course there are exceptions.
Travelers’ passports are only valid in countries that are CITES compliant. Second, the musician still needs to find out if that country has any additional re-
strictions that might require more pa-perwork.
“To be clear, this passport doesn’t mean you can take an instrument all over the world without the possibility of a problem,” Van Norman stresses. “Within CITES, different countries have different rules.” Germany for example, has stricter rules then the U.S., and this agreement is so new that “we aren’t sure how the EU is going to handle it.” Australia has signed it but has some issues with it. “So the musician needs to be aware that the other country might need an additional permit.”
So… how helpful is this program after all?
“We’re still trying to feel out all the implications of it,” Van Norman admits. “The EU was actively involved in the development of passport system. [Coun-tries] want it to work. Even Australia said they were willing to accept the docu-ment. We are very interested in work-ing with musicians and your industry to minimize problems.
“I’m very optimistic that this will work.”
It should be noted that the passport system does not address the concerns of the MI dealer who trades in pre-CITES instruments. Those who are selling to a buyer in another country need to go through the FWS to obtain the proper permits necessary to sell and ship an in-strument oversees. “It’s really no differ-ent from a non-musical instrument that’s made with wildlife product that is now illegal,” says Ed Grace, deputy chief, Of-fice of Law Enforcement. “Selling that antique clock made with ivory requires the same steps as selling that guitar [with pre-CITES material].”
Van Norman adds that the process of getting that permit is relatively straight-forward. “You just submit an application, and we work with you on it.”
“We are not targeting in any way in-dividual owners of instruments,” Ashe restates. “We want people to comply with the law so you don’t have a situation where you might be compromised.”
Since the raids, FWS has made strides to reach out to the MI community – they had a booth at this year’s Winter NAMM Show, for example. They will make infor-mation available on their website (www.fws.gov.) For additional information on the implementation of the passport sys-tem, call the Division of Management Authority at (800) 358-2104.
An FWS wildlife inspector examines an ivory statue. (Bill Butcher/USFWS)
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Tone GenesisA faithful reissue of the 1980 rarity. This palm-sized synth pro-duces randomly changing, pure tones over a 4+ octave range. Rate controls speed. Glide adds portamento. The RTG creates a perpetual soundscape of evolving sounds. Use it alone or with other effects to capture the beauty of the unexpected.
The quintessence of tone! This powerful digital multi-effect begins with the flawless polyphonic tracking of the Micro POG, generating an octave above and below your pitch. Next, the creamy flanging and chorus of the Stereo Electric Mistress weave and undulate the richest modulations. Finally, the Holy Grail Plus wraps you in a silken shroud of luxurious reverb.
Switch on Shimmer to re-route the effects. Now the Grail reverberates the POG’s wet signal, with the Mistress at the end of the chain, adding lush flanging to the reverb tails. Shimmer also transforms the Grail into a digital delay with the POG in its feedback path for inspiring ascending and descending octave effects.
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RogueFundamentalsThe enhanced version of the venerable Bass Big Muff Pi. Switchable 0dB and -10dB input ensures the pedal is equally effective with passive and active pickups. The built-in noise gate eliminates unwanted hum, while the blend control allows you to mix the dry and distorted signals to taste. Foot-switchable crossover activates a variable low pass filter on the dry signal and a high pass filter on the distorted signal. Features Effect, Direct (buffered dry) and XLR DI outputs.
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60 MMR APRIL 2013
WebwiseKevin M. Mitchell
If you think there are too many people in this world blabbing on the
Internet, I am not going to argue with you. But I will tell you that blogging with links is the easiest, best way to increase your
Search Engine Optimization and get that higher ranking on general searches, which is mission critical when someone who has yet to even hear of your store is searching for what you have to offer.
Exactly how a search engine like Google ranks something can be a head-scratcher, especially for commoners like us. And it’s that way on purpose. That’s because within the belly of the beast that is Google, a team of brainiacs (presumably hopped up on Red Bull and listening to Vampire Weekend) are working hard every day to change the algorithm, so nobody can scam the system. About a year ago, Google implemented a “freshness algorithm,” which factors in how recent information is. So having something – anything – new on your site impacts about 35 percent of searches.
I’ve learned this firsthand. After writing this column for six years, I recently finally took my own advice and redid my website. When it was first launched it was fine, but that was eight years ago. I could have done the redesign myself, but I went with a profes-sional, and while I didn’t relish the idea, I knew a blog was essential. And it’s worked. I raised my band’s SEO significantly by doing it – I’ve gone from coming up on page six or seven to the top of page two (and I am determined to get to that coveted first page soon!). I’m getting many more gigs, and it’s because of an easy-to-understand reason: The more
Blogging
Six Simple Ideas to Increase Your SEO and Bring New Customers In
Businessfor
that is happening on your site – the more fluid it is and the more people are clicking on different pages – the more relevant it is deemed it to be. So the good news is your blog doesn’t have to be brilliant. It for sure doesn’t need to be long. But it does need to be laced with keywords that your future customers would typically use to find you.
Search Like Your Customer. Think about the different customers you serve and want to serve, and put together a list of keywords that those who don’t yet know about you might use to search you out. Typical word combinations might be:
“Musical instrument store Chicago”“Beginning classical guitar Chicago”“St. Louis trumpet rental band”“DJ gear St. Louis”If you’re part of a largely populated sub-
urb, realize that instead of “Chicago,” an “Aurora” should likely be part of the mix.
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If you’re a band and orchestra store, on your list of keywords should be the local high schools you serve: “McKinley High.” That list you’re putting together might even include the band director, Ms. Helen Gibbs, as it’s likely that a weary mom is looking into little Jaden’s options at 11:00 at night with a letter from Gibbs in hand. You can anticipate a likelihood that she’s typing in “sax rental McKinley High Gibbs.”
Your list of keywords is going include a selection as rich and varied as you and your store are. It’s okay if words like “heavy metal” and “classical piano” both end up on that list, because you won’t be trying to include all of your keywords in each and every blog. But keep the list handy and it can be used as inspiration for what you may choose to write about.
Link Keywords to Other Sites. If your site never changes, if you don’t give people a reason to visit, sophisticated search engines will judge the site as not being especially relevant and bury you lower in the search rankings. If you’re blogging weekly and it’s just text, that’s helpful, but to maximize attention, cre-ate blogs with links in them.
So a blog by J&B Band and Orchestra might look like this:
From my location in Ellisville, I have to privilege of serving many high school band pro-grams in the St. Louis area. It’s such a treat helping a young girl pick out her first flute, and then years later seeing her in a marching band at the homecoming game playing a John Philip Sousa tune!
Now what exactly do you link these
seemingly random underlined words do, you ask? It almost doesn’t matter. In this case the local Ellisville Chamber of Com-merce page, the high school page, Wiki-pedia’s section on flutes, and a YouTube video of a Sousa performance would work. (Linking to a specific instrument manufacturer’s page is problematic as it
could lead the customer down a road to leaving your page altogether.)
The value of those suggested links is not much – but the links aren’t really for your readers, they are to make it more dy-namic and thus get a higher SEO listing.
Link to Yourself, Too. What benefits your future customer, yourself, and makes the search engines take notice is blogs with links that refer to other parts of your web-site. An example of this might look like:
In thinking about the history of my time in this wonderful com-munity, I’m especially proud of the great team I get to work with. From John in the drum depart-ment, to our fabulous teachers, it’s just a privilege to come to work. The team allows me to put on the special events that we do, and that’s what makes it really fun.
“ Your list of keywords is going include a selection as rich and varied as you and your store are.”
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These links would go to your About Us page; Ellisville; Meet the Staff page; the teacher bio page; Calendar page; and that blog from last year when you wrote about the talent show you held.
Main Blog Topics. The reality is unless your last name is Hilton, Kar-dashian, or Huffington, there really won’t be a ton of people following every word of every blog post you write. Em-brace this fact and use it to take the pres-sure off from trying to be especially deep, witty, and most of all – original.
There should be some main blog top-ics you return to again and again. Every three months you might again address how to buy the right guitar, practice tips for parents, finding the right teacher, ba-sics on taking care of a violin, et cetera. Short of copying and pasting the old blog into the new, you can certainly rewrite and change the wording a bit without changing the meaning or even the links.
So you have permission to plagiarize yourself.
Secondary Blog Topics. An inde-pendent MI retail operation is tied to
the community, and there’s nothing wrong with blogging about that. Write about the upcoming band concert or any upcoming or recent events because the “freshness” (recent) factor gets more points than posting that 1977 picture of Keith Emerson (not that that’s not cool, too).
Also give a shout-out to your band directors and how you’ve enjoyed work-ing with them all these years. This gives you an opportunity to link to that school and maybe even to information about the event. If there’s ever been a feature done on the band director that appeared in the local paper, certainly link to that.
On occasion, you can even give shout-outs to those in the neighborhood – that great breakfast place, gift shop, blues bar, et cetera. And when you do link to them, let them know and maybe they will re-turn the favor at some point.
Final Tips. These have been written about before, but they are worth repeating:
• Write in first person, and keep the tone conversational and fun.
• Keep it short: two to four para-graphs are ideal. If you have a lot
more to say on a more compli-cated topic, like finding the right tube amp, then break it into parts and stretch it out over several posts (always linking to the previ-ous ones of course).
• No matter what your passion is on social or political issues, stay far away from them here.
• Commit to the blog. Don’t let it languish. Nothing is a bigger turn-off then going to a blog and seeing the last update being something from months or even years ago.
If you have the resources, you can hire a team of geniuses to fight the SEO wars every day. I know a guy in my neighborhood who does that, and he has a much bigger house than mine with a Hummer in the driveway. Or you can blog consistently and strategically, load-ing it up with references and links to recent events. This will help those who are seeking the products and services that you provide so well find you, and give them a reason to get out from the front of their computer and drive to your store.
the Straight Truth About Pickups by Jason Lollar
Lollar Pickups PO Box 2450 Vashon Island, WA 98070 (206) 463-9838 www.lollarguitars.com
This was more like the dragon chasing us –over the years it’s been one of our most requested pickup designs. Of course, we had to add our own twists, including sizing it to drop into a standard humbucker route. A2 magnets, cus-tom covers, lot’s of attitude.
Starting with a ‘60s Country Gentleman as a benchmark, we went after the classic rock-a-billy ‘bucker tone, adding some “Lollar” along the way. The neck pickup is warm and buttery, with a clear, present top end. The bridge pickup is fat and honky, with a rich, defined low end. Combined, they sparkle and spank with clarity and punch. They’ll cover ev-erything from “OZ” rock to “Nashville Super Pickers” to “Hot Rods and Hot Babes…” Go Man, Go!
I’ve personally designed over a hundred different pickup models, including most of the vintage classics, some obscure works of art from steel guitars to clavinets, and even a few of my own designs that have never existed in the past.
I invite you to visit our website for sound clips, videos and current product information or feel free to give us a call.
Webwise.indd 62 3/25/13 2:45 PM
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MMR_63 63 3/25/13 3:24:40 PM
Survey
64 MMR APRIL 2013
Do Clothes Make theBrand...?
It may seem – while walking the Show floor in Anaheim, for
example – that branded apparel, with the logo of some guitar- or
cymbal-maker boldly displayed across the chests or foreheads of all
music-minded individuals, is “everywhere.” But how much of that
is reality and how much perception? [And is there a quantifiable
difference between the two? See Sidney Davis’ excellent Editorial
from our March 2013 issue. – Ed.]
The upsides for any business are seemingly obvious – logowear builds and rein-forces brand loyalty and those individuals wearing a t-shirt with your operation’s name displayed, front and center, become “walking billboards.” And yet some people feel (strongly) that branded apparel isn’t a profitable or worthwhile product segment – or, even, that it’s “a pain!”
So how many MI stores are carrying branded clothing and, of those, how many are having success? How are folks displaying and promoting such gear? If a store doesn’t carry these sorts of hats and shirts (and, yes, other – usually more expensive – articles of clothing), why not?
MMR recently surveyed over 200 dealers on the topic. Read on for the results…
Please explain why, or why not?“We discontinued them a number of years ago due to insufficient sales.”
Nick Rail, Nick Rail MusicSanta Barbara, Calif.
“Good turn and margins, SPIF item af-ter sale.”
Jerry Vesely, Vesely Music Co.Parowan, Utah
“We find that most musicians – from beginners to the pro guys – enjoy and will purchase a shirt or hat to proudly display their choice of gear. Also, it’s a great free giveaway when a new cus-tomer purchases an instrument. They feel like they are getting special treat-ment from you and it builds loyality. It’s great for the younger students and at Christmas-time, too! (And it gives the ladies something to shop for and keeps them occupied while their guy shops for a new guitar).”
Jake BiggerstaffStrings Attached Music
West Plains, Mo.
“Helps promote the store, and a love of music.”
Dave Allen, Pfabe’s MusicPainesville, Ohio
Do you carry logo apparel (shirts, hats, etc.) in your store?
Yes: 68%
No: 32%
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APRIL 2013 MMR 65
“It’s a pain. You often do not have the correct size in stock. Plus you often have to meet large minimums on re-orders. Displaying is a problem too.”
Stan Keith, Music MartAlbuquerque, N.M.
“It started years ago as special orders, eventually we began stocking some of the more requested items.”
Kevin Hedley, Uncle Ike’s MusicDubuque, Iowa
“We have tried T-shirts in the past, [but] could not sell enough to make it worth-while.”
Leonard Brunson, Leonard’s Music, LLCSumter, S.C.
If you do offer branded apparel, is it…
Only instrument brand-related: 16%
Only my store/operation’s brand-related: 7%
Both my store’s and instrument makers’-logo apparel: 77%
What percentage of total store sales is accounted for by apparel?
Under 5 percent: 62%
Between 5-10 percent: 26%
More than 10 percent: 12%
How do you promote and display apparel?
Clothing Racks: 28%
Large/Dedicated Display Area: 22%
Hanging in Window Display: 6%
Slatwall/Multi-hanger: 19%
Hanging behind register/counter: 8%
Box/Shelf/Other: 17%
“Manufacturer logowear is displayed by [their] product. Other apparel is on a clothing rack like in a department store.”
Stephanie Howe Ted Brown Music Company
Tacoma, Wash.
“Prominently displayed in our main counter showcase – one of the first things one sees when he or she walks in.”
Stanley M. JayMandolin Brothers, Ltd.
Staten Island, N.Y.
“Shirts and hats have their own display area. We include it in all print & local media advertising.”
Dave St. John Gard’s Music, LLC
Glendora, Calif.
What logo-ed apparel sales are currently hottest for your operation?
Store logo shirts: 24%
Zildjian shirts and hats: 12%
Fender shirts: 17%
Ernie Ball shirts and hats: 7%
Taylor Guitars gear: 6%
None: 16%
Ibanez: 3%
Uncertain: 4%
Martin Guitar: 4%
Other: 7%
Survey.indd 65 3/25/13 2:46 PM
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New Products
Roy Burns’ The Creative Drum Set Workbook from Kendor Written by one of the world’s most accom-plished snare drum and drum set artists, Roy Burns, The Creative Drum Set Workbook
shows students how to develop and improve by apply-ing written snare drum solos to the drum set. This will improve speed and technique, fa-cility at the drum set, time-keeping,
sense of phrasing, and many other aspects of drumming. The book presents material in three sections: Section 1-6 Hand Devel-opment And Warm-Up Studies; Section 2-10 Contest Snare Drum Solos (grade 3-5); Section 3-12 Snare Drum Contest Solos With Drum Set Applications And Suggestions (grade 4-5).
Burns became famous as a big band drummer in his early twenties perform-
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On-Stage Stands MS7201QTR Round-Base Quarter TurnThe MS7201QTR has the look and func-tionality of the classic round base micro-phone stand with the instant threadless quarter-turn end. The threadless end mates with a unique J-slot in the famil-iar round base of the MS7201QTR. In one swift motion, the user only needs to
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them using radio-style push-button selec-tors. The streamlined mic selection pro-cess contributes to an improved perfor-mance. For music stores, this tool has a twofold purpose. Customers can audition four microphones at a time with a custom demo setup resulting in greater mic sales
while generating sales of the Gold Digger to their recording clientele.
Quiet, dependable and “immediate,” the Gold Digger generates 48V phantom power ensuring switching between mics will be quiet and pop free. One simply plugs in the microphones, activates phan-tom power for condensers and then sets the trim control so that all mics produce the same output level. Retail price: $400.www.radialeng.com
ADJ’s LED Pixel Tube 360 Color-Changing Light Stick This 39.5-inch/1,000 mm bright color-changing LED tube is a glowing “candle of light” that can be used in multiples, offering limitless possibilities to creatively transform your surroundings and décor via RGB illu-mination. Hang multiple LED Pixel Tube 360s from overhead circular trussing to create the effect of a chandelier over a stage or dance floor. Position the tubes at vary-ing heights behind a musician or in the DJ booth for a dramatic candelabra-like per-formance backdrop.
Each LED Pixel Tube 360 unit con-tains 64 high-output TRI LEDs, which produce bright, shadow-free RGB colors. The LEDs are encased in transparent UV-resistant
polycarbonate tubing, so they’re visible for a full 360°.
The LED Pixel Tube 360 generates no heat, so it can run all night without duty cycles, while maintaining a com-fortable environment for performers and patrons alike. It also uses very little en-ergy, drawing just 15 watts, and it’s vir-tually maintenance-free with a 50,000-hour LED lifespan.
In order to access these features, the LED Pixel Tube 360 must be used with one of two proprietary driver/controllers from ADJ: the LED Pixel 4C or the LED Pixel 10C (sold separately). Capable of controlling 4 and 10 LED Pixel Tube 360 units respectively, the LED Pixel 4C and LED Pixel 10C give users full command over the tubes’ features. The controllers are linkable via 3-pin XLR cable, and they’re DMX compatible, each offering 4 different DMX channel operational modes (5, 7, 14 and 192 channels for the LED Pixel 4C; 5, 7, 32 and 480 channels for the LED Pixel 10C). The LED Pixel
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4C and LED Pixel 10C are also com-patible with the ADJ LED RC wireless remote (sold separately) for convenient cordless control.
Retail price: $139.95 (Pixel Tube), $159.95 (Pixel 4C), $349.95 (Pixel 10C), $699.95 (Pixel Tube 360 Sys).www.americandj.com
Gator G-TOUR Road Case for Behringer X32The G-TOUR X32-ARM features thick, heavy-duty plywood construction and a tough laminated PVC exterior. The in-terior is lined with specialized EVA foam padding to safely secure and protect the X32. However, it’s the doghouse section that really makes this case unique. Not
only does it provide easy cable routing and full rear access, but the integrated 360 Arm system turns this case into a ful-ly functional recording workstation. The Arm system features a versatile mounting tray for laptops, tablet devices, or even a Vesa-mount LCD monitor; while the arm itself, mounted through port holes on the doghouse lid, provides full 360° motion. This creative solution allows the user to determine their optimal setup without sacrificing valuable desktop space. The foam-lined break-away lids and heavy duty casters ensure your valuable console is given the utmost in protection during transport. Lastly, each G-TOUR X32-ARM case includes Gator’s signature red recessed twist latches, spring loaded handles, and commercial grade plated hardware.www.gatorcases.com
JodyJazz Band Director Trial KitsThe new Band Director Trial Kits are designed to facilitate the testing and selection of JodyJazz’s most popular mouthpieces by Band Directors and their students. The JodyJazz band direc-
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AIM Music Shade GlassesAim Gifts now offers a full line of Music Shade Glasses. The glasses have printed designs on the outside and allow the wearer to see through the lens. Pictured
are Sheet Music, Guitar, Rock & Roll, and Keyboard designs. Additional de-signs available. AIM is an Inc 500 Com-pany and has no minimum order.www.aimgifts.com
Yamaha ‘New 62’ Pro SaxophonesIdeal for concert band, jazz band and other solo and ensemble settings, these updates to the legendary YAS-62II and YTS-62II professional alto and tenor saxophones feature a newly designed “62” neck for ease of playability and greater control. The new 62s addition-
ally feature a backpack-style case offer-ing contemporary looks and greater ease of transport, as well as a redesigned low B-C# connection, for easy adjustment. Available in lacquered and silver-plated finish options, these models replace the YAS-62II and YTS-62II.
The New 62s are targeted to-ward school-aged and college saxo-phonists who play in any solo or en-semble setting. A favorite among band directors for decades, the 62 model saxo-phones (and their predecessors, the 61) have rede-fined the market since 1969 (when the YAS-61 debuted) and feature an impres-sive history. The models recently under-went an update in 2003 (YAS-62II and YTS-62II) and are now being revamped again for 2013. Retail price: $4,344 (YAS-62III), $4,514 (YTS-62III).4wrd.it/YAMAHAUSA
Audio-Technica ATM510 Cardioid and ATM610a Hypercardioid Dynamic Handheld MicrophonesThe new ATM510 Cardioid Dynamic Handheld Microphone and ATM610a Hypercardioid Dynamic Handheld Microphones’ respective polar patterns both reduce the pickup of sounds from the sides and rear, improving isolation of the desired sound source. The ATM510 is designed specifically for close-up vocal use in professional live-sound applica-tions. The ATM610a is intended for both lead and backup vocal use and is espe-cially effective on loud stages.
Both microphones feature a rugged, all-metal design and construction for years of trouble-free use; a newly de-signed superior internal shock mounting, which reduces handling and stage noise; Hi-ENERGY® neodymium magnets for articulate vocal reproduction; a multi-stage grille design, offering excellent protection against plosives and sibilance without compromising high-frequency clarity; Quiet-Flex™ stand clamp for silent, flexible microphone positioning; and corrosion-resistant contacts from the gold-plated XLRM-type connector.
Retail price: $169.00 (ATM510), $259 (ATM610a).www.audio-technica.com
Chauvet Obey 4 D-FI 2.4The Obey™ 4 D-Fi 2.4 combines two popular control products into one easy-to-use compact controller for a completely wireless lighting solution in conjunction with the wireless Freedom™ series of LED PAR-style uplights and strips. Powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, the wireless Freedom series features a built-in D-Fi™ 2.4 GHz transceiver and includes
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remote control capability. For added conve-nience, Freedom Charge roadcases, which transport and charge up to four Freedom fixtures, are available for both Freedom Par and Freedom Strip Mini.
Obey 4 D-Fi 2.4 saves engineers time setting up, allowing a user to run an en-tire system around a ballroom without running a single DMX cable. Addition-ally, this controller is compatible with the D-Fi 2.4GHz wireless DMX transceiver and D-Fi Rx 2.4 wireless DMX receiver. Obey 4 D-Fi 2.4 features 11 operating modes and provides automated, sound activated and manual RGBA/RGBW playback modes. For maximum control during playback mode, it controls up to four separate fixture addresses capable of operating in different playback modes si-multaneously. Retail price: $249.99www.chauvetlighting.com
Soundmatters DASH7 Soundmatters’ new DASH7 is a flat ¾-inch-high wireless pocket-portable
Bluetooth soundbar speaker system and speakerphone with wide dynamic range omnidirectional sound in a thin size that slides into the slimmest purse or jacket pocket. The DASH7 soundbar/speak-erphone features a new 5th generation twoofer and BassBattery for true high-
fidelity sound and an angled stand for direct on-axis high resolution music for a great soundstage with better stereo separation for serious music listeners. Available in vibrant red, arctic white, midnight black, and steel silver, DASH7 provides world-class sound for iPads, smartphones, laptops, guitars and more in a slim pocket-sized package.
In addition, DASH7 fits beautifully below an iPad or other tablet without blocking a user’s view, providing omni-directional sound for watching movies and music videos for the ultimate audio upgrade for tablets, smartphones, and laptops. Retail price: $249.www.soundmatters.com
The Worship Vocal Book from Hal LeonardThe Worship Vocal Book from Hal Leonard addresses the needs of the modern wor-ship singer, covering style, confidence, singing technique, stage presence, and more. Author Tim Carson has been trav-eling the country, helping singers of all types learn to pres-ent themselves and their music in a way that communicates the emotion in the song, the heart be-hind the lyrics, and the power behind
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the voice. He helps people understand their voice as an instrument like any other, and that singing is truly a learn-able skill. The techniques in this book draw on four-hundred years of classi-cal, foundational vocal instruction and yet they are fresh. Carson presents them in a way that is different from any other method available today, particularly as it pertains to the contemporary worship singer, leader, songwriter, or performer. www.halleonard.com
Conn-Selmer pBone MiniThe pBone Mini is a fully function-ing, plastic, pitched-in-E♭ trombone and a fun, cost effective introduction to the world of alto trombones. This light and durable instrument with its special mouthpiece encourages young players due to the great sound and useful work-ing range they can develop quickly. The pBone mini was designed with young lips in mind and is smaller than any other modern trombone mouthpiece. It is ver-
satile with any small shank mouthpiece as well, so it is easily added to any jazz instrument collection. The pBone mini has seven full positions and a great first octave. It is available in Blue and Red. The Jiggs pBone is available in 7 color varieties: Orange (new), Red, Blue, Yel-low, Green, White and Purple. Both ver-sions are sold with a bag and strap.www.conn-selmer.com
The ABCs of Violin for the More Advanced Player from Carl FischerCarl Fischer Music offers this new edition of The ABCs of Violin for the More Advanced Player by Janice Tucker Rhoda. This book now features a CD containing MP3 performance tracks with piano accompa-niment, piano accom-paniment only, and printable PDF file of all piano accompani-ments. The fourth vol-ume of this method ad-dresses second position playing with melodies, warm-up exercises, study pieces, scales and arpeggios. It also includes graphs to show new left-hand finger placement, a note-reading worksheet and practice chart. Learn to play harmonics and piz-zicato a chord along with intensive work shifting through first, second and third positions. Retail price: $14.95.www.carlfischer.com
Nord Electro 4 SW73The new Nord Electro 4 SW73 has twice the memory capacity of its acclaimed predecessor, Nord Electro 3 Seventy Three, letting users fit more sounds from the Nord Piano and Sample Libraries. The Nord Electro 4 features the B3 tone wheel organ engine from the company’s
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flagship organ Nord C2D and includes a redesigned Key Click simulation as well as the Rotary Speaker simulation of a vintage 122 unit with a great new over-drive. The percussion model has been improved to offer increased control over the percussion levels when playing near-legato. The Farfisa* and Vox* models simulate the behavior and unique re-sponse of the original instruments.
The Nord Electro 4 comes loaded with a selection of sounds from the Nord Piano Library for Grand, Upright and Electrical Pianos, Clavinet, and Harpsi-chords. All the sounds have been record-ed using Nord’s state-of-the-art sampling techniques. MAP: $2,399.www.nordkeyboards.com
Studiologic Sledge Analog SynthesizerStudiologic’s new Sledge synth offers a generous set of controls to interact direct-ly with the sound engine, whose modules are designed to mirror the signal flow of a classic analogue synthesizer.
The sum of three fat oscillators, plus a Noise generator, are fed into Sledge’s powerful multimode filter with select-able 24 / 12 dB slope. The highly recog-nizable Waldorf filter algorithms enable a wide variety of sounds, from smooth to harsh, from fat to distinct, from pure
HiFi to brutal. Ultra-fast, accurate en-velope generators deliver a punch, while two LFOs plus one extra Wheel-LFO are on board to offer huge yet easy to understand modulation capabilities. And two built-in Effect units deliver sophisticated synthesizer effects such as Chorus, Phaser, and Flanger, as well as a rich Reverb or an analogue style De-lay.
There are no double or multiple func-tions on any of the knobs or pushbuttons. All synthesizer parameters are clearly and ergonomically arranged and di-rectly accessible. Other features include: 32 Pots, 3 chicken head rotary switches (7 positions), 1 rotary encoder with push
function , 2 x 16 digits backlit LCD, High Quality Pitch and Mod Wheel , Up to 256 Sounds. MAP Price: $1599.00.www.studiologic-music.com
Dick Hyman’s Century of Jazz Piano – Transcribed! from Hal LeonardThe 160-page book and DVD set Dick
Hyman’s Century of Jazz Piano–Tran-scribed! presents a concise history of jazz piano complete with exact notations of the performances and commentary Hyman previously
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recorded on Arbors Records’ Dick Hy-man’s Century of Jazz Piano.
Via 13 hands-on lessons and four bonus performances, Hyman explores the styles, musical vocabulary, and per-formers who have defined and shaped this quintessential American art form over the last century. Starting with the pre-ragtime music of Louis Moreau Gottschalk and the ragtime of Scott Joplin and ending with the advanced scale types of Nicholas Slonimsky and the modal post-bop of McCoy Tyner, Hyman discusses and demonstrates the variety of jazz piano improvisation and the people and techniques that have shaped its evolution. The DVD is filled with close-ups of Hyman’s hands as he plays and analyzes these techniques. Re-tail price: $8.99 (Book), $19.00 (DVD), $27.99 (Book/DVD Combo).www.halleonard.com
My Brother’s Brain: A Sympho-ny for Band by Carter PannComposer Carter Pann has created a major three-movement magnum opus, a “triptych of sound paintings,” as he has descibed it. My Brother’s Brain encap-sulates a lifetime appreciation of both
uniqueness and similarity in his younger brother, through three stages of growth (child, facing de-mons, grace). My Brother’s Brain was a joint commis-sion by two doz-en universities, which itself is high praise, indeed.
Carter Pann is a versatile composer whose music has been performed around the world by ensembles and soloists in-cluding the London Symphony, City of Birmingham Symphony, Seattle Sym-phony, Budapest Symphony, and the Irish National Symphony. Honors in-clude the K. Serocki Competition for his Piano Concerto, a Charles Ives Scholar-ship from the Academy of Arts and Let-ters, and five ASCAP awards. Retail price: $80.www.theodorepresser.com
Casio Limited Edition CW-P1COThe XW-P1CO is the chrome-orange-finished successor of the Gold XW-
P1GO, the first model in Casio’s Legends Collection – a sub-category of the Casio’s XW series of synthesizers. A six oscilla-tor monophonic solo synth is just one of the sound engines in the XW-P1. Two virtual analog style oscillators, two PCM based oscillators, a noise oscillator, and an external oscillator via mic and line in-puts can be combined to make up a single solo synth tone. Each oscillator has an in-dependent filter, envelopes, independent key tracking, portamento, two LFO’s, and access to master resonant filter.
In addition to the solo synth, the XW-P1 Performance Synthesizer is armed with an arsenal of gig-ready sounds like stereo pianos, vintage electric pianos, strings, brass, guitars, basses, drums, and
more. Furthermore, the XW-P1 has four real-time controller knobs, pitch bend and modulation wheels, along with nine sliders to provide control over internal sounds and external devices. Through standard MIDI ports and with a class-compliant USB port, the keyboard can be used as a controller for other instru-ments, including computer software and iPad® based software applications. It also includes an audio input allowing you to monitor an MP3 player, computer, or other device without the need for a mix-er. Retail price: $699.99.www.CasioMusicGear.com
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Tim Price Joins Sax DakotaTim Price, prominent American saxophone artist and educator, has been appointed to the position of Dakota Saxophone perform-ing “spokesperson” for Straight Altos and
Tenors Saxophones. Price and Dakota president Peter LaPlaca recently reached an agree-ment which positions Price as an ongoing artist/clinician fo-cusing on Dakota’s emerging Jazz Saxo-phone image in the marketplace with
their outstanding/unique pair of Straight Alto and Tenor Saxophone models.
Tim brings a broader dimension to these two special instruments as a credible Saxophone artist, critic, writer, author, teacher, and speaker. Dakota expects him to elevate both saxophone models into the mainstream use by professional and semi professional Saxophone performers
Tim joined Sax Dakota with a spe-cific goal to “spread the word and sound” of both models to Sax Players throughout the world at school and store clinics as well as major instrumental music confer-ences and conventions.www.saxdakota.com
Jensen®Tone Van Takes a Nation-wide Road TripThe Jensen®Tone van will be touring the country in 2013, transporting bands all over the US. Fans who spot the van, take a picture of it, and send it to Jensen will receive a free gift from the company (they’re receiving photos at info@jensen-
tone.com). Jensen, which aims to lead the way with the most innovative speakers possible, has also partnered with Green-Vans of Boston, Mass. in an effort to help musicians get to their gigs.www.jensentone.com
Kazoobie Kazoos Named Beau-fort Blue Ribbon WinnerKazoobie Kazoos of Beaufort, S.C. was recently named a Blue Ribbon Small Business Award® winner by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. This company was recognized for its dedication to the principles of free enterprise and its con-tributions to restoring jobs and prosperity.
“The Blue Ribbon Award winners show that, even facing uncertainty and economic challenges, small businesses can grow and succeed,” said Thom-as J. Donohue, U.S. Chamber president and CEO. “They are America’s economic
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engine, driving growth and job creation all across this country.”
The awards program, sponsored by Sam’s Club®, honors companies that demonstrate excellent business practices in several areas including strategy, em-ployee development, community involve-ment, and customer service.
This year’s 100 Blue Ribbon winners were selected from a record number of nationwide applicants and will be hon-ored at America’s Small Business Sum-mit 2013, which will be held from April 29 - May 1 in Washington, D.C. www.kazoos.com
Dean Markley USA Launches New Website Dean Markley USA recently unveiled its new website to better serve its custom-ers, retailers, and distributors worldwide. The new site includes extensive informa-tion on the entire product line and allows for secure orders to be placed directly
online 24 hours a day. In addition, Dean Markley will continue to expand on the new design by incorporating an interac-tive roster of their 1700-plus endorsing artists.
The revitalization of Dean Markley USA can be credited to its recent pur-chase by private equity group, Black-hawk Management. Combined with the acquisition of Ultrasound Amplifiers, Blackhawk looks to expand its role in the musical instrument industry by adding top shelf products to its manufacturing and distribution network.www.deanmarkley.com
On-Stage Names Musical Fulfillment Services ‘Dealer of the Year’ Accessories leader On-Stage took some time during Winter NAMM 2013 to ac-knowledge one of its most successful part-ners, presenting its first annual “Dealer of the Year” award to Musical Fulfill-ment Services.
On-Stage Senior Vice President Sha-ron Hennessey explained the selection. “We are proud to recognize Musical Ful-fillment Services with our first Dealer of the Year award,” said Hennessey. “MFS
stood out with exceptional growth in 2012, and they have consistently sup-ported On-Stage brands and products. Our dealers are the cornerstone at what we do at On-Stage, and Musical Fulfill-ment Services did an extraordinary job this year.”
Vice President Mike Kane and Pur-chaser Tommy Coombs were on hand at the On-Stage Booth to accept the award on behalf of Musical Fulfillment. Kane reflected on his long-term relationship with On-Stage. “On-Stage takes the one-stop shopping experience to a whole new level for us. Their manufacturing, importing and marketing experience offers us innovative products, design ca-pabilities, incredible turns and profits in great packaging.” www.onstagestands.com
Full Compass Named Triad Orbit North American Distributor Full Compass, a national leader in Pro Audio, Pro Video, AV, Lighting and Musical Instrument sales, has added Triad-Orbit™ Advanced Microphone Stand Systems to its product offering. These systems were researched and de-signed by experienced industry pros
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and redefine mic placement and set-up. The systems of stands, booms, adapters, and couplers feature innovative adjustment mechanisms and allow users to quickly place every mic exactly where they need it.www.fullcompass.com
Los Cabos Drumsticks Announce Six Pack PackagingLos Cabos Drumsticks recently release a new option for retailers – sticks bricked in sixes. Their half-sized bricks contain six pairs of sticks as opposed to the standard 12 pairs per brick, providing retailers with a more economical option for man-aging stock levels.
“With finances and margins as tight as they are these days, we want to be able to offer our retailers a small pack-age option for stocking and reordering,” said Matt Carter, director of marketing and artist relations for Los Cabos Drum-sticks. “We believe that by providing a smaller stocking option, we’re helping to
lighten the load for many of our retailers concerned with limiting their overhead and stock levels.” The company is mak-ing their entire product line available in this new six-pack format.www.loscabosdrumsticks.com
Symetrix Expands Global Reach in the Middle EastIn response to growing global demand, Symetrix recently announced an ex-panded partnership with World Repre-sentation Inc. for direct-to-dealer sales in the Middle East. World Represen-tation is set to facilitate sales and help distribute the entire range of Symetrix digital signal processors and control in-terfaces in the region. The new initia-tive will guarantee that A/V integra-tors and other audio professionals in the Middle East will have ready and reli-
able access to the dynamic range of Symetrix high-end professional audio solutions, includ-ing SymNet Edge and Radius Dante network audio DSP, ARC-WEB brows-er-based control technology, and com-prehensive teleconferencing DSP hard-ware and software.
“This is the next step in our steady growth worldwide,” said Mark Ullrich, international sales manager at Syme-trix, who met with interested dealers and integrators at InfoComm MEA in Dubai. “From the numerous meetings I had at the show, it’s clear that there is a lot of excitement for Symetrix products in the Middle East, especially SymNet Edge and Radius Dante network audio DSP.”www.symetrix.co
Daisy Rock Girl Guitars Welcomes Carrie Clark to its Artist Roster“Original girl guitar company” Daisy Rock Girl Guitars recently welcomed to its artist roster Carrie Clark, the lead singer and guitarist for the psychedelic noise-pop band Sixteen Deluxe. The group was hailed as the loudest and most exciting band in the Austin scene within a year of its 1994 founding. They con-tinued to play notable gigs in the Austin area, which caught the attention of But-
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thole Surfer King Coffey’s Trance Syn-dicate label. After releasing their first EP titled Backfeed Magnetbabe, Sixteen Deluxe continued with growing success through-out the 1990s, garnering rave reviews and a hit on MTV’s 120 Minutes. The band split in 2000, but began a series of gigs in the spring of 2010, bringing their songs and stage show right back to where they started. They officially announced their reunion that same year to coincide with the South by Southwest music fes-tival.
“I love my Daisy Rock ‘Rock Candy Classic!’ It’s been a solid, never-go-out-of-tune, instigator of melodic squall,” said Carrie. “It’s been my trusty side-kick in Sixteen Deluxe, and in projects about town in Austin, TX for the last two years.”www.daisyrock.com
ScoreCleaner Notation and Audio Recognition Apps Debut at NAMM DoReMIR Music Research announced the U.S. release of ScoreCleaner, the nu-anced and easy-to-use notation software that’s been influential on the European market for digital notation since 2011. ScoreCleaner is a notation tool that en-ables musicians, composers, teachers and ensemble leaders to notate music instant-ly while they play. Truly plug and play, ScoreCleaner converts live performances to accurate notation in real time, with absolutely no training required.
The technology behind ScoreCleaner is built on 20 years of academic research in music cognition, which seeks to ex-plain how humans understand music on a basic level. From that research DoRe-MIR has designed a piece of software that understands musical phrasing and artistic intent.
DoReMIR also previewed Score Cleaner Notes at Winter NAMM. Notes is an instant audio recognition applica-tion, designed to enable anyone who can whistle or sing a tune to have it rendered instantly into correct notation and MIDI through their iPhone or iPad, publish to social media, sync it with ScoreClean-er, and extend it into a full score using ScoreCleaner or any other notation tool of choice.
Both ScoreCleaner and ScoreCleaner Notes were demonstrated by Profes-sor Ahlbäck at a press conference in the NAMM with special guest and America’s Got Talent winner Taylor Mathews.
DoReMIR’s distribution partners in the U.S. are music software specialists ILIO and ILIO’s authorized dealer net-work. www.doremir.com
Anthem Musical Instruments and Schmitt Music Co. Raffle Off Tenor SaxAs part of a cooperative marketing ini-tiative, Anthem Musical Instruments and Schmitt Music Co. presented a tenor saxophone to Bridgewater Elementary School in Northfield, Minnesota. An-them employees David Kilkenny and Jack Faas, along with Schmitt Educa-tional Representative Melissa Olson, presented the tenor sax to band director Dr. Roger Jenni and Kristen Hummel at the elementary school in December of 2012.
“I am excited about being a winner in the Anthem Instrument drawing,” stated Jenni. “ I have a 5th grade student who comes from a very musical family... she wanted to play saxophone very badly, but all I had for her was a flute. She is doing
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very well on the flute, but asks me nearly every week if I can get her a saxophone.”
Melissa Olson of Schmitt Music com-mented, “Roger is one of those great teachers who sees the musical potential in all students and does everything he can to give every student who wants, the opportunity to be in band.”
“We couldn’t have been more thrilled than to present the free tenor sax to Northfield Elementary School,” stated Kilkenny, president of Anthem. The company plans to continue to donate an Anthem horn every month through the end of this school year.www.antheminstruments.com
Shure PSM 1000 Sees Exclu-sive Use at 2013 GrammysFor the second consecutive year, all of the artists and bands who performed using in-ear monitors during the 55th Annual GRAMMY® Awards used the Shure PSM®1000 Personal Monitor System, including Mumford & Sons, Rihanna, Carrie Underwood, Bruno Mars, and Taylor Swift.
Country-pop superstar Taylor Swift opened the show with her hit “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” us-ing Shure Axient Wireless (AXT200/Beta58).
In addition to Shure Axient UHF-R wireless microphone systems, with a com-bination of SM58, Beta 58A, and KSM9 handheld transmitters, were chosen by a long list of artists for performances throughout the evening, including Dierks Bentley (UR2/Beta 58), Justin Timber-
lake (UR2/SM58), Jay-Z (UR2/SM58), Mavis Staples (UR2/SM58), Maroon 5 (UR2/SM58), Juanes (UR2/KSM9), and Frank Ocean (UR2/SM58).
In addition to all of the wireless sys-tems used throughout the evening, Shure endorsers The Black Keys took the stage with Dr. John using wired SM58 micro-phones. Other artists and bands opting for wired SM58s included Kelly Clark-son, The Lumineers, and Jack White. The Lumineers and White also used Shure KSM313 ribbon microphones on their guitar cabinets.www.shure.com
Godin Distributes Kejam PercussionMontreal-based Godin Guitars recently announced that it will now be the ex-clusive North American distributor for Kejam Percussion instruments & acces-sories. “I’m very happy to announce that we are distributing Kejam percussions,” says accessories sales manager Simon Godin. “When I first met Kejam Presi-dent, Serge Dagenais, I immediately felt the passion he had for his products. Just like Robert Godin, he has an incredible enthusiasm for what he creates . . . Kejam
is a Canadian company and we’re very confident in the product.”
The fellow Quebec based company specializes in the production of percus-
sion instruments, which include a variety of hand-crafted Cajons, Djembes and Bongos, along with affiliated Kejam ac-cessories.
“Kejam Percussion is very proud to be joining the Godin team,” says Ke-jam president Serge Dagenais. “As with Godin Guitars, our percussion instru-ments are designed with the same level of finesse and precision, not to mention entirely made in Canada. This level of quality is what we offer to percussionists, along with our confidence in the Godin team as exclusive distributors and col-laborators in Kejam Percussion’s product developments.”www.godinguitars.com
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Vater Adds Gil Sharone to Endorser RosterVersatile drummer and educator Gil Sharone has recently joined the Vater Percussion family. Sharone has proven over his career that his power as a drum-mer resides in a masterfully-trained triad of skills as an artist, session player, and clinician. It’s also reflected in three in-valuable traits: musical versatility, razor-sharp instincts, and refined, but inspired technique.
Sharone’s fresh perspective on drum-ming, dedication, and his love for the
craft turned into well-earned op-portunities that allowed him to play with many artists he came up listening to like Fishbone, Dillinger Escape Plan, OTEP, Dave Wakel-ing, Maynard James Keen-an, Tom Mo-
rello, HR, and Eek-A-Mouse. Over the years, Sharone channeled his Zen-like concentration and passion for all types of music into a varied skill set that allowed him to demonstrate his massive drumming vocabulary. In 2005, Sharone started do-ing drum clinics and also played his first international drum festival Cape Breton Drum Fest. In 2006 and 2011, he was invit-ed to do a clinic at the Percussive Arts So-ciety International Convention (PASIC). He has also channeled his lifelong love of Jamaican styles of ska, rocksteady, and reggae drumming into an award-winning genre-specific instructional DVD called Wicked Beats. Sharone’s other film and television credits include drumming and
co-production of the Slackers movie score, drumming and record engineering com-mercials for Nike and Miller Beer cam-paigns, and most recently, working on hit reality television show X-Factor.www.vater.com
Pearl/Adams Welcomes Dr. Nick Petrella Pearl/Adams recently announced the addition of Dr. Nick Petrella to their Artist Roster. Currently, Dr. Petrella is the Director of Education for Sabian Cymbals Ltd., and Adjunct Assistant
Professor of Per-cussion at the Uni-versity of Missouri – Kansas City Con-servatory of Music. Dr. Petrella has per-formed with several highly esteemed ensembles includ-ing the Kansas City
Symphony, the Fort Worth Symphony, the Fort Worth/Dallas Ballet, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, and the Mich-igan Opera. In addition, he and pianist Diane Helfers Petrella perform across the globe as the Petrella Ensemble.
Dr. Petrella received a Doctor of Mu-sical Arts from the University of Iowa, a Masters of Music from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Penn State University. Dr. Petrella also serves as an adjudicator and clinician for many marching, solo, and percussion ensemble competitions throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Dr. Petrella has been a consultant to many companies in the music industry and holds 12 designs for sticks, mallets, and percussion accesso-ries currently on the market. www.pearldrum.com
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To view a demonstrational video of the tilter visit our website: www.moondogmfg.com
For more information including pricing [email protected]
If you’ve ever needed to tilt a grand piano from or to a skidboard by yourself, the Moondog Grand Piano
Tilter is the tool for you!
GloKnob ClassicOption Knob, Inc. is pleased to announce the new “GloKnob”, a glow-in-the-dark version of our
best-selling OKnob Classic!
The GloKnob’s lighter color allows easier visibility, and even on the
darkest of stages it’s glow properties illuminate your controls and your chops. GloKnob Classic available now, GloKnob Boutique
available mid spring.
MSRP $11.95
Breaking News! Find it in the Hot News section of MMR’s Web site, www.mmrmagazine.com
Supplier Scene.indd 80 3/25/13 2:51 PM
Accessories
☛ RATES: Classified Display: $30 per column inch for text only. $40 per column inch, 1 color, logo, graphics. $50 per column inch 4 color.
☛ PAYMENTS: ALL ADS ARE PREPAID. Charge on Master-card, Visa or American Express.
☛ SEND YOUR ADVERTISEMENT TO: 21 Highland Circle, Suite 1, Needham, MA 02494 shemingway@ symphonypublishing.com.
☛ QUESTIONS? Call Steven Hemingway at 800-964-5150 x 34 shemingway@ symphonypublishing.com.
Business For Sale
Classifieds
Visit the Classifieds on the Web:
www.mmrmagazine.com
• BandandOrchestraRentals• NewandLikeNewEducator-Approved BrandNameInstruments• PersonalizedRent-To-OwnProgram• NoFranchiseFeeorInventoryInvestment• NoShippingCosts• HighCommissionsPaidthe1stofEveryMonth•ExceptionalService
Are You Tired of Trying to Climb the Corporate Ladder?
is a multi-store, family owned and operated full-line retailer based in Metro Atlanta. Ken Stanton Music
has over 60 years’ success and customer satisfaction.
Seeking: Certified Band/Orchestra Repair Techs, Print Music Manager, Store Managers,
Woodwind Repair Technician, and Sales Associates in the following
departments: Guitars, Pro Audio, Drums and Percussion, and
Band/Orchestra.
Looking for friendly, customer service oriented, self-motivated, proven closers with good listening skills and 2+ years experience.
Availability for flexible scheduling a must. Bi-lingual a plus.
We feature: Competitive non-commission based pay, medical/ dental coverage, 401(k) plan, vacation/holiday/sick time,
and room for advancement.
Complete application online at: www.kenstantonmusic.com
By mail: Ken Stanton Music Attn: Scott Cameron, General Manager 119 Cobb Parkway North, Suite A Marietta, GA 30062 Via email: [email protected]
Business Opportunities
For Sale. Profitable..Fulllinemusicretailstore
(in worlds most beatiful beaches) locatedinPanamaCityBeachFL. Turnkeywith10yearsoperation
with lessons and teachers in place. See video at www.guitarbrats.com.
Pleaseemailus [email protected]
with your number and we will return call asap..Price$225thousand
APRIL 2013 MMR 81
Classifieds April.indd 81 3/25/13 2:53 PM
82 MMR APRIL 2013
www.mmrmagazine.com
Business Opportunities
For Sale
FOR SALEClassic Hammond B-3 (Serial #A32004)
with reverb, pedals, bench and 122R Leslie purchased new 1970.
Beautiful light American walnut/red oak like-new finish. Trek 2 with pluck
base and SSP-3 Aux Amplifier with dual control box installed 1989. Excellent Condition: $7,500 or Best Reasonable Offer.
Credit given for travel to Denville, NJ: 973-328-8865 or [email protected]
Selling warm Florida Retail Music Store
9 teaching studios, 25 year rep, great lines,
$500k inventory, buy/partner$200,000+-, turnkey!
Bruce321-725-3047
New!50 year old successful,
multifaceted music organization with profitable markets in teaching piano and all popular instruments.Instrument sales, instrument repair,
sheet music. Located in affluent area of Long Island, New York.
For Sale
Call Gerry Williams 631-673-3544
Classifieds April.indd 82 3/25/13 2:53 PM
APRIL 2013 MMR 83
www.mmrmagazine.com
Visit the Classifieds on the Web: www.mmrmagazine.com
Business Opportunities
Merchandise
Instruction
Summit School of Guitar Building and Repair Inc.Instruction in both electric and acoustic style of instruments. Courses in Live Sound, CNC
and weekend workshops offered.6114 West Island Hwy. Qualicum Beach, BC V9K 2E2
[email protected] 757 9903 / 1888 901 9903
ACCORDIONS, CONCERTINAS, & BUTTON BOXES new, used, buy, sell, trade, repair, tune,
CASTIGLIONE DISTRIBUTING CO.13300 E 11 MILE WARREN, MI 48089
PH # 1-586-755-6050 WWW.CASTIGLIONEACCORDIONS.COM
Classifieds April.indd 83 3/25/13 2:53 PM
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Merchandise
Merchandise
PIANO DEALERS & MANUFACTURERSWe Have Your Customers!
Piano World is the world’s most popular piano web site. We get more quality traffic in a month than other piano sites see in a year.Piano World is where people come when they are searching for information about the piano. We have your target audience and can deliver quality prospects to you, locally, nationally, or internationally.
Come see what Piano World can do for your business today: www.PianoWorld.com/advertising • [email protected], or 207-793-2524
PianoWorld.com Home of the world famous Piano Forums
Business Opportunities
FINANCING AVAILABLEYA
MA
HA
–KA
WA
I
Japanese High Quality
GUARANTEED You get what you pay for!
1-800-782-2694North American Music
11 Holt DriveStony Point, NY 10980Fax: (845) 429-6920
CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED
PIANOS
Classifieds April.indd 84 3/25/13 2:53 PM
APRIL 2013 MMR 85
Merchandise
From button accordion to Piano accordion, from Kid’s to adult, from entry level to professional, from solid color to combo, we have a wide selection for the accordion player.
Hunter Music Instrument Inc adds in an accordion line.
www.huntermusical.com718-706-0828
Breaking News! Find it in the Hot News section of MMR’s Web site,
www.mmrmagazine.com
Repair Tools
Repair Tools
BOW REHAIRING
Expert Bow ServiceOrder forms,Pricing and Shipping label at:
www.bowrehairing.com
Violin bows as low as $10.00 per bow in quantity incl. shipping (see website fordetails.) Large inventory of replacement parts both new and vintage.
IRA B. KRAEMER & Co.Wholesale Services Division
“An industry leader since 1967”467 Grant Avenue, Scotch Plains, N.J. 07076
Tel: 908-322-4469 Fax: 908 322-8613 e mail: [email protected]
FAST TURN-AROUND ON STOCK REPAIRS NATIONWIDE
NAPBIRT member, 30 Years Experience
Contact: Dan Rieck, [email protected]
SHIPPING YOUR PIANOwith Lone Wolf Trucking
is a “grand” idea! An independent, long-distance Mover
specializing in coast-to-coast residential Relocation.
1-800-982-9505www.lonewolftrucking.com
Alamogordo, New Mexico. 88310ICC MC-256289
Services
For Classified Sales Call Steven
800-964-5150 ext. 34 [email protected]
For Classified Sales Call Steven
800-964-5150 ext. 34 [email protected]
Classifieds April.indd 85 3/25/13 2:54 PM
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Visit the Classifieds on the Web: www.mmrmagazine.com
MOVING? Let us know 6-8 weeks before your move so we can continue to send your
magazine without interruption.
PAST
E OL
D LA
BEL
HERE
!
NEW ADDRESS HERE! Name ___________________________
Address _________________________
_______________________________
City ____________________________
State ____________Zip ____________
21 Highland Circle, Suite 1, Needham, MA 02494(781) 453-9310
WE BUY, SELL, TRADE and ship worldwide.
ONLINE APPRAISAL SERVICEGRUHN GUITARS,
400 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 256-2033fax (615) 255-2021 www.guitars.com
Wanted USED TUBASANY CONDITION-CASH PAID
THE TUBA EXCHANGE1825 CHAPEL HILL RD.
DURHAM, NC 277071-800-869-8822
Wanted To Buy
Vintage InstrumentsHelp Wanted
Classifieds April.indd 86 3/25/13 2:54 PM
Keep Music Education Strong!Music education advocacy at your fingertips—access SupportMusic tools anytime, anywhere.
It’s easy to get your hands on music education advocacy information using your smartphone.
Simply type www.nammfoundation.org into your phone’s browser and connect tomusic research, SupportMusic Coalition updates and music education advocacy
information that can help keep music education strong in your community.
Scan for the latest advocacy information.
PAGR SBO Campaign8 125x11 125 indd 1 1/10/12 10:38 AM
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Ad IndexCOMPANY NAME E-MAIL/WEB ADDRESS PAGE COMPANY NAME E-MAIL/WEB ADDRESS PAGE
02:20 Stands www.iixxstands.com 78
AAl Cass 79
Alfred Music Publishing www.alfred.com/dealer 25
Allparts Music Corp www.allparts.com 78
Amati’s Fine Instruments www.amatis.org 22
BBenedetto Guitars www.BenedettoGuitars.com 48
Bourgeois Guitars www.pantheonguitars.com 50
Breezy Ridge Instruments Ltd. www.jpstrings.com 55
CCapturing Couture www.capturingcouture.com 72
Casio America, Inc www.casio.com 17
CE Distribution www.cedist.com 37
Celestion www.celestion.com 38
Cherub Technology Co., Ltd. www.cherub.cn 58
Concept-Logic, LLC (Micks Picks) www.mickspicks.com 74
D
D’Addario & Co. www.daddario.com 67
D’Addario & Co. www.daddario.com 23
The Dava Co. www.davapick.com 55
Dream Cymbals And Gongs www.dreamcymbals.com 18
E/FEMG Inc. www.emgpickups.com 69
FDW Corp www.fdwcorp.com 66
Fishman Transducers, Inc. www.fishman.com 34
Floyd Rose Marketing www.floydrose.com 53
GGable Piano Service www.moondogmfg.com 80
George L’s www.georgels.com 52
Godin Guitars www.godinguitars.com 43
Godlyke Inc. www.godlyke.com 50
H/JHal Leonard Corp. www.halleonard.com 7
Hunter Music Instrument Inc. www.huntermusical.com 75
John Hoyt Art (Thing 3-D) www.JohnHoytGuitars.com 70
KKala Brand Music Co. www.kalabrand.com 35
Kala Brand Music Co. www.kalabrand.com 37
Ken Smith Basses Ltd. www.kensmithbasses.com 76
KMC Music, Inc. www.kmcmusic.com 61
Kyser Musical Products Inc. www.kysermusical.com 51
LLevy’s Leathers Ltd. www.levysleathers.com cov2
LM Products www.LMProducts.com 52
Lollar Guitars www.lollarguitars.com 62
MMel Bay Publications Inc. www.melbay.com 15
Morley/Sound Enhancements Inc. www.morleypedals.com 71
Music & Arts Center www.musicarts.com 68
Music Nomad www.MusicNomad.com 46
NNAMM www.namm.com 26-27
New Sensor Corp. www.newsensor.com 59
OOption Knob www.OptionKnob.com 80
Orange Amplification www.orangeamps.com 36
PPeekamoose Guitars www.Peekamoose.com 72
PRS Guitars (Paul Reed Smith) www.prsguitars.com 31
RRadial Engineering www.radialeng.com 24
Rees Harps, Inc www.reesharps.com;
www.harpsicleharps.com 50
Roland Corp. U.S. www.roland.com COV4
RS CUSTOM GUITARS LLC www.RSCustomGuitars.com 42
SSaga Musical Instruments www.sagamusic.com 57
Saga Musical Instruments www.sagamusic.com 73
Saga Musical Instruments www.sagamusic.com 13
Samson Technologies Corp. www.samsontech.com 3
SHS International www.shsint.net 30
Shubb Capos www.shubb.com 49
SKB Corp. www.skbcases.com 21
Sound Ideas Music LLC www.venturasoundideas.com 19
Strumstick/McNally Instruments www.StrumStick.com 35T/UTech 21 www.tech21nyc.com 9
TKL Products Corp. www.tkl.com 1
U.S. Band & Orchestra Supplies/
St. Lo www.StLouisMusic.com 63
V/WVisual Sound www.visualsound.net 5
Voyage-air Guitar www.VoyageAirGuitar.com 47
W.D. Music Products Inc. www.wdmusic.com www.wdbiz.com 42
Y/ZYoung Chang North America www.youngchang.com 39
YouRock Guitar www.YouRockGuitar.com 48
Avedis Zildjian Co. www.zildjian.com 11
Ad Index April.indd 88 3/25/13 3:01 PM
April 4, 2013Get connected with an exclusive pre-show first look at our new products and interactive content.
Join the conversation #rolandconnect
Download the free CONNECT app.
rolandconnect.com
MMR_COV4 COV4 3/25/13 2:06:19 PM
