Mi Pro June 2010 - Issue 121

No. 121

• JUNE 2010 • WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

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MUSICAL INSTRUMENT PROFESSIONAL FOR EVERYONE IN THE MI BUSINESS

STRIKING THE RIGHT CHORD AVSL’s MI brand is looking to open up a whole new world of business FOCUSRITE ORANGE MUSIKMESSE BACKS MI RETAIL CONFERENCE & EXPO LARSON WINDCRAFT

ISSUE 121 JUNE 2010

EDITORIAL COMMENT

COVER STORY 18 BRANCHING OUT With sky-high ambitions and the intention to spread out all over the MI spectrum, AVSL (formerly Skytronic) could just be a good reason for the industry’s big guns to be a little bit worried

ANDY BARRETT mipro@intentmedia.co.uk

NEWS MUSIKMESSE JOINS MIRC, YAMAHA’S JULIAN WARD, SUSTAINABLE MARINER, JET CITY IN THE UK, YORK STAYS STRONG

Muiskmesse values the UK retailer and wants to get face to face with you to find out what you want from the trade and from them

EVENTS 4

MI RETAIL CONFERENCE & EXPO 13 With not long to go now until its debut, this event has been consistently adding huge names to its lineup, making it an essential addition to the MI industry’s diary

FEATURES LARSON 22 The tale of an acoustic brand behind a number of design innovations

ORANGE 25 22

How one young lad created a breakthrough

FOCUSRITE/NOVATION 30 Iain Horrocks explains the strengths of Focusrite’s major brands

WINDCRAFT 33 New saxophone sure to get dealers interested

SECTOR SPOTLIGHTS ACOUSTIC GUITARS 37 25

A look at the latest strummable equipment

PERCUSSION 48 Investigating what’s new in the rhythmic sector

SHEET MUSIC 55 The way through the recession on paper

RETAIL HOBGOBLIN EXPANDS 69 48

Plus more retail news, an MIA update, a Surrey location report and Mann’s Music in Colchester gets the Indie Profile treatment

Y

ou’ve probably noticed that we’re excited about the MI Retail Conference & Expo at the moment. Assuming that you have, you will hopefully also have noticed that we are making a pretty big deal about that the fact that it’s a retail event. It’s been guided by retailers in order to be relevant to retailers. The conference is full of content that targets ways dealers can make more money and subjects of discussion that the vast majority want to see aired.

The expo element is the more traditional aspect of the event. A chance for suppliers and dealers to meet and talk business. The meetings and talking continue into Roland’s After Show Party, where the emphasis is less on business and more on networking, but all the same, a crucial part of being a professional in the world of MI. We are a small crowd here in the UK, so the chance to meet as equals is a valuable one.

What’s more, you won’t be seeing that glazing over of the eyes that is so common for all of us when people ask us what we do for a living and we have the insensitivity to tell them.

For me, the resounding vote of approval for what we are doing came the very day this issue of MI Pro went to press, when Musikmesse announced that it would be the event’s headline sponsor.

Musikmesse is a trade show – the biggest in the world, in case you haven’t noticed – and it reaches out to the trade every year to make its show second to none.

The fact that the show has seen fit to put its name to MI Pro’s very ‘umble little offering tells us we are doing something right, of course, but also, taking the above into consideration, it says that Musikmesse really values the UK retailer. The organisation wants to get face to face with the UK’s MI dealers, to find out what you want from the trade and from it.

It is also, I believe, a statement of faith in the UK’s MI industry as a whole and a recognition that, in terms of music, music making and the industry that stands behind it, the UK is a key player.

Andy Barrett

REGULARS: DRUM NEWS 10 RETAIL NEWS 70 INDIE PROFILE 76 NEW PRODUCTS 60-66 CODA 88

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miPRO JUNE 2010 3

NEWS

Musikmesse joins forces with new Top level alliance struck between MI Retail Conference & Expo and world’s biggest MI show Conference includes e-commerce, THE INAUGURAL MI Retail Conference & Expo has received a major boost, with Musikmesse signing up as Headline Sponsor as it looks to attract even more UK dealers to what is already the biggest MI event in the world.

The Frankfurt show will play a leading role in what now officially becomes the MI Retail Conference & Expo in association with Musikmesse. It’s a long title, but then it’s a hugely significant deal, as Musikmesse recognises the potential of the event and looks to communicate directly to UK retailers via a conference and expo established with the specific aim of putting them top of the agenda and presenting a variety of ways to improve their businesses.

Details of how dealers can maximise Musikmesse and gain practical benefits from their visit will be outlined at the MI Retail Conference & Expo, which takes place at The Brewery in central London on Tuesday, June 29th. The

team behind the German show will also be on hand to help dealers plan their trips.

Musikmesse 2011 takes place in Frankfurt from April 6th-9th.

MI Pro publisher Dave Roberts commented: “To gain this level of backing from the world’s leading MI event is a huge vote of confidence in the MI Retail Conference & Expo and we’re delighted to have such a prestigious headline partner. Even more significantly, it shows how seriously Musikmesse takes its relationship with UK dealers and how keen it is to get more of them than ever to Frankfurt in 2011.”

Meanwhile, details of the conference agenda have also been announced. It will include new research from GfK, a retailfocused presentation from the MIA and panel sessions featuring industry leaders discussing online selling and the lessons learned from the collapse of Sound Control, Reverb and other chains.

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE 11:00 – Welcome Stuart Dinsey, MI Pro 11:05 – Where We’re At, Where We’re Going Matt Gibbs, GfK Exclusive data from one of the world’s biggest research companies.

11:30 – Reverberations (Panel session) Chairman: Andy Barrett, MI Pro Panelists: Noel Sheehan, Sheehans; Simon Gilson, PMT; plus two leading suppliers TBC. What has the industry learned from the collapse of Sound Control, Reverb and others?

11:55 – What Has The MIA Ever Done For Us? Paul McManus, MIA How the trade body can help retailers sell more product and make more money.

12:10 – Music For All Tim Walter, Roland News on the industry charity’s latest initiative.

12:15 – Online Selling: Threat or Opportunity?

(Panel session) Chairman: Peter Heath, Roland Panelists: Jason Tavaria, Dolphin; David Briggs, Dawsons; Harvey Roberts, Audio Technica; Paul Marshall, Marshall.

The single biggest shift in the MI retail landscape comes under the spotlight.

12:40 – Music Matters Billy Bragg The legendary singer, songwriter and campaigner talks about the importance of music and the role of retailers across all aspects of the community – and updates us on his Jail Guitar Doors project.

EVENT PARTNERS AND SPONSORS PLATINUM PARTNERS

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AFTER SHOW SPONSOR

Yamaha’s guitar man goes global Julian Ward breaks new ground by moving up to Japanese head office for guitar promotions and training IN A move Yamaha is flagging up as a milestone, Yamaha UK’s guitar product manager, Julian Ward, has been promoted to a newly created global position, which marks the first time that a non-Japanese member of staff has been transferred from a subsidiary territory directly to Japanese head office.

Ward’s new title is international guitar marketing and product planning manager and the role sees him taking responsibility for a range of international functions, including product and promotional planning and training. He will manage these and co-ordinate communications and market research information between the European and US markets and the head offices in Japan.

Reporting directly to the head of guitar and drum marketing in Japan, the appointment illustrates an expanding recognition within Yamaha Japan of the significant

4 miPRO JUNE 2010

role and influence that the UK and US markets need to play in ensuring the continuing success of Yamaha guitars in the global marketplace.

The new role also recognises the importance that Yamaha Corporation now places on deploying international skills to better integrate and develop marketing programmes, thus ensuring that the detailed knowledge and skills of key Western staff are used to maximum effect.

“I am really excited about the new role,” said Ward. “I’ll still be UK-based, but I now have a global role. It’s very significant that Yamaha Japan has added global marketing to the existing artist relations and R&D functions that can be more effectively influenced and strategically developed by the highly influential markets of Europe and North America in partnership with our Japanese head office.”

YAMAHA: 01908 366700

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NEWS

retail event collapsing chains, exclusive research and charity HEADLINE SPONSOR

Jet City gets to Source in UK New US valve amplifier brand launches in the UK through Source Distribution

SOUND BITES Thomastik exclusive for B&M Barnes & Mullins has revealed that it is the sole supplier of Thomastik Infeld strings for the UK. Although B&M – through the Hidersine Company – has had the exclusive distribution rights for a long time, until now Thomastik Infeld products have been sub-distributed through a number of other companies.

Bruce Perrin, B&M’s joint managing director explains the reasons behind this change: “Thomastik Infeld is undoubtedly the brand leader, and as such it deserves clear, focussed attention.”

Stageworks mat For details on Event Partner Packages, please contact Jodie.Holdway@intent media.co.uk or phone 01992 535 647

Sustainable Mariner MARINER, THE distinctive UKdesigned acoustic guitar brand, is claiming a breakthrough in the quest for sustainable tonewoods.

After two years development, the company is unveiling a new ‘Green’ series, built from paulownia. Mariner is calling the newcomers its Vertys range.

“Although MI’s overall use of exotic tone woods from endangered species is relatively small, it is highly reliant upon them,” said Mariner’s founder, Ken Achard. “Ever since the brand’s conception, we have been concerned about this and have devoted our efforts to producing an environmentally friendly guitar.”

The backs and sides of these instruments are built from paulownia, while the fingerboards and bridges are made from sonokeling, a sustainable South East Asian species of rosewood.

The necks are made from nyatoh, a non-threatened hardwood, and the tops are solid sitka , another managed timber Paulownia grows to harvest in just seven years, compared with 40 to 45 years for mahogany.

When the tree is harvested it regenerates from the existing rootstock, so it can be coppiced rather than felled. It is also grown successfully with other crops for the economically effective use of land.

The wood weighs in at one third the weight of mahogany, meaning guitars constructed from it are lighter and comfortable to play over long periods.

MUSIC FORCE: 01780 781630 MARINER GUITARS: 07710 842989

SOURCE DISTRIBUTION has announced its appointment as the exclusive UK distributor for the new US valve amp manufacturer, Jet City Amplification.

Established in September 2009, Seattle-based Jet City is the brainchild of MI veterans Doug White and Dan Gallagher, alongside the valve amp design guru, Mike Soldano. Both White and Gallagher have extensive experience in the MI industry, having between them occupied key roles with Gibson, Ampeg and Alesis among others, while Mike Soldano has carved himself an enviable reputation as a designer of high gain tube amps with unmatched overdrive tone. The company’s philosophy is to offer premium-quality boutique tube amps at very affordable prices – by applying a volume manufacturing approach to Soldano’s legendary boutique amp designs.

Commenting on the appointment, Source’s director of distributed brands, Howard Jones (pictured right with Source's northern area sales manager, Richard Powell), said: “Four of us at Source – me included – are experienced guitarists and it’s been an established goal of ours to

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increase our presence in the UK MI market. I can’t think of a better amp than Jet City to help us achieve that. There’s a real buzz about Jet City in the US that has now reached Europe and the excitement that these amps have generated has been quite amazing. We can’t wait to introduce them to the UK.”

”

Stageworks has launched its Non-Slip Pedal Mat, suitable for various instruments, particularly keyboard, guitar and drums (see page 70).

The product is an alternative to gaffa taping pedals down, a common annoyance for musicians until now.

Infinity Guitars Infinity Guitars, a partnership between Jaden Rose Guitars and The Monkey Lord/Chapman Guitars has now been formed, with new designs already being planned.

I can’t think of a better amp than Jet to help us increase our MI presence.

Howard Jones Source Distribution

Jet City’s co-president, Dan Gallagher, added: “The UK is a key market for Jet City and we’re thrilled to be working with Source. No other UK distributor offers the same professionalism, customer support and sheer marketing muscle as these guys and we look forward to welcoming many UK guitarists as Jet Citizens in the next few years.

SOURCE DISTRIBUTION: 020 8962 5080

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miPRO JUNE 2010 5

NEWS

Hanson’s to use sustainable wood Yule joins UK-based clarinet manufacturer world’s first to use environmentally friendly material HANSON CLARINETS has been certified under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) for its decision to use sustainably harvested African blackwood.

This makes Hanson, the UK’s largest clarinet manufacturer, the world’s first FSC chain of custody for the material.

This chain links all handlers of the wood, from the harvesters in Tanzania right through to the instrument manufacturers and retailers, ensuring that it originates from a sustainable source.

“We are proud to become the world’s first FSC-certified maker of woodwind instruments,” said Alastair Hanson, cofounder of the UK clarinet maker.

Neil Bridgland, Sound & Fair campaign manager, added: “Very soon clarinet players will be able to make purchasing

DJ gear specialist appoints international sales manager from TL Audio

decisions based on ethical considerations as well as quality.”

The wood is currently being processed at a sawmill in Tanzania and will soon be

shipped to Britain. Hanson is expecting to release its first product using this new source later in the year.

HANSON CLARINETS: 0870 7440015

York continues to stay strong Successful brass brand remains positive despite Schreiber & Keilwerth financial problems YORK, ONE one of the world’s leaders in brass instruments, is continuing business despite the request by Schreiber & Keilwerth, its parent company, for the opening of insolvency proceedings recently.

York has maintained its presence at brass events, such as the European Brass Band Championships in Linz at the end of April. A number of renowned brass bands, including The Cory Band and The Black Dyke Band, which have endorsed York for many years, have also got behind the company.

“My players rely on the advantage York Musical Instruments give us. In addition to the quality of the instruments, the company itself has built a reputation in the brass band world for reliability and sincerity and I look forward to working with the new owners as soon as possible,” said Dr Robert Childs, musical director of the Cory Band.

“

Innovative battery-free system also introduced by preamp and pickup specialist

6 miPRO MAY 2010

SARAH YULE has been handed the role of international sales manager by Numark Industries. She will be responsible for a number of important accounts, as well as helping to expand the business.

Yule has been involved with music from a young age and left Liverpool’s Institute for Performing Arts with a BA in Sound Technology. After graduation, she began working for Dolphin Music Enterprises, which she helped achieve immense growth.

After graduation, she began working for Dolphin Music Enterprises, which she helped achieve immense growth.

FCN becomes Mi-Si distributor FCN MUSIC has been appointed as the UK distributor for Mi-Si acoustic preamps and pickups.

Mi-Si has recently announced the release of a preamp that requires no batteries at all. This new approach involves using low-power components and compact circuits.

To utilise the preamp’s eight-hour battery life, the user must simply power up the device for 60 seconds. This new design also

Numark

means no more irritations that are common with previous battery products, such as extra wires, battery compartments and RF interference.

The Acoustic Trio, a simple Jack and power charger with L.R. Baggs acoustic guitar pickup, is priced at £125. The Acoustic Duo Soundhole pickup includes this battery free technology, as well as the Mi-Si power charger, all for £185.

FCN MUSIC: 01892 603733

This led to her moving to TL Audio, a long established manufacturer of pro audio equipment.

Here she was required to expand and organise the distribution structure, as well as helping to rebrand the company and the Fatman brand. Her success in these areas caused her to become sought after across both industries, leading to this new career progression.

Yule is also a keen blogger and is a columnist for MI Pro’s sister magazine, Audio Pro International.

Numark Industries was established in 1971 and is recognised as a global leader in professional DJ and audio equipment.

NUMARK: 01252 341400

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T +44 (0) 1483 238720 E sales@ariauk.com W www.ariauk.com

DISTIE NEWS

SCV becomes Turbo driven London supplier and speaker maker partnership the result of new portable PA series

Hiwatt shows off TubeSync

SCV LONDON has become the UK distributor for Turbosound’s MI product range. Turbosound is best known for its touring PA and installation products, but has now entered the portable PA market with the Milan range.

At the top of this new series is the MI5, which offers an onboard 450-Watt

“

The appointment of SCV is the next step in connecting to a wider customer base Simon Blackwood, Turbosound MD

Class D amp with two-channel mixer, offering flexibility for mobile performers.

Turbosound has also recently released its Aspect and Flex Array systems, aimed at the live and club markets.

Distribution of the Milan range started at the beginning of May this year, along

with the new Compact series, launched at Frankfurt’s Prolight+Sound.

“The appointment of SCV London to handle the retail channel of our expanding portable sound product line is the next step in connecting more effectively to an even wider

Turbosound customer base,” said Turbosound managing director Simon Blackwood.

SCV distributes a number of other brands in the UK, including Fostex, Audix and Jamhub.

SCV LONDON: 020 8418 0778

O-Port docks with D’Addario New acoustic product enhances guitar sound with no electronics D’ADDARIO HAS secured a worldwide distribution agreement with Dare Music Group for its new product, the O-Port.

This new gadget is claimed to enhance an acoustic guitar’s sound without electronics. The increases in sustain and harmonic range are even more effective when the guitar is plugged in and amplified. This, a D’Addario statement said, leads to a fuller sound, a stronger signal to the internal pick-up and significant feedback control.

It will be sold in two sizes as an aftermarket, self-installation device, compatible with virtually any acoustic guitar model.

“The O-Port is a great new product,” said Jim D’Addario, CEO of D’Addario & Company. “We’re always looking to offer musicians the tools they need – even tools they didn’t realise they needed. The buzz around this product is already stirring, and we look forward to finding continued success with the Dare group.”

D’ADDARIO UK: 0191 300 3000

HIWATT FIRST DISPLAYED KBO Dynamics’ TubeSync technology at Musikmesse this year. This device provides a number of benefits for guitar users, including reliability and performance in tube amps.

TubeSync combines with an amp’s circuitry, testing and monitoring its inner workings, without affecting tone or sound. It also prevents the need for bias current matching, enhances tube life and can even run an amp at half power in the event of tube failure.

Hiwatt is the first major amp manufacturer to incorporate TubeSync into its products.

“Our amps have proved their reliability,” said Mark Lodge, Hiwatt’s general manager. “Incorporating TubeSync technology has allowed us to raise the bar further. The benefits are of great value to us and our customers,” KBO is currently looking for more buyers for its technology and is aiming to get TubeSync included in more amp products by the end of the year. It is also in the process of designing variants that can be fitted by technicians and even guitarists themselves. Hiwatt is distributed in the UK thorugh Freestyle.

FREESTYLE: 01924 455414

JHS appoints new partners in France and US French distributor Saico joins JHS’ worldwide network along with new American supplier, taking the global list to 57 JOHN HORNBY Skewes & Co has appointed Saico as the exclusive distributor for its most popular brands in France.

Saico, based in Colmar, becomes the latest supplier to join JHS’ extensive list of worldwide distributors, now totalling 57.

“The sales team of our Musico department is really excited to be able to offer these fantastic guitars to all our customers,” said Saico’s managing director, Serge Abraham.

The news came shortly after a separate announcement stating that JHS has also set up with a new distributor for the US.

08 miPRO JUNE 2010

Left to Right: Dennis Drumm, Jack Thompson, Trev Wilkinson, Steven Savvides

The Musical Distributors Group (MDG) is now the exclusive US distributor for the JHS guitar brands, previously handled in the area by MIDC, based in Toronto, which will continue as the supplier of Fret King, Vintage, Encore and Santos Martinez in Canada.

JHS will be attending the MI Retail Conference and Expo on June 29th, as well as exhibiting its products with its new US partner at Summer NAMM in Nashville on June 18th to 20th and with its French distributor at the Paris Music Show from November 19th to 22nd.

JHS: 0113 286 5381

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DISTRIBUTION PROFILE LOUD TECHNOLOGIES High Wycombe John Kaukis and Gemma Andrews explains the reasons behind Loud’s global success and offers some advice to smaller suppliers...

Year Established: 1999 (1989 in the US) Number of employees: 72 in total for the UK, six in the MI division.

Is business up or down compared to last year?

Up, due to improved manufacturing volume, exciting new product launches and investment into improving service and support.

How has the economic climate affected business?

This is the third recession I have been through and each time I’ve found that business always comes back. There was a definite dip last year but we are seeing UK business starting to build again. Our attitude is just to keep our heads up and get on with the job in hand.

What are your best-selling lines, and why do you think they perform so well?

Mackie and Ampeg are our best sellers, due to innovation and heritage.

Mackie is renowned for introducing the affordable pro-quality mixer with the CR1604, followed by the iconic Mackie 8-Bus recording console.

With Ampeg, it’s also a case of history. It invented the bass amp and went on to produce the renowned Ampeg B15 in the 1960s. It also released the first SVT Amplifier, and this went on to be used by most top acts at the time.

The Mackie Thump 15A has just been a runaway success. The key is down to EAW technology and Mackie design at an unbeatable price point.

How does Loud feel the UK market differs from other global markets?

It clearly is a mature market so creating real waves isn’t going to be easy. Having said that, the changes in the retail side of the market that have occurred over the past couple years have really opened things up, leaving business a little more balanced.

We do not see a great difference between the UK and other similar economies in terms of the mix of products sold.

What distinguishes you from the competition?

Our EMEA division is based in the UK so we have close contact with our colleagues in the different European countries. As we sell directly to dealers in Germany, France and Benelux we can all operate from the same price sheet. This gives us a strong advantage over some UK-only distributors.

I think the breadth of our product portfolio surprises many customers. With Ampeg, Mackie, Alvarez and Blackheart as well as Martin Audio & EAW in the pro-audio market, we have strong brands delivering great quality and good value.

How do you maintain a good relationship with retailers?

Legwork. I think good relationships are maintained at the personal level. I also think not being afraid to accept honest criticism helps.

What would you say is the biggest challenge facing the MI industry today?

The UK market is now open to the rest of Europe, with the internet providing transparency of pricing and service to consumers. Retailers of the future will need to have a strong focus on IT and logistics to be successful.

What are your aims for the next 12 months?

To build on the progress we’ve made over the past year. Our new production facilities have greatly improved some of the supply issues we had last year, so now it’s time to build on that foundation.

We are offering our customers products with good profit potential and a real point of difference.

CONTACT DETAILS Address: Unit 2, Century Point, Halifax Road, Cressex Business Park, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire HP12 3SL, England Phone: 01494 557398 Fax: 01494 557396 Web: www.loudtechinc.com

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miPRO JUNE 2010 9

DRUM NEWS

Drum show starting to take shape Oyster House announces increasing exhibitor list and initial artist roster with more to follow in the near future DRUMMER MAGAZINE’S London Drum Show, which will take place on September 4th and 5th 2010 at Olympia in London has already pulled together an impressive line-up in terms of both exhibitors and artists for its inaugural happening.

Companies from the distribution side of the trade at the show include Korg (Paiste, Mapex and Vic Firth), Remo, Pearl, MI Direct (Silver Fox Drumsticks), Hardcase and Alfred Publishing, with Premier, Marshall (Natal), Meinl, Istanbul, Ahead Drumsticks, Soultone Cymbals, Ford Drums, Tama, Dream Cymbals, Sound Attack, Rosetti, Pro-Mark and Yamaha also signing up. On the retail side, there will be the Wembley Drum Centre, London Drum Company and Percussity.

MI Pro’s sponsor of all things drum and percussion related, Mikedolbear.com, will be presenting a series of high profile artists in a master class situation in a 300-seater suite. The Live

Left: Benny Greb and Below: Pete Lockett

Stage auditorium will feature plush tiered seating and excellent acoustics, ensuring that both artists and audience have the utmost experience over the two days.

On the artist front, Benny Greb, Mike Mangini and Pete Lockett have all been confirmed to appear at the show.

Greb’s global status amongst drummers has risen phenomenally with appearances

at major drum festivals around the world and in 2009 he released The Language of Drumming: A System For Musical Expression DVD on the Hudson Music label, showing his unique approach to drumming.

Mark DeCloedt, Pearl’s European artist relations manager, confirmed that American drummer Mike Mangini will be present, performing on the Saturday (September 4th).

Zildjian Mission from Gadd rescheduled YAMAHA MUSIC (UK), Zildjian’s distributor in the UK and Ireland, has announced the rescheduled dates for the Mission from Gadd European tour, which was postponed due to the grounding of flights into the UK after the volcanic eruption in Iceland.

The replacement dates are September 3rd, 6th & 8th, and due to the new position in the calendar, it has been possible to add a further date on the tour, which will be in Manchester on September 7th.

Details for the dates are: Friday 3rd (Hexagon, Reading: 0118 960 6060), Monday 6th (The Helix, Dublin: +353 1 700 7000), Tuesday 7th (Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester: 0161 907 5555) and Wednesday 8th (Corn Exchange, Edinburgh: 0844 415 5221).

“I was very disappointed that we had to postpone the first few dates of the tour due to the volcano, but I’m excited to come

Above: Steve Gadd is looking forward to the UK and Ireland dates to the UK and Ireland in September and meet all the drummers,” commented Steve Gadd in the announcement.

“We heard that the unaffected dates in Holland, Germany, Italy and Spain were an amazing success, so I am really grateful to Steve that he has been able to find time to re-arrange

everything,” added Gavin Thomas, the product manager for Yamaha Drums and Zildjian.

“With the addition of the new date in Manchester and moving to a larger theatre in Dublin, it is wonderful to know that even more people will now get the chance to experience the show.”

YAMAHA: 01908 366700

DeCloedt has performed and recorded with a host of artists and has successfully applied his Rhythm Knowledge learning method to all styles of music. He is a full-time faculty member at Berklee College of Music along with being appointed to its educational committee and as advisor to the percussion students. He is the recipient of several signature products including Zildjian’s Trashformer

EFX cymbal, Mike Mangini signature sticks and the Pearl Mike Mangini Golden Ratio snare drum.

Positive statements from the industry have been numerous, with Marshall’s new purchase, Natal, backing the event. “Natal is entering a new age in 2010 so it’s perfect for us to be exhibiting at the London Drum Show,” said Craig Clover, the worldwide sales and product manager for the brand. “Natal prides itself on its long British heritage and as this era begins for the company, under the new ownership of Marshall Amplification, it seems fitting to be involved with a major UK event such as this. The show will provide an excellent platform to display and demonstrate the new Natal product ranges and to meet and talk to Natal players and customers, old and new.”

The organiser, Drummer magazine’s publisher Oyster House, stated that more artists at the show will be unveiled soon.

Esther Rantzen bangs drum for Childline STUDENTS FROM Birmingham and Derby Yamaha Music Schools hit a high note with Childline founder Esther Rantzen, when she visited Yamaha’s head office in Milton Keynes to congratulate Yamaha Music Schools for creating the Childline Rocks fundraising campaign, which offers free music lessons in return for a small donation in aid of Childline.

The number of musicians backing the scheme continues to grow with The Enemy, Carl Barat and Reverend and the Makers recently performing a Childline Rocks gig at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire.

Gary Seeney and Gail Dallali, owners of the Birmingham and Derby Yamaha schools, each presented Esther Rantzen with a cheque for

£1,000. “These cheques are just the first of the many we hope to raise from free lessons, concerts and various activities within the school and with our colleagues around the country,” said Seeney.

Childline Rocks aims to raise awareness of Childline, which currently can only answer two thirds of the 2.3 million calls it receives every year.

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MI RETAIL CONFERENCE MUSIKMESSE & EXPO EVENT EVENTPREVIEW REPORT

MI RETAIL CONFERENCE & EXPO JUNE 29TH, THE BREWERY, CHISWELL STREET (BARBICAN), LONDON

Trading place MI Pro’s first ever trade gathering is less than a month away and already promising to be a ‘must-attend’ date in the MI calendar. MI Pro’s publisher, Dave Roberts, and managing editor, Andy Barrett, take you through what it’s all about…

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ou may feel you’ve had quite enough of manifestos. Totally understandable. But, if you’ll indulge us, here’s one more.

The good news is there will be no mention of electoral reform or ‘frontline services’. Instead, we’re presenting a set of guiding principles behind the MI Retail Conference & Expo. It’s our 12-point plan for an event that we hope will become a regular fixture in our industry’s calendar and deliver tangible benefits for all sectors.

We hope we can count on your support come the big day...

1) IT’S ALL ABOUT RETAIL The clue’s in the name, of course. The MI Retail Conference & Expo has been created with dealers at the top of the agenda.

The vast majority of delegates will be retailers (currently over 150 confirmed – see separate box). The conference content has been designed specifically to help them run better businesses and make more money. The MI Retail Conference & Expo is the brainchild of this magazine. And, just as dealers are the lifeblood of MI Pro, they are the raison d’etre behind the event.

2) FREE TO RETAIL The MI Retail Conference & Expo is, of course, free to all retailers. In fact, they have been specifically invited and incentivised through goody bags that include an iPod Touch.

3) IT’S NOT A TRADE SHOW Our feeling was that there isn’t the appetite for a fully blown, bells and whistles, two or three day trade show. No one really wants to trudge aisles, hopefully chuck around some business cards, eat slightly limp sandwiches in plastic containers and end up not entirely sure if

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the whole thing’s been worthwhile. Trade shows can be a little... unfocused. They become all about selling space and filling time. At the MI Retail Conference & Expo, space and time are very deliberately limited and both will be used smartly.

4) OPEN TO ALL (1) Hundreds of dealers have received personal invitations from MI Pro based on lists supplied by our Event Partners. But the event is open to all dealers, regardless of size, location, stock profile, etc. The majors such as Dawsons, Dolphin and PMT will be represented, of course, but the vast majority will be independent stores.

Some have been around for decades, others are yet to open.

5) OPEN TO ALL (2) Our Event Partners represent pretty much every corner of the catholic business of MI supply (see separate box for full details). There are long-established mainstream distributors, world-beating manufacturers, acoustic specialists, pro audio crossover brands and even insurance companies. All will be given one of two tightly defined levels of prominence at the Conference & Expo and within MI Pro’s guide to the event (bundled with next month’s issue). None will dominate any element. All will get great exposure, time with dealers and opportunities to do business. Which brings us to...

6) BUSINESS, NOT SHOW BUSINESS A key goal is to provide a professional environment conducive to doing business.

The MI Retail Conference & Expo is about exchanging ideas, learning, discussing, meetings and networking. It’s not publicfacing in any way and isn’t a platform for corporate willy-waving.

7) (CONFERENCE) CONTENT IS KING The Conference programme (page 14 box)

has been designed in close co-operation with our Event Partners and, to an even greater degree, the dealers. All attending retailers were sent a questionnaire, and one of the things we wanted to know was what they’d like discussed. The most common responses were to do with online selling and the ramifications of the Sound Control/Reverb collapse(s). They’re also by far the most (and most passionately) discussed subjects via the comment section on our website. So, the two centrepiece panel sessions will tackle both these topics, with input from leading figures representing all sectors of the industry.

8) BE INCLUSIVE The event is being launched by MI Pro, but

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the physical audience. The conference content, the key discussions and opinions as well as our Event Partner messages and branding will all be amplified hugely though the pages of MI Pro and on our website.

11) BRING THE TRADE TOGETHER There are good reasons why there’s no dedicated trade show anymore and why there’s no trade day at this year’s London Music Show. But it does mean that there are probably fewer opportunities than ever for the trade to get together. So, at a very basic level, the MI Retail Conference & Expo is at least one opportunity, one day, when the market’s most pro-active, successful and forward thinking retailers can spend time with manufacturers and

The clue is in the name. The MI retail Conference & Expo has been created with dealers at the top of the agenda. Just as they are the lifeblood of MI Pro, they are also the raison d’etre behind the event.

it’s absolutely not about MI Pro or for MI Pro. It’s about the trade and for the trade.

To that end, we’ve involved the MIA and both retail buying groups, Rocktronic and Euromusic. We’ve also invited an MI-based charity along – Jail Guitar Doors.

9) LOW COST, NO HASSLE The MI Retail Conference & Expo is designed very deliberately to create more business, not more work for our Event Partners. The simple, shell scheme stands are pre-built and ready to use. They can all literally just turn up on the day. And it is just a day. We know time out of the office is a push for all businesses, retailers and suppliers, so we’re keeping it tight and making it focused.

10) IT’S NOT JUST ONE DAY The event itself is, of course, just one day (see point 9), but the build-up and the coverage means that the reach is far more sustained than one day and far wider than

distributors that believe co-operation and communication can only do good.

12) EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY A peripheral benefit of limiting the numbers of delegates and Partners is that the intimate nature of the event makes it far easier to network and socialise, and eats and drinks can be an integral, civilised part of the day rather than mere fuel stops. A top quality lunch will be served in a separate room adjacent to the expo, providing the first opportunity to pick over the main points thrown up by the conference, before heading off to meet Partners and discuss business. Then, when the Expo closes, the After Show Party, sponsored by Roland, starts at a bar directly over the road and, again, there’ll be some food, some drinks and another opportunity to chat with friends and partners before The Fabulous Beatles take to the stage and give it some Yeah Yeah Yeah to close proceedings.

miPRO JUNE 2009 13

EVENT PREVIEW MI RETAIL CONFERENCE & EXPO

RETAILERS

Simon Gilson, Paul Marshall, Peter Heath and Noel Sheehan will all be panelists at the inaugural MI conference

Conference content After consultation with all of the retail delegates and Event Partners, the subject matter for the crucial conference section of the event is now in place, with every talk and session targeting aspects of our industry that can improve our relationships, focus our efforts, and boost our business, while we air our views.

From stats and associations to charities and business, the speakers and participants have been specifically chosen for the role they play in our trade.

11:00 – Welcome Stuart Dinsey, MI Pro 11:05 – Where We’re At, Where We’re Going Matt Gibbs, GfK Exclusive data from one of the world’s biggest research companies.

11:30 – Reverberations (Panel session) Chairman: Andy Barrett, MI Pro Panelists: Noel Sheehan, Sheehans Simon Gilson, PMT Plus two leading suppliers TBC. What has the industry learned from the collapse of Sound Control, Reverb and others?

11:55 – What Has The MIA Ever Done For Us? Paul McManus, MIA How the trade body can help retailers sell more product and make more money.

12:10 – Music For All Tim Walter, Roland News on the industry charity’s latest initiative, Three Men on a Bike.

12:15 – Online Selling: Threat or Opportunity?

(Panel session) Chairman: Peter Heath, Roland Panelists: Jason Tavaria, Dolphin David Briggs, Dawsons Harvey Roberts, Audio Technica Paul Marshall, Marshall.

The single biggest shift in the MI retail landscape comes under the spotlight with input from all sectors of the trade.

From Ackerman to Wembley via Dolphin and Dawsons, just about every type of MI retail store is to be represented at the MI Retail Conference & Expo; whether independent, multiple, bricks and mortar or online, the delegates at the gathering will be as complete a cross-section of MI’s front line as one could wish for.

In fact, it isn’t too much to say that we at MI Pro have been blown away by the response from the dealer segment of the industry, so much so that we have had to move the conference into a larger room to accommodate the interest.

Our original target of 200 delegates has been easily surpassed and we now have over 150 retail businesses represented by senior directors, owners, managers and buyers on behalf of literally hundreds of store outlets – not only because of the store chains represented, but also thanks to the participation at the event of the Euromusic and Rocktronic buying consortiums, which between them have well over 100 stores.

As we have said, this event is all about MI retail and MI retailers – these are the people that have shaped the conference and who are the motivation for it.

12:40 – Music Matters Billy Bragg The legendary singer, songwriter and campaigner talks about the importance of music and the role of retailers across all aspects of the community – and updates us on his innovative Jail Guitar Doors project.

Key speakers Billy Bragg (far left) and Matthew Gibbs (far right) alongside panelists David Briggs and Jason Tavaria

first impressions 14 miPRO JUNE 2009

MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION First Impressions allows Audio-Technica’s MI retailers to offer something extra to their customers both in terms of convenience and price.

To find out more visit www.audio-technica.com/firstimpressions or to register your interest in participating in the scheme, contact your area sales coordinator by phone on 0113 277 1441 or by email at sales@audio-technica.co.uk

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EVENT PREVIEW MI RETAIL CONFERENCE & EXPO

HEADLINE SPONSOR PLATINUM PARTNERS

GOLD PARTNERS

AFTER SHOW SPONSOR

For details on Event Partner Packages, please contact Jodie.Holdway@intentmedia.co.uk or phone 01992 535 647

SCHEDULE 10:30-11:00: Registration 11:00-13:00: Conference (see page 14) 13:00-14:00: Networking Buffet 13:00-18:00: Expo 18:00-23:00: After Show Party (sponsored by Roland at the Parker McMillan Bar directly across the road from The Brewery). Delegate goodie bags, including an iPod touch, will be given out at the After Show Party.

GETTING THERE, STAYING THERE The Brewery is situated at 52 Chiswell Street, London EC1Y 4SD just down the road from the Barbican tube station on the Central, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines, but is also within walking distance of Moorgate (Central, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan and Northern lines) and Old Street (Northern line).

Those arriving by car can take advantage of nearby parking facilities. The Finsbury Square Underground (London, EC2A 1AD – 0845 050 7080) is an underground car park, just 200 metres from The Brewery, with 258 parking spaces and a tariff of £36 for 24 hours (£6 per hour).

Aldersgate Street Car Park (158170 Aldersgate Street, London EC1A 4HY – 0845 050 7080) is another underground facility and is 800 metres from the venue. The charge is £30 for 24 hours (£6 per two hours).

Both car parks allow motorcycle parking for £4 per day.

If you are attending the event from further afield and haven’t already booked yourself into a local hotel, then have a look at the special offers that are available at the following.

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Hotel Thistle City Barbican

Proximity to Room Type The Brewery

10 minute walk single 5-10 minute The Kingsley taxi ride Park Inn 10 minute Russell Square taxi ride 10 minute Ambassadors taxi ride Bloomsbury Strand Palace 5-10 minute Club Rooms taxi ride Travelodge London 5-10 minute City Road Lodge walk single St Giles 10 minute Bloomsbury taxi ride President 10 minute Russell Square taxi ride

Single Twin Single Twin Single Twin Single Twin Single Twin Single Twin Single Twin Single Twin

Full Rate

Special Rate

£263.20 £299.75 £320.85 £332.25 £234 £279 £255 £275 £235 £235 £89 £89 £135 £155 £73 £97

£175.07 £186.83 £143.50 £153.75 £140 £150 £140 £150 £117.50 £141 £89 £89 £82 £102 £73 £97

These rates are inclusive of English Breakfast. All rates are per room per night including service and VAT and are subject to availability. Please note that full payment by credit card is required for the Travelodge at the time of booking To book your accommodation at these special rates contact us quoting MIRC 10

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For dealer information, visit our dedicated UK website at www.daddario.co.uk/inked Inked by Evans available from D’Addario UK, A3 Eleventh Avenue, Gateshead, NE11 0JY T: 0191 300 3000

COVER FEATURE AVSL

AVSL strikes a new chord It’s not often that a new big beast enters the UK’s MI jungle. But what if the newcomer isn’t really new? What if it has connections and experience? And what if it plans to take on the current big beasts and beat them at their own game? Gary

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f the name AVSL currently means little to you and, by and large, the debut of a new entry-level range of MI products doesn’t exactly set your pulse racing, now might be a good time to make a cup of coffee and find out what is on the way – and why. Manchester-based AVSL is a sizeable company with a wealth of experience. How come you’ve never heard of it then? Well, you almost certainly have, but under its previous name – Skytronic.

Most associated with DJ, PA and electronic products, Skytronic has undergone a major reorganisation and rebranding operation in recent years. Now

18 miPRO JUNE 2010

called, somewhat anonymously, AVSL (the umbrella name for the entire group), a new brand – Chord – has been created as the home for a range of MI products. This will ultimately encompass keyboards, guitars, wind, drums and percussion to PA and even high-tech, to run alongside established AVSL brands such as Miditech and Nu-X Technology. It’s an ambitious programme, with a major new catalogue appearing this month. AVSL is absolutely confident it can establish Chord as a major MI brand with music shops across the UK and, eventually, internationally as well. The company’s marketing manager, Becky Stanton, and AVSL’s product

manager for music products, Andy Elly, explained why.

MI Pro: To start at the beginning, most MI Pro readers will already know Skytronic and particularly some of your veteran brands, like Citronic. Why have you morphed into AVSL and what does this mean for retailers?

Becky Stanton: The change to AVSL was so that we could globally market our brands. The AVSL name allows us to do that and develop the brands on their own. Previously, Skytronic was the company name as well as a brand of ours, so AVSL has become the mother brand,

with Chord, Citronic and the others as sub-brands. On a smaller scale, of course, it’s a bit like Proctor and Gamble, which is the company, with its other brands under that umbrella.

Andy Elly: Alongside that, with some of the acquisitions and changes we’ve put in place, we’ve actually made the transition from being a company to being a group of companies, which is also one of the reasons behind the change of names.

There’s always a risk when you change names. How have you approached that from a marketing and brand awareness point of view?

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AVSL COVER FEATURE BS: Obviously, we let all our existing customers know exactly what was going on and we managed the transition by putting ‘formerly Skytronic’ on the website and all the other places where the AVSL name was being used, so people always knew what was happening. Now, after a year, we’ve started taking that off, as people have got used to it. But even before that, we had already started developing some of the brands – for example, we started taking products that had previously been in the Skytronic range and using the Chord name or the Mercury range, or QTX, Adastra or Citronic, as appropriate.

Chord seems to be AVSL’s main MI brand and we’ve already seen some impressively priced effects pedals

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but we feel we know enough to make a success out of this. We know the market we want to aim at and there will always be an MI business out there, which needs serving in the correct way. We feel we can do that, we’ve always had a certain degree of success in all the product areas we’ve gone into and we feel quite confident that we can serve this market well.

When you decide to start an MI brand, like Chord, how do you go about it? Do you go to the international trade shows and buy what’s on offer? Do you design your own products and have them made? How did it happen?

AE: It’s something that we already do.

From work with our Citronic and other brands we’ve constantly been going to trade fairs and promoting our products, so

I realised a lot of companies are finding it difficult and struggling and you could say we’re either brave or foolish, but we feel we know enough to make a success out of this.

for MI

considerable resources, international Cooper meets AVSL - a big beast with big plans...

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Andy Elly, AVSL Product manager

from you under that name, with guitars and basses following. How was the brand created and what are your plans for it?

AE: We knew that we wanted to move more into the musical equipment and instrument market and we already had quite a high profile with other brands like Citronic and Adastra, but we decided that it warranted an actual brand, so after much wrangling we came across the word ‘chord’, which just said it all for us.

We’ve now begun to use that to build a proper MI product base.

Some of our readers may be surprised by anyone choosing to move into the MI field at the moment, as the conventional wisdom seems to be that MI is a very challenged market sector, under a lot of pressure. There is also a widely held view that it is quite seriously oversupplied with products and brands as it is, so what made you think you could make headway in such a market?

AE: I realised a lot of companies are finding it difficult and struggling and you could say we’re either brave or foolish,

it’s almost been a seamless transition into the MI trade.

Obviously, with electronic products, that makes a lot of sense as they are fundamentally similar, but what about actual musical instruments? They require a lot of specialist knowledge and can be difficult to get right. How did you go about that?

AE: Essentially, that was why I was brought into the company, because I have had experience within the MI industry in both retail and installation. We backed that with research and decided the areas we wanted to approach first – in particular from my point of view, guitars and accessories. And, of course, we already did a lot of the accessories under our other brands. With the guitars, we seem to have hit the nail on the head from the outset – they’ve been very well received.

Again, from our readers’ point of view, it would almost certainly be true that they’d say the guitar market was the most oversupplied of them all, with literally hundreds of brands competing for their business, so why should they look at the Chord range as opposed to any of the many others on the market?

AE: I appreciate there are a lot of different brands out there - certainly in the budget to midrange, where we are at the moment, but basically it’s been about looking for the right features, how to improve an instrument and understanding what people are looking for. It’s watching out for things like poorly finished fretboards, offering a better variety of colours and, for us, the big one – catering for the huge lack of left-handed models out there.

This is certainly an area that needs attention and a common complaint.

miPRO JUNE 2010 19

COVER FEATURE AVSL

What are you doing here?

AE: The simple fact is that there is a retooling charge every time you want to do a production run of left-handed guitars and what we decided to do, after a fair bit of discussion, was to take that on the chin and absorb the retooling costs. As a result, our trade prices in the UK are on a level for left and right-handed guitars and I don’t think there are many other budget ranges available that are doing this. In terms of the models in the range, we’ve gone for the standard fare in designs, but we’ve gone at a bit of a different angle because we’ve included a lot of different finish options. We are working currently on some quite unique design ideas but it is pretty much the copy/traditional market for now, with retail prices from £90 upwards. Currently, we’ve got electrics, basses and one electro-acoustic, but all of that is expanding. There are only seven different items at the moment, but with so many variations of colour and so on it comes to about 40 options in total.

Where does Chord go from here?

AE: We’ve just released a range of Chord amplifiers and pedals and the selection has already begun to expand. We started off with a couple of guitar amps and now we have five. We started with 15 different Chord pedals and that has now jumped to 20 different models – again with pedals they’re very well priced – starting from SSP £21.99 up to around £75.

That’s heartland starter territory – up against some huge brand names, so how do you establish Chord in the mind of the dealers and the general public?

In fact, do you even try to establish the name Chord with the public, or does brand not matter as much with entrylevel products, because customers at tend to buy what the dealer recommends?

AE: Essentially, we’ve concentrated on our dealers, who are already buying other products from us. Hopefully, the dealer will help us with the users, but we are going to start being more informative for those users, as well.

All the same, most retailers have a procession of reps calling on them with entry-level accessories. Why should they stock Chord in preference – especially considering well established names?

AE: It would be easy to say ‘because ours are better made’ and that may be the case, but the simple fact is the SSPs I’ve quoted include really good profit margins for the retailer. His incentive is that he can sell a very well-produced instrument, but one that he can make a proper profit margin from. Also, our service is second to none and that’s an important aspect of our business, too.

Presumably, once a retailer has started dealing with you, assuming he isn’t already, he has access to quite a wide family of other brands as well?

AE: Definitely. There’s Citronic, which is a

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AVSL product manager Andy Elly and marketing manager Becky Stanton.

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Whatever it is that we’re offering, whether it’s a percussion product, a guitar or an accessory, you can see the distinction of the Chord branding and we do think that helps retailers.

Becky Stanton AVSL marketing manager

well established brand in the disco area, but what people possibly don’t realise is the value for money in the PA side of Citronic. We’ve just released some serious power amps from Citronic, for example – the MA series – and if you want big install cabs, we’ve got the CS and CX series. It’s really not difficult to sell our products if people know about them and that’s the point of the exercise, to help the retailers know what we have to offer them.

What other product types can you offer retailers?

AE: Wireless microphones is another area that is big business for us and we have wireless transmitters for musical instruments too, in UHF, VHF and tuneable UHF. There are also other areas – transit cases, stands, cables – we have a wide range of products and they all offer good profitability.

That’s already quite a breadth of products. Are you considering broadening it into other MI areas?

AE: We’re already in MIDI and high-tech and we’ve already got Chord branded hand percussion with drums soon to follow, with kits already on the way.

Then we’re going to move into the high-tech and studio area. We want to have a good music industry offer that covers all areas.

Would you consider distributing other manufacturers’ products as well as your own?

AE: We already do, with prebranded products like Miditech, Neutrik

connectors and GP batteries, so yes – if someone has a product that they think we might be interested in, we’re very willing to look at it.

BS: The Chord brand is still in its infancy and there’s a lot we plan to do with it in the future – not just with the products, but also in terms of the marketing of it, eventually to the end-user. In early June we’re introducing our very first musiconly catalogue and that will feature mainly Chord branded products, with some items from Citronic and some of our other brands. The catalogue is a big thing for us and we think it will be very helpful for our

customers to have all the music products together. Beyond that, we’re also hoping to develop POS products for shops, including posters and the like. We’re also planning informative guides to our products for customers as well, so there’s a lot on the way. All that is backed by a good online support system for our customers too. Because you can’t see prices unless you have an account, retailers can guide their customers to our site for more information and there’s a lot they can download as well as, with the Chord brand in particular, they can do things like hear the effects pedals online.

We’re also just about to put up some video for the percussion products, too.

Is there any area that AVSL/Chord wouldn’t look at? For example, would you consider keyboards?

AE: Well, we’re certainly looking into the high-tech and recording area. Beyond the horizon we are looking at wind instruments and other stringed instruments, with samples being made as we speak - though that’s for some way in the future. We want to establish what we have and make sure that all is right before we move on, but we are intending to do that in the future.

BS: One thing that is very important is the Chord branding. For example, we have a completely new range of leads and cables just about to arrive and they will feature some very effective packaging that will use the same theme that will run throughout the range, from percussion to guitars and everything else. Whatever it is that we’re offering, whether it’s a percussion product, a guitar or an accessory, you can see the distinction of the Chord branding and we do think that helps retailers. A lot of work has gone into the packaging and that is part of the mix, too. It’s a great product, well priced and well packaged so that, even if the end-user doesn’t necessarily know the brand, they will pick up on it. This all makes for a very convenient service for the retailer, not least because they can buy so much from us and because we are easy to do business with.

AVSL: 0845 270 2411

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COMPANY PROFILE LARSON

Brotherly love Larson Brothers’ Guitars has an interesting history – but, oddly perhaps for a current trade magazine, one that all but ended over 60 years ago. Andy Barrett looks into an unexpected rebirth…

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cross the English Channel (or should I say La Manche), the name High Tech Distribution is as well known as, say, Barnes & Mullins is on this island. It is the second largest distributor in France, having built up its business over some 30 years. With one notable exception, French distributors do not have the habit of setting up shop in Blighty, but thanks to Ben Whatsley, who during his time with Percy Prior’s in Salisbury and the Wembley Guitar Centre built up a close relationship with Patrice Vigier, High Tech has taken that leap.

High Tech in France handles a number of brands, including Vigier Guitars and the Rapco Horizon cable and routing products, so after a conversation with Vigier, Whatsley approached High Tech to set up an arm in the UK, which happened in 2007.

“I did it because I like Vigier guitars so much and I wanted to get that brand out to a wider audience,” explains Whatsley. “I started doing two or three models in as many stores and have built it – in three years – to over 100 models in a dozen stores.” Which is very much where Whatsley is happy to be.

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He drew himself up three-year, fiveyear and 15-year plans for the UK business, with the first three years dedicated to taking Vigier to where he wanted it to be. The five-year plan (now underway) involves replicating that effort with the new Larson Brothers guitars – hand picking a dozen or so specialist stores to handle the reborn brand.

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names such as Maurer, Prairie State, Euphonon, Dyer and Stahl).

Beavering away in the shadows, however, the Larson brothers created a number of design innovations – not least coming up with a steel string guitar some 20 years ahead of CF Martin & Co. The luthiers developed a parabolic top and back, making the instrument more like a violin in terms of construction.

Anyone can get their hands on a good brand name, but you have to have the quality to back it up. I think we have got that.

Ben Whatsley, UK sales manager for High Tech Distribution

The Larson story is an interesting one.

Founded by Carl and August Larson in Chicago in the 1890s, the Swedish immigrants were always keen to keep their heads below the parapets, making guitars, mandolins, ukuleles and the like under whichever brand name their customers preferred (and they preferred

“It was because of this design that the brothers never went for mass produced guitars,” points out Whatsley. “The construction is very complex, but the end result is astonishing.” On top of this, the Larson Brothers patented laminated bracing and utilised an artificial ageing technique that had been used by

harpsichord makers for over 200 years. Not only does this make the wood look better, but it also adds longevity to the instrument.

And so the company chugged along, happy to be making superlative guitars until, in 1948, the family shut up shop in Chicago and returned to Sweden, taking their designs with them and leaving the existing guitars to gather price as others might dust.

Original Larson Brothers guitars can sell for tens of thousands of pounds and collectors (including the likes of Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton) coveted them.

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LARSON COMPANY PROFILE

Above: Patrice Vigier and Ben Whatsley Nearly 60 years later, in 2006, two luthiers, the German Toni Götz and Czech Republic native Roman Zajicek, somehow (as yet unexplained) got their hands on the designs and the name and began making Larson guitars once more.

The pair approached High Tech with a view to getting the brand established in Europe, although with such a niche product, the company was keen to see how the instruments would go down in the USA first.

“I was concerned that there might be problems and I wanted to see those smoothed out first,” reveals Whatsley. “It wasn’t a problem with the guitars, but with peripheral issues. And sure enough, there were some problems here and there – with the cases, for example. I have to hand it to Larson, though. The firm was on top of everything and acted on every issue immediately. I saw a company that relies on feedback – and not just paying lip service, either, but genuinely taking matters into consideration, creating relationships.

“In this I saw a business working how I like

mine to work. I like to go into a store personally, put the guitars into people’s hands. It’s the only way really.

“With all the problems sorted, I was happy to bring Larson guitars to Britain and with my approach, I think Larson is pretty happy to be here too.”

The new guitars are available from two sources: a factory in Vietnam (where a special Larson department has been created), which supplies the £1,000 to £1,300 guitars and a Czech factory, which will be responsible for the £1,900 to £2,100 models.

Whatsley is looking for his select group of dealers to take the brand forward to complete his five-year plan.

“The first orders are coming in now,” he says. “I’m aiming to get the dealers really fired up about this and I’m pretty hopeful too. Anyone can get their hands on a good brand name, but you have to have the quality to back it up. I think we have got that.”

As for the 15-year plan, well, we’ll have to come back to that at a later date, but mention of the Rapco Horizon brand should be sufficient to indicate that High Tech Distribution is going to be around for some time to come.

“Vigier and Larson guitars aren’t flash in the pan brands – they are serious, professional instruments. As we expand and begin to do Rapco Horizon the sort of justive it deserves, we’ll be on our way to building a really strong foundation.” So, do note down the number.

HIGH TECH: 01722 410002

‘Playing’ Live is so much more than just launching clips.

Find out how 64 buttons can put Ableton completely at your fingertips, visit:

www.novationmusic.com/launchpad

miPRO JUNE 2010 23

ORANGE OPC COMPANY PROFILE Charlie Cooper (left), who has masterminded the Orange OPC and his father, Cliff.

Orange bytes The international response to a British computer innovation has been overwhelming, Orange says. Gary Cooper speaks to Charlie Cooper, the brains behind the idea and Orange’s Cliff Cooper – the man who backed this unique creation...

C

harlie Cooper, son of Orange’s Cliff, is a man with a passion – computers. A recent honours graduate in computer visualisation and animation from Ravensbourne University, Charlie is the brains behind the OPC – Orange’s revolutionary marriage between a PC and a guitar amp.

It stunned when it was shown at this year’s Frankfurt and has probably earned the venerable British amplifier manufacturer more media attention than anything ever in Orange’s colourful previous history. But what is it? And why would anyone want a PC and a guitar amp in a single box?

“A few years ago my dad bought back some really old 1970s Orange cabinets and we didn’t really know what to do with

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them. But one of my hobbies is building computers into... Well, into just about anything you can think of – that and building media centres. So I came up with

“At the same time, a lot of my friends at university were into home recording and were often scratching their heads at how difficult it can sometimes be to get

”

The way I see it is a computer for a specific purpose – just as you have PCs for gamers, for example – this one is a computer for musicians.

Charlie Cooper Creator of Orange’s OPC

the idea of building an entire computer into this massive Orange cabinet and putting a TV on top of it. It was a nice looking media centre.

all the components working smoothly together. They’d often call me in to help and when they came to our house and saw the Orange cab media centre they

said how much they liked the idea. It flowed from that.”

What Cooper had spotted was a gap in the market. Though young and relatively tech-savvy, his musician contemporaries were still sometimes struggling with home studio technology and they were bowled over by the sheer cool of having a fully fledged Windows PC in a definitively rock n roll package.

“In essence the OPC is a home studio in a box, pre-tweaked by me so that it works really, really well from the moment you switch it on,” he says.

The original version, as shown at Frankfurt, featured a single JBL speaker (“It’s loud enough to annoy the neighbours,” Charlie says with a laugh), but since its debut and in the run-up to

miPRO JUNE 2010 25

COMPANY PROFILE ORANGE OPC

the commencement of production, the package has already undergone a significant refinement. The single speaker has been replaced by a pair of 5-inch JBLs, so it now delivers stereo and a sound quality that will be a light-year ahead of the sort of tinny racket usually dispensed by laptops – and even most tower PCs. Another advantage – again, particularly over notoriously unupgradeable laptops – is that it takes standard PC components, so it can be easily expanded and kept up to date. It also won’t suffer from some of the latency and noise issues that can plague computers designed for general purpose use, nor the compromises called for by the low power requirement of laptops.

Having been designed from the start as a tool for music, the OPC, Cooper says, won’t be a compromise.

“The way I see it is a computer for a specific purpose. Just as you have PCs made for gamers, for example, this is a computer for musicians.”

The moment news of the OPC was released, interest started flooding in, says Orange’s founder, Cliff Cooper – a statement backed-up by Orange’s press officer, who says he has never seen a reaction like it. As the news shot around the world, some US companies associated with the PC market, envious of the street cool of Macs, immediately realised that here

26 miPRO JUNE 2010

was a way of making the PC a lot less utilitarian. As a consequence, though they are currently tied-up in silicon valley non-disclosure agreements, Orange has been talking with some of the biggest names in the computer world, who are keen to get on board and become involved. One immediate effect will be on the software being bundled with the OPC. Though names can’t yet be named, Charlie Cooper says the package they are now able to put together will make the OPC a turnkey product with everything

home recording and yet they will also be free to install other professional audio programmes, because it is a fully-fledged Windows PC.” The full production model will be taken to NAMM in Nashville this June and by that stage, Orange says, it will have tied-up all the software deals it is currently negotiating. By then, there will finally have a price (something that can’t yet be quoted) though it is stressed that the OPC will not be a particularly expensive product – it’s

”

What we’re putting together now is a package that works well enough for a professional to be able to use, but which will also be easy enough for a complete beginner.

Cliff Cooper Founder and chairman of Orange

on board that a home recordist would need to get going – including a guitar tutor.

“For a musician, instead of buying an ordinary PC, the Orange PC will be a better buy,” Charlie says. “Running Windows 7 X64, it will do what a desktop will do but it will be properly optimised for creating music. It’s going to be ideal for people who aren’t totally clued-up on

designed to appeal to average musicians, not millionaires.

Cliff Cooper, meanwhile, deserves tremendous credit for having backed a project which it’s not hard to imagine many other amp makers balking at. True, it was devised by his own son, but many a father’s reaction would have a been a clip round the ear followed by a lecture on the necessity of a few decades’

experience before taking such a commercial risk. Cliff Cooper doesn’t see things that way and his enthusiasm for the OPC seems as great as his son’s.

“I immediately understood what Charlie was saying about his friends’ experience with recording, having tried it myself,” he says. “They’d buy an interface for a PC and find it didn’t match for some reason. They’d buy software that didn't work properly and even when they bought expensive recording software, they’d often find it very difficult to use – and I’ve experienced that too. So what we’re putting together now is a package that works well enough for a professional to be able to use but, which will also be easy enough for a complete beginner.

“The same goes for the modelling software, which we will be packaging with the product. We’ve been able to pick and choose and Charlie has come up with some exceptionally good software products for the bundle.”

With his long commercial experience, Cliff Cooper sees the market for the OPC very clearly – embracing not only keen young musicians, but also older players who have deeper pockets, but have been scared-off because of the daunting learning-curve associated with the everchanging software market. Not, he insists, that the OPC will be expensive.

“In fact, it will be cheaper than buying the individual components,” he says.

“And it’s a great product for singer/songwriters, too. They will get everything they need to record and produce a track, then push a button and upload it straight to Youtube via wi-fi.”

Technically, the OPC does seem to be an ideal all-in-one package. “This is one of the ways that Charlie has been clever.

He’s got all the components into a very small box, but has spent a lot of time – and spent a fortune on test equipment – getting the airflow right, so that it is properly cooled. It’s silent, there are no interference or noise problems, it’s upgradeable and it is a conventional Windows PC as well, so it will do everything else that a PC should.

“I’ve never seen so much interest generated by a new product. In the few weeks since it was announced there have been literally thousands of articles, all over the world and a huge amount of interest on the web. Our problem now is that we’ll soon be starting to put them into production, but we don't know how many to make. I think we’re on top of the situation, but we are trying to gauge the number of units we need. The music business is very large, but the actual number of people who make music is relatively small. That said, we've been approached by several major American PC companies, so we’re really not sure how big this could get. ” Which is, in the great scheme of things, quite a nice problem to have in this day and age – and it’s a tribute to Orange’s bravery to be different.

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COMPANY PROFILE THOMASTIK-INFELD

91 not out

Cricket references will probably be missed by your average Austrian manufacturer, but for the mere fact that ThomastikInfeld has been around for nearly 100 years means that (whatever your sport) this is a company to which the UK should be paying a lot more attention. Andy Barrett winds his way through the details...

O

ne of the most central products to the MI world is the humble string. With apologies to the brass, woodwind, percussion and keyboard worlds, there is little that keeps your average mom-and-pop store going like a set of strings.

When Gordon Brown made his ‘no more boom and bust’ speech, he could have added the qualifier ‘in the musical instrument string business’. The product rarely goes through any huge surge of growth on the world market, but then again, it doesn’t get hit when times (as now) get tough.

One of the stand-out brands in the world of strings is Thomastik-Infeld, an Austrian company that has been handwinding its orchestral and steel strings for over 90 years. Over such a long period, you would expect a manufacturing company to come up with a few bright ideas of its own, but Thomastik-Infeld pretty much started out by revolutionising the industry.

When violin maker Dr Franz Thomastik and engineer Otto Infeld got together in 1919, they already had a product that was to revolutionise the music industry: the steel string.

For the first time in history, conventional gut had been challenged by a ‘new’ material that offered quality of tone, precision and reliability. It was instantly lauded by players worldwide.

Not content with one revolution, the Austrian pair then came up with a massproduced nylon (or perlon) string and string core, thus virtually single-handedly creating the instrument string market as we know it today. Little wonder, then, that the company is now approaching its 100th anniversary.

“Well, it’s not quite that simple,” explains Thomastik-Infeld’s sales and marketing director, Wolfgang Weiss. “To

28 miPRO JUNE 2010

survive 100 years, you need a good product, the methods of making that good product, the best quality materials, technical innovations, consistency over the years and good management to ensure the continuation of that consistency. It takes a lot of effort.”

Even before the company started, there was innovation in the foundation as Thomastik had patented a couple of violin

know-how involved, which means a lot of training. Our workforce knows how to make the very best strings and we can maintain this with everybody here.”

T-I’s leading product is the Dominant series of bowed strings for violin, viola, cello and bass, although, Weiss contends it is very likely the world leader in this specific sector. “The market is small, so there are no official figures, but our own

The late Dr Peter Infeld, the man behind the modernisation of the company

patents for sound post innovations and ever since the company’s inception, it has designed and made its own winding machines – a tradition that continues to this day for all string makers. ‘In house’, it seems, stands for ‘under control’. There is not a glimmer of temptation to move manufacture to cheaper climes.

“It’s very important to keep an eye on things,” says Weiss. “There is a lot of

estimates show us to be the world leader for violin strings,” he says. “Our main segment around the world is from our synthetic core strings – we didn’t invent nylon strings, but we have perfected the use of the nylon core, making our strings among the most durable.”

Some 97 per cent of the string maker’s products are exported and its markets divide almost equally between the

Americas, the European Union and Asia/Pacific. “Guitar strings are slightly different,” Weiss points out. “There the American and European markets tend to dominate, but I think you’ll find that any string maker for bowed instruments will have a pretty even spread around the world – it’s normal.”

In the UK, Thomastik-Infeld is distributed by Barnes & Mullins, a relationship that Weiss believes mirrors his products. “Musicians need a reliable string on their instruments – and it’s the same with business. You have to have a reliable partner. Barnes & Mullins is exactly that.

We have been working together for a long time now – they are doing great and they always have done.

“The UK market is pretty stable, as is Europe generally. The MI industry is a little unusual – and strings particularly – in that it doesn’t experience big surges of growth when the economy is good. Similarly, it doesn’t slump when things are not going well – like now. This is a small, niche interest market. What will cause something like a five per cent growth in a year will be a government investing in music education or similar activities.”

Weiss – and one guesses ThomastikInfeld as a whole – is pretty phlegmatic about business, although do not mistake that with standing still. Rather, the company continues to tweak and improve its methods and products in an effort to maintain its position at the top.

While the company enjoys a prime position in the bowed instrument market, its guitar strings (which it has been making since the 1960s) have a richness of tone and a longevity that make them second to none. If you haven’t tried them out yet – you should. And with Barnes & Mullins supplying, you know that margins are going to be tempting to say the least.

BARNES & MULLINS: 01691 652449

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COMPANY PROFILE FOCUSRITE/NOVATION

Horrocks’ story How do you go about getting product knowledge? So what’s it like in the high-tech market? How well do dealers cope with high-tech gear? Gary Cooper asks all this of Focusrite’s Iain Horrocks and discovers some of the tips he has to offer.

F

ocusrite/Novation’s product specialist, Iain Horrocks, is a man who clearly loves his job. Perhaps unexpectedly for someone at the sharp end of high-tech products and software, he’s a drummer – and a drummer with retail experience too (including time spent with Sound Control’s Oxford Street store in London) and he has a real love for music shops. So how did he wind-up out on the road as a missionary for products such as Focsurite, Ableton, Novation and KRK? “I’ve been with Focusrite for three years in June and I was in product support for two years, which means I’ve been doing this job since the beginning of this year. It was quite a smooth transition for me as I just started by going out and doing workshops, training sessions and so on. I must say, at the moment it’s looking pretty good out there. I’ve got a real soft spot for music retailers because ever since

30 miPRO JUNE 2010

the age of about ten, when I started playing drums, music shops have always been a haven for me, somewhere to check out the latest gear and talk to the guys. I feel quite at home with the retailers.”

days a week and returning to base just to catch-up with the inevitable admin and paperwork that accompanies any job.

So, who has he visited so far and how has he found the trade?

”

I think it’s good to get hands-on. There’s nothing like walking into a music store and seeing everything displayed nicely and with things on demo.

Iain Horrocks Focusrite/Novation product specialist

In just six months Horrocks hasn’t had time to visit every Focusrite/Novation dealer, but he has made a pretty good start, putting in an average of about four

“I’ve got a number of people still to see, but I’ve visited all the PMT stores and pretty much all the DVs now and everyone I’ve met seems to have been on

top of their departments. The stores all look good and I think, overall, it’s very positive. In addition to those people, I’ve also visited a few of the independents, including Dolphin, and they were all really good, too. There was also GG Digital, in Glasgow, which is a brand new store that looks really exciting – I think that’s going to be a blinding store.”

So how does Horrocks see his job?

What is it exactly that he tries to bring to retailers?

“When I go into a store, I’m there to train the staff on the full product range, so what I’ve done is put together a hard copy guide for all our products and use that as a template for the training session. I go through it and talk about the products that we offer from all four brands: Focusrite, Novation, Ableton and KRK. Then I try to allow enough time at the end of the session, so that if there are some Ableton enthusiasts, for example, we

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FOCUSRITE/NOVATION COMPANY PROFILE

Left: Horrocks in demo mode and a KRK monitor. Above: Ableton Live and Novation Launchpad controller, Below: Focusrite Saffire and Liquid processors can go off on a bit of a tangent. Beyond visiting, I’m “That’s a hard one but the RP series of the KRK a point of contact for the staff too, so if they ever monitors are at an excellent price point. For the have any problems in the future, they know they can money, they are really, really good monitor speakers contact me to get help and they can also use me for and they fly out. Ableton – well, you're talking to a any feedback they want to give us about the complete Ableton fanatic here and I think it’s an products. In my opinion, there’s always more to amazing software sequencer that has opened so many learn, so I make a point of going in with an open doors. Then there are the small USB interfaces. People mind because I’ll often learn things from the staff.” really need those. They could have bought a good The four brands he represents pretty much cover quality pair of monitors, but they need good quality the bases of what has become an essential facility balanced outputs and they might not want to spend a for today’s musician, Horrocks says. “There’s been fortune getting that, because they’ve already spent a such a boom in home recording studios and people lot of money on their speakers. The Focusrite doing their own production at home that Focusrite interfaces are perfect for that. But I’ve got a genuine fits perfectly. It’s good quality hardware but it’s passion for all four of our brands – I believe in them affordable and very compatible as well. But you do and that helps me do my job. So, I’d say they’re all have to have the product knowledge to be able to hot and if you add the Novation Launchpad, you’ve sell this sort of thing. Sometimes, it’s the difference got a perfect home studio. between making a sale and not, particularly when “What I find interesting when I go around to visit the customer has already checked out a few bits of stores is sometimes how it’s the little things that gear beforehand, which is often what happens. They make a big difference. You sometimes find that, go into a store to get some professional advice and although it says what it does on the box, people don’t it’s the guy in the store’s job to sell the right product always realise what it can do and that comes out for them and that can’t be done unless you've got during the training sessions.” the product knowledge.”

Although he is relatively new to visiting stores, has This, of course, is one of the areas where bricks he formed any overall impressions yet, which will be and mortar stores can really score. A good, wellguiding the way forward? equipped sales person can easily close a deal that “I think it’s good to get hands-on. There’s nothing would be left hanging in an online environment, like walking into a music store and seeing everything where there is only the limited information on displayed nicely and with things on demo. If I was screen and little chance of feedback or interaction. going to go to a store, the main reason would be to “The other thing is that if you are sold the right try something out – that’s what excites you and product by a shop, you’re going to go back to them that’s what ultimately will make a sale. If people get the next time you need something. This is why hands-on, that’s when they say ‘I’ve got to have this. I people in shops need to know what they are want to take this home’. talking about and to understand what the customer “So it’s important to have the right products and wants to do. I’ve seen this from several angles – as have them up and running, so that customers can use a musician myself and then when I worked in them. That will be the next phase of my training – stores. It’s a skill to ask the right questions, find out putting together some demos so that where possible what the customer needs and make sure they get in stores we can have Ableton running with Lauchpad. the right product. I’ve been lucky to have worked “I would also have some demos, so I could show with some brilliant salesmen in the past who taught the staff their way around. The plan is to have demo me that.” stations set up so that people can just come into the Of the four brands he represents, which is the one stores, try the products and get excited – to feel like a that is really on fire, does he think? kid again.” FOCUSRITE: 01494 462246

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miPRO JUNE 2010 31

WINDCRAFT COMPANY PROFILE

Series-ly folks Windcraft’s new Series I saxophone is poised to revolutionise the world of entry-level saxes in the UK – not through new design as much as through careful planning and logistics. Andy Barrett discovers that dealers get a say, too...

W

ith a long history in brass and woodwind technical services – an operation that evolved into Maidenhead’s Dawkes’ Music retail operation – Jon Dawkes’ Windcraft distribution company slowly evolved by supplying the trade with spare parts and, more recently, instrument brands such as Cannonball. But it is thanks to the company’s specialisation in the repair and technician side of the business, that the need for a new kind of student saxophone was discovered.

Dawkes saw the opportunity to satisfy that need.

Now, before we go any further, let’s not get ourselves unnecessarily excited about some new shape, mechanism, material or model (a piccolo sax anyone?). The saxophone business doesn’t work that way. The instrument that Adolphe Sax patented in 1846 has remained pretty much unchanged to the present (although the subcontra bass sax never did quite catch on).

What Dawkes and his team saw was a problem in the supply of Far Eastern instruments to the UK and the subsequent control over the spare parts side of the service.

Enter the Windcraft Series I. “The inspiration for the Series I came from our work as a specialist retailer with a team of eight highly skilled technicians,” explains Dawkes. “We noticed that many of the Chinese models

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– which come from a wide assortment of factories – came with no easily accessible spare parts, which meant months of searching for where the product came from and then months of

than that, however, he also hopes to initiate a return to dealer feedback on products will give them a deeper faith in the product.

“There was a time when manufacturers

“

Testing has been going on here in the UK and from customer responses, we can see that this is going to work.

Jon Dawkes Windcraft

waiting for the parts to arrive. It simply wasn’t worth it for many.”

The result is a saxophone made in China under careful supervision and backed up by a healthy stock of spares.

“Student instruments get broken and damaged most of all – we expect this, so it is important to be able to get them fixed and working as quickly as possible.

We now have a good stock of instruments and parts and are ready for business.”

Dawkes goes on to say that his company’s experience on the technical side of things will help retailers get behind the brand, particularly with guaranteed spare parts available. More

turned to the dealers first for product feedback, but that has all but disappeared recently,” he says. “We really want dealers to give us their advice on the instruments, so any of them that want to call me are more than welcome.”

On the manufacturing side, the Windcraft team has kept a careful eye on quality control, too, creating a video that goes through the set-up process that the Chinese manufacturer uses with its workforce and overseen by Windcraft’s agent in China and Dawkes himself.

“We have created check lists, where the workforce has to sign for each instrument serviced. It’s this sort of thing

that takes up all the time. I have my fifth trip to China coming up soon,” Dawkes continues. “We have set up a workshop over there that is based very closely on our workshop here. It’s been hard work, but I can’t say it hasn’t been fun.

“I think it is important to point out that everyone has benefited from this process. We have an instrument we like and can get behind in every way and the manufacturer is growing from us sharing knowledge. The next step – after getting the instrument absolutely right – will be to find customers in the domestic Chinese market. It’s really exciting.

“Testing has been going on here in the UK and we have been getting customer responses – we can see that this is going to work, so that means we have to be all the more certain to do it properly.”

For sales in the UK, Windcraft has brought in Vaughan Bower as sales manager – Bower has worked previously with the Yamaha and Jupiter brands and is well known among the brass and woodwind fraternity.

“Vaughan was always my favourite rep,” says Dawkes. “When we saw this project coming to fruition, I started talking to him straight away. I’m really pleased to have got him on board. I think it is a good challenge for him, too.”

Dawkes is also planning to have the brand at Musikmesse in 2011 and expand the brand out globally.

WINDCRAFT: 01628 778377

miPRO JUNE 2010 33

PROFILE

I WOKE UP THIS MORNING PAOLO BUROCCHI Managing Director – Proel International

Proel’s Paolo Burocchi explains why he decided to swap the sun, fine food and undeniable beauty of his native Italy for Blighty and what got him to where he is today...

O

n an average day, I’ll get up at about I was in the catering business for eighteen seven, take a shower and have a strong years before I entered the world of MI. I coffee. As an Italian, I can’t leave the realised there were plenty of opportunities in this house without one of these! I’ll then leave the sector, which was why I came to England in the house at around eight and usually get to work first place. for half past. Everybody else starts at nine but I worked at a well known club in the west end being managing director, there are never enough and then over time I got tired of it due to it hours in the day being hard work and otherwise and I’ll the wages were not spend a bit of time very good. I then I was in the catering going through worked self-employed business for eighteen years e-mails. for a few years, doing a Most of the time I variety of different before I entered the world spend all day in the jobs, before I got my of MI. I realised there were office, but sometimes big break.

I’ll head out to a In 1990, I was plenty of opportunities in local shop or into the introduced by an old this sector, which was why west end. If I’m in friend to Proel Italy, the office, I’ll quite which was looking to I came to England in the often see to any recruit in the UK. first place. customers that come Although I didn’t play in, show them the an instrument, I had a latest products and love for music and one see what they think, in order to improve the of the other reasons I originally moved to the UK business. This is important because I can get was for the music scene here. information and feedback from the customers, I started off in an agent style role when I without having to travel. joined Proel, going between distributors and In my spare time I like to do a bit of manufacturing companies. It was in this job gardening and I enjoy listening to music. I also that I started developing an understanding of like watching football and have been an Inter the business.

Milan fan all my life. I didn’t do a lot of it last I always go home at different times, depending year, but sometimes I go down to Brighton to on how busy I am. Usually it’s between half six visit my friend who has a boat and we’ll do a and half seven, except for last night when I went bit of fishing. I like to eat out, but cooking at to watch Inter reach the European cup final. home is another passion of mine. At weekends I don’t have too many plans for the future at I occasionally try to head abroad or go out for the moment, although I’m going to visit my a meal. mother and brother soon back in Italy.

”

34 miPRO JUNE 2010

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ACOUSTIC GUITARS SECTOR SPOTLIGHT

Pure acoustics

The advent of the electric guitar 60 years ago and the electro-acoustic 20 years ago have combined to make life as difficult as possible for the humble acoustic. Despite the onslaught of technology, however, the acoustic guitar holds an important and stable position in the guitar market. Andy Barrett turns off the power and gropes around the market…

I

“

Today it is obligatory to include the retronym adjective ‘acoustic’ to be sure people understand what you are talking about.

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t’s an odd thought, but just 70 years ago, when someone mentioned the word ‘guitar’, the image of a hollow sound box with a sound hole, neck and (probably) nylon strings would have entered their heads. Even going back 50 years, that image would have remained for most, with the occasional mention of an ‘electric guitar’ amounting to the very forefront of music technology and still something of a rarity. Today it is almost obligatory to include the retronym adjective ‘acoustic’ to be sure people know what we are talking about.

Even then, when asking manufacturers and suppliers to send in models and series of guitars, many of them asked the question: ‘is that pure acoustics or electro-acoustics?’ Pure acoustics, came the reply – meaning yet another qualifier has to be added to the guitar to differentiate between acoustics with built-in pickups and preamps (technology that is all but de-rigueur these days).

Our answer was ‘pure acoustics, please’, but still some got it wrong.

All of this implies that pure acoustic guitars are something of a waning market – possibly even an anachronism – but no.

Acoustic sales are as buoyant as ever and while the younger electro-acoustic siblings are certainly carving out more and more of the market, there are still important places for the pure acoustic.

Interestingly these places tend to be poles apart, resting with the beginner and the pro/semi-pro recording artists.

WHO WANTS ONE? The beginner would always be wise to buy a pure acoustic for a couple of reasons. First, an acoustic instrument will always sound better producing its natural sound. As soon as electric signals are transferred to an amp, the sounds will change – and that’s even before the user starts messing about with the equalisations available on most acoustic amps. The amplified acoustic sounds different and can be altered. This, really, is the last thing a beginner needs to worry about. What they need is an instrument

that sounds good and plays well so they can concentrate on learning mastery.

The second reason follows on. Without the expense of electrickery, the learner can buy a much better instrument for the same amount as for an electro model – and we all know that the better the instrument one learns on, the more chance of seeing it through to a lifetime of playing.

For the recording artist, there is real value in having a naturally resonating instrument that can be picked up by the microphones, keeping the space’s ambience and the purity of a quality guitar. For those of us terminal intermediates, there is still value in having a pure acoustic to strum on in the house, but those small gigs are notoriously difficult to mic. Best make sure you have a good electro to plug in on open mic night. The sound man will love you for it.

SHARING THE MARKET As you will see from this sector spotlight – the biggest MI Pro has run for many

miPRO JUNE 2010 37

SECTOR SPOTLIGHT ACOUSTIC GUITARS

Cort Luce series From £279.95 to £499

Aria AD28 £279

Cort recently introduced its award-winning Luce series, a collection of eight acoustic models, offered in parlour, concert and small folk cutaway body styles, crafted from exotic tone woods, including solid cedar and spruce tops, ebony fingerboards, and trimmed with abalone and maple bindings.

Remarkable features for the price, with body, sides and neck constructed from high grade mahogany, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, bone saddle and nut, and a solid sitka spruce soundboard, all contributing to the AD28’s detailed low frequencies and sparkling high end.

Lag T100 series From £299 to £420 Offering premium red cedar solid tops, the T100 brings together a world of woods to create superb-sounding instruments.

Available in natural, black, and brown shadow high-gloss finishes, each model looks superb and individual. Finely crafted, these instruments are ideal for the enthusiast or the professional.

years – there is no shortage of brands jostling for a bit of elbow room on your walls and in your shop windows. There is barely a supplier in the country that doesn’t have a brand or two to tempt you with and, of course, the past 15 years have seen the arrival of a couple of guitar specialist supplier/manufacturers in the UK, and the big four keep on going: Fender, Gibson, Taylor and Martin.

Spending 500 quid is not such a big deal these days – credit crunch or no – and picking up a guitar for, say, £469 means the punter is getting a pretty bloody good axe that will last them many years – this makes the retailer’s life that bit easier. The fact that customers are still getting unprecedented quality in the £150 to £300 price bracket makes it more difficult again. Those buying on price will still be getting a perfectly good, solid topped instrument and it is down to the ability of the salesman to point out the benefits of paying that little bit more for a good deal extra.

38 miPRO JUNE 2010

Margins, too, appear to be holding their own in the world of acoustic guitars and the sheer spread of brands available means that the most densely gathered shops can still compete without having to do silly things with the price.

THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM Which brings us into the rundown of what there is on offer at the moment.

Well, it’s a lot… A lot, a lot. We have over 20 brands to get through – and not a single naff one among them – but to do justice to them all would take up the entire magazine. All we can do is flag up points of interest and big sellers and hope to whet your appetite…

One cannot talk acoustics without starting with Martin and despite the high-end reputation of the brand, it has in recent years been making the Little Martin series, which starts at a smidgen over £250, thanks to modern ‘woodmaking’ and laminating technology. The LXM model (£369) features an HPL

Peavey JD-AG1 Jack Daniel’s £169 This dreadnought beauty is something collectors, musicians and name brand enthusiasts will all want to own. These exclusively licensed guitars are designed by expert luthiers in the USA Peavey Custom Shop and adorn the famous Jack Daniel’s artwork on the headstock. Each Jack Daniel’s acoustic has mahogany back and sides and a spruce top finished in a high gloss black.

spruce-effect top and mahogany effect back and sides and is a fine beginner model. For a little more an LX1 (£399) adds a solid spruce top.

For the more mobile the Backpacker range offers a Martin guitar in an ultra compact format with solid top and laminate back and sides, and comes as a standard steel string nylon string (both £269), both with an electro option.

The young pretender to the Martin crown is Taylor – the company that raised the bar in acoustic guitars, taking acoustics to the new generation of electric players, and pretty much singlehandedly threw the market open by developing cutting-edge luthier technologies. The introduction of the Baby Taylors (page 42) a little less than ten years ago saw the company stepping into the fray of the plethora of competing Asian-made brands and getting its guitars into the hands of beginner players.The beauty of the Babys is that the very highest spec (solid tops

and ebony fingerboards for starters) is available to players that would normally have to sigh longingly at such features.

Starting at around the £300 mark, it would take a brave beginner to dive in at the Martin/Taylor end of the pool, but for those that do, there is no looking back.

Starting with these two brands is logical in more ways than one. Naturally, they are the aspirational brands for acoustic players, but also they are linked by their suppliers in the UK to other top guitars. Taylor is now distributed throughout Europe by Fender and Martin

by Westside – the latter also supplying the intriguing Recording King brand.

Fender holds a unique place in the world of guitars, not only for the iconic designs of its electrics, which dominate the guitar world, but also because of the means of that domination.

The MI giant has long held the policy of making a guitar for everyone, and straddles the market from the entry-level right through to unique models from its

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SECTOR SPOTLIGHT ACOUSITC GUITARS Walden D350 £178

FCN’s Walden brand is one of those workhorse range of guitars that punches well above its weight.

The entry-level D350, for example, promises a spruce top with mahogany back and sides, a rosewood fingerboard and bridge and die-cast chrome tuners. This is the starting point for the range, which is extensive and has an impressive roster of endorsers.

Freshman Apollo 20 £359.99

Fender Kingman £439.34 Part of the California series, the Kingman is a single cutaway dreadnought with a solid spruce top and mahogany back and sides, a ‘vintage’ soft C neck of maple and a rosewood fingerboard. All quite familiar, but at this price point, the Kingman goes quite a bit further, with superb playability and, of course, that name on the headstock, which is a guarantee of both quality and re-sell price.

The UK-designed brand continues to make waves in the guitar market by keeping it simple and maintaining quality. The Apollo series has epitomised this and, for example, the Apollo 20 jumbo sports a solid AA grade premium sitka spruce top, rosewood back and sides, genuine abalone purfling and rosette, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, snowflake inlays and gold Grover machineheads.

Eko Ranger 6 reissue £183.95 It’s been a treat to see Eko back on the market and the classic Ranger model especially. Its classic black finish (although the natural finish is available too) and carved back give it a unique look, together with a (surprisingly good) laminated spruce top, mahogany back and sides, a linden neck, rosewood fingerboard and the famous adjustable bridge…

Nostalgia freaks, this way, please.

custom shop. Acoustics, too, are available to all with the famous logo on the equally famous headstock and one should never forget the mother of all entry-level guitars, Squier.

Squier’s SA-100 Acoustic Pack includes a dreadnought with a laminated spruce top, rosewood bridge and fingerboard, nickel-plated frets and die-cast tuners, and plays as well as, if not better, than anything else in the sub-£100 bracket.

Recording King’s classic Series 1 and Series 2 guitars are built from 1930s designs and have many vintage style features including bevelled pick guard and classic butterbean tuners. Unusually for this price point, they also sport forward shifted, scalloped bracing.

The Series 1 guitar has a solid Engelmann spruce top, this time with solid mahogany or rosewood back and sides and a one piece mahogany neck, while the Series 2 adds a traditional style

40 miPRO JUNE 2010

diamond volute. Both come in dreadnought and 000 styles.

Tanglewood has established its name on making quality acoustics, mostly for the entry-level and mid-range, but has since grown into the upper end of the market, as well as introducing electric guitars and basses. Its roots, however, remain in the sub-£500 bracket and its product reflects the importance of this.

Each of the ranges offers the full spectrum of body shapes, 12-strings and lefties, with a couple of them containing acoustic basses, too. The Premier series features ‘aged’ Canadian cedar or spruce tops and mahogany necks, while the Rosewood Reserve series takes the solid spruce top and combines it with Indian rosewood back and sides.

The Evolution series sticks to the popular dreadnought and auditorium shapes for the laminate topped models for those on a tight budget, while all

Recording King Century Studio ROS-16 £259 The ROS-16 is a 12th fret OOO-style guitar built from a 1902 design. With a solid AA-grade Sitka spruce top and mahogany back and sides, this guitar has the warm sound expected from a 12th fret. Add to this the rosewood fretboard, ebony pyramid bridge, bone nut and saddle and you have a guitar that sounds as great as it looks.

models and shapes are available with solid tops. Bringing up the rear, but still a hugely important part of business, are the Discovery packs, which are available as dreadnoughts and folk versions.

Crafter is another brand that does pretty much everything – and again particularly in the sub-£500 market.

Worthy of mention here is the Hilite series, which at £239 is Crafter’s least expensive range. It is made in Korea and represents excellent value thanks to its emphasis on sound and playability rather than cosmetic frills. The dreadnought has a solid spruce top while the T-body option has a solid cedar top for a warmer tone.

Both have mahogany back and sides and are finished with a distinctive gloss vintage-burst effect.

Rosetti’s Adam Black range has been making a good name for itself through models such as the S-5, a solid spruce topped dreadnought with mahogany

laminated back and sides and a price tag of just £169. An extra £130 will get the player the jumbo J-8 (page 46) and the brand also offers a cool selection of electro models, too.

While leading the way in the UK with its resonator guitars, Ozark has a lot more to offer to any player of any style. The Ozark Deluxe series is a collection of distinctive quality guitars at amazing prices but with a sound comparable to other more expensive guitars. Ozark Deluxe models feature all solid construction from selected AAA grade timbers and are supplied in a hard case.

The Deluxe models come in four body shapes: dreadnought, small, cutaway and parlour. Solid spruce tops and mahogany back and sides start at a very affordable £355 for the 3750, a dreadnought with a warm, fluid tone and good resonance.

While very much a guitar range in the classical vein, Ortega guitars have been

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SECTOR SPOTLIGHT ACOUSTIC GUITARS Taylor Baby £326.95

Indie Pure £369

At ¾-scale, the Baby Taylor is Taylor’s ultraportable, dreadnought travel mate that belies its size with a full voice and great tone. It’s remarkably versatile for special applications, whether played in alternate tunings or high-strung, with a capo or a slide. Top of the list for many, though, is that it’s the perfect starter guitar for young kids. Sapele laminate back and sides, a sitka spruce top and a mahogany neck combine to make this a real sweet sounding guitar – and the ebony fingerboard will spoil learners for ever.

Blueridge BR-143 000 Historic £629

Indie’s Pure model, like the Sound, is aimed at delivering a natural resonance from source, sporting what Indie calls a first-stage production, where the body woods are left unaffected by any stains or lacquers, allowing the guitar to breath and the natural tones to flow. As a result, bass and treble frequencies are balanced and extremely clear. Indie dares to be different where most manufactures wouldn’t gamble on an unfinished acoustic.

18 style with solid sitka top and solid mahogany body, rosewood fingerboard and black binding, the Historic is really a guitar that does it all, whether folk or fingerstyle or anything in between. The solid mahogany and spruce combined with the smaller body size make it a truly enjoyable and versatile guitar to play.

Ibanez A300E £479 The Ibanez arched-back Ambiance series promises ultimate stage performance instruments constructed with outstanding design. Quilted maple tops, backs and sides, mahogany neck, abalone rosettes and gold Grover tuners, all masterfully combined, ensuring you are both seen and heard. Those stepping up to an Ibanez Ambience will find a guitar capable of serving them right through to stadium gigs.

included here simply because they are probably not as well known as they should be in the UK. Made by the percussion specialist Meinl and distributed over here by Active Music, the Ortega guitars are attractive, well built instruments that start at £239 and are a step up from the pure beginner models, but ideal for those just starting out.

Whenever one is talking about guitars these days, the JHS brands will always have a significant need for a mention and the Vintage brand’s solid reputation for providing astonishing quality and high specification is further strengthened with the new 2010 range. This represents JHS’ determination to raise the bar, offering high standards, built with premium materials, high specifications and excellent build quality. Vintage acoustic instruments offer professional attributes, consistently high levels of playability and true to the Vintage ethic, keep the most demanding player happy.

42 miPRO JUNE 2010

Yamaha’s acoustic range under £500 is mostly popularised by the FG range. This was Yamaha’s first venture into making steel strung acoustic guitars and one even found itself in Country Joe McDonald hands for a performance at some hippie festival known as Woodstock…

Modern FG acoustics are based on a ‘3T’ construction idea that incorporates thinner back and sides and thinner finish and allows for greater resonance, increased volume and a wider frequency response. The third ‘T’ is the thinner neck for a more comfortable playing guitar.

Under the hood, the bracing on the FG guitars is inherited from Yamaha’s handcrafted L-series guitars with a 90 degree non-scalloped X-bracing design. A hand-fitted, wood to wood dovetail neck joint attaches the neck to the body through the L-shaped neck block. This combined with a larger bridge gives the guitar greater stability and optimum transfer of string vibrations.

All FGs have solid sitka tops and rosewood fingerboards, with back and side woods and cosmetics varying as you go up through the range.

Indie’s Sound guitar is made with a standard soundhole and strategically placed ‘sound outlets’ in the lower bout of the solid cedar soundboard, which allows the low frequencies to resonate and escape through the soundboard along with the highs for a balanced output. The inside of the back of the body has been lacquered to accelerate the sound waves back out through the multi-sound holes, making a huge projection and increasing the sensitivity of the guitar’s response. All this for £379? Got to be a bargain.

Ibanez is another of those brands that has made a name for itself on the electric front, but should be overlooked on the acoustic front at your peril. The Japanese giant makes some seriously good pure acoustics. Of note is the RVV Resonant Vintage Violin low gloss guitar that uses

an Ibanez AEL body with a solid spruce top and flame maple back and sides. The advantage of the low gloss (as has been discussed) is that the woods get the chance to resonate more freely and thus create a more even balance of highs and lows and improve projection.

While maintaining the utmost impartiality, the author’s second ever guitar (and the first one that could actually be played) was a second-hand Eko Ranger in gloss black – a guitar that survived the owner’s first ever set-up and customisation and went on for nearly 20 years more before being handed over to a struggling Bulgarian guitarist… It might still be going.

The re-introduction of the Eko brand has brought back that workmanlike functionality and a few unique design features, epitomised by the Ranger 6 reissue and the Chetro 6 Deluxe, which has a selected Val di Fiemme solid spruce top and rosewood back and sides.

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ZZZ KWG XN FRP

“ MY SOUND HAS TO CHANGE FROM DAY TO DAY, MY DRUMS DON’T. GRETSCH HANDLES IT ALL.” Karl Brazil – Robbie Williams / Feeder

RENOWN MAPLE Today’s drummer needs the ability to adapt to every playing opportunity.

Whether in the studio or on the road, Renown Maple offers you the versatility and quality that’s pure classic Gretsch.

Available in a choice of four colours and four configurations, it’s certain to suit whatever your next gig demands.

See and hear more at: MyGretschDrums.com © 2010 FMIE. All rights reserved.

ACOUSITC GUITARS SECTOR SPOTLIGHT Vintage V300MH allmahogany guitar £179 The Vintage brand’s solid reputation for providing astonishing quality and a high spec is further strengthened in 2010 with a new collection of all-mahogany guitars. The V300MH is one such, with (of course) mahogany top, back and sides, an eastern mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, and chrome hardware – and the look is at once unusual and completely irresistible.

Turner 80s series £499 At the top of Turner’s midrange sits the 80s series, a real treat of a guitar with solid spruce top and East Indian rosewood back and sides. The model claims a new bracing system that increases projection and gives a full, round sound. Bone nut and saddle, nickel fret wires and gold plated machineheads add to the luxury feel, which is topped impressively with a mahogany neck and an ebony fingerboard and bridge.

Cort is, some might be surprised to hear, the world’s biggest manufacturer of both solid-bodied electrics and acoustic guitars, producing well over a million guitars a year from its Indonesian and Chinese factories – the biggest guitar plants on the planet. The beautiful SFX Range, which includes the venetian cutaway SFX 5 (£429) and SFX 6 (£469), is constructed from solid tone woods and, as with all Cort acoustics, is brimming with quality features as standard that are often only found on other brands costing far more.

With a deep-gloss finish, the affordable T66 Standard range from Lag looks as good as it sounds. The spruce tops and mahogany back and sides are accented by distinctive black and ivorine binding and the necks are finished in French satin for feel and comfort. Prices start at £165 for the basic T66D dreadnought model.

Barnes & Mullins’ house brand, Brunswick, has been delivering great instruments for the budget conscious for over 15 years now. Based upon simple, but important concepts, the brand has found space in most music stores.

Starting with the entry level, the £109 BD200 models have spruce tops with mahogany back and sides and do what you would expect – deliver remarkable tone and playability for the money.

All models within Aria’s AP series of parlour-sized acoustics embody many of the best tonalities akin to the original

small bodied instruments for a sound that’s warm with a singing mid-range and a smooth roundness to the trebles. The AP-STD parlour includes a solid red cedar soundboard with a decorative soundhole rosette. Mahogany is the chosen wood for the neck, back and sides, with rosewood for the fingerboard and bridge This guitar is alive with response and the volume is loud and lively with an excellent legato quality for just £199.

Walden from FCN Music has five ranges, the Concorda, Standard, Natura, Supra Natura, and Madera – all with their own USPs. The Concorda is a line of gloss finished, solid wood instruments of quality, while only solid spruce and cedar soundboards are used on Natura guitars.

The Supra Naturas add all-wood binding, trim, bridges and end pins. A narrowprofile neck allows for execution of the most complex fingerstyle. The all-solid wood Madera line is built with 100 per cent certified FSC-Pure traditional guitar tonewoods, guaranteeing sustainability.

Freshman guitars start at a mere £149.95 for the half-sized FA1 TRAVN, but even this has a solid spruce top and mahogany back and sides. While the series goes up to the £700 mark, there are some top guitars in the sub £400 bracket, such as the FA25 0DLH, a dreadnought with a Canadian sitka top, mahogany back and sides, rosewood fingerboard and bridge and gold machineheads.

Distributed Exclusively in the UK by Rosetti LTD. 4 Blackwell Drive, Springwood Industrial Estate, Braintree, Essex. CM7 2QJ Tel: 01376 550033 Web: www.rosetti.co.uk

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miPRO JUNE 2010 45

SECTOR SPOTLIGHT ACOUSTIC GUITARS

Ozark 3135 parlour ÂŁ325 This all-solid construction instrument is made from from selected AA grade timbers and is an enticing choice – particularly among fingerpickers. A flawless construction makes for the fullest of projections (important for the fingerstyle players). An impressive endorser for the Deluxe Parlour model is Andy Partridge of XTC fame. “I just had to have this gem of an instrument even though I hadn’t intended to buy anything, it was simply love at first strum,â€? he said.

Crafter DV-200/N dreadnought £479 This model incorporates all of Crafter’s best tonal features at a most reasonable price. The back and sides are solid mahogany with a solid Engelmann spruce top, while Crafter’s patented T-bracing reduces the overall weight of the guitar. This system offers more resonance, tone and volume than the traditional A-brace. If you’ve never tried a Crafter before – the time has surely come.

Adam Black J8 jumbo £299 Possibly the newest kid on the block, Adam Black guitars offers an extremely wide range of quality guitars and the chance to find something a little away from the main pack – so often appealing to guitarists. The J8 jumbo has a solid spruce top, full scalloped bracing, laminated koa body, mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, Grover tuners, chrome hardware – and seriously good looks.

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ACOUSTIC GUITARS SECTOR SPOTLIGHT

Tanglewood TW130 orchestra £249.95 Exactly how Tanglewood came up with this model is not really a mystery, but the quality to price ratio is such that, one suspects, there must have been some luck involved. The TW130 plays like a guitar twice its price (even tempting ‘master-design’ luthier Michael Sanden). It’s all mahogany top, back and sides, gives an interesting dark quality and the construction finds that happiest of balances between tightness of construction and looseness of projection.

Ortega R200 SN nylon string £469 Ortega is a brand with its light somewhat under a bushel, coming from the cymbal and percussion specialist Meinl, but this range of classical guitars is a great ‘step up’ for the beginner looking for something a little ‘more’ as he or she begins to take playing seriously. At the top end of the pure acoustic range is the R200 with its solid cedar top with palo-roja back and sides and a Spanishheeled mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard. This is a brand well worth a look.

Freshman’s claim to fame comes from its ability to source premium graded woods from throughout the world, adding its own designs and paying special attention to the quality of sound and tone. All materials are sourced and selected personally by the Freshman team and all the guitars are built to an exact specification.

Before leaving the UK factory, each guitar is inspected and tested by experienced luthiers. The end result is a great sounding quality instrument at an affordable price.

At the top of the Freshman range comes the impressive Apollo Collection, which offers the perfect combination of quality sound and an appearance to match.

Gremlin’s Blueridge brand has cornered a really nice little niche in the market, fitting perfectly with

ARIA 01483 238720 WESTSIDE (MARTIN/RECORDING KING) 0141 248 4812 BARNES & MULLINS (LAG/BRUNSWICK) 01691 652449 HC DISTRIBUTION (CORT) +353 599 134268 PEAVEY 01536 461234 FREESTYLE (EKO) 01924 455414

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Gremlin’s ethos of folk for the masses. With the Historic series (page 42) taking a cool stance for ‘guitars of old’, there are also the retro-looking slope-shouldered BG series, the Contemprary series with authentic forward X bracing, solid sitka spruce tops and carved mahogany low profile neck and the Adirondack series, with models from the Contemporary series featuring a late 1930s style sunburst gloss finish.

Peavey has a couple of acoustic ranges of note, namely the extensive Briarwood range and the exclusive Jack Daniel’s models. The latter benefit from the cool of the branding – although make no mistake, these are top quality guitars. Mahogany back and sides throughout, the JDs have spruce tops (page 38) or in the case of

FCN MUSIC (WALDEN) 01892 603733 FENDER (TAYLOR/TAKEMINE) 01342 331700 FRESHMAN 01355 228028 HEADSTOCK (IBANEZ) 0121 508 6666 GREMLIN (BLUERIDGE) 01903 203044 INDIE 01235 851189 JHS (VINTAGE/ENCORE)

the JD-AG2 and 3, cedar. Satin finishes and quality components make these ultra-cool models a treat to play. The Briarwood series starts at a mind-boggling £79 with the Stage Pack starter outfit.

It’s not often that a guitar maker makes much of being machine-made, but Terry Pack’s Turner Guitars does just that.

Turners are fine axes, but with prices that tempt the most budget-conscious customers. Each instrument is individually checked and set up to play as good as it ever will, straight out of the box.

The ranges (starting with the 20 series, then working up to the 90s) start with models at £179 and finish at the high-end 94 and 95C at £1,079 – and everything inbetween in a variety of shapes and made from selections of woods.

0113 286 5381 STENTOR (OZARK) 01737 240226 ROSETTI (ADAM BLACK) 01376 550033 SUTHERLAND (CRAFTER) 029 2088 7333 TANGLEWOOD 01937 841122 TURNER GUITARS 01253 798370 ACTIVE MUSIC (ORTEGA) 020 8693 5678 YAMAHA 01908 366700

miPRO JUNE 2010 47

SECTOR SPOTLIGHT PERCUSSION

The beat goes on…

Coping in recession-hit Britain has become tough for MI, but percussion companies have got by surprisingly well, with the future looking even more promising. Adam Savage looks into why percussion is such a dark horse in this industry...

“

With ease of play being the major selling point for a lot of lines, it’s surely not too much of a surprise that djembes are doing so well currently.

48 miPRO JUNE 2010

T

he majority of musical instruments have impressive histories. Pianos, as we know, go back many centuries and the first stringed instruments came about thousands of years ago. The complexity of some of these instruments makes these facts all the more impressive, but there is one category that makes the rest look like they were all released yesterday and that is percussion.

This sector of MI originates from so long ago that nobody knows when it really started. A neanderthal bashing a stick against a rock with unintentional rhythm would be an educated guess.

We’ve come a long way since then, with our mp3 players and electric cars and

yet we still love nothing more than occasionally revisiting our less civilised roots by pounding animal hides when the mood takes us.

It’s strange, when you think about it, that in the time it’s taken the human race to go from cave dwelling to its current state, percussion instruments have evolved at a much slower rate. Despite this, they continue to sell extremely well and are a source of rare optimism in these tough times. So why is this?

Percussion has many advantages over other MI sectors. Anyone can pick up a tambourine and whack it in time with the band, who may have spent years of dedicated practice getting to their level.

Of course, to become an expert percussionist, similar levels of training to that of other musicians is needed, but there is no doubting that tapping along to a catchy tune is a lot easier than attempting to master a monster riff.

Educational establishments are one of the major consumer brackets for percussion companies and this is unsurprising due to how easily they can spark musical creativity. A s these products appeal to a wide range of other demographics, why are so many retailers reluctant to stock them?

One of the reasons is knowledge. These retailers may fear a situation where a customer asks questions about their new

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PERCUSSION SECTOR SPOTLIGHT

Natal Fuego Series Bongos £65 The Fuegos are intended as an entry-level option for new percussionists.

These bongos, congas, and conguitas feature heads made from natural hide, a Siam oak structure and chrome plated rims and hardware.

Chord Wooden Agogos £5.99 A pair of agogo bells on a wooden handle, their serrated edges allow the surface to produce a rasping sound with use of the wooden beater. A simple, low priced product that sets the tone for many of the new Chord percussion releases.

timpani or cajon range, prompting a rambling, nonsensical response, or worse, a blank, confused stare. In reality, it doesn’t take nearly as long to become a percussion boffin as it does with electric guitars, for example.

What might also be putting retailers off is that quite often percussion isn’t displayed effectively.

Many music stores treat these instruments as an after-thought or put them in a corner and then wonder why they’re not flying off the shelves like they’d hoped. Creating an impulse buy, instant purchase display is important for selling percussion, because the mass appeal and lower price tags mean people are more likely to buy one spontaneously compared to a grand piano, for example.

MI Pro was quick to react to one of the biggest news stories at this year’s Musikmesse, the acquisition of British percussion specialist Natal by Marshall. This of course gives Natal access to Marshall’s enormous distribution network, as well as significant new investment and financial incentives.

On the other hand, a business deal of this scale acts as a case study for the direction the international percussion market is currently moving in.

The Fuego series is the first in an influx of new products and the existing lines are all receiving a makeover. One of these is the Thailandmanufactured Spirit series, consisting of congas, bongos and timbales. The Fusion series, made from premium ash wood, contains tumbas and quintos and the Classic range pays homage to Natal’s fibreglass offerings from the 1960s and 70s. To top it off is the Cubana series, a UK hand-built product with aluminium Comfort Hoop rim, with durable tuning bolts and natural hide heads.

Several have decided to branch out into percussion recently. One of these is Chord, distributed by AVSL.

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Originally an audio specialist, Chord (see cover feature, page 18) has released a whole range of drums, shakers, tambourines and more, as well as venturing into a number of other MI categories. The new wooden agogos are an example.

Agogos started off in West Africa and were originally made from metal, making them similar in appearance to cowbells. The edges on the Chord model also make them usable as a guiro, a Cuban instrument that produces a ratchet-like sound.

Cowbells, of course, are a drum accessory that everybody knows well. With most percussion manufacturers starting to focus on the more exotic products, it’s good to see Tama bringing out a new range of these instruments. Simply named Black Cowbells, they are just one of a number of new products from a company that is often thought of as a solely drumkit specialist.

There are many in the industry out there that predicted that percussion would ride out this economic storm fairly well, but few would have foreseen the immense boom that has occurred in the sale of cajons in recent years.

Originally thought of as an obscure Peruvian import instrument, they are now a hot topic among musicians. Their simplicity, practicality and price have caused them to become a must-have for drummers, who want something quick and easy to take to parties, practices and acoustic sets or open mic nights.

An instrument that is essentially a box seems the perfect target for experimentation with visual design and this is exactly what Meinl has done with its Headliner Designer series. Ranging from skull motifs for rock fans to a flower power design to attract the female market, Meinl has provided a series that effectively modernises a traditional instrument from a different cultural background.

miPRO JUNE 2010 49

SECTOR SPOTLIGHT PERCUSSION

Tama Black Cowbells From £22.99

Soar Valley De Greogorio Jaqui £199

These nice additions to a kit come with eyebolts, ensuring the bells sit firmly and securely in place, avoiding swinging while playing. Available in three sizes, this range is a great choice for any drummer looking to add some variety to a kit’s sound.

Its birch plywood structure creates a modern, strong sound with compressed, controlled basses and high tones. Anti-scratch paint is applied to maintain quality and a set of jingles vibrate slightly when the bass tone is played.

Meinl Headliner series £134

Two of the six designs are cloth covered, creating a drier, crisper sound and they are all made from eco-friendly medium density fibreboard.

With internal snare wires and adjustable top corners, these cajons are sure to appeal to a wide variety of musicians.

Adams Revolution Timpanis From £1,899.33 Great versatility is ensured through a builtin fine tuner, even better for those wanting to use calf heads. Available in 20”, 23”, 26”, 29” and 32” sizes, these timpanis also come with a choice of fibreglass, smooth copper and hand-hammered copper bowl materials. This lightweight range’s practicality is enhanced by double locking swivel casters and third wheel assembly.

Latin Percussion Abraxas congas £389.99 Made with natural rawhide heads and EZ Curve rims for enhanced playing comfort, these congas produce deep tone and volume, offered at a price that will appeal to students and other cost conscious individuals. The lightweight but durable chrome hardware makes these drums easier to transport than other similar models.

Available in three finishes, the Marathon series timbales represents the other end of the ability scale. Aimed at more experienced percussionists, these Cuban inspired drums can be played on their own or as part of a kit set-up. The heavy-duty brackets are an essential addition to an instrument that can be expected to take a fair bit of abuse. The adjustable cowbell holder and tripod stand will cater for percussionists of different size set-ups and preferences.

Although most cajon manufacturers have opted to stick with tradition, there are those out there trying to push the boat out that little bit further and offer something entirely different. The E-cajon from Tycoon certainly falls into this category with its electronic capabilities.

The TTI-1415C timbales are another addition to Tycoon’s extensive percussion range. Stainless steel, chrome-plated shells sit atop an adjustable tilting stand with cowbell mounting. Also thrown in are a tuning wrench, TW-60 cowbell and

50 miPRO JUNE 2010

pair of sticks. Established in 1985, this company wholly-owns its factory in Bangkok and has developed a great reputation in Europe, Asia and South America over the years.

Another interesting point about percussion is that new products are far more likely to come in the form of variations of what is already out there, rather than radically new designs and ideas. There are only a limited number of ways, of course, to bang a drum or shake a tambourine and this works in the favour of all parties concerned.

This is also the case with tuned percussion – instruments in the orchestral category, such as xylophones. They need very little updating over time and continue to sell well. Some companies, such as Jam Percussion on Merseyside, consider xylophones to be its best-selling products and they have remained similar in design to early models. Other products will occasionally claim breakthroughs, usually in terms of enhanced practicality.

An example of this would be the Revolution timpanis from Dutch orchestral percussion specialists Adams. A new approach in this case is a removable bowl function for easy transportation, while maintaining head tension.

With ease of play being the major selling point for a lot of lines, it’s surely not too much of a surprise that djembes are doing so well currently. Remo, known mostly for being the world leader in drumheads, has the Designer series, a colourful array of djembes fitted with Remo’s Skyndeep drumhead. A wide variety of other djembes and congas are available, as well as more obscure products from tiny shakers through to gigantic Japanese Taiko drums and gongs, for customers that way inclined.

Congas have for years been at the forefront of percussion lines and have always sold particularly well worldwide.

Gon Bops is a specialist in this field and has been busy since being announced as a wholly owned subsidiary of Sabian

Gon Bops California series 55th Anniversary Edition £TBC Made from quarter-sawn red Appalachian oak, via a build process that takes nearly a year, those who invest in these products know they’re getting quality drums made with immense care. Traditional design and craftsmanship is blended with rigidity and build quality, provided by the best materials and robust steel side plates.

earlier this year. Its California series congas sell especially well, prompting Gon Bops to add a 55th anniversary limited edition product to this range.

Another jewel in the Gon Bops crown is the Tumbao series of bongos. These drums feature a plied stave Siam oak shell, with teardrop-shaped counter hoops. Options include a choice of the popular tobacco burst, tobacco fade or natural finishes.

Latin Percussion, a Fender brand, also has an impressive selection of congas and bongos. To commemorate its lengthy relationship with Carlos Santana, LP has the Aspire Santana Abraxas series, a range decorated with artwork from the guitar legend’s 1970 album, Abraxas.

The bongos include identical construction features to the congas, achieving comparable sound and build quality. With the same angel design as its bigger brother, this product completes a range that looks great, as well as offering great sound and value.

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SECTOR SPOTLIGHT PERCUSSION

Rhythm Tech Stickball £19.99

Remo Designer series £105

This two-piece shaker is basically a ball attached to a shaft by two bands that can be used as a shaker, stick accessory, or mallet head. The dry sound makes it an ideal alternative to maracas or other similar shakeables.

Appeals to those going for either an authentic, African sound or something simple to tap away on when the mood grabs. This drum is key tuned and features a Skyndeep drumhead and Adinkra finish.

World Rhythm Percussion Hydro Beat djembe £59.99 A fine combination of traditional know-how and modern materials and techniques. A pre-tuned mylar head helps achieve a great tone and its lightweight, fibre-glass structure makes it perfect for more mobile percussionists and schools. The batik pattern gives this drum its striking appearance.

Katho Calabo Black £209

Tycoon E-Cajon £279 The first of these instruments to come with a built-in amp and speaker, this cajon can be plugged into any speaker set-up and is powered by a single 9V battery. This allows bass and slap sounds to project louder than any other cajon. Also includes an mp3 connectivity option.

With many of these instruments coming from far off lands, it seems that there are plenty of fair trade opportunities in this business. Knowing that your purchase has been hand-made in its country of origin without exploitation makes it that little bit more satisfying and is something that appeals to a great number of us.

World Rhythm Percussion follows this business model, using master craftsmen from a Spanish manufacturer to produce its new cajon range, for example. With a multitude of lower priced products (a vast selection under £10), World Rhythm seems to primarily target impulse buyers and entry level musicians.

Displayed at Musikmesse, the HydroBeat djembe is one that the company has a lot of confidence in. One of the more unusual instruments is the plain coconut karimba, a part of its range of many products that have clearly maintained traditional qualities.

Also called an mbira, this polished half coconut shell amplifies the notes by creating a sound chamber. The player plucks the karimba with their finger or 52 miPRO JUNE 2010

thumb, which is where it gets its other alias, the ‘finger piano’.

Soar Valley is another company that offers a plethora of percussion loveliness of all kinds. Having focused mainly on Celtic, African and Brazilian products, the firm has also started covering more modern, western instruments.

Its impressive range of djembes includes the Bucara series. With wood coming from sustainably managed forests, Soar Valley also seems to take environmental and ethical factors seriously. Kambala Professional and Bassam djembes complete this highly pleasing variety of African drums.

The De Gregorio Jaqui proves this is another specialist that has reacted to the cajon boom. Fandango and Sweet Spot professional cajons have also been added to the Soar Valley catalogue.

Continuing with the appeal of simplicity, the new Stickball from Rhythm Tech is about as straightforward as it gets. A ball that attaches to a drumstick, this shaker came after collaborating with renowned session drummer, Billy Ward.

This calabo plated cajon with 10mm birchwood body comes with four V-shaped strings. This model is tuneable and represents the middle of the Katho range. A warm, clear sound from the front plate combines well with a crisp, top end tone and thudding bass.

Rhythm Tech’s most famous product is the one that brought it on to the scene in the first place, the crescent-shaped tambourine. Thirty years on, it’s still going strong and is available in a variety of colours and the option of either nickel or polished brass jingles. A cushioned grip provides further improvement to the comfort and playability that caused this model to take off three decades previously.

Gremlin Music, a leading UK distributor in folk and acoustic instruments, is yet another to submit to the growing pull of the cajon.

Gremlin recently set up distribution with Katho Cajons, manufactured at a workshop in Spain. A selection of woods are available (rosewood, pine, calabo and birchwood, for example) and the Katho range includes the calabo bodied rosewood basik and pine plate rumba models, and a calabo plated option in red or black.

Completing the series are the ebano and cebra cajons, which include a 7mm wenge back plate, with 17mm and 27mm sound holes respectively.

CONTACTS

FENDER (LATIN PERCUSSION) 01342 331711 JHS (RHYTHM TECH) 0113 286 5381 WESTSIDE (GON BOPS) 0141 248 4812 EMD (REMO) 01293 862612 SOAR VALLEY 0116 230 4926 WORLD RHYTHM 01242 282191 NATAL 01908 272605 ACTIVE MUSIC (MEINL) 020 869 5678 JAM PERCUSSION (ADAMS) 0151 494 1492 AVSL (CHORD) 0845 270 2411 FCN (TYCOON) 01892 603730 HEADSTOCK (TAMA) 0121 508 6666 JHS (RHYTHM TECH) 0113 286 5381 GREMLIN 01903 203044 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

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SHEET MUSIC SECTOR SPOTLIGHT

Under the sheets Talk to people from either book publishers or record companies and you will quickly get the impression that sheet music is the least sexy of either industry, being neither a proper book, nor a real representation of an artist’s music. Andy Barrett points out that, for those in the know, sheet music can be the difference between success and failure…

I

“

As retailers rely on sheet music and accessories for their bread and butter when times are hard, so the publishers look to the safest possible bets in terms of consumer appeal.

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f you haven’t noticed by now (and I’m certain you have), there are a couple of product ranges you can stock that will keep you going through thick and thin – and let’s face it, things are unlikely to get much thinner than they are now… Unless of course that worrying term ‘double dip’ comes into play. Even if it does, and we find ourselves, in macro-economic terms, in a second recession in as many years, the rule still applies. Sales of musical instrument accessories and sheet music remain pretty stable through the very worst of times.

Perhaps obviously, by that very fact, you can deduce that even when business is flourishing, you are unlikely to make your fortune and retire on accessory and book sales alone, but what you can do is create a small market for yourself that remains constant, whatever the pounding the economy takes generally or the tidal shifts that fashion creates specifically.

It doesn’t happen by itself, however, and simply stocking books and strings will never guarantee people walking into your

shop, but by maintaining a level of proactivity – and even pushing it a bit harder at times such as now – you will doubtless see regular customers and passers-by alike making little or no adjustment to their accessory and sheet music budget despite the economic difficulties.

For publishers, too, it would be a disaster to sit back and hope that everything will be okay. Customers and dealers will always be wanting more for their money, so book makers must constantly tweak presentation and add elements to their products. The latter is possibly the easier of the two thanks to the accessibility of CDs and DVDs, both in terms of manufacturing and production, and the universal usage of these formats.

The tweaking is a little more complex.

Of course, as time passes, certain elements of long-term best-sellers become outdated and these need to be addressed, but, particularly in the world of popular music, it is not simply a question of putting into print the music of the latest hot item, but also being able to

jump the gun a bit as to where the next source of heat will be. In this age of 15 minutes of stardom, that is a constant trek through the (sometimes) murky world of the recording and live music scenes, via agents and managers.

Thanks to the latter, even once identified, these desirable subjects for the printed music page can be difficult to pin down thanks to contracts and loyalties, and once the publisher has finally cornered the subject, the artists themselves can prove to be enormously difficult to work with. (The Arctic Monkeys, for example, are said to be almost maniacally ‘hands-on’ with their sheet music books, insisting upon approving each and every page and supplying all their own illustrations and graphics for use, as well as going through each note on the folio under a proverbial electro-microscope.)

It’s as ongoing and filled with as many banana skins as the FA Cup – although, in fairness to the publishers, at least the FA Cup gives clubs a few months off each

miPRO JUNE 2010 55

SECTOR SPOTLIGHT SHEET MUSIC

Publisher Faber

Publisher Faber

ARTIST: IAN DURY & THE BLOCKHEADS SEX & DRUGS & ROCK & ROLL £15.99

ARTIST: PAM WEDGWOOD JAZZIN’ ABOUT £8.99 Cool syncopation, funky riffs and smooth, stylish tunes from dynamic to nostalgic, Pam Wedgwood’s series has it all. Jazzin' About is a vibrant collection of original pieces in a range of contemporary styles, tailor-made for the absolute beginner (Grade 0 to 2).

So take a break from the classics and get into the groove as you cruise from blues, to rock, to jazz. Now sold with accompanying CD through the range (available for flute, clarinet, trumpet, violin, cello and alto sax) and with piano accompaniment.

Ian Dury was a wordsmith, artist and entertainer who gave the English language two of its most famous phrases drawn from the song titles, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll and Reasons To Be Cheerful. Now a major British film Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, starring Andy Serkis as Ian Dury, focuses on his personal relationships during his rise to fame. It is ten years since Dury's gig at the the London Palladium, but this new collection serves as a timely reminder as to how great his songs were and how the recordings have stood the test of time… 30 years on

Publisher Hal Leonard

Publisher Hal Leonard

ARTIST: STEPHEN SONDHEIM INTO THE WOODS £69.99

ARTIST: ROGERS & HAMMERSTEIN £TBC THE SOUND OF MUSIC (SING WITH THE CHOIR)

2010 is Stephen Sondheim’s 80th birthday year and Hal Leonard has recently signed a worldwide exclusive agreement to represent the print publishing for more than ten of Sondheim's musicals. This month (June) Hal Leonard Europe releases new, revised vocal selections for Sweeney Todd, Into The Woods, Assassins, Passion and Sunday In The Park with George. These new editions all have new engravings, additional songs and photographs. Great timing – particularly as Sondheim performance activity around the country is hitting overdrive right now, including a run of Into the Woods at Regent’s Park in the summer.

year. There is no such luxury allowed in the world of music publishing.

So, what are the printed music boys and girls up to in the year 2010? As you will see on the following pages, the effects of the economic climate are the same for everyone. As retailers rely on sheet music and accessories for their bread and butter when times are hard, so the publishers look to the safest possible bets in terms of consumer appeal. There are lots of musicals around, a lot of more established names on the popular scene and a lot of tried and tested educational methods – with, of course, CDs and DVDs. With its roots very much in the contemporary classical sphere, Faber Music has made a meteoric rise in the popular music market, particularly since its purchase of the IMP franchise five years ago, bringing with it the music of Warner Brothers and initially much of the EMI catalogue.

56 miPRO JUNE 2010

This wave continues with recent releases of new names, such as Marina and the Diamonds and more established composers and performers in the shape of Corrine Bailey Rae and Amy MacDonald – not to mention the scoop of having Ian Dury and the Blockheads on its books, which makes for the timely release of the bands’ top hits alongside the recent bio-pic of Ian Dury (above).

“Pop is a good market to be in,” says Faber Music’s Phillip Littlemore, “but these titles can be quite pricey. In times like these we want to be price sensitive, too, which is why we have brought out the Six of the Best series.” Six of the Best features artists on Faber’s books, but in smaller publications (the clue is in the title). To date, there have been several PVG versions of this, containing a handful of hit songs form the likes of Stevie Wonder, Paolo Nutini and Glee (the TV series), but now there is the imminent release of some tablature

Musical publication sales are also being boosted by the UK national tours of Sound Of Music and Hairspray for which Hal Leonard represents the exclusive print rights. The Sing with the Choir series is a new format that supplies a professional choir singing the songs (in this case, of The Sound of Music), for which the enthusiast can select their voice of choice and sing along – the Hairspray book is also available. With the popularity of musicals as dominant as ever (and choirs enjoying similar popularity, too) this is a real safe bet for publisher and dealer alike.

versions for guitarists alone. The first of these will see Nirvana, Foo Fighters and Green Day on the pages. These books all retail at £8.99.

On the education front, where Faber is also a major player, the publisher is looking to ‘enhance’ its catalogue, developing key series, such as Pam Wedgwood’s Jazzin’ About (above), adding piano accompaniment and a backing CD – again for £8.99.

“Adding CDs to books is something we simply have to do these days,” says Littlemore. “It makes things a little more expensive, but we make sure that this squeezes our margins and not the dealers. The added value and our care in pricing these books correctly means that dealers will be able to make more out of our products.”

Faber is also creating some repertoire books for Grade exam students (up to Grade 5), two new books in Joanna McGregor’s Piano World series and, of

course, new ukulele song books (now six in the colour-coded series).

Mel Bay (as can be seen from the featured books on page 50) has made some interesting moves into the world of popular music, but at the same time maintained its fundamental role in the sphere of music education. The Podolski and Filipski tutors (guitar soloing and Steve Gadd drumming respectively) see the publisher taking a couple of impressive steps into the realm of rock and pop tutors, which Mel Bay Music’s Chris Statham describes as “two of the biggest releases for us in 2010.

“These are huge personalities for us and mark a couple of very different genres for us to be going into.”

To illustrate the points made in the introduction to this piece, Statham reports over a 25 per cent growth year on year for his company in the UK and does not see this trailing off in the foreseeable future. “We have just had the

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MUSIC FOR EVERYONE

CORINNE BAILEY RAE: THE SEA PIANO/VOCAL/GUITAR £13.99

MUST-HAVE EDUCATIONAL & POP TITLES FOR YOUR STORE

IAN DURY: SEX & DRUGS & ROCK & ROLL PIANO/VOCAL/GUITAR £14.99

MARINA & THE DIAMONDS: FAMILY JEWELS PIANO/VOCAL/GUITAR £14.99

YOU’RE THE VOICE: JAMES BLUNT PIANO/VOCAL/GUITAR/CD £16.99

6 OF THE BEST: PAOLO NUTINI PIANO/VOCAL/GUITAR £8.99

6 OF THE BEST: GLEE PIANO/VOCAL/GUITAR £8.99

6 OF THE BEST: NIRVANA GUITAR TAB/VOCAL £9.99

6 OF THE BEST: GREEN DAY GUITAR TAB/VOCAL £9.99

THE GRUFFALO PIANO SOLO £8.99

PIANOWORLD REPERTOIRE PIANO SOLO £5.99

THE BEST OF CLARINET CLARINET/PIANO/CD £9.99

JAZZIN’ ABOUT PIANO SERIES PIANO SOLO/CD £8.99

THE BEST OF FLUTE FLUTE/PIANO/CD £9.99

To order: Faber Music Limited, Burnt Mill, Elizabeth Way, Harlow CM20 2HX Tel: 01279 828989 Fax: 01279 828990 email: trade@fabermusic.com

SECTOR SPOTLIGHT SHEET MUSIC

Publisher Mel Bay

Publisher Mel Bay

ARTIST: JOSHUA CRAIG PODOLSKI ADVANCED LEAD GUITAR CONCEPTS £22

ARTIST: STEVE GADD TRANSCRIPTIONS BY KRZYSZTOF FILIPSKI £19.95 The Steve Gadd drumming transcriptions book honours the talents of one of the greatest drummers the world has ever known – the amazing Steve Gadd – in a book that includes 30 stylistically varying transcriptions. It is a note for note, accurate interpretation of Gadd’s style of playing the drums. In some cases there are only fragments that present the most interesting parts of the given song. The music is clearly notated and easy to read. Attractive quotations, biography, an extensive discography and videography are all extra features of this book. For drummers, quite simply, a must.

From his prolific solo work as a producer, writer, video game music composer and author, to his prominent memberships in many influential hard rock and metal groups, Podolsky has displayed one of the most fiery, creative personas and influential approaches to lead guitar playing ever.

This new method and approach of personal self-discovery on the guitar will let players achieve the goal of taking an advanced playing background and going further still. This book/CD/DVD set is a must-own tool for the modern day contemporary rock, metal and shred guitar enthusiast alike.

Publisher Schott

Publisher Schott

ARTIST: OLLIE WESTON EXPLORING JAZZ SAXOPHONE (ALSO TRUMPET AND FLUTE) £16.99

ARTIST: NICK BESTON IMPROVISING BLUES SAX £16.99 The latest addition to this series is designed for the intermediate saxophonist looking for an introduction to the blues. Experienced saxophone teacher and performer, Nick Beston, presents straightforward explanations of different playing styles and techniques, and covers topics such as basic blues harmony, chords, riffs, and effects such as glissando and ‘growling’. Original compositions support each chapter, and ‘sax advice’ sections offer guidance on the finer points of saxophone playing. High quality demos and backing tracks on the accompanying CD encourage the learner to apply these techniques to his or her own improvisations.

This book is designed for the intermediate saxophonist looking for an introduction to the world of jazz.

Renowned jazz saxophonist Ollie Weston introduces key concepts step by step, explaining clearly and simply throughout, with the minimum of musical jargon. Improvisation is featured from the start, with authentic live jazz trio recordings on the accompanying CD. Key subjects covered include modes, swing playing, melodic development, the 2-5-1 progression, jazz blues progressions, pentatonic scales, jazz chord extensions, stylistic development and unique sax sounds among others. busiest April since I began this business – and this is not connected to the work we did at Musikmesse, either. The show was very successful for us, but the subsequent business has been the result of our efforts here in the UK. The two combined make me very optimistic.”

Statham was, of course, very keen to point out the exclusive deal with Vöggenreiter in the UK, “alongside some other exciting additional European third party catalogues, which we are in the process of signing.” He also hinted at there being a new rep on the road for the publisher in Britain – so watch this space.

“Having a rep meeting dealers in the shops is still by far the most popular method of selling in this business,” claims Statham. “It’s mine, too. Once we have this in place, I am certain we can grow our business still further.”

The publishing giant that is Hal Leonard, which is supplied to British

58 miPRO JUNE 2010

stores through the giant that is Music Sales, is arguably one of the most proactive companies in sheet music publishing, using its size and clout to make itself a leader in pretty much every aspect of music making.

The publisher’s growth in Europe, says the European sales and marketing director, Mark Mumford, is the result of work across the board from educational publications, guitar, personality, films and musicals and, from numerous series.

Hal Leonard’s playalong series are now well established in the UK, offering musicians a considerable quality and diversity of music, such as the Jazz, Guitar and Piano Playalongs, and the Pro Vocal series. “We are finding musicans coming back again and again to purchase the latest releases,” says Mumford.

A well timed deal to publish new vocal scores for Stephen Sondheim musicals in the composer’s 80th anniversary is

another predictive coup for the company.

Sondheim generates huge interest in the amateur, as well as professional circuit of performance and this year will see more productions than ever being staged around the country by the more adventurous groups.

Musical publication sales are also being boosted by national tours of Sound Of Music and Hairspray (page 56).

On a slightly different note, June sees the Hal Leonard piano teacher workshop tour kick off, with workshops at Matchetts in Belfast, Ackerman's in Chichester and Music Notes in Liverpool. Teachers will get an insight into the new Hal Leonard All-In-One Student Piano Library books as well as ideas for integrating jazz, film music, musicals at various grade levels to support student learning.

“There's also a special insight into our Schirmer Performance series, the latest

release being the Complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas,” adds Mumford. “I see this as a unique musical experience and a really effective way to get teachers into a store. Our special workshop terms also give dealers an excellent stock display with extra discount. Put simply, it’s an ideal, no-risk-more-profit package for dealers.” Dealers should contact Mumford directly for details of how to participate.

FABER MUSIC 01279 828989 MEL BAY 020 8214 1022 SCHOTT 020 7534 0744 MUSIC SALES 01284 702600 HAL LEONARD EUROPE 01494 730143

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Office 512, Fortis House • 160 London Road • Barking, Essex IG11 8BB Telephone No: +44 (0)20 8214 1222 • Fax Number: +44 (0)20 8214 1328

UK Sales Freephone: 0800 432 0486 E-mail: salesuk@melbay.com

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5. ROLAND CB-37SY SOFT-SHELL KEYBOARD CASE £99 They say: The perfect fit.

For: Keyboard players Range: Roland Accessories Spec: Fits 37-key instruments, soft-shell case, carry handles, ‘beltpack’style strapping.

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6 ACCESSORY SPOTLIGHT T REX FUEL TANK CHAMELEON £155 They say: The most versatile power supply T-Rex has ever produced.

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sized pedal boards. It comes with lots of single patch cables and a multiple link cable. The Fuel Tank Juicy Lucy powers five 12-Volt pedals and offers extras, such as multiple unit linking. The baby of the family – Fuel Tank Junior – is a good choice for a small number of 9-Volt pedals.

It offers both currency doubling to 240 mA and voltage doubling to 18-Volts.

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choice of 9V DC, 12V DC, 18V DC or 12V AC power, isolated, 300mA outlets (1,500mA total), switchable 115V or 230V mains, all cables, compact, rugged design and, of course, T-Rex quality.

From: Westside 0141 248 4812

6. ROLAND CB-61W KEYBOARD BAG £79.99 They say: A soft-shell carrying case specially designed for musicians on the move.

For: Ax-Synth E-09, Prelude GW-8 players Range: Roland Accessories Spec: Movable interior pads, large outer pocket, innerpocket for music rests, inner pouch for pedals (damper pedals, volume pedals, expression pedals etc).

From: Roland 01792 702701

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

RECORDING NEW PRODUCTS

3 RECORDING SPOTLIGHT

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1. BLUE SKY EXO2 NEARFIELD MONITORS £TBC They say: Combines true, full-range monitoring with the convenience of a desktop remote control hub.

For: Studios Range: Blue Sky monitors Spec: Full-range stereo monitoring system, two 3" two-way satellites, soft-dome tweeter, 8” subwoofer, 160 Watts total, XLR, TRS, RCA & mini-jackinputs, wall mount options.

From: Polar Audio 01444 258258

2. ROLAND CD-2I SD/CD RECORDER £549 They say: Point, record, play and burn.

For: Musicians Range: Roland recorders Spec: Stereo mic, stereo speakers, CD drive, XLR, TRS & RCA inputs, six AA battery powered, records to CD and SD, rehearsal function (auto level recording), key and tempo change, music practice functions.

From: Roland 01792702701

3. TASCAM DR-08 PORTABLE DIGITAL RECORDER £POA

BOSS BR-800 £399

They say: Packs serious audio quality into a pocket-sized, handheld dynamo.

For: Musicians, general Range: Tascam handheld recorders Spec: Portable digital recorder, 96/24 Wav & MP3 recording, 2GB micro SD card, two cardioid mic with variable angling, variablke speed playback, sound level auto recording, gain control, low cut filter, noise cancel, foldable stand, mini-jack I/O, builtin speaker.

From: Tascam 01923 438880

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They say: Makes the recording process fast and easy.

For: Musicians Range: Boss BR recorders Spec: Boss continues its top-selling tradition of portable, affordable multitrackers with the new BR-800 – a battery-powered studio to go. The sleek new design is made possible by touch-sensor switches and SD-card recording media. Up to four tracks can be recorded or eight tracks played back simultaneously, plus an additional stereo track dedicated to the built-in rhythm generator.

New EZ Recording mode that interactively guides you through the recording process. Other helpful

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Boss continues its top-selling tradition of poartable, affordable multitrackers with the BR-800

4. TC HELICON VOICE TONE CREATE XT £246.75

5. TASCAM DR-2D PORTABLE DIGITAL RECORDER £POA

They say: Multi-effects and perfect tone in one compact pedal.

For: Vocalists, studios Range: TC Helicon vocal processors Spec: 100 presets, Hard Tune effects, FX on/off, Voice Live 2 reverb, tone button, tweak parameters, USB connection, delay, modulation & transducer effects, XLR I/O. From: TC Electronic 0800 917 8926

They say: Brings high-resolution recording to a compact, affordable package.

For: Musicians, general Range: Tascam portable recorders Spec: 96/24 resolution, Wav or MP3 to SD card, stereo condenser mic, 74dB signal to noise ratio, dual recording mode (distortion prevention), internal effects, metronome, variable speed audition tempo control, AA battery powered, builtin speaker.

From: Tascam 01923 438880

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

6. ROLAND V-STUDIO 20 £259.99 They say: Record guitar and vocals with tones you have only dreamed about it until now.

For: Musicians Range: Roland V-Studio Spec: Audio interface, control surface, recording software, COSM effects, record & playback of 32 tracks, arrange, edit, mix, 11 effects, Roland TTS-1 synth, 1GB of loops, songs and backing.

From: Roland 01792 702701

features include the convenient Retry function, which re-cues automatically to fix mistakes, and song sketch recording for instant, one-touch capture. Built-in stereo condenser mic, plus a DR-880-quality rhythm generator for adding drum.

Vocal effects from the VE-20, COSM guitar/bass effects from the GT-10 series and modeled acousticguitar body effects from the AP-1 preamp. AC transformer powered (or six AA batteries.

From: Roland 01792 702701

miPRO JUNE 2010 61

NEW PRODUCTS BACKLINE 1. RANDALL RT SERIES VALVE AMPS £POA

2. JMI EFFECTS PEDALS £POA

They say: Pro caliber and at a price point that would normally be considered solid state territory.

For: Guitarists Range: Randall amps Spec: Three heads (RT103, RT503 & RT50), one combo (RT50C) and two matched cabs (RT412XC & RT212XC) in range.

RT103: three-channel (clean + two overdrive) 100W, reverb. RT503 50W version. RT50, two-channel 50W combo.

From: Sound Technology 01462 480000

They say: With two new engineers on board, the waiting time for JMI is greatly reduced.

For: Guitarists Range: JMI effects Spec: Six pedals, all metal cased, Studio 2 fuzz, MkI Tonebender, MkI.5 Tonebender, Mk II Tonebender, Pro Mk II Tonebender, Treble booster.

From: Hiwatt 0113 243 8165

3. MAXON SM-9 PRO+ SUPER METAL & ST9 PRO+ SUPER TUBE PEDALS $POA They say: Has been resurrected with improved circuitry and new features.

For: Guitarists Range: Maxon Nine series Spec: Die cast zinc chassis, battery & AC/DC powered, LED indicator for battery life, mechanical true bypass switching.

SM-9 Pro+: gain, level and scoop controls, 9/18 Volt switching via internal voltage-doubling circuit. ST-9 Pro+: separate mid control midrange boost, mode switch for two diode types, 9/18 Volt switching.

From: Godlyke +1 973 777 7477

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4. ORANGE CRUSH PIX RANGE AMPS £319

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They say: Upgraded to pack more punch and offer more great value for money.

For: Guitarists, bassists Range: Orange Crush Pix Spec: CR100 BXT bass combo, 100W, 15” speakerbuilt-in tuner, line out, aux in.

Stereo Micro Crush 6 practice amp (£59.95), two speakers, line out, aux in, gain control, built-in tuner, 18-Volt power supply. Also, black finish available on all models.

From: Orange 020 8905 2828

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5. ZOOM G2NU MULTI-FX PEDAL £119.99 They say: Takes the performance and functionality of the popular G2 and incorporate years of innovation.

For: Guitarists Range: Zoom effects Spec: 20 amp and stomp box models, 100 preset sounds (20 patches by Steve Vai), G2.1Nu with expression pedal, USB connection, From: Zoom UK 01462 791100

BACKLINE SPOTLIGHT ORANGE THUNDER 30 COMBO & HEAD £749 & 649 6. VOX AMPLUG CAB £25 They say: Transform any of the Vox Amplug headphone amps into a tabletop mini-stack amp.

For: Guitarists Range: Vox Amplug Spec: Three-inch speaker cab, 0.7Watt output, 9V battery powered (AC adaptor not supplied), up to approx ten hours battery life, ships with battery.

From: Korg 01908 857100

62 miPRO JUNE 2010

They say: A thundering replacement for the Rocker 30.

For: Guitarists Range: Orange amps Spec: All-valve, class A, 30-Watt twin channel amp, powered by four EL84 power valves (two more than the Rocker 30). It will be available in head and 1x 12 configurations and includes an FX loop (not featured on the Rocker 30) and the 1x 12 is front loaded.

A brand new design incorporating the best of the Rocker and Thunder series, the new amps have two channels. The

first is a classic vintage channel which has crystal clear clean sound and when turned up delivers a vintage power amp overdrive. The second overdrive/distortion channel, features a shape control as seen in the Thunderverb models and has a British tone crunch of numbing proportions.

The Thunder 30 combo offers a balance between power and portability and is ideal for regular gigging.

It's small and light enough to

be portable, while offering a wide tonal range for use in the studio environment. Delivering more punch, more features and more power, the Thunder 30 will blow you away when you here the sound.

From: Orange 020 8905 2828

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BASS & GUITAR NEW PRODUCTS SPOTLIGHT GUITAR 2. YAMAHA SUPER BB BASSES £2,249

1. FRAMUS PANTERA SUPREME £2,239 They say: Blends traditional elements with modern details and design.

For: Guitarists Range: Framus electric guitars Spec: Mahogany neck and body with arched AAA flamed maple top, original Seymour Duncan pickups, 3-way switch, push/pull tone control for humbucker splitting, TonePros tune-o-matic bridge, Warwick security locks, chrome hardware, high gloss finish.

From: Warwick +49 0374 225550

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3. OZARK 3146 CELTIC GUITAR £460 They say: Carrying on the Celtic influence.

For: Guitarists Range: Ozark electro-acoustics Spec: Solid cedar top, rosewood faced back & sides, mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, bridge & head veneer, flamed maple bindings, rtec transducer, Edge-TN eq with built in tuner, and endpin jack socket, satin finish, ships with gigbag.

From: Stentor 01737 240226

INDIE SHAPE SEMI-HOLLOW ELECTRIC £599 They say: A supreme blend of hollowbody bark with solid-body bite.

For: Guitarists Range: Indie guitars Spec: The Indie Shape double-cutsemi-hollow is constructed from top quality tone woods and hardware with high-grade mahogany for the body, cream binding and capped with a figured maple top, seen through a translucent wine-red finish. Retaining Indie's distinct Shape profile, the black gloss headstock is three-sided, housing chrome Grover tuners.

With a natural satin finished maple set neck for smooth playing, heel-less neck join, graphite nut, smooth 22 fret, bound rosewood fingerboard, inlaid with crown position markers, the Shape is a sheer delight for the performing guitarist.

Electrics and hardware include a Tone Pro adjustable bridge assembly, volume and two tone controls, threeway selector switch and pair of alnico, GR8 Zebra open humbuckers with matching cream surrounds.

As a half-chambered semi-hollow guitar, the Shape has an array of resounding, percussive acoustic overtones that emanate within the body in tight patterns. This, along with the guitars solid body half acting as a mahogany/maple sustain block, allows the guitar to handle high gain amps without unwanted feedback.

From: Indie 01235 851189

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5. WASHBURN NX 100 & 50 ELECTRICS £TBC They say: Affordable guitars don’t need to compromise on loofs or playability.

For: Guitarists Range: Washburn NX series Spec: NX100 with mahogany body, solid flame maple top, mahogany set neck, ebony fingerboard, two humbuckers, Grover tuners, chrome hardware. NX50: mahogany body, quilt maple top, maple set neck, rosewood fingerboard, chrome hardware, two humbuckers.

From: Sound Technology 01462 480000

They say: Part of Yamaha’s Generation Rock direction.

For: Bassists Range: Yamaha BB basses Spec: Three-piece alder body, Acoustic Resonance Enhancement pre-aged woods, five-ply bolt-on neck, nickel silver nut, Alnico split coil neck pickup, ceramic single coil bridge pickup, thru-body stringing, four & five-string models.

From: Yamaha 01908 366700

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4. WALDEN MADERA FSC GUITARS £895 They say: All woods on the new Madera line are sourced from sustainably managed forests.

For: Guitarists Range: Walden acoustics Spec: Certified FSC-pure tone woods, including sitka spruce, South American mahogany and western red cedar, five models (natural & tobacco burst dreadnoughts and grand auditoriums, classical). Ships with hard case.

From: FCN Music 01892 603730

4 6. FRET KING BLUE LABEL VENTURA SUPER 60 HB3 & SSH £749 & £729

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They say: A no-compromise instrument in terms of total build quality For: Guitarists Range: Fret King Blue Label Spec: 22 fret maple neck, 25” scale length, 10” radius rosewood fingerboard, Gotoh Magnum locking machines, Wilkinson WVP wave leading edge fulcrum vibrato, stagger-drilled block, Wilkinson PAF-style WHHB humbuckers, Vari-coil rotary control.

From: JHS 0113 286 5381 miPRO JUNE 2010 63

DRUMS NEW PRODUCTS DRUMS SPOTLIGHT

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TYCOON DRUMKIT PERCUSSION £POA They say: Now offering a wide variety of mountable percussion specifically designed for drumset applications.

For: Drummers Range: Tycoon percussion Spec: Two-dozen cowbells, six mountable tambourines, several hihat tambourines, synthetic ‘lip’ blocks, wood blocks, aluminum bar chimes.

Among Tycoon’s many cowbell choices, the Black Pearl models are popular with contemporary drumset players due to their durable steel construction, distinctive finish, penetrating tone and affordable price point. The Black Pearl series consists of three bells; the 5” Cha-Cha (TWBPC), 7” Mambo (TWBP-M) and 7” Standard (TWBP-R), favoured for its lower pitch and deeper tone. All Tycoon cowbells come equipped with angled clamps featuring captive eyebolts and wingnuts for fast, secure mounting and comfortable positioning.

Drummers can choose from several mountable tambourine options, including bright and dark sounding models with brass or steel jingles, as well as bright and dark models with a mixture of brass and steel jingles.

Brass jingles are a bit more resonant while steel jingles have drier, crunchier tone. One of today’s most versatile and widely-used accessory percussion instruments, Tycoon’s durable, doublecrescent, plastic tambourines all feature double rows of jingles for maximum volume and articulation and, due to their exclusive design, all use Tycoon’s advanced, interchangeable TXTB-B tambourine mounting bracket to facilitate quick and easy conversion between handheld and mounted applications.

Tycoon drumset percussion is recommended for a complete spectrum of contemporary live and studio musical situations. The full range of mountable percussion instruments, as well as Tycoon’s accessory clamps, mounts, racks and stands, are available at local and online dealers everywhere.

From: FCN Music 01892 603730

1 1. BIG DOG DRUM THRONES FROM £115.99 They say: Rock solid, offering the ultimate in strength and reliability.

For: Drummers Range: Big Dog thrones Spec: Throne style, vinyl or cloth.finishes, double braced legs, high-grip feet, heavu duty seat top clamps, Pro models with double threaded height adjustment, CNC machined aluminium leg clamps. Saddle style: £129.99.

From: MSC 01562 827666

2. CYMPAD OPTIMIZER FOAM CYMBAL PADS £POA They say: World-renowned drum artists are replacing their old cymbal felts with new Optimizer foam washers from Cympad.

For: Drummers, percussionists Range: Cympad foam cymbal washers Spec: 40mm foam washers in 8, 12 and 15mm thicknesses, increased cymbal balance and sustain, suitable for all cymbal sizes.

From: FCN Music 01892 603730

3. LUDWIG KEYSTONE SERIES KITS £POA They say: A more focused tonality and a dramatic look and feel.

For: Drummers Range: Ludwig drums Spec: Three-ply maple shell core, American red oak inner and outer ply, dual 45-degree bearing edge, low-contact Keystone lug and mounting bracket. Two shell packs: 22/16/12/10 and 24/18/16/13.

From: Active 020 8693 5678

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6 4. PROTECTION RACKET TRIPLE AAA DRUM CASE RANGE FROM £48.99 They say: From knocks and dints, to falls and spills, these cases will keep your drums safe.

For: Drummer Range: Protection Racket drum cases Spec: Lightweight polymers, polycarbonate frame, Protection Racket Rocket Foam padding, 10mm inner, 5mm outer closed cell foam lining, fleece lining, 600 denier polyester Racketex outer, poyester/plastic/neoprene handle, double stitched heavy duty spiral chain zips.

From: Protection Racket 01208 815055

5. REGAL TIP EX SERIES STICKS £10.99 They say: An exciting new addition to the X series sticks.

For: Drummers Range: Regal Tip X series sticks Spec: Designed for fast metal playing, gloss finish hickory sticks, ribbed black nylon tips, three models in range.

Death EX: 16 by 0.6-inch.

Grind EX: 16x 0.58-inch (5A or 5B).

Speed EX: 16x .525-inch.

From: JHS 0113 286 53781

6. TYCOON SIGNATURE GRAND SERIES CONGAS £POA They say: Classic congas made from the highest quality materials and components.

For: Percussionists Range: Tycoon percussion Spec: Hand selected American ash construction, 30-inches tall, Classic Pro hoops, reinforced side plates with 3/8" diameter tuning lugs and backing plates, die-cast handle, calfskin head, high gloss finish. Available in 10", 11", 113⁄4" and 121⁄2" diameters.

From: FCN Music 01892 603730

THIS PAGE IS SPONSORED BY MIKEDOLBEAR.COM, THE LEADING ONLINE RESOURCE FOR EVERYTHING DRUMS.

VISIT WWW.MIKEDOLBEAR.COM FOR MORE DETAILS. WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

miPRO JUNE 2010 65

NEW PRODUCTS TRADITIONAL

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2 1. ASHBURY AB-35 PLECTRUM BANJO £189 They say: Stunning value for a banjo of real quality.

For: Banjo players, guitarists Range: Ashbury banjos Spec: Four-string plectrum banjo, mahogany neck, 14-inch resonator, cast metal rim, 11-inch frosted head, 30 tensioners.

From: Gremlin 01903 203044

2. ASHBURY AB-55 S SHORT SCALE TENOR BANJO £499 They say: For the finger-picking guitaristr who wants to head further in the country.

For: Banjo players, guitarists Range: Ashbury banjos Spec: Short scale tenor banjo with 17 frets, openback, walnut neck & rim, Whyte laydie tonering, engraved arm rest and tension hoop, 24 tension hooks, quality plantery banjo pegs, double co-ordinater rods.

From: Gremlin 01903 203044

3. FRESHMAN STARGAZER UKULELES £24.95 They say: Fun, colourful range of pluckables offers simplicity and great value.

For: Beginners Range: Freshman acoustics Spec: Geared machine heads, colourcoded bag, available in red, blue, yellow, pink and natural, aimed at entry-level musicians.

From: Freshman 01355 228028

5. ROLAND FR-3X V-ACCORDION £2,399

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They say: Loaded with great accordion sounds.

For: Accordion players Range: Roland V-Accordions Spec: New bellows pressure-sensing circuitry with resistance regulator, accordion sounds include jazz, folk, musette and bajan, orchestral sounds, tone wheel organ sounds, USB connection, MIDI compatible, also available as button-style model.(£2,499) From: Roland 01792 702701

4. OZARK 2246 EIGHT-STRING GUITAR BOUZOUKI £460 They say: A unique design attracting the attention of both guitar and bouzouki players.

For: Guitarists, bouzouki players Range: Ozark electro-acoustics Spec: Eight-string bouzouki, solid cedar top, rosewood back & sides, rosewood fingerboard, Artec eq and transducer with built-in tuner, Celtic knot sound hole and fingerboard inlays, enclosed Grover tuners, ships with gigbag.

From: Stentor 01737 240226

6. STAGG 77TT BB TENOR TROMBONE £235 They say: Remarkable quality – a great student instrument designed for beginners.

For: Student trombonists Range: Stagg brass instruments Spec: Bb tenor slide trombone, .547-inch bore (13.9mm), 8.5-inch bell, chromeplated inner slide, lacquer finish, ships with fitted hard ABS case.

From: EMD 01293 862612

TRADITIONAL SPOTLIGHT ROLAND DP-990 DIGITAL PIANO £1,799

naturally without looping, and authentic sound transition from note to note across the keyboard.

They say: Seamless variations in tone from The DP-990F is a sophisticated, pianissimo to fortissimo. streamlined piano with For: Pianists amazing sound and touch Range: Roland that also serves as a A sophisticated, digital pianos functional piece of Spec: V-Piano Super streamlined furniture.

Natural sound engine, The new LX-10F, DPpiano with ivory-feel keys with 990F, RG-3F, and RG-1F escapement, available in amazing sound digital pianos all feature medium cherry, satin the new Super Natural and touch black, or polished ebony. piano sound engine, The breakthrough uniting Roland's state-ofsound engine delivers seamless variations the-art V-Piano technology and 88-key in tone from pianissimo to fortissimo, stereo multi-sampling technology. decaying sounds that linger and fade From: Roland 01792 702701

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66 miPRO JUNE 2010

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RETAIL NEWS, OPINION, DATA NEWS Pedal mats, Umbrella Music’s new manager, Manson’s pickups and a tone lifter from East UK

MIA Moneyway signs up to MIA, to become a new retailer benefit

Hobgoblin spreads its wings New store in Bristol adds to colourful setting and confirms the trend for traditional acoustic instruments in the growing folk scene not just in this city, but all over the country FOLLOWING THE news of the collapse of the Reverb chain of stores – and with it the closure of the Bristol store, the retail news coming out of Bristol has been pretty ceaseless, proving that the city has an extremely vibrant music scene and a very stable customer base.

The closure of Reverb was followed by the news of PMT buying the store (which opened on May 15th following a thorough renovation) and then the news of Musicroom’s expanded shop (see Retail News, MI Pro, May 2010). The latter was made possible by the decision of Hobgoblin and Musicroom to go their separate ways from the store at College Green they shared.

Hobgoblin moved up the road to 36 Park Street, a shop that is twice the size of the space it had previously and makes the Bristol branch the largest in the Hobgoblin chain. This allows, of course, for more stock on show, but also for special areas for trying out the instruments.

In the past year Bristol has become known for its unique and exciting live music scene, in which all the Bristol Hobgoblin shop staff are involved. A survey published this week by the Performing Rights Society found Bristol to be Britain's most musical city. Shop manager Cris Pierssene, who is a guitarist

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

in folk and roots band Malarchy, said: “We have seen an increase in the number of people interested in learning instruments and teaching themselves to play. People are returning to the days of playing traditional live music – and it’s great.

“We’ve been open a couple of months now and things are moving on very nicely.

The folk scene in the surrounding area –

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Banjos and mandolins are very much on the up, as are concertinas and melodeons.

Chris Pierssene Shop manager and guitarist

Somerset, Gloucester and Devon – is really vibrant and as the only specialist folk and traditional music store in the area, we have a very broad catchment.”

Pierssene went on to describe how folk music has achieved a tremendous roll in recent years and that it shows no sign of slowing. “Five years ago, you would have been forgiven for thinking that a folk musician would spend all his playing days in the backrooms of folk clubs, but now

we have artists winning Mercury prizes and really making a name for themselves.”

He puts the wave down to artists such as Seth Lakeman, but also to the surge of singer/songwriters a few years ago, from the Coldplay mould, digging a bit deeper into the craft and discovering music and styles more influenced by the folk scene.

“In Europe, when people first hear folk music, it tends to be Celtic – predominantly Irish – and they love it.

Who doesn’t? From there, players will look towards their own traditions and find something that relates to them, to their identity more.”

In terms of product trends, Pierssene confirmed what we all knew anyway: that the ukulele is the single biggest phenomenon in MI over the past few years. “I don’t know what it is,” he confessed. “But it’s interesting to see that the same thing happened in the early part of the 20th century, too. I don’t know if there is a link.

“Aside from that, banjos and mandolins are very much on the up, as are concertinas and melodeons. There’s a lot of growth all round.”

Pierssene certainly hopes that that growth will continue for his new store well into the future.

HOBGOBLIN BRISTOL: 0117 9239 0902

LOCATION REPORT Part one of MI Pro’s stroll through suburbia, uncovering a couple of nice stores on the way

INDIE PROFILE Mann’s Music in Colchester tells us how to keep a music store running for over 150 years

ALL INSIDE THIS MONTH miPRO JUNE 2010 69

RETAIL NEWS

Stageworks releases pedal mat Hertfordshire company introduces first of problem solving products

Shona MacMillan joins Umbrella Music London-based company appoints highly experienced new shop manager

STAGEWORKS GEAR Company has launched its non-slip pedal mat, suitable for various instruments, particularly keyboard, guitar and drums.

This product is useful as an alternative to gaffa taping pedals down, a common annoyance for musicians, until now. The mats have received great reviews from a number of professionals, who have tested the product over the last few months.

The material consists of three pieces of durable material, designed to offer a firm hold, even on challenging surfaces.

These layers work together, offering absorption, diffusion and grip.

“Best invention since sliced bread,” said Melvin Duffy, who plays pedal steel guitar in the Robbie Williams Band.

A pack of two costs £14.99 and a ‘buy 12 packs get one free’ introductory offer is also

being introduced to retailers.

They are the only mats of their kind on the market and can take up to three months of hard use on average.

Stageworks was set up to help eliminate a number of common problems faced by musicians and was started by Matt and Rick Chambers. This is their first product, with two more set to follow in the coming months.

STAGEWORKS: 01438 730540

East UK develops Tone Lifter EAST UK is introducing its Tone Lifter, a stack knob for Fender Stratocasters that replaces the middle pickup control, offering mid or combine bass and treble boost, as well as variable frequency adjustment.

A switch on the upper knob activates a relay that bypasses the electronics, working automatically in the event of low battery. The Lifter also features a bespoke lithium battery, providing 40 hours of power, even at full-gain.

“Many famous Strat players have upgraded their instrument electronics to create their individual sounds; the Tone Lifter helps to imitate many of these and adds enough scope for players to create their own classic sounds,” said the Tone Lifter’s designer, John East.

It is available from the East UK website, as well as a number of guitar outlets, priced at £169.95. Also available from East UK is the 70 miPRO JUNE 2010

P-Retro bass preamp equaliser, costing £179.95, or £194.95 with Vintage style knobs.

Formerly E-Pro (EastProfessional), East UK was set

up by John East in 1998 to market the drop-in, retro-fit preamp, the J-Retro 01 for J-style basses.

EAST UK: 01869 346301

SHONA MACMILLAN, well known in the music equipment business following stints with Turnkey, Arbiter and Reverb, is the new shop manager at Umbrella Music in East London.

“I’m very excited by this role at Umbrella Music, which has one of the largest shop display areas in London,” said MacMillan. “Umbrella Music is a rapidly growing company, having traded at Walthamstow Music for over 20 years.”

The Walthamstow premises features the Umbrella Music School, offering lessons to both children and adults, but the retail space recently moved to Leyton in East London.

Umbrella specialises in various instruments, particularly digital pianos, brass and woodwind, stringed instruments, as well as having music technology and guitar departments.

UMBRELLA MUSIC: 0845 500 2323

Manson’s adds to MBK pickup range

MANSON’S GUITAR Shop has partnered up with UK pickup manufacturer Bare Knuckle, to release a range of unique pickups. The MBK-3 set features more kick than the current MBK-1 and MBK-2 models.

Manson has been experimenting at its Devon workshops to create the MBK-3, aimed primarily at hard rock, metal and punk guitarists.

Manson’s is targeting players looking for tight tone, powerful

output and huge bass response.

The MBK-3 set will work on any humbucker-equipped guitar and comes with three ceramic magnets in the bridge and an Isotropic Alnico V in the neck.

Bare Knuckle makes the pickups by hand, using either its own materials, or those from local sources. The MBK-3 pickups are available from the Manson’s website and are priced at £229.

MANSON’S: 01392 496379

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MIA NEWS

an update from your industry trade association

Retail Finance from MIA member, Moneyway New association benefit service looks to help dealers with finance packages and training to aid upselling in the shop

T

he Retail Finance market has changed significantly over the last two years, with many lenders such as HFC, Black Horse, Hitachi and Able to Buy either puIling out of the market or only offering finance facilities to the largest of multinational corporates.

With this in mind, it is becoming increasingly important that retailers choose the right lender. In today’s market place it is not only vital to select a lender which will work in partnership with each of their businesses to develop the right approach to suit all of the individual needs, regardless of size or turnover. It is also crucial that such a partner has access to sufficient funds.

“Happy customers are the retailers’ bread and butter and enabling them to purchase the item they desire,” commented David Nield, Head of Asset

Finance and Lending for Moneway. “Using a favourable finance deal will enhance their purchasing experience and lead not only to a completed sale, but potential recommendations and repeat purchases. This is why we have invested heavily in our systems and service which we believe is second to none.

“Having worked in partnership with the Arts Council England (for the Take it Away finance scheme) and equally closely with the MIA, we believe that we have developed the right package to suit the needs of each retailer and have seen business growing month on

month, amounting to more than 600 music retailers now using our service.

“We love this sector and are fortunate that as part of a retail bank

we are not dependent on wholesale credit lines in order for us to grow the business further.”

“Retail Finance is an important part of our business and it is essential that we are able to process deals easily and,

more importantly, receive the funds quickly,” explained Rupert Bradbury, the managing director of JG Windows in Newcastle and Gateshead. “The partnership we have developed with Moneyway enables us to offer products to suit both our business needs as well as the needs of our customers."

It is clear to see that finance is an attractive proposition to customers and can increase footfall which in turn, will increase sales.

“There are various finance packages available and it is important that retailers understand each product and the

benefits to the customer as well as when to offer which product,” added Julie Sheward, National Account Manager for Moneyway.

“Interest free credit is a great product for increasing footfall, however, offering a low to medium rate ‘interest bearing’ product can also help dealers in their efforts to convert and upsell on the shop floor.

“Training is the key,” she went on. “A lender should be there to offer guidance and support, not only to show how to complete the forms, but also to explain the benefits of each product and how it can help with conversion.

“Once retailers are confident and understand the products’ pros and cons and are able to process the deals quickly and easily, the skill of offering any number of financial packages becomes second nature.”

MIA: 01372 750600

Let’s jam!

Become a Moneyway Music Finance retailer Moneyway make retail finance simple: Flexible, straightforward loans Automated underwriting Quick, easy online applications Instant credit decisions Fast payout

Call us now on 0845 111 7109 or visit www.moneywaymusic.co.uk

Offer your customer flexible finance options with interest rates of 0% or 19.5% APR! Moneyway is a trading name of Secure Trust Bank plc. Registered in England and Wales 541132. Registered Office: One Arleston Way, Solihull, B90 4LH. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

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miPRO JUNE 2010 71

PLATINUM PARTNERS

GOLD PARTNERS

AFTER SHOW SPONSOR

10:30 – Coffee/Registration

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE:

11:00 – Conference

11:00 – Welcome Stuart Dinsey, MI Pro 11:05 – Where We’re At, Where We’re Going Matt Gibbs, GfK Exclusive data from one of the world’s biggest research companies.

11:30 – Reverberations (Panel session) Chairman: Andy Barrett, MI Pro. Panelists: Noel Sheehan, Sheehans; Simon Gilson, PMT; plus two leading suppliers TBC. What has the industry learned from the collapse of Sound Control, Reverb and others?

11:55 – What Has The MIA Ever Done For Us? Paul McManus, MIA How the trade body can help retailers sell more product and make more money.

13:00-14:00 – Lunch 13:00-18:00 – Expo Exclusive meeting opportunities for Event Partners and over 100 of the UK’s leading dealers 18:00-23:00 – After Show Party Sponsored by Roland.

Beer and The Fabulous Beatles at the adjacent Parker McMillan bar

DEALER DELEGATES: Absolute Music Solutions Ltd Ackerman Music Advance Music limited Allegro Music Amazon Argos Baird Sound Systems Ltd Balaam’s Music Bass Gear Becketts Music Bonners Music Superstore Brittens Music Bruce Millers CC Music Chamberlain Music Chappell of Bond Street Chas Foulds City Music Cliff Owen Music CODA Music Colbecks Compton Pianos Connevans Cookes Band Instruments County Music Supplies Ltd

Dawkes Music Dawsons Digital Village - Music Village Education Division Dolphin Enterprises Europe Ltd Dolphin Music Douglas Telford Duck Son & Pinker Duke of Uke East Coast Music ebgb Music Eric Furze Guitar & Son Eric Lindsey Music Euromusic Ltd Foote’s Ltd Gamlins Music Centre/Euro Music Gardonyi’s Ltd Gear4Music Gigbags in City Music Greensleeves Guitar Village Hard To Find Records Harmonics Music Heybrook Music Hogan Music Holmes Music HW Audio

12:10 – Music For All Tim Walter, Roland News on the industry charity’s latest initiative.

12:15 – Online Selling: Threat or Opportunity? (Panel session) Chairman: Peter Heath, Roland Panelists: Jason Tavaria, Dolphin; David Briggs, Dawsons; Harvey Roberts, Audio Technica; Paul Marshall, Marshall.

The single biggest shift in the MI retail landscape comes under the spotlight.

12:40 – Music Matters Billy Bragg The legendary singer, songwriter and campaigner talks about the importance of music and the role of retailers across all aspects of the community – and updates us on his Jail Guitar Doors project.

idrums.co.uk imuso.co.uk J.G. Windows JBS Music JG Windows John Packer Keyboard Kavern Knock on Wood London PA Centre Mann’s Music Markson Pianos McCormacks Mickleburgh Millers Music Centre Minim Music MOR MUSIC Music Room Music Station Musicians Centre Musicland UK Morlings Nevada Newcastle Drum Centre Newtons Normans Northern Music Online One Man Band

Park Music Play Away Guitars Production Room Promenade Music Purple Turtle Music Red Submarine Limited - Gear4Music Rimmers Music Ltd Rock And Roll Music Rockbox Rocktronic Music Stores Rosehill Instruments Sharon Music Sheehan’s Sheet Music Hound Sounds of Frome SoundsLive.co.uk StageBeat Symphony Music & Technology Centre The Music Stop The Music Trading Company Tiverton Music Shop Tower Music Trago Mills Umbrella Music Vivace Pianos Wembley Drum/Guitar/PA

The MI Retail Conference & Expo is supported by the UK’s two main buying groups

For more details of Event Partner packages, email Jodie.Holdway@intentmedia.co.uk or phone 01992 535647

RETAIL LOCATION REPORT

Surrey SURREY MUSIC STORE In the heart of Paul Weller's hometown of Woking (and a stones throw from the fortunately named Stanley Road) sits the Surrey Music Store, a relatively small outfit with a nicely open shop floor that lends itself to uncluttered browsing.

Sitting amongst a nest of young and suitably cool retail businesses, including some sort of extreme snow/ski/skate board shop, this is clearly a good location with plenty of passing pedestrians and ample opportunity to lure in passing music enthusiasts.

The inside of the store features a fairly general spread of instruments, with a smattering of pretty much everything from digeridoos to trombones, but a specialisation in nothing in particular.

There are enough accessories dotted around the place to keep anyone in need of roisin, straps of all shapes and sizes, cleaning products for brass, strings or cymbals, guitar bits and pieces or

74 miPRO JUNE 2010

Part one of MI Pro’s journey into the wilds of the English suburbs, this month sees our intrepid location reporter taking a leisurely stroll around Woking and the surrounding areas...

miscellaneous percussion items happy, whilst a broad selection of sheet music dotted around the place has enough variety across rock, pop and classical to satisfy the casual browser.

New and second-hand brass sits in the window, making for an attractive display, whilst a clutch of classical acoustic guitars line the walls along one side.

The electric guitar display finds a motley selection of new and used instruments populating one corner of the shop, and though nothing here goes above the £250 mark there's plenty to keep first timer buyers and entry level musicians interested.

There are an awful lot of musical gifts on display here as well, from treble clef socks to mini busts of Mozart, piano ties and mini ornamental guitars. Maybe it's not quite rock and roll, but this kind of merchandise is a decent money spinner for these tough times.

RIPLEY GUITARS LTD Sat in the middle of a picturesque market town, Ripley Guitars is the sort of shop that’s worth travelling to. Housed in what one can only presume was once some conscientious post master's cottage, as soon as you step inside it's clear that this is a shop run by people that really love their guitars. The front half of the store is home to a counter (populated by some friendly folks that suit the village green vibe of Ripley perfectly) surrounded by mountains of guitar accessories and a wide enough selection of strings to keep even the most anal of guitar geeks happy for the rest of their incredibly specific string plucking days.

It's when you venture further into the store that you really get to the heart of Ripley Guitars though. The second-hand selection alone is enough to justify a day trip out to the Surrey countryside. If you like your guitars pre-loved and with a bit of character to them, then this is a shop that needs to be on your list of must-sees. With

a heavy leaning towards Gibsons, including some spectacular Les Pauls from the 90s, the selection also includes the sort of thing that gets your average retro-loving 60s addict hot under the collar. Think mint Watkins Rapiers, gorgeous Hofners, that sort of thing. A stunning late 70s Precision was the centre of attention upon MI Pro's visit, highlighting the community spirit that pervades the shop, as strangers stood around chewing the fat about the relative merits (or not) of early 80s Fenders.

All told, this is the sort of shop that makes working in this industry such a pleasure. Run by people who combine an obvious love of what they do with some genuine business acumen and, perhaps most importantly of all, buckets of enthusiasm, you can't help but feel that everyone deserves a local music shop this good. Maybe if those struggling at the moment took a leaf out of Ripley Guitar's book, there wouldn't be quite as many store closures, who knows?

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“I was amazed and Impressed”

Musical Instrument Co.

Build Quality: 5/5, Sound Quality: 4.5/5, Value for Money :5/5.

Acoustic Magazine reviews the AU-24T Ashbury solid koa Tenor Ukulele

Just a few of our Leading Brands...

Blueridge have taken America by storm with their authentic vintage style guitars, and now we have made them available in the UK. This range, renowned for spectacular value for money, continues to receive excellent reviews in all the best known guitar press, including Guitar & Bass, Guitarist, Guitar Buyer, Acoustic Magazine...

For the Gypsy in your soul!

These beautiful guitars pay homage to the Selmer and Maccaferri guitars of the early 20th century. They have solid tops, are a joy to play, and look and sound like the real thing, right down to the excellent reproduction of the original tailpiece. More to the point, they are very affordably priced.

The best selling aluminium whistles in the UK. Renowned for their clear sound, they appeal to whistle players of all standards. Though ideal for beginners, they are professional instruments and are used on stage by many leading players.

The Kentucky mandolins are the pinnacle of affordable bluegrass instruments, and offer exceptional quality at excellent prices. These mandolins are a very welcome addition to our growing section of great quality bluegrass instruments, which includes mandolins, banjos, dobros, guitars and more.

A new range of Ashbury ukuleles, tenor guitars and mandolin family instruments have been designed

by British Luthier Phil Davidson and are hand made in Vietnam.

Ashbury also has a professional quality range of Acoustic Guitars, Mandolins, Banjos & Fiddles, Basses, cases, electrics and more manufactured to a high standard in China and Indonesia.

A competitively priced range of student squeezeboxes, including Piano Accordions from 12 to 120 Bass, B/C, D/G and Cajun one-row melodeons, and Anglo and English concertinas, all ideal for beginners.

The leading brand of resonator guitars, with a long US heritage, available in the UK exclusively from Gremlin Music. Saga Music, have applied the same dedication to quality to these guitars as they have to the Gitane and Blueridge guitars, and the results are spectacular.

SK120 Rated ‘Exceptional’ in Acoustic Magazine. “A wonderful little amp designed by people who understand what musicians need”. Also Guitar & Bass have awarded the SK60 a massive 82%.

We distribute these ShireKing Acoustic Amps along with Headway’s very popular pickups for acoustic instruments, including the Snake 3 and SA1 pickups, and the ‘Band’ violin and cello pickups.

As well as being the first point of call for all the hard to find traditional musical instruments your customers are asking you for, Gremlin Music is a one stop shop for any musical instrument retailer. We can supply a massive range of acoustic musical instruments, spares, accessories, strings, books and DVDs. Become a Gremlin Dealer and give your customers a better choice! We pride ourselves on the personal touch - you can always reach us by phone during working hours, and we’ll always send your order as fast as possible, no matter what the size. If you’re a dealer, you can browse our website for prices (retail and wholesale), contact us by email, and place orders online! We’ve been in the business for over 25 years, and can offer you an experienced, friendly and professional service.

www.gremlinmusic.co.uk

post@gremlinmusic.co.uk

Tel: +44 (0) 1903 203044 (9.30 - 5.30 Mon - Fri) | Unit A, Easting Close, Worthing, West Sussex, BN14 8HQ

RETAIL

INDIE PROFILE Tim Mann explains the benefits of being an independent retailer, particularly one that’s been in business for over 150 years…

How is business compared to this time last year?

I would say it’s about the same. Last month we were slightly up and the month before a little bit down, so at the moment it seems to be bobbing along at around the same level.

How do you market the shop?

We are a High Street store, which puts us in a better position than other music retailers, who have to cope with being situated down back streets, for example.

We have a great website that helps a great deal with the business, of course. We also do a lot of work with schools through our Music in Education business, dealing with around 25,000 teachers and schools.

How do you compete with the online competition?

We’re constantly monitoring prices, to ensure we’re not being undercut too much. We don’t offer a price promise

76 miPRO JUNE 2010

because we always ensure we offer the best possible prices. We also compete with online retailers by offering an online catalogue ourselves that is constantly expanding and always being updated with new lines.

What are your biggest strengths?

In some ways the fact we are independent is our biggest strength. With a lot of chain companies, it is very difficult to get through to someone in overall management, but I am always available to deal with enquiries and help customers. I am a very hands-on director, as well as the rest of the staff and I believe this is the best way. Secondly, there is the family side. When you know your business has been passed down through generations, it gives you a real passion to do a great job.

How do you ensure a good level of customer service?

Again, customers can benefit from the fact that I am constantly on the shop floor and we all put in a lot of time and effort to ensure we’re on hand to deal with any issues. We simply make sure the customer is happy and if there are any problems, I want to hear about them. We also ensure we have as good a display as possible.

What is the one product you couldn’t live without?

Stagg is probably our best-selling brand, but to be honest I couldn’t live without

any of our products. If manufacturers decide not to give me access to products, I’ll find others instead and that’s part of the beauty of being a smaller business. We are an all-rounder, so we don’t specialise in a particular type of instrument either How can the industry do more to support retail?

By following what some manufacturers have done recently and that’s adopting a correct marketing policy. This encourages dealers to stock, sell and show their product and give them a fair margin by doing so.

FACT BOX Address: 123 High Street, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1SZ Phone: 01206 572783 Owner: Mann family; Tim Mann is managing director.

Established: 1854 Employees: Ten Best-selling lines: Stagg products in general have proven to be some of the most profitable in this shop, but there are numerous great sellers across the board. Too many to list and no particular lines noticeably outshining the rest.

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bringing brands together

The Leisuretec Listings Plus 2010 • Call us to Order Your Copy • Experience • Choice • Value • Service Sound • Lighting • Special Effects • Distribution Power Squared • Tel: +44 (0) 1525 850085 • www.leisuretec.co.uk

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THE PLACE FOR BUSINESS

MIMARKETPLACE TO ADVERTISE CALL DARRELL CARTER OR JODIE HOLDWAY ON 01992 535647

440 DISTRIBUTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0113 258 9599 A ARIA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01483 238720 ALLPARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0870 442 3336 AVSL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0845 270 2411 B BILL LEWINGTON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01268 413366 C COVERNOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0121 327 1977 CBAC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8816 8368 D DADDARIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SALES@DADDARIO.CO.UK DBT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0800 234 2848 F FCN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WWW.FCN.CO.UK FENDER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WWW.FENDER.COM FOCUS MERCHANDISE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8245 9035 H HC DISTRIBUTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00 353 5991 34268 HERGA MUSIC SERVICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8861 1590 HOT ROX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0115 987 3163 J JAM PERCUSSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0151 494 1492 L LEISURETEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01525 850085 M MARSHALL AMPLIFICATION. . . . . WWW.MARSHALLAMPS.COM MCLELLAND/GREMLIN MUSIC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01273 491333 MEL BAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8382 8010 MUSIC SHIPPING CO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01562 827666 O OCARINA WORKSHOP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01536 485963 R RICHARD GUITARS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 07531 935 399 RITTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8816 8368 ROBERT MORLEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8318 5838 ROTHWELL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01204 366 133 ROTHWELL AUDIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01204 366133 S SOAR VALLEY MUSIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0116 230 4926 T TEAC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01923 438880 W WIND PLUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0116 243 1698 WORLD RYTHM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01242 282191

SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT

MARKETPLACE INDEX

Guitars.co.uk Website makes it easy to buy and sell guitars online GUITARS.CO.UK is essentially a unique market place for guitars.

Utilising one of the most memorable and powerful domain names in our industry, the Guitars.co.uk classifieds rank extraordinarily well for new and used guitar searches on sites such as Google and Yahoo.

The ethos of Guitars.co.uk is to provide highly effective (and affordable) advertising to private and trade sellers with no sales fees or hidden costs. In fact, Guitars.co.uk would like to believe it provides the most powerful advertising medium pound for pound in guitar retail.

Why not test the water with just one advert? It will cost just two pounds, or list your entire inventory of stock for 45 days for just £50.

Unlike many classified sites or even online stores, Guitars.co.uk takes a very pro-active role in marketing the information submitted to its readers and subscribers.

Focus is on quality, reliable, up to date adverts, which the end user can have faith in and be encouraged to make contact with the seller through a range of

channels (person to person, phone, website or email).

The layout is designed to make it as simple to use as possible, with categories for new and used guitars, as well as brand specific sections, for those who know exactly what they’re looking for.

Richard of Richards Guitars, who has been using the internet since its conception to promote guitars, manages the site. He is widely trusted by guitarists and so information provided is taken seriously and appreciated by the subscribers.

Guitars.co.uk provides unquestionable profile for anyone who wishes to sell a guitar, whether it be trade or private. A forum makes it easier for fellow surfers to interact with each other, by allowing them to discuss guitars they are interested in, selling and various other topics.

Advertising at Guitars.co.uk starts from £2 for trade or private sales so if you are looking for an effective and affordable new route to customers, get in touch with Richard at Guitars.co.uk today. www.guitars.co.uk

CLASSIFIEDS: MINIMUM 12 MONTHS - ONE ANNUAL CHARGE QUARTER PAGE £1,295 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

miPRO JUNE 2010 79

MI MARKETPLACE AMPLIFICATIONS

ADVERTISE IN MI MARKETPLACE GREAT ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES

CONTACT JODIE HOLDWAY

CALL: (0)1992 535647 To find out more about the JVM Series and other Marshall products contact: Marshall Amplification plc Denbigh Road, Bletchley, Milton Keynes MK11DQ www.marshallamps.com

ACCESSORIES AND GIFTWRE

DISTRIBUTOR

Call Tom Harrison on 01132 589599 or email - tom@440distribution.com 80 miPRO JUNE 2010

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MI MARKETPLACE DISTRIBUTOR

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A leading distributor within the Audio Visual, Sound & Light, Public Address and MI trades.

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The sound of experience dBTechnologies UK 16 Whitebeam Close Newhey, Rochdale OL16 4ND Direct: 07595 672157 Freephone: 0800 234 2848 mail: sales@dbtechnologies.com www.dbtechnologies.com WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

a member of

miPRO JUNE 2010 81

MI MARKETPLACE DISTRIBUTOR

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bringing brands together

Acoustic, Celtic and Traditional Musical Instrument Specialists Become a Gremlin Dealer and give your customers a bigger and better choice! We pride ourselves on the personal touch - you can always reach us by phone during working hours, and we’ll always send your order as fast as possible, no matter what the size. We’ve been in the business for over 25 years, and can offer you an experienced, friendly and professional service.

Email: post@gremlinmusic.co.uk Tel: +44 (0) 1903 203044 (9.30 - 5.30 Mon - Fri)

www.gremlinmusic.co.uk 82 miPRO JUNE 2010

Listings Plus 2010 - Now Available www.leisuretec.co.uk Sound • Lighting • Special Effects • Established 1990 • Distribution Power - Squared

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BRITAIN'S FINEST BOUTIQUE EFFECTS Rothwell effects pedals are truly hand-made here in the uk and built to the highest standards. The cases are hand polished and the electronics carefully assembled by skilled uk workers. The circuit design is innovative and original (we don't do clones, repros or mods) and the sound is the sound of classic rock guitar - pure tone.

Our pedals are quickly gaining a reputation for superb quality and are being played on some of the world's biggest stages. The Hellbender (overdrive) and Switchblade (distortion) are currently being heard by thousands of fans on Justin Timberlake's world tour, played by Mike Scott (also Prince's main guitarist), who says "you make truly great, great pedals".

Why not join our growing list of uk and international dealers and stock Britain's finest boutique effects pedals.

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miPRO JUNE 2010 83

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MI MARKETPLACE GUITARS

MANUFACTURER

If you answer yes to any of the following questions, Guitars.co.uk WILL be of value to your business...

Want your shop SEEN? Want your service APPRECIATED? Want your Products SOLD? We believe in power in numbers and want the UK’s specialist stores to be seen, appreciated and most of all get their rightful place BACK at the heart of guitar sales in the UK. DON'T be a sceptic.

SEE that positive things can happen!

Make it happen by calling us at your earliest opportunity

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Fender® and G-DEC® are trademarks of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. © 2010 FMIC. All rights reserved.

84 miPRO JUNE 2010

Find out more at www.fender.com/gdec3

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MI MARKETPLACE OCARINAS

INSURANCE AND BUISNESS

tel: 01536 485 963 fax: 01536 485 051 email: sales@ocarina.co.uk

Making Music in Schools Since 1983 UK made rainbow ocarinas from Ocarina Workshop are easy to play and great fun to teach with.

These pocket-sized instruments are popular with kids & well-tuned.

Together with 'Play your Ocarina' music books, they are the key to successful music-making in many schools around the country.

Make sure school ocarinas are on your counter-top and available when customers request them!

Quote ‘MI Pro’ when you order 12 Ocarinas & 12 Books and be amazed at the ocarina’s potential...

Trade orders are sent by return: free delivery & no minimum order

www.ocarina.co.uk PIANOS

PERCUSSION AND DRUMS

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Antique, Modern & New, Rental, Repairs, Sales lists & colour brochures on request.

34

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MI MARKETPLACE

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PERCUSSION

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CONTACT JODIE.HOLDWAY@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK FOR DETAILS OR PHONE

01992 535647 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

miPRO JUNE 2010 87

D IN MI PRO THE L AST WOR MI Pro is the only place the UK’s MI trade turns for the news and analysis of everything going on in the industry. Aside from that, we appreciate the fun that lies at the root of everything we do, so this is the section to crack open a beer, put your feet up and have a laugh. If you have any pictures you’d like us to include, send them to mipro@intentmedia.co.uk...

RETRO

JUNE 2000 Cover Stars: The Competition Act is looked at through the eyes of the OFT’s director general, John Bridgeman, and examines what the act is intended to achieve and some of the activities it outlaws News: QSC sues Behringer, Yamaha levels EKB pricing, Woodchester Pianos merges with Whelpdale Maxwell Codd, Music Sales deal with Sibelius for online sheet music, MIA snubs BBC’s ‘instrument amnesty’ initiative Features: NSCA report, the piano market, Music Shipping Company, Dave Widdicombe, ecommerce, Altec Lansing, JHS Event Products:Yamaha Disklavier Pro 2000, Ovation 2000 Ltd, Danelectro mini pedals, Ashdown RPM-1 bass preamp, Line 6 Flextone II, Trace Elliot V8 head, Dean Avalanche 7, Fender Hank Marvin Strat, Yamaha bamboo snare Number one singles: Sonique: It Feels So Good Number one albums: Bon Jovi: Crush, Tom Jones: Reload, S Club 7: 7

88 miPRO JUNE 2010

HOW DID THEY DO THAT?

THE BEATLES: PLEASE PLEASE ME IN THIS age of mind-boggling technology and every man, his wife, dog, children and mates’ ability to get their hands on it, the question of ‘how did they do that?’ will normally result in a list of computer programs, interfaces, plugins and (probably) some anecdote about how they forgot to switch the compression on (snigger) ‘but we liked the result so much we left it as it was’ (guffaw).

Let us, then, take a swift swoop back 50 years to when The Beatles first entered the EMI Studios.

The band’s producer, George Martin had wanted to record the band live at The Cavern in Liverpool, but Parlophone, the record company, was anxious to get the album out as soon as possible following the successes of Love Me Do and Please Please Me in the singles charts.

Thus at 10am on Monday February 11th, 1963 the mop tops entered the EMI Studios (now Abbey Road) and recorded three, threehour sessions (for the pedantic among you, it amounted to a total of 585 minutes).

“It was essentially a recorded broadcast,” Martin recalled years later. “A straightforward performance of their stage repertoire.” By the end of the day, Martin is reported to have said: “I don’t know how they do it. We’ve been here all day, but the longer we go on, the better they get.”

It is a tribute to the band’s abilities that the album still sounds so fresh today.

Martin’s job was, relatively simply, to set up the band, place the mics, thread the tape on the reel to reel and press record. The album was recorded on a two track BTR (British Tape Recorders) machine, with the instruments on one track and the vocals (recorded simultaneously) on the other. The ‘mix down’ to mono used a little reverb to blend the tracks and the stereo version simply transferred the instruments to the left and the voice to the right – again with added reverb.

The session cost about £400, with the members of the band earning MU rates of £22, 10s each – roughly what a professional football player would earn in a week. My, how times have changed.

PIC OF THE MONTH

THE FUTURE OF MI ICONS? JUST OVER a year ago, in February 2009, in fact, the Georgia Tech show in Atlanta debuted its ‘centre for music technology’ and the inaugural Guthman Musical Instrument competition. All well and good so far…

Well, maybe not. These two instruments were entered into that first competition, but no further information can be found as to what happened at the competition, what won, what was commended or how the hell these two contraptions might conceivably fit into the category of musical instrument.

Answers on a postcard, please…

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

THE STARS AND THEIR GUITARS EDDIE VAN HALEN Not only a pioneer in guitar playing, but also in getting involved in the guitar making business. What a guy… a signature model. The 5150, as it later 1972-79 came to be known, was rear loaded and The Fat Strat had the Floyd Rose, was a hot-rodded Van Halen built his first ‘working’ guitar from a body and neck made by Lynn Ellsworth of Boogie Bodies guitars and bought from Wayne Charvel. He fitted a single humbucker in the bridge position, giving the guitar its name.

1979 Charvel In what was to be a year of indecision, the super noodler experimented with a number of guitars, all decorated with insulating and gaffa tape – the Charvel taking a yellow and black appearance.

1979 Ibanez Destroyer While the Charvel was the main guitar of 1979, he also used his (gaffa-taped) Ibanez for tracks such as You really Got Me and Runnin’ with the Devil.

1980-83 The Frankenstrat Undoubtedly Van Halen’s most famous guitar, this model was made from the Fat Strat, changing the neck, removing part of the scratchplate and adding a Floyd Rose tremolo system.

1983-91 Kramer 5150 Beginning to see the value of putting his name to a guitar, EVH signed up with Kramer to ‘recreate’ the Frankenstrat as

MI ICON

G

oing back 20 years, affordable music making was tough to come by and it was this product, introduced in 1990, that sparked a creative music revolution.

This 16-channel mixer not only offered immense build quality, but also several features that were unheard of at the time, including its own internal power supply and Rotopod chassis with multiple connections. What made this product such a success, though, was that it was suitable for a wide range of musos and performers.

Its price appealed to bands on a budget and any musically motivated individual, but also leading studios would use them as sub-mixers. It undoubtedly set the bar for other manufacturers, by offering a mixer that offered specs that were only found in larger consoles of that period.

Less experienced musicians also benefited from its ease of use and

Kramer Pacer. It was later a signature model with both Music Man and Peavey.

1992-03 Music Man EVH

1972-79

1983-91

1979

1992 -03

1979

2003-04

1980-83

2005-present

This guitar is still commercially available under the Axis name, and retains all of the original features of the Edward Van Halen model. The guitar showed something of a mellowing in EVH’s taste for look and tone – and he named the series Wolfgang, after his son.

2003-04 Peavey Wolfgang In 2003, the man who would now like to be known as ‘Edward’ teamed up with Peavey to produce the Wolfgang range of guitars, in what was to prove to be a tempestuous relationship. These axes were made for just a year by Peavey and the split between the two is rumoured to be because EVH started selling his own guitars online.

2005-present Fender EVH The notorious noodler is now back in the Fender fold, making his guitars and amps under the exclusive EVH brand, with new replicas of the Frankenstrat, Wolfgang Guitars and the EVH 5150 III amplifier.

On stage and in the studio, Van Halen seems more than happy to use his prototype Wolfgangs.

Mackie CR-1604 mixer multiple functions. Thousands of people used nothing but a 1604 to track and mix their recordings – and with impressive sound quality.

Perfect for situations where a number of mics and other audio sources could be mixed together with ease, the 1604 also became known for the type of distortion it could produce.

Well known users include Liam Howlett from The Prodigy, who feels Mackie desks are the best for dance production. The time finally came when Howlett decided that he ought to move on and use a newer product, but when he couldn’t get a good sound out of his new purchase, he found himself going back to his old Mackie.

Reliability was another key to its success. A cheaper product usually means less longevity, but instead this Mackie gained a reputation for soldiering on for considerably longer than its more expensive rivals – even those that were released several years after.

Since then, Mackie has been updating the 1604 and with the 1604VLZ3, has been striving to keep up with technological advancements, but also maintain the qualities and reputation of the original.

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miPRO JUNE 2010 89

MI SPACE

SOUNDALIKES BLACK SOUL STRANGERS

ANDY GILLESPIE Company/job title: Westside Distribution – drums and percussion product specialist.

Years in the industry?

Only four years – unbelievable for a guy that looks this old.

First single bought?

I think it might have been Friggin’ in the Riggin’ by the Sex Pistols. Not sure why, because I was never into punk.

Favourite album?

Too many to name just one. Eat to the Beat

by Blondie, Domino Theory by Weather Report, So by Peter Gabriel.

Currently listening to?

Dave Matthews Band, Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King, Rage! by Lettuce.

Favourite musician?

Dave Matthews (horror – not a drummer!)

Which instruments do you play?

Drums and a bit of percussion.

Championed by BBC Radio 2 and NME, and with a highly anticipated debut album Animate on the way, these Dublin rockers could easily find themselves in the limelight before too long.

Here’s the gear that punters are bound to be asking for in the not too distant future...

Are you currently in a band?

Yes, my first ever rock/blues cover band.

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Helen French

PHILIP JUSTIN WYER – guitar – Gretsch Power and Duo Jet (both with Bigsby), Martin 000-16SGT acoustic, MXR Micro amp, Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer, Electro Harmonix Cathedral, Electro Harmonix Stereo Memory Man, James Murray Hadron Collider fuzz, Elixir 10-46 electric strings, Elixir 12-52 acoustic strings, Dunlop Nylon .72 picks, Elixir cables, Diago pedal board, Fender Blues Deluxe, Vox AC30 amps BARRY GOREY – guitar and vocals – 1976 USA Fender Telecaster, USA Fender Telecaster Standard, 1963 Airline Bobcat Twin, Martin D-15, MXR Distortion+, Line 6 DL4, Boss DD20, Boss GE7, Elixir 10-46, Elixir 12-52 (acoustic), Dunlop nylon 1.0 picks, Elixir cables, Diago pedal board,

MI Pro has a monthly circulation of well over 6,000. It is distributed to all MI retailers and industry professionals plus carefully selected pro audio executives and resellers.

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90 miPRO JUNE 2010

BRENDAN O' MAHONEY – drums – Gretsch USA Maple Custom, Ludwig Black Beauty snare, Ludwig LM402 snare, DW 9000 pedal, Various Zildjian Ks, Sticks – ProMark 2B Hickory, Favourite colour – blue (?)

UK: £50 Europe: £60 Rest of World: £90 Enquiries, please email: mipro.subscriptions@c-cms.com Telephone: 01580 883 848 Charges cover XX issues and 1st class postage or airmail dispatch for overseas subscribers.

MI PRO is published 12 times a year, reaching well over 6,000 readers throughout the UK and international market.

miPRO is a member of the PPA © Intent Media 2010 No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior permission of the copyright owners. Printed by The Manson Group, AL3 6PZ

ISSN 1750-4198 Enquiries to MI Pro, Intent Media, Saxon House 6a St. Andrew Street, Hertford SG14 1JA.

MI PRO Magazine. Saxon House, 6a St. Andrew Street.

Hertford, Hertfordshire. SG14 1JA ISSN: 1750-41980 Copyright 2010 Printed by The Manson Group, AL3 6PZ

JAMES O' BRIEN – bass – 1973 Fender Precision, Sans Amp bass driver DI, MXR Bass DI, Elixir 45-100 strings, Elixir cables, Dunlop nylon 1.0 Picks, Diago pedal board, Paxman French horn, Yamaha Bb trumpet, Ashdown ABM 500 EVO III Head, ABM 410 T Cabinet, Ashdown ABM 1-15 T Cab

SUBSCRIPTION

helen.french@intentmedia.co.uk

Editor at Large

Synths – Korg MS20, Suzuki Omnichord, Moog Little Phatty, Micro Korg, Akai MPC 500, Fender Hot Rod DeVille, Vox AC30 amps & 4x10, Marshall Power Break

Tel: 01992 535646 (Editorial) Tel: 01992 535647 (Advertising) Fax: 01992 535648

NEXT MONTH A veritable fest of market overviews in the June issue, with perspectives on the acoustic guitar, percussion and sheet music sectors.

On the cover will be one of the most interesting (and fastest growing) business models in the trade: AVSL. EDITORIAL: ANDY BARRETT mipro@intentmedia.co.uk ADVERTISING: JODIE HOLDWAY jodie.holdway@intentmedia.co.uk

BRUSSELS, 1840.

ADOLPHE SAX DREAMS UP A NEW INSTRUMENT. BRUSSELS, 2010.

STAGG INTRODUCES THE ALL-NEW 77-SA ALTO SAXOPHONE.

FEATURES: F/F# link lever Full regulation screws for left and right hand Blue steel springs Upgraded felts Stop bumper on crook key

All Stagg woodwind instruments are fully checked and professionally set up by Staggâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in-house technicians prior to shipping.

Please call the UK sales team on 01293 862612, contact your area sales manager, or log on to our dealer website at www.emdmusic.com for more details.

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Here’s some news you’re going to love

Hardware and software from Cakewalk by Roland

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So now you can have your cake and eat it.

Visit www.cakewalkbyroland.co.uk for the full 2010 lineup

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