Mi Pro July 2009 - Issue 110

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No. 110

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• JULY 2009 • WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

PRINT • ONLINE • MOBILE

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT PROFESSIONAL FOR EVERYONE IN THE MI BUSINESS

A GOOD

Vintage How JHS copes with an ever-changing market – and stays on top

LIMS CASIO FENDER STRINGS & THINGS MI DIRECT AUDIO TECHNICA

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To find out more about the Haze Series contact: Marshall Amplification plc Denbigh Road, Bletchley, Milton Keynes MK1 1DQ or visit the official Marshall website: www.marshallamps.com

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ISSUE 110 JULY 2009

COVER STORY

SECTOR SPOTLIGHT • GIGBAGS 22 Since Ritter burst on to the scene, the humble gigbag has gone through a revolution, making it one of the most competitive markets

MAKING THE MOST

18

John Hornby Skewes & Company is forging something of a path these days: growing internationally with its own brands, while maintaining a general MI distribution operation. Dennis Drumm explains how

SECTOR SPOTLIGHT • ACOUSTICS 27 NEWS 6 LIMS achieves goals Carvill joins Casio V-Expo commended

DISTRIBUTION 10 JHS takes on Italia Active wins Steph

14

If you’re selling acoustic guitars over £500 (or if you want to) you’re going to want to have a look at this

RETAIL MI Pro’s unique collection of news and interviews concerning the business and work being done on MI’s front line

DRUM NEWS 12 Music Shipping and Big Dog Ludwig at 100

LIMS 09 14 Industry reaction to the second London show

CPC 34

50

51

NEWS 47

FRONT LINE 49

JHS Event, credit card regulations

If you can’t stand the heat

If I had a Hamer

INDIE PROFILE 50

LOCATION REPORT 51

GODLYKE 38

Mark 1 Music in Kent tells us how they do it

What’s new in the sunny metropolis of of... Swindon

Sound & FX open day in Preston

FENDER 36 41

47

He’s got the power

STRINGS & THINGS 41 How to keep it real after over 30 years

AUDIO TECHNICA 42 The art of customer service

LANEY 44 36

PRODUCTS BACKLINE 54 ACCESSORIES 55 BASS & GUITAR 57 TRADITIONAL 59 PRINT 60

The truth about preamp overdrive

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EDITORIAL

United rules

A

MI is refusing to hang its head in front of the economic squeeze.

LATEST NEWS STRAIGHT TO YOUR MOBILE Bookmark us in your phone:

MOBILE.MI-PRO.CO.UK MI PRO CONTACTS MANAGING EDITOR ANDY BARRETT mipro@intentmedia.co.uk

PRODUCTION EXECUTIVE ROSIE MCKEOWN rosie.mckeown@intentmedia.co.uk

EDITOR AT LARGE GARY COOPER gary@garycooper.biz

DESIGNER CLAIRE BROCKLESBY claire.brocklesby@intentmedia.co.uk

ASSOCIATE EDITOR ROB POWER rob.power@intentmedia.co.uk

CIRCULATION PAUL LITTLE mipro.subscriptions@c-cms.com

DEPUTY EDITOR ROB HUGHES rob.hughes@intentmedia.co.uk

CONSULTANT GRAHAM BUTTERWORTH buttsie@mbmediagroup.co.uk

ADVERTISING MANAGER DARRELL CARTER darrell.carter@intentmedia.co.uk

PUBLISHER DAVE ROBERTS dave.roberts@intentmedia.co.uk

PRODUCTION MANAGER HELEN FRENCH helen.french@intentmedia.co.uk

MANAGING DIRECTOR STUART DINSEY stuart.dinsey@intentmedia.co.uk

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n interesting mix this month, with more focus on individual companies than we’ve had for some years. This is because (one could easily assume) MI is refusing to hang its head in front of the economic squeeze and manufacturers and suppliers continue to offer new products, services and angles aimed at navigating the most painless path through the troubles.

Fender (page 36) is reminding us that Hamer is a quality brand of guitars offering something a little different, Strings & Things (page 41) is bigging up Music Man’s efforts to bring its fine guitars and basses to a wider audience (through the new brand, Sterling) and Laney (page 44) has an interesting take on where amp design has gone wrong over the past 15 or so years – and how, of course, it has got it right.

Further to that, Audio Technica took the brave step of asking people (anonymously) what they thought of the various microphone brands available and how manufacturers and retailers backed up sales (page 42).

Many of the statistics that resulted pointed towards AT doing things pretty well, but the company not only pinpointed weaknesses and addressed them, it also discovered its strengths – and improved them, too.

One really has to doff one’s cap to such strength of character. The truth can often hurt as much as a malicious untruth, but an understanding of what one’s company is means that these two can be separated and the real issues dealt with.

On page 34, a new name to the MI market (although not a new company at all), CPC, has announced it will be taking the in-house trade show route to introducing itself to the market later this year and, at the other end of the scale, JHS is completing its 13th Event as MI Pro goes to press (page 47).

The UK’s industry, then, is still looking pretty healthy – or is at least putting a very brave face on it and this was perhaps well illustrated by the second LIMS show (page 14). Having only six months to prepare a national industry showcase is by no means enough, but the organiser definitely pulled through against the odds. Next time, with a full year to get the show on the road, perhaps all of the individual companies in the country will be able to see the benefits of a united front and contribute to a truly representative show. It will, however, mean that a number of home truths will have to be heard and dealt with.

Andy Barrett mipro@intentmedia.co.uk

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NEWS

Carvill to head up Casio MI Former EKB number two leaves Yamaha after 22 years, prompting personnel changes in Casio’s instrument division IN WHAT was the biggest news story to break at the recent London International Music Show, Casio announced that its MI division is now headed by Andy Carvill, the long-term Yamaha EKB manager.

The news was announced on the opening day of LIMS and makes up the major element in a whole raft of personnel changes at the electronics giant here in the UK. The former head of MI, Reece Cummings, has moved to the newly created position of strategic sales manager across all four of Casio’s consumer divisions in the country (including MI), while Lakshna Rathod takes the position of marketing communications

assistant and Lucy Phillips becomes Casio MI’s national accounts manager.

“After 22 years with Yamaha it was time for something new, time for a real challenge,” Carvill told MI Pro in a brief conversation at the show.

“After 22 years with Yamaha, it was time for something new, time for a real challenge.”

Andy Carvill, Casio With Casio and Yamaha in direct competition in the electronic keyboards and entry level digital pianos, the move is something of a coup for Casio as

Schreiber & Keilwerth appoints Markus Sailer Current freelancer to replace Andreas Gafke as sales and marketing director WOODWIND AND Saxophone manufacturer Schreiber & Keilwerth has announced that Markus Sailer has taken up the position of sales and marketing director at the company, replacing Andreas Gafke.

Sailer is already closely connected with Schreiber & Keilwerth, having been involved in a number of different projects with the company during his studies in business administration.

Following his graduation in 2005, he began working for the company as a freelance consultant. He has also given advice to several institutions within the music industry, adding to his experience and appeal to the manufacturer.

A company spokesperson commented: “We are pleased that Mr Sailer will take over the sales and marketing activities of Schreiber & Keilwerth and wish him all the very best in his new position.

Andreas Gafke will leave our

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the division plans to move more strongly into a broader distribution of its instruments across Britain.

The move is also significant as Casio is looking to introduce what it describes as ‘stunning’ new instruments later this year.

Markus Sailer company at the end of August.

We would like to thank Andreas Gafke for his contribution and wish him all the very best for the future, both personally and professionally.”

Schreiber & Keilwerth woodwind and saxophones are distributed in the UK through Rosetti.

ROSETTI: 01376 550033

On top of that, the LIMS event saw Casio introduce two new keyboards, the CTK 2100 and the LK 230.

CASIO: 020 8208 7829

Audio Technica upgrades website after survey Online beta testing carried out with help from MI retailers as microphone giant refuses to rest on laurels RATED IN a recent anonymous survey (conducted by Music Tech magazine) as having the best website of any microphone manufacturer, Audio Technica is moving to consolidate its position with the launch of an improved website.

Before the site went live, the company invited MI dealers throughout the UK to preview the English version of the new site (French, German and Spanish will come online later in the year) and report their comments and user experience.

Highlights of Audio Technica’s improved on-line presence include features aimed at making the website a vital resource for both dealers and end users. A searchable, location-linked dealer and distributor database, exhaustive technical information, MP3 audio clips of microphones in use and personalisation of the site courtesy of the ‘My Audio Technica’ section

are all benefits of the site.

In addition, new design and navigation combine to make the interactive experience more rewarding, faster and more efficient for visitors.

Audio Technica’s senior marketing manager Harvey Roberts said: “Rather than rest on our laurels, we are determined to continually

better our internet presence. It is of vital importance that the new site acts as more than just window-dressing and functions as a powerful tool for both dealers and end users alike, aiding sales and giving them an in-depth knowledge base for all Audio Technica products.”

AUDIO TECHNICA: 0113 277 1441

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NEWS

London show does the job Varied reaction to second LIMS, but mitigating circumstances tip the balance to ensure a thumbs up for 2010 BROADLY SPEAKING, the London International Music Show received a thumbs up from the industry, as numbers of trade, education and public visitors held from last year’s show, despite the obstacles of a tube strike on the trade day (June 11th) and the more general problems the show had following the inaugural event, which meant that the MIA had just six months to prepare.

Over 21,000 people attended the show, which comprised 1,550 trade, 5,550 on the education day and 14,100 paying public.

The education and public days were seen by most as being pretty successful, with numbers good and educational events well attended.

Divisions in opinion appeared, however, when considering the trade element, with comments ranging from ‘disappointed’ to ‘overwhelmingly positive’.

It would appear that the suppliers that had made the

extra effort to ensure their dealers attended the show had the better of the experience. “We took over 100 people from 44 dealers ourselves and we were still surprised at how many other

dealers turned up – particularly on the Thursday,” said Clive Roberts, MD of Peavey Europe – one of the companies that has got right behind the show since its inception last year. Roberts

went on to point out where he saw room for improvement.

“There were only two weak areas, in my opinion. We could do with a bigger retail attendance and more support

from our friends in the drum business. But that's about it. It’s by far the best show we’ve had in the UK and I’m sure we will see an ever bigger and better LIMS in 2010.”

Korg’s Rob Castle reflected Roberts’ view. “LIMS was a fantastic achievement. We at Korg were pleased with the show and had a good level of trade and consumer visitors. The retailing section was an experiment that worked and can be improved in future. It allowed consumers to buy at the event without it looking like a car boot sale.”

Praise was high from everyone regarding the efforts made by the Music for Youth charity on the Friday, including the ‘Big Gig’ event that saw hundreds of school children playing a specially prepared piece in the Live Hall.

The initial LIMS show report appears on pages 14 to 16 of this issue.

Skytronic re-brands Digital Britain: Ofcom Electronics, DJ, audio and lighting company consolidates image with new name SKYTRONIC, the owner of brands such as Citronic, Adastra and QTX Audio, has undergone a corporate name change and is now trading under the name of the AVSL Group.

The change is a UK only strategy and will not affect either Skytronic BV in the Netherlands, nor the contact

strategy to further develop and grow our business.

“Apart from the name change, all other functions and processes will be the same. There will be changes to the way we answer the telephone and also our email and web addresses will be changed to reflect the new company name.”

The change is a UK-only strategy and will not affect Skytronic BV in Holland. details, save the website address.

Skytronic began trading in January 1999 and since that date has grown to become a significant player in the UK consumer electronics and DJ markets, through both organic means and acquisition.

In an official statement, the company stated: “This re-brand of our company name is simply a continuation of our ongoing

The changes will all be printed on any new invoices, delivery notes and promotional literature that customers receive. The old web addresses and email addresses will continue to work for the foreseeable future.

AVSL GROUP: 0845 270 2411

publishes final report Plan to clear channel 69 backed with pledge to cover all costs THE GOVERNMENT has published its final Digital Britain report, in which the future of the 800MHz spectrum is laid out. Part of this frequency band is channel 69, used by Programme Making and Special Events (PMSE) and on which current wireless radio technology operates.

The previous Digital Britain Report proposed a Spectrum Modernisation Programme, which included the release and auctioning of the 800Mhz band. The Government appointed an independent spectrum broker to facilitate a solution. His report was published in May. The Government now accepts his report, namely the clearance of the 800MHz spectrum band.

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The final report noted: “There is a role for Government intervention in releasing new radio spectrum for a rapid roll out of mobile 'Long Term Evolution' networks, ensuring the balance of radio spectrum holdings optimises competition and extracts the best infrastructure for the country in terms of coverage.”

The Government insists that the 800MHz auction should take place at the earliest possible date – believed to be mid 2010 – and that this is crucial

for the continued development of mobile technology.

The report also reveals that the Government intends to support Ofcom in taking all practical measures to expedite the clearance of 800MHz. It believes that the extra costs incurred in accelerating the clearance of channels 61 and 62 of television usage and channel 69 of PMSE usage would serve to increase the value of the spectrum at auction.

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NEWS

New appointments for Yamaha EKB Yamaha’s keyboard division appoints two new salesmen to key regions in England, Scotland and Ireland YAMAHA MUSIC UK’s EKB division has appointed two new sales managers, responsible for the south of England and for Scotland and Ireland.

Terry Murphy, a former Piano Warehouse retail manager, assumes responsibility for EKB business in the south of England, a position vacated by Malcolm Hardie, who was recently promoted to sales manager replacing Richard Ashby, who is now heading up sales management of the hi-fi and AV product portfolio.

The former Danfay sales representative, John Dawson, is now the regional sales manager for Scotland and Ireland. The

announcement was made at the EKB conferences held recently in Dublin and Limerick, during which Yamaha’s largest division laid out its plans for future market development and dealership partnerships.

expanding the market for music makers,” commented EKB’s sales manager, Malcolm Hardie.

“John will ensure that dealers receive a high level of personal business service and will be key in devising long term joint

“There is great potential for developing and expanding the market.”

Malcolm Hardie, EKB “We have recently completed our 2009 conferences in Ireland, which proved very popular and have learnt that there is great potential for developing and

promotional opportunities, while ensuring our levels of service are increased following the transition from Danfay.”

YAMAHA: 01908 366700

ABRSM teaching course tasters

V-Expo commended and dates announced Yamaha's virtual show wins acclaim from Marketing Society’s golden jubilee event as 2009’s event plans get under way YAMAHA'S VIRTUAL exhibition event, V-Expo, received official recognition from the Marketing Society as it was awarded a high commendation after being nominated for the best online marketing campaign, on June 8th at Mayfair's Park Lane Hilton in London.

This was the 50th anniversary of the prestigious

executive of Camelot) stated: "The winners of the awards will know that their work has been evaluated by the sharpest minds in the business."

Yamaha Music UK had previously been selected as a finalist and on the night, eight companies were competing for the top award. In the end, UPS won first prize with Yamaha

“The winners of the awards will know that their work has been evaluated by the sharpest minds in the business.”

Dianne Thompson CEO, Camelot awards evening and attracted a capacity audience where Yamaha found itself rubbing shoulders with some of the UK's biggest spending brands including Sony, The 02, Procter & Gamble, Sainsburys, UPS and Reuters.

Nominations were judged across a wide range of factors and, as the chair of the judges, Dianne Thompson (chief

8 miPRO JULY 2009

named a runner-up with a high commendation from the panel of judges who were extremely impressed with both the concept and execution of the V-Expo event.

The judges also specifically acknowledged the significant success of the online event despite running it on a marketing budget of a fraction of other nominees.

John Dawson (left) and Terry Murphy

V-Expo debuted in September 2008 and was widely seen as an instant success. The interactive threeday 'virtual' dealer exhibition featured online product sales and artist demos, all supported and showcased through a dedicated website “I'm delighted that the panel of judges recognised the success of the event,” commented Ricci Hodgson, director of Yamaha UK’s pro music division and creator of the V-Expo concept.

“12 months ago we made the difficult decision to abandon the traditional Expo, risking millions of pounds worth of business. Thanks to Julian Ward's web skills and the collective marketing and sales prowess of Yamaha UK, we achieved increased sales while reducing costs to a tenth of previous years.”

This year's V-Expo event will run from September 9th through to the 11th at vexpo.co.uk There will be a preview on the September 8th.

YAMAHA: 01908 366700

Most prestigious music teaching courses announced for London and Manchester ABRSM’S RESPECTED teaching certificate has two forthcoming ‘taster’ courses, one each for Manchester and London, which will take place in July and September respectively.

ABRSM motivates musical achievement through the globally authoritative assessment of students and the professional development of instrumental and vocal teachers. Its range of courses and online learning opportunities for teachers enhances its reputation as the world’s leading authority on musical assessment.

The Certificate of Teaching (CT ABRSM) course is the most prestigious of ABRSM’s courses, and taster sessions for teachers

interested in enrolling on the 2009–10 course will take place on Saturday July 11th at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester and Saturday September 12th at the ABRSM head office in London.

The CT ABRSM taster sessions provide an opportunity to gain insight into the structure, contents and benefits to be gained from the course.

Participants have the chance to meet and discuss their professional development with an ABRSM course leader and to take part in an actual CT ABRSM session. There is a nominal charge of £10 to attend a taster session.

ABRSM: 020 7636 5400

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DISTRIBUTION • NEWS

JHS gets Italia by default Trevor Wilkinson’s modern retro line showcased at JHS Event before return to market JHS HAS added Trev Wilkinson’s Italia line of guitars to its catalogue. The range was launched by JHS at its annual Event in Garforth, Leeds.

Conceived and designed by the man behind the launch and development of Fret-King and the JHS Vintage, Vintage Icon, Vintage Advance and Encore lineup, Italia instruments take inspiration from the individual guitar designs of the ‘50s and ‘60s and are priced competitively.

“It’s been such a blast to work with Trev on Fret-King, Vintage and Encore that we were delighted to be able to add another of his truly masterful concepts to our range,” enthused JHS MD Dennis Drumm. “Italia is a brand with such style, flair, verve and panache, with guitars and basses which are so cool, so desirable and just so good to play, it’s going to be as much of a pleasure to sell them as it is for guitarists to own and play them.”

Glitz and glamour: the Italia range has proved popular before

Italia instruments have already won fans of the calibre of Chris Rea, who recently purchased an Italia Maranello guitar during a shop visit on London's Denmark Street. Rea commented: “I found this blue sparkly guitar and that was it for me. I thought it was an old guitar; I didn't know it was new. In terms of me playing and listening to it, it sounded almost identical to Pinky [Rea's Fender Stratocaster], but with no buzz, not a sausage.

“Italia guitars haven't always had the heavy duty push behind them in the past that you need to really make an impact on the market these days,” added designer Trev Wilkinson. “They offer something different to the standard fare while still being well-made, extremely playable instruments in their own right. I think they'll get the attention they deserve with the JHS team behind them.”

JHS: 0113 286 5381

Aria for Larson Guitars UK guitar specialist supplier wins re-launched US classic ARIA UK has secured an exclusive distribution agreement for Larson acoustic guitars for the British Isles.

Larson was established in the 1890s by the brothers Carl and August Larson, who spent the next 50 years establishing a wide variety of different styles of guitars and fretted instruments under a number of trade names, such as Maurer, Prairie State, Dyer and Stahl.

The brothers invented some unique features, including laminated bracing – a system of building tops and backs under tension – and a number of other innovations set them apart from other builders.

The Larson brand was unique among pre-World War II guitar manufacturers as it represented the only non-industrially produced range of flat-top, steel-string instruments that are

still widely recognised as being of high-quality and high value.

In 2006, a strategic alliance between European luthier, Roman Zajicek of Rozawood guitars and Imusicnetworks’s Toni Götz, re-launced the Larson brand, utilising the Larson brothers’ innovations and design concepts – crucial to capturing the unique tone of the old Larson instruments.

ARIA: 01483 238720

Active Music signs Steph Canadian accessories company now available in UK ACTIVE MUSIC has announced that it has been appointed the exclusive UK distributor for Steph Accessories, including Stephi guitar straps.

Made in Canada, Steph products offer leather guitar strap products in unique and interesting designs, along with its own retail POS options, making it easier for the retailer to sell.

All Steph products will be shipped with these display systems, as well as bar coding, and will be pre-priced for UK recommended prices. With what Active describes as ‘a good discount structure’, the whole package allows the retailer to make strong margins, with simple process, on a traditionally high turnover accessory product.

“We are very excited about this new relationship,” commented Lee Worsley of Active. “Steph products fit perfectly with our portfolio of quality products that offer good margin opportunity with full retail support”.

The full range of Steph products was launched at LIMS 09 and initial reports from Active indicate that the takeup has been encouraging.

Steph Accessories (previously known as Stephi Straps) has been a crafter of leather accessories since 1984 and products are entirely crafted in Canada.

ACTIVE: 020 8693 5678

Sound Technology takes on JoeCo’s box Harman distributor to represent the innovative recorder in the UK as JoeCo prepares for wider reach SOUND TECHNOLOGY has acquired the distribution rights to JoeCo’s 24-channel Blackbox Recorder in the UK. The Blackbox is a multi-track recorder aimed at the live music market. It has the ability to record up to 24 channels of hires audio directly to a USB2 drive. It can be plugged into the insert points on any console and provide Virtual Sound Checking capabilities.

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Blackbox records to standard external USB2 disks formatted with FAT32 in Broadcast WAV file format (BWAV), thus allowing any material to be used in a studio Digital Audio Workstation

without the need for file conversions or transfers.

Blackbox was designed and developed Sadie founder Joe Bull, who left the company last year to start JoeCo.

Bull commented: “It’s great that we’ve been able to team up with such a professional distributor as Sound Technology.

I’m confident that we and our customers are in good hands.”

“With the strength of our existing portfolio of brands in all areas of live performance, we feel Sound Technology is uniquely positioned to rapidly establish the Blackbox Recorder in these markets,” concluded Sound Technology’s managing director, David Marshall.

Sound Tech is the UK supplier of Harman Pro audio products.

SOUND TECHNOLOGY: 01462 480000

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PROFILE • DISTRIBUTION

MI Pro talks to Intermusic about piano distribution, the challenges ahead and the benefits that a family business can bring to the industry...

Year Established: 1986 Number of employees: Six Is business up or down compared to last year?

There are signs that dealers have reached the point in destocking when they need to buy, which is definitely translating into higher sales. Also, the recent LIMS show was a huge success for our Bentley digital pianos and drums, which is very positive.

Which are your best selling lines?

Pianos by C Bechstein, Petrof, Bentley and Pearl River, guitars by Samick, Pearl River and Shine, Bentley digital pianos and drums, Knight stringed instruments and Bentley brass and woodwind.

Apart from your products, what are your strengths as a distributor?

First off, we have probably the lowest overhead costs as a percentage of turnover for the industry. We also have four family members that can make instant decisions, which is crucial in any business environment. Additionally, Richard Webb and David Rushworth have years of retail experience and are sympathetic to the difficulties their dealers face, so we like to ensure that dealers make the

highest margins from Intermusic instruments. We have extremely quick delivery due to high stock investment, and finally our low overhead allows us to supply containers of own brand products with proven reliability at lower prices than dealers can buy direct.

Do you think it’s been a tough year for retailers?

Yes, but there are signs of recovery.

Company results show the recession started three years ago in the music industry and the number of failures has now receded.

Is the internet the biggest challenge facing the industry?

Yes. The internet has enabled traders to dictate margins to the whole industry, forcing the closure of good High Street businesses.

Encouragement has been given by suppliers seeking to reach sales targets set in Japan and the USA. Distributors and retailers have to adapt to the new order or face closure. Intermusic has been the

most active supplier in helping dealers to stay in business.

In a perfect world, what product lines would you add to your portfolio?

We have been appointed distributors for the new European W Hoffmann piano factory. This fills the gap left for medium priced European pianos due to recent factory closures. It complements our current range and enables us to be competitive in all price ranges.

What are your aims for the next 12 months?

Firstly, to pick up market share left by the recent closure of several piano factories. Intermusic is the only supplier left for medium priced European pianos. We also aim to continue in our domination of the low end digital piano market, and consolidate our position in the digital drum business, as well as consolidate our position in strings instruments, brass and woodwind and guitars.

CONTACT DETAILS Address: 9 Cabot Business Village, Holyrood Close, Poole BH17 7BA Phone: 01202 696963 Fax: 01202 696964 Email: steve@intermusic.uk.com Contacts: Acoustic and Digital Pianos - Steve Hammett Musical Instruments – Oliver Webb

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DRUM NEWS

Phillips clinic with Drumsense Renowned clinician and session drummer team up for display at Brit School courtesy of major drum education source DRUMSENSE, THE education and resource drum-learning programme, has announced a clinic given by Simon Phillips to take place at the Brit School, Selhurst, (near Croydon) on July 14th at 7pm. Drumsense founder Colin Woolway will open the show and drummers Simon Mellish and Martin Ranscombe will be on hand to explain their latest DVDs on technique and tuning.

Tickets are £12.00 and can be obtained from drumsense.com or by calling 020 8288 0863.

Simon Phillips is a renowned and respected drummer, who plays rock, fusion and jazz and has played with a huge number of top-flight musicians and bands including Toto, The Who, Jeff Beck, Mike Oldfield, 10cc and Joe Satriani, to name a few.

Phillips has been an endorser of Tama drums for many years.

DiMaggio endorses Paiste

Simon Phillips showing how it’s done

His carefully tuned and dynamic drum sound is highly identifiable – he uses large drums and incorporates octobans and a gong drum in his kit.

Colin Woolway is founder and director of Drumsense, probably the world''s most widely used drum teaching programme. The author of two student texts, he is a regular clinician and highly regarded educator.

DRUMSENSE: 020 8288 0863

Big Dog sniffs out MSC Percussion accessory company goes with Kidderminster supplier to concentrate on product development and export markets

Top session drummer adopts classic brand ROBIN DIMAGGIO has joined the Paiste stable of endorsing artists. The drummer has toured and recorded with music veterans such as Paul Simon, David Bowie, Jackson Browne, Diana Ross, Dr Dre, Luther Vandross, Sean Lennon, Johnny Cash, and Chris Isaak, as well as with acclaimed world musicians, sitarist/composer Ravi Shankar and violin maestro L Shankar.

He has also appeared on David

Letterman and performed at the Grammys, American Music Awards, World Music Awards in Monte Carlo and the MTV Awards.

His current project is Earthsong, a CD compiled of tracks from top artists in every country around the world.

Spearheaded under the United Nations and Humanitad.org, Earthsong is part of a larger effort to save the environment and promote world peace.

MUSIC SHIPPING (MSC) and Bigdog Drumstuff are joining forces, with MSC taking over Bigdog’s UK distribution with immediate effect, allowing the manufacturer to concentrate on product development and export markets.

Bigdog’s percussion products include Bigdog pedals, stands, thrones and other accessories, all of which will now be available from MSC’s next-day service to UK retailers.

“We are excited to be able to offer such a high quality range of hardware, whose presence we believe we can really expand in the UK market,” said MSC’s managing director Craig Fenney.

“The Bigdog range fits

MSC’s Karen Pawley and Matt Longbottom and (far right) Craig Fenney flank Bigdog’s Keith Mann perfectly with our other lines.”

Speaking for Bigdog, MD Keith Mann added: “Joining forces with Music Shipping means that we can concentrate on our core business – developing quality, competitively priced products

that drummers want to use. I’m confident that Craig and his team at MSC will give dealers a first class sales service and together we can make Bigdog more available and keep up with growing demand.”

MSC: 01562 827666

Ludwig celebrations continue LUDWIG HAS continued its centenary celebrations with the release of a DVD of the film it premiered at the NAMM show this year: A Century of the Most Famous Drum Company.

In this 100-year retrospective, the Ludwig legacy unfolds through exclusive footage and interviews with the artists and craftsmen that helped create it.

Features include commentary

from noted historians, collectors and members of the Ludwig family and staff, as well as performances by key players that built the Ludwig reputation.

The announcement of the Ludwig Centenary snares is bound to cause interest, with a 1928 Gold Triumphal reissue, the 100th Anniversary handengraved Black Beauty, a laserengraved Black Magic model and

two titanium Supraphonic models, known as The Chiefs.

The manufacturer has also made the Anniversary Edition Stainless Steel Pro Beat kit, of which only 100 will be made, with the first 50 featuring a polished chrome steel finish and brass hardware and the second 50 with brushed stainless finish and chrome hardware.

ACTIVE: 020 8693 5678

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

VISIT WWW.MIKEDOLBEAR.COM FOR MORE DETAILS. 12 miPRO JULY 2009

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A light shines For the second time, the Excel centre in London’s Docklands hosted the London International Music Show, an event that delivers a

A

lot of issues were raised at the second London International Music Show (LIMS) and all of them concerned the MI trade. By and large, everyone saw the public and education days as well attended and valuable in terms of brand profile, with the added attraction of thousands of kids getting all enthusiastic about being in a large hall full of musical instruments. (“I wish we’d had days out like this when I was at school,” was how Peavey’s Clive Roberts put it.)

Gripes from the 14,000-odd public visitors were confined to the disappointment from the drumming fraternity that so few drum specialists had decided to exhibit. From the trade perspective, this left the likes of Roland, Yamaha, Korg, Sutherland and Active Music to mop up where the no-shows had spilt.

Of those that raved about the show, Bose and Intermusic stand out, both because of the business done on the trade day and the fact that they sit at opposite ends of the MI market. “In the depths of a recession, it’s remarkable that the show happened at all,” said Intermusic’s David Rushworth. “For us it was a very successful show. We are very pleased.”

Another big thumbs up came from industry stalwart and Mariner Guitars chief Ken Achard: “As a follow up to last year's inaugural event at ExCeL, I thought the exhibition was another superb effort by the entire industry. Despite the difficult trading conditions, manufacturers and suppliers presented themselves

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professionally with notable investments in terrific displays. The MIA and the organising committee should be proud of a job well done.

“For us and our distributor, The Music Force, the show fulfilled its purpose absolutely. We successfully introduced Mariner guitars to a wide audience, sold

on the Thursday and Friday, it was great to interact with the consumers on the Saturday and Sunday,” he said. “You get to hear their opinions on our product and as we only supply the trade it is always nice to get the feedback from the end-user direct.”

Orange’s MD, Damon Waller, pretty much concurred, while raising a few other

Bose did big business on the trade day

Fusion added design expertise to the mix

By and large, everyone saw the public and education days as well attended and valuable in terms of brand profile. product to retailers and were able to share our passion with many musician consumers. The MI industry is obviously alive and well. Bring it on for 2010.”

But for many, the trade day didn’t quite do it and Chris Statham of Mel Bay’s comment was typical. “Although we were very disappointed with the trade presence

concerns as well. “My honest opinion is it was better than expected, but not good enough,” he said. “The trade day needs to be better organised. It is very frustrating having public wandering about when it should only be trade.

“The retail area worked relatively well being separated, although I agree with

them that it needs to be in a more prominent position. Frankly, I find it a disgrace that certain distributors were selling directly to consumers by the end of the show, simply because they had no retail partner. I have said before we would not support another car boot sale.”

Roland’s John Booth, however was bullish. “Roland’s experience of LIMS was overwhelmingly positive, he says. “On the trade days, we saw all our major dealers and quite a few medium sized ones we didn’t expect. We didn’t see many small ones, but that must be considered work in progress for all of us. We did great business on Thursday – it was way over our target. We did some trade business on Friday, but we’d like to see more dealers on this second day.”

Perhaps understandably, the reactions to the show received by the MIA were generally full of praise, although Paul McManus is very aware of the popular comment that LIMS doesn’t actually seem to know what identity to put forward.

“After years of the BMF, we knew that there was only one way to establish any sort of trade show in the UK and that was by using the consumer,” he pointed out.

“Dealers didn’t come to the BMF because a lot of big suppliers stayed away.

Suppliers stayed away because they wanted public exposure. If there is one thing we have to do, it is to get the message across that LIMS is a consumer show. The bonus is that there is a special day – a preview day, if you like – for trade.

Of course, dealers can come on any day

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LIMS • SHOW REVIEW

in the east trade day, a consumer show and a barrage of publicity. Andy Barrett gathers opinions from key players… they want, but the first day will have a quieter, more businesslike atmosphere.”

In order to further establish this facet of the show, McManus will be pushing for the abandonment of any special ‘preview’ tickets at a premium price for the public.

As for retailing from the stands, McManus would like to hear from anyone who thinks the £25 merchandising limit from stands was abused. “This shouldn’t happen. We were watching as closely as we could and didn’t see anything untoward. I know some exhibitors had no representation in the retail village and this is something we will be trying to address to make it an even playing field, but there cannot be retailing from the stands.”

One seemingly intractable issue that has arisen from the two shows, however, is the problem with the drum specialists.

Some say the problem was not the exhibition space, but having side attractions that would pull the public in.

Others seemed to think the combined stand method worked well, but the drumming public weren’t keen on sharing their space with other musos. “This could be a no-win situation,” admits McManus.

“What is important, though, is for exhibitors to get in touch and explain how they want to exhibit.”

One thing is for certain, however, and that is that the retail village will be a permanent fixture for any future LIMS. While the four retailers who sold at the show were a little disappointed with the retail village’s location (as were the exhibitors trying to sell through them), the

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MIA is determined to keep this element of the consumer show. “It brings us back to the original point,” said McManus. “To get the exhibitors, you need the public. To get the public, you need retail. This is how we can continue to keep the trade day going.”

“Our business is about more than shifting boxes,” comments Rob Castle at Korg. “We have to encourage people and one way we can do this is by firing them up with the buzz that they get from a show like this, seeing products, demos, artists and performances. The show will never please everyone and we have plenty of ideas about how we can improve things for next year but there were a lot of consumers who loved it and will go away and spend the rest of the year saving up for their next instrument and hopefully spending it in their local music shop.”

RETAILING WOES The retailing element is a tough one to swallow, particularly for the dealers themselves. “Many music retailers I have spoken too are not happy that there is retailing at the show – thus some of the retailers will not go to the show,” commented John Hulke of The Firm.

“Musikmesse and NAMM work well as trade shows and the public do attend, but there is no retailing and it works with big names attracting crowds. As soon as retailers get involved, the public expects everything to be heavily discounted.”

As we all know, the shows throughout the year are generally trade or consumer shows. Mixing both has its problems.

Location has been a point raised by those that did not attend, but anyone could easily argue that when the BMF was in central Birmingham, the trade complained about that location, too. The fact that some 45 Irish dealers turned up at LIMS speaks volumes. If you wanted to go, you would have gone.

In the end, with the limited time allowed, the MIA and its show organisers did just about enough to keep LIMS alive and to make the 2010 show happen. With a full year to make the next one happen, everybody will be watching closely to see how the shortfalls are addressed. With the SoS-sponsored Sound Recording Technology show appearing as busy as the guitar and amp element of the event (not to mention the standing-room-only SoS seminars), the danger is that the drums and traditional instrument elements might find themselves marginalised as the show concentrates further on the positive and profitable guitar market.

As Barnes & Mullins MD Bruce Perrin put it: “As a trade show there weren’t enough dealers to make the effort and cost worthwhile. As an international show, there was little public interest in anything other than guitars. As the London Guitar Show – great. Next year we will plan our exhibit focused on consumers interested in guitar and allied products. Do we as an industry actually require a trade show?”

To which the answer might be‘no’. But is there room for trade to hook on to the buzz of a public show? That can only be ‘yes’, surely?

EVENT: London International Music Show 09 DATE: June 11th to 14th VENUE: ExCeL, London EXHIBITORS:106 VISITORS: 21,200 (1,550 trade, 5,550 Education Day, 14,100 public) VERDICT: Given the limited time the organisers had to pull the show off, it was a success, but trade particularly is unforgiving as regards mitigation. Generally, with a handful of glowing reports and a few condemnations, the show is largely seen as having done just enough to make its continuation certain, but next year will need to be better.

Mel Bay endorser Rodney Branigan

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PACING THE AISLES Wandering round the hall at ExCeL on the education day, there was a palpable sense of, well, a day off school to be frank, but the excitement of the unleashed hoardes of musically minded youngsters certainly gave the place an air of excitement. LIMS felt busy and full of life and by all accounts there was plenty of business going on beyond the screaming kids hunting down free plectrums to make the whole thing worthwhile.

The Marshall stand was big and busy, with some natty recent new products (the Haze mini stack for one looks and sounds particularly tasty) on show to tempt in the passing throngs. Signings were taking place and the ever-ready Jim Marshall was once again manning his post, pen in hand, welcoming in another long queue of grateful young Marshall fans. The gossip around Marshall all pointed towards some significant developments at the amp giant later in the year, so keep yours ears peeled come September.

SPREADING THE WORD The marketing and PR campaign of LIMS ran over six months, with its aim to create awareness and excitement around the exhibition. There were many specific objectives, including reaching out to the trade, the education sector and all the instrument and computer markets, as well as students, musicians and mainstream consumers – in fact anyone interested in music, gear and a fun day out.

The project encompassed the whole marketing mix and there were specific campaigns in London (coverage was secured in The Evening Standard with a ticket offer, the London Paper, London Lite, Time Out, XFM radio, Visit London and more), several promotions ran locally, including a feature in the Newham residents paper (105,000 circulation), Tower Hamlets websites, Britannia Village and BBC promotions, as well as using the marketing databases of ExCeL. There were several national promotions, such as with Tesco Clubcard and Network Rail. More than 60 regional papers, with a combined circulation running into millions, featured the show.

Future Publishing was announced in early 2009 as a media partner. It has consistently supported the show with a lengthy marketing campaign through various mediums including a portfoliowide advertising campaign for the event in its music titles. Online support was provided on Musicradar.com, which saw a site takeover for three months with regular news features, on-going

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Not far off from Marshall’s set up was the newly re-branded Music Force, which made its presence felt with some attractive eye-catching displays showcasing some of the many products that now accompany Ashton under the company’s banner. Of particular interest were the Sparrow guitars, which added a touch of rockabilly design flair to some classic guitar shapes.

A familiar stack of Orange amps was a constant draw for guitarists looking for the classic British tone (and of course a photo opportunity beside the biggest wall of Orange amps ever seen), which meant a busy day for Damon Waller and the team.

Meanwhile, Freestyle showcased its latest addition: Hiwatt. With a display that rammed home just how many of the greats had or indeed still have a Hiwatt

The prize for the busiest stand of the day was pretty much a dead heat between Roland and Yamaha. Both had lots of product on show.

Elsewhere at ExceL, Korg was well on the way to capturing some creative young minds thanks to the stacks of synths and Kaos pads it had on display. The constantly busy stand made it difficult for MI Pro to muscle through to get a swift couple of minutes on the Microkorg XL, but it was well worth the wait.

behind them, it’s clear that this is a partnership that will benefit both companies greatly. Freestyle kept its other key brands up front and centre as well, with Eko, Gator and Minarik all getting plenty of attention.

Finally, the prize for the busiest stand of the day was pretty much a dead heat

between Roland and Yamaha. Both had an excellent array of chatty and entertaining demonstrators and both had a staggering amount of product on show. Roland’s VDrums were a huge draw, with queues stretching back pretty much all day as eager young hands tried to get a chance to beat the life out of various models including the TD-12KV and the impressive TD-20K. A teaching area with a number of kits out for lessons was also a constant source of attraction, while the Boss pedals also drew their own crowds. Roland announced two new products at the show: the Juno-Di mobile synthesizer and the Boss FRV-1, a recreation of the classic 1963 Fender Reverb combo.

Yamaha had electric kits on display too, as well as the new S90XS and S70XS synthesisers on constant demo and drawing good crowds. The two new models share the same sound engine and internal operating system and are only differentiated by the keyboard lengths of 88 and 76 keys.

promotion in the newsletters and a live blog produced just for LIMS (updated throughout the course of the show).

Media partnerships with Sound on Sound helped bring in the music recording audience and further partnerships were developed with Rhinegold and Oyster House Media and, of course, MI Pro, whose support and coverage has been instrumental in raising the show’s profile to the trade.

There were over 500,000 leaflets placed in mainstream consumer music press, together with a significant advertising campaign taking in the likes of Q, Mojo and Kerrang. LIMS show promotions and new stories ran in Stuff, Mojo, Classic Rock, Kerrang, Q, Metal Hammer, NME, Rock Sound, Terrorizer and many more. In addition, an on-going campaign on the internet created coverage helping to direct people to the LIMS website, particularly Guitar Idol, which had 140,000 voters around the world for its final and millions of hits during the heats.

Commenting on the marketing, David Phillips from A & R marketing said: “Overall, more than 600 press cuttings were generated and we have achieved widespread coverage both locally, across the UK and internationally. The support from exhibitors donating gear for promotions has been fantastic and I would like to thank them for both their generosity and support in helping to promote the show.

I can announce that journalists from more than 100 publications attended this year’s exhibition.”

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COVER FEATURE • JHS

Talking

Drumm John Hornby Skewes might appear to be much the same as it’s ever been, but the changes the company has seen recently (not least Dennis Drumm being managing director), have been fundamental and wideranging. Despite this, Gary Cooper discovers, it is an independent, family business first and foremost…

J

ohn Hornby Skewes – the ubiquitous JHS – holds a special place in the UK’s MI industry. It isn’t the country’s oldest wholesaler/distributor and it’s not the biggest, but it is the core supplier to so many retailers, particularly independents, that what it does has far-reaching effects for the trade.

Started by the eponymous John Hornby Skewes, who still plays an active and vital part in guiding the company, today the business is also being steered by Dennis Drumm, who has made some distinctive contributions to the JHS style – not least the development of the increasingly potent Vintage range, but also the

In fact it’s arguable that the musical instrument distribution and retail business is the last remaining unconsolidated consumer goods sector in the UK marketplace and it’s best served by enthusiastic, knowledgeable, independent distributors and resellers, selling to likeminded, independent consumers.

“JHS comes from the same humble beginnings as most of our customers; we were all ‘start ups’ once, and over the years we’ve suffered all of the same ups and downs and trials and tribulations as our customers tell us they face. We’ve used, and continue to use, those experiences to respond positively and

“The industry is best served by enthusiastic, knowledgeable, independent distributors and resellers, selling to like-minded consumers.”

Dennis Drumm, JHS nurturing of a thriving pro audio side, with brands such as HK, Lab.Gruppen and, most recently, Allen & Heath.

Simply offering a wide range of products is not enough though, as the number of wholesalers that have risen and fallen down the years testifies. What got JHS to the top, and has to be maintained to keep it there, is a good reputation.

I begin by asking Dennis Drumm what sets JHS apart from its competitors. “‘The Family Company’ is an interesting concept,” he replies, “which is just what JHS is, always has been, and hopefully always will be.

“We’re an ‘independent’, just like the majority of our music trade customers.

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sympathetically as we are growing our business. We work with our customers to help them to grow their businesses, and it’s been terrific to have contributed to the growth of so many great ones over the last 45 years.”

Fine words, but what does this actually mean for the retailer struggling in an increasingly tight business environment?

“We employ great area sales managers, who have terrific relationships of trust with our customers. Through our field sales force, we listen intently to what our customers tell us they want, and, by and large, we give it to them. The message that comes back to us is that stability, fairness, transparency, value, and above all,

trust, are all hugely important.

“Offering a programme of high-profile distributed and proprietary brands with high demand, great value to the consumer and strong benefits to our customers in terms of service levels, product quality and, of course, high dealer margin are also paramount.

“I know some will take issue with some of those claimed attributes, and satisfying 100 per cent of the audience, 100 per cent of the time can only ever be a goal, but our stability is built upon 45 years of trading. We are a feature of the international music business landscape, and in the UK and Ireland, and we’re the supplier of first choice for many dealers, for very good reason.”

Which doesn’t, Drumm admits, mean that JHS never makes mistakes. “Do we foul up occasionally, get things wrong, cause upset, say or do something incorrectly, ship the right thing to the wrong place, ship the wrong thing to the right place, tread on someone’s toes, fail to live up to a promise, or someone’s expectations? Sure, of course we do – show me an organisation that doesn’t.

“But do we care? Deeply. Do we learn?

Absolutely! Do we respond adequately, and with humility? You bet we do. All of this is a result of a business ethic which pervades our organisation, emanating from the top of our

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Recent times have seen a co-operation between Trev Wilkinson (left) and Dennis Drumm (right)

company and our chairman and founder John Skewes. Our ethic is predicated on the fundamentals of good business practice: play fair, support the community you serve, listen to your customers and give them what they want.”

Much of this, of course, would be said by anyone trying to persuade a retailer to do business with him but, it has to be said, JHS does have a reputation in the MI trade for honest, plain dealing. This matters particularly in the area of pricing, where the issue of discounting remains the hottest of potatoes. How important does Drumm think that is?

“Fairness and transparency are deeply ingrained in our business model, with a very clear and ethical trading policy, a level playing field pricing structure, visible in plain sight to all. Our customers know where they stand and I believe our policies are able to bring a measure of equilibrium to a sometimes turbulent and ultra competitive market.”

Drumm also sees a cost advantage for retailers in JHS’s product breadth.

“We’ve got the award-winning Odyssey brass and woodwind, Antoni stringed instruments, Performance Percussion, Kinsman cases and accessories, Guitar Tech, GYC – these are all products which help a dealer use us as a one-stop shop, reducing costs, saving them time, making their lives easier, and making them more margin.”

To an observer interested in how the MI industry works, one of the most interesting developments at JHS in recent years has been charting the

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growth of the Vintage brand, in particular the company’s efforts to leverage it way beyond the traditional role of distributors' ‘copy lines’ to being an aspirational brand in itself. It’s an enormously difficult task, but the company has made some significant headway in that direction.

“The value we build into our proprietary brands is probably best evidenced by Vintage, which we’ve grown from a small ‘me too’ range, launched ten years ago, into a major international brand, sold in some 60 markets. This has been achieved by building in true value – the blend of specification/price/profit – yet many of the brands with which we compete seem unable, or unwilling to do so.

“Our motivation with Vintage is simple: players, especially at the beginning of their careers, deserve the best our industry can provide to them, not a compromised product built down to a price. It’s often said that ‘knowledge is power’, so we use our knowledge to build the absolute best instrument for the price, for the benefit of the consumer and the seller.”

Drumm says that with nearly 500 ‘Vintage Plus’ dealers in the UK and Ireland, the formula is clearly working.

“We support those dealers and the Vintage brand with extensive consumer press advertising, a very effective PR machine, a great online presence, strong in-store point of sale material, good catalogues, a strong endorser roster and a full-time demo guy, who does dozens of free clinics a year, all to help our dealers sell more Vintage product.”

Vintage isn’t JHS’s only success with own brands, Drumm says, pointing to the introduction of Wilkinson’s Fret-King

brand: “One of the most interesting things we’ve done of late has been the cooperation with Trev Wilkinson, to significantly sharpen up the Encore electric range. It’s great working with Trev and his magic wand, plus our determination to produce the best entrylevel guitar in the market – not just the cheapest – has created musical instruments which elicit a response of pure disbelief from guitar players, at how something so inexpensive can be so good.

“Trev’s often said, and I agree, that it’s a piece of cake to make a great guitar for two or three thousand pounds, but to make an instrument that’s a great guitar in its own right for a hundred quid or so is a real challenge worth taking on, to which we’ve risen and succeeded ” It’s not always simple, of course, to translate that into sales. “It’s taking a little longer to convince some of our trade customers,” Drumm admits, just a little ruefully. “But I challenge any dealer to pick up an Encore E6, keep any prejudices they might have well under control, and make a balanced assessment. The result will be the same: astonishment at how good the product is. We make them this good because we can, we should, and those first-time guitarists deserve the best the industry can give them.”

As any reader who has struggled with an unplayable guitar in the past (in other words, anyone over 40) will tell you, this is good – not to say long overdue – news.

But it isn’t all relentless struggle in Leeds, Drumm says: “Possibly the most fun we’ve had in the history of the company though, is with SpongeBob SquarePants Real Musical Instruments.

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Nickelodeon, the owner of SpongeBob, is terrific to work with, the brand is, well, outrageous, with so many possibilities and we’ve now grown it from the original two products, rushed out for the 2007 Christmas season, to an exciting range that includes the new full-size electric and acoustic outfits, to picks, ukes, drum kits, and the super SpongeBob Facelifts.

“So many licensed goods in many sectors concentrate on brand and price and let quality suffer, because they think the power of the licensed property concerned will cover a multitude of sins. As the licensee for SpongeBob SquarePants Real Musical Instruments, we can take the same approach as we do with all our proprietary brands. These are musical instruments, they’re going to be played, they need to be right, and they are.”

But the effort JHS has been putting into its own brands hasn’t meant any slackening of interest in its distributed

conversations with companies, we have a wish list, but I’m a realist. If a brand is happy where it is and can’t see the opportunities that everyone else can see, or want to appoint some other company for reasons best known to itself, then who am I to make a fuss? There’s enough to get on with.”

All the same, you don't need a pair of gypsy earrings and a crystal ball to sense that the international MI business is undergoing some major turmoil, at present. How does Dennis Drumm view these developments?

“On a macro level, one can sense the beginnings of potentially seismic shifts, with the global economic turmoil reportedly creating havoc amongst major international players in many sectors, including musical instruments. Companies which have taken on an incredibly high level of financial gearing at the peak of the recently departed ‘good times’ are

calendar, and a fundamental contributor to the business success of many of our customers.

“At the JHS Event, the hundreds of dealers who join us enjoy our hospitality, and cement their relationships with the people at JHS they deal with on a daily basis. Visitors have an exclusive first look at a host of new products, have the benefit of some very advantageous promotional pricing, have offers and deals exclusive to JHS Event visitors and, of course, our now traditional and very generous interest-free, six-month financing on all JHS Event business, which enables many to get through the summer months with a terrific range of hot, new, profitable products, helping them to keep their businesses well stocked and even more vibrant.

“I have to be honest and say that sometimes we struggle to understand why more customers don’t take advantage of

JHS has seen a variety of well-known UK endorsers including, left to right, Geoff Whitehorn, Jarrod Noire and tribute act ZZ Tops lines. Given how they tend to shift around these days, has Drumm never felt tempted to step back from the merry-go-round of distributed brands?

“Not at all – and a healthy balance of proprietary and distributed brands is a very important part of our strategy. In 2008 we took on Fishman, the world’s number one transducer brand, teamed up with it to load Fishman into our entire Vintage acoustic line, and helped it launch the awesome Fishman Solo acoustic amp to the UK market. This is the kind of synergy we are looking for with distributed brands. Likewise, when we added Allen & Heath in 2008, synergy played an important part – for us and for Allen & Heath.

“JHS is as opportunistic as the next company and there are brands in the marketplace, which the brand owners, our dealers, and the present distributors all know are ‘under-represented’. It’s up to the brand owners to want, or be driven to a change, and have a view of JHS as a company which can drive their brands forward. My door is always open, we have

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now struggling to cope with massive commitments, have diminishing revenues, are shedding labour, divesting themselves of liabilities, closing production facilities, and exhibiting clear signs of distress.

“I’d expect to see more brands on the move, maybe the disappearance of some companies, or disappearance of some brands, before we are out of the woods.”

It is in JHS’s interest of course to help retailers survive in these tough times. One thing to consider doing, Drumm says, is to promote like crazy and it is undeniable that few companies in the industry spend as much money advertising and promoting its products as JHS. This is just as true of its participation in exhibitions – JHS just about does them all and then goes that extra mile by organising its very own, which, Drumm says, is a major part of not just its self-promotion, but also its attempt to help retailers.

“Possibly the most important occasion in the entire JHS calendar, from a show perspective, is our JHS Event, with 2009 being the 13th year of a trade occasion which has become a fixture in the

what is, quite simply, the best deal in the trade, but at least those who do attend JHS Event go away with a distinct competitive advantage.”

Drumm concludes by talking about perception and the future: “Overall, we want JHS to be seen as a company which is easy to do business with – fun even – and although I might have been company trumpet-blowing a little, we have a clear understanding of our mission, which is to serve our customers and provide, on time, every time, well designed, well specified, well priced, well marketed, in demand products, which bring our customers profit.

“Personally, I count myself very lucky to have joined this company in 1980 and to have been given the opportunity to contribute to its growth and direction. I’m also exceptionally lucky to have a terrific family to keep my feet on the ground. My wife Linda is a director and part of the Skewes family, so she understands the demands of the job. JHS is a team – 90 people in all – that works diligently to make everything seem easy, seamless and efficient to our customers.”

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SECTOR SPOTLIGHT • GIGBAGS

In the bag Of all the markets to produce fierce competition based on brand image and design innovation, the humble gigbag is certainly one of the most unlikely. Andy Barrett has a look at why this should be, while pointing out that there is a lot of money to be made on products that, these days, look pretty amazing…

T

en years ago, had someone responded to the demand: ‘name one of the most competitive markets in MI today’ with ‘gigbag’, he or she would probably have been laughed out the pub. Today, the answer would receive sage nods, as the world is inundated with more brands than you can shake a shoulder strap at.

And the reason for this turnaround inside a decade? There are probably

although all three of them would be very swift to point out the current differences rather than the historical similarities.

The result, though, is a plethora of good quality bags. In much the same way as Levy’s Leathers (which also does a range of gigbags) proved to the world that a customer buying an expensive instrument is more than willing to pay a bit extra for a strap to match the pride and joy, Ritter and the subsequent brands have shown that

Price is not the issue when it comes to bags. It’s all about style and value – and protection, of course.

Today’s gigbags keep instruments very secure. several factors – including the idea to use high density foam in cases – but ultimately the revolution was brought about by one company: Ritter.

The Swiss team actually made its name in terms of gigbags in County Durham. So successful was its ‘gigbag as lifestyle product’ philosophy and image, that the company soon found itself with a global brand, and today can count itself not only as the most recognisable name in gigbags, but also as the source of no fewer than three other modern gigbag ranges.

Tribal Planet, Fusion and Madarozzo all have their design and concept roots shooting from the north east of England –

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the price is not the issue when it comes to bags, either. It’s all about style and value – and protection, of course. Today’s gigbags keep instruments very secure.

In summary, then, there have never been so many good looking, high quality instrument bags on the market as there are now, and they’re a useful add-on sale, too. Fill yer boots…

RITTER As mentioned above, Ritter is responsible for the gigbag market being as it is today, so what better place to start? The brand has three ranges – Junior, Classic and Revolution – made for a wide range of

Left: The Fusion team looks proud of its creations. Right: Fusion products at work musical products including guitar and fretted instruments, keyboards, percussion, brass, woodwind and classical instruments.

The Classic range covers many different shapes and styles, from ¾ classical guitar designs to more radical Explorer styles. For an example of specification, the Classic RCG models feature 15 to 20mm soft foam padding, a new, ergonomic backpack system with fully integrated MP3 player/phone pouch and a built-in polyester bridge, headstock and end pin protector.

The high-end Revolution series features ultra thick 40mm padding for maximum protection for instruments.

FUSION The tale of Fusion gigbags is nothing short of breathtaking, with the company having come into existence less than two years ago and already causing ripples, with distribution established in almost 20 countries.

Aside from the impressive looks and concepts behind the range, a further surprise comes from the fact that Fusion was founded by four equal partners investing their life savings. The fact that all four are women should probably not be an issue, but in the MI world, no-one would deny it is very unusual.

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GIGBAGS • SECTOR SPOTLIGHT

The inspiration behind the company is Amanda Wheatley, a 3D designer who started out with Dunlop and Slazenger sports products. In 1992, together with colleague Wendy Caldwell, she formed her own design consultancy where she created products for other leading brands in the sports world including Gilbert, Jaguar and Gray Nichols.

In the early ‘90s she combined her experience in the leisure industry with that of being an accomplished musician and designed a range of musical instrument bags that became Tom Rees’ Gig brand. These bags were the first to combine a sports bag with an instrument bag. For the following ten years she designed gigbags for Ritter Outdoor.

There are four ranges under the Fusion brand, starting with the high-end F1 and working down to the entry-level F4.

F1 features include the Flow System lumber support for comfort and ventilation, the ability to use the Fuse-On attachment bags, reflective panels, quality inverted zips with chunky rubber zip pulls, Jacquard water-resistant polyester with rip-stop material panels, MP3/mobile phone pocket, backpack straps, comfortable, chunky and riveted handles, guitar neck supports, and hard-wearing, anti-crush moulded bases for protection.

The Fuse-On concept is a great example of Wheatley’s problem solving abilities – an ingenious system which allows users to add (fuse on – do you see what she’s done there?) bags to the main instrument bag. Various options are available, including large and small back packs, all of which can be detached and used as individual bags. They are interchangeable with different instrument bags which means, for example, that a clarinet bag can be fused on to, say, a sax bag – genius.

TOM & WILL Another relatively new start up is the Surrey-based Tom & Will web supplier, which has been trading for just three years. The company was born when its founders recognised that there was a need for a good quality gig bag that didn’t break the bank. As such, the bags are, indeed, top quality and reasonably priced and also up-to-date in terms of design.

Since its inception, the range has expanded to include over 100 gigbags for a huge range of instruments, with new lines being designed and introduced all the time.

For the doubters among you, Tom & Will bags were used for the Extreme Cellists Four Peak Challenge, which involved three cellists climbing the tallest mountains in Scotland (Ben Nevis), England (Scafell Pike), Wales (Snowdon) and Ireland (Carrauntoohill) in aid of the

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Aspire and Mountain Rescue charity. The cellists climbed with their cellos and performed on top of each mountain.

The cases, Tom & Will reports, coped extremely well and the challenge was a resounding success. The instruments (while in cases) took the odd knock on the way up and on one mountain were exposed to consistent rain. The cellos, of course, were completely unharmed by any of this.

REUNION BLUES Anything but a new company to the market, Reunion Blues has been wowing the US market since 1976 with its allleather gigbags for guitars, brass, woodwind, orchestral – the whole caboodle. Whether all-leather or leather and fabric, Reunion Blues bags feature a dual-layer, high-density foam padding, string protectors (when necessary) at the headstock and bridge, a soft fabric lining, smooth lock clasps and a limited lifetime warranty.

The advantages of the all-leather products are two-fold. First, nothing has such timeless good looks as leather, and the sleek designs of these bags will turn heads. Second is the fact that these are cleanable. Yes, musos like that well worn, king-of-the-road look, but leather has its own, inimitable way of looking well worn.

The ability to use a spot of saddle soap means one doesn’t have to be unhygienic to be cool.

LEVY’S LEATHERS Talking of leather, Levy’s Leathers has a large selection of pro quality gigbags for all styles of fretted instruments, as well as percussion, trumpet, flute and sax – not to mention mixers, keyboards and accessories. The CM series has high build quality in a variety of sizes, and also features double guitar bags in various combinations. For example, for the multiinstrumentalist among your customers you could offer two electrics together or one electric and one acoustic.

The boutique range has distinctive styling and quality finishing for those after a gigbag that’s a bit different, and at the high-end of the market, Levy’s makes all-leather and suede luxury gigbags. SSP £449.99.

The CM series includes a 600 denier polyester acoustic guitar bag featuring one-inch foam padding, plush lining, internal bridge and string protectors, saddle bag accessory pocket, twin shoulder straps and genuine leather trim, while the Boutique range includes a Chenille cheetah gigbag for various guitar shapes. There is also an internal bridge and string protectors, designer accessory pocket and twin shoulder straps. Leather guitar bags have leather trim and appointments, a large saddle bag accessory pocket and twin shoulder straps.

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SECTOR SPOTLIGHT • GIGBAGS

KINSMAN JHS’ stalwart line has seen a lot of other brands pass by over the years, but it keeps its head well above the water line, thanks to top-notch functionality and a starting price that not only puts the simpler models in the impulse-buy section of a store’s stock, but could easily be labelled ‘I’ll have two’.

There are four ranges in the collection: Premium, Deluxe, Regular and Standard, with the latter starting at £9.99.

The top of the range, Premium electric guitar bag retails at £41.99, and features 1,200 denier, heavy-duty fabric outer, body cover with super-size zipped padded magazine/music pocket, concealed outer body net accessory pockets, neck accessory pocket, adjustable (and storable) shoulder straps, a protective grip strip on bottom of the bag, plus a black and two-tone contrasting design.

Inside the 25mm padding, there is a soft lining, neck support block with Velcro fastening, leatherette protective pads for headstock and bridge and a support block for strap button protection.

WESTFIELD Another name that goes back as far as most retailers is Westfield, the P&R Howard brand that covers just about any angle in the MI business you care to think of.

Westfield has a range of sturdy deluxe gigbags featuring heavy duty, 20mm padding, chunky gauge 20 zip, a pedal pocket (why others don’t think of that, we’ll never know) and a large pocket for music, cables and so on. There are also padded back straps that can be zipped away if not in use.

Colour finishes available are black and red or black and grey and the range is available for electric, bass, jumbo and classical guitars, five-string banjo and one for acoustic bass, too.

TGI Staying with the bread and butter of UK supply, Barnes & Mullins’ TGI range, as with Kinsman and Westfield, fills the

entry level gap perfectly, while still managing to nod towards the ‘lifestyle’ brands with good designs and high functionality.

Three lines make up the TGI collective: the Budget, the Transit and the Extreme, with bags for most guitars, as well as banjos and mandos.

The Extreme series is made with black woven nylon with contrasting blue piping, featuring a 30mm double heavy padding, 70 denier, ‘no-scratch’ lining and strong coloured zip chords. For safety during portability, the bag has two extra strength webbing back straps with rubber shoulder supports and heavy-duty chrome clips and rings. It’s ideal for those with instruments of higher value. Complete with a sheet music pocket and two zipped accessory pockets.

ROKSAK/GATOR Freestyle’s bag range, Roksak, also comes in four ranges, starting with Economy 100 (again at a remarkable starting price of £9.95) and moving up through the Standard 10 and Deluxe 20 and topping out with the Premium 20 series at £34.95.

This bag has a waterproof, dustproof and tear-resistant nylon outer and extra thick, well balanced, padded carrying handles. All straps are stitched around the bag and riveted and there are a variety of accessory pockets on and in the jacket and the headstock sections.

Interestingly, the Premium has a reinforced carbon fibre base with nylon protectors, as well as the expected bridge and headstock protectors and 30mm of high-impact padding throughout.

Also from Freestyle is the Gator Extreme bag, which has a 600 denier nylon exterior and 420 denier nylon interior, ten millimetre internal padding, the reinforced interior at the headstock and bridge and all the straps and pockets you would hope for.

The bag is designed to fit any (and all) of the likes of Flying V, Explorer, Dean ML, Warlock and pretty much any of the other extreme and unusually shaped guitars you can think of.

MADAROZZO Back into the world of the Ritter spin-offs and even the name ‘Ritter’ makes an appearance here, as it is Martin Ritter who has set up the Madarozzo gigbag and case couture range, after spotting a gap in the market.

“The Madarozzo couturier range is a premier collection of individually designed musical instrument bags, cases and accessories that offers the discriminating player a fusion of fashion design, functionality and instrument protection,” says Ritter.

The full gamut of musical instruments is catered for by Madarozzo, with some 120 bags in the range for all guitars, brass and woodwind, drums and percussion, orchestral strings and keyboards.

The distinctive, eye-catching design belies the serious protection offered by these bags, with high quality foam padding throughout, giving top performance protection without making them heavyweight.

GIG Tom Rees’ Gig bags in Huddersfield not only pulled off something of a coup by registering the name Gig (which sits very comfortably alongside the generic word ‘bag’), but was also the first to go into direct competition with the work being done by Ritter, way back when.

Rees originally set up the business to run alongside his successful tech, repair and retail operation, to offer brass and woodwind players an attractive alternative to canvas and vinyl covered wooden boxes – and the brand has since grown to global proportions and now has models for strings and guitars, as well as brass and woodwind.

There are two ranges, Student and Advanced, each of which comes either stitched 600D polyester and microfibre or as moulded EVA materials.

CONTACTS Ritter has bags for most instruments, including trumpets

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RITTER (HEADSTOCK) ........................................................ 0121 508 6666 FUSION (ARIA)...................................................................... 01483 238725 TOM & WILL ....................................................................TOMANDWILL.COM REUNION BLUES (SUMMERFIELD) ....................................0191 414 9000 LEVY’S LEATHERS (WESTSIDE) ........................................0141 248 4812 KINSMAN (JHS) .....................................................................0113 286 5381 WESTFIELD (P&R HOWARD) ................................................01355 236621 TGI (BARNES & MULLINS) ...................................................01691 652449 ROKSAK/GATOR (FREESTYLE) ...........................................01924 455414 MADAROZZO (SUTHERLAND) ..........................................029 2088 7333 GIG ...........................................................................................01484 431725 www.mi-pro.co.uk

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‌more than just a gig bag!

Quality!

Distributed by Telephone + 44 (0)1483 238720 Visit us online www.fusion-bags.com

Š2009 FMIE Distributed by Fender GBI tel: 01342 331 726.

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HIGH-END ACOUSTICS • SECTOR SPOTLIGHT

The

wooden tops

Here we go again – it’s time to take a fresh look at what’s new in the mid to high-priced sector of the paradoxically most conservative and most dynamic market within MI. Rob Power sees the wood through the trees…

F

or any guitarist worth his salt, a decent acoustic guitar is not a luxury, but rather an absolute necessity.

Whilst making a mighty rock and roll based racket with an electric set up is always alluring, the power of the acoustic lies not in its volume, nor in its ability to shake a room, but in the subtle nuances that make being a musician genuinely enjoyable.

The higher end of the market, at £500plus, is home to a mix of well established and popular brands – the Martins and Taylors of this world – alongside a growing number of up-and-coming manufacturers determined to stake a claim. So, here in all its glory, is the cream of the crop of the acoustic market at the moment. Enjoy…

MARTIN/RECORDING KING Home to arguably the best known name in acoustic guitar-land in the form of Martin, Westside has plenty to offer those looking to spend their hard-earned ash on a new instrument. The return of the popular 1 Series, first introduced in 1993, is sure to prick up a few ears. Four new models are available, with the intention being to provide affordable solid wood guitars that reflect the spirit of the Style 15 and Style 17 instruments that were first introduced

by Martin during the Great Depression.

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Sitka spruce tops with hybrid scalloped bracing sit alongside rosewood fingerboard and bridges, bound and inlaid tops and backs and a hard shell case for good measure, with RRPs starting from £999.

Further developments at Martin include a collaboration with Roland that has resulted in the production of a new preamp, the Roland AP-1, which will now be available on several new Martin models including the 00C-16DBGTE, DC-16OGTE and the OMC-16OGTE. The AP-1 utilises Roland’s advanced Composite Object Sound Modelling technology to produce three body-specific tone variations designed to emulate that of a miked guitar, and includes a programmable seven-band eq, anti-feedback control, digital chromatic tuner, digital reverb and LCD display.

Elsewhere at Westside, Recording King continues to perform well, with the Classic II Series proving especially popular. These guitars are the most authentic pre-war style acoustic guitar available, with everything from the select woods to the vintage-style bevelled pick guard.

Featuring a solid Engelmann spruce top, solid back and sides in mahogany or rosewood, and a one-piece mahogany neck, each guitar is handcrafted and has a loud, expressive acoustic tone.

MARINER Mariner, a new brand and brainchild of Ken Achard, looks set to do a good job for Music Force as the company seeks to establish its new identity with some striking new product. The L-6N Super Jumbo is a Korean luthier-built super jumbo from Mariner’s Archive Series of premium acoustics. The range, which starts at £685, includes dreadnought, auditorium and drop shoulder jumbo models that feature the Open Arch mahogany swell back. With solid mahogany sides and selected Sitka spruce tops, maple bindings, mother of pearl inlays and Grover Rotomatic tuners, these instruments meet the high specs one might expect of a pro guitar. The L-6N sells for £710 RRP, complete with Deluxe shaped, plush lined, hard shell case.

At LIMS 2009, Mariner unveiled new and updated models in its Masthead and Eso series. Of particular note is the allnew Eso E-6AR, an auditorium style, topend model featuring book matched solid Indian rosewood back and sides and AAA grade Sitka spruce top. Figured maple bound and purfled with abalone, a mahogany neck, centre spliced with maple and rosewood and topped off with gold Grover tuners, it’s something of a feast and well worth checking out.

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SECTOR SPOTLIGHT • HIGH-END ACOUSTICS

FENDER With a number of big names including Taylor and Takamine now under Fender’s ever-expanding wing, it’s no surprise that there is plenty to be found in the company’s lines.

Takamine’s 2009 range aims to offer performers a mixture of good looks and classic tone. The LTD2009 features a NEX, small jumbo body with solid spruce top and solid mahogany back and sides.

Finished in a gloss Vintage Sunburst, its top is intricately decorated with a MOP inlayed pick guard and abalone rosette.

Other noteworthy features include an ebony fretboard with deluxe shell inlays, ivory cab fretboard binding, mahogany neck and rosewood pin bridge. Electronics are powered by Takamine’s award-winning and state of the art CTP-2 Cool Tube preamp, and a hard case is included.

At the very high end, Taylor continues to dominate as one of the biggest acoustic manufacturers in the world. Its 814ce Grand Auditorium Cutaway, retailing at a mighty £3,189.99, showcases perfectly what the company does best, bringing together an unmistakable rosewood tone, Taylor styling and the versatility of the of a Grand Auditorium body. A Venetian cutaway and Expression system pickup complete a desirable picking package.

TJ BADEN First becoming involved with 440 Distribution in the wake of Arbiter’s collapse, TJ Baden is a name that, although unfamiliar to some, looks like it will make itself known very soon. The company was established by Baden, an ex-Taylor employee of 18 years standing, who set out to establish a company to build modern, clean looking and sounding guitars that offer great margins for dealers.

These designs are handmade in the old school way – all solid, with nitro-cellulose finishes, bone nuts and saddles, with individual attention paid to every guitar and each one shipping in a hard shell case. There are two body shapes available, five wood options and two pick up options in the form of the Fishman Aura and Matrix Infinity.

Prices range from £759 to £1,649.

VINTAGE There are only a few Vintage acoustics that sneak over the £500 mark, but those that do are of an extremely high spec and offer excellent value at this level.

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One brand new addition is the V1700VSB Jumbo, with solid spruce top, solid flame maple back and sides, Indian rosewood fingerboard & bridge and a Vintage Sunburst finish, which clocks in at £579.00 RRP. A natural finish is also available at the same price.

The other is the remarkably popular V1800N, which features a solid spruce top, solid rosewood back and sides, flame maple binding with abalone purfling and a slotted headstock design for a snip at £539 RRP. FRESHMAN The Scottish firebrand has plenty to offer in this area of the market, beginning with the widely acclaimed 350 series. Solid Canadian AA graded Sitka spruce tops, solid mahogany back and sides, rosewood fingerboards and Grover Machine Heads with black buttons and a satin Finish make for a high spec first entry into the £500plus area, with an RRP of £599.95.

Next up is the 500 series. The choice and combination of high grade timbers, married together with care and attention, have produced lovely looking instruments that sound quite equally impressive. The guitars in the 500 Series are individually hand sprayed for a perfect gloss finish, with ivoroid binding and herringbone purfling to add subtle finishing touches.

Ibanez Artwood Studio range, which delivers strong, resonant tones. The finest craftsmanship, state-of-the-art electronics and new features such as FAST (Fast Action Set-Up Technology for easy neck adjustments) and Flying Top construction make the Artwood Studio models some of the highest quality acoustic instruments Ibanez has ever produced.

The Flying Top construction was developed by Swiss luthier Lukas Brunner, and this construction has been applied to Brunner’s own unique instruments. Instead of an X-bracing pattern, the top is reinforced with a thin piece of spruce that is graduated towards the edges, and supported at a single point by a ‘flying brace’ attached to the sides. This provides an ideal combination of strength, weight, stiffness and flexibility. The Artwood range starts from £765 RRP. WASHBURN Sound Technology has plenty to offer players looking for their next acoustic.

First up is the Washburn Cumberland Jumbo Series, which is made up of three full-bodied jumbo models, each with various options. The solid spruce topped J28S DL is available in both six and 12string configurations, and features a quilted maple back and sides. The J28SCE

At the top of the tree for Tanglewood is its MasterDesign range, designed in collaboration with renowned Scandinavian luthier Michael Sanden.

TANGLEWOOD At the top of the tree for Tanglewood is its MasterDesign range, designed and built in collaboration with renowned Scandinavian luthier Michael Sanden. Sanden builds luxury boutique guitars at his workshop in Sweden and has designed a range incorporating some of his most functional and stylistic handcrafted features into six models – three mahogany and three rosewood – which have all been made to a precise Sanden blueprint. They include the famous Sanden Ebony Japanese brushstroke bridge, the delicate rosewood face unbranded headstocks, the zero fret to offer precise intonation, and the charming and tasteful ‘T’ emblem fashioned in green abalone on the 12th fret of all models, the only visible sign of branding on each instrument.

Each guitar is quite unique in its handcrafted manufacture and the understated elegance of MasterDesign by Sanden really is worth taking the time to check out, with prices starting from £1,199.

IBANEZ Ibanez has some interesting acoustic models in this price bracket, including the

DL adds a cut-away, B-band A15 preamp and the option of a standout transparent black finish. The J27CE is a striking looking guitar with Java Ebony top, back and sides, and is sure to catch roving eyes with one hand on the wallet.

The latest Festival Series model – the EA21HM (Heavy Metal) – is aimed squarely at the metal connoisseur who demands the same pointy looks from their acoustic guitar as they do their electric. It features a Florentine cut-away, six-a-side slanted headstock and B-Band A15 preamp. The EA21HM is available in Black, White and Trans Red. Larrivee is also available from Sound Technology, with a range that includes the USA made, ‘Larrivee’ shaped L-10, featuring a solid Sitka spruce top and stunning Indian rosewood back and sides.

Deluxe abalone inlays decorate the ebony fretboard and bridge. Abalone also enhances the purfling around the soundboard and sound hole, and all models are available left handed at no extra cost. Various electric options are available including both LR Baggs and Fishman Aura preamps, whilst all come with hard cases.

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SECTOR SPOTLIGHT • HIGH-END ACOUSTICS

YAMAHA Yamaha’s £500-plus acoustic guitar lineup features a number of models from the APX, CPX and L-Series ranges, with the biggest news for the company this year arriving in the form of the new NX series.

Billed as ‘nylon string guitars for nonnylon players,’ the nine model range (£575-£3,135 RRP) features a choice of models, including the ‘crossover’ NTX with an APX-style body, 48mm nut width (slightly wider than a steel string but narrower than a classical) and radiused fingerboard. There is also the distinctly more traditional NCX model with its flatradius 52mm nut width and ‘CG’ style classical body, whilst the entire range benefits from a nylon-specific two-way ART pickup system using Yamaha’s proprietary contact pickups.

Yamaha is positioning the series to appeal to guitarists across the board, way beyond the traditional realms of the nylon string players. “We’ve seen a growing trend for people playing crossover nylon string guitars – that is using nylon strings way outside of what convention says nylon strings should be used for,” says Yamaha’s Julian Ward. “The NX design was very much about crossing the line between steel and nylon strings,” continues Ward.

“We looked at it from the point of view of a long-established classical guitar manufacturer but also having the perspective of one of the leading performance electro-acoustic manufacturers thanks to our massively successful APX and CPX ranges. And our ART system is incredible for nylon.”

FAITH/PATRICK JAMES EGGLE Faith has become an important brand for Barnes and Mullins, representing a foot firmly planted in the world of high-end acoustics. Patrick James Eggle has teamed up with one of the finest European workshops around to create three models that use only the finest AAAgrade tonewoods, and meet with his own guitar-building mantra of ‘Quality over all’. The Signature concept was launched at the recent LIMS 2009 show, and is sure to win fans quickly. Prices start from £1,850 for the Orchestra model, rising through to £1,999 for the JMB. ”For a guitar to carry my signature I have to be completely confident in its ability to perform,” comments Eggle on the range.

“When Faith asked me to create three models that would go head-to-head with the most prestigious guitars around, I decided to keep to what I know the best – the quality of tonewood and meticulous craft. I have spent my whole life building guitars for some of the most demanding musicians around, and I would have no

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hesitation in recommending Faith Signature guitars to every professional I know.”

SEAGULL/SIMON & PATRICK Two key brands for EMD fit into this category. First up is Seagull, which with its S6 has a bone fide award-winning guitar that is well regarded by a number of top flight players. A solid cedar top, wild cherry back and sides, silver leaf maple neck, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge plus a semi-gloss lacquer finish are all part of the package at £509.

The second important acoustic brand for EMD is Simon & Patrick, which with the Showcase series has a genuine top flight contender. With an RRP of £1,289, you would expect a top quality guitar, and that is exactly what you get. With a compound curve design, and solid spruce top, this is a guitar that screams quality all over and is well worth a punt for players looking for something away from the usual names in this part of the market.

COLLINGS Regarded as some of the finest flat tops out there, Collings has an extensive range of tonally wonderful guitars that are built to exacting standards. The 12 fret 00 series, with its dimensions similar to a typical classical guitar, slotted headstock and small pyramid bridge, certainly has resonance with a certain type of guitarist.

The comfortable size and timeless appearance of the Collings 00 is matched by the ease of playing a wide neck and shorter string scale affords. The tone is balanced and precise, and it has been adopted by players for a wide range of playing styles from simple vocal accompaniment to ragtime solos. A versatile performer indicative of the high quality throughout Collings’ ranges.

TIMBERLINE The Timberline brand gives Strings & Things a toe in the acoustic market, and it is doing a solid job. One need only take a

look at the 80 series, which, starting from £839, offers both quality and value for money. A solid Engelmann top with abalone edging is complemented by an ebony fingerboard and bridge and all gloss finish, not to mention a rather dashing Timberline hard case.

BLUERIDGE With Blueridge, Gremlin has a brand that is extremely alluring to players after guitars that have the look, feel and tone of pre-war instruments, but don’t want to have to re mortgage the house to afford one. The GR5240 is a great example: a parlour bodied guitar with a solid Sitka spruce top, solid mahogany body and a slotted headstock. It’s a connoisseur’s guitar from an era when they really knew how to make them, and retails at a pretty affordable £699.

The ‘50s-styled, slop shouldered BG-140 is another Blueridge guitar worth a look. Its vintage sunburst finish, Dalmatian tortoise pickguard and exclusive ‘Century Wreath’ peghead and fingerboard are nicely complemented by a carved mahogany, low profile neck. Complete with a short scale and solid mahogany backs and sides, this is an awful lot of guitar for its £699 RRP. NORMAN Straight out of Quebec, Canada, Norman Guitars is one of the big names in Active’s catalogue. Comprising of three series – the Protege, Studio and Encore – Norman’s guitars offer straightforward, clean designs which utilise high quality tonewoods and aim to provide players with a guitar that will only improve with age. The B18 features a semi-gloss polished finish and a select pressure-tested solid cedar top. The back and sides are a three-way cherry laminate, whilst the rosewood fingerboard and Graphtech nut and saddle finish things off nicely. It has the option of Fishman Classic 4T electronics and a case, and is of course designed and manufactured in Canada.

CONTACTS MARTIN (WESTSIDE) .............................................................0141 2484812 MARINER (MUSIC FORCE) ...................................................01780 781630 FENDER .....................................................................................01342 331711 TJ BADEN (440 DISTRIBUTION) ........................................0113 258 9599 VINTAGE (JHS) ......................................................................0113 286 5381 FRESHMAN ............................................................................01355 228028 TANGLEWOOD ..........................................................................01937 841122 IBANEZ (HEADSTOCK).........................................................0121 508 6666 WASHBURN (SOUND TECHNOLOGY) ...............................01462 480000 YAMAHA ................................................................................01908 366700 PJ EGGLE/FAITH (BARNES & MULLINS) ...........................01691 652449 SEAGULL/SIMON & PATRICK(EMD) ...................................01293 862612 COLLINGS ............................................................................+1 512 288 7776 TIMBERLINE (STRINGS & THINGS)....................................01273 440442

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COMPANY PROFILE • MI DIRECT

Direct and to the point With some of the most sought-after licences in the industry and a new distribution deal in Ireland, MI Direct is a company that is going places fast. Rob Power finds out more…

W

henever you talk to a general MI dealer (and a lot others, too) and ask ‘what’s your bread and butter business?’ the answer is usually ‘accessories, bits and pieces, the little things, the impulse buys’. Hardly surprising, then, that some of the biggest names in UK supplies are very conscious of – and focused upon – the little things that keep a retailer’s business ticking over.

While not exactly one of the big boys (yet), MI Direct is this year celebrating its fifth anniversary of bringing value and exclusive products to the market. “When we set out, our original mantra was to provide the independent music dealers with quality products from overseas manufacturing facilities, which gave greater than average profit opportunities,” explains one of MI Direct’s founders, Paul Whelan. “It was important that these products could not be found at the click of a mouse, therefore giving the dealer a fairly exclusive product for their shop.”

The company’s first line was the Cable Guys brand of cables, which, with its original marketing and obvious quality, was soon creating a buzz for Whelan and his co-founder, Bob Edwards. Interestingly, the next step was to grow into a very favourable partnership indeed – with the Australian company Grover Allman.

“We see partnerships with customers and suppliers as the most important aspect of our business and we have developed these relationships over the last five years to a very personal level, which has helped build the business to where it is today,” explains Whelan. “The Grover Allman relationship has really flourished.

“It contacted us early on with the Simpsons range of plectrums. It had been involved in the UK before, but had not really received the penetration for their products that it had wanted. We naturally jumped at the opportunity.”

Whelan and Edwards were well prepared for such a product. They had been involved with licensed products in

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Bob Edwards (left) and Paul Whelan the early ‘80s when they worked in the toy industry and knew right away the impact licensed images can have on product sales. There was, Whelan explains, an immediate chemistry between his company and the Australians and a lot in common in the way each side viewed business relationships. From the beginning, the two sides have worked closely, developing a range of products under the Simpsons brand – guitar straps, manuscript bags, ukuleles and classical guitars (targeting both boys and girls).

Other licensed products followed, with South Park picks and straps and now the latest addition to be developed and coming soon to the UK will be Family Guy – thus making an impressive triumvirate of irreverent cartoons. Family Guy, as with the others, will hit the streets with a range of guitar picks and develop from there.

Today with Whelan and Kevin Grover as complementary managing directors, MID is developing other ranges of accessories with Grover Allman, including MI Direct’s Guitar Buddy brand, which will also incorporate the GA branding. Grover and Whelan believe that brand building is

important to the development of their respective products and Whelan points to the success of Cable Guys guitar and audio leads as an example. “We have built a brand that people now ask for by name.

These cables are manufactured to a very high quality and offer profit opportunities of 200 per cent mark-up.”

The relationship between GA and MI Direct has not stopped there and further partnerships have been born, like when MI Direct introduced GA into new countries such as Norway. MID has benefited from expanding contacts in Australia through GA, developing the growing range of Renegade straplocks and leather straps from Colonial Leather. These relationships have allowed the individual businesses to dovetail and the collective strength will help, MID believes, to build some strong product brands in the future.

The latest development for MID has been the agreement with Lesley Kane’s new Irish distribution operation, KMI. “A fortuitous meeting in Frankfurt this year between us, Lesley and Kevin meant we could move forward with expansion, with someone we knew and who we

believed would become an important partner,” relates Whelan. “Both Kevin and I recognise the difficulty covering these areas and we see sub-distributors as an integral part of a growing network of partners.” (The company has had a similar relationship with Steve Clinkscale in Scotland over recent years.)

The firm has also gone through some personnel changes and has become a limited company, with Whelan and Edwards as directors and Denise Whelan becoming company secretary.

“We never underestimate the small products,” says Whelan. “These are impulse buys and can only enhance retailers’ sales, and profits.”

Amen to that. And with so many small companies working together to create something that is bigger than the sum of the parts, understanding each other’s business and what each business demands, all working together to get value-for-money products to the end user, everyone involved can feel very good about making more than a little money.

Amen to that, too.

MI DIRECT: 01543 473762

www.mi-pro.co.uk

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COMPANY PROFILE • CPC

Informal introduction Taking a growing interest in the MI market, CPC has decided to publicise its diversification with a trade show. Rob Hughes finds out how the demise of the DJ Show North has opened up the prospect of new business…

A

fter a successful four years, 2008 sadly marked the end of the DJ Show North, after organiser Paul Arnett observed a drop in enthusiasm among DJs for non-retail events, such as his. It was a great shame for the North to lose its only DJ-focused show, but for the electrical and related product distributor, CPC, it provided a golden opportunity to build some awareness of its steadily increasing presence in the MI market.

Established in 1967, CPC has over 40 years experience of serving a large and diverse customer base. The company stocks more than 100,000 products from over 1,200 manufacturers and adds a mind-boggling 10,000 new lines every year. A growing percentage of this stock includes sound and light equipment and this has recently led to the addition of musical instruments.

Chris Beesley, product manager for AV and installation, explains: “We pretty much cover all markets, but at the moment we’re playing a big role in the sound and light markets and that extends into the musical instrument sector. We stock a reasonable range of budget instruments – we don’t go into the higher-end branded instruments, but we’re starting to import

34 miPRO JULY 2009

more and more MI products ourselves. This allows us to give music shops cracking deals, from which they can resell at very reasonable prices, give the end-user a great deal and still yield a good margin.”

CPC is a relatively new player in MI distribution and this, combined with its philosophy of spreading thinly across a huge number of markets, has meant that it is still unknown to many potential

we open our doors and let them in, they can come and meet us and find out exactly what we do. The cancellation of the DJ show left a free date as far as Northern MI shows are concerned. We figured that a good proportion of people who would have gone to that show would also have an interest in what we had to offer. So we jumped on the back of that and decided to hold our own show the

customers. To remedy this it has decided to host an open day/trade show aimed at the sound and light sector in general, where those who could benefit from its services can find out more about the company and the products it sells. The date is set for the last weekend in July, on which DJ Show North was previously held.

“For us it’s about being better known in the industry,” notes Beesley. “We cross over a very wide range of products, so if

same weekend – it’s already one that people recognise as having a sound and light show. It seems like the best chance to generate a bit more awareness of CPC in the industry.”

The option of employing an external venue was considered, but CPC decided that the more personal environment of its own offices was preferable. It is important for trade visitors to have a look around and get a feel for how it operates.

As Beesley says, CPC has an enormous site – hundreds of thousands of square feet – so there is ample room to fit everyone in.

Called Sounds and FX Live, the show is to be based around CPC’s new catalogue of the same name, which details the 1,100-plus MI-related products that the firm stocks. The event will bring together 25 manufacturers, showcasing more than 65 brands, many of which are recognised industry heavyweights, such as Kam, Sennhesier, Adam Hall and many more.

Exhibitors will be on hand to provide live demonstrations of the latest products and offer expert advice and guidance.

“The open day is designed to let industry people know who we are and what we do,” concludes Beesley. “From the end-user, through education, right up to trade level, where we already have dedicated account managers dealing with music shops all over country. We have a lot to offer MI and this is set to grow.”

CPC’s Sounds and FX Live show takes place on Sunday July 26th at the firm’s offices in Fulwood, Preston. Information and registration can be found at http://cpc.farnell.com.

CPC: 01772 664832

www.mi-pro.co.uk

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COMPANY PROFILE • FENDER

Filling the gap With what is probably the broadest collection of guitar brands on its books, Fender is approaching each one on a step-by-step basis. Hamer is at the forefront at the moment and Gary Cooper discovers that the team has a very clear idea as to how this famous US brand will slot in…

W

hen MI Pro sits down to quiz Fender GBI’s Mark Ramsay (Jackson/KMC brands manager), Neil Whitcher (marketing communications manager) and Graeme Mathieson (general manager – pictured above), about their plans for Hamer, we can’t help but be reminded of our December 2008 interview.

there is still anger and frustration among others, some of whom had been doing excellent business, particularly with the affordable and popular Epiphone range.

Why should this bother Fender? Because, when it acquired the Kaman stable it took on, in the form of Hamer, one of the few guitar ranges which could comfortably fit

“What sets Hamer XTs apart is the quality of them. There are models that cater for a number of needs in terms of the style.”

Mark Ramsey, Fender GBI When we spoke to Mathieson back then, one of the first ‘off the record’ issues we wanted to discuss with him was the vacuum left in the UK guitar market by Gibson’s decision to sell exclusively through a small number of appointed dealers. It had proved to be possibly the most controversial move in British guitar retailing for a decade or more and, for all that those appointed by Brand G will tell you how well they are doing as a result,

36 miPRO JULY 2009

into some of that empty space – what has been called the ‘Gibson gap’.

Though a bigger name in its native USA than here, Hamer’s vaguely Gibson-like designs have tremendous cachet at the top end of the market, while its Far Eastern sourced XT range could potentially save a lot of retailers from having to turn away business when customers come looking for Epiphone models they can no longer supply. It’s not that the XTs are

copies – it’s that they do similar jobs and come with a recognised US brand pedigree.

Fender GBI is far too professional to talk publicly about going head-to-head with another major manufacturer and really would prefer not to mention the competition by name at all, but that inhibition doesn’t apply to commentators – so we can say that the company’s recent decision to ‘go for it’ with Hamer is likely to be the source of some serious interest to retailers. Particularly at a time when they are looking forward to the buying season getting under way in the autumn and are wondering whether anything has yet come along to fill the gaps on their walls.

“We’ve taken some time to identify where Hamer sits in the UK market,” Ramsay says. “The XT range fits quite nicely in the lower to intermediate level, with prices ranging from £229 to almost £600.”

Ramsay sees the potential XT buyer in quite definite terms: “It’s the general player, but with a slight bias toward the younger end – say those aged from ten to their early 20s,

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FENDER • COMPANY PROFILE

TUNERS AND METRONOMES

FREE who want a first or intermediary guitar and who are looking to spend that bit extra more than they perhaps did on the entry level guitar they bought first time.

“What sets Hamer XTs apart is the quality of them.

There are models there that cater for a number of needs in terms of the style and they are all very well made. We’ve got guitars with Floyd Rose tremolos on them; we’ve got guitars with high spec Seymour Duncan and EMG pickups. There’s something for everyone – it’s quite a wide range.

“You pick up a Hamer XT and you don’t think you’ve picked up a Far Eastern guitar – you think that you’ve picked up a really good quality guitar.”

Ramsay says it would be wrong, however, to think of Hamer simply as a substitute for anything else. “That would be the wrong way to think about it. It’s a brand that exists in its own right and has a reason to exist because of the quality, the range and the price points.

BUILDING THE BRAND Good though the guitars might be, there is certainly no shortage of good, cheap guitars on the market today. A retailer has any number of options and even a few significant brands in their own right aren’t unheard of in this price range. But what Hamer offers is a name that has serious American pedigree.

However, though Hamer is undoubtedly a wellrespected brand among older cognoscenti, it has had a troubled history in the UK. Only in the past few years has it achieved anything like its potential and it’s never having received its promotional dues. Fender has had, therefore, to plan carefully to establish the name with the younger players.

“There’s a definite vibe that we need to get going with the XT series,” says Whitcher, whose job it is to reestablish Hamer under the Fender banner here. “We’re pitching it right in there for the people who don't just want the obvious shapes like a Strat, a Tele or a Les Paul.

In the XT range you’ve got a wider choice of styles to choose from, with a V-shape, an Explorer-like and a double cutaway model, and we need to pitch it for those potential buyers.”

“It won’t happen overnight, we know that,” adds Mathieson. “Players of 30 years and older will know about Hamer, but an 18-year-old probably won’t even know who Cheap Trick was, whose Rick Nielsen was such a big endorser for Hamer. So our first priority is to get some ads out there to make them aware of the brand and to get them into the stores to give dealers the opportunity to sell them.

“We think our first step with Hamer is getting the product out on show, which is what we are doing right now. When people see them in the stores and see what price they are, they can reach their own

conclusions and we’re pretty sure the reaction is going to be, ‘Blimey – is that that price?’”

“In terms of the marketing, we’ve created a new catalogue with a fresher look and there will be advertising in the consumer guitar magazines, but our focus is very much based on the product itself,” adds Whitcher. “We haven’t been working on the artist side of Hamer yet – in fact we’re really at the first stages with it and that means getting it to the dealers so that they can see the opportunity that’s there for them.”

That said, Fender isn’t the only guitar maker bidding to fill this market gap, so what is it that makes Fender the place for a dealer to put his business, over and above the appeal of the guitars themselves?

“We’re becoming a bit of a one-stop shop for some retailers,” says Mathieson. “We’ve got the brands and it’s all part of a single cash-flow stream with those dealers.

It becomes easier to handle when it’s all under one account, so dealing with us is very easy. And it’s important to realise that we’re not trying to cast our net very wide with Hamer. We’re not looking for 500 dealers. We’re in the first stages of brand building and if we end up with 50 dealers or 100 dealers, then that’s what it will be and we’ll grow the line gradually, as we’re doing with some of the other brands we took over, such as Genz-Benz and SWR.” SUPPLY AND DEMAND Which brings us to the question of supply, although, perhaps predictably, Fender is more than confident that, should Hamer suddenly become flavour of the month, it could supply in the sort of quantity that could be demanded. “That’s not going to be a problem,” Mathieson promises.

“There is definitely a gap that has emerged in the market and we can only put that down to a lack of availability to the end user,” he continues. “If you’re looking to buy a product that costs £1,500 to £2,000, you don’t mind travelling a bit, but if you’re looking to spend £200 or £300 you don’t want to travel any great distance.

“This is really our first toe in the water with Hamer as a brand and we’ve taken our time working out what we are going to do with it. We think now is the time and that there are a lot of smaller and medium-sized dealers out there that haven’t got a suitable product in this market area.”

With a strong enough consumer push and some mining of the brand’s heritage, it’s hard not to see Hamer’s XT series as being in with a serious chance. It certainly has competitors in its price range, but some of the more serious of those with US connections are aimed squarely at the heavy metal market and Hamer is broader in its appeal than that. Whether Hamer’s hour has finally come in the UK remains to be seen, but a lot of retailers will be considering its attractions very seriously over the next two or three months.

FENDER GBI: 01342 331726

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miPRO JULY 2009 37

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COMPANY PROFILE • GODLYKE

Godlyke supplies Spare a thought for the smaller manufacturers, often one-man bands toiling away in workshops to get the quality they believe in – and it is usually about quality. Gary Cooper finds out what makes Godlyke's Kevin Bolembach tick...

M

ake a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door. Or maybe not. Ralph Waldo Emerson certainly thought so, but his fellow American, Kevin Bolembach, though he certainly builds impressive gear, has had to hustle pretty hard to get it into the UK market – though the dam might now be about to burst.

Bolembach’s company, Godlyke Distribution, makes the well regarded digital Power-All step-down power system for effects pedals, distributed here by Rocky Road. It has a lot going for it – not least because it is transformer-less, thus hum-free, can work on any international mains and can supply more than 20 9V devices from a single outlet.

It has taken a while for the Power-All to get going, but now Bolembach has novel ideas on the way and he is looking to find further UK outlets for some of them.

Goldlyke is unusual for a boutiquey manufacturer in that, as its name BOLEMBACH: Incredibly efficient

38 miPRO JULY 2009

suggests, it is also a fully fledged distributor in its own right in the USA, handing products including Guyatone, Emma, Maxon and Hao pedals. Indeed, it has made analog boutique effects pedals a speciality and is now becoming a manufacturer, with its innovative Little Dipper, under its own TWA brand.

“Over the past ten to 20 years there have been great advances in digital technology,” Bolembach says. “One of the best applications has been in power supplies. The copper coil transformer that has been the industry standard since there has been an industry is now going the way of the dinosaur. Copper is expensive, it’s heavy, costs are rising and, on top of that, transformer-based power supplies are incredibly inefficient. Much of the energy is lost as heat. About ten years ago they developed digital switching technology and that’s what we are using in Power-All. It’s incredibly efficient, there’s no heat loss and it can take any line voltage and bring

it down to nine Volts DC, so it’s usable anywhere and it meets all the international safety ratings.”

Aside from its technical merits, there is another factor that makes the Power-All a hot sales prospect – it’s an affordable toy in a recession. “Maybe a musician can’t afford to go out and spend £500 on a new guitar or amplifier, but £100 on a new effect pedal is a different proposition and what we have with Power-All is an accessory to the accessories. It also means the retailer just needs to stock this one power supply, which will handle any effect his customer has. It’s a one-stop shop for power supplies – the Power-All will do

Wicked Audio – and the first product is the Little Dipper, an envelope controlled filter designed to emulate the vowel sounds from human speech, which it does using a velocity sensitive dual filter matrix.

It’s very reactive to picking dynamics from the guitar player and as the filters sweep across each other they create frequency notches, then follow the note envelope. It creates ‘AEIOU’ vowel sounds and some really interesting dynamic effects – emulating talk boxes, phase shifters, autowahs. It’s got a lot of applications.”

Having distributed some interesting Japanese pedal brands for a decade, Bolembach has done his research and says

absolutely everything.”

Sold in two forms – as a power supply only, or with multiple leads for daisychaining up to 11 pedals with a variety of jumper cables to suit any pedal (even vintage and obscure ones), it’s an affordable purchase for the musician who likes to buy good quality gear, but isn’t in the mood for a new Les Paul. Also in the Power-All range are a ground reverser, making vintage UK pedals more easily usable in modern multi-pedal arrays, and a variety of other geeky accessories for the still strong pedal market.

Godlyke’s latest product, the Little Dipper pedal, sees the company heading directly into the boutique pedal market, though at present has no UK distributor.

“TWA is our new brand name – Totally

there is a definite gap in the market for the Little Dipper, something he has enhanced by making it as cool to look at as he says it sounds.

“We’re currently looking for a UK distributor for TWA and Little Dipper,” Bolembach says. “It’s not a cheap product – in the States it will retail on the high street for $300, so it could be around £300 in the UK, but it is a really unique product, 100 per cent made in the USA, not aimed at a price point. It’s for pros, boutique guys and it’s the first of a range with a second unit now in prototype stage which we hope to be able to release before the end of the year.”

And available when in the UK? Watch this space.

GODLYKE: +1 866 246 3595

www.mi-pro.co.uk

Music Trades '08

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COMPANY PROFILE • STRINGS & THINGS Left to right: Mark Snelling, Peter Lunney and Rod Bradley – talking to the right people

Sterling efforts Strings & Things has been the staple of MI retail consumption for well over 30 years now since its well documented beginnings. Andy Barrett discovers that the only consistent element in such a stable history is change…

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here are some companies that have become part of the MI furniture.

They seem always to have been around, they continue to be so and we assume they always will – until you stop and think about it for a second, that is.

Staying in business (in MI particularly), requires a constant vigilance just to keep apace. Anyone that has survived more than 30 years is always worth revisiting in order to assess what is new.

Strings & Things’ story, beginning with how it sprouted from the head of the near-legendary Top Gear retail operation on Denmark Street in the 1970s, has been told many times. But with founder Rod Bradley celebrating his 65th birthday the day before I spoke to him, it seemed an ideal time to get the latest chapter.

For a start, forget about retirement.

Bradley simply doesn’t have the time.

“Chance would be a fine thing,” he says. “I get to see a bit more cricket now than I used to, but there’s still lots to do here.”

Strings & Things started out, as the name implies, selling strings and accessories to the trade – and this is still a major part of the company’s business,

www.mi-pro.co.uk

with the main contract being Ernie Ball, as well as joint distribution deals for D’Addario and Dunlop and its own Picato brand. But when Ernie Ball took over the Music Man brand in the ‘80s, the company found itself at the very heart of the music business. (The fact that Ernie Ball and, by default, Music Man is still the core of Strings & Things business is another tribute to the staying power of Bradley and his team.)

the whole thing to a halt. The Sterling by Musicman instruments are made in the Far East too, but everything goes to California for quality control. The launch of these has been pretty impressive.”

Dealers had only received initial shipments as MI Pro went to press, with the second shipment due later in July.

“We’ve got some big back orders already,” he adds.

Sterling is not an entry-level brand, by

“Music changes, so we change, too. We are a cog in the wheel to help musicians create.”

Rod Bradley, Strings & Things The recent news from the stable is the new Sterling by Musicman range of midto-high priced guitars and basses. “They have been trying to do this for a while now,” explains Bradley. “Originally, there were the Subs – all US made, but because of that it was difficult to compete. Then they tried the OLP range, made in the Far East. These went quite well, but the diversity of the sources eventually brought

any means, but it enables the end users to get their hands on a genuine Music Man design for half the price.

Another major brand for Strings & Things is the Hercules range of stands.

“We have been doing XCG stands for a while now,” explains Bradley. “It’s a Taiwanese company we have a very close relationship with, so when they came up with Hercules a few years ago, we got first

shout. It’s an excellent product with some really good features – it’s all part of the bread and butter of our business.”

The company will also be taking on Paiste and Vic Firth – it handled the Paiste brand for many years, and has recently entered into an agreement with Korg to sub-distribute these brands.

All of this means that Strings & Things has seen considerable growth over the past year and will need to expand to keep up. “We’re in the process of taking more space,” he says. “It’s the good fortune we have of having such good brands – they grow and we grow with them. And it’s good to have Paiste here again, too. With Pete Lunney (general manager), Mark Snelling (director and purchasing manager) and me all having been around for a while, we know how to talk to the right people and keep things changing – and that is so important for business.”

Despite success over the years, Bradley has kept his feet on the ground. When I ask him if things have changed since the days when he wanted to change the world, he says that was never on his mind.

“We didn’t think like that. Music changes, so we change, too. We are a cog in that wheel and our job is to help musicians get out and create as they want to. You don’t come across many innovators in MI – but, for want of a better word, we are here to service music makers. That’s the beauty of this industry – who knows what we’ll be doing next year.”

STRINGS & THINGS: 01273 440442

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COMPANY PROFILE • AUDIO TECHNICA

Servicing needs While few companies have made more impression upon its end-user community than Audio Technica recently, the company is keen not to rest on its laurels. Andy Barrett discovers that, for good service, you have to run to stand still...

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lthough the art of re-invention is central to the popular music business, it is something of an oddity in business – and virtually nonexistent in MI business. Thus Audio Technica’s activities of the past three years have stood out as something of a showcase when it comes to re-branding and then re-examining and tweaking that branding on a regular basis.

Behind it all is AT’s senior marketing manager, Harvey Roberts, a man with an unimpeachable pedigree, having worked in similar ways with both Fuji and Psion before joining the Leeds mic operation.

Since giving the Audio Technica brand a complete facelift in 2006, Roberts and his team have been analysing every aspect of the business, even going as far as running an anonymous survey through Music Tech magazine late last year. The results were pretty encouraging.

“We wanted a warts-and-all perspective of how we are seen, by both end users and retailers,” explains Roberts. “Obviously, we get feedback from the sales team that is pretty accurate, but that will never reveal any little home truths. It’s all very well sitting in your office and believing this or that, but every now and then it’s better to get the information first hand.”

Interestingly, from the dealers, the prime reasons for recommending a mic were the customer service available, product availability and speed of delivery.

Audio Technica was encouraged to see that it came top in these areas.

“Over 80 per cent said our customer service was ‘good’ or ‘very good’ – 52 per cent saying ‘very good’,” says Roberts.

“This proved to me that the product is not

42 miPRO JULY 2009

Audio Technica’s office-based sales team in Leeds (left) and Harvey Roberts just the microphone, but that and everything around it.”

At this point, a lot of companies might have been tempted to say: ‘well, that’s all right then’ and carry on. Audio Technica, on the other hand, saw it as an opportunity to strengthen its positives.

“Some of the changes we have made

department to be more in line with the hours the retailers work – 8am to 5:30pm – and we will be opening over Christmas in future, just as the retailers have to. The Christmas break can be as much as two weeks and it is a busy time in the shops with lots of queries and even returns.

Forcing the dealer to say ‘I’m sorry, there

“We are a family company at heart. So, yes, you are right to say we aim to be more accessible.”

Harvey Roberts have been on-going, such as restructuring the field sales team and co-ordinating them with a team member in the Leeds office – all of this was happening anyway, but it still fits the scheme in that it is important to have the left hand knowing what the right hand is doing.

“On top of that, we have extended our opening times for the customer service

won’t be anyone at Audio Technica until January 3rd’ simply isn’t good enough.”

Further to that, the entire office-based sales team is taking an NVQ in customer service. Some might argue that sales people need good customer skills anyway, but it transfers to the office workers, too.

It’s no-one’s job to simply answer the phone and then pass the buck.

Then there is the new regime of weekly calls to check on back orders, a new website (partly beta tested by the UK retailers). It all goes towards making Audio Technica an accessible company and not one that, through the sort of growth that all companies aspire to, becomes slowly more corporate and faceless.

“We are a family company at heart,” insists Roberts. “So, yes, you’re right to say we aim to be more accessible. This comes from asking ourselves why we do something and how customers see us.”

Taking this into account, the Music Tech survey put AT at the top as regards mic companies’ websites. “The figures weren’t good, though,” he admits. “A third of respondents said the site was adequate or poor, so this is why we have gone out to make it better, more user-friendly, more interactive and with easier, broader search functions. Users customise their pages to fit their interests and specialisations. I’m really pleased with the results.”

Despite this, Roberts says there will be further tweaks and additional functions to the site over the next year or so.

Perhaps the most significant fact of all of this, however, is the fact that none of it has happened in a vacuum. Each element has an effect or an influence on every other one, co-ordinating the sales teams, warehousing, IT and customer service to bring an integrated system to dealers and end users, while all the time projecting the image of a single, considerate company.

“It’s nothing ground-breaking,” says Roberts. “It’s simply making the best use of what we have and making sure that it works together.”

AUDIO TECHNICA: 0113 277 1441

www.mi-pro.co.uk

folk boom:Layout 1

10/06/2009

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It’s time to go Acoustic!

DO YOU LIKE TO STOCK INSTRUMENTS WITH A GREAT TURNOVER AND A HIGH MARGIN?

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We adapt the range to suit your shop and your requirements, and include the very best selling items we have in stock with the most general appeal.

The range is made up of the most in-demand folk instruments in the UK and includes Accordions, Ukuleles, Mandolins, Whistles, Bouzoukis and Autoharps. You can complement the range as much or as little as you like with additional items from our extensive catalogue.

The Folk Dealership package costs around £1200 and qualifies you for a 7.5% discount on everything from our Folk range.* Don’t forget we offer a 5% prompt payment discount too!

Call or email today for full details or to start putting together your Core Folk Package! *Excluding selected special items on which discounts are not available. Terms & Conditions Apply.

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

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COMPANY PROFILE • HEADSTOCK

The power and the glory Preamp distortion, it would seem, has become something of a pre-requisite in amp design of late, but try telling that to the folks at Laney. Andy Barrett takes a look at the famous manufacturer’s latest take on the oldest of traditions…

G

uitar players have developed an unhealthy fascination with preamp distortion... Well, that’s the line being put forward by Laney at the moment – and the closer you look, the more you might find yourself agreeing.

Where did this obsession come from?

Talking to Headstock’s sales manager, Lindsay Harvey, and marketing manager, Simon Fraser-Clark, the answer is clear. It boils down to the actions of one Mr Eddie Van Halen.

“Adding an extra preamp tube to his amps sounded the death knell for a significant part of our guitar playing cultural heritage,” asserts Fraser-Clark.

“That of power amp distortion.”

Up until this point, the argument goes, our musical cultural heritage had reflected the sound of amplifiers being driven hard – both preamps and power amps wound up to give guitar players that golden sound of rich harmonic compression.

This preamp obsession did not go unnoticed by Laney and, a few years ago, the company decided to do something about it.

“It’s important in the amp business to be seen as cool,” muses Harvey. “To have that you need a good reputation, definitely, but you have to make sure you stay the course as well.”

Laney has certainly done that. The manufacturer has been producing valve

44 miPRO JULY 2009

Lindsay Harvey (left) and Simon Fraser-Clark believe in Laney’s small beauties guitar amps continuously since 1967 and has enjoyed considerable success for the past decade. Over those years the emphasis on bigger amps and increased preamp distortion became the dominant factor in amp production – ‘more gain, please’ seems to have been the resounding battle cry of the MTV and weekend warrior generation.

Combine this with the vast improvement in the availability of quality, affordable PA and you can guarantee that the first thing a sound engineer will say to a guitarist at sound check is ‘you can turn that down for a start’. Setting good tone at low volumes means preamp overdrive.

“We came to realise that we, and that’s guitar players in general, were losing a major part of our tonal heritage,” continues Fraser-Clark. “Reversing this trend became a bit of an obsession and resulted in a mission to allow players to rediscover the sound of a small amp being pushed hard – an amp where you are listening to both parts of the amplifier, the pre amp and the power amp being pushed hard and being made to work.”

Enter the LC15 in 1996, a highly affordable low-Watt valve amp and the first to tap into this trend of realisation that small can be beautiful when it comes to tone. The LC15 has gone on to sell over

10,000 units and remains one of the definitive small valve amps on the market.

This small is beautiful philosophy is something that is still closely associated with Laney products.

“Small really is beautiful when it comes to Laney,” says Harvey. “The Lionheart and the newly launched Cub ranges have all taken on board the low Wattage idea and resulted in great sounding and very appealing amplifiers. The Cub 8 and Cub 10 offer players amazing sounds and very competitive prices and make real valve tone available to everyone now.”

With the products most definitely right, Harvey believes, and the products ticking over nicely, the next step is to get the message across to the dealers. “It really is the dealers that make the difference,” he points out. “Having them onside and understanding the principles at work here can make an immense difference. Yes, the hi-gain sounds are popular, but those in the know can point out where the best sound comes from.

“Laney has over 40 years of heritage, so a lot of people know what we are about anyway, but the Cubs are something new that also embrace that heritage, not turn away from it. There is a good selling point there.” For Laney – and hopefully for the dealers and end-users, too, beautiful things really do come in small packages.

HEADSTOCK: 0121 508 6666

www.mi-pro.co.uk

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PROFILE

RYAN SWIFT Soar Valley Music

I WOKE UP THIS MORNING

Ryan Swift of Soar Valley Music takes us through his day, beginning with the commute and ending with a gig or two...

W

e’re based in Rothley in Leicestershire, basically about as central in the UK as you can get. I travel every day from Nottingham, but the travelling is pretty good for me as all the rush hour traffic is going in the opposite direction.

Days can be pretty varied – I don’t tend to do the same thing from day to day.

Once I get in of a morning one of my main responsibilities – as I’m head of advertising and graphics – is to get stuck into that side of things straight away. A lot of it is branding and advertising within Soar Valley Music. The advertising side of it is all about trying to present the company in a true light through liaising with magazines and dealing with the right people. For example, as far as Soar Valley goes, it is important that dealers are clear

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

where we stand as a company with our positive ethical trading on our drums.

Around midday I can start to concentrate more on the day-to-day running of the company. I have a rich diversity of responsibilities in my daily routine, and at Soar Valley it’s over and above simple importation and distribution – it’s more than it says on the tin in some respects. We all have responsibilities that cross over, and it’s very much a team effort here, which is reflected nicely in our relationships with dealers.

I put together costings and Samba kits for our dealers, who often get enquiries from schools that don’t know what they’re looking for but have a wad of cash allocated to invest in Brazilian or African gear. One of my responsibilities is to put together kits that let customers know what is out there.

We’re quite a small company: there are five people in the office and three in the warehouse who prepare everything to get out of the door. It’s all hands on deck here – the company has been going for 25 years and has managed to build up a good reputation which keeps us going. I’ve been here for 15 years now, and it’s a great place to work. It’s a nice atmosphere to work in and our new building is overlooking a really nice countrified view.

I’m heavily involved in the branding – we develop new brands for the UK market with our manufacturers. We have a new range of electronic drums coming soon that I’ve been working on – called Techtonic. I’ve produced logos, marketing support material, adverts and POS information for our dealers. I’m trained as a graphic designer and I’ve been able to

hone those skills here which has been very handy, both personally and professionally.

We’ve also got a new range of drums, which have been produced specifically for Soar Valley by Remo, and I’ve been doing graphics for that. As a wholesaler, we can do a lot of extra things as we have the resources here to be able to do that.

When I get home, there’s also plenty going on. It was my own personal interest in music that got me involved with Soar Valley in the first place. I play in a band called In Isolation. We’re a new wave band – we recently headlined Club NME in Derby, which was great. I have also devised a promotional tool for bands and punters on Twitter called Follow an Indie Band Wednesday which allows bands and listeners to recommend bands, so I’m pretty busy.

miPRO JULY 2009 45

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RETAIL NEWS, OPINION, DATA

BEHIND THE COUNTER

NEWS Credit card regulations, Headstock latest, Cliff Owen

Never mind the economy, it’s hot in here

INDIE PROFILE Mark 1 Music, Kent

LOCATION REPORT A return to sunny Swindon

13 proves lucky for some JHS Event again brings the best of MI business in relaxed atmosphere with own brands and extensive exhibitor attendance

The JHS band led by Geoff Whitehorn (centre) accompanied business and pleasure

A

s MI Pro went to press, the 13th JHS Event was in full flow (June 21st to 24th), with (as ever) the sun shining and enthusiastic comments from both sides of the order book.

Full figures will be reported in the next issue, but needless to say, attendance was impressive on the opening Sunday, giving dealers the chance to get some of the best deals of the year, while enjoying a pint and a plate of food, some relaxed chatter and a nice day out for the family to boot. There really is nothing like it.

Of note this year was the quantity and quality of exhibitors that had taken

advantage of the in-house trade show.

These included the online, e-tailing expert, Retail Up, Manchester’s print distributor, Music Exchange and Future Publishing, which was at the show to flag up the Music Radar website and its music titles.

Gordon O’Hara of Retail Up was extremely pleased with the results of his attendance. “It’s been good, very up-beat and a lot of business done,” he said. “I’m impressed with the blend achieved.”

Talking to JHS’ MD, Dennis Drumm, at the end of the Monday, his satisfaction was palpable. “It’s been fantastic. Sunday’s sales look to be well up on last year and

with two days still to go, it’s fingers crossed for a record year.”

On top of the exhibiting ‘guests’, JHS had brought in a record number of its own suppliers – of particular note being Larry Fishman and Joe Barbieri of Fishman Acoustic, talking dealers through the impressive Fishman Solo portable PA. Other suppliers of interest included Kustom Amplification’s Ted Burger, Erjan van der Laan from Dunlop Manufacturing, Allen & Heath’s Bob Goleniowski and Martin Daley, US Danelectro clinician and demo artist, Danny Dugan and Manuel

Rodriguez Junior of Rodriguez Guitars.

As well as some impressive looking new Vintage models (acoustic and electric, the latter featuring some additions to the Vintage Icon range), JHS is now the exclusive distributor for Trevor Wilkinson’s Italia guitars. “It probably won’t come as a surprise to anyone,” said Drumm, “but we’re very pleased to have these guitars here. They fit into a very special niche in the market and there are a lot of fans out there – dealers, as well as end users.”

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RETAIL • NEWS

Credit regs affect MI Card companies’ extensive requirements now moving ‘downmarket’ RETAIL UP’S Gordon O’Hara, in the latest of his online features with MI Pro, has flagged the updated requirements of credit card companies on retailers and other providers of card facilities.

A consortium of credit card companies – having already successfully imposed strict ecommerce credit card processing rules on major companies – are now moving ‘downmarket’ to impose the same strict requirements on mid-sized and smaller businesses, explains O’Hara in his piece, which can be read on the MI Pro website.

In order for stores to continue to accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express and other cards, the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standards (DSS) now require proof of compliance.

O’HARA: Substantial requirements

These include a 240-question survey of internal policies, programming, hosting arrangements and management controls that apply to the site and a quarterly scan that includes (on average) 25,000 or more tests of retailers’ site’s ability to prevent hacker and

programming attacks that allow unauthorised access to card numbers and security codes.

“The requirements are substantial and should not be underestimated,” said O’Hara.

“They require a highly detailed programming policy that can be examined at any time, strict management controls over how new programming is produced, tested and approved, and insist that hosting facilities will no longer (in essence) be maintained in the store due to requirements for controlled access and firewalls.”

The article outlines all of the requirements, as well as solutions to achieving compliance, not least, of course, by utilising a new program from Retail Up itself.

RETAIL UP: 020 7096 4216

Cliff Owen 1929 to 2009 CLIFF OWEN, the founder and owner of Cliff Owen Music in Seven Kings in Essex, died on June 11th after a short illness.

According to his son, Max, Owen had always wanted to run his own musical instrument shop, having played saxophone since his teens.

While doing his National Service, he swapped two tickets to a local dance for an old sax, and began learning after lights out under his bed covers.

“It was always his ambition to open a store,” explained Max

Owen. “He had been a publican, a greengrocer and an electrician, but it was always his dream to work in MI. He finally opened his store in 1977.”

The first shop was a small affair, but after two years, he opened up the shop on the site it is today, with some 7,000 square feet. The shop is now managed by Max Owen.

Cliff Owen is survived by his wife Sheila, Max, daughter Rifka and three grandchildren.

The funeral was held on June 16th.

Headstock’s new products and dealers New amps released by Laney and Starclassic Elite dealers access exclusive Tama products

HEADSTOCK DISTRIBUTION has announced two new amp ranges from Laney and a raft of new members for its Tama dealership network.

The first of the new Laney ranges, named Cub, comprises two tube amps with a traditional look and sound in a small package.

The single-ended, Class A Cub 8 features an eight-inch Celestion driver and produces five Watts RMS from a single 6V6GT equipped power section. Its straight-ahead pre amp features tone and volume and is loaded with a single ECC83 pre amp tube.

The Cub 8 houses an extension speaker socket on the rear panel so it can be used to drive a larger speaker if necessary. (An article profiling the company’s marketing positioning for these new amps

can be found on page 44 of this issue.)

Also new from Laney is the Prism range of digital amplifiers. Previewed at the Frankfurt Musikmesse, these are digital amplifiers that take inspiration from combinations of amplifiers and effects used to create classic guitar tone recordings and authentically reproduce these to provide the player with guitar tone ‘building blocks’.

New additions to the Tama Elite dealership network have been announced and are as follows: Wembley Drum Centre, London, Anglia Drum Centre, Norfolk, Andertons, Guildford, Drumwright, Reading, Percussion House, Cardiff, PMT, Southend and Salford, Scheerers, Leeds, and Rhythm Base, Glasgow.

HEADSTOCK: 0121 508 6666

A Lifetime of Satisfaction In 2007, we introduced a unique Lifetime Warranty* across our 40 Series studio microphones and in 2009 we are going a step further and extending this offer to include both our Artist Elite and Artist Series ranges of wired microphones.

Unsurpassed in the market, our Lifetime Warranty offers genuine added value to every sale and reinforces our commitment to unbeatable customer service.

Call us today on 0113 277 1441 – and experience more. *Terms and conditions apply. Visit www.audio-technica.com/warranty for full details.

48 miPRO JULY 2009

www.mi-pro.co.uk

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BEHIND THE COUNTER • RETAIL

It’s getting hot in here... ...don’t take off all your clothes. That’s the message from our undercover reporter as MI retail takes a hit in the summer

I

t’s getting hot out there.

Really very hot indeed. Not hot in an ‘economic meltdown’ kind of way, though.

This is more of a ‘why can’t we have a paddling pool in the shop’ situation. Customers have begun taking it upon themselves to parade their shocking white limbs around the place, as if wearing shorts in public was acceptable behaviour for an Englishman in the summer time, while lobsterfaced weekend sunbathers look nothing short of proud that their tan was achieved in dear old Blighty.

While all this is great news for ice cream vendors, sun lotion merchants and people who sell those handy little portable fans, it’s not such great news for us humble MI retailers. Summer can be a harsh time for us, as people spend less time indoors, practising their instrument like good musicians should and spend more time frolicking –

yes, that’s right, frolicking – about outside, chasing girls who shed their winter layers to display acres of flesh for all to see.

Dark days indeed. We’ve already seen a bit of a drop off as the frenzied excitement that accompanies the first truly hot days of the year puts Joe Public into a kind of hot weather panic, where a whole summer’s worth of activities must be packed into what could turn out to be just a few warm days.

In order to counter the sun’s devilish plot to sink us, we’ve been doing a bit of planning of our own. Marketing and being resolutely pro active will hopefully provide the key for us in these long, sweltering summer months.

Phase one has been an entirely new and improved window display. We all know how important the window dressing is and now, thanks to a concerted effort involving quite a bit of drilling, some

things. For now though, we’re spreading the word and finding out about things like this ‘Google’ machine everyone keeps talking about. There will no doubt be more to report on this once things really get going, but for now it’s nothing short of a hop, skip and a jump in the right direction.

One thing that is for absolute certain is that summer is no time for relaxing, not for our kind anyway. Efforts must be doubled and at our place ideas abound as to how we can keep customers coming through the doors in these scorching times. Hopefully some of them will pay off… hammering and a lot of swearing, our windows look like portals into some heavenly music kingdom, promising untold treasures to any passing muso. Thankfully, all our labours are paying off as increasing numbers of passers by have begun drooling at the displays, with an awful lot of them

coming in the shop as a result.

Take that, seasonable good weather.

Phase two has been the relaunch of our website and establishment of our ecommerce wing. Nothing short of a leap into the unknown for us, our online adventures will no doubt lead to wonderful

NEXT MONTH...

I’ll be taking a look at the terrifying world of online retail, as our shop takes its first lamb-like steps into the wider world of e-commerce.

Until then…

International Exhibition for Musical Instruments and Services ɻਝ ɐࣵ ਝ჌ᅥኂࢄᙴผ

13 – 16 October 2009

Shanghai New International Expo Centre, China

live for the music • over 40,000 distributors, dealers, retailers and musicians from 91 countries • over 1,100 exhibitors showing a broad product mix of both western and traditional Chinese instruments • set against the backdrop of one of the world’s most exciting and rapidly-developing music product markets For information, visit www.musikmesse.com Or email music@hongkong.messefrankfurt.com

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

miPRO JULY 2009 49

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RETAIL • INDIE PROFILE

MARK 1 MUSIC KENT

Is business up or down compared to this time last year?

It’s difficult to say – we expanded recently, so we are up on last year marginally, but because we moved into a premises that’s three times as big, it’s difficult to ascertain what we should be doing.

Generally the trend is slightly down, but we won’t really know until next year.

Do you advertise the shop locally?

Yes – we do various promotions in football club magazines, in the paper and in various programmes for festivals, as well as listings.

Do you have an online presence?

Yes. We don’t trade through it, but it’s good to have it up there.

What do you consider to be your main strength?

Pretty much the same as everybody that’s in retail – customer satisfaction. The customer is the most important thing. We look after our punters and we have a loyal and regular

customer base because we do our best for them and try to make sure they are always kept happy.

What do you think is the most important lesson you’ve learned in the business so far?

That would be looking after the customers.

What is the biggest challenge facing you?

Online business. It’s had a massive impact. One obvious issue is that we end up sorting out other people’s shit – they buy something online and we have to fix it for them as the online retailers can’t do it. People don’t know what they’re buying and it’s a big problem. Someone will buy a kit online and when it’s delivered they find out it’s actually a mini drum kit. It’s also difficult to compete because the online people are often simply shifting boxes, which means their margins are lower.

Given the power, what would you change about the industry?

I don’t really know – I guess I’d bring in retail price policing.

FACTS & FIGURES Address: Mark 1 Music, 12 - 16 Victoria Road, Deal, Kent, CT14 7BN Phone: 01392 496379 Owners: Terry and Mark Cutting Established: 1996 Employees: Eight including part timers Best selling lines: Hard to say as we cover such a broad variety of instruments and accessories.

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LOCATION REPORT • RETAIL

Swindon The long drive down the M4 will eventually take all who travel it to glorious Swindon, home of many things, not least the most confusing roundabout in southern England, but also a smattering of rather fine musical emporiums.

MI Pro takes a gander at what the town has to offer its musos…

These stores ensure the residents of Swindon can always scratch the MI itch

KEMPSTER & SON Well placed along a High Street with a lot of passing traffic, Kempster & Son is, first and foremost, a guitar shop, with a broad selection of excellent quality acoustic and electric instruments.

A decent amount of floor space makes browsing the tempting treats on display nice and easy, while extremely friendly and highly knowledgeable staff are both on hand and eager to help.

The store is well stocked with Fender, as well as a dashing of Tokai and the odd Epiphone. The electric guitar section is well presented and competitively priced.

In terms of acoustic, Tanglewood dominates, but there are a few treats in store for eagle-eyed shoppers, such as the odd Guild. Upstairs is a drum room that’s not quite as tempting as downstairs, but once again it’s well presented and nicely stocked up with Zildjian cymbals and a couple of Pearl kits.

The general feel of the place is that of a homely store, the type that has taken all of the best bits of the last generation of MI shops – the service, in depth musical knowledge, and comfortable surroundings – and married them to the best in modern retail. All told, it’s a great place and well worth a visit.

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

HOLMES MUSIC On the other side of the city centre from Kempster and Son is Holmes Music.

Holmes Music has been selling MI ware to the people of Swindon for over 40 years now and has established itself as a real hub in the muso community.

As well as the wide-ranging educational facilities at the store, the Holmes family organises events and has recently been involved in a busy charity campaign in aid of the Goldenhar Family Support Group.

Once again, friendly and helpful staff populate the shop floor, and the whole place gives off a positive air.

ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC Around the corner from Holmes Music lies Rock and Roll, a shop that used to be awkwardly located in a knocked-through house on the outskirts of town. Its new home is much better, although the proximity to the other shop must be a shade uncomfortable for all involved.

Holmes Music has a bit of everything on hand and each department has its own manager, so expert help is only ever a question away.

A busy place, with a constant buzz around it, Holmes Music has a bit of everything on hand – organs, pianos, sheet music, electric and acoustic guitars, and a very decent selection of drums. Each department has its own manager, so expert help is only ever a question away.

Plenty of big brands have been covered off, with Marshall, Fender and Tama all getting plenty of floor space, while an acoustic section features a good few Freshman guitars on display.

A smaller store than its nearest competitor, it makes up for it by ensuring it has plenty of alternatives to its neighbours’ gear on offer. An attractive bunch of Orange and Hiwatt amps in one corner compete with an array of Yamaha guitars erring on the side of ‘metal’. Half of the shop is given over to drums – in particular a large Zildjian cymbal display and a stand full to the brim with Tama pedals and various other mouth-watering accessories for the drummer.

Whilst certainly smaller than its competition, it would seem that Rock and Roll Music has plenty going on to demand its own presence, and it ensures Swindon’s musos are left with plenty of choice when it comes to picking up new gear.

BRIAN TAYLOR MUSIC Just outside of Swindon, in the flag-waving town of Wooton Bassett, is Brian Taylor Music, an interesting little place that looks like somewhere Harry Potter would go for his musical instruments.

A small shop front with plenty of Olde Worlde charm leads to a space crammed full of sheet music for every conceivable instrument. Standard accessories such as strings and straps mingle with musical gifts – think ties, clocks, that sort of thing – as well as an intriguing mix of instruments.

A set of junior bagpipes, flagiolets, various weird and wonderful percussion devices, as well as a guitar or two, are all to be found among the various nooks and crannies. It’s the sort of shop where one might pick up a mandolin, having never played one before, and buy it, simply because it is well placed and feels like a bit of a find.

Wooton Bassett can be rightly proud of its interesting and heartwarming MI outlet. miPRO JULY 2009 51

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MIA NEWS an update from your industry trade association

MIA says thank you to all the trade Industry association takes the opportunity to express gratitude to all at LIMS and calls for comments THE INDUSTRY-owned London International Music Show was, the MIA says, a great success and attracted over 21,000 visitors during the four days.

In a difficult climate that had seen many other events and shows cancelled, the music industry managed to pull together and delivered a fantastic showcase for the industry.

“We would like to thank every exhibitor, sponsor and contractor who made all this possible, we could not have done it without you,” enthuses the association’s CEO, Paul McManus.

“The trade day on the Thursday was not helped by the Tube strike, but we still saw over 1,500 of you at the show. It is great to see that many of you came in more than once as well.

“The Education Day brought in over 5,500 children and Music for Youth facilitated a superb series of events including the Big Gig (pictured).

“This was considered a great success and we will definitely do more of this next year. NAMM kindly helped us to bring 1,000 local, underprivileged children to the event.

52 miPRO JULY 2009

The Big Gig, organised by Music for Youth

“We saw over 1,500 trade visitors – it is great to see so many came in more than once, too.”

Paul McManus

“Peavey generously gave us a brilliant industry party featuring the music of The Commitments and a great time was had by all.

“The dedicated public days (Saturday and Sunday) were attended by over 14,000 people and visitors were treated to seeing the best instruments in the industry, together with some superb performances from top musicians from all over the world. The Steve Vai masterclasses were a particular success.

“For the first time, we were able to track comments from the public as to how they enjoyed the show (using computer questionnaires) and we have a very high satisfaction level from them and they clearly like the format.

“So, success in a tricky climate, but we know there is still lots to make better for next year. We have asked all the industry for comments about the pros and cons from the show in order that we can take all this on board before we start selling the 2010 show. Please contact me on paulmc@mia.org.uk if you have any thoughts, they are all welcome.”

MIA: 01732 750600

www.mi-pro.co.uk

DBT

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NEW PRODUCTS ACCESSORIES

BACKLINE BASS & GUITAR DRUMS PRINT

PRODUCTS • BACKLINE ENGL E635 FIREBALL 100 £1369 They say: Satisfies the needs of the modern guitar player - even on the biggest stages.

For: Guitarists Range: Engl Fireball Spec: 100W, two-channel head, clean & lead channels with separate gain control, bright switch on clean channel, bottom switch for low-end boost, passive, three-stage eq, lead volume control, footswitchable mid boost, master A & B volume control, power valve monitor (LED).

From: Music Force 01780 781630

ORANGE TINY TERROR HARD WIRED AMP £649 They say: For the more discerning guitarists, something extra is needed.

For: Guitarists Range: Orange Terror series Spec: Point to point, all hand wired head, high spec transformers, carbon comp resistors, mustard capacitors, wider frequency response and lighter than production version Tiny Terror.

From: Orange 020 8905 2828

Still catching up with the sheer weight of products from NAMM and Musikmesse – particularly in backline

PEAVEY PENTA ROSSINGTON EDITION AMP £1,767.55 They say: The result of a relationship that has thrived for more than 30 years.

For: Guitarists Range: Peavey Penta Spec: 140W, five mode amp on single channel, four matched EL34 and four matched 12AX7 valves, ceramic valve sockets, five preamp settings with individual gain and tone settings.

From: Peavey 01536 461234

54 miPRO JULY 2009

MARKBASS MOMARK MODULAR BASS AMP SYSTEM FROM £622 They say: A revolutionary system, designed to allow players to build the amplifier of their dreams.

For: Bassists Range: Markbass amps Spec: Two-unit rackable chassis in 250W, 500W & 800W versions, three modules per amp, nine modules.

Three preamp, three eq and three master modules.

From: Proel 020 8761 9911

HAYDEN SPEAKEASY £1,349 They say: This exquisite amp delivers a versatility that equips it well for the modern stage or studio.

For: Guitarists Range: Hayden amps Spec: 50-Watt, two-channel (footswitchable) valve amp, separate signal paths ahead of tone shaping stage.

Channel 1 (clean) with valve driven spring reverb. Channel 2 with extra gain.

From: Hayden 01245 441155

LANEY CUB SERIES VALVE AMPS FROM £169

LANEY PRISM SERIES DIGITAL AMPS £TBC

They say: A traditional looking and sounding small amp package, born out of Laney's 40-year heritage.

For: Guitarists Range: Laney combos Spec: Two in range. Cub 8: 8" Celestion driver, 5W, 6V6GT valve (ECC83 preamp valve). Cub 10 (£219): 10" Custom Celestion driver, two 6V6GT valves, Class A/B circuitry, extra gain control.

From: Headstock 0121 508 6666

They say: Gives the player inspirational building blocks to produce truly stunning guitar tones.

For: Guitarists Range: Laney amps Spec: Three models: P20, P35 and P65. Each with Hero mode (Live WISYWIG), four user channels, up to 22 tone spectrums, studio quality programmable effects bank.

From: Headstock 0121 508 6666

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ACCESSORIES • NEW PRODUCTS BOSS TU-1000 TUNER £239 They say: A huge, striking, highintensity LED metre for visibility on dark stages.

For: Musicians Range: Boss tuners Spec: Floorboard tuner, powers up to six effects processors, two audio outputs (one with direct signal flow), open and alternative tunings.

From: Roland 01792 702701

GATOR GPA SPEAKER COVER £39.99 They say: Ideal for outdoor live performances.

For: Bands, performers, engineers Range: Gator bags Spec: Speaker cover with hideaway rain cover, fits while on speaker stand, zippered access to speaker front, access to handles with velcro cover, access to rear panel and sockets.

From: Freestyle 01924 455414

FUSION F3 GIGBAGS £45 They say: This bag offers far more than other regular lower end gigbags.

For: Musicians Range: Fusion F3 Spec: 15mm high density padding, water resistant outer, large pockets, padded back-pack straps with MP3/phone pouch, cushioned rear panel, available for cello, keyboards, brass and woodwind.

From: Aria UK 01483 238720

NUMARK NS7 CASE £229.99 (STREET PRICE) They say: So DJs can perform with the NS7 in the case for safety and security.

For: Numark NS7 users Range: Numark accessories Spec: Coffin-style flight case designed for NS7, wood construction, metal reinforcement, two casters and handle for transport, removable front & back panels, fits laptop stand.

From: Numark Alesis 01252 341400

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

QUIKLOK SL820 KEYBOARD STAND £209.50 They say: The perfect solution for home studio and live performance.

For: Keyboard players Range: Quiklok stands Spec: Solid steel construction, patented foldable design, fully adjustable tiers, nine height positions, four angle positions, telescoping depth for universal usage, uneven floor compensation.

From: Freestyle 01924 455414 miPRO JULY 2009 55

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BASS AND GUITAR • NEW PRODUCTS ARIA DIAMOND SERIES £199 They say: The 60s are back once again as a seriously affordable, alternative guitar choice.

For: Guitarists, bassists Range: Aria solid bodied guitars Spec: Reversed body shapes, German Carve design, pearloid scratchplate, diamanté studded headstock. DM380 guitar with APS-9 single coil pickups, alder body, maple bolt-on neck, rosewood fingerboard, VFT-2 vibrato.

DMB380 bass with FB-1 single coil pickups.

From: Aria UK 01483 238720

IBANEZ RG09 PEGASUS LIMITED EDITION £379 They say: With legendary playability and traditional Ibanez RG features.

For: Guitarists Range: Ibanez RG Spec: Edge III double locking bridge, three-piece Wizard II neck, Infinity humbuckers. Royal blue or pearl white finishes available.

From: Headstock 0121 508 6666

EKO RANGER VINTAGE 12 £219.95 They say: The 12-string dreadnought guitar with the perfect blend of elegant, classical proportions.

For: Guitarists Range: Eko acoustics Spec: 12-string dreadnought, adjustable rosewood bridge, double action truss rod, die-cast chrome tuners, laminated spruce top, mahogany back & sides, linden neck, rosewood fingerboard, zero fret.

From: Freestyle 01924 455414

WASHBURN NUNO BETTENCOURT N1 & N2 RELIC £299 & £499 They say: Both stunning guitars are ‘aged’ to look like Nuno’s iconic Washburn N4 Relic.

For: Guitarists Range: Washburn electrics Spec: Bill Lawrence L500 bridge pickup, push/pull coil tap, alder body, natural finish maple neck, rosewood fingerboard.

From: Sound Technology 01462 480000 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

STERLING BY MUSIC MAN STERLING SERIES £POA They say: Ernie Ball Music Man licensed, Indonesian made basses and guitars.

For: Guitarists, bassists Range: New Music Man range Spec: : Music Man designs, parts and components, four guitar models (AX20, AX40, Silo20 & JP-50 John Petrucci signature) and three bass models (Ray34, Ray35 and SB14).

From: Strings & Things 01273 440442

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TRADITIONAL • NEW PRODUCTS KEMBLE CHOPIN ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EDITION £7,703.85 They say: Celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Chopin.

For: Pianists Range: Kemble uprights Spec: 121cm frame, hand-wound Bösendorfer bass strings, high-spec hammers, ‘grand’ grade soundboard, solid brass accents, burr walnut key blocks.

Available in three polyester finishes: black, mahogany and American walnut.

From: Kemble 01908 371771

ROLAND LX-10 DIGITAL PIANO £3,999 They say: Uncompromised piano quality in a small footprint – an attractive addition to any home, school, or studio.

For: Pianists Range: Roland digital pianos Spec: PHA II Ivory Feel keyboard with escapement, six-speaker sound system, open/close lid sound differential, USB port, polished ebony and satin black finish.

From: Roland 01792 702701

KORG LP-350 DIGITAL PIANO £919 They say: Featuring rich and expressive, realistic piano sound based on the latest Korg sampling technology.

For: Pianists Range: Korg digital pianos Spec: 88-note real weighted hammer action keyboard, touch control (light, medium, heavy), stereo sampling system, 60-note polyphony, 30 voices, tempo, reverb, chorus.

From: Korg 01908 857100

Wrong pic new one in current issue

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

W SCHREIBER 7130 SERIES OBOE £1,650

ROLAND V-PIANO £5,199

They say: Once again there are four oboes available from Schreiber.

For: Oboists Range: S&K woodwind Spec: French fingering system, grenadilla wood with natural wood surface, stable key mechanism, epoxy resin lining in bore, solid nickel-silver mechanism, extra heavy silverplating, five-year guarantee, made in Germany.

Ships with case and extensive accessories.

From: Rosetti 01376 550033

They say: The next step forward in VTechnology.

For: Pianists Range: New Roland product Spec: Non-loop-based emulation technology, ‘vintage’ and ‘vanguard’ modes, string, hammer, tuning, voice and frame adjustments for ‘bespoke’ piano stylings.

From: Roland 01792 702701

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NEW PRODUCTS • PRINT

BOOK OF THE MONTH Author: Andy Babiuk The Story of Paul Bigsby Target: General Comment: There are probably few people who know anything about guitars that do not know the name Bigsby. After all, how many people have a patented vibrato arm named after them? What most of them don’t know, I would wager, is very much about about the man behind the name, Paul Bigsby. A modern-day renaissance man, Bigsby was a champion motorcycle

racer, engineer, inventor, poet, 32nd degree Scottish Rite mason, a musician and a luthier. Combined, these skills (well, perhaps not the mason bit) led Bigsby to creating, contrary to popular belief, the first solid-bodied electric guitar, years before Les Paul and Gibson came up with the more enduring model we know today.

Ironically, it was the success of the tremolo arm that put paid to Bigsby’s

GENERAL Author: Bill Bruford The Autobiography Target: General Comment: In a book that deserves to go far beyond the expected Yes and King Crimson fan base, Bruford looks back over his life and career with wit and a candid demeanour that is worthy of the best storytellers. How a man has survived so much of the crap the industry has thrown at him, but remains as enthusiastic as on the day of his first pay cheque, is nothing short of a wonder.

Jawbone: 020 7720 3581

guitar making, as demand for production took over his life, but this stunning book should be left out on the coffee table for all to see and learn. Bigsby guitars today are very valuable collectors’ items, while the vibrato is almost as ubiquitous as the electric guitar itself. This delightful tome tells the tale of both.

Hal Leonard (Music Sales): 01284 702600

Author: AR Duchossoir Gibson Electric Steel Guitars: 1935 to 1967 Target: Guitar, general Series: Authentic Guitar Tab Edition Comment: Guitar geeks of the world rejoice.

If ever there were a niche market in the history of a musical instrument, this book slips into one of the most specialist nooks one might care to think of. Gibson only made steel or Hawaiian guitars for 32 years, but many have forgotton that until the 1950s, the steep lap guitar was the most popular and forged the path for the solid bodied electric. This coffee table edition looks at everything Gibson did with this guitar.

Hal Leonard (Music Sales): 01284 702600

Author: Various Raising an Amazing Musician Target: Parents Series: You’re the Voice Comment: The (newly re-branded) ABRSM has come up with an extremely useful companion for parents that would like to know whether their child (or children) have any capacity for musical participation or appreciation, how to spot the signs, how best to encourage musical growth and a run through of the sort of music making opportunities that are out there for kids. Hopefully, this book will get the the sort of exposure it deserves (and will need).

ABRSM: 020 7636 5400

Author: Richie Unterberger White Light White Heat: The Velvet Underground Day-by-day Target: General Comment: Billed as ‘the most comprehensive, immensely detailed work about one of the most influential bands in the history of rock’. And it’s hard to argue with that. Unterberger draws on more than 100 interviews to produce the dayby-day history of the band during its short existence, as well as a monthly diary of events before and after, running from 1958 to 2001.

Velvet-heads will be falling over themselves to get a copy of this.

Jawbone: 020 7720 3581 60 miPRO JULY 2009

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PRINT • NEW PRODUCTS

EDUCATION Artist: Massimo Palermo Encyclopedia of Bass Arpeggios Target: Bassists Series: Mel Bay Encyclopedias Comment: Bass playing is all about arpeggios and this book has hundreds of them, covering the whole gamut of triads and seventh chords/scales. For the learner, this is as good a way to get to know the fretboard and the basics of bass harmony as any and for the more established player, a handy reference for those little exercises that slip out of awareness from time to time.

Mel Bay: 020 8323 8010

Artist: Drew Andrews Ukulele First Jams Target: Uke players Series: Mel Bay First Jams Comment: The First Jam series is designed to give beginners (of any instrument and of any age) a collection of tunes to learn and play, thus establishing a repertoire from the word ‘go’. Further than that, the books also encourage improvisation from the very earliest stages. These simple tunes are the ideal basis upon which such improvisation can take place.

Mel Bay: 020 8323 8010

Author: Bill Woods Bodhran: The Basics Target: Beginner percussionists Series: Mel Bay’s The Basics Comment: It’s in the wrist action – and in this case, it really is. Woods takes the learner through the essentials of stick control for this wonderfully expressive piece of percussion, which, it turns out in the introduction, is not even needed when one is getting a handle on the techniques needed to master it.

Mel Bay: 020 8323 8010

Author: Ollie Weston (with Mark Arnstrong, trumpet) Exploring Jazz Flute/Saxophone/Trumpet Target: Jazz wind Comment: Schott’s new ‘Exploring’ series opens up with three books in the jazz genre, with each chapter in the books containing tunes and exercises designed to improve technique, reading, creativity and theory, as well as adding a history of the genre and its innovators. With a demo CD, the book takes the learner through harmonic and theory and brings the player to a very high level from a ‘false beginner’ level.

Schott: 020 7534 0744

POPULAR Author: Eva Cassidy Somewhere Target: PVG Comment: This could well be the last of the collections of Eva Cassidy songs from her tragically short career. A selection of her more esoteric arrangements and a few self-penned numbers, this book confirms once again the talent that she was and the ability she had in taking almost any song and making it her own. Fans will love this one.

Faber: 01279 828989

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

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THE PLACE FOR BUSINESS

MI MARKETPLACE TO ADVERTISE ON THESE PAGES CALL DARRELL CARTER ON 01992 535647 A ALLPARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0870 442 3336 B BARNES & MULLINS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01691 652 449 BILL LEWINGTON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01268 413 366 C COVERNOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0121 327 1977 F FOCUS MERCHANDISE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8245 9035 FCN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01892 603730 FUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0113 3200 304 G GHANA GOODS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0117 955 8668 GUITARRAS DE ESPAÑA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0117 973 3214 H HC DISTRIBUTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00353 5991 34268 HERGA MUSIC SERVICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8861 1590 HOT ROX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0115 987 3163 L LEED REPRESENTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01243 378050 LEISURETEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01525 850 085 M MADAROZZO™/CBAC LTD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8816 8368 MARSHALL AMPLIFICATIONS . . . WWW.MARSHALLAMPS.COM MCELLAND/GREMLIN MUSIC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01273 491333 MELBAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0)20 8382 8010 MUSIC SHIPPING CO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01562 827666 O OCARINA WORKSHOP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01536 485963 ORANGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0208 905 2828 P PIANO LOGISTICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0208 561 4321 R ROBERT MORLEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8318 5838 ROTHWELL AUDIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01204 366133 S SAXOPHONE UK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01892 662 533 SOAR VALLEY MUSIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0116 230 4926 STEVE CLINKSCALE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0157 225 885 T TEAC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01923 438 880 V TOM & WILL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 08450 945 659 V VARSITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0131 557 4310 W WIND PLUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0116 243 1698 WORLD RYTHM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01242 282 191

SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT

MARKETPLACE INDEX

Breaking through the brass ceiling P. Mauriat brings an exciting vintage sax to Sax.co.uk.

MI Pro sees what’s on the jazzy horizon...

T

he pro saxophone market was dominated for decades by ‘The Big Four’ – Selmer, Keilwerth, Yamaha and Yanagisawa. All great saxes, but they don’t always meet the expectations of players who have grown up and fallen in love with the classic horns of years gone by.

Several Taiwanese manufacturers of good student instruments tried to produce and market ‘professional’ models, but with limited success.

Then, along came P. Mauriat, exploding through the brass ceiling and sending out a sonic boom that hit America in 2004 and reached Europe in 2006.

The talents of vintage sax enthusiast Alex Hsieh and US college professor Roger Greenberg combined to produce an instrument that the US Jazz Times described as: “A monster saxophone that plays so effortlessly that you might be fooled into thinking you are a better player than you really are.

“The company has taken the best of yesteryear, modified it and taken it to a whole new level of playing enjoyment. If you are smart you will

try these saxophones out – and you will be glad you did.”

This new ‘vintage’ sax creates many fresh retail opportunities. P. Mauriat saxes appeal to players who would never play a ‘shiny new instrument,’ instead preferring to continue patching up their degenerating old classic. Their ‘differentness’ appeals to young players looking for something that stands out from the crowd.

The P. Mauriat broad tone puts a smile on the face of the most demanding player – a welcome sight for the sax salesman. As leading UK sax player Andy Sheppard says: “There is that woody/grainy thing in the sound that I’ve only previously found in my old Selmers. Fantastic.”

For leading UK saxophone retailer Sax.co.uk, P. Mauriat has not only challenged the dominance of ‘The Big Four,’ it’s also out-sold them for the past three years.

An easy sale, a good profit margin – is there anything missing? It could be a P. Mauriat saxophone if you haven’t got one in stock yet. You can change that by phoning 01892 662533 or by visiting www.mauriat.co.uk.

CLASSIFIEDS: MINIMUM 12 MONTHS - ONE ANNUAL CHARGE QUARTER PAGE £1,295 62 JULY 2009 miPRO

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MI MARKETPLACE ABROAD REPRESENTATION

ACOUSTIC DISTRIBUTION

For full dealership details contact your local area representative

IRELAND & N.I Walter Hennessy

087 2596183 SCOTLAND & NORTH EAST Steve Clinkscale

07958 351712 NORTH WEST ENGLAND & WALES Roger Williams

07816 298925 EASTERN ENGLAND & MIDLANDS Mark Hedge

07776 167336 SOUTH WEST ENGLAND Gary Charman HC MUSIC DISTRIBUTION LTD

00353 5991 34268 sales@hcdistribution.com www.cort-guitars.co.uk www.myspace.com/cortguitars

AMPLIFICATION

07787 517007 LONDON & SOUTH EAST Ian Collins

07836 237337

ACESSORIES AND GIFTWARE

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

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

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MI MARKETPLACE

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CLASSICAL GUITARS

DISTRIBUTION

DISTRIBUTION

DISTRIBUTION

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MI MARKETPLACE

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

DISTRIBUTION

DISTRIBUTION

DISTRIBUTION

DISTRIBUTION

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MI MARKETPLACE GUITAR PARTS

The UK’s Premier Guitar & Bass Parts Supplier

Pick a part ...bridges, necks, bodies, electronics, frets, inlay dots, pickups, knobs, switches, pickguards, tools scratchplates, strings, screws, nuts, saddles, tailpieces ...and much more!!!

ABM, Badass, Bartolini, Bigsby, CRL, CTS, Danelectro, Earvana, Electrosocket, Fender, Gotoh, Graphtech, Hipshot, Hofner, Jim Dunlop, Lace, Leo Quan, Moses, Razor, Schaller, Sperzel, Sprague, Switchcraft & Wilkinson.

To order call 0870 442 3336 Low call rate 0845 345 5951

Order online or find a local dealer @:

www.allparts.uk.com or email us: info@allparts.uk.com DISTRIBUTION

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MI MARKETPLACE DISTRIBUTION

DISTRIBUTION

ETHNIC AND FOLK

ETHNIC AND FOLK

GHANA GOODS WEST AFRICAN PERCUSSION WHOLESALE AND RETAIL PO Box 95, Fishponds Bristol, BS16 1AG Tel: 0117 9354132 ghanagoods@clara.net

www.ghanagoods.com

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MI MARKETPLACE GUITAR ACESSORIES

INSURANCE BUSSINESS

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.

WWW.ROTHWELLAUDIOPRODUCTS.CO.UK 01204 366133 MUSIC PUBLISHERS

OCARINAS

Excellence in Music

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.

s 3UPERB RANGE OF 1UALITY 0RODUCTS s %XCELLENT 3ERVICE s 'ENEROUS $EALER -ARGINS s #ONTACT US ./7

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

Office 2.05, Argentum s 2 Queen Caroline Street s Hammersmith, LONDON W6 9DX 4ELEPHONE .O s UK Sales Freephone: 0800 432 0486 Fax Number: +44 (0)20 8323 8306 s E-mail: salesuk@melbay.com

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MI MARKETPLACE PIANO MOVERS

PIANOS AND HARPSICORDS

Ro

t ber

MORLEY Co Lt d

020•8318•5838

Grand & Upright Pianos by Elysian, Grotrian-Steinweg, Bechstein, Monington & Weston and other famous makers John Morley Clavichords, Spinets, Harpsichords, Virginals & Celestes

Antique, Modern & New, Rental, Repairs, Sales lists & colour brochures on request.

34

EN

Robert MORLEY & Co Ltd. Piano & Harpsichord Makers Established 1881

G AT

H 37 1 E S E S t. L O NDON

A

www.morleypianos.com PERCUSSION AND DRUMS

PERCUSSION

MSC ONLINE www.musicshipping.co.uk

Extensive Product Information Secure Dealer Only Section Public & DEALER Forums Online Ordering

THE MUSIC SHIPPING CO.

Drum and Percussion Accesories

NEXT DAY DELIVERY

01562 827666 sales@musicshipping.co.uk www.musicshipping.co.uk WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

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MI MARKETPLACE PROMOTIONAL

REPAIRS

www.focusmerchandise.co.uk

SAXOPHONES

WHOLESALERS

TOP 10 BEST SELLERS NASHVILLE ACOUSTIC GUITARS . . . . . . . . . . . . £50.00 retail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £27.50 trade ex vat NASHVILLE ELECTRIC GUITARS . . . . . . . . . . . . . £99.95 retail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £54.97 trade ex vat ARK HEAVY DUTY MUSIC STAND. . . . . . . . . . . . . . £18.50 retail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £10.18 trade ex vat DOLMETSCH DESCANT RECORDER . . . . . . . . . . . . . £6.99 retail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £3.84 trade ex vat STEINHOFF 108B UPRIGHT PIANO . . . . . . . . . . £1795.00 retail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £987.25 trade ex vat RAVEN STUDENT TRUMPET OUTFIT . . . . . . . . . £140.00 retail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £77 trade ex vat NASHVILLE ELECTRO ACOUSTIC BASS . . . . . . . £125.00 retail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £68.75 trade ex vat STERN VIOLIN OUTFIT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £75.00 retail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £41.25 trade ex vat MAXTONE BONGOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £29.95 retail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £16.47 trade ex vat NASHVILLE 5 STRING BANJO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £99.95 retail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £54.97 trade ex vat

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Acess All Areas ........................................................29

MI Direct ....................................................55,57,59,61

Anglo Spanish Guitar ................................................5

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Aria ...............................................................................5

Peavey........................................................................35

Ashton.........................................................................17

Retail Up!...................................................................47

Audio Technica.........................................................48

Roland ........................................................................76

Barnes & Mullins .......................................................31

S.Johnson ....................................................................3

CPC .............................................................................75

SCV.............................................................................40

DBT Technology .......................................................53

Soar Valley .................................................................13

EMD...............................................................................4

Sound Technology .......................................................1

Fender ........................................................................26

Summerfield..............................................................33

Fusion .........................................................................25

TEAC .............................................................................9

Gremlin ......................................................................43

Tom & Will..................................................................23

Hardcase ...................................................................58

Trinity Xtras ..............................................................37

Headstock .................................................................50

Westside..................................................................11,21

House Music .............................................................45 HSBC ..........................................................................52 JHS .............................................................................39 Leisuretec .................................................................46 Marked Events..........................................................56 Marshall........................................................................2 Messe Frankfurt .......................................................49 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

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N WITH IN ASSOCIATIO

PRO THE LAST WORD IN MI MI Pro prides itself on bringing you hard-hitting news and analysis, but, we reckon you’d also enjoy seeing your peers in their more ‘off duty’ moments. So, we’ve expanded CODA to include a permanent pictorial spread of the month’s social highlights. If you have any snaps from an event you’d like us to include, please send them to mipro@intentmedia.co.uk...

GOOD LORDI

RETRO

During February and March Lordi were on a European headlining tour. Following that they went to Japan. If you missed them, then get yourself to Finland for the Rockperry festival in Finland on July 18th.

Since winning the 2006 Eurovision song contest, Lordi have been working hard on the metal scene and gaining a reputation for hard hitting metal combined with a horror show and they have been gaining fans around the world.

Amen stopped the show just after his guitar solo to salute his favourite amplifier… A Marshall, of course.

Now that’s pretty cool.

MOORE, MOORE, MOORE

JULY 2005 Cover Stars: 20 years after Ian Gilby found himself out of work and (together with his brother, Paul) started up what was to become the UK’s top hi tech music magazine, he and Dave Lockwood consider why Sound on Sound is better than having a day job.

News: Apple picks Sound Technology, IAG buys Mission, Yamaha and Nexo collaborate.

Features: The ninth JHS Event report, Cornford amps – Paul Cornford reveals that you should never call his products ‘boutique’.

Products: Red mics, Randall RM100C combo, Mark Bass Little Mark amp, BC Rich Evil Edge Mockingbird, Metric Halo Mobile I/O V2.

Number one singles: James Blunt, You’re Beautiful.

Number one albums: James Blunt, Back to Bedlam.

A long standing member of the Marshall family, Gary Moore, was playing at Hammersmith, so we had to take the opportunity to go down and say hello. We arranged to go and see his tech during the afternoon and managed to get a couple of photos of the stage before sound check. It wasn’t just Gary’s amps that were Marshall, as the bass rig was Marshall VBA 400s, so it was a complete backline of Marshall.

At this stage no-one was really sure what Moore was going to be using, as on the stage there were two 1987s, a handwired 1959, as well as a DSL 100, on top of two 1960BX 4x 12s, loaded with vintage 30 speakers..

We should have known he wouldn’t want to use anything less than the two 100-Watt amps.

In fact he started playing through the 1959HW and then switched to the DSL 100.

Moore was full of passion, as he always is when he plays and that flowed through the guitar and could be felt by the audience. A blues/rock guitarist at his best, a true master.

PARTY DOWN WITH PEAVEY The exhibitor’s bash after the opening, trade day of the London International Music Show was laid on, for the second year, by Peavey Europe.

Now we should probably have got a picture of Clive Roberts (Peavey’s MD over here) in gratitude for throwing such a splendid bash – but he somehow managed to avoid our photographer’s efforts to corner him. Instead, then, welcome to the strange world of Peavey’s marketing manager, Andy Rust.

Exactly what was going through his head at this time (apart from a few too many Peroni beers) is open to speculation, but it looks as though it was worth every ounce of effort he put in.

Nice one Andy, nice one Peavey, cheers – and here’s to next year...

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THE LAST WORD IN MI PRO

UTMOST COMMITMENT When it comes to partying, there are few that do it better than the MI trade and Peavey’s after-show party (featuring live entertainment from The Commitments) was buzzing from start to finish.

Clockwise from top left: Finding a space at the bar was job number one – although nobody ever seemed to be without a drink. Brownie points for every face you can put a name to. (Answers on a postcard, please, to anyone you fancy, but not us.)

A classic, Class A pairing, two MI stalwarts, Cliff Cooper (the founder of Orange) and Peavey’s sales director Eric Lund, get amplified about business.

Tom Harrison – better known to many as 440 Distribution – and Jon Green of Freestyle Music, doubtlessly talking acoustic guitars and other such things that are indigenous to Yorkshire and the North East...

Last, but by no means least, keep your friends close and your string supplier closer. Bass guitar virtuoso Doug Whimbish collars Rotosound’s Jason How, doubtless in talks for that new range of signature bass strings he’s been hankering after.

MI ICON

T

here are few instruments, especially those that were unveiled in the early eighties, that gain swift and easy access to the hallowed halls of the MI Icon, but the Juno 106 does so with ease.

Introduced to the world by Roland in 1984, the Juno 106 was the third in a series of synths dreamed up to fuse together the best available digital and analog technology, making the Juno both bang up to date for its time and slightly anachronistic.

With full MIDI control, it was on the cusp of the newest trends around, yet with all of its controls mounted on a faceplate, it was the last of a dying school of design. The most important aspect of the 106, though, was not its looks, but the sounds it was capable of producing. Perfectly tuned pitch alongside the warmth brought to the table by the analog

IS THAT A REAL PONCHO? Or is it the latest in maternity wear for window cleaners? No, in fact, Petrol, a Vitec Group brand, has launched the Petrol Rain Poncho, a piece of ‘audio clothing’ designed to comfortably cover a user carrying a mixer and fully loaded sound bag.

While sound men at the BBC and other outside broadcast-type people will doubtless be thrilled by this, we at MI Pro are making this compulsory office wear from now on.

Roland Juno 106 heart at the centre of the synth made it a perfect addition to any studio looking for cutting edge sounds that managed to sound ‘real’ as opposed to entirely synthetic.

Its distinctive tonal qualities, often attributed to its -24dB/octave analog lowpass filter, with adjustable resonance, allowed players to wrench sounds from the 106 that simply weren’t available in any of its contemporary competitors. An onboard analog stereo chorus effect was also included and while it was capable of making quite a racket, it only added to the character of the sound.

A large band of memory slots for patch storage, alongside a through MIDI system demonstrated a synth that, although seemingly backward looking in its inclusion of analog parts, was actually forward looking and stood out from the crowd.

Although age is now creeping up on the old warrior, it remains a consistantly popular choice for synth affectionados looking for that extra something. The list of artists that have used the 106 shows how versatile an addition it has made to the musical landscape, with everyone from Dr Dre to Franz Ferdinand, Sigur Ros to Daft Punk using its distinctive sounds.

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IN ASSOCIATION W ITH

N MI SPACE AND THE PART YING GOES O Really Commited

Lindsay Harvey Company / job title: Headstock Distribution / sales manager for UK and Ireland.

Years in the industry?

21 years behind the bell and proud of it. I had 16 very good years with Yamaha before flying the nest.

First single bought?

The first record was an album by Free – Free Live. Albums seemed better value for money as only one single was generally released from an album back then. Oh... and Dog of Two Head by Status Quo.

Yes, as the MI Pro team made its way to Alka Seltzer and bed, the hardcore party animals were still going strong at the Peavey Commitments party – and by this time, the bar had stopped accepting the free beer vouchers. That really is commitment.

On top we see Adam Hall’s LD Systems girl, Haley (surname witheld to protect the guilty, namely) Dave Brown and Andrew Richardson (having sensibly taken a seat).

Below left is the show organiser, Clive Morton, standing on a box next to Freestyle Music’s boss, Phil Pilsworth, Bottom right, we finish off where we started, in Peavey Europe’s marketing department, namely Claire Catchpole – clearly relieved that everything has gone smoothly, everybody is happy and she can finally relax...

Now, where’s that Pinot Grigiot?

S E IK L A D N U O S MAXIMO PARK The North East’s premier hip shaking, pop-post-punkers extraordinaire, Maximo Park are on album three and retaining a position at the top of the UK guitar band tree. As the first act at this year's Glastonbury, there will be new fans won over by their intense live act.

Here's the kit they use...

Favourite album?

Lying on a beach it would have to be Pink Floyd, The Wall, amazing production. For driving or skiing, you can’t beat AC/DC, Back in Black.

Currently listening to?

Maximo Park, The Killers, Gorillaz – I am mellowing in my old age.

er hat Paul Smith – vocals – Shure SM58, bowl 330, Duncan Lloyd - guitar – Rickenbacker rn 2466, Faith acoustics, Marshall Vintage Mode Marshall cab Stingray, Archis Tiku – bass – Black Music Man cab eg Amp , head Ampeg SVT UA7 Lukas Wooller – keys – CFE UF8, CFE ic kit – Class Star Tama – s drum – sh Engli Tom floor 16" 16"x tom, 10" 13"x , 22"x18" bass drum Cobra tom, 14"x5.5" Tama Bronze snare, Iron Glide Power Glide bass pedal, Iron Cobra Lever Zildjian hi-hat stand, 1st Chair drum throne. m cymbals – 20" A thin crash, 17” A custo hats hi beat new A 14" , projection crash

Favourite musician?

Robben Ford, a great solo guitarist.

Which instruments do you play?

Electric guitar badly, I have several Gibson Les Pauls and play them all every day for about two minutes.

Are you currently in a band?

No, too busy being a Dad. I am waiting for my 1985 set to come back into fashion, I can still play All Over Now and Message in a Bottle in the wrong key.

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NEXT MONTH

We take a look at what remains of British manufacture in MI, as well as scrutinising the market for rental for schools. Also, alongside a PLASA preview, we’ll be looking at the sort of live mixing consoles MI stores might be selling.

EDITORIAL: ANDY BARRETT mipro@intentmedia.co.uk ADVERTISING: DARRELL CARTER darrell.carter@intentmedia.co.uk WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

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New for 2009, Sounds and FX LIVE brings together 25 leading manufacturers, showcasing over 65 TOP BRANDS at an intimate CPC venue.

Register your attendance and make sure you don’t miss our exclusive offers on the best equipment for:

Sound, Light and AV Installation Event Organisers Live Light and Sound DJ’s and Karaoke Schools and Education Disco and Music Shops

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