MMR November 2012

w w w. m m r m a g a z i n e . c o m

Show Report: Music China 2012 Maryland’s Music Land

Global Rhythms World Music Drums & Percussion

MMR iPad APP NOW AVAILABLE

November 2012

Contents NOVEMBER 2012 VOL.171 NO. 11

22 22 Show Report: Music China 2012

We visit the 11th Annual Music China and Prolight + Sound Show in Shanghai to report a constantly growing music industry showcase featuring nearly 1,500 exhibitors.

26 Survey and Market Review: Global Rhythms

A comprehensive survey of the impact that World Music drum and percussion instruments are having in today’s retail landscape. We hear from over 100 dealers and a select group of manufacturers on this ever-changing product category.

32 Retail: Music Land

Faced with shrinking revenue, many stores are faced with the challenge of favoring either lower costs or better service. Music Land opts for service. We talk with Joe Noto, owner of this Baltimore retailer of Band & Orchestra products, about Music Land’s 41 years in the business.

46 38 Turn the Beat Around: New Drum and Percussion Products

A comprehensive survey of new percussion products making their way into the market this winter.

46 Drums and Percussion: Spirit in the Wood

Independent woodworker Conrad Kubiak has built a strong reputation on his line of boutique drums.

In every issue: 4 6 18 60 74 82 88

Editorial Upfront People Holiday Buying Guide Supplier Scene Classifieds Advertisers’ Index

52 Fresh Faces: Musician’s Hub

This new dealer in Auburn, Maine aims to serve as an important community music resource.

56 Q&A: Rainbow Music

Ontario’s Gilles Grignon shares insight on both Canadian and U.S. markets from his unique vantage point right on the countries’ border.

Cover photo: courtesy of KMC Musicorp.

www.mmrmagazine.com MMR Musical Merchandise Review® (ISSN 0027-4615) founded in 1879, is published monthly by Symphony Publishing, LLC, 21 Highland Circle, Suite 1, Needham, MA 02494 (781)453-9310, publisher of School Band and Orchestra, Choral Director, Music Parents America and JazzEd. All titles are federally registered trademarks and/or trademarks of Symphony Publishing, LLC. Subscription Rates: U.S.A., US possessions, one year $32; two years $40. Canada one year $80; all other countries one year $159. Single issues $5 each. May Supplier Directory $35. Periodical-Rate Postage Paid at Boston, MA and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER/SUBSCRIBERS: Send address change to Musical Merchandise Review, P.O. Box 8548, Lowell, MA 01853. Periodicals circulation is directed to music dealers and retailers, wholesalers and distributors, importers and exporters and manufacturers of all types of musical instruments and their accessories, related electronic sound equipment, general musical accessories, musical publications and teaching aides. The publishers of this magazine do not accept responsibility for statements made by their advertisers in business competion. No portion of this issue may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. Copyright ©2012 by Symphony Publishing, LLC, all rights reserved. Printed in USA.

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NOVEMBER 2012

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Editorial Sidney Davis

Volume 171 Number 11 November 2012

Out With The Old, In With The New

PUBLISHER Sidney L. Davis sdavis@symphonypublishing.com

One of my first assignments in the world of business journalism was to produce a column aptly titled, “Display and Promotion” for a fashion publication. I was uniquely suited for the task, as the single most important requirement was to find the subway entrance from downtown Boston to Cambridge’s Harvard Square, where, each Monday, I was required to visit the Out of Town News stand to select and return with two-dozen Sunday newspapers featuring advertisements from the legendary (and long gone) department stores of the era. For the remainder of the day, and sometimes into the night, I immersed myself in the newsprint, scanning the pricing and fashion trends offered by Wanamaker’s (Philadelphia), Hudson’s (Detroit), Gimbel’s (New York), Stix Baer Fuller (St. Louis), Burdine’s (Miami), Marshall Field’s (Chicago), Halle Bros. (Cleveland), and Dayton’s (Minneapolis), among others.

On a smaller, but significantly faster, scale I recently entered the cyber-world to see what one can learn in barely an hour’s time traversing the websites of our retail brethren. At Tulsa’s Saied Music you can participate in Drum Circle and Yoga classes; Wednesday evenings you can enjoy an open mic night at Illinoisbased Samuel Music or visit Washington’s Ted Brown Music for a Uke ‘An Jam on the same mid week evening.

For the younger set and their parents, Ted Brown also features Teddie Bear Music, where one can learn how to share the gift of music with pre-schoolers. For pre-teens, Nebraska’s Dietze Music offers Guitar Discovery, a four-course primer on how to play your first guitar. For the teenage market, Wisconsin’s House of Music has Rockstart, a series of group lessons for the electric guitar. California’s Skip’s Music continues to promote its uniquely successful Stairway to Stardom for young adults and the Weekend Warriors program for those who wish to recapture their musical youth. For the older market, Pennsylvania’s Robert M Sides offers the opportunity to join a New Horizon’s band, while Minneapolis-based Schmitt Music has a variety of piano and organ classes including “Living Legends,” offering the opportunity to play a Steinway Piano used by such artists as Diana Kroll and Harry Connick, Jr. A sampling of dealers that offer free newsletters include Utah’s Summerhay’s Music, Mid-Atlantic based Menchey Music and Alabama’s Art’s Music Shop as well as California’s Skip’s Music. One can purchase a grandfather clock from Kentucky’s Henderson Music, or a special rubbing salt from Pennsylvania’s Fred’s Music and BBQ Supply. And if you want to rent a recital hall you need go no further than Idaho’s Welch Music. At Texas-based Tarpley’s Music, you can view a series of videos ranging from “Trombone Assembly and Maintenance “ to “How to Tone a Snare Drum”…

Now I know why Harvard Square’s famed Out of Town News has faded from the scene.

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Rick Kessel rkessel@symphonypublishing.com EDITOR Christian Wissmuller cwissmuller@symphonypublishing.com ASSOCIATE EDITORS Eliahu Sussman esussman@symphonypublishing.com Matt Parish mparish@symphonypublishing.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Chaim Burstein, Dennis Carver, Kevin Mitchell, Dick Weissman ADVERTISING MANAGER Iris Fox ifox@symphonypublishing.com CLASSIFIED & DISPLAY AD SALES Steven Hemingway shemingway@symphonypublishing.com PRODUCTION MANAGER Laurie Guptill lguptill@symphonypublishing.com GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Laurie Chesna lchesna@symphonypublishing.com Andrew P. Ross aross@symphonypublishing.com CIRCULATION MANAGER Melanie A. Prescott mprescott@symphonypublishing.com SYMPHONY PUBLISHING, LLC Chairman Xen Zapis President Lee Zapis lzapis@symphonypublishing.com Chief Financial Officer Rich Bongorno rbongorno@symphonypublishing.com Corporate Headquarters 26202 Detroit Road, Suite 300, Westlake, Ohio 44145 440-871-1300 www.symphonypublishing.com PUBLISHING, SALES & EDITORIAL OFFICE: 21 Highland Circle, Suite 1, Needham, MA 02494 (781) 453-9310 Fax: (781) 453-9389 www.mmrmagazine.com

sdavis@ symphonypublishing.com

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NOVEMBER 2012

Upfront FMIC Announces Expansion Plans in China Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) has initiated plans to expand in the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), including a new office in Beijing, which will accommodate a team of Fender employees dedicated to supporting the branding and marketing needs of strategic partners, distributors, dealers, and education channels within the PRC. This China-based Fender team will be the first of its kind for FMIC, and will be fully dedicated to growth within the emerging PRC musical instruments market. Some of these efforts will include the communication of the Fender brand and lifestyle within the PRC, as well as pro-

viding product information and support to local artists, distributors and authorized dealers, and consumer-based marketing and advertising efforts.

FMIC has also announced the establishment of a newly formed third-party distribution company authorized and dedicated to selling only FMIC products.

Named “FAST Distribution” and based in a new office and showroom space in Guangzhou, this new distribution team will be focused on FMIC brands.

Team members will include trained sales representatives dedicated to visiting and assisting retailers who want to grow the

affinity and subsequent sales of the FMIC portfolio of brands. All PRC dealer support staff will work in the FAST offices. A showroom featuring many of the FMIC brands and products will be available for dealer training, group meetings and FMIC events.

FAST staff will be dedicated and focused on sales efforts, and will be working closely with both the FMIC U.S.-based teams, as well as coordinating with the new Fender office in Beijing to create a complete sales and marketing effort designed to promote growth for FMIC and its business partners within the PRC.

Executive Management Changes at Roland PAS Names Jacobson Executive Director

In early October, Percussive Arts Society (PAS) announced Larry Jacobson as the new executive director of PAS and Rhythm! Discovery Center. Jacobson began his duties on November 1, 2012.

Larry holds a Bachelor of Music degree in percussion performance from the University of Maryland, Master of Music degrees in both Jazz Studies and Percussion Performance from Indiana University, and a Master of Business Administration degree from Pepperdine University. He is currently a doctoral candidate pursuing an EdD in Organizational Leadership from Pepperdine University. Jacobson’s most recent position was as the North American VP of financial services for the Universal Music Group (UMG).

Prior to his work at Larry served as VP of administration for MCA Records, which included marketing and recording administration.

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Roland Corporation U.S. has announced changes to its executive management: Chris Bristol, currently president & CEO, will assume the responsibility of chairman of Roland Corporation U.S. Bristol will also continue in his role as a member of the Board of Directors. Chris has been with Roland U.S. since 1978. His first two years with Roland were spent in the field as a district sales manager in the Pacific Northwest, he then served the next 13 years as the

Southern California DSM. The majority of Bristol’s past 20 years was spent as the vice president of sales.

Kim Nunney, formerly COO of Roland Corporation U.S., a member of the Board of Directors for Roland U.S., and president of Roland Systems Group U.S., is now the new president and CEO of Roland Corporation U.S. Nunney has been with the Roland group for over 30 years and held several management positions, including president of Roland Canada.

NAMM Musikmesse Russia Unveils Pavilion Classique NAMM Musikmesse Russia and Prolight + Sound NAMM Russia will return to Moscow from May 16 to 19, 2013. Following last year’s debut gathering, new event features will provide more educational and product opportunities for all involved, while popular programs including Piano Days return.

In order to present classical instruments in all of their glory, a “Pavilion Classique” will be introduced for the 2013 show. The area encompasses two halls and features large panoramic windows overlooking the Moscow River.

A diverse program of seminars, master classes and concerts will be

held in conjunction with the Pavilion Classique to enhance the show experience and showcase this segment of the market. Among the session highlights

NOVEMBER 2012

Upfront already announced is “Youth and Classical Music,” a roundtable organized in conjunction with the Russian State Music TV/Radio Center.

The Russia event’s website will feature a special Pavilion Classique section dedicated to classical music news from the industry and exhibitors. A series of programs on the Orpheus classical radio station will run in correlation. Exhibitors are invited to take part in these biweekly radio programs to promote

their products and touch on industry issues.

After a successful debut at the 2012 show, Piano Days put on in association with the Russian Association of Piano Tuners will return with valuable educational sessions designed for piano tuners. More than 150 piano technicians from Russia, CIS and other countries took part in the sessions. NAMM Musikmesse Russia exhibitors are invited to hold a piano related master class or

workshop featuring their brand’s products.

All trade show events are held with support from the Russian State Ministry of Culture and Russian State Ministry of Education.

For more information about the audiences, benefits and services available at the events in Russia, or for information on how to sign up to exhibit at either of the trade shows, visit www.namm-musikmesse.ru and www.prolight-namm.ru.

Sixth Annual ‘Experience PRS’ Event Experience PRS 2012, the Maryland manufacturer’s sixth annual open house event, saw an impressive roster of artists plus a few special guests, new model releases, and record attendance.

The event kicked off at the PRS shop in Stevensville, Maryland with a VIP event for PRS Signature Club Members and special guests. The intimate crowd was treated to performances from Simon McBride, the David Grissom band, and Mark Tremonti, who played material from his new solo album, All I Was. The doors opened to all for the main event on Friday and Saturday, September 14 and 15. Guests were then able to attend clinics, seminars, and performances with PRS products and artists, take factory tours, stain pieces of figured maple, take in the PRS archives, test-drive guitars and amps

through “isolation boxes,” or even get up onstage to play with a backing band comprised of PRS artists.

PRS Artists and enthusiasts were joined by a few special partners to PRS, most notably John’s Hopkins Kimmel Cancer, GRAND-AM Road Racing, and Mitchum Motorsports, who shared a tent to spread the word about PRS in racing and to raise money for the world-renowned, Baltimore-based cancer treatment center. Team owner Chris Mitchum had the Mitchum Motorsports Continental Challenge #6.2 GS Camaro onsite, fully decked in PRS livery, and he and representatives from GRAND-AM were on hand to treat attendees to a glimpse of how PRS partners in the world of racing and provides Rolex Sports Car Series winners with

unique, fully functional electric guitar trophies.

PRS also announced several new models at this year’s event including the 408 Maple Top and Standard, featuring the company’s proprietary 408/Signature pickups, the SE Custom 24 7-String, an SE Clint Lowery signature model, Experience limited run guitars and amplifiers, and a new series of coveted PRS Collection models.

Experience PRS is free to guitar aficionados and guests with timely registration and has seen visitors from every corner of the globe, including Canada, Australia, Brazil, Switzerland, the UK, Spain, Puerto Rico, Germany, Italy, Japan, and more. Attendance has grown from around 700 people in 2007 to more than 2,300 in 2012.

PRS Bass Orchestra.

All photos by Chris Dorr.

John McLaughlin.

Paul Reed Smith addresses the crowd.

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NOVEMBER 2012

PSR-S750 New Features • Super Articulation Voices • Improved Sound System • FlashROM Voice and Style Expansion • Real Distortion DSP

Introducing the new PSR-S750 and PSR-S950 arranger keyboards, with advanced features that blur the line between audio and MIDI. Aimed squarely at the large performer/songwriter market, they promise a lucrative upgrade for you and new advantages for your customers.

Under an elegant production-focused layout, these keyboards give users the power to easily trigger audio files via Audio Link Multi-Pads.

• Audio Link Multi-Pad • Mobile device-friendly I/O • USB Audio Player and Recorder

PSR-S950 New Features Everything on the S750 plus: • Audio Styles • Vocal Harmony 2 • Mic input with EQ, dynamic and effects processing • Audio Player Vocal Cancel

The PSR-S750 features Super Articulation Voices – a first at this price – while the PSR-S950’s Audio Styles add tempo-synched audio recordings of drummers and percussionists for a live, natural feel. To see videos of the new features, visit www.4wrd.it/750950 or scan the QR below.

Both of these new models are shipping now; call your Yamaha District Manager to start building your fortune.

©2012 Yamaha Corporation of America.

All rights reserved. www.usa.yamaha.com

• Audio Time Stretch and Pitch Shift • MP3 playback • Color LCD display

Upfront Yamaha Expands Relationship with MIM Yamaha Corporation of America and the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in Phoenix announced that they are expanding their relationship with Yamaha’s two-year renewable loan of a Disklavier reproducing piano to the museum’s global collection. Other Yamaha instruments in MIM’s collection include a silent guitar, an alto horn, a trumpet, a valve trombone, an alto saxophone, a clarinet and a Recording Custom drum set, used for performances in the museum’s Music Theater.

Billed as “the most extraordinary museum you’ll ever hear,” MIM is a 200,000-square-foot building with two floors of spacious, light-filled galleries and a collection of nearly 15,000 instruments and associated objects.

“Yamaha truly shares our commitment to bringing exciting and unparalleled musical experiences to the world, and I’m delighted that they have made this generous contribution of instruments to our fine

collection,” said Dr. Bill R. DeWalt, president and director of the museum.

“We are dedicated to providing high-quality events and presentations, while Yamaha represents excellence in craftsmanship and technology, so this partnership is a natural one that will have long-term benefits for all our visitors.”

According to De- L to R: John Shalhoup (YCA), Dr. Bill DeWalt (MIM), Robert Heller (YCA), Walt, the addition of Jim Levesque (YCA) and Christopher Bell (MIM) the Yamaha Disklavier In addition, MIM plans to explore the provides a new way in which the mufull potential of Yamaha’s Disklavier Reseum can showcase the superb acoustics moteLive technology. Here, a pianist can of the its 300-seat Music Theater around perform live on the Disklavier in the thethe clock. When not being used for acater and have his or her exact keystrokes tual live performances in the theater, the and pedal movements transmitted live Disklavier will remain on stage to autoand in real time to other networked matically perform the myriad songs from Disklavier pianos anywhere in the world. its vast software library.

Music Group to Build $50 Million Chinese Facility Music Group founder and CEO Uli Behringer recently announced the company’s plans to construct a new campus that will house its operations in China. Modeled on the corporate campus typical of Silicon Valley, the sprawling 50-acre complex will include R&D, manufacturing, a Residential Village, and abundant green space cultivated around the site’s natural wetlands and is to be completed by 2014.

The new campus in the industrial province of Guangdong will be home to nearly 5,000 employees and is to include over three million square feet of automat-

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ed factory space housing over 100 surface-mount machines, automated transducer lines, injection molding and hydro forming facilities, and a total “clean-air” wood products and painting pavilion.

The company’s already extensive agency test labs will be expanded with additional RF and TDMA facilities and an all-new two-story anechoic chamber will be built for acoustical testing. The campus will also offer housing for almost two thousand company employees and include on-site educational, child-care and health facilities.

NY Times Article Explores Fender’s Recent IPO Attempt

On September 29, The New York Times published an article which aimed to detail the overall “health” and game plan of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. In addition to outlining what the article portrayed as a likely over-reliance on Guitar Center for the overall financial well being of the company, Fender’s recent IPO attempt was discussed.

“Bankers and investors scoffed.

Fender, they said, was trying to go public as a ‘growth’ company when its sales were declining,” notes the author. Recent perceived failures of high-profile IPO’s were also cited as being a factor in Fender’s ultimate decision to not go public. “Nobody wants to be embarrassed like Facebook,” said an analyst quoted in the piece.

NOVEMBER 2012

A Sure Cure for Island Fever

Nicole Fox Miss Hawaii 2008

When you’ve been in the Islands too long, a Mahalo Ukulele is just the thing to snap you out of the doldrums. Fifteen models and a full palette of color choices will suit your every mood.

It is so easy to get started and Mahalo Ukes won’t pile your budget onto a reef either. Just follow Miss Hawaii into your local music store …surf’s up!

Mahalo Ukuleles Priced from $29.95 Retail Saga Musical Instruments • P.O. Box 2841 • South San Francisco, CA 94080 • [800] BUY-SAGA sales@sagamusic.com • www.sagamusic.com • DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED!

U-320

Upfront Peavey Hollywood Showroom Grand Opening Peavey sound system featuring two VerPeavey® Electronics celebrated the sarray™ 112 ribbon-driven line array engrand opening of the Peavey Hollyclosures and one Versarray 218 subwoofwood showroom on Sunset Boulevard at er per side, powered by Crest Audio® Pro the heart of Guitar Row on Sept. 1-5. The 200™ Series power amps. weeklong event featured The Digitool® Live, an 8x8 appearances from compaloudspeaker management ny founder Hartley Peavey system from Peavey Archias well as world-renowned tectural Acoustics®, promusicians, celebrities and cesses the audio while a live performances.

Crest Audio X18R™ mixer Musicians and music controls front of house and fans packed into the new provides monitor mixes to showroom, which was four EU™ 112 wedges. lined with the amplifiers, When not used for perguitars and sound reinformances, the stage system forcement gear that have is part of an intuitive loudmade Peavey an icon in Hartley Peavey. Photo by Jaymz Eberly speaker demo featuring popmusic and audio–for a ular Peavey models, configured and conmeet-and-greet with Hartley Peavey. trolled via Peavey MediaMatrix®. Using The opening also featured live perforthe MediaMatrix NWare™ Mobile iOS mances from Alex Skolnick and Monte app, users can select the speakers and Montgomery, an appearance by Black track, as well as adjust volume and other Veil Brides, and a signing with complayback parameters, from a custom inics legend Stan Lee, who autographed terface on an iPad®.

Peavey Marvel guitars.

A section of the showroom is dediDuring the opening week, the Peavey cated to the history and philosophy of Hollywood stage hosted performances Hartley Peavey, the founder, sole owner from the Alex Skolnick Trio and Monte and CEO, who built his first amplifier as Montgomery through a professional

Casio Launches Four New Privia Models at Beyond Sound To celebrate the evolution of its popular Privia digital piano line, Casio America, Inc. hosted “Beyond Sound” in early September at the Edison Ballroom in New York City. The launch party also commemorated the significant milestones Casio has reached within the musical instrument category.

Building upon its current collection of technologically-advanced electronic musical instruments, Casio introduced four new models to its Privia line of digital pianos at Beyond Sound – the PX-150, PX-350, PX-750 and PX-850. Equipped with Casio’s new proprietary sound source, “AiR” (Acoustic and intelligent Resonator), the new Privia models deliver unmatched realism and detail.

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“We are extremely excited to celebrate the arrival of the next generation of the Privia digital piano line,” said Stephen Schmidt, vice president of Casio’s Electronic Musical Instruments Division. “Casio prides itself in continuing to evolve the Privia line, as well as all of its musical instruments, in order to meet the needs of today’s musicians and provide them with quality products to express their passion of music and performance.”

Artists including Karmin, Tom Brislin, and Enferno performed at Beyond Sound II, where attendees experienced firsthand the four new Privia digital pianos in addition to other key models in Casio’s growing portfolio.

a teenager in 1957 and has earned countless accolades and more than 180 patents for his achievements in music product innovation and international business.

NAMM Extends Invite to Music Teachers to Attend ‘Music Education Days’

NAMM is inviting music educators and school administrators from across the country to Anaheim, Calif. to experience NAMM’s “Music Education Days.” The sixth annual event will be held January 26-27 at the 2013 NAMM Show.

Hosted by the NAMM Foundation, music educators and school administrators will have access to NAMM’s premier industry-only music product trade show, where they will have an opportunity to preview the latest instruments, products and tools relevant to today’s music classrooms.

Music Education Days will again feature musical performances each morning beginning at 9:30, followed by session briefings and program highlights. Afternoon breakout sessions will cover topics for music educators ranging from “How to Start a Mariachi Program” and “Technology for Music Educators” to “Adding Group Guitar to Your Program” and “Top 10 Tips for Music Teacher Success.” In addition to networking and reviewing best practices, teachers will have the opportunity to explore miles of new music product displays; examining new products and technologies they can use in their schools.

Registration for Music Education Days is $25 per person from Oct.17, 2012 until Jan. 3, 2013, and $50 per person from Jan. 4-23, 2013. There will be no registration onsite. Music educators can RSVP before Jan. 3, 2013 to receive an invitation.

NOVEMBER 2012

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Upfront Leiva Strings Begins Kickstarter Campaign

Leiva Strings, a Raleigh, N.C.-based business, recently started an online campaign to generate funds to get their business into gear.

“We are doing a Kickstarter because we would like to raise money to bring the manufacturing back here inhouse [Raleigh],” said Italo Leiva, the inventor and CEO of Leiva Strings.

Best in Music’s 23rd Anniversary Event Best In Music recently celebrated its 23rd anniversary with a sale and drawing.

For the past decade, Best In Music (with five locations in Utah) has been hosting an Anniversary Event with live music, vendor sponsored promotions, door crasher accessories, special event pricing, and a drawing where over $10,000 worth of product is given away. Each year over 500 people f lood the parking lot of the main Best

In Music location in Orem, Utah hoping for a chance to win one of 10 free guitars with a total value of over $10,000.

The grand prize was a Fender American Standard Stratocaster retailed at over $1,500. Over $2,000 worth of strings and accessories was thrown out to the crowd, as well.

Aside from a strong turnout, this year’s sales numbers set all-time records.

Seymour Duncan’s Skopp Forms Inside Track Leiva Strings began in 2010 as a participant in the North Carolina State University eGames, a competition to find solutions to real world problems through entrepreneurship, and won the Apollo award for best business plan and the Best in Competition award which gave Leiva Strings the funding it needed to start.

Leiva strings is a music education company that uses color-coded instrument strings to help people learn to play their stringed instrument of choice faster. They also provide a software application that allows the client to easily convert their standard sheet music to color-coded sheet music. This all comes with a virtual support system that helps transition from beginner to expert in a shorter amount of time.

The Leiva Strings Team hopes to raise $40,000 dollars through the Kickstarter campaign. Kickstarter is an online crowdsourcing website that allows entrepreneurs and designers to get their ideas and products funded by offering incentives to people who donate to their cause, usually in the form of their final product. Each entrepreneur chooses a money value and tries to get people to “invest” in their product, because after 40 days if the monetary goal is not met, the entrepreneur gets nothing and the people who “invested” pay nothing.

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After 20 years overseeing Seymour Duncan’s global OEM sales efforts, Evan Skopp is transitioning from an employee of the Santa Barbara-based pickup manufacturer, to an independent sales rep. His new company, Inside Track, is a rep firm specializing in the global sales of OEM musical instrument products.

Inside Track’s first client is Seymour Duncan. Inside Skopp Track will handle worldwide OEM sales for Duncan along with their acoustic guitar-centric affiliate, D-TAR.

At various times during Skopp’s tenure at Seymour Duncan, he headed the company’s sales, marketing, and product development efforts. He oversaw several brand extensions and, under his watch, OEM Sales increased nearly 20-fold.

Also joining Inside Track as vice president and controller is Doreen Daley Skopp.

Previously, Doreen was an independent accountant with roster of clients, primarily non-profits in the music world.

Gist Piano Center Celebrates 40th Anniversary, Opens New Steinway Showroom In celebration of Gist Piano Center’s 40th Anniversary and the September National Piano Month holiday, Gist Piano Center announced the grand opening of its new Louisville, Ky. showroom for Steinway & Sons pianos earlier that month.

“For over 150 years, Steinway & Sons has been the world’s finest example of American craftsmanship and artistry,” said John Gist. “We felt it was time to give Steinway & Sons the elegant display space their reputation deserves.”

The new showroom features a variety of hand-made Steinway & Sons pianos, representatives from Steinway’s Boston and Essex piano lines and a specially designed comfort area for clients. Visitors are invited to explore the pianos, learn about Steinway history, browse Gist Piano Center’s digital library of Steinway materials and even watch a movie or television show about the legendary piano company.

More information about Gist Piano Center’s 40th Anniversary celebration is available at www.gistpianocenter.com.

NOVEMBER 2012

Ventura Guitars

Tired of Matching Internet prices… competing with the local GC? Excerpts From a recent letter: In Ventura we have a quality product… we make a good profit…a brand that our customers communicate to others, thus making our store a “Destination” to find a true local value…that cannot be purchased at the big box stores…nor at the internet stores online…Tom and Ventura stand firmly behind their product… no questions asked!...product line that brought us the most success (as) quality musical instruments that we could recommend to both our student/parent customers as well as the hobbyists who grace and browse our store.

Kim Lloyd, Owner Great Southern Music Cartersville, GA

We are proud that for the past 10 years Ventura Guitars have only been sold to brick and mortar independent music stores.

NO Internet web sites! NO national music chains! NO big box stores or other retail!

We understand your business and make it easy and desirable for you to do business with us: NO buy-ins! NO annual requirements to keep the line!

NO minimum orders! Just buy only what you need, when you need it! And, a LIFETIME WARRANTY! The Ventura Guitar Line is designed mostly for retail price points of $100-$300. We usually have most everything in stock, and ship the same or next day. All products have a lifetime warranty, without exclusions, and it is your call!

AND NO APPLICATION PROCESS: if I know you are a brick and mortar independent store, that is all I need! Our only requirement is that you not sell any of the Ventura product on the internet. That’s all…that simple!

Also, you won’t want to pass up this very profitable CHRISTMAS SPECIAL limited to existing inventory: For Only $40, 3/4 Black Electric Guitar + 5 Watt Amp (AC & 9V)

Let’s get started,

Tom Oliphant (817) 689-7732 or venturaguitars@gmail.com.

Check out our catalog at www.venturasoundideas.com Tom Oliphant, Owner Ventura Guitars

Many of you may have seen me in your store already.

I spend several weeks a year out in the field and from that perspective I understand the independent store operation, your problems, concerns and needs. You have told us what your customer wants and what they are willing to pay and Ventura Guitars are designed with the features and value to meet these requirements and allow you the reasonable profit your store needs to stay in business.

Warehouse: Austin, Texas Office: 4925 S. Meadow Ridge Cir., McKinney, Texas 75070

Upfront GSU Receives $76,000 Donation from Gretsch Foundation Georgia Southern University has received a donation of $76,842.28 from The Sylvia and William Gretsch Memorial Foundation to create a unique music education partnership between the institution and the Boys & Girls Club of Bulloch County. The donation, which will be paid during a period of five years, will provide funding for the new program which serves up to 400 at-risk K-12 stu-

dents in Bulloch County.

“We are very appreciative of this donation and the generosity of the Gretsch family,” said Curtis Ricker, D.A., interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences at Georgia Southern.

“Not only does this donation establish a unique music education program for atrisk youth, it will help make a major difference in the lives of the children.”

Barnes & Mullins Named Dixon UK Distributor Barnes & Mullins has been appointed the exclusive UK distributor for Dixon percussion.

In the past few years, Reliance, the Taiwanese brand owner and manufacturer, has refocused Dixon as solely a percussion brand. Barnes &

Mullins will be initially focusing on its range of drum hardware. Dixon is the third brand to shift its distribution partnership from FCN Music to Barnes & Mullins this year, with Lee Oskar and Aulos having made similar moves in June

Boston Area Bow-Maker Recipient of ‘Genius Grant’ Rolland Arveil, of Boston suburb Watertown, is one of 23 people worldwide chosen to be the 2012 MacArthur Fellows and recipients of the foundation’s “genius grants.”

Arveil’s grandmother was an accomplished concert pianist in France and, by the time he turned 7, she had him playing the instrument. By 9, he was a violin student at the Versailles conservatory and by 16, he was a graduate of the Conservatoire de Paris. But, instead of pursuing

a career as a player, Rolland turned his attention to the bow.

As he told the Boston Globe in an article in early October, “It is an ancient craft worldwide, but especially treasured in France… And I have no better explanation than that I simply love the bow. It is necessary. So important. Much like the instruments they serve, I see the bows as living, not unlike muscles in the body.”

Arveil’s 1,300-plus clients include some of the world’s most accomplished players.

Trade Regrets: Harold Burt passed away on September 19th at the age of 88.

Following a career as a band director, Burt purchased Poole Music in 1979, which he renamed Burt Music and moved to Cary, N.C. Though the store closed when he reached the age of 86, Harold continued teaching music lessons from out of his home, just as he had for over six decades – and which he continued to do through the final week of his life.

At under a hundred bucks, the Next Step Effects from Electro-Harmonix break all the rules. Just look at the Crying Tone. With no moving parts to wear out, a lightning fast response, and tone that kills, it redefines what a wah can be.

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People Music industry veteran, Pat Brown, has been named executive director of the Five Star Group of independent drum shops Brown, whose background includes seven years Brown at Fender, and 27 years at Pro-Mark is a former co-director of the Percussion Marketing Council, and past winner of the Percussive Arts Society’s President’s Industry Award.

Chris Hart has been appointed director of worldwide artist & public relations at Remo, Inc. Hart has been with Remo for over 20 years.

Hart Conn-Selmer recently hired Branislav Zivkovic as its new vice president of Ludwig & Musser.

Branislav comes to Conn-Selmer with over 16 years experience in sales, marketing, and brand management. In his most recent role, Branislav served as vice president of marketing Zivkovic for Harman. Prior to his time with Harman, Branislav spent 14 years with Lexmark International. He graduated from the Swiss Officer Academy and obtained his Master’s in Business & Economics from the Graduate School of Business in Berne, Switzerland. In addition, Branislav has attended leadership and executive programs through Harvard University and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Branislav’s addition to the ConnSelmer team will better support and align the areas of combo and educational school percussion under the Ludwig & Musser brands.

Connolly Music Company has added two new members to their Western region sales team.

Regional manager Steve Greenfield and inside sales specialist Lance Greenfield Rohrecker will be responsible for maintaining and expanding Connolly’s customer base and identifying new opportunities in the Western region.

Greenfield previously Rohrecker served as district manager and sales consultant at Yamaha. He was also a product manager for the Eastman Music Company. Rohrecker comes to Connolly with dealer experience as a manager of The Long Island Violin Shop. Lance will be working closely with Garrett Semmelink, the inside sales specialist for California and Washington.

Harman Professional has appointed Nuno Sousa to the position of regional sales manager as part of the EMEA sales teams, representing the Harman Professional brands in the South- Sousa ern European territories.

Sousa brings over 25 years of experience in the field of broadcasting and professional audio, having worked in recording studios, radio and video production companies and in distribution companies.

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Mad Sun Marketing, a boutique music and audio marketing and PR firm based in the San Francisco Bay Area, has added Tom Gilbert as marketing and PR associate. Having spent Gilbert the last decade in Nashville, Tenn., as a touring guitarist and Internet marketing specialist, Gilbert has held a number of roles within the industry, including booking and promotion, graphic design, branding, and live audio production.

WWW.LMPRODUCTS.COM NOVEMBER 2012

NEWS FROM GLOBAL TRUSS AMERICA WE WILL SOON BE OFFERING MANY OF OUR PRODUCTS TO YOU UNDER THE DURA TRUSS BRAND NAME Why We’re Introducing Dura Truss: Global Truss America has been selling quality truss in the US under the Global Truss brand since 2003. Soon we will actively begin offering truss under two brands: Global Truss and Dura Truss. Both brands will be part of the Global Truss America Family.

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Leading by Learning NAMM is committed to helping Members realize their greatest potential with continued growth and development. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The path to increased inďŹ&#x201A;uence, impact and leadership effectiveness is paved with personal growthâ&#x20AC;Śâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Best-selling authors Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller Earlier this year, Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller released their new book, Great Leaders Grow: Becoming a Leader for Life. One of many titles by this power team of authors, this parable takes an honest look at the journey of a young man as he discovers the importance of continued growthâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;as a leader and as a human being. The story directly connects the ability to grow with the ability to lead, as the man works through a four-step plan to achieve his highest potential.

Thanks to such a vibrant Membership made up of industry professionals like you, NAMM has been at the crossroads of industry growth and leadership:

November marks a signiďŹ cant change for our education PROGRAM AT .!-- /UR $IRECTOR OF 0ROFESSIONAL $EVELOPMENT

+EN 7ILSON IS RETIRING AND A FAMILIAR FACE :ACH 0HILLIPS WILL transition into Kenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s role from his post as editor at Music Inc. and UpBeat Daily 7HILE PREVIOUSLY MODERATING AND SPEAKING AT .!-- 5 SESSIONS :ACH WILL TAKE THE LEAD IN CREATING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES 7E SEE IT AS A MOVE TO .!-- 5 Â&#x2C6;THE NEXT CHAPTER OF OUR IDEA GENERATING SESSIONS and seminarsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;while staying true to our objective of providing relevant and high-value educational programs for our Members.

The sessions being planned for the upcoming NAMM Show shed new light in the areas of store management, online sales, social s /UR "OARD OF $IRECTORS COME FROM MANY DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS media, time management and more. The theme of this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Breakfast of Champions will focus on leadership, with industry yet they share the goal of growth and prosperity as they make icons sharing their own stories of challenges and solutions in decisions on behalf of the entire industry. todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growing, changing marketplace. s 7E INTERVIEW OUR INDUSTRY LEADERS FOR THE /RAL (ISTORY 0ROGRAM Industry professionals from around the globe who are focused to capture unique anecdotes about their journeys, while on charging ahead as leaders will make the trip to Anaheim for focusing on the historical aspects of how they weathered ups .!-- 5 TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS KEY BENElT OF -EMBERSHIP

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NAMM PRESIDENT AND CEO

NAMM News

November 2012

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Show Report

Music China Strong Attendance, Continued Interest in Asian Market Share The aisles were bustling during the 11th annual Music China and Prolight & Sound show in Shanghai, which took place from October 10-14. Now considered one of the largest music & sound industry gatherings in the world, the expanded show seemed to reflect growth with increased exhibit space across various categories in size and scope.

According to Evan Sha of Messe Frankfurt Shanghai, companies like Buffet Crampon, Yamaha, Roland, and Dixon Drums increased the footprint of their booths by 20 to 50 percent. The international presence was quite visible, with over 1,000 companies exhibiting at the Music China event and 419 at the Prolight & Sound show. The number of international pavilions also grew this year, including those from the UK, Taiwan Spain, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Japan, Italy, Germany, France, the Czech Republic, and Belgium. Additionally, this was Japan’s first entry with a pavilion at the show. Mr. Mochizuki Tomoharu, head of the Japan Trade Fair Division said that “[with an], All-Japan Consortium the result would be an exceptional 22 MMR

opportunity to explore the global musical instrument market.”

Although there are numerous indications that China’s pace of economic growth is slowing, it wasn’t apparent at this year’s show, as it was still quite evident that more companies are looking to increase their market share in the Asian markets. Harvey Levy of Levy’s Leathers mentioned that each year his company sells more into the Chinese market.

David Gartland of Saga Musical Instruments indicated that they were looking to enhance their visibility and distribution in the Chinese and Asian markets. “It appears that the consumers in this market like products that are made in the USA, especially those who are influenced by the guitar gods,” he said. “Kids here

in China are listening to older, more classic music and are catching up. Music like bluegrass is unfamiliar to them, but they are exploring and discovering it, along with other types of Western music.”

Lothar Kiesche of Schimmel Pianofortefabrik told MMR that this is the tenth year in the Chinese market for the highend piano maker. Kiesche believes that it is still an early-stage market and that the process of purchasing pianos in China is being established. They still take a conservative approach to the market, but he believes that, long-term, there is great potential for growth and that the market is shifting towards better instruments.

NAMM also had a considerable presence at the show with their NAMM University sessions, which included clinics by NOVEMBER 2012

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“ It was still quite evident that more companies are looking to increase their market share in the Asian markets.”

Doug Lady of Hal Leonard Corp., Mr. Qin Chuan of Hebei Qinchuan Musical Instruments, Mr. Blue Lan of KHSTianjin, and Ms. Zhou Zhou of Bole Piano Pro. At a press conference sponsored by the Messe Frankfurt organization, Detlef Braun, managing director of the organization, outlined important new initiatives for 2013. One of these includes the important acquisition of the Music Guanghzhou trade fair, a show that takes place in March and is mostly known as an OEM sourcing show. Other initiatives include: doubling of the size of the Russian show, due to the strong potential of the market in that country; investing more in the Frankfurt Fair and changing the layout of the halls for the show; plus, evaluating new destinations and markets for potential roll-outs.

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1. Musical Nova Chamber Group performs at the show. 2. Son and father team Jeremy and Morrie Backun of Backun Musical Products. 3. Tim Elvy of Legere Reeds visits with Franck Bichon of BG Products.

4. Twin brothers Theo and Tom Wanne of Theo Wanne Co. 5. Detlef Braun and Cordelia Von Gymnich of Messe Frankfurt. 6. Lothar Kiesche and Hannes Schimmel of Schimmel Pianofortefabrik.

7. Randy Navarre of Northeastern Music Publications. 8. Tom Dolan of QRS Music Products.

9. Neil Lilien of R.S. Berkley. 10. Tom Lagomarsino of PianoDisc/Mason & Hamlin. 11. Levy’s Leathers’ Harvey Levy performing his original songs at his booth. 12. Jody Espina of Jody Jazz Mouthpieces. 13. Jim Donahue and Tony Kim of Leader Music. 14. Forestone Reeds’ Lars Heuseler and Akira Tatsumi. 15. Chuck Green and Scott Davies of American DJ. 16. Saga Musical Instruments’ David Gartland. 17. Bryndon Bay of Mel Bay Publications. 18. Yuan Gao of Gao Clarinets showing the new Reform Boehm clarinet. 19. David Kilkenney, Brent Beech, and Eric French of Anthem Musical Instruments. 20. Hap Kuffner and Andrew Farrell of Kuffner International with Joseph Chen of Reliance Musical Instruments. 21. Rovner Products’ husband and wife team of George and Lynn Reeder. 22. Ace Products’ Dave Andrus, Alan Poster, and Kevin Lin.

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Suyrvey & Market Review

Global

Rhythms

World Music Drums & Percussion

“World Music” is one of those gloriously vague, all-inclusive musical genres (even more so than jazz – although plenty of World Music artists simultaneously get pegged with the “jazz” label, but I digress…).

The percussion instruments as-

sociated with such a wide-ranging style are, not surprisingly, numerous (to say the least): djembe, ashiko, bodhran, cajons, conga, tabla, bongos, doumbek – the list goes on, and on, and on…

A few years ago, we’d been hearing anecdotal evidence that World Music drums offered dealers a unique advantage in that many were small and comparatively inexpensive, and there had

been an up-tick in popularity for those styles of music. However, we’d never really attempted to gather data to explore this product segment.

To address that, MMR recently polled

over 100 MI operations either dealing exclusively in drums and percussion, or with sizable drum departments, to find out what’s really happening out there in the world of, well, World Music…

Sales of percussion instruments specific to the “World Music” genre are…

“Smaller hand drums are the ones that are doing best. We’re not selling many low-end congas these days.

Mostly single drums.”

David Randall, Field of Dreams Fairfield, Iowa

What price points are doing best?

Up: 15% Down: 41% Level: 44%

26 MMR

“They are slow. The only consistent seller for me is cajons.”

Shane Kinney, Drum Center of Portsmouth Portsmouth, N.H.

Low: 69% Intermediate: 27% High-end: 4%

NOVEMBER 2012

“People are buying expensive djembes, but inexpensive accessories.”

Ed Hartman, The Drum Exchange Seattle, Wash.

“Bargains!”

William Trull, Toby’s TNT Music Langley, S.C. What one specific World Music percussion instrument is selling best for your business?

Djembe: 41% Cajons: 24% Congas: 16% Bongo: 10% Other: 9% Do you plan to expand or contract your store’s involvement in this category in the coming year?

Expand: 19% Contract: 4% Remain the Same: 77% “I would love to explore ethnic [percussion], including tabla, djembe, Middle-Eastern, et cetera instruments.”

Dan Dunlop, Rocket Music Blacksburg, Va. “As the market increases, we will adjust accordingly.”

Mitchel Banks, Don Banks Music Tampa, Fla. What trends have you been noticing with respect to World Music drums and percussion?

“A lot of new hand percussion products are being released.”

David St. John, Gard’s Music, LLP Glendora, Calif.

“Portable drums – congas, bongos – are more popular now.”

Danya Nestor, Endless Music Tunkhannock, Pa. “The major issue for us is the lack of MAP pricing and enforcement with the larger manufacturers… With such a swing in prices the consumer may be NOVEMBER 2012

Survey & Market Review Jeff Ivester

Director of Percussion Marketing KMCMusicorp (Latin Percussion, Toca Percussion) While the demand for certain Latin and Cuban-style instruments has stabilized in recent years, the larger “World Percussion” market, as a whole, is on the verge of a very significant expansion. The appetite for portable, lightweight hand percussion instruments has grown steadily and both LP and Toca have steered product development to satisfy these needs.

There has been a great demand for LP to broaden its offering of Brazillian instruments. Currently, there is a void in the market for high-quality, authentic sounding Brazillian instruments and LP is taking steps to fill that void with a much wider variety of traditional Brazillian instruments that have a truly authentic sound. For Toca, the drum circle market has exploded and the company has been right there, developing a variety of versatile African-inspired hand drums in a range of price points.

LP released its new Americana Cajon Series earlier this year and the response has been phenomenal.

The product is manufactured just a mile away from the “The larger company’s headquarters in Garfield, N.J. which allows us to constantly monitor the quality of the product and ‘World work closely and more efficiently with the factory on the Percussion’ development of new models. Toca’s lightweight Freemarket, style II Djembes have proven to be just what the growas a whole, ing drum circle market has been looking for. They’re is on the lightweight and weatherproof, making them easy to verge of carry to indoor or outdoor community drumming events.

I think there is tremendous opportunity for the a very dealer that is willing to look outside of their traditional significant customer base and explore new markets with an arseexpansion.” nal of hand drums. At all grade levels, educators are – Jeff Ivester, desperately searching for affordable and durable perKMCMusicorp cussion solutions for students. Lightweight, portable drums like Toca’s new 6 lb, PVC, stackable Flex Drum are perfect drums for educators. The health and wellness market has discovered that hand drumming is an effective tool for both mental and physical therapy, making healthcare providers a market worthy of investigation. The boom in the cajon market clearly indicates that drum set players are looking for more versatile instruments for “unplugged” gigs. So pitching a high quality cajon with a wide range of sound to regular drum set customers is a great sales opportunity.

We’re noticing more and more that when it comes to hand drums, one of the greatest sales opportunities is with non-percussionists. The percussion-curious store visitor that is probably too intimidated to sit down behind a drum set and play is probably far more willing to try their hand at playing a djembe. A sharp and attentive sales associate who can offer a little education and words of encouragement is very likely to convert a browser into a buyer. By acknowledging and understanding this “intimidation factor,” a dealer with an effective on-line presence can reach out to a huge pool of consumers that might never be willing to set foot inside a drum shop. A non-invasive, light-handed presentation to Internet consumers could very well produce hand drum purchases that might never have occurred otherwise.

Luis Cardoso

Marketing Manager Sabian/Gon Bops A trend we’re seeing – obviously a result of the ongoing economic downturn – is that a number of percussion manufacturers have focused on selling introducMMR 27

confused and less than confident with their purchase.”

Fred Mulvey, Ethnic Musical Instruments Ontario, Calif.

“Cajons and djembes are dominating this market. The ease of use and portability of these instruments make them a great candidate for anyone wanting to learn an instrument. You do not need years of study, but instead in many cases can sit

tory level instruments.

But what’s interesting to us is that we are also seeing a considerable spike in our sales of high-end instruments.

Although “Hand the market, overall, does percussion seem to be instruments allow dealers contracting, there is clearto offer ly a customer customers segment that quality sees the benefit in buying instruments quality and at very c r a f t s m a nreasonable ship. They’re prices.” willing to – Luis Cardoso, move up to Sabian/ the next levGon Bops el and Gon Bops, as a manufacturer, has benefited from this.

Cajons are hot sellers for us and for the percussion market, in general.

They have been top-selling instruments for a number of years now, and this trend shows no sign of letting up in the foreseeable future. New shapes, sizes, and interpretations of this classic instrument are being developed all the time, as are new cajon accessories.

Hand percussion instruments allow dealers to offer customers quality instruments at very reasonable prices.

They make great gifts for musicians of all stripes – not just drummers and percussionists. In this economy, they’re a great way for parents to get their kids 28 MMR

right down and play. They’re fun, therapeutic, medicinal: there is something for everyone in this category right now.”

Glenn Noyes, Guitar Center Westlake Village, Calif.

“A few years ago these were often impulse sales. Purchases are now more considered.”

Keith Giles, Giles’ Alaska Music One Juneau, Alaska

“Colorful percussion is selling well to the hobbyist player right now. They play for fun and like to show it.”

John Spinelli, Seminole Music & Sound Seminole, Fla.

into music without breaking the bank.

For this very reason, Gon Bops has definitely concentrated on offering very high quality hand percussion at the best possible price. Getting back to cajons–like hand percussion, they’re very appealing to musicians of all genres, not just World or Latin music.

And the price is definitely right.

Cajon accessories seem to be a trend right now. We’re seeing more and more of these as cajons continue to sell well. Also, boutique cajons are something we’re seeing plenty of. It’s a trend we like; we have a very fine cajon shop in Peru where we’ve been producing boutique cajons long before the term even existed!

Ivy Yu

General Manager Tycoon Percussion With the economy in its current state, there is a general decline in the market for World Percussion instruments. Companies in the industry are constantly introducing new products, however, and customers who are unaccustomed to certain ethnic instruments may choose to stick with the trends and what they know. Right now, cajons and djembes are still the most popular hand percussion instruments.

World Percussion instruments typically come at an affordable price, and are extremely versatile and easy to travel with. They take up little space, are very light, and don’t require any type of set-up. Dealers are able to stock a wider variety of product within a limited amount of floor space. For Tycoon, having our own factory allows us the luxury of being able to guarantee our customers innovative, high quality products coupled with extremely competitive price points.

“World Percussion instruments typically come at an affordable price, and are extremely versatile and easy to travel with.”

– Ivy Yu, Tycoon Percussion

With the economy in its current state, everyone is looking for the best value deal.

Consumers are always searching for something that is low maintenance and will work in a variety of settings: on stage, in a recording studio, at a drum circle, et cetera, and products that come at a low cost combined with high quality.

Jerry Goldenson VP of Sales Pearl Corporation

World Music Percussion has been, and probably will always be, in a constant state of expansion and contraction. We have seen big surges in World Percussion with the shifts and changes to pop culture and the music of the times.

In just recent memory, Paul Simon’s Graceland in 1987 certainly had a lot to do with bringing African rhythms and sounds to popular music and sales of various African-origin instruments exploded. Djembes found their way into all kinds of music and added a unique voice to music. Djembes are still viable today for their unique qualiNOVEMBER 2012

ties and low technical demands and learning curve. This took it outside the need for a drummer/ percussionist or musical expertise. Besides congas and bongos prior, the djembe had mass appeal and expanded the pie of music makers by attracting hobbyist and professionals alike. The hobbyists purchased djembes to play casually or just for fun and they looked “cool.” The professionals gained a tremendous and portable instrument that was an addition to their regular setup and often moved the drummer/percussionist or djembe playing friend up close and personal with players in what became the acoustic “Un-Plugged” music trend years later.

In the 1980s and ‘90s, Miami Sound Machine brought Cuban and Latin rhythms to the forefront of music and the percussionist was a feature player.

This saw a rise in sales of everything from timbales to various shakers, tambourines, congas, bongos, et cetera…

This was certainly a time of growth for the music and percussion industry.

After a slight contraction in rhythmic percussion-driven music, Ricky Martin burst on the scene at the 1999 Grammys. Percussion and World music was back again, front and center. That same year, Santana released Supernatural and conga and bongo sales exploded!

The years that followed saw World Percussion infiltrate the once underground culture and music of a huge influx of jam bands where improvisation and various rhythms rule the flow of the music. I am sure Tito Puente, during the height of his career in the 1950s, or when Santana first hit the scene in the ’60s, had a similar effect on the popularity of such percussion instruments. World Percussion expands and contracts but never completely goes away. The same goes for sales of percussive instruments. It is always important to capture the shifts and trends in music. When it comes to World Percussion, the current direction is driven by several key factors.

Popular instruments like cajons offer a very wide appeal. First, they are simple in design, they are relatively simple to play. They offer a wide range of cost from very affordable to custom art.

They are easy to understand and they are portable. Bongos and djembes both had the same features that earned similar mass appeal and sales.

NOVEMBER 2012

them to demo guitars and Cajons have had a treeven the most simplistic mendous product run with rhythmic pattern tapped little slowdown in sight. It out while demoing a guimeets all the best attritar creates interest and butes of a successful prodthe inevitable response… uct. They have a simple de“That’s cool – what is it?” sign, are simple to play and Shakers, tambourines, simple to transport. Not to and maracas have long mention, there is a wide sebeen steady purchases by lection and wide price range guitar players and singof cajons. These have been ers. Percussion does not great for many retailers due “Percussion have to be a huge investto their small footprint, low does not ment, but it can yield high investment with maximum have to be returns and margins while return, and high turn. a huge offering cool and often World Music Drums investment, unique products. and Percussion are great but it can The cajon tends to be assets to any music retailthe largest and longest er. The vast array of prodyield high continuing trend. Although uct types and choices and returns and price points allow them the margins while we continue to wait for the balloon to burst, it continability to customize an ofoffering cool ues to grow. Early sales fering that best suits their and often of cajons were driven by current customers or bring unique price point. As with the in customers that may not drum set, market prices have gone to their store. products.” for sets were going lower Drum circles, “Mommy and – Jerry and lower. Now, potentially Me Classes,” and Music Goldenson, due to the duration of the Therapy are just a few ways Pearl cajons’ popularity, we are to expand past just the MI Corporation seeing willingness for more customer and reach new unique and better-crafted products, as customers. The many uses and adaptwell as higher accepted price points. ability across all styles of music and As people get more comfortable, they rhythmic uses makes World Percussion are upgrading to better made and beta huge help in finding ways to get more ter sounding products. As with everyinvolved in your community and surthing there is a direct correlation to rounding areas. price vs. performance. The product Whether you are a full line store or segment will continue to grow and cona specialty shop, percussion can have a tract and various products will come in healthy and prosperous return on your and out of favor, but there will always investment. Certainly every drum shop be a market for World Percussion inneeds a healthy assortment of percusstruments. Cajons will step back some sion because a drummer may buy one or day and give way to the next, latest possibly two kits, but the configuration and greatest percussion instrument. and set-up typically remains the same.

We may not know what that is, but I A vast array of percussive instruments can only guess that it already exists, gives new voices to every drummer and is easy to play, portable, unique, and are always a definite must for every set initially price sensitive. I’m thinking it player to explore cowbell, wood or tone is not going to be the carillon. If anyblock, drum set tambourine and shakone has the inside track on the next ers. The next steps could be a djembe, big percussion product, let me know: congas or cajon. my crystal ball is out of warranty. It is Even a guitar shop would do well the responsibility of the manufacturers with percussion. As previously menand retailers to keep percussion top of tioned, acoustic or unplugged performind based on its wide appeal and abilmances are a welcome opportunity for ity reach past our MI boundaries and instruments like congas, djembes, and create new players, enthusiast and cajons. A great way to sell more cajons hobbyist. Percussion instruments are is to put them in the acoustic guitar the special sauce in the mix. rooms. You will find players sitting on MMR 29

Retail

Music Land Serves Its Corner of the World Well B&O Operation an American Tale

“We don’t go for business beyond our county too much any more,” Joe Noto says. “We decided to focus more on local music making.

I’d rather be in my little corner and do my little thing, and not try to conquer the world.”

32 MMR

Like all good independents, personal service and expertise is key to the success of this Baltimore suburban music retail operation known as Music Land, owned

by Joe Noto. But being old school doesn’t keep this business from having a good Web presence, or getting that precious “word of mouth” online. Music Land features prominently in Insider Pages, a website where consumers can rate local businesses, and the locals are singing its

praises. “Joe was very helpful in getting whatever music equipment was needed,” and “[ Joe] is a great person and has a good sense of humor.”

Music Land is a full line store – you can get your Fender guitar and Marshall amp there – but the emphasis is on Band & Orchestra. They cultivate a culture of young music makers; one of their customers, Katie Bulb, 17, was one of just ten scholarshipwinners awarded by MMR’s sister publication, School Band & Orchestra (SBO), through an essay contest, which is co-sponsored

by NAMM, Alfred Publishing, Sabian, Woodwind & Brasswind, and Yamaha.

Noto’s own story is inspiring. He was born in Sicily, Italy, and his family immigrated to the states in 1957 when he was a teenager. Family connections landed them in the Baltimore area, and despite having to learn English on the fly, Noto quickly got involved with local music stores. He got a job teaching accordion and guitar, and then in the mid-1960s, he opened up a small shop in Baltimore. In 1971, he closed that one and opened Music Land a little north and east in Bel Air, Maryland.

Next was an evolution of sorts from small store to a shopping center in the 1980s, finally moving to their current standalone building where they have been for over 20 years. While combo was always NOVEMBER 2012

in the mix, “We grew stronger because of our band and orchestra [department],” he says. “It’s a big part of what we do because of our relationships with the schools.”

“With the business, everything is a little better,” he says cautiously. “The rental season didn’t really get affected by the recession too much. Parents still rent instruments, and stands, reeds, and strings still get bought. But foot traffic is down.

I think the business is still there, it’s just getting misplaced with the Internet.”

MMR: What is the bulk of your business?

Joe Noto: We do a good amount of repairs and rentals. We do a lot of accessories but that’s become very competitive because of the Internet.

We really cater more to the local population, and service is the number one emphasis. You can buy an instrument anywhere, but here it’s not just about getting the sale, it’s about cultivating relationships.

We have second and third generation family members coming to us. I see the grandchildren of people I used to teach!

MMR: That must make you feel good …

JN: It makes me feel a little older, that’s what it does! [laughs] NOVEMBER 2012

MMR: Your repair shop has a great reputation. Tell us about it.

JN: We do all the repairs for all the schools, including Peabody Conservatory [in Baltimore]. We service a lot of Baltimore musicians too. We have two main repair people, Gary Lindenborn, who has managed the repair since 1982, and Eric Church, who has been in the shop since 1990. Then there is also Gary’s father, Bill, who helps with guitar and banjo repairs part time, and Josh D’Onofrio, who is new.

All our technicians are members of the National Association of Professional Band Instrument Repair Technicians.

They all do good work and I couldn’t ask for anybody else to work on the instruments that come into the shop.

“ We have second and third generation family members coming to us. I see the grandchildren of people I used to teach!”

MMR: How many are working at Music Land today?

JN: We have four working in front, at least two people in the shop, and then we have eight teachers.

MMR: Do you get out to the schools?

JN: We don’t go to the schools like we used to. The schools themselves give out a list of local dealers, and we get a good amount of the kids renting from that.

Don McClure, Havre De Grace High School music director; Katie Bubb, scholarship winner; and Joe Noto of Music Land, Bel Air, Md. MMR 33

stronger all the time. They have a huge program and the teacher is fantastic, doing an unbelievably good job.

MMR: You still have a big print department…

JN: We’re into sheet music, books, band books, solo books, samba books – we have a large selection. Our biggest suppliers are Alfred and Hal Leonard, and then we use jobbers for the small stuff. We have some band music, orchestra print, and we supply the schools with choral music sometimes. We have lots of sheet music, pop stuff, traditional music education books. I just think print music is an integral part of the store.

Accessories are a big part of our business. Yamaha, Selmer, Rico, and Van Doren all do well.

MMR: And how are the school music programs in your area?

JN: The county school district has a really good, strong program.

MMR: Are marching bands strong in your area?

JN: They are. They are really good.

C. Milton Wright High School is getting

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34 MMR

MMR: What instruments do you carry?

JN: We sell Bach, Selmer, and Yamaha. Those are three main lines for brass and woodwinds. We tried Buffet for a while as a step-up instrument, but it didn’t sell too well.

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NOVEMBER 2012

We’d actually like to do more step-up business. Prices are so competitive because of the Internet. It’s always that old story: Do we cut prices more and cut service? Or sell the service? We do the latter.

For strings it’s Glaesel, Scherl & Roth, Yamaha, and Allegro. We recently just added Amati string instruments. Their sales person came by the store and showed the instruments off and I was impressed. I’ve tried some other brands, but I thought this was good for the money.

The instrument’s setup is excellent. It’s a nice instrument for the price range.

“ Getting people in the store really sells the instruments.”

MMR: What does well percussion-wise in your B&O market?

JN: The main three are Ludwig, Tama, and Pearl. We do some low-end sales with WJM, too. Zildjian and Sabian cymbals do well. Related accessories include things from them plus Sabine, Remo, Evans, and Latin Percussion.

NOVEMBER 2012

MMR: Tell us about the teaching component of Music Land.

JN: We have eight who rent the rooms – we don’t run a “school.” They are inde-

pendent – in fact, my daughter, Amanda [Noto], teaches piano and voice. Some of the teachers have been with us a long time – some started taking lessons here as

MMR 35

a kid, and then come back later to teach.

But we teachers tie the idea of sales to the students.

FRONT: Left to right Dustin Bentkowski, Zach Bair, Amanda Noto, Joe Noto, & Sarah Folus BACK: Left to right Josh D’Onofrio (repairs), Gary Linderborn (repairs), Ryan Deptol & Adam Payne

MMR: Do you do clinics?

JN: We haven’t in a while. We have guitar clinics, keyboard… we had Robert Godin himself come in for a Seagull [guitar] session.

I feel like manufacturers are spending their money on websites and YouTube and that’s why there are less clinics.

What they forget is that getting people in the store really sells the instruments. A trumpet player comes by out of curiosity for a clinic, and is shown a new instrument. Then the clinician says, “now try it with this mouthpiece, and it’ll sound even better!” The person goes home from the clinic, and can’t stop thinking about the horn. Eventually he comes back and buys it. You can’t get that [experience] on a website or YouTube video.

MMR: Like many dealers, do you feel like you’re struggling against the Internet?

JN: A kid comes in and plays three, four, or five different [models] to decide which one he likes and buys that. Is happy with it. Someone on the Internet buys something, tries it out, decides he or she doesn’t like it and sends it back. This can happen a couple times for months, so when someone who buys it does like it enough to keep it, you’ve got a used instrument.

MMR: You’ve got a great website – it’s nice to see bios of all your teachers, etc. Is it new?

JN: We did that about a year ago, and we’re still working on a product page. We haven’t tried to sell on it … One of my customers programmed it.

MMR: It’s fun to look at all the photos you have on it from your decades in business.

JN: Funny thing. He thought I was crazy for wanting that, but when [the website] was up, he came back and said he couldn’t believe how many hits those pictures got! Old students, teachers, people from the neighborhood like to look at them.

And that’s exactly what I’m talking about with a store versus the Internet.

You can buy stuff anywhere, but a store like this is about being a community and getting closer to those who live here.

36 MMR

NOVEMBER 2012

14"

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3 Hat Packs

Mix and match these hihat pairs for a greater range of sonic options. Discover new sounds and feels with up to 12 distinct set ups. Visit zildjian.com/3hatpack.

t a e B e h t n ur

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New Drum and Percussion Products to Kickstart Sales

Limited Edition Candy Apple Red KickPort 2 SE The KickPort2 SE model updates KickPort International’s awardwinning sonic enhancement accessories, which offer a unique design to help maximize the tone, feel, and sub-frequency response for essentially every brand of bass drum and drumhead. Like all KickPort models, the KickPort2 SE features the Firm-Flex™ collar and reinforcement ring for fast and easy installation. The KickPort2 SE provides the ability to improve frequency response, depth, and dynamics for any style of music.

The limited edition Candy Apple Red finish SE style joins the current KickPort 2 lineup available in the following finishes: Black, White, Chrome, Gold. Retail price: $59.99. www.KickPort.com

Limited Edition 'Lars Ulrich Scary Guy' Drumsticks from Ahead

A cross between Ahead’s classic 5B and 2B models (16”x.595/58g and 16”x.595”/64g, respectively) and the Lars Ulrich signature stick (16.25”x.595/65g), the new, limited edition “Lars Ulrich Scary Guy” signature drumsticks feature a hand-drawn icon created by Metallica’s legendary drummer. The sticks are now available in a choice of two models: the LU-SG Standard with silver logos (16”x.595”/64g) and the LU-SGL Light with red logos (16”x.595”/58g). Retail price: $36.49. www.aheaddrumsticks.com 38 MMR

Tycoon Percussion Talking Drum

Constructed in Tycoon’s own factory in Thailand, the Talking Drum is made from the finest sustainably-harvested Siam Oak wood. They are individually hand-made and tested, promising high sound quality and durability. Each individual drum features a premium goat skin head clasped onto the drum by the traditional African rope tuning system, allowing players to change the pitch by squeezing it between the arm and body.

The comfortable padded strap allows the drum to be hung over the shoulder, providing players with the option of using either their hands or the included curved beater to play.

The Talking Drum is just one of the numerous authentic and top-quality World Percussion instruments offered at Tycoon Percussion. Retail price: $149. www.tycoonpercussion.com NOVEMBER 2012

Dixon Inventor Series Drop Clutch

Dixon Drums & Hardware recently announced the debut of the Dixon Inventor Series, starting with the Magnetic Drop Clutch and the Ultimate Clutch Combo.

This two piece clutch is joined by magnets and attaches to the top hi-hat cymbal and pull rod like any conventional clutch. With little effort, the player gently strikes the disk causing the clutch to pivot causing the top hi-hat to drop closed without missing a beat. This frees up the player’s left foot for double bass or auxiliary percussion. To return to normal play, simply step on the hi-hat pedal to re-engage. In addition, each clutch includes an optional “wash control” device to control the spacing between the cymbals in the closed position for greater versatility.

The Inventor Ultimate Clutch Combo includes all of the above plus a trip arm

to trigger the release of the clutch without committing a single stroke. Retail price: $46.99 (Magnetic Drop Clutch), $84.99 (Ultimate). www.stlouismusic.com

Yamaha DTX400 Series Electronic Drum Set

Yamaha recently added two new drum sets to its DTX series – the DTX450K and DTX400K kits, which offer pro-level sounds and features at entry-level prices. Both drum sets come with the DTX400 module, which features 169 professional-level drum sounds, 128 instrument voices and 10 customizable kits. Newly designed 10” hi-hats, crash and ride cymbals offer realistic feel and the 7.5” drum pads have been redesigned for greater durability and playability. Both sets are upgradable with the XP80 DTX-PAD snare. The streamlined, easy-to-use module also offers 10 interactive training functions with Voice Guidance that turn practicing into game-like fun. Each drum kit fits into a compact box that is easy to ship and take home.

The DTX450K drum kit features newly designed drum pads, including a 3-zone snare pad for head, rim-shot and side-stick sounds.

The Yamaha belt-drive foot pedal, offers true-kick feel and the realistic hi-hat controller allows for halfopen, pedal, and splash sounds. The steel rack provides a solid playing experience and the Floor Tom bar easily accommodates an extra cymbal (purchased separately). Cymbal attachments on the DTX450K feature chrome hardware.

The DTX400 drum kit comes with a steel rack and the new beater-less KU100 kick unit for whisper-quiet bass drum operation. The DTX400 is upgradable with the TP70S 3-zone snare pad, the XP-80 DTX-PAD snare and the FP110 beltdrive foot pedal, included with the KP65 kick pad. Retail price: $499.99 (DTX400K), $699.99 (DTX450K). www.yamaha.com

Outlaw Drums Weathered Series Snare Drums Outlaw Drums has announced their first standard series of snare drums, the Outlaw Weathered Series™.

Manufactured in the U.S. of reclaimed heartpine, Weathered Series drums feature naturally aged finishes, allowing the character of centuries of exposure to the elements to shine through. Outlaw Weathered Series snare drums feature a thin finish, which gives drummers the ability to feel the wood grain as they run their fingers across the drums.

Weathered Series snare drums are built using a stave style construction, precise 45 degree bearNOVEMBER 2012

ing edges, and 300-500 year old wood, and include only the highest quality hardware, heads, and finishes. These drums come standard with tube lugs,

triple-flanged hoops, and a pro-quality snare throw-off, with a choice of black, chrome, or brass.

Other standard features include a custom wood air vent, 16 strand snare wires, and a Remo Coated Ambassador batter head, Clear Emperor bottom head. Some boards have old bolt and nail holes, and sometimes the original nails are still set in the wood. Others still have the original saw kerfs.

Standard sizes: 7" x 14", 6" x 14", 5" x 14", 6" x 13", 5" x 13", and 3.5" x 13". Custom Sizes available. www.outlawdrums.com MMR 39

Sonor Safari and Bop Drum Kits in Red Galaxy Sparkle Finish

The Safari kit is a more affordable version of the Sonor Jungle Kit, offering compact size with uncompromised sound. This shell pack includes a 16” x 16” bass drum with riser, a 10”x 8” tom with mounting hardware, a 14” x 12” floor tom and a full-size 14” x 5” snare.

The Bop kit is easy to transport and a smaller, more affordable alternative to typical larger kit configurations. This shell pack includes an 18”X 16” bass drum, a 12”X 8” tom with mounting hardware, a 14” X 14” floor tom and a full-size 14” X 5” snare.

40 MMR

Retail price: $637.50 (Safari), $399 (Bop). www.sonorusa.com

Mapex ‘Obsidian’ Limited Edition Meridian Black Kit

The Meridian Black Obsidian kit is the second in a series of “Player Designed” kits with features directly filling the needs of the modern rock drummer. The Obsidian kit is a limited edition, specific in its configuration, and very unique in its look. Once they are sold out, they will not be reproduced.

The rich Birch/Maple hybrid shells crank out low and dark tones with a balanced attack. The inside of the shells feature a new Black finish that enhances resonance and projection. The 24” x 14” Bass drum delivers immediate massive low end that compliments the full attack of the toms. The kit boasts one 12” x 8” rack

tom and a 16” x 16” floor tom. A 14”x 07” snare is also available as an add-on.

The shells come wrapped in a deep volcanic glass sparkle, are fitted with chrome hardware, and are topped with Remo coated single ply UX drumheads.

The bass drum has a 4.8mm Birch exterior and a 2.4mm Maple interior, while the tom and snare drums have a 4.1mm Birch exterior and a 1.7mm Maple interior. Retail price: $1,099 (3-Piece Shell Kit), $349 (Add-on Snare). www.mapex.com

Aquarian Drumheads FSR inHEAD Technology

The innovative, patent-pending inHEAD developed by Aquarian Drumheads and MIDItronix is the first hybrid drumhead to successfully use FSR technology imbedded inside a true resonant acoustic drumhead.

This new approach to electronic drum triggering eliminates many of the problems associated with conventional acoustic drum triggering and brings new triggering possibilities to anyone who is interested in playing or developing new, professional electronic drum products.

NOVEMBER 2012

REAL CYMBALS

FOR THE WAY YOU PLAY

Zildjian has created a revolution in edrums. Gen16, the world’s first acoustic electric cymbal.

Play the hi-hat like a hi-hat. Choke cymbals. Roll with mallets. Stack cymbals.

Experience all the dynamics without the latency or audio compression associated with digital sounds. Control audio levels and shape cymbal sounds with up to 99 presets per cymbal. Choose from an array of cymbal sizes and types made at the Zildjian factory.

Visit Gen-16.com for more information and check out the “Young Guns” series of performance videos.

The 14” inHEAD snare drum model is included in the Aquarian Kick&Snare Electro-Acoustic High Performance Trigger Pack that is now shipping. FSR is short for Force Sensing Resistor. FSR is a type of electrical circuit that responds to pressure or touch. The inHEAD imbeds this technology into a multi-ply head that is activated when pressure is applied to the actual drumhead surface. When struck by a drumstick, the durable top ply of the head presses on the reinforced bottom ply, completing the circuit and sending out an accurate and dynamic triggered impulse.

Unlike conventional drum triggers that only react to vibration and that are susceptible to sympathetic miss-firing, the inHEAD will only trigger when it senses it is being touched or played on by drumsticks, mallets, brushes or fingers. The head can also be muted for quiet performance. The inHEAD

Kick&Snare Electro-Acoustic High Performance Trigger Pack is a complete Kick and Snare triggering solution and is available through Aquarian dealers. A complete selection of inHEAD tom sizes will be released throughout the rest of the year. Retail price: $254.80. www.aquariandrumheads.com and www.miditronix.com

Getting Started on Cajon!

From Hudson Music

Guided by expert instructor and professional musician Michael Wimberly, this DVD provides a step-by-step method for the beginner. In a short time, students will be playing a variety of actual traditional and contemporary rhythms on cajon. Topics covered include background on the instrument, basic playing techniques, explanation of traditional rhythms, application to modern musical styles, and more. All of these topics are covered with clear demonstrations.

Playing techniques covered include basic strokes, “bass,” “snare,” and slap.

Using these techniques, students learn to play rhythms such as Guaguanco (Cuba), Samba (Brazil), Merengue (Dominican Republic), Ganza (Africa), rock, hip-hop, funk, and more. www.hudsonmusic.com

Zildjian 3 Hat Packs

Zildjian’s new “3 Hat Packs” are designed to give drummers a greater range of sonic options. Designed to promote mixing and matching of HiHat pairs, these two new “3 Hat Packs” ultimately deliver new sounds and “feels” for drummers.

The 14” “3 Hat Pack” features the legendary A Zildjian New Beat Hi-Hat Pair.

In this standard pairing, a medium weight top cymbal on top of a heavy weight bottom cymbal provides a powerful balance of bright overtones. The addition of a 14” K Custom Dark Top Hi-Hat cymbal to

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NOVEMBER 2012

FAMILY MATTERS Jack’s

Jack Adams

Ron Vater

• Drumstick making goes back over 55 years in the Vater Family.

• 100% of Vater’s manufacturing focus is on 1 thing only: Drumsticks.

• Alan and Ron Vater are on the Vater factory floor every day.

Joan & Clarry Vater • Vater manufactured sticks for both Zildjian and Vic Firth before launching the Vater brand.

• No matter how tough the economy has been over the decades, Vater has never Alan Va laid-off any employee and many of Vater’s ter employees have been with the company for over 25 years.

• All manufacturing and shipping are done at the same location in Massachusetts.

No extra factory to warehouse transit time between States.

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Shop

“I just love how it’s still a family business, starting with grandpa Jack, then going to Clarry, and down to Alan and Ron. No corporate sell-outs here, folks…in fact, they’re the only major stick company that isn’t owned by a “parent company” now. Awesome right? These guys live, sleep, breathe, eat, and dream of drumsticks. They get good wood about good wood, and are totally obsessed with making the best sticks possible.”

–Chad Smith [Red Hot Chili Peppers] A Proud Vater Artist for 20 years

270 CENTRE STREET | HOLBROOK MA 02343 USA | 781.767.1877 | INFO@VATER.COM

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the “3 Hat Pack” offers the darker K Zildjian colors.

The 15” “3 Hat Pack” features the 15” K Light HiHat Pair. In this standard light pairing, a medium thin weight top cymbal on top of a medium weight bottom cymbal provides a warm balance of dark overtones. The 15” A Zildjian New Beat Top provides brighter A Zildjian colors.

When using all three cymbals in the pack in every possible combination, drummers are provided with six distinct set up options that range from a lighter dark blend to a bright and full bodied

tonal center. The variations also impact stick definition, chick performance, and overall dynamic range. Retail price: $969 (14”), $1114 (15”). www.zildjian.com

Tama Star Classics with Limited Edition Finishes

vintage lacquered oyster finishes. The other tip-of-the-hat to retro style is the sizing of the bass and tom shells–shallower depths than usual, reminiscent of the classics. The optional matching snare also leans toward light and tight

Tama's Starclassic Performer B/B has added two new versions for drummers who favor retro style matched with cutting edge drum building technology. The first and most apparent characteristics of the new jazz kits are the visually-striking #31651 - Pro Precision MMR_Layout 1 13/09/2012 09:10 Page 1

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at 5 ½”X 14.” B/B stands for bubinga/ birch, and in perfecting this combination of shell materials Tama provided drummers an unprecedented “best of both worlds” sonic response–the robustness of bubinga mixed with the controlled clarity of birch. Also offered is a shell kit with snare sold separately. Retail price: $2,461.52 (Shell kit), $2,966.20 (with snare). www.tama.com

Hal Leonard School for Snare Drum

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44 MMR

Hal Leonard School for Snare Drum, compiled by performer/educators Ben Hans and John S. Pratt, is designed to develop a drummer’s rhythmic vocabulary and musical artistry. It starts with the very basics – such as parts of the snare and types of snares – presenting music fundamentals to beginners in a non-intimidating way.

The book is also loaded with helpful meter, roll and rudiment studies, progressing from quarter notes and 2/4 time to 17-stroke rolls and cut-time for more experienced drummers.

The book delves deep into concert snare drumming, and teaches students applications of alternate and natural sticking.

Hal Leonard School for Snare Drum contains John Philip Sousa march charts, etudes, and duets written by Ben Hans, and brand new rudimental solos by legendary percussion composer John S. Pratt that are perfect for contests and juried performances.

Retail price: $12.99. www.halleonard.com NOVEMBER 2012

Drums & Percussion

Spirit in the Wood– Marching to a

Different Drum

Built from local hardwoods and recovered Central American timber, Spirit in the Wood drums – especially the one-piece shell models – are causing a stir among World Music Percussion enthusiasts On a small road in rural Eastern Pennsylvania, Conrad Kubiak maintains a garage full of equipment that can suspend 500-pound logs overhead and work them down into single pristine drums. Djembes, congas, dunduns, ishikos, condumbe, cajons, and even kit drums – Kubiak makes them all with striking skill and in bold designs in his shop, using indigenous hardwoods from throughout his own area and from a company that exports gorgeous rescued wood from Belize. His company, Spirit in the Wood, has slowly attracted an international customer base as Kubiak’s self-taught skills have broadened, attracting World Percussion enthusiasts from all genres and styles. It’s a grassroots phenomenon in every sense of the word.

Top: Solid wood Ash djembe, with relief-carved Celtic Tree of Life. Above: A Cherry djembe made from a solid log of Cherry, commissioned by a student whose world class jumping horse died.

Wood-burned image of “Kentucky” on the stem of the drum along with horse’s stall badge on the drum as well.

46 MMR

“I have to keep myself interested,” he says over the phone from his headquarters in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. “Because I’m curious, I wanted to explore all the different drums in the world. It’s not just a single drum that fascinates me.”

Kubiak didn’t start out as a drum maker. He says he found an early career as director of national sales for a tech company in the early ‘90s, but left that position dissatisfied with the corporate world. He worked for a bit in fine cabinetry and home improvement – carpentry had paid his way through college – and one day found himself at a friend’s drum circle. “It was a bunch of old hippies with a bonfire playing NOVEMBER 2012

didjeridoos and drums,” he says.

“I got turned on by the whole thing so I went to a local drum store later to check out the drums – they were so expensive! I took a look at a cajon and thought, ‘I’m a cabinet maker. I can make this.’” The drum he completed blew friends away and a business was born.

Nowadays, Kubiak’s expertise spans cultures across continents, from the Uruguayan condumbe to the African ashikos, Puerto Rican bombas and Native American frame drums. To achieve better control over the quality of wood he was working with, he eventually developed his own system for turning shells out of domestic wood. This process centered on a 3,000 pound, 100-year-old pattern maker’s lathe that he purchased in 1999.

The son of a metalworker, he had learned to arc weld as a kid and now builds all of his own hardware. After working with djembes for awhile, he also decided that he wasn’t happy with the rope available to tune those drums. He contacted a rope mill and had designed his own rope specifically designed for djembe use. He’s now shipped over a million feet of this rope to Africa alone.

He’s even designed his own custom drum cases.

But the flagship product at this point might be his one-piece shell drums.

These drums, rolled using his large lathe and unique in a market of staved or fiberglass drums, present a full product from one solid piece of wood. “I saw that no one was making solid wood congas, so I did that,” says Kubiak.

“Having it all come from the tree with no glue lines and no bands allows the shells to sing and project. They’re as loud as a fiberglass drum, but they have this warmth that you can only get from solid wood. The vision is, of course, to have the most exotic drums I can put together, as well as the sweetest sounding drums.”

To that end, Kubiak has found a very interesting source for his wood.

“Mahogany is an amazing tone wood and I found a guy who is bringing NOVEMBER 2012

Above left: A solid wood Cherry Bugarobou, with inlaid Amethyst stone wood-burned into the shell.

Top right: Set of Batas made from solid Aromatic Cedar. Whole set cut from the same tree.

Bottom right: Solid wood three-piece set of congas made from Honduras Mahogany, imported as a 19” X 11’ foot log from Belize.

The vision is, of course, to have the most exotic drums I can put together, as well as the sweetest sounding drums.

Matched set of congas and bombas made from solid Pennsylvania Cherry.

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A five-piece Ash Conga set. The wood is Flame figured and all the Congas are cut from the same tree, with a matching set of Bongos.

river-recovered Mahogany logs up from Belize.” Kubiak goes on to explain that, during British harvesting 200 years ago, when most of the timber would be transported to ports by floating cut logs down rivers, around half of the wood sunk before it was able to be shipped away. This was common practice throughout the world – millions of logs were sunk in Lake Superior in the early 1900s as well.

The five million board feet of wood left in Belize rivers comes with added value. “When you put a log in cold water without oxygen, it preserves it and also washes out the resins, so you get an even improved quality to the sounds.” The wood ends up being twice as dense as typical mahogany.

Kubiak isn’t the only instrument maker who’s made the connection in Belize – he says he’s aware of a variety of

Conrad Kubiak

guitar manufacturers who use the same supplier, including Martin, whose headquarters are “up the street” in Nazareth.

Spirit in the Drums works with dealers regionally and throughout the East Coast – these drums are in about 13 stores in all – and sells directly at drum shows and festivals. Kubiak also has a robust online ordering component that includes costumers across the country and in England, Finland, and Canada.

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Set of Congas made from Ash logs carved out like a Conga but with bark left on.

A solid wood one-piece shell snare drum cut from a log of Honduras Mahogany imported from Belize, with a Trick 007 throw-off and German snares.

An active relationship with well-known drummer Michael Pluznick has helped spread the word. Pluznick, who’s performed solo for decades as well as drumming with Todd Rundgren, Jerry Garcia, and building instruments for the Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart, says there’s nothing like them. “With just a little higher price than the perhaps best thing from a typical company, you can have this incredible

thing,” he says. “Not to mention the energy from the tree. I think they’re the best drums on the planet.”

Kubiak just points to economics.

“There are lots of companies mass producing low quality instruments in foreign countries, and they’re making middle of the road sounds,” he says. “I can’t compete with mass production, so I just decided to make the finest drum I can.”

So far, it’s working well. Kubiak has taken an extensive knowledge of woodworking and, with a few significant steps (you don’t whittle a tree into 480 pounds of sawdust with one 20-pound drum remaining unless you’re serious about your product), he’s built a one-man percussion force.

“The whole thing is incredible,” he says. “That’s it for me – the joy of doing this kind of work. And I’m doing it all.”

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NOVEMBER 2012

Fresh Faces:

One-Stop Shop Maine’s new Musician’s Hub takes a community-minded approach to MI retail, making sure local musicians get involved through old standbys like lessons and repair services, as well as demographicfriendly band merch and events tickets sales.

The idea is to almost take a coffee shop philosophy and superimpose it over a musical retail outlet.

Bulletin boards for “musicians wanted” are a common staple of coffee shops and street corners, while the most generous of indie record shops might have a rack of local t-shirts and tattered cardboard box of miscellaneous hometown band recordings. It’s the mark of any robust music scene. But dedicating a sizable chunk of sales floor real estate to the same thing (with slick black couches to boot) at music instrument retail shop? That indicates a major willingness to extend a welcome and helping hand to the community.

It’s an idea that Maine native Dana Hartwell had at the front of his mind when he decided to open his own business – the beautifully constructed Musician’s Hub – where he lived in the small town of Auburn. To succeed as a music retailer in particular, he decided you had to establish yourself as a key part of the local music scene.

“The slogan of the company is: it’s about more than the gear, it’s about the music,” he says from the shop not long after its initial soft opening. “The atmosphere I’m try-

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NOVEMBER 2012

ing to create is not one where we’re just cramming gear down people’s throats.

People come here to shop, or to just ask questions, or to see what’s going on and talk with other players. The idea is to almost take a coffee shop philosophy and kind of superimpose it over a musical retail outlet.”

To that end, he’s put the community literally up front – customers walk in the door to find a local showcase of CDs, records, and merchandise immediately across from the door. A few steps more past a leather couched lounge area and they’ll be able to buy tickets to local shows at the store’s checkout.

“Every business on the planet says it’s ‘customer focused,’” says Hartwell.

“That’s kind of clichéd. We’re networking with the local music community here.”

By the looks of the store so far, the local community would be wise to plug in. The shop’s 2,600 square feet opens up from a narrow entryway into the local lounge and then spreads into a spacious showroom with guitars, amps, and PA gear in long, neat rows. Hartwell is focusing on brands near to his and the local scene’s heart like Ibanez, Schecter, Peavey, Randall, Marshall, and Vox, though many other names are available as used and vintage equipment. “These lines were no-brainers for me,” he says. “I kicked off with basically ones that matched my demographic – quality instruments with trustworthy names in a price range that my customers are going to be looking for.”

Buliding his business around a sustainable community of musicians meant that Hartwell would have to be able to engage them on multiple levels, so of course he’s included a few very handsome-looking lesson studios toward the rear of the shop. Those are decked out in classy double-pane window doors and log cabin-style pine wall paneling.

Hartwell also offers a full luthier service for all customers from his shop at home, offering repairs and full custom builds – he’s already gotten great at building up Strat and RG-styled guitars NOVEMBER 2012

Dana Hartwell (center) with Auburn city officials at the Musicicn’s Hub ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Make Yourself at Home:

Hub features designed to invite local musicians in for more than just a pack of replacement strings.

Top: A local music bulletin board presides over a planned local band merch area.

Above Left: Full-line luthier shop run by store owner Dana Hartwell.

Above Right: Custom built point-of-sale area, complete with local ticket sales.

Left: Elegant, soundproofed lesson studios with double-paned windows on each door.

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Fresh Faces and he hopes to start up a sister “Hartwell Guitars” company in the near future.

Beyond the walls of this store, though, there’s also the matter of dwindling resources for musicians anywhere in the area following the recent closings of institutions like Daddy’s Junky Music and a handful of other smaller shops. Musician’s Hub is the only music shop between Augusta and Portland.

A native of the area, Hartwell brings a solid career’s worth of business expertise to the shop, which he began working on planning and construction full-time last April. He grew up in nearby New Gloucester before spending four years in the Air Force and living in California and Wyoming, finally moving back to

Maine 11 years ago to work as a business operations analyst.

At Musicians Hub, he’s found a way to do what he’s always wanted. Even if that means being on both the top and the bottom rungs of the ladder at the same time.

“In the interest of controlling overhead until the business is on its feet, I do everything from handling the accounts and ordering and merchandising to cleaning the bathroom and changing the lightbulbs,” he says. “It’s not that bad.”

The savings go to the consumer, too.

Hartwell hopes to be able to see most of his merchandise at MAP pricing whenever possible. “I’m really pushing the community aspect of the business, but at the same time pushing the message that you don’t have to get gouged to support a

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local business. The prices here are similar to what you’re going to see at Guitar Center or Musician’s Friend or any other outlet, as far as that goes. That’s something that people in this area just aren’t used to seeing. They’re used to paying $6 or $7 for a set of Slinkys. It’s just out of control.”

So far, Hartwell says he’s pleased with the mostly word-of-mouth attention the store has gotten. Traffic is picking up, customers have been blown away, and feedback has been positive and useful.

Hartwell approaches it all with pragmatism. “The question is just going to be whether that translates into people spending some money here and supporting the business.”

“Time will sort that out I guess.”

FROM

NOVEMBER 2012

Q&A Guidance from the Great White North Canadian Retailer Rainbow Music Shares Tips forged from 40 Years of Success Right Across the Border In tough economic times, one of the greatest abilities a business can have is the flexibility to adjust. There’s a small building in Cornwall, Ontario that houses Rainbow Music, a Canadian music retailer run by Gilles Grignon, that’s harnessed enough financial agility to make it to its 40th anniversary this year. Grignon, who runs the shop by himself with a couple of part-time helpers, loves to keep business lean and mean and salutes little shops, who “If they’re smart, can move a lot faster to right the ship,” he says.

Rainbow Music started in 1972 and has been a one-man operation ever since, with Grignon enlisting the help of a few parttimers in his retail and repair business.

Grignon made a name for the shop as an early adopter of new brands like DiMarzio as they were first coming out. He also jumped into the online game early, experimenting with an Internet presence in the early ‘90s using facilities in a basement at the University of Toronto. Rainbow Music continues to make its reputation in Canada and in the U.S. by maintaining an efficient service side of the business and by carefully stocking new brands that seem underrepresented in other stores. On top of all that, Grignon also runs the boutique electronics business, Sherlock Audio, known especially for their “SpeakerValve” live load attenuators, from his workshop.

MMR spoke with Grignon recently over the phone to talk about what it’s taken to stay successful through all the ups and downs of the last 40 years.

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MMR: How’s your attitude about the music business after all these years?

Grilles Grignon: Well, you know how to become a millionaire, right? Start with five million, go into the music business, and just wait a couple months. [laughs] MMR: Seems like things must be going a little better than that at Rainbow. You’ve got 40 years under your belt now.

Anything special going on to celebrate?

GG: I’m running 40 weeks’ worth of sales, if that means anything. [laughs] The big thing is that everyone’s just trying to maintain what they can, right? So I’m doing that, but I’m also adding some more lines, contrary to what everybody else is doing.

The big thing in Canada is that everyone’s deleting SKUs like there’s no tomorrow. This is a really small store – it’s NOVEMBER 2012

like 2,500 or 3,000 square feet. I’m lucky, though – any time a disaster hits in this industry, I just kind of float along and wait for it to pass by. The big guys are taking a hit like you wouldn’t believe out here.

MMR: You run a robust workshop at Rainbow – how big of a factor has maintenance and repairs been in your success?

GG: I started out in the service-based business of all of this, and every time a recession hits – this is my fourth one – the first thing people do in this area was get rid of their service department. Your sales are in the toilet, so what’s the only other source of income? Some guys are like, “We’ve got to get rid of Service – they’re costing us money!” They’d farm it out to someone else who was backordered literally two or three months just to change a set of pickups. So I ended up winning by default because people get tired of waiting for that. My deal was if

NOVEMBER 2012

people got their guitars in on a Monday, they were ready by the weekend.

MMR: What else has helped you weather all the storms?

GG: I’ve done a lot of custom work from day one. I was doing pickup installs just before DiMarzio got rolling, which was ’75 I think. I was literally the first guy bringing in DiMarzios from the States. We brought in Hi-Watt, which no one had heard of at the time. Since we’re so close to Montreal and Ottawa, we’d get all sorts of people who’d come in and immediately afterwards the rumor mill would start. “We don’t believe this guy out here in the middle of nowhere has this stuff. How do you have it and the big guys in Montreal or Ottawa don’t?”

“ My deal was if people got their guitars in on a Monday, they were ready by the weekend.

That’s been like that since day one. It’s service which never goes down.”

MMR: You were a very early user of the Internet in promoting your business, as well, right?

MMR 57

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GG: I was on the Net before it was the Net, literally. This is about 20 years ago now. The first two days I was on the Net, I did so much business from U.S. guys coming across the border here that it paid for the site for a couple years. For the first three or four years my server was out of the University of Toronto. I was in one of their computer rooms and no one had caught on to it yet. That’s how far back that goes. Even now, it’s amazing how many Americans are coming down here who have seen the site. I carry one of the largest inventories of Godin and Seagull stuff in Ontario and people just can’t find it around New York state. They might have three or four – I usually have about a hundred.

MMR: Is there much of a difference doing business with Americans coming across the border?

GG: Ironically, when the exchange rate was definitely in the U.S.’s favor, we got less business. Now that it’s almost even, for the last two years, I’m getting more and more Americans coming over or emailing or having me ship there. I’ve noticed the uptick over the last three years. Even with the recession, I’m selling more high ticket stuff over the border than I am in the area.

MMR: How have you gone about selecting brands to carry at the shop?

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GG: More bang for the buck, honestly. I carry Schecter, Norman, Art & Lutherie, Godin, Dean, B.C. Rich, Highland, Spector, Seagull, Aria, AXL, and Vintage. I’ve had to find people whom you can make money on, and avoid the brands that keep decreasing their margins. Selling amps is tough if you’re not making any money on them and have two-year warranties. You sell some straps and strings and they’re gone.

MMR: How much business do you do through Sherlock Audio?

GG: I’d say a good 25 percent, easy.

There’s more stuff coming, but the biggest thing is to just get enough time. If I have a night off, I’ll go tinker on cabinet stuff in my woodshop. I’d say 90 percent of that is selling to the U.S. I sell a little bit in Canada, but Americans are more willing to take a chance. That’s the honest truth. I can’t get arrested in the Canadian press here. But everyone – Harmony Central, Guitar World, all those guys – is willing in the U.S. MMR: What’s your prognosis for the next few years?

GG: We’re seeing a lot of small stores who, if they’re smart, can move a lot faster to right the ship. That’s what this place is. The big guys are unfortunately going to get bigger. The middle-sized guys are the ones getting torn apart all over the Midwest and here in Canada. But really, it’s just that survival is key, eh?

NOVEMBER 2012

Holiday Buying Guide Behringer X32 Digital Console The X32’s motorized faders, LCD scribble strips, and integrated LCD display work in harmony to bring an unprecedented workflow experience to users.

The X32 is built in the Music Group factory alongside sister brand Midas products. This dedicated facility includes the latest in fine-pitch surface mount technology, automated optical inspection of every solder joint, automated axial insertion and even X-ray inspection systems.

X32’s architecture includes 40 onboard inputs with 32 fully programmable high-end mic preamps and 16 configurable mix buses, as well as extensive digital I/O. Dual AES50 ports allow direct connection of optional S16 remote stage boxes for a total of 96 remote inputs, or direct to other X32s for mains/ monitor/broadcast applications. Onboard FireWire/USB capability allows interfacing with any compatible DAW for professional recording applications, while the console’s Ethernet port allows external control either from a PC or an iPad using the company’s free software.

Retail price: $2,899.99. www.behringer.com American DJ Ruby Royal Laser The Ruby Royal is a new fixture that utilizes a 150mW red laser diode and a 150mW violet blue laser diode to create red, blue, and magenta patterns.

By combining its red and blue lasers to produce magenta, the Ruby Royal

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adds an exciting new color dimension to the world of laser club effects. Moving with the smoothness and precision of high-quality 1.8° stepper motors, this laser generates patterns that can be projected onto dance floors, walls and ceilings.

The Ruby Royal is equipped with 20 built-in laser patterns. Just turn it on, and the unit will run through its intense freeform-style laser patterns in Sound Active Mode, projecting over an extremely wide area. Multiple Ruby Royal units can be linked together Master-Slave via 3-pin DMX cable. The fixture includes IEC In and Out to daisy-chain power for up to 18 units. The Ruby Royal can also be operated with a DMX controller, and operates on six DMX channels. It features a digital display with a 4-button menu on the rear panel that makes it easy to navigate through DMX settings. The Ruby Royal features a ¼-inch input for use with an optional UC3 remote controller from ADJ (sold separately).

The Ruby Red weighs 8 lbs. / 3.5 kg. and measures 10”Lv x 7.5”W x 7.5”H / 252 x 190 x 186 mm. The Ruby Royal is fan-cooled and comes with a multivoltage power supply: AC 100-240V, 50/60Hz. Very efficient to operate, it consumes just 17 watts of electricity maximum. Retail price: $839.85. www.americandj.com Davis Muller Instruments Moore Drive 11-122 Amplifier Davis Muller Instruments’ new Moore DRIVE 11-122 100 watt true RMS rotary speaker power amplifier and motor control system is designed to serve the vintage organ community. This system is a direct fit replacement for vintage Leslie® 22, 122, 122RV1, 222, 222RV1, 42, 142, 242, 145, 245, 47, 147, 247 and 247RV1 tube amplifier chassis that accurately replicates the tonal and overdrive characteristics of the original equipment.

In creating the proprietary TUBEZ® and Analog Amplifier Modeling Process (AAMP®), every aspect of a vintage tube amplifier has been carefully recreated.

The amp’s power output stage itself has been designed to distort gracefully, producing the complex harmonic content and soft clipping characteristics that a

vintage tube amplifier exhibits. Even when not driven hard, multiple feedback variable damping factor compensation causes the speaker to interact with the amplifier just as the transformer coupled output of a tube amplifier does, allowing it to “breathe” naturally and resonate musically. Further refinements include

modeling the way a vintage power supply “sags” under load, as well as the frequency response and slew rate inherent to the transfer function therein. Additionally, a tone shaping network is provided to allow correction for vintage speakers that sound overly “dark” or “bright” due to the way they have aged.

The switching system protects vintage motors from damage by gently powering them through solid state relays with zero crossing detection and no mechanical parts or associated electrical noise. The eleven pin interface is fully isolated and transformer coupled to help prevent hum and buzz from difficult installations and on- stage use. For additional safety and compliance with current NEC regulations, an adapter for six and five pin systems is also available. www.davismullerinstruments.com Nady MGT-16 Micro Wireless System Several new models have been added to expand the Nady’s MGT system’s numerous applications and instrumentation. In addition to the MGT-16 plug-in system for guitar and bass, the new Micro Wireless (MW) Series now includes the MHT-16 (for brass and woodwinds), the WHM-16 headset system, and the Link-16 for microphones. All models are available with either the compact, portable “pedal style” MGT-16 receiver (powered by DC adapter or AA batteries), or the “pocket size” MRX-16 receiver (AA battery operated only). All NOVEMBER 2012

Holiday Buying Guide systems feature 16 user selectable PLL frequencies for interference-free operation, up to 250’ operating range, and ASC™ (Auto-Sync Channel) infrared wireless download that pairs transmitter to selected receiver frequency for quick, easy setup.

The MH-16 woodwind/brass transmitter clips directly onto the bell of the horn, the compact and comfortable WH-16 headset transmitter fits snugly on the back of the head, and the LK-16 plug-in transmitter easily converts wired dynamic microphones to wireless. With

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a built-in audio connector, no cable or bodypack transmitter is required for any of the models. The MW Series’ selectable channels fall within the TV channels-free UHF 902-928MHz band and the systems are available with any combination of transmitter/receiver. Retail price: $329 www.nady.com Levy’s Freak Show Guitar Straps This new series of guitar straps from Levy’s Leathers are 2” polyester with sublimationprinted “cirque du freak” designs, complementary leather ends, and tri-glide adjustment. Pictured is model MPFS2, available in six original designs. www.levysleathers.com

Yamaha ACP Acoustic Conditioning Panels Yamaha’s ACP Acoustic Conditioning Panels offer an ultra-thin, low-cost solution to transform any small space into a dedicated music room. The panels can transform any space, big or small, into a dedicated music room with high-quality, ear-pleasing sound. The Acoustic Conditioning Panels greatly enhance sound clarity and balance from low to high frequencies, 80-4k Hz, in a process enabled by the panel’s unique acoustic absorption and acoustic scattering properties.

Because the panels also work to scatter sound waves, they enable the creation of a space with clear, pleasant sound and minimal acoustic interference.

This remarkably slim design (three centi-

NOVEMBER 2012

meters deep) also means that creating a dedicated music room no longer requires major installation work; simply attach the Acoustic Conditioning Panels to the walls with the fittings provided. Retail price: $500. www.yamaha.com Electro-Harmonix Talking Pedal The Talking Pedal uses the proprietary design of EHX’s Next Step Effects and is the second pedal to be released in the line. As with the Crying Tone Wah, the Talking Pedal is completely free of moving parts including potentiometers and switches that can wear out and need replacing. The pedal also features the same smooth rocking chassis for exceptional control and a bypass that is completely silent.

Like a wah, the Talking Pedal is a rocking filter-type pedal. But the similarities end there. The tone of the pedal is unlike any traditional wah because

it passes the guitar signal through two bandpass filters that gives the tone a male vocal quality and creates a selection of vowel-like sounds. Additionally, a specially designed fixed fuzz circuit can be blended in to the players taste

with a scroll wheel located on the side of the pedal. This circuit was added to enhance the definition of the effect and add growl and grind to the pedal while used without additional effects. The pedal comes equipped with a 9 volt battery (accepts optional AC adapter). Retail price: $121.20. www.ehx.com

Universal Audio UAD-2 Hardware Bundles Highlighted by the new flagship UAD-2 OCTO DSP Accelerator card, featuring eight SHARC processors, the UAD-2 Series offers new Custom and Ultimate software bundles and more affordable pricing for all UAD-2 SOLO, DUO, and QUAD DSP Accelerator models.

New OCTO DSP Accelerators – Heavyweight Processing Power The new top-of-the-line UAD-2 OCTO DSP Accelerator features eight SHARC processors on a single PCIe card and easily in-

stalls into a PCIe-equipped Mac or PC workstation or compatible expansion chassis – giving music producers and engineers twice the processing power of its UAD-2 QUAD DSP Accelerator coun-

Poppa’s not the only one with a new bag. Harmon is proud to introduce a new series of mutes based on designs from the 30’s & 40’s. Get some sizzle in your sound with these amazing mutes from an iconic brand. Available from major retailers.

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MMR 63

Holiday Buying Guide terpart is for UAD power users running large audio sessions with high UAD plugin instances and/or high sample rates.

Alongside the new UAD-2 hardware and software introductions, UA is debuting new, more affordable pricing for the “Core” models of UAD-2 SOLO, DUO, and QUAD PCIe hardware and UAD-2 DUO and QUAD Satellite FireWire hardMulti-item_Ad_Mar11 4/1/11 12:55

ware. All UAD-2 Core models include the popular “Analog Classics” plug-in bundle, featuring the LA-2A Classic Audio Leveler, 1176LN/1176SE Classic Limiting Amplifiers, Pultec EQP-1A, and RealVerb Pro plug-ins. Additional UAD plug-ins can be purchased from UA’s Online Store.

Retail price: UAD-2 OCTO (PCIe) ($1,499.00 - $5,499.00), UAD-2 QUAD PM Page 1

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(PCIe)($999 - $1,399.00), UAD-2 DUO (PCIe)($699.00 - $1,099.00), UAD-2 SOLO (PCIe)($299.00), UAD-2 QUAD Satellite (FireWire) ($999.00 - $4,999.00), UAD-2 DUO Satellite (FireWire) ($699.00 - $1,099.00). www.uaudio.com String Orchestra Arrangements

by Julie Lyonn Lieberman from Kendor Music Three new pieces for string orchestras by Julie Lyonn Lieberman are now available from Kendor Music – The Celtic Butterfly, Klezmer Celebration, and Bollywood Strings. While the Junior and Senior editions of these arrangements (sold separately) can be played independently, they also interlock for impressive all-district or regional festival performances featuring students at the grade 2-4 levels.

Bollywood Strings has ten video tutorials, an authentic Indian percussion track, and a performance video available. Master scores for Junior and Senior interlocking performances can be downloaded for free.

Lieberman is the recipient of over two dozen ASCAP awards and eight Meet The Composer awards. A co-author of American String Teachers Association’s national curriculum book, she is the Artistic Director for the summer program Strings Without Boundaries. Retail price: $45 ( Junior Editions), $48 (Senior Editions). www.kendormusic.com

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Jimmy Haslip: Modern Improvisation for Bass from Alfred Music Publishing Jimmy Haslip: Modern Improvisation for Bass is designed to be a source of inspiration for bassists wanting to improve their playing skills and expand improvisation vocabulary. Using the Yellowjackets tune “Run for Your Life,” Jimmy walks through a study of rhythm changes and branches out into the types of alterations and possibilities that have kept his playing fresh for nearly 50 years. Seasoned jazz musicians to advancing bass players will be met NOVEMBER 2012

with fresh ways of creating distinctive melodies, patterns, bass lines, and harmonies.

Topics include: broadening music vocabulary with modes, altered harmony, and chord substitutions; how to create interesting walking bass lines; innovative uses of pedal tones and chordal arpeggios; how to expand soloing possibilities; and much more. As a bonus, free MP3 downloads of examples found in the book are available at alfred.com/downloads for practice and play-along.

Jimmy Haslip is an award-winning bassist and founding member of the Yellowjackets, actively writing, recording, and touring with the group since 1979. With an impressive list of successful solo projects, Haslip has also recorded and toured with a remarkable roster of artists, including Rod Stewart, Diana Ross, Robben Ford, Mick

NOVEMBER 2012

Fleetwood, Al Jarreau, and Chaka Khan.

His clinics and masterclasses have inspired thousands of bass players throughout the world. Retail price: $16.99. www.alfred.com MakeMusic Garritan ‘Classic Pipe Organs’ Sound Library This sound library features six historic instruments, each representing a specific school of organ building, ranging from early Baroque to Classical, through the Renaissance, Romantic and Modern eras.

Included with Garritan Classic Pipe Organs is the acclaimed ARIA Player which now includes Convolution Sampled Reverb. With this technology, the sound of specific performance spaces can be captured and shared.

“Classic Pipe Organs” offers wide control over tremu-

lants, blower noise, chiff noise, crescendo pedal, swell pedal, timbre, pedal bass and more. Scala file support allows users to play in the various temperaments of earlier historic eras.

“Classic Pipe Organs” is designed as effective accompaniment to music notationbased programs like Finale as well as to all sequencers and digital audio workstations.

“Classic Pipe Organs” is available as a download for a special, limited time price of $119.95. A boxed (DVD) version will be available soon for $169.95. www.garritan.com and www.makemusic.com Aphex EX·BB 500 Module The EX•BB 500™ module introduces Aphex’s Aural Exciter® and Big Bottom® patented audio enhancement technologies to the portable and convenient 500 Series format. The new EX•BB 500

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Holiday Buying Guide module offers discrete Tune, Harmonics and Mix controls that enable users to increase intelligibility to vocals, add punch and presence to individual instruments, and add detail and airiness to mixes.

Optical Big Bottom processing extends low frequency power and spectrum while avoiding the level build-up associated with traditional equalization. The module includes Tune, Drive and Mix

controls, allowing the user to dynamically enhance the low frequency range.

The 500 Series form factor of the EX•BB 500 module enables users to configure a system incorporating as many or as few channels of Aphex’s Aural Exciter and Big Bottom processing as required or as the budget allows. The EX•BB 500 module fits all current 500 Series racks, including those from A De-

signs, API, Empirical Labs, Radial and Tonelux. www.aphex.com Earthworks WL40V Wireless Capsule Now Shipping The WL40V delivers a detailed and realistic vocal sound that requires little to no EQ. Its hypercardioid polar pattern and extended flat frequency response translate to a natural on- and off-axis performance coupled with benchmark levels of clarity and detail.

The wireless capsule is interchangeable with any screw-ontype handheld transmitters that receive a 31.3mm/pitch 1.0mm threading, such as those from Lectrosonics, Line 6 and Shure. Retail price: $1,399. www.earthworksaudio.com On-Stage Stands SM7312W Conductor Stand The SM7312W joins proven designs like the SM7211B and SM7311W in a comprehensive line of band & orchestra stands. The key feature of this stand is its oversized solid wood bookplate. At 13.5” x 22”, the bookplate is 3” wider than typical designs, and with a 2” return lip it accommodates large music books with room to spare for batons, metronomes, and pencils.

The stand comes in a beautiful rosewood finish. Other features include an angle adjustment tension system, a folding tripod base, a mid-point clutch that adjusts height from 24” to 45”, high-impact leg housing, friction locking knobs, and nonslip rubber feet. www.onstagestands.com

Compatible Trios for Winds from Carl Fischer This collection contains 32 trios arranged or composed by Larry Clark in a variety of styles from classical to folk and includes some new original works 66 MMR

NOVEMBER 2012

as well. Each piece is playable by any combination of three wind instruments. Trios are a great way to learn how to play in a chamber music setting, and this unique collection gives players the opportunity to do it with anyone else that plays a wind instrument. Compatible Trios for Winds is especially useful in a school setting where students are eager to play music with friends. Includes tunes such as “The Irish Washerwoman,” Brahms’ “Hungarian Dance No. 5,” Larry Clark’s original “Harvest Moon,” and more. Retail price: $9.99. www.carlfishcer.com

Tasmanian blackwood sits in on the 400 Series. A cousin of Hawaiian koa, blackwood boasts a similar tone profile to koa, and joins this year’s offerings in a choice of a 410ce, 412ce-N, 414ce, 414ce-N, 416ce, or in a Baritone 8-String model. Each model features a three-piece back, with a Rock maple mini-wedge and is topped by Western Red cedar, while the Baritone Limited is offered with a Sitka top for clear response. Maple also graces the fretboard inlays, and a new “fishbone” rosette adorns the soundhole.

Satin-finish back and sides preserve a natural, classic look, and a Venetian cutaway invites register.

Each Fall Limited is equipped with the Taylor Expression System® and arrives in a hardshell case. www.taylorguitars.com

Taylor Fall Limited Edition Models Taylor Guitars has gone deep into its wood reserves to produce an array of Fall Limited Edition models. Quilted sapele is showcased in Taylor’s Grand Auditorium, Grand Symphony, Grand Concert and Dreadnought shapes, as well as 12-Fret and Baritone 8-String models. This lot of quilted sapele, was flatsawn and lightly stained to magnify the depth of the figure to maximum effect. Paired with AA-grade European spruce tops, appointments for these include “Solitaire” diamond fret inlays, a sapele and Ivoroid rosette, Ivoroid binding and a Venetian cutaway.

Taylor’s Macassar ebony/sinker redwood Presentation Series produces deep lows and clear highs, while a sinker redwood top blends the warmth of cedar with a bold response. The overall voice is a bit darker, yielding a mature, complex tone. Available in both the Grand Auditorium and Grand Symphony shapes, each model features details including ebony binding with a contoured armrest, paua inlays and top trim, and, CV bracing on the interior to maximize projection and depth of tone.

Auralex ProFusor II Sound Diffusor The ProFusor II™ Fabric Wrapped Sound Diffusor addresses flutter echo without removing acoustic energy in the room or greatly changing the frequency content of the sound. By incorporating ProFusor II units, the user can make a small space seem large and a large space seem even larger. This engineered quadratic residue diffusor is available in two sizes (ProFusor22: 2’x2’x3”; and ProFusor24: 2’x4’x3”) and five fabric color options (Ebony, Pumice, Mesa, Sand and Shadow). ProFusor is manufactured from Class A fire rated materials, and its 3” depth and decorative fabric allow it to fit nicely into many attractive custom designs for those requiring uncompromising performance and great aesthetics. www.auralex.com

NOVEMBER 2012

TC Electronic Flashback X4 Delay and Looper The Flashback X4 Delay and Looper are the next generation of the smash hit Flashback Delay and Looper. Flashback X4 offers 12 delay types plus 4 TonePrint slots executed in exquisite world-renowned TC MMR 67

Holiday Buying Guide Electronic quality. Other features include full TonePrint functionality including the ability to beam TonePrints from a smartphone, three presets, a dedicated tap tempo and expression pedal input.

Rounding out the package is a 40 second looper with ‘undo’

function and guaranteed optimal signal integrity via a True Bypass signal path that can also be switched to buffered bypass if the situation so demands.

Features include three presets, tap tempo, four TonePrint slots, beam-enabled for wire-

HUNTER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

less connection, independent loop and delay options, true bypass, analog-drythrough, expression pedal input, MIDI, and a 9-volt DC power supply. Retail price: $249.99. www.tcelectronic.com New Line of Gator G-Tour Amp Cases This new line provides the top-notch quality and protection that Gator’s GTour line is known for, with thick plywood construction and a tough PVC

FULL LINE QUALITY INSTRUMENTS FOR BAND & ORCHESTRA exterior. The interior is lined with Specialized EVA foam padding to safely house anyhead unit. Additional foam blocks can be added or removed to the interior to provide a snug and secure fit during transport. Available in three sizes, the G-Tour Mini Head cases fit the most popular models including the Marshall JTM-1H, Orange Tiny Terror, and Blackstar HT-5RH. www.gatorcases.com

QUALITY BAND INSTRUMENTS FROM HUNTER

Provide your customers with the highest quality instruments and the best possible price points. Hunter offers a full line of instruments that are made to the best standards. Call us today to find out how you can profit from Hunter Musical Instruments. Fast shipping available from our New York warehouse.

HUNTER NEW YORK

3300 Northern Blvd., Long Island City, NY 11101 (718)706-0828 ■ FAX (718)706-0128 ■ www.huntermusical.com 68 MMR

Trumpet Hanon from Hal Leonard The 75 exercises in Trumpet Hanon will help players build their endurance and flexibility, challenging them in fun, interesting, and methodical ways.

Author Scott Barnard thoroughly covers topics including articulation, dynamics, range, breath management, finger and lip flexibility, double and triple tonguing, scales and arpeggios, harmonic progressions, transposition, ornamentation, glissandos and falls, 5/4 and 7/4 time signatures, and more. Retail price: $14.99. www.halleonard.com NOVEMBER 2012

CUBEDGE EDGE.sound Compatible with the new iPhone 5 and other Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices, this new portable speaker offers users a sleek aesthetic appeal, modern design, and built-in Bluetooth 3.0 technology.

The EDGE.sound has frequency range of 40Hz-20 kHz. Producing sound up to 95db. It includes a built-in microphone, which produces the capability to easily keep connected with Skype, iChat and FaceTime. The BT 3.0 capabilities allow for a 90 percent faster connection and better transition, unlike other popular portable speakers that are still manufactured with Bluetooth 2.1 technology.

It also means better support of a wide array of devices, including iPhone 4/4s™, iPhone 5™, iPad™, Android, and any other Bluetooth supported device.

The EDGE.sound has a built-in rechargeable battery offering 10 to 14+ hours of playback. The speaker features a lightweight, compact design. It’s built with non-brominated flame retardants and no PVC to prevent negative health and environmental impact. It also comes packaged in a reusable and recyclable aluminum container. Retail price: $149. www.cubedge.com PRS 408 MT and 408 Standard These new instruments, offered in both maple top (MT) and all mahogany (Standard) configurations, bring the versatility and voicing of PRS Guitar’s proprietary Signature/408 pickups (previously featured on the Private Stock Signature and the Signature Limited Edition) to PRS’s Core line.

PRS 408 pickups were designed to extend the guitar’s tonal spectrum by narrowing the field of the bass pickup to increase its focus and widening the field of the treble pickup (hence their asymmetric appearance).

This pickup configuration NOVEMBER 2012

(comprised of four coils and offering eight sounds) stems back to Paul’s experimentation on the Sorcerer’s Apprentice guitars in the early 1980’s. Thanks to the simple but versatile switching system featuring mini-toggle switches that provide numerous combinations of humbucking and singlecoil tones, the 408 Maple Top and Standard provide stunning articulation and musical clarity.

Additional specification include a 25” scale length, 22-fret Pattern or Pattern Thin mahogany neck (rosewood neck option) with rosewood fretboard, bird inlays (moons optional), PRS Phase III tuners, PRS Tremolo (stoptail option), and nickel hardware with gold or hybrid option. www.prsguitars.com Roland VT-12 Vocal Trainer The pocket-sized VT-12 is a convenient traveling vocal coach. With a variety of built-in exercises and warm-ups for improving vocal skills, the VT-12 provides real-time analysis of a singer’s pitch. The illuminated pitch meter displays a vocalist’s pitch and can even detect two singers simultaneously for two-part harmony training in equal temperament and just intonation.

The VT-12 also has onboard vocal guides and backing tracks based on the bundled book from Berklee Press (the publishing division of Berklee College of Music), plus 50 etudes from the world-standard Concone classical vocal lessons.

Other features include the World-standard Concone Op. 9 Fifty Lessons classical voice exercises with piano accompaniment and melody guide tracks (the VT-12 displays the pitch of the guide melody and pitch simultaneously) and a review function for instant playback. An input enables recording songs and other lesson content, while an attachable template is included for teaching and practicing in the Solfége format with moveable “Do.” The VT-12 includes a metronome with tap tempo, a built-in tilt stand for desktop use, and is powered by two AA-size batMMR 69

Holiday Buying Guide teries (alkaline or Ni-MH rechargeable). It is available in three colors: black, metallic orange, and aqua blue. Retail price: $279. www.rolandus.com Native Instruments Premium Tube Series Native Instruments’ new collection of high-end effects, the Premium Tube Se-

ries, captures the warm, natural sound of tube-driven hardware. The series is made up of three individual effects – Passive EQ, Vari Comp, and Enhanced EQ. The Premium Tube Series makes these effects available for the first time as native plug-ins that run individually within a DAW in VST, AU, RTAS or AAX format.

Often Imitated, Never Duplicated!

Accept only Authentic, Certified Floyd Rose Tremolos and Parts.

To become a certified dealer call: 732-919-6200 email: info@floydrose.com

What’s new:

- Floyd Rose Titanium Tremolo, - All New 8-string Tremolo, - “Low Profile” Pro 6 & 7 string Tremolos, - Upgradable Tungsten and Brass blocks, - Certified Replacement Parts, - Floyd Rose Custom Shoppe

Floyd Rose is a Division of AP International. For more info, call 732-919-6200 or visit www.apintl.com or www.floydrose.com

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Passive EQ is a fully-parametric, twochannel, four-band equalizer, with additional high and low pass filters plus a wide collection of presets for all use cases. Characterized by its versatile nature and natural sound, it is well suited to a wide range of production duties – from individual tracks to sub groups and even mastering.

As its name suggests, Vari Comp is a compressor with a flexible range of use cases, from instrument groups to individual tracks. Emulated to possess a clear and warm “analog” sound, Vari Comp limits and compresses. In limit mode, it uses a unique automatic ratio and knee adjustment, altering the compression ratio from 4:1 up to 20:1 automatically in response to the input signal.

Enhanced EQ is an easy-to-use effect adept at providing tracks with both subtle definition and rich loudness. Modeled from a boutique studio standard, this is the EQ for adding warmth and weight to the low end of individual tracks. Bundle retail price: $229 AKG Limited Edition Classic C451 Mics and K702 Headphones The limited editions of these products handcrafted in Vienna are positioned to deliver renowned AKG quality to sound engineers, producers, and musicians around the world.

Each are individually tested and numbered to ensure the highest quality.

AKG’s C451 65th Anniversary Edition condenser embodies sound from the legendary C451 EB with the CK1 capsule delivering precision accuracy. The C451’s transformer-less preamp enables high sound pressure capability, allowing for close miking of high-energy sound sources up to 155 dB SPL without distortion.

NOVEMBER 2012

November is International Drum Month

Are you ready for NEW customers?

The Percussion Marketing Council continues to create new drummers for the entire industry and this means NEW CUSTOMERS for you. This November we’re providing special incentives for all beginners to visit your store by offering a FREE Beginners Pack to help them get started.

Coupons for the free Beginner’s Pack will appear in various publications H IT GET W or may be printed E TH from PlayDrums.com !

M RA PROG and redeemed directly through the PMC. There’s one small catch. Your store must validate the PMC coupon.

When you do, that’s your opportunity to meet and create a brand new customer, courtesy of the Percussion Marketing Council.

Scan this to find a dealer near you.

Visit your local music store and have a store employee sign this coupon. Then mail it to the address below.

SEND ME: (select one)

Hand Percussion Pack

Drum Stick Pack

Beginner’s Pack courtesy of Alfred Music Publishing, Hal Leonard Corporation, Hudson Music, Vater, and Zildjian.

sample Name: ______________________________________________________________

Address: ______________________________________________________________

City & State: _____________________________________ Zip: __________________

Phone: ______________________ Email: ____________________________________

Employee Signature: ____________________________________________________

Show the retailer this ad and ask for the store’s business card. The store’s

business card must accompany this completed coupon. Your free Beginner’s Pack will arrive in 6-8 weeks.

Deadline Dec. 31, 2012. Mail this coupon to: Percussion Marketing Council; P.O. Box 33252, Cleveland, OH 44133 Offer valid in Continental US only. One coupon per household, please.

While supplies last. Coupon can be downloaded at Playdrums.com

The PMC Members indicated below are your partners in helping to grow your percussion business. We’ve created educational programs that connect with students, teachers, schools, teens and parents.

Also, our membership experts have created a “Perfect 10” RETAILER TIPS that can help you cash-in on this year’s International Drum Month events.

Visit www.playdrums.com/idm “Retailers” section to find these special tips.

For direct links to all our members and their products visit the PMC’s website: www.playdrums.com

TM

The Percussion Marketing Council is a non-profit 501-c corporation dedicated to the advancement, understanding, and enjoyment of drums and percussion.

We’re Building Your Market, But You Need To Get Involved.

Visit www.playdrums.com for complete program information on: Vans Warped Tour— FREE Drum Lessons

PERCUSSION IN THE SCHOOLS

During the 2012 summer tour, the PMC gave over 700 free drum lessons to first-time teens, wanting to play drums.

Over 60 in-school general assembly percussion concerts were presented, impacting over 25,000 students experiencing percussion for the first time.

Learn how these programs benefit you or how to get involved at www.playdrums.com or email kbdustman@aol.com 2012 NAMM Foundation Grant Recipient. Copyright 2012 Percussion Marketing Council; P.O. Box 33252; Cleveland, OH 44133

Holiday Buying Guide The C451’s lightweight membrane and sophisticated acoustic design makes it a great choice for accurately capturing drums, percussion, acoustic guitar and overhead miking.

The K702 Anniversary Edition headphones bring a new level of precision to the line with newly designed genuine leather headband and soft velour ear

pads. With its patented Varimotion two-layer diaphragm and revolutionary flat-wire voice coil, K702 delivers pristine sound with high impulse and treble response.

K702’s reference-style headphones boast an over-ear, open-back design, with extremely accurate response. Its sophisticated technology allows for spa-

cious and airy sound without compromise. Retail price for each: $599. www.harman.com Fender George Benson Signature Hot Rod Deluxe 112 The GB Hot Rod Deluxe is a 40-watt 1x12 combo outfitted in a gray-black vinyl covering, silver-strand grille cloth and a GB logo badge. It has the full bottom-end characteristic of 6L6 tubes, and a versatile all-tube preamp including a 12AT7

up front for cleaner tone, especially with humbucking pickups. A 100-watt Jensen® C12K speaker handles the immediacy of Benson’s singing solo style with clarity and range, and the solid-pine cabinet increases tonal resonance while reducing weight.

The GB Hot Rod Deluxe 112 Enclosure mates perfectly with the GB Hot Rod Deluxe combo, and adds full bass response and wider stage coverage. It is a closedback cab neatly dressed in gray-black vinyl covering and silver-strand grille cloth with a GB logo badge, and is equipped with a Jensen C12K 100-watt speaker and solid pine construction for lighter weight. www.fender.com Pyle PEGKT15 Beginner Electric Guitar Package This all-in-one kit comes with a doublecutaway, solid-body electric guitar constructed from the highest-quality wood

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NOVEMBER 2012

materials: basswood for the body, rosewood for the fretboard and maplewood for the neck. All materials contribute to the guitar’s signature rich, clear tone.

Beginners have their choice of four color options, including Red, Sun Burst, Gray Silver and Black. The PEGKT15 also includes a protective carrying case, an adjustable strap, a 10 watt amplifier with 6.5” speaker, a trio of picks, extra strings and a tuner.

The guitar features a volume control and two tone knobs, three single-coil pickups, 1.7” nut width, 25.5” scale.

The included amplifier is rated at 10 watts with controls for volume, channel select, switch, gain, and three-band EQ. The power supply is 110V at 50Hz. Retail price: $169.99. www.pyleaudio.com

The Complete Organ Music of Charles Ives from Theodore Presser The Complete Organ Music is crowned by two critical editions of Charles Ives’ celebrated Variations on “America,” shedding light on both the familiar 1949 edition and the original draft from 1892.

Over a dozen more unfamiliar works are presented, along with historical and critical notes.

Born in Danbury, Connecticut, Ives was the son of famed Civil War bandleader George Ives. He attended Yale University, after which he chose to forego a musical career, moving to New York in 1898 to take a job as a clerk with an insurance firm. In the 1930s and ’40s, many influential musicians took interest in his work, including Aaron Copland, Lou Harrison and pianist John Kirkpatrick, whose performances of Ives’ music received much praise. Among these important performances was the 1946 premiere, conducted by Lou Harrison, of his Symphony No. 3, for which Charles Ives won a Pulitzer Prize the following year. www.presser.com NOVEMBER 2012

Marimba Master Class on ‘Reflections on the Nature of Water’ from Meredith Music Reflection on the Nature of Water has become one of the standard 4-mallet marimba solos in the contemporary marimba literature. This Master Class, written by the person it was composed for, Dan Druckman (the composer’s son), provides a unique insight into the complexities of this monumental work. Druckman, the associate principal percussionist of the New York Philharmonic, presents an analysis that includes exploration of expressive possibilities of the marimba in a unique way, a hands-on and “nuts-and-bolts” approach to understanding and performing the piece. Retail price: $14.99. www.meredithmusic.com The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Conducting Music from Alpha This guidebook gives readers tips on leading any type of ensemble in any

musical genre and offers a behind-thescenes look at what a conductor does both on and off the podium. Author Michael Miller, a composer and arranger and graduate of the Jazz Studies Program at Indiana University, offers simple suggestions for reading, researching, and marking up a score and gives advice on leading effective rehearsals.

The book offers essential information on working a baton and assuming the proper stance on the podium as well as lessons for learning all the beat patterns, from the basics to advanced meters and subdivided beats.

Miller gives advice on interpreting a piece and mastering tempo, dynamics, phrasing, cues, accents, and even unmetered music.

The book serves as a primer on different types of conducting, from jazz bands to operas to video game soundtracks and also features insightful interviews with today’s professional conductors. $19.95. www.idiotsguides.com

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Supplier Scene Behringer X32 Nominated for TEC Award Behringer’s X32 Digital Mixer has received a TEC Award nomination under the Small Format Mixer category.

With over 20,000 units sold since its introduction in July of this year, Beh-

ringer’s X32 Digital Mixer recently received a TEC Award nomination under the Smal Mixer category.

Since 1985 TEC Awards have recognized excellence in both Technical and Creative achievements within the audio, video, music and other

Meeting the Needs of Students for More Than 30 Years ...

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Our best-selling, ebony fitted SV-175 Cremona Premier Violin Outfit has recently been upgraded to include the J.LaSalle LB-13 Octagonal Bow and the TL-33 deluxe rectangular Travelite case.

Cremona SV-175 Violin Outfit: •All-solid carved, graduated construction •Seven sizes from 4⁄4 to 1⁄16 •Long lasting ebony fittings •Finetuner tailpiece for precise, easy tuning •Rugged TL-33 Travelite case •Well-balanced J.LaSalle LB-13 bow with ebony frog

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communication media arts. Administered by the non-profit TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio, the awards are decided by a broad spectrum of industry professionals and presented at a gala evening event during the annual Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim, California.

This year’s awards will be presented on Friday, January 25, 2013. www.behringer.com Dream Cymbals Passes Recycling Milestone Dream Cymbals recently announced that the company has collected more than 10,500 inches of broken cast cymbals as part of the Dream Cymbals recycling project.

As part of this project, a customer can trade broken cymbals from any manufacturer for an in-store credit towards a new Dream cymbal.

This credit is one dollar per diameter inch. Dream pays the dealer $1 per inch and takes care of the shipping costs to collect the cymbals.

This past summer, after a few years executing this project, the company has processed over 10,500 inches, equaling over three tons of metal.

Dream Cymbals has over 300 dealers in North America, about 32 of whom have contributed to the recycling project. Of those, the company says that six account for 80 percent of the contributions.

Dream also announced that it will be launching a new awareness campaign across North America and even starting in Europe. New “Made in North America” products will soon hit the shelves made from the recycled Bronze the company has collected. www.dreamcymbals.com Max Weinberg Signs to Endorse Vater Vater recently announced that E Street Band and former Late Night with Conan O’Brien bandleader Max Weinberg has joined the Vater Artist Family.

NOVEMBER 2012

Max Weinberg answered a Village Voice advertisement in 1974 that requested a drummer capable of playing R&B and jazz for an immediate audition for Bruce Springsteen’s legendary band.

Weinberg proved to be a talented drummer and possessed superior instincts.

Legend has it that Max’s performance on “Let the Four Winds Blow” during his audition won him the job. Weinberg could easily play the beat for the song, but it was his ability to take cues from Springsteen that was most impressive.

Max is currently on an arena tour with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in support of their new release, Wrecking Ball, which debuted at No.1 in 16 countries and was Springsteen’s tenth No. 1 album in the United States. www.vater.com SABIAN Rebrands Innovative V-Crashes In Modern-Bright AAX Line SABIAN has recently rebranded many of the cymbals in its Vault Series as AAX, HHX, AA or HH. “It’s a move designed to simplify our cymbal line, something our distributors and dealers have been asking us to do for years” announced SABIAN President Andy Zildjian. “Vault had just grown too big – and with the radically different cymbal models in Vault, it was getting harder and harder to give it an identity that made sense to customers.”

The AAX V-Crashes are bright, high-pitched and very cutting cymbals available in Brilliant Finish. Thin models, they are medium to loud in volume. “They’re thin – but they don’t play thin,” claims the SABIAN Vault’s Mark Love.

“A high-profile and pinpoint NOVEMBER 2012

lathing make them more robust than many other thin models – there’s a tension in the metal you can definitely feel.”

AAX V-Crashes also benefit from a power-increasing bell and balanced bellto-bow response for a powerful front-end attack and full, shimmering sound with wide response sensitivity. They can deliv-

er clean, glassy crashing at low volumes, or blow through the loudest band. www.sabian.com Full Compass Sponsors 2012 Circus of Chefs Full Compass Systems once again sponsored “Circus of Chefs” this year. Owners Jonathan and Susan Lipp, in cooper-

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Supplier Scene ation with Co-chairs Merlin and Jenele Zitzner, owners of the Baraboo National Bank, organized the event that hosted 600 guests this summer. The ninth annual gala raised over $173,000 for Circus World Museum, a site owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society that focuses on preserving the history of circus entertainment and memorabilia. In addition

to countless hours of preparation, Full Compass also staffed the event.

Circus clowns and performers as well as live jazz entertained attendees as they dined and viewed a breathtaking array of over 330 auction items. The top chefs received coveted

Silver Tray awards for best appetizer, entrée, dessert, beer, and wine. The winners were chosen by a panel of 20 judges, each an expert in their field including chefs and chef instructors, brewmasters, pastry chefs, TV cooking personalities, and wine makers. www.fullcompass.com AER Amps on Tour with Al Di Meola and World Sinfonia Di Meola is employing a pair of AER Compact Classic Pro amps as he and his band World Sinfonia tour his latest album, Pursuit of Radical Rhapsody. The record – which climbed to #2 on Billboard’s Jazz Chart shortly after its release – covers ground from Argentinian tango to Spanish flamenco to Middle Eastern and North African music, and features worldclass talent such as pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba and bassist Charlie Haden.

The AER Compact Classic Pro, a 60W amp featuring a 2-way speaker system and an effects processor with 16 presets, is voiced specifically for classical instruments and serves as a perfect tool for the progressive, textured, Latin-fused guitar rock delivered by Di Meola on his nylon string instrument. Hand-built in Germany since 1992,AER has used high-quality components, sophisticated circuit technology, and precision craftsmanship to convert their designs into unrivaled solutions for acoustic, electric and bass instruments. www.aer-amps.com Warwick Saves 125 Tons of Carbon Dioxide with Solar Panel in First Half of 2012 German instrument manufacturer Framus & Warwick saved 125 tons from entering the environment in the first six months of 2012, thanks to its in-house solar plant.

Along the way, Warwick achieved 177.230 kWh electricity output during the same period with its solar panels.

The company admits that the solar ener-

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gy system was an expensive investment but, for the instrument manufacturer Framus & Warwick from Markneukirchen, environmental protection and investments for preserving nature is a high priority. www.warwick.de and www.framus.com.

In addition to several private donations, local music shop Sound Vibrations played a major role in the success of this event. Mr. Randy Hernandez was on hand all three days as a representative of this music shop, providing instruments for the festival. Flam Jam also included performances by Del Mar College, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi percussion ensembles. www.pearldrum.com

Pearl Drummers Lalo and Julie Davilas Offer Flam Jam Clinic in Texas Pearl Artists Lalo and Julie Davila presented several educational clinics at the 2012 Flam Jam earlier this year in Corpus Christi, Texas. The Flam Jam was attended by over 400 people over the course of three days. The Davilas presented clinics on marching percussion, concert percussion, Latin percussion, and much more. The event was hosted

by Mr. Manny Chapa.

Wayne Jackson Awarded ConnSelmer Lifetime Achievement Award Conn-Selmer recently announced the first recipient of the Artist Centerstage Lifetime Achievement Award, Wayne Jackson. Jackson received this honor during a presentation ceremony at the 2012 Conn-Selmer Institute on June 11th, via simulcast to the over 400 attendees. The Institute was held in Mishawaka, Indiana at the Bethel College. Wayne Jackson is a member of the Memphis Horns,

NOVEMBER 2012

a Grammy-winning horn section that has recorded sessions with such greats as Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, Al Green, Aretha Franklin, Neil Young, U2, Bonnie Raitt, Sting, and many more. Wayne has made his trumpet of choice the Bach Stradivarius.

Along with the award,Wayne was presented a custom built Stradivarius trumpet. The instrument included gold trim and abalone finger buttons along with a custom hand engraved Memphis Horns insignia. The trumpet was presented to Wayne in the simulcast by local Memphis dealer Amro Music. www.connselmer.com.

MMR 77

Supplier Scene ing “50 Years of Passionate Listening,” was proud to recently host A-T endorser Jim Brickman as he recorded segments for his radio show Your Weekend with Jim Brickman at Audio-Technica’s studio

Audio-Technica’s Jim Brickman Tapes Radio Session at A-T’s Ohio Headquarters Audio-Technica, a leading innovator in transducer technology currently celebrat-

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Classical Producer Leszek Wojcik Uses Neumann KH 120 Studio Monitors Leszek Wojcik, who has been recording classical music performances at top venues including Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, The Rose Theater and Carnegie Hall, recently acquired a pair of Neumann KH 120 monitors. Since then, they have become a foundational element of his control room and he’s never looked back.

“It took me about 15 seconds to make the decision to switch to the Neumann KH 120s,” Wojcik says.

Wojcik, who has a master‘s degree in Tonmeister Studies from Chopin Music Academy and who lectures on “Aesthetics of Recording“ at New York University, is well versed in both the theory and

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at their Stow, Ohio headquarters this summer. A-T products used during the session included the AT4047/SV Cardioid Condenser Microphones and ATH-M50 Professional Studio Monitor Headphones.

Brickman’s romantic piano sound has made him the best-selling solo piano artist of our time. He has established a reputation for his collaborations with gifted musical artists from Lady Antebellum and Martina McBride to Kenny Loggins, Carly Simon, Herb Alpert, and more. He’s achieved six Gold and Platinum albums, 30 charted adult radio hits, and two GRAMMY® nominations. On A Winter’s Night currently celebrating its 15th year as a syndicated hit, www.jimbrickman.com and www.audio-technica.com

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practice of audio recording and draws from over three decades of experience: “I come from the school that encourages making your decisions based on listening,“ says Wojcik. Wojcik‘s first field test of the KH 120 came during the recording of a performance of an orchestra from Qatar at the United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York City. Wojcik set up his Neumann KH 120s in an alcove adjacent to the hall where he monitored the recording and also sent out a stereo broadcast mix for television. While he was monitoring at low levels, he says that the KH 120s performed admirably, providing a dynamic sound that simplified his job. www.sennheiserusa.com

MMB Music will introduce the complete Los Cabos Drumsticks line to parts of the United States this fall/winter.

“We’re excited to be working with MMB,” said Matt Carter, director of

Los Cabos Drumsticks Expand American Distribution Los Cabos Drumsticks recently announced that another new distributor has joined their team. St. Louis-based

Rock Musician and Alfred Author Zoro Receives White House Honor Internationally renowned rock musician Zoro, famous for having played drums for Lenny Kravitz and other legendary performers, was recently honored at the nation’s capitol as part of the White House Fatherhood Champions of Change & Convening on Engaging Men and Boys.

Zoro was among a select group recognized for the important work they do to help shape our culture by promoting

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responsible fatherhood and mentoring of boys. President Barack Obama in 2010 announced the creation of the President’s Fatherhood and Mentoring Initiative.

Other activities of Zoro include a national media tour of his current book, The Big Gig: Big-Picture Thinking for Success (Alfred Music Publishing). The book is an insider’s guide to vocational, personal and spiritual aspects of achievement.

Affectionately called “The Minister of Groove,” Zoro has appeared on a variety of television and radio shows, including a national interview on Fox News with Lauren Green and multiple appearances on Glenn Beck’s GBTV’s Liberty Treehouse. www.alfred.com NOVEMBER 2012

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Supplier Scene marketing and artist relations for Los Cabos Drumsticks. “They are extremely focused on promoting our products and we’re looking forward to building a strong relationship with them into the future.”

The University of Alabama Receives Pearl/Adams Equipment The University of Alabama began this year’s fall semester by outfitting the School of Music with brand new Pearl/ Adams concert and marching percussion equipment. With the addition of percussion experimentalist Tim Feeney to the faculty, the UA percussion studio has received a total revamp with instru-

This announcement marks the sixth new distributor to begin carrying Los Cabos Drumsticks since January of 2012.

Over the past nine months, the Los Cabos team have announced new distribution deals in South Korea (Drum Korea), New Zealand (Hawkes Bay Agencies), Japan (TMC), Australia (Dynamic Music) and at home in Canada (Yorkville). www.loscabosdrumsticks.com

ments hand-delivered to UA by Gadsden Music Company. These brand new vibraphones, marimbas, drums, and hardware ensure that students are practicing and performing on the best equipment available during their schooling.

Outfitted in the latest that Pearl has to offer, the University of Alabama Million Dollar Band Percussion section is taking the field with Championship CarbonCore Series battery instruments. These 6-ply Maple shell drums feature a sparkling stock finish of Black Silver Burst with an inner ply of Carbon Fiber to enhance the articulation and projection of the battery sonority.

The Million Dollar Band appears on national television broadcasts of the Crimson Tide and performing at band festivals across the Southeast. Under the direction of Dr. Ken Ozzello and Mr. Randall Coleman, the band is celebrating its 100th year anniversary in 2012. www.pearldrum.com

Tilting a grand piano has never been easier using the new Moondog Grand Piano Tilter.

If you’ve ever needed to tilt a grand piano from or to a skidboard by yourself, the Moondog Grand Piano Tilter is the tool for you!

To view a demonstrational video of the tilter visit our website: www.moondogmfg.com For more information including pricing contact eric@moondogmfg.com

Moondog Manufacturing

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80 MMR

NOVEMBER 2012

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Classifieds MMR CLASSIFIEDS INFO:

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☛ RATES: Classified Display: $30 per column inch for text only. $40 per column inch, 1 color, logo, graphics. $50 per column inch 4 color. ☛ PAYMENTS: ALL ADS ARE PREPAID. Charge on Mastercard, Visa or American Express. ☛ SEND YOUR ADVERTISEMENT TO: 21 Highland Circle, Suite 1, Needham, MA 02494 shemingway@ symphonypublishing.com. ☛ QUESTIONS? Call Steven Hemingway at 800-964-5150 x 34 shemingway@ symphonypublishing.com.

Accessories

Are You Tired of Trying to Climb the Corporate Ladder?

Business For Sale Band & Orchestra Musical Instrument Rentals, Sales & Services Company • Large, established business focused on the education market • Full service dealer: Rentals, Sales, Repairs, Lessons • Large, multi-use facility with capacity • Eastern US Contact: (646) 580-2810 ProjOrchestra@gmail.com

For Classified Sales Call Steven 800-964-5150 ext. 34

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• Band and Orchestra Rentals • New and Like New Educator-Approved Brand Name Instruments • Personalized Rent-To-Own Program • No Franchise Fee or Inventory Investment • No Shipping Costs • High Commissions Paid the 1st of Every Month • Exceptional Service

is a multi-store, family owned and operated full-line retailer based in Metro Atlanta. Ken Stanton Music has over 60 years’ success and customer satisfaction.

Seeking: Certified Band/Orchestra Repair Techs, Print Music Manager, Store Managers, Company-Wide Lesson Coordinator, and Sales Associates in the following departments: Guitars, Pro Audio, Drums and Percussion, and Band/Orchestra.

Looking for friendly, customer service oriented, self-motivated, proven closers with good listening skills and 2+ years experience.

Availability for flexible scheduling a must. Bi-lingual a plus.

We feature: Competitive non-commission based pay, medical/ dental coverage, 401(k) plan, vacation/holiday/sick time, and room for advancement.

Complete application online at: www.kenstantonmusic.com By mail:

Via email:

Ken Stanton Music Attn: Scott Cameron, General Manager 119 Cobb Parkway North, Suite A Marietta, GA 30062 scottc@kenstanton.com

Visit the Classifieds on the Web: www.mmrmagazine.com NOVEMBER 2012

Business Opportunities

For Sale Opportunity knocks Owner retiring after 40+ years.

Music store and building. Retail sales, repair shop, lessons and rental program.

Turn key potential.

Located in South New Jersey suburbs Contact Ron 609-458-6303

FOR SALE: Over 250 Rental Return Orchestra Instruments 1/2 & 3/4 Violins; 13â&#x20AC;? & 14â&#x20AC;? Violas; 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 Cellos Most are complete outfits.

Entire Inventory to be Sold in One Lot. For Information, Contact: bjstrings@gmail.com NOVEMBER 2012

FOR SALE Classic Hammond B-3 (Serial #A32004) with reverb, pedals, bench and 122R Leslie purchased new 1970.

Beautiful light American walnut/red oak like-new finish. Trek 2 with pluck base and SSP-3 Aux Amplifier with dual control box installed 1989.

Excellent Condition: $8,500 or Best Reasonable Offer.

Credit given for travel to Denville, NJ: 973-328-8865 or bigowb@optonline.net

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Instruction

For Classified Sales Call Steven 800-964-5150 ext. 34

shemingway@symphonypublishing.com MMR 83

Business Opportunities

Help Wanted

Merchandise

CHUCK LEVIN’S WASHINGTON MUSIC CENTER www.chucklevins.com BAND & ORCHESTRAL INSTRUMENT SALES Chuck Levin’s Washington Music Center, located in Wheaton, MD is searching for an experienced & knowledgeable band and orchestral instrument sales professional. Join our team and become part of one of the largest and most successful music stores in the country. Qualified candidates must be highly motivated, energetic, and possess excellent people skills. Musicians with two years sales experience preferred. Compensation based on salary plus commission for unlimited earning potential. Excellent benefits including health, dental, life, and 401K. Email resume to employment@chucklevins.com or fax to 301-946-0487. EOE V/D/M/F

Merchandise

PIANO DEALERS & MANUFACTURERS We Have Your Customers!

Piano World is the world’s most popular piano web site. We get more quality traffic in a month than other piano sites see in a year.

Piano World is where people come when they are searching for information about the piano. We have your target audience and can deliver quality prospects to you, locally, nationally, or internationally.

Come see what Piano World can do for your business today: www.PianoWorld.com/advertising • frank_baxter@pianoworld.com, or 860-741-2625

PianoWorld.com Home of the world famous Piano Forums 84 MMR

ACCORDIONS, CONCERTINAS, & BUTTON BOXES new, used, buy, sell, trade, repair, tune, CASTIGLIONE DISTRIBUTING CO. 13300 E 11 MILE WARREN, MI 48089 PH # 1-586-755-6050 WWW.CASTIGLIONEACCORDIONS.COM

Hunter Music Instrument Inc adds in an accordion line.

From button accordion to Piano accordion, from Kid’s to adult, from entry level to professional, from solid color to combo, we have a wide selection for the accordion player.

718-706-0828 www.huntermusical.com

www.mmrmagazine.com NOVEMBER 2012

Business Opportunities

Merchandise Liberty Adjustable Clarinet Barrel Precision manufactured from aerospace grade materials, the Liberty Barrel allows you to be in tune under any playing conditions.

No more pulling at the joints or clumsy rings. Will save you time, money and frustration.

Adjustable in length from approximately 59mm to 69mm.

Band Director’s Top Pick

UniTec “Road Tuff”

NO –HUMP SOUSAPHONE CASES EZ Roll and Stack Design Indestructible Inter-Lok Construction Also Available in ATA Style The Best Value in the Industry

1.800.782.3296

RSBerkeley.com | 1.800.974.3909 info@rsberkeley.com

equatone@earthlink.net

www.mmrmagazine.com NOVEMBER 2012

MMR 85

Merchandise

YAMAHA–KAWAI

CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED PIANOS Japanese High Quality

GUARANTEED You get what you pay for!

1-800-782-2694

North American Music 11 Holt Drive Stony Point, NY 10980 Fax: (845) 429-6920

FINANCING AVAILABLE

Repair Tools FAST TURN-AROUND ON STOCK REPAIRS NATIONWIDE NAPBIRT member, 30 Years Experience Contact: Dan Rieck, 801-733-4243 dan@utahwoodwindrepair.com

For Classified Sales Call Steven 800-964-5150 ext. 34

shemingway@symphonypublishing.com

Repair Tools

BOW REHAIRING Expert Bow Service

Order forms,Pricing and Shipping label at:

www.bowrehairing.com Violin bows as low as $10.00 per bow in quantity incl. shipping (see website for details.) Large inventory of replacement parts both new and vintage.

IRA B. KRAEMER & Co. Wholesale Services Division

“An industry leader since 1967” 467 Grant Avenue, Scotch Plains, N.J. 07076 Tel: 908-322-4469 Fax: 908 322-8613 e mail: info@bowrehairing.com

www.mmrmagazine.com 86 MMR

NOVEMBER 2012

Sales Reps Wanted

Services

Orange USA is hiring experienced Sales Reps.

Please send resume to eric.sands@orangeusa.com Perri’s Leathers is hiring U.S. sales reps, please send us your resume and let us know what territory you cover. Perri’s offers a full line of Guitar Straps and Guitar Picks all made in Canada.

Visit our website: www.perris.ca Please email your resume or send inquiry’s to: ivana@perris.ca or call 905-7618549 ext 100

Wanted To Buy

Wanted USED TUBAS ANY CONDITION-CASH PAID THE TUBA EXCHANGE 1825 CHAPEL HILL RD. DURHAM, NC 27707 1-800-869-8822 LUC@TUBAEXCHANGE.COM

WE BUY, SELL, TRADE Authorized Area Representative Position Available Candidates should possess the following skills: • Music industry experience • Ability to train and motivate others • A proven track record of sales accomplishments • Well-developed verbal and written communication skills • Superior time management skills • Self-motivated • Overnight travel required • Computer literacy

and ship worldwide.

ONLINE APPRAISAL SERVICE GRUHN GUITARS, 400 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203

(615) 256-2033

fax (615) 255-2021

www.guitars.com

Vintage Instruments

Send resume and salary history to HRDEPT@peavey.com

Services SHIPPING YOUR PIANO

with Lone Wolf Trucking

is a “grand” idea!

An independent, long-distance Mover specializing in coast-to-coast residential Relocation.

1-800-982-9505

www.lonewolftrucking.com Alamogordo, New Mexico. 88310

ICC MC-256289

www.mmrmagazine.com NOVEMBER 2012

Breaking News!

Find it in the Hot News section of MMR’s Web site, www.mmrmagazine.com

PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT 1. Publication Title: Musical Merchandise Review.

2. Publication No.: 0027-4615. 3. Filing Date 10/1/12 4. Issue Frequency: Monthly. 5. No. of Issues Published Annually: 12. 6. Annual Subscription Price: $32. 7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: Musical Merchandise Review, 21 Highland Circle Ste. One, Needham, Norfolk, MA 02494. 8. Complete Mailing Address of the Headquarters or General Business Office of the Publisher: (Same as #7).

9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor: Publisher: Sidney L. Davis, 21 Highland Circle Ste. One, Needham, Norfolk, MA 02494; Editor: Christian Wissmuller, 21 Highland Circle Ste. One, Needham, Norfolk, MA 02494; Managing Editor: None. 10. Owner (If owned by a corporation, its name and address must be stated and also immediately thereafter the names and addresses of stockholders owning or holding 1 percent or more of total amount of stock): Zapis Capital Group, LLC; Leon Zapis, 26202 Detroit Rd. Ste. 300, Westlake, OH 44145; Richard Bongorno, 26202 Detroit Rd. Ste. 300, Westlake, OH 44145; Maria Wymer, 26202 Detroit Rd. Ste. 300, Westlake, OH 44145; Donna Thomas, 26202 Detroit Rd. Ste. 300, Westlake, OH 44145; Renee Seybert, 26202 Detroit Rd. Ste. 300, Westlake, OH 44145. : 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgages, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None. 12. (For Nonprofit Organizations - Does Not Apply) 13. Publication Name: Musical Merchandise Review. 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: October 2012 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation. Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months/ Actual No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date: a. Total No. Copies : 11,293/10,608 b. Legitimate paid and/or requested distribution: (1) Paid/ Requested Outside-County Mail Subscriptions: 6,717/7,144 (2) Paid/Requested In-County Subscriptions:0/0 (3) Sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors, and counter sales:0/0 (4) Requested copies distributed by other USPS mail classes:0/0 c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 6,717/7,144 d. Nonrequested distribution: (1). Outside county nonrequested copies: 3,828/3,279 (2) In County nonrequested copies: 0/0 (3) Nonrequested copies distributed through other USPS mail classes:0/0 (4). Nonrequested copies distributed outside the mail: 579/25 e. Total nonrequested distribution:. 4,407/3,304 f. Total Distribution:11,124/10,448 g. Copies not distributed:169/160 h. Total: 11,293/10,608 i: Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 60%/68% 16. This Statement of Ownership will be printed in the November 2012 issue of this publication.

17. I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions and/or civil sanctions. Sidney L. Davis, Publisher

MMR 87

Ad Index COMPANY NAME

E-MAIL/WEB ADDRESS

PAGE

A/B A.I.M. Gifts/Albert Elovitz Inc. Al Cass Allparts Music Corp Amati’s Fine Instruments American Recorder Technologies, Inc. Antigua Winds, Inc. Black Widow Drum Web

www.allparts.com www.Amatis.us

35 73 58 72

Nady Systems Inc. NAMM New Sensor Corp.

www.AmericanRecorder.com www.antiguawinds.com www.blackwidowdrumweb.com

78 34 48

Peak Music Stands Percusion Marketing Council Peterson Strobe Tuners PianoDisc

www.TrapsDrums.com www.cedist.com www.celestion.com www.chord buddy.com

79 66 44 55

www.daddario.com www.dreamcymbals.com

13 16

www.fishman.com www.floydrose.com

54 70

www.moondogmfg.com www.galaxyaudio.com www.globaltruss.com

80 48 19

www.humes-berg.com www.huntermusical.com www.mondomusicanewyork.com

59 68 61

www.keyelco.com www.kmcmusic.com www.youngchang.com www.youngchang.com www.kysermusical.com

49 50 67 69 76

www.levysleathers.com www.LMProducts.com

cov2 18

D D’Addario & Co. Dream Cymbals And Gongs

F Fishman Transducers, Inc. Floyd Rose Marketing

G Gable Piano Service Galaxy Audio Global Truss

H/I Humes & Berg Mfg.Co. Inc. Hunter Music Instrument Inc. Italian Trade Promotion Agency

K Keystone Electronics KMC Music, Inc Kurzweil Music Systems Kurzweil Music Systems Kyser Musical Products Inc.

L Levy’s Leathers Ltd. LM Products

E-MAIL/WEB ADDRESS

PAGE

N www.aimgifts.com

C Cappello Music Co., Inc. CE Distribution Celestion Chord Buddy-Perry’s Music

COMPANY NAME

www.nady.com www.namm.com www.newsensor.com

80 20-21 17

P www.peakmusicstands.com www.playdrums.com www.petersontuners.com www.pianodisc.com

77 71 51 7

S Saga Musical Instruments Saga Musical Instruments Saga Musical Instruments Samson Technologies Corp.

Schilke Music Products School of Rock LLC Shoreview Distribution SHS International Shubb Capo SKB Corp.

Sound Ideas Music LLC

www.sagamusic.com 64 www.sagamusic.com 11 www.sagamusic.com 74 www.samsontech.com 3 www.schilkemusic.com 62 http://franchising.schoolofrock.com 30-31 www.shoreviewdistribution.com 78 www.shs.com 42 www.shubb.com 58 www.skbcases.com 45 www.venturasoundideascom 15

T Times Square Lighting TKL Products Corp.

Tycoon Percussion

www.tslight.com www.tkl.com www.tycoonpercussion.com

79 1 40

V Vater Percussion Vic Firth Company Visual Sound

www.vater.com www.vicfirth.com www.visualsound.net

43 24-25 cov4

W W.D. Music Products Inc. West Music

www.wdmusic.com www.wdbiz.com www.tjflutes.com

77 75

www.yamaha.com www.zildjian.com www.zildjian.com

9 37 41

Y/Z Yamaha Corp. of America Avedis Zildjian Co. Avedis Zildjian Co.

M Mel Bay Publications Inc. Mutec Mutes Mutec Mutes

88 MMR

www.melbay.com www.mutecmutes.com www.mutecmutes.com

5 65 63

NOVEMBER 2012

Networking the Jazz Arts Community â&#x20AC;Ś

â&#x20AC;Ś Local to Global!

EXHIBIT AT THE

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Hurry! Exhibit space is limited!

Reserve your space by November 1, 2012, to ensure your company name is listed in the Conference Program Book and the Conference Smartphone application.

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JazzEdNet.org/Exhibitors