MMR November 2009

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

November 2009

Electronic Drums Tapping into an Expanding Marketplace

Report: Tuners Roundtable: Artist Series Drumsticks

NEW, DIGITAL VERSION www.mmrmagazine.com

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Contents Cover design by Laurie Chesna

NOVEMBER 2009 VOL.168 NO. 11

Features 18 Sabian – Tradition & Innovation MMR travels up to Meductic, New Brunswick, Canada to visit with the team from Sabian.

24 Spotlight: Electronic Drums Tap Into an Expanding Marketplace While many segments of the MI world struggle sales-wise, the electronic drum market is growing. Improved technology, lower price-points, and greater functionality have made these kits a more viable option for many musicians – and a greater potential earner for music retailers.

36 Roundtable: Artist Series Drumsticks 44 Percussion Products 50 Survey: B&O Buying Trends We poll over 1,500 band directors and music instructors to learn what factors figure most prominently when choosing where and how to make instrument and music product purchases.

54 Report: In Tune with a Changing Market An ever-expanding variety of features, function, and price points have made today’s instrument tuner offerings a far more complex world than in the days of the pitch pipe and tuning fork…

64 Mapes Piano String Company MMR visits with Andy Wilson, head of piano strings at Mapes Piano String Co. – the first piano wire company in America and one of the foremost producers of piano wire and guitar string wire, today.

66 Anniversary: Batchelder’s Plummer Piano & Organ Co.

Departments www.MMRmagazine.com

4 6 12 14

Editorial Upfront People Letters

68 78 82 88

Holiday Buying Guide Supplier Scene Classifieds Advertisers’ Index

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 ©2009 by Symphony Publishing, LLC, all rights reserved. Printed in USA.

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NOVEMBER 2009

Performance Series

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Editorial

Volume 168, Number 11, November 2009 PUBLISHER Sidney L. Davis sdavis@symphonypublishing.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Rick Kessel rkessel@symphonypublishing.com

One More Good Idea

ur publishing mantra has always been, “one good idea,” which has not always been an easy goal to achieve, considering our readership interests range from merchandising fog machines to grand pianos. Under the harsh light of present economic conditions, “one good Idea” has evolved from opening a second unit to investing in energy efficient light bulbs. Using a premise of, “how to get more from less,” we have, in recent issues, focused on the “practical sale,” as represented within this issue by tuners, electronic drum kits, and signature sticks. In past months, we have applied the same format to cases (June), iPod-related music gear (September), and ukulele products (October). Citing the case issue as an example, Access Bags’ Marty Harrison pointed out, “You can’t sell them if you don’t have them.” Frank Grund, Grundorf, pointed out, “The case is an afterthought – you can’t take it home and play it. It’s hard to explain to people, but if it’s available, they will buy it.” One further thought on the “case for cases” from Irwin Berg, Humes & Berg: “ Dealers often don’t realize this add-on sale can produce as much margin or more to selling the instrument… salespeople should be motivated to think, ‘You’re not leaving without a new bag or case to protect this instrument.’” iPod/iPhone Applications were covered extensively in our September issue, including within this editorial page, however, in the belief that good ideas are worth repeating and following the old chestnut that, “new products are the lifeblood of the industry,” we repeat the words of two industry veterans: Jim D’Addario noted, “You can’t stop change, the iPhone and the Internet are paradigm shifts;” while Jim Dunlop said, “Many applications are musician-focused, such as guitar tuners, music-identification, music-making and even turning the iPod or iPhone into a musical instrument.” After examining the basic case and the cutting-edge iPod, we took a fresh look at an old product, the ukulele. In recent days, there has been a resurgence of interest in the instrument, fueled by prominence on YouTube, downloadable applications, and national media attention. All that needs to be said on the topic was perhaps best summed up by ukulele guru, Jim Beloff, of Flea Market Music: “Keep ukes in the store tuned up. They sell themselves… one of the easiest instruments to learn and play… many chords require only one or two fingers…the learning curve is especially short and because of its size [it is] a great first instrument for children.” In a similar vein, we invite our readership to explore this month’s reports in the area of tuners, electronic drum kits, and signature drumsticks. All you need is one good idea… And on a final note we call your attention to our newly launched digital edition. Simultaneous with our print product you (if we have your e-mail address) will receive our digital version. You can scan the pages, enlarge the type, reprint the page, and click on an advertiser Web site. Equally important, when an out of the country D’Addario executive requested a subscription, he received the issue in real time, as we communicated. To receive the digital version, just send along your e-mail address to sdavis@ symphonypublications.com. Please indicate which of the three Internet offerings we feature - digital version only, digital version and weekly e-newsletter only, or digital version, e-newsletter, and industry trade offers – you’d like to receive. Be assured we will honor your request.

EDITOR Christian Wissmuller cwissmuller@symphonypublishing.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Eliahu Sussman esussman@symphonypublishing.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Denyce Neilson dneilson@symphonypublishing.com ADVERTISING SALES Iris Fox ifox@symphonypublishing.com CLASSIFIED AD SALES Maureen Johan mjohan@symphonypublishing.com PRODUCTION MANAGER Laurie Guptill lguptill@symphonypublishing.com GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Andrew P. Ross aross@symphonypublishing.com Laurie Chesna lchesna@symphonypublishing.com CIRCULATION MANAGER Melanie A. Prescott mprescott@symphonypublishing.com ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Popi Galileos pgalileos@symphonypublishing.com WEBMASTER Sanford Kearns skearns@symphonypublishing.com SYMPHONY PUBLISHING, LLC Xen Zapis • Chairman Lee Zapis • President lzapis@symphonypublishing.com Rich Bongorno • Chief Financial Officer 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 2009

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Upfront American Music & Sound to Distribute Kurzweil, Fostex Kurzweil has teamed up with American Music & Sound for exclusive distribution in the US effective Oct 1, 2009. “We are so pleased to be offering Kurzweil Pro products,” says Lynn Martin, president of American Music & Sound. “With their breadth of product offering and position in the market, we look forward to spearheading their growth in the US.” “American Music & Sound is a great partner for us,” states Kurzweil’s managing director of Kurzweil Global Operations, YT Kwon. “Their strength in the market will be the perfect platform for our products.” American Music & Sound has also announced that Fostex recording products

will be distributed in the USA through the AM&S distribution network. “Fostex has a long his-

tory of manufacturing top professional audio products and affordable recording gear for project studios, field recording, and broadcast applications,” states Lynn Martin. “We couldn’t be more excited to be the exclusive distributor for Fostex recording products in the USA. We are looking forward to growing market share and continuing to strengthen the Fostex brand.”

T-Mobile’s myTouch 3G Fender Ltd. Edition T-Mobile has announced that they’ll be releasing a myTouch 3G Fender Limited Edition cellular phone that will feature a 3.5mm headphone jack, as well as pre-loaded songs on a 16gb microSD card. Additionally,

the Fender myTouch 3G will sport a wood finish evocative of those made famous by Fender guitars. The limited edition version of T-Mobile’s myTouch Android smartphone is expected to ship later this year.

iZotope Assumes Distribution of Its Products iZotope, Inc. has announced that its distribution relationship with M-Audio came to a close on October 1st, 2009. iZotope will now handle distribution responsibilities of its Ozone 4, iZotope RX, Spectron and Trash products. iZotope is also transitioning to an eco-friendly digital serial number delivery system to their dealer and distributor network. eMedia Music will continue to handle iZotope’s worldwide consumer channel in order to distribute products such as iDrum

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and other upcoming releases. iZotope will handle responsibility for the direct distribution of their worldwide Music Industry (MI) and Pro Audio channels. The iZotope MI line includes products such as Ozone 4, iZotope RX, Spectron, Trash, Radius for Logic Pro and Soundtrack Pro, and the newly released Alloy. The iZotope Pro Audio line includes the ANR-B adaptive noise reduction hardware unit, RX Advanced, and an upcoming line of professional hardware and software processors.

Former Baldwin CEO Awaits Court Verdict Karen Hendricks, former CEO of Baldwin Piano and Organ Company is awaiting a verdict from Dayton, Ohio Judge Thomas Rose in a case brought by a group of unsecured creditors and shareholders who allege Ms. Hendricks did irreparable harm to the 147 year old company by placing her interests above those of the firm and failing to advise the Board of an offer to purchase the company by a business consultant, Randy Marks. Ms. Hendricks was recruited to Baldwin in 1994 from her previous position as general manager for the Dial Soap division of Proctor and Gamble. She resigned under pressure in 2001 and subsequently the company fi led for bankruptcy after sustaining $17 million in losses for the prior two years. Gibson Guitar Company purchased Baldwin from its major creditor, GE Capital in the Fall of 2001.

NOVEMBER 2009

Upfront Gibson’s Hendrix Guitar Baffles Many There was considerable buzz on the Web in anticipation of the announcement of Gibson’s “Jimi Hendrix Guitar” package in late September. As even the most casual Hendrix fans know, his main axe was a Fender Stratocaster. Especially devoted followers are likely aware that Jimi occasionally played a Gibson Flying V. Gibson’s Custom Shop already offered a high-end tribute model Flying V of just 300 copies with a list of $12,300 in 2007, so many expected this new model to be some variation on that theme. What was instead unveiled surprised many: a Strat copy. Gibson was clearly excited about the project. At the time of the product’s introduction, Gibson.com featured a Hendrix image on the main page, top of the fold, with a long tribute to Hendrix with pictures of the iconic guitarist, including one with his Fender Strat. According to the press release at the time, the new product will be an entrylevel guitar package that includes the guitar, a Hendrix signature Voodoo Child amplifier, and a Foxey Fuzz pedal. Hendrix’s face is on the pick guard. The pack also includes an instructional DVD and a USB drive containing exclusive Hendrix media content and a “Hendrix inspired tie-dyed tee-shirt and bandana.” It is reported to retail at $199. When asked for a comment in late September, Fender’s media department replied: “I understand you’re interested

in a comment regarding the recent product announcement from Gibson. As it is not an FMIC product, it would be inappropriate for us to comment on it.” Gibson’s media department did not respond to several initial requests for a comment of any kind, including how they thought the product would do, or whether or not they are concerned with possible patent infringement. President/ CEO Henry Juszkiewicz’s office was contacted directly but calls and e-mails were not returned at press time. Out in the blogosphere, virtual tongues were wagging. Musicradar. com, one of the first to break the news, commented on the irony: “Gibson sued Paul Reed Smith in the early 1990s over the latter’s Singlecut design, claiming it breached design copyright. In that drawn-out case, Gibson finally conceded in 2006 that only ‘an idiot’ could confuse PRS Singlecut with a Gibson.” Guitarist.co.uk featured an interview with Hendrix’s daughter, Janie, his sister and head of Authentic Hendrix, the estate. In it she points out that it’s not “Gibson branded” but “Jimi Hendrix branded.” Also she says: “It was Gibson who saw a vision from the beginning and was willing to work with us. We don’t have anything against Fender, we have no bad blood, but it’s just that we built a better relationship with Gibson over the years.” She stressed that with Gibson they hope to bring music making to a new genera-

Sonaré Winds to Continue as Keilwerth and York Distributors Upon the request of Schreiber-Keilwerth, Sonaré Winds, a division of Verne Q. Powell Flutes, has announced that they will remain the North American distributor for Keilwerth Saxophones and York Brass instruments. 8 MMR

The anticipated change in distribution from Sonaré Winds to Gemstone Musical Instruments has been put on hold. It is expected that Sonaré Winds will retain the distribution through the end of 2009.

tion, something her brother would certainly approve of. When asked if this might be seen as exploiting her brother’s name, she states: “Jimi was our family member and we’ll just make sure that we take care of him the best way we can. We are committed to keeping Jimi’s legacy alive and intact and bring it to you in the most authentic form.” In reporting this, the U.K. music trade magazine, MI Pro, wrote: “The bewildering move by Gibson to create, essentially, a copy of a guitar it has been in direct competition with for over 50 years seems at best ill-advised, at worst arrogant bravado, particularly when considering Gibson’s continual recourse to the law courts, suing those that encroach upon what it sees as trademark design.” Some retailers, upon hearing the news, were surprised. “Is this for real?” responded Bob Moggio of Mojo’s Music, Edwardsville, Ill. “I guess April Fool’s Day is early this year,” sighed Gary Gand, of Gand Music and Sound, Chicago. “One more low-cost toy to try to tap into the babies of the baby boomer market. Dad will buy it for himself but give it to the kids... what was that old saw about one born every minute?” “As an independent retailer nothing seems to amaze me more than stunts like this,” says Gordy Wilcher of Owensboro Music, Owensboro, Ky. “The lines from the major guitar players are more blurred than ever. There is no loyalty. Even more surprising, these manufacturers have completely lost site of working to maintain the integrity and value of their products. This newest “Jimipaulcaster” is just the latest in any attempt to ‘move’ some wood. Guess what? Most new consumers don’t have the emotional investment and love for the logo. Our customers want something unique and of value. Sorry guys, I just ain’t buying it!” As MMR went to press, we noted that all images and reference to the Hendrix guitar package had been removed from Gibson.com. Word is that the launch of the Hendrix package has been postponed, but will be coming soon. NOVEMBER 2009

Upfront Hal Leonard to Distribute Premier Guitar & Guitar Edge Hal Leonard Corporation will now distribute two leading guitar magazines to music stores: Premier Guitar and Guitar Edge. Under an exclusive, long-term deal with the magazinesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; parent company, Premier Media Holdings, Hal Leonard will begin distribution immediately to its more than 10,000 MI retailers worldwide.

Milab Microphones and FDW-Worldwide Milab Microphones has announced that FDW-Worldwide is now the exclusive distributor for Milab Microphones in North America. The collaboration was launched formally at the 127th AES convention in New York City, October

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9-12, where FDW-Worldwide had the full Milab product line on display. Acclaimed fingerstyle guitarist, Jacques Stotzem, with Fishmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chris DiMaria. Fishman hosted a brief performance by Stotzem, and offered a tour of their new facilities in Andover, Mass. on Thursday, October 22nd.

NOVEMBER 2009

People Grayson Zeagler, of Monroe, Louisiana-based Zeagler Music has been elected president of the National Association of School Music Dealers. The association, celebrating 47 years in 2009, Zeagler represents over 200 band and orchestra retailers and manufacturers throughout North America. Zeagler has previously served on a number of music industry and businessfocused boards of directors, the Twin City Concert Band, Monroe (La.) Symphony Orchestra, and the NFIB Louisiana Leadership council. He grew up in the family business, and has spent the last 26 years as vice president and CEO of Zeagler Music in Monroe, Louisiana. As president of the National Association of School Music Dealers, Zeagler will serve a two-year term through 2011, and take an active role in programming the associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual convention. The next event, which provides three days of professional development for band and orchestra retail industry professionals, is slated for March 24-27, 2010 in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

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Behringer has introduced Dave Hooper as its new artist relations manager. Dave has been a studio drummer since the age of 17 and has acquired, â&#x20AC;&#x153;a wealth of industry connections and relationships.â&#x20AC;? Dave will be responsible for creating and maintaining new endorsement programs for Behringer and Bugera, assembling a list of top talent. US Music Corp has announced that Gil Soucy has joined the company as vice president of sales and marketing. Soucy has spent his business career in the music industry ranging from operating large retail stores, representing manufacturers selling into the MI segment and most recently for the last four years as the national sales manager at Behringer USA.

Tycoon Percussion USA has appointed John Cathell as national sales manager. This newly created position will allow Cathell to focus on continuing the development of Tycoonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cathell independent dealer network while managing key regional and national accounts. In addition, Cathell will oversee Tycoonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in-house sales team and outside sales representatives working directly with vice president, David Kelley. Yamaha Corporation of America has announced the hiring of seasoned drum marketer Robert Terry as marketing manager of the new Electronic Drum Department, a new Terry branch of Yamaha Drums, which oversees drum sets and accessories within the Pro Audio & Combo Division. He will report to Athan Billias, director of marketing for the PAC Division regarding the sales and marketing of Yamahaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s extensive line of electronic drum kits and accessories. Marketing executive Richard K. Breske has been named vice president of marketing for KHS America, which includes such brands as Jupiter wind instruments, Mapex percussion and drums, Ma- Breske jestic percussion and Altus flutes. Much of Breskeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nearly 30-year marketing tenure in the music business has been dedicated to music products in the educational and professional markets. He has worked closely with musicians and retail music stores, and established partnerships with music educators and arts organizations.

Breaking News Find it in the Hot News section of MMRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Web site, www.MMRmagazine.com 12 MMR

NOVEMBER 2009

Letters I just read with interest the online version of MMR’s October issue, including the article on the Environmental Consequences of Guitar Making, in which I was interviewed and wanted to advise of the following corrections: First of all, during my time at Fishman we were involved in the early development of Parker Guitars. Although I became good friends with Ken Parker, I was never an employee of Parker Guitars. Second of all, I stated that most guitarists’ tastes are very conservative, thus anything as radical as the revolutionary Parker Fly was considered outside of their comfort zones. My comment about the appeal of the Parker Fly was in no way meant to be perceived as negative in any way whatsoever. I consider Ken Parker’s unique guitar designs to be among the most significant advancements in guitar making in the last 100 years. Thirdly, regarding the material which Flaxwood guitars are manufactured, it is indeed Spruce fiber (Picea Abies) combined with an acoustically sensitive resin – although in the very early days flax seed was originally used in experiments. In fact the neck (one piece – no fingerboard), guitar body and back plate are all made from the same spruce fiber material, which is injection-molded at extremely high pressure. No hardwoods whatsoever are used in Flaxwood’s manufacturing process. And, finally, the company was formed by a small group of individuals whose backgrounds included industrial design, plastics injection molding and luthiery – all of whom saw the need to develop and work with materials that not only came from a sustainable resource but also were environmentally friendly. The rest is history in the making... Thanks for the opportunity to correct the record. Best regards, Rick Nelson Flaxwood USA, Inc. 14 MMR

NOVEMBER 2009

THEY KNOW WHAT THEY WANT... So why stock anything else? year? From New Beat HiHats to K Custom Hybrids, Zildjian is the proven gold standard of cymbals. No other cymbal line truly defines your store or excites your customers as much. You know that your Zildjian stock will quickly turn time and time again. And for 2009, we have put together an aggressive schedule of promotions that you will not want to miss. Now more than ever, Zildjian is the only serious choice .

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What other cymbal brand gets this sort of following year after

News

This large group of music lovers and potential customers obviously has the desire to play, if only given the right reason and the right opportunity. They are a diverse group and one message wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ďŹ t all, which is why NAMM has created campaigns and programs for every segment, providing you with tools to target and grow your market. NAMMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wanna Play? campaign is aimed squarely at these folks: people who have the means and desire to play a musical instrument but just havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tried it yet, or those who want to return to music making after many years.

Promoting the Industry, Promoting Music Making Why would someone buy a musical instrument for themselves or their family? I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an important question, especially during this holiday shopping season, when consumers are still reeling from the toughest economy in memory. The good news is we are blessed with a passionate segment of the population that will choose to make music despite virtually any barrier. Many of us ďŹ t this description. My desire to be a drummer continues to this day, and I will be a good industry customer until I go to that big drummerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reunion in the sky. We should continue to nurture this core base of life-long music makers and continue to come up with new and innovative programs and products that keep them coming back into NAMM Member stores. Perhaps even more critical to future industry growth is the much larger group of potential music makers: the greater general public. Their fascination with the concept of music making is evidenced by advertisers who continually use musical instruments to market their own, less glamorous products, Gallup Polls showing that the vast majority of those

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who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t play wish they did, and most recently, the sale of over 35 million copies of Guitar Hero and Rock Band games.

Note from Joe

ADVERTORIAL â&#x20AC;˘ NOVEMBER 2009

So far, in 2009, NAMM has generated more than 2 billion media impressions, worth an estimated $39 million, according to leading independent media measurement ďŹ rm Burrelles/Luce. Additionally, NAMMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s public service announcements communicating the value of music making, through the Wanna Play? and Americans for the Arts campaigns, have generated nearly $10 million in donated TV, radio, print and online media value. These powerful messages are aimed at converting those with a desire to play into active playersâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and customers! Promoting the industry, promoting music making. This is one of the most important functions of your trade association and a key part of our mission. Please check out NAMMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s www.wannaplaymusic.com to ďŹ nd out how you and your business can increase sales and tap into the Wanna Play? national campaign.

*OE ,AMOND s .!-- 0RESIDENT #%/

Member emb Quote â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a family-oriented retailer and we use all of the Wanna Play? materials in our store. We have the posters in our window and keep the brochures and buttons at the point of purchase. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re great conversation starters and help to encourage people $39 million on the fringe to start making music in promotional just for the fun of it!â&#x20AC;?

ad value generated this year!

Who wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to play a musical instrument! These facts and many more are available at www.wannaplaymusic.com. Use this information to grow your customer base and create more music makers.

MO PALMATEER MOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FULLERTON MUSIC CENTER FULLERTON, CALIF.

NAMM News

November 2009

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CYMBALS

Sabian – Tradition & Innovation A

trip to remote Meductic, in New Brunswick, Canada affords an opportunity to visit local landmarks (The world’s longest covered bridge. It’s actually in neighboring Somerville, but still) and get close to nature – sighted on MMR’s recent jaunt: two large deer (alive), one huge moose (quite dead, in the back of a truck), and lots of scenic… um… scenery.

Additionally, the quaint village of just over 150 hearty Canucks is home to the world headquarters and production facilities of Sabian. The manufacturer prides itself on pioneering cutting-edge design and manufacturing techniques, while retaining the traditions born of a rich history and legacy. Resulting from Robert Zildjian’s split from the Avedis Zildjian Co. in 1980 and named after his three children (Sally, Billy, and Andy), Sabian has since become one of the leaders in cymbal design and production, worldwide. “Because Sound Matters,” is the company’s mantra and, judging from the endless list of high profile endorsing artists, it’s clear Sabian’s philosophy has resulted in product that strikes a chord (or, I suppose, a “ping”?) with like-minded players.

Oh, Canada… Andy, Willi, and Bob Zildjian of Sabian. 18 MMR

“We started the Azco factory up here, making Zilco cymbals, because I felt the pricing was getting so bad that a youngNOVEMBER 2009

“Too much value is assigned to brand names, regardless of quality. That’s just not the case with Sabian.”

Loading the trucks for the 2009 Vault Tour.

ster couldn’t get started on drums with quality cymbals,” says founder and CEO Bob Zildjian of the genesis of the Meductic facility. “We also started boxing cymbals together up here, so that a youngster could get a full set at a manageable price.” Additionally, the Great White North afforded some tangible monetary benefits when it came to importing product outside of North America. “Canada is part of the British Commonwealth, so being up here, we’re clear of any export tariffs to the UK, Ireland, Australia, and so on,” explains Bob. “We started production up in Canada in ’68, and began making K. Zildjian cymbals in ’69. “We took Kerope Zildjian and his two sons up here from Turkey and taught everyone how to hand-hammer cymbals. All those K.s made in Canada during that time period are becoming collectors’ items these days.”

Looking to the Future, Drawing Upon the Past While few companies can lay claim to a legacy as rich as Sabian’s, the company has also made its mark through an eagerness NOVEMBER 2009

to innovate and shape the future of cymbals, from concept to production. Such forward thinking is evident in the radical O-Zone Crash cymbals, Xplosion Crashes, X-Celerator hi-hats, and many others. “AAX and HHX cymbals best exemplify modern sound,” explains Bob’s son, and Sabian president, Andy Zildjian. “It’s a proprietary technique that’s done to the cymbal, but at the same time they still start off with the same traditional hammering, heat processing, and all that. At the very end they get a different treatment which helps the sound travel through the cymbal, so that you get more clarity and more dynamics – what we like to call ‘focused dynamics.’ With the HHX it tends to give not only that, but also much better amplification.” A focus on innovation and product development has been a key component of the Sabian philosophy since day one. “The willingness to spend the necessary time to properly create cymbals – including those ‘difficult ones,’ such as splash cymbals, thin crash cymbals, Chinese, pangs, and gongs – is what got us into this experimental mode. That’s what this company represents. We developed that into what makes us unique vis-à-vis

our competition: we are experimental and progressive, et cetera.”

Give the People What They Want “At the same time, it wasn’t just they cymbals that we were changing,” notes Andy. “It was also the way that the company deals with consumers and with our retailers. Just for an example, up until the point that we started doing clinics, it was the kind of thing where you had to jump through hoops to make it happen. When we started doing clinics, it was simply a matter of, ‘I bought this amount of cymbals, I’d like this artist on one of these four dates’ and we’d make it happen – it’s paid for, it’s done.” “That started back in ’83 or ’84,” recalls Bob. “We figured that, at that time, we couldn’t afford the heavy marketing expenses that some of our competitors was using and so forth, so we figured we’d go at it in a grassroots way. What could be more grassroots than some kid in Kankakee, Illinois getting to see his big hero at the local store? It had a hell of an effect.” Also having an effect was Sabian cymbals’ relative value. “Our pricing is based on production cost values and MMR 19

The view from the back of Sabian’s company headquarters. Not too shabby!

I think that’s very important because that means that we give greater value for price,” says Wayne Blanchard, senior marketing manager. “Too much value is assigned to brand names, regardless

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of quality. That’s just not the case with Sabian.” Active outreach to retailers and endusers continues with a streamlined, highly interactive Web site, www.sa-

bian.com (“One of the three most visited sites for drums in the world,” says Andy), and such initiatives as The Vault Tour, which in the fall of 2009 offered consumers in select cities throughout the U.S. and Canada the opportunity to personally witness hand-hammering and lathing, as well as have one-of-akind cymbals made on-site. The Vault Tour became even more interactive this year, as the company leveraged social media platforms to reach a global audience. “We gave drummers at each event the opportunity to upload photos, videos and blog accounts to allow musicians throughout the world to experience the unique events ‘firsthand,’” notes Sabian’s VP of marketing, Stacey Montgomery-Clark. Fostering and maintaining close relationships with retailers remains a key component of Sabian’s overall agenda, as well. As Nort Hargrove, vice president of manufacturing, states: “When a dealer calls here, he or she will talk to an actual person, right away. If you call looking for me and I’m at my desk, we’ll be having a phone conversation. That’s just how we do things.”

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SPOTLIGHT

Electronic Drums Tap Into an

Expanding Marketplace Technology Meets Demand for More Sales Opportunities

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NOVEMBER 2009

“W

hile the acoustic drum market is struggling, the electronic drum market is growing,” declares Yamaha’s Bob Terry. Others agree: Traps Drums, who are relatively new on the scene, report that in 2008 electronic percussion amounted to 20 percent of their sales and, this year, despite the economy, that number has risen to 24 percent. After an up-and-down market segment flux since electronic drums first exploded onto the scene in 1982, could these “percussion products with plugs” be on the rise, and for good? There’s a case to be made that technological advancements coupled with a younger generation that is more open to them is indeed adding up to sales growth. Jim Norman at Alesis points to the analogy of digital pianos, which while they became more prevalent in the 1980s, “everyone still thought they sounded bad and weren’t real,” he says. “Today they are more accepted and you see and hear great sounding digital pianos on stage.” But drums require a little more attention then that digital piano. Roland’s Steve Fisher points out that the goal is for everyone, especially potential hobbyists, have a good experience every time they sit behind any electronic drum kit. “If they have a bad experience, maybe they pick up an electric guitar… or maybe they go buy something like a radio controlled airplane instead, taking them out of the music-making pool completely.” Never before have there been so many choices for that first experience, either.

run inside them, addressing concerns over all those “messy cables,” which have long been a turnoff for many drummers. But this particular kit comes with a $6,999 MSRP price tag. “This is for the professional who really needs the instrument or the hobbyist who has a lot of money,” he says, adding that the worship market will also be drawn to it. “We’ve been answering customer demands, and most recently this includes creating a shell wrap that the average drummer can switch out,” Fisher continues. “It’s a free-floating shell design that allows you to take out the head and counter hoop to put in a new shell.” This is going to be popular because many drummers want to customize their kit. Another benefit is if there are pieces being used in a hybrid kit, they can rewrap to make it match their acoustic kit. Also new is a lower-priced V Drum kit that has all mesh heads. “We’re pushing the mesh head advantage,” he says. The new TD-4SX has a MSRP of $1,599, and “it’s affordable, and is a great sounding and feeling product.”

Bob Terry, Yamaha

“Generally, electronic drums offer a wide variety of applications – live playing, worship services, sequences, project studios, and it’s all growing,”

New Sounds, New Looks, New Possibilities “We just introduced a new high end drum kit, the TD-20SX,” says Fisher, who is Roland’s drum/percussion market development manager. “Our focus has been enhancing the aesthetic aspect of our electronic drums for a much better stage presence. This new kit is more heavy duty, with silver painted cymbals, and a larger kick drum. But we never do anything just for looks. There’s always a functional aspect.” The new 14” kick drum, for example, offers a more solid feel and better sound. Just launched, the new kit features a chrome rack mount that allows the cables to NOVEMBER 2009

MMR 25

Among the many new developments at Yamaha is Bob Terry, who now helms the new electronic drum marketing department. A longstanding professional drummer with many recording and performing credits (he drummed for Wang Chung in the mid 1980s), Terry previously worked at Notion Music, Inc. and with Line 6. While only in the position for six months, Terry is ushering in some new product (which he reluctantly couldn’t talk in detail about at press time because it was to be unveiled at the PASIC show).

“Yamaha decided a while back to devote more resources and time to the electronic drum line, and has ramped up the staff both in Japan and here,” he explains. “They wanted to split the electronic division off and give it more focus.” This will involve some rebranding, as in their products will be called DTX Drum by Yamaha. Along Joe Cappello, Traps these lines, Yamaha’s new series of drums will go with

Explorer Drums: A Retailer’s Perspective “Electronic drums were so big in the early 1980s, and peaked about 1986,” says Wes Faulconer, owner of Kansas City’s Explorer Percussion. “The people at Simmons were taking orders by the swimming pool, and then going to the airport and getting them shipped in. Then about 1985 Roland came out with some, then Pearl … everyone was trying to jump on the bandwagon.” But generally, drummers who wanted gigs needed to get a Simmons set. It’s almost laughable in hindsight as he recalls at the time the people at Simmons and many others thought that their drums were going to replace acoustic kits entirely. But then almost as fast as they had exploded in the market, they died down. There were several factors involved in this decline, including the high cost and maintenance necessary on those drums, plus the unavailability of replacement parts played a role. A change in music styles didn’t help as well. For Faulconer, who stocks Yamaha and Roland kits, the ones in the $950 to $1,500 price point do the best. While at one point they had a dedicated sales person handling it, now the entire staff tries to stay up on the technology and

is able to help educate customers on them. For him it’s the younger players drawn to the set. “I would say high school to early 20s are the primary customers,” he says. “Sometimes it’s a family thing. And churches.” He personally hasn’t seen any up tick in sales, but they have been steady sellers. “Maybe for some other retailers sales might be bigger, especially the big box stores which have their own brands.” But as a drummer himself, he notices the improvements. “There’s no doubt that the newer electronic drum products are getting better,” he says. In fact, sometimes a new lower-end set actually sounds better and has more features then its slightly older higher-end cousin. Yet the subtle nuances of a real drum set will possibly be something that is never achieved. In his house he has both an electronic and an acoustic set, and he’ll go back and forth between them. “When you play an electronic kit, everything is perfect and really clean. Then you go back to an acoustic kit and you get the squeaks, the rattles, the nuances … you can’t recreate that with an electronic instrument.”

“There’s no doubt that the newer electronic drum products are getting better.”

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“model numbers like Mercedes” doing away with the old “xtreme/xpress/xplorer” names. Alesis released its DM10 Pro Kit at the Summer NAMM show, and is having great success with it already, reports product manager Jim Norman. Designed around a new module that features more modern sounds, more polyphony, a new sound set, and a variable control high hat, it’s positioned as the “more for less money” kit. “The new module has builtin sequences that allow you to play along and make your sounds. And what’s really unique is you can update the sound set.” It has a USB jack that allows players to go to third party companies and download the sound sets they want. These are purchased separately and tend to be in the $20 price range. As for the sounds that come with this module, “we focus mostly on classic drum sounds – like the Ludwig Black Beauty, or some more boutique vintage sounding drums,” Norman says. “We really try to get realistic drums and acoustic percussion sounds, but also add some hip hop type sounds.” Also new is the feel: “The cymbals used with the kit are real cymbals, but dampened underneath. Combined with heads made of Mylar, it really has playability.” The kit MAPS at $1,499. Traps is the newest kid on the electronic drum block. Joe Cappello, president of Cappello Music, contacted Traps’ founders Nigel Robinson and Bob Henrit in 2005. Based in England, they had created a portable, shell-less drum kit. “It sounds awesome,” he says. “Gigging drummers love it for the small footprint and portability factor, and moms and dads love how

NOVEMBER 2009

you can fold the kit up and put it under the bed after practicing.” But right after Cappello secured the North American distribution rights, Robinson and Henrit developed an electronic

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mesh head kit, that while popular in Europe, couldn’t be brought over here because of patents held by other companies. “So what we did was develop a new concept to for our electronic kits, the power pad,” he says. “These pads are placed on top of the Traps acoustic heads. What’s great about this is it opens up the market to the many who have already bought Traps.” Up next for Traps is a patent-pending power pad designed in different sizes to fit nonTraps drums. “You’ll be able to convert that Ludwig, Rodgers, DW – most any of them into your own set of electronic drums,” Cappello says. “It’s exciting. They’ll be whole packages that come with the pads, a set of cymbals, and a module.” The module is being Lorrie Landry, Pintech manufactured for them overseas, and the cost for the pads will be about $499. The cost for a Traps drum kit with these is around $999. Pintech is a smaller player determined to get larger. Lorrie Landry, manager, says

the company was founded in 1994 and purchased by Dan and Linda Gilbert in 2002. They create electric drums and triggers, and accessories. “We focus on making our drums as compatible with as much acoustic hardware as possible, so it makes it easy for drummers to incorporate electronic elements into their kit,” she says. “Our focus is giving the drummer as many options as possible as well as providing good quality American-made products.” Most recently they’ve created a new electronic high hat cymbal controller, the VisuLite. “It’s the first and only electronic high hat cymbal that can utilize a drop clutch and an integrated controller between the cymbals.” The cymbals also come in a wide variety of colors. Also turning heads is the PinTech E-Road Pro drum kit, which includes VisuLite cymbals. It has a MAP price of $4,000. A double bass custom metal kit made with Tama Shells featuring their triggers and mesh heads plus nine VisuLite Cymbals and hi-hat comes in at $9,000. They offer some lower-end entrylevel products as well. “We consider our customer service the best, and people respond to that,” she

NOVEMBER 2009

“A lot of churches are finding it cheaper to have an electronic drum set than installing a $50,000 sound system to quiet the drummer down. When I first started we’d do maybe one church a month, now I do a couple a week.”

says, adding that they make available inexpensive repair kits and a warranty program that allows those who want to upgrade their PinTech gear can do so easily and at a significant discount. “Like the new high hat system – a drummer can send us their old high hat system, and we can convert it for only $50, saving them considerable Steve Fisher, Roland money on a brand new one.”

Who’s Buying, and Why The lower end products are becoming increasingly popular for the lack of noise they create. Using headphones they can be played in any room including apartments, at any time of the day, with only the mild pitter-patter from the pads being heard. Electronic drum sales are also tied to the growth of home studios, both pro and hobbyist. Speaking from his day as a pro, Terry points out that $100,000 could be spent getting acoustic drums to sound just right by the time you tune the room, deal with preamps and mics, etc. “But with the DTX, you can load in perfectly acoustic

sounds into your kit and run it directly into the board. You don’t need the peripherals.” Making this more attractive is that Yamaha continues to partner with other companies who are creating a variety of drum samples that allows for more flexibility. Plus, “home and portable studios are also using them as controllers.” Yamaha’s low end products are primarily appealing to up and coming drummers and students. “Johnny is wanting to be a drummer and taking his parents to the local music store, and once there, his parents are saying, ‘Fine, but we live in an apartment – maybe we should look at an electronic kit.’” Another buyer? Guitar players, says Norman. “A lot of those guys are buying Alesis DM5s for their own demos or simply to find grooves to jam with. Obviously they aren’t going to buy a full acoustic kit, and they can’t justify spending $2,000 on an electronic kit, but can spend $1,000 on one.” Otherwise, he fi nds the demographics for these products are “all over the

��

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map.” Customers in their 40s and 50s are wanting to play again, but don’t have room for an acoustic set or can’t deal with the noise headaches they can cause. “Also kids want these. Our lower priced Ion brand is selling inexpensive kits to get them started. Even our Rock Band controller is doing well, and that has spurred interest into Jim Norman, Alesis kids getting an actual kit.” The people at PinTech also see “across the board” interest in these products, including houses of worship. “A lot of churches are finding it cheaper to have an electronic drum set than installing a $50,000 sound system to quiet the drummer down. When I first started we’d do maybe one church a month, now I do a couple a week.” “And older guys want to convert their acoustic kits to electronic to protect their hearing!” she laughs. But Cappello’s experience is different, and he says that the vast majority of those buying Traps drums with the electronic

pads are younger players. “And these players are educated, meaning they’ve been on all the Web sites, read all the reviews, and know more about your product than you do!” Otherwise, “some older drummers wouldn’t be caught dead” with an electronic kit. Some see the value of say, a single power pad that they can use to make special sounds like a gong or cowbell, but universally it’s the younger drummers that’s going for these products. “And thank goodness, because we need younger drummers playing and buying these products.” With the “what” and “why” figured out … how about the “where?” Yamaha’s market research shows that once these kits are bought, they largely aren’t moved around. They are stationed in a home, studio, or church. “They generally aren’t being played live and that’s true for all of them in all price points,” Terry says. But it’s vastly different for those using electronic components. For drummers

Personal Perspectives on Electronic Drums Yamaha’s Bob Terry provides his perspective as a professional drummer on the history of the electronic drum: “When they initially came out, they didn’t sound good,” he says. “They sounded very synthesized.” That they were often used in conjunction with drum machines resulted in being a big turn-off for traditional drummers. “So it was a trend, then it died out and people went back to their acoustic drums.” In the past few decades, acoustic drummers have been more open to it as technology improved. “A lot of acoustic drummers are using hybrid kits,” he says. This can be just a trigger on one of their acoustic drums, or adding a pad with a module. For Roland’s Steve Fisher, true electronic drums have actually not been around that long. Yes, the early 1980s saw the explosion of Simmons, but “that was just pads and a module. People think electronic drums have been around a long time, but really it’s only been since about 2000 that an 32 MMR

electronic drum with acoustic/weighted action has existed.” (Simmons was contacted for this story, but citing a company policy that prohibit them from talking to any music instrument trade magazines, declined.) Fisher adds that electronic drums are becoming to drummers what the electric guitar was to guitarists in the 1960s. When he does public demonstrations, he always asks how many in the audience started on electronic drums, and more and more people are raising their hands. “And how many people buy an electric guitar as their first guitar?” he asks. “Plenty!” “I think whether or not to play electronic drums is a personal choice,” Joe Cappello of Traps says. “There’s a place for it in today’s music, and I see music has evolved toward it. You look at music from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s compared to today – today’s has a more electronic feel in general. It’s going to be with us for a long time. It’s the future.”

creating hybrid kits, “we get calls every day from pro drummers using them in hybrid situations,” he says. “That’s very popular because they are able to expand their percussion sound and voices and come up with new sounds. DTX recognizes this and will be introducing products that fill that bill.” Norman, who is based in L.A., reports he’s seeing more electronic kits being played live. “One guy in an orchestra pit has one because it’s easier to haul and he doesn’t have to worry about it being too loud,” he says. “Plus he can adjust the kit sound to fit what he’s playing to.” Terry thinks in the future more of these drums will be played live. “If you’re in a wedding or lounge band playing lots of different styles of music, at the touch of a button you can dial up the exact perfect-sounding kit.”

On the Retail Level: What Works “Where we see the most success is when retailers display the electronic drums in a way people can test them out,” Terry says. “It’s hard to sell them when they aren’t out on the floor. That said, it’s perplexing that we have great sales with our online dealers. That could be a geographical issue.” “Having it all set up correctly and working on the retail floor is absolutely critical,” says Fisher. But it doesn’t just stop there: he points out that an electronic kit on a floor is probably the most played instrument in the store, but the fact that players listen to it through headphones means personnel can’t assume that it’s always ready to play. If somebody sits on it and hits some buttons, goes into an editing function or starts a sequencing pro-

NOVEMBER 2009

gram, then walks away, the next person sitting down will have a bad experience. So the retailer needs a diligent champion who can maintain it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Those that do this, do exceedingly well,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Per square foot, electronic drums can be the most revenue-generating part of your store.â&#x20AC;? After-the-sale service is important â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and can lead to more sales, as drummers are educated in the art of pro audio, says Fisher. For example, if a house of worship gets an electronic kit, retailers should make sure they have it set up right and have the proper sound system. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some drummers have trouble playing it if they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a good sound system,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You need a full range of speakers, including a 15-inch or an 18-inch â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and actually,

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Johnny is wanting to be a drummer and taking his parents to the local music store, and once there, his parents are saying, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Fine, but we live in an apartment â&#x20AC;&#x201C; maybe we should look at an electronic kit.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? I prefer a subwoofer. If itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s less than that, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not moving air and thus not really feeling it.â&#x20AC;? Cappello too refers to basic retailing tips on how to succeed with these products: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s any drum, a violin, or anything else, the retailer who is successful is the one that is educated about the product. They have to have enough product knowledge to feel comfortable enough that they are comfortable selling to the customer.â&#x20AC;? Landry agrees: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The more they know the product, the better the sales, plain and simple. Clients buy more from those who know what they are talking about.â&#x20AC;? Following the trends and knowing the possibilities is important, as well. NOVEMBER 2009

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“Generally, electronic drums offer a wide variety of applications – live playing, worship services, sequences, project studios, and it’s all growing,” says Fisher. “From our standpoint, there’s a lot more awareness about these products then ever before. I think electronic percussion has a huge potential, and it’s just getting going. It’s one of the fastest growing segments in our business.” “What drummers are looking for more than anything else is versatility,” says Landry. “They want to come up with their own sound. They want to customize.” She adds that many want to add electronic aspects to their acoustic sets. “They want hybrids.”

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Fisher feels their latest foray into the high-end market will lead to more live playing of electronic drums. Making this a reality is a goal of their new line of drums, which have a better stage presence. Prior to working for Alesis, Norman had worked at Roland and was there when the TD7 came out in 1993. “It was great because it was the first time someone had put together an entire kit,” he says. “But Alesis has always been about getting more bang for the buck. We know people don’t have $5,000 for an electronic drum kit. We’re able to take existing product and build kits around them, and we’ve had good luck with that.”

Terry points out that so much of the new music coming out is at least tainted with electronics. Those playing clubs who want to replicate that will need to at least have hybrid kits.

Challenges & Compromises Despite the progress, all readily admit challenges remain – some which may never be as elusive as the Holy Grail. First and foremost is the feel of electronic drums. Terry points out that Roland’s V Drum with mesh pad head is an attempt to answer the call, but “it still falls short of feeling like an actual drum.” The new DTX technology will get closer to it, he says, “bridging that gap.” Cappello says of Traps’ pad system it has a good bounce but admits “it’s all up to the feel the drummer [experiences]. Some like pads, some like mesh … some like neither!” he laughs. Alesis’ new DM10 has cymbals that are … well, real cymbals. This is to address the fact that some drummers don’t like hitting rubber. But if they are real, isn’t there a noise factor, even if it’s dampened with a rubber undercoating? “It’s a little louder then a rubber pad but not as loud as a regular cymbal,” he says. “Cymbals have always been the tougher challenge in electronic drum production,” Terry admits. “We have come far with cymbal sounds in general as far as being able to sample and reproduce them.” Explaining this leads to a lot of computer and technological jargo and Terry stops himself, laughs, and says: “Drummers – speaking for myself – we don’t care! We just want it to sound like a real cymbals!” “These days, almost everyone who plays acoustic drums plays a little electronic,” says Norman. “And the complaint is always the feel, the expressiveness isn’t quite there and I totally understand that. It’s up to us as manufacturers to push the envelope.” But it’s clear that electronic drums aren’t going away, are going to become more ubiquitous, and the quality and technology will entice more players. “The early resistance to electronic drums is mostly gone,” Norman says. “The industry has a whole has made more sturdy products which is what the market has come back and said they wanted. Musicians in turn are figuring it out.” Bottom line: “Gotta feel good, gotta be real,” Terry says. “That’s the goal.” NOVEMBER 2009

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ROUNDTABLE

Sticks that Click: Artist Signature Series Products Remain Strong Sellers

t’s been over 30 years since the first artist signature drumsticks came out and, by the proliferation of new ones that continue to this day, they must be successful. Drum retailers continue to make room for more of them because they sell. Manufacturers continue to partner with drum artists, from the stars to the niche and nearly obscure, because players – and let’s face it, fans – love to have them. But they are no novelty items. In our roundtable discussion, all interviewed for this article work closely with the artist to create something unique that will help players come closer to capturing their favorite player’s drum sound. Manufacturers are understandably proud of the joint efforts made; yet all admit for long-term popularity and sales, not every stick is a sure-fi re hit. But it’s a vital part of the percussion accessory business that’s successful to all who indulge their customers’ thirst for the latest newly minted pair. Here’s what’s new, what works, and the best sellers.

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NOVEMBER 2009

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New Educational Feature launched—Band Director’s Percussion Survival Guide. FREE on-line video resource center for your answers to common percussion questions and which products to use. Learn from the experts at: www.vicrth.com/education/bdpsg

New educational poster introduced for your teachers and customers: Groove Essentials 2, 52 new grooves with Tommy Igoe at: www.vicrth.com/education/drumset/ GrooveEssentials2.html

New VF products are selling VERY well. Need additional merchandising displays to increase your VF product selection? What VALUE PACKS are currently available? Visit: www.vicrth.com/pop.html Check out the recent photos/video of Vic Firth artists at Drummer Live ‘09 in London, the Meinl Drum Festival in Russia and the New England Metal Festival in Boston. Now that is some global coverage! www.vicrth.com/features/drummerlive09.html www.vicrth.com/features/meinldrumfest.html www.vicrth.com/features/NEMHF09.html Many make claims, Vic Firth makes sticks. See how the best sticks are made during your factory tour. Get a factory tour DVD for your store’s customers! www.vicrth.com/features/factorytour.html

Have a question on a specic stick size? Which mallet should you recommend for the Marimba? Environmentally friendly, instant catalog access 24/7 at: www.vicrth.com/catalog2009/index.html DCI 2009 Vic Firth products continue to be the top choice for the serious Drum Corps. See all the DCI 2009 coverage at: www.vicrth.com/features/DCI2009.html NEW PRODUCTS What do Aaron Spears, Marky Ramone and Christoph Schneider have in common? Each has a new signature stick from VF: www.vicrth.com/products/newproducts.html Special limited time offers—Holiday gift packs and new stick bags can be seen at: www.vicrth.com/promo.html

NEW STICK BAGS

ON-LINE VIDEO RESOURCES

Pro-Mark Pat Brown What’s new: The TX515W Joey Jordison model is the newest of the Autograph models. In addition, we have just signed another high profi le, well known, and respected drummer. We’ll be introducing his new autograph model, and a couple of others, at Winter NAMM. (I don’t want to disclose his identity yet!) What works: Autograph models in the “modern rock” genre outsell any other genre by far. The “most popular at the moment” drummer can sometimes translate into increased sales, though that’s not always the case.

in developing the stick to his or her specifications. Sometimes the artist will come to our factory, other times it’s done long distance. Gotta love FedEx!

Best sellers: The PW747W Neil Peart model wins that contest. We also do exceptionally well with the TX420N Mike Portnoy model and the TX5ABW Carter Beauford model. The TX515W Joey Jordison model, one of our newest Autograph

Series stick, was the most successful product launch in Pro-Mark’s history and reorders remain very strong. I’ve no doubt it will make our Top 10 list of best sellers when we tally it up at the end of the year. Other strong sellers are the SD330W Todd Sucherman model, the TX5BGW Benny Greb model, the SD531W Jason Bonham model, the TX2BXN Dave Lombardo model, and the TX916W Abe Cunningham (Deftones) model.

Who’s buying: If we’re talking about the demographic most influenced by what their latest drum hero uses, I think most stick companies would tell you it’s mostly male, from age 15 or so to mid 20s. Working with the artist: For the most part, we work very closely with the artist

Vater Chad Brandolini What’s new: In 2009, we introduced the Derek Roddy, Mike Wengren, and Brian Frasier-Moore models. These were the top three requested artists for Player’s Design models in our “new model survey” at vater.com. We also branched out a bit into more jazzy models with three of our iconic jazz artists: Jimmy Cobb, Chico Hamilton, and Charli Persip. These models have been very well received. Vater was the last drumstick company to offer artist models as a part of their line. We’re very careful with the models that we introduce because we want to offer something unique. We don’t offer any artist a Player’s Design model as a way to bring an artist on board. What works: For Vater, the more rock style models sell best. Guys like Chad Smith, Josh Freese, Mike Wengren, and Stewart Copeland are huge drumming names and, in turn, their models sell 38 MMR

well. Popularity of the artist defi nitely adds to the marketability of the model.

Who’s buying: We’ve found that it really varies from kids to professional players. It depends on the model size and what artist it is. Kids are generally into the bigger, more “aggressive” models. Working with the artist: We work very closely with each artist when designing a Vater Player’s Design model. The artist usually has a clear idea as far as what kind of feel and sound they are looking for in the model. They’ll give me rough dimensions and their ideas, and I’ll work closely with our production manager to come up with two or three different prototype versions. Most of the time, we nail it in those first few samples. When considering a new artist model, both the artist we’re working with and

Vater really want something that is a bit different from any other stick in our line and not just a very slightly modified version of an existing model. It has to be a good playing stick that has some marketability.

Best sellers: Historically, Vater’s top selling artist models have been Chad Smith, Stewart Copeland, and Virgil Donati – all huge names in drumming. The new Mike Wengren model has been the best-selling artist model in 2009. Mike is the drummer from Disturbed, one of the best selling metal bands out there today, and his model has been selling like crazy. Again, he came up with a unique model and is also the only Vater Players Design model that is fi nished in a color.

NOVEMBER 2009

PW747W Neil Peart Autograph stick

TX5BGW B Benny G Greb bA Autograph t h stick ti k

TX420N Mike Portnoy Autograph stick

TX515W Joey Jordison Autograph stick

TX916W Abe Cunningham Autograph stick

SD531W Jason Bonham Autograph stick

SD330W Todd Sucherman Autograph stick

TX5ABW Carter Beauford Autograph stick

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What’s new: Marky Ramone (Ramones), Aaron Spears (Usher/ American Idol Tour), and Christoph Schneider (Rammstein). Others coming soon include Cindy Blackman (Lenny Kravitz) and Ahmir Thompson (The Roots). What works: We have all styles – jazz, heavy metal, gospel – and a good selection of sticks for each. Jazz sticks tend to be thinner, which heavy metal or punk players won’t use. Pantera, Tool — those drummers need thicker sticks because they hit harder. Working with the artist: Today we have about 300 models of different sticks and about 40 signature models. Working from about five basic models, all these are mutations off these. The artist will take a 5A and want it an inch longer, tapered a certain way, a different kind of tip [et cetera]. We listen to that artist. If we call it a signature stick, it is specific to that artist’s needs. It’s not just a regular model with a signature printed on it. My analogy [of the end result] is Big Mac versus Caviar. Some want a stick that designed specifically for them and while it’s perfect for their hands, the average drummer may think it’s a weird stick. “Caviar” is great but not always for the public. Drummers who are hot at the moment and can create excitement will mean initially his or her sticks will sell once, but that doesn’t mean they will keep selling. For that to happen, the stick has to have a “Big Mac” element.

Find Breaking News in the Hot News section of MMR’s Web site, www.mmrmagazine.com 40 MMR

NOVEMBER 2009

Hornets Drumsticks Combines Art with Ergonomics In times like these, is there really a market for high-end drumsticks that cost nearly twice as much as traditional ones? Aaron Wilhelm believes so – at least for one that combines art with ergonomics. With his father, Robert, they started Hornets Drumsticks in 2006 with no drumstick or music industry experience (both do play a little drums). The elder Wilhelm has a background designing products for other industries, including the home décor business. Working with Kingfield Wood Products, they produced a unique stick that has already met with a positive response, Wilhelm says. “The first three years have been a lot of fun,” says a buoyant Wilhelm. “When we took our sticks to the NAMM show to gauge interest, the response was huge.” Today the company is still relatively small with a lack of capitol for advertising, and so is reliant on word of mouth and drumming fans who sing its praises in the blogosphere. “The company is growing organically.” The father/son team brings a designer’s eye to percussion product. Wilhelm says they thought there was a market for a more quality, higher end stick that looks differ-

NOVEMBER 2009

ent. “You look at guitars, and they all look totally different. There’s a wide range of looks and they have a visual sense.” That’s what they wanted in a stick. Hornets are spotted from afar by their contoured painted handles, yellow ends (like the bee-like creature), the tapered butt end, and their three rubber O-rings. The rings aren’t just for looks – they reduce vibration and shock, which decrease the risk of longterm injuries. That end can also be used on a cymbal for a mallet effect. The sticks are made in the U.S. from first quality hickory wood. Currently they come in four models, plus they offer “Swarm Sticks,” their version of the multirods sticks. Each model is available in six different colors, and has an MSRP of $24.95. “We were nervous at first about the price, but given the additional benefits it brings and the way it looks, people are happy to pay it.” Impressively they are sold at over 400 stores. “Everybody likes them,” he says. “We get emails from older jazz musicians who love the feel, and death metal bangers who love how well they hold up.”

MMR 41

Quick example: Tool’s drummer Danny Carey wanted to do a stick with us that had a bubble in a certain spot. But he’s 6’5” and has huge hands. For the average drummer, the bubble would be in a weird spot. He would have sold one pair per fan, and that’s it. We went back and forth and came up with creating a “scoop” that would work for him and others. He loves it, and it sells great. Best sellers: The very first signature in history was with Steve Gadd, 30 years ago, and his sells very well. Our Dave Weckl sells well too. These are both big drummers who create excitement.

Zildjian Ron Allman What’s new: Artist Series sticks have always been a big focus of Zildjian’s drumstick product line. Because of our cymbal business, Zildjian likely has the best artist roster in the industry. This has afforded Zildjian’s drumstick business great access to some of the best drummers and educators in percussion. Because of all these factors, we’ve had some of the most accomplished, popular, and legendary drummers and teachers helping us design our Artist Series drumsticks. New to the Zildjian portfolio include models by John Blackwell (Prince), Ronnie Vannucci (The Killers), Brooks Wackerman (Bad Religion), and Ronald Bruner Jr. (George Duke and others). Blink 182’s Travis Barker has recently done a second model with us.

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www.tycoonpercussion.com tel: 909-393-5555 Log on to learn more about Tycoon’s full line of top-quality percussion instruments.

42 MMR

What works: They all work, but in different ways. Like all artists, we drummers go through a phase of exploration to find our own sound. During this phase, our favorite drummers influence us, and we explore their sound and technique. One of the best ways to get our head around their sound is to try the sticks and cymbals that they use. We drummers are also always learning, practicing, and trying new music and new sounds. With sticks we also have to explore what’s right for us in the areas of feel, weight, length, and balance. Who’s buying: All types. Sure, there are young drummers buying their favorite

drummer’s artist model, but there are also many seasoned professionals that have found just the right artist model for their playing. Remember that Zildjian’s Artist Series drumstick portfolio consists of models designed by some of today’s most accomplished drummers from all musical genres. These guys are great drummers and at the top of their craft. You can be sure that their personal drumstick model is a design that will also work for many other drummers.

Working with the Artist: We work with the artist very closely. Zildjian’s artists are accomplished and serious about their drumming. Their sticks have to work for them and in all their various musical situations. All our Artist Series drummers play their sticks, and are particular about their designs. During the development process, we work closely with these drummers to design, prototype, refine, and test the model until the sticks are completely optimized in all areas for the artist. It’s a detailed, but rewarding process, especially at the end when we “nail” the design! Best Seller: Our best selling model is the Travis Barker Artist Series drumstick. Travis is a tremendously accomplished and talented drummer. Because of his drumming, he has a great following among drummers of all ages. His stick is very comfortable to play, looks stylish, and feels great! NOVEMBER 2009

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ROUNDUP

Percussion Products Roland’s TD-20SX V-Pro Series Roland’s TD-20SX, the new addition to their V-Pro Series, features brushed-metal V-Pads and V-Kick shells, a more substantial V-Kick for a solid, natural feel, silver colored V-Cymbals, and a solid chrome drum rack with new metal clamps and internal cable management. In addition, the newly designed V-Pads allow drummers to easily change shell wraps for their V-Pads and V-Kick to customize the look of their kit. The new TD-20X Percussion Sound Module combines the features of Roland’s TD-20 and TDW-20 expansion board, with 920 drum instruments, 100 drum kits, new sound layering and enhanced editing features, new compression algorithms, and new ambience choices for a wide variety of live environments. The new MDS-25 Drum Stand, designed for professional stage use, provides solid stability with its advanced weight-balanced design. The newly designed metal mounts for cymbals and toms provide a flexible setup. The rubber protective sleeve shields the cables from damage. www.rolandus.com

Carl Fischer’s Creating and Performing Drum Loops Carl Fischer Music is distributing Creating and Performing Drum Loops DVD by clinician and educator Donny Gruendler. Gruendler walks the viewer through the entire process of track programming, equipment wiring, and performance to prepare for any commercial gig. Through step-by-step explanations, including performance lessons, demo software, and companion session fi les, Gruendler presents the viewer with four songs, each featuring a different programming method, equipment setup, and performance strategy. The DVD retails for $19.95. www.carlfischer.com 44 MMR

Battlefield Spike Snares Battlefield’s Spike Series Snare drums will be limited to only 26 snares, each one unique and handmade in the U.S.A. These are available in three different sizes: 14 x 7, 14 x 6, and 13 x 6. They are 10 ply maple shells with different wraps which include sparkles, glass glitters, pearls, and oyster finishes. They come standard with chrome hardware composed of spike styled tube lugs, 2.3 mm hoops, and Remo heads. These snares retail at $805, but Battlefield will be offering them at $375 each with shipping included. www.battlefielddrums.com NOVEMBER 2009

SKB’s Cymbal Safe

Symphonic Repertoire for Percussion Accessories from Meredith Music Meredith Music has released Symphonic Repertoire for Percussion Accessories by Tim Genis, principal timpanist of the Boston Symphony and head of the percussion department at Boston University. The book provides a comprehensive performance analysis of percussion accessory parts for the major symphonic repertoire. His easy-to-understand explanations are based on countless performances under many of the world’s finest conductors. www.meredithmusic.com

46 MMR

SKB’s new cymbal case, the 1SKB-CS22 Cymbal Safe is designed for transport of either cymbals in a gig bag or marching band cymbals that cannot be mounted on a spindle. The SKB Cymbal Safe is rotationally molded from Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE), offering high durability and strength. The 1SKB-CS22 is a roto-molded D-shaped case design with molded in feet for upright positioning and stability. The case includes a patented Roto-X pattern for added strength, durability, and reliable stacking. Sure grip handles with a 90 degree stop are designed for easy lifting and transporting. The new Cymbal Safe also includes a padded interior for added protection. The retail price is $139.99. www.skbcases.com

NOVEMBER 2009

Rogers Drums’ Trailblazer and Prospector Kits The Trailblazer kits come in three configurations and include a double bass drum pedal and a two-legged hi-hat stand. Three wrap finishes complement the birch and poplar shells. The steel snare drum is nickel-plated, the floor tom hardware has been upgraded, and the tom and snare drum basket mount includes Yamaha’s ball joint for positioning. Available in two configurations, the Prospector kits offer double-braced stands, an improved tom mount and a new bass drum pedal. Consisting of poplar shells, the kits include a newly designed throne, an infi nite adjustable snare stand and four finishes. The Prospector retails for $499.99 and the Trailblazer for $699.99. www.yamahadrums.com

Peace Drums DNA Series Peace Drums’ has added an Atomic Sparkle Lacquer finishes as well as natural lacquer finishes to its DNA Series. Peace offers the choice of Atomic Sparkle or natural lacquer finishes, plus chrome or black Raven Plate lugs and hoops with the addition of Arena 700 and 800 Series hardware. www.peace-drums.com

Ronnie Vannucci 5IF ,JMMFST

E. G A T N I V VENTED REIN

The Vintage Emperor® drumhead is the re-creation of the original two ply head that changed rock drumming forever. The sound that started it all, combined with Remo’s cutting edge technology, gives you the ultimate in tone and durability needed for today’s Rock n’ Roll.

remo.com

NOVEMBER 2009

MMR 47

TRX Grille Cymbals

Torry: 262.893.9840 Ofce: 262.593.8005 Web: xceldrumsticks.com N6367 County Rd. E • Oconomowoc, WI 53066

XCEL DRUMSTICKSNOT JUST A DRUMSTICK! XCEL DRUMSTICKS

When only the best will do, choose XCEL Drumsticks!

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The Grilles effects cymbals from the TRX utilize a combination of design elements and venting to create a new range of cymbals with a unique appearance and sound. Recommended for a variety of contemporary musical styles, Grilles have a trashy sound that stands out from other cymbals without overpowering them. TRX Grilles are MDM (Medium) Series crashes with a brilliant fi nish that have the T, R and X of the company’s name cut in the face of the cymbal. Although the letter shapes were originally intended to produce both a visual and a tonal effect, the irregular shapes proved to have a greater impact on the cymbal’s sound than standard circular and oval holes, creating a shorter, more complex tone than other venting methods. TRX Grilles are available in 16, 18 and 20˝ sizes and retail for $350, $400, and $450. www.trxcymbals.com

Order yours now! Contact: torry@xceldrumsticks.com

Evans SST to EC2 Heads Evans’ new EC2 heads with SST (Sound Shaping Technology) feature a new damping technique that is said to optimize performance for each individually sized drumhead. The EC2 SST heads provide the ability to control the ring thickness and density in addition to its width. Controlling the placement and mass of the ring allows the player to target select frequencies for removal in order to fully optimize the attack, tone, length of sustain, and ease of tuning for each size head. Evans’ EC2 heads with SST are available in 6”18”, clear and coated. They retail for $26 - $50. www.evansdrumheads.com

Breaking News Find it in the Hot News section of MMR’s Web site, www.MMRmagazine.com 48 MMR

NOVEMBER 2009

sell drum stuff? Then get ready for a lot of new customers! The Percussion Marketing Council wants to create new drummers. So, this holiday season, we’re giving drummers an incentive to visit your store by offering them a Beginner’s Pack containing a pair of drumsticks and bonus book or DVD absolutely FREE.

one pair k contains Beginner’s Pac of two ks and one of drumstic sy of Alfred rte cou books or a DVD lishing, Pub Leonard Publishing, Hal Music. and Hudson

Ready for your

Coupons for the free Beginner’s Pack will appear in various publications or may be downloaded from playdrums.com and redeemed directly through the PMC.

t? free drum gif

store r local music Just visit you yee sign store emplo and have a it to the il ma n The this form. er’s Pack free Beginn PMC. Your 6-8 weeks. will arrive in Name:

_________

______ Address: ___ City/ST/Zip

______

_________

: _________

_____

_________

___ _________ _________ Phone: ___ _____ _________ _________ Email: ___ __ _________ _________ __ _________ _________ ne: Pho re Sto ___ _________ ature: ___ Employee Sign Mail this form to: eting Council Percussion Mark P.O. Box 33252 3 Cleveland, OH 4413 /09 Offer expires 12/31 inental US only. Offer valid in Cont .com rums loaded at Playd Form can be down

Store Name:

But, there’s only one small catch. Your store must validate the PMC coupon, which allows you the opportunity to meet, greet, and create a brand new customer sent to you by the PMC.

Each PMC member is your store’s partner in creating and growing your percussion business. How? Visit the PMC’s website to learn more about the programs and campaigns to create more interest in drums and drumming that bring new customers into your store. How about five International Drum Month retail idea tips that can set you apart as a drum dealer? Our members have created all kinds of programs to help you expand your percussion sales. Visit playdrums.com/idm for more info.

We’re Building Your Market, But You Need To Get Involved. Visit www.playdrums.com for complete program information on: ROOTS OF RHYTHM An in-school teacher’s curriculum for students that connects drums and drumming with academic subjects like math, science, geography, and world

cultures. www.rootsofrhythm.net

PERCUSSION IN THE SCHOOLS An all-school percussion concert assembly program that gets kids playing drums for the first time.

Learn how these programs benefit you or how to get involved at www.playdrums.com or email kbdustman@aol.com

SURVEY

School B&O Buying Habits 2009 For many MI dealers, student band and orchestra instrument sales have become an ever-larger segment of their business. If a dealer and a school develop a good working relationship, both parties benefit: For the dealer, the school can become a consistent, frequent customer; for a school or an idividual music teacher, the dynamic of trust and dependability in such an association is often important. To find out more about MI

â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the current economy, it is getting more and more difficult to purchase new instruments.â&#x20AC;? 50 MMR

buying patterns when it comes to student band and orchestra instruments, MMR sent out a survey to over 1,500 music educators across the country. We found out, not surprisingly, that behind every decision is a budget. For most schools, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the bottom line. NOVEMBER 2009

For the current school year, did you (or are you planning to) purchase more, less, or the same dollar amount of musical instruments as last year?

When do you plan your budget?

Spring: Same: Less: More:

41% 37% 22%

Summer: Winter: Fall:

“Last year we bought about $4,000 in instruments. This year we are putting our money into repairs for older instruments. We have seen an uptick in the number of students who need to rent an instrument from the school as opposed to rent-to-own from a music store.” John Mueller Incline Middle School Incline Village, Nev.

When do you make the bulk of your instrument purchases? Summer: Fall:

What types of instruments are you purchasing this year? Strings: Woodwinds: Brass: Percussion:

13% 31% 25% 31%

Winter: Spring:

Which factors are most important when selecting a music store to work with?

Relationship with staff and/or ownership: Cost: Ability to offer repairs: Selection/ Inventory:

13% 26% 27% 20% 14%

“Not that cost isn’t important, but if you want good repairs and reliable service, the cost sometimes comes later in the priorities.” David Hiett Regina Dominican High School Wilmette, Ill. NOVEMBER 2009

48% 32% 11% 9%

What is the ratio of school-owned instruments to student-owned instruments in your program?

1-4:

Location/proximity to school:

36% 24% 22% 28%

36%

19% 1-1: 8% 2-3: 8% 4-1:

6% 1-2: 4% 3-2: 2% Other: 17% 2-1:

MMR 51

“We only provide large instruments for students - baritones, tubas, French horns, and trombones. Even then, some students make the choice to rent/purchase their own instruments. We also provide second instruments, such as tenor saxes, bass clarinets, bari saxes.” Rick Worley Central York Middle School York, Penn.

clarinets; tenor saxophones; baritone saxophones; French horns; flugelhorns; euphoniums; tubas/sousaphones; and percussion.” Richard Stichler Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe High School Ft. Oglethorpe, Ga.

“The only school-owned instruments in my program are color instruments: bass

“In the current economy, it is getting more and more difficult to purchase

Additional thoughts on buying musical instruments?

new instruments. Our elementary band director started a used instrument program last year which has greatly benefitted our program. Many families have donated older instruments to the elementary band program, and we have been able to have those instruments repaired or even reconditioned/overhauled. Through some fundraising efforts and a couple of benefit concerts, we have been able to raise money to purchase used instruments through sources such as eBay. This has been a very viable option, especially for students who are economically disadvantaged and might not be able to afford to rent or purchase an instrument.” Rick Worley Central York Middle School York, Penn. “Purchasing new instruments is not typically the biggest budget issue. Maintaining the inventory that we own is often the bigger expenditure.” David Hiett Regina Dominican High School Wilmette, Ill. “I see the number of students who own (or are renting to own) their instruments dropping. There has been a big increase in the number of students who need to rent an instrument from the school. Some of them cannot even pay the $40 per year school rental cost, and so we try to find sponsors for those students. There has also been an increase in people buying cheap (under $200 new) instruments on the Internet. Most of these have arrived in non-playing condition and have to be repaired (if they can be repaired), and the savings in buying on the cheap is lost.” John Mueller Incline Middle School Incline Village, Nev.

Breaking News Find it in the Hot News section of MMR’s Web site, www.MMRmagazine.com 52 MMR

NOVEMBER 2009

QUALITY SUPPORT PROFESSIONALISM VALUE These principles are the foundation of every Yamaha B&O product and service. They are the reasons you can DEPEND ON YAMAHA.

Band & Orchestral

REPORT

In Tune with a Changing Market T

uners may have started as simple devices, but today features, function and price points have created a complex market that can be a little daunting to consider. In fact, the word “tuner” has become so synonymous with advanced features and functions like “auto-tune” that the old-school tuning fork didn’t even make the cut for this article. “The competition for the tuner customer is incredible,” says Peter Swaidon of BOSS. From clipon tuners to pedals, handheld devices to dedicated hardware units, there are innumerable items available to suit the needs of today’s consumer. With gear available at prices ranging from $5 to $,5000, the question becomes: how much are you willing to pay? Paying for what you get… Many tuners are impulse items, so price point is often key. “Right now there are a lot of companies that are in a race to see who can make the least expensive product,” says Mark Wilson from Intellitouch. Nearly every manufacturer we spoke with shared this sentiment. “There are a huge number of tuners on the market at all price ranges, but particularly at the low end,” says Peter Swaidon. Ryan Rhodes of Korg agrees: “Price point, especially on the low end of the scale, has 54 MMR

been a major trend.” Several manufactures noted that the “race towards the bottom” is hurting not only dealer margins, but quality as well. “With some of the ones that are geared totally toward price point, you’re going to find issues with price per quality,” notes Grant Deaton of SHS audio.

What’s Hot Clip-on tuners seem to be quite popular this year. The biggest trend in tuners themselves is the clip-on vibration tun-

ers. There’s just a ton of them out there,” says Mark Wilson. Even if it’s not their flagship product, most major players in the market are producing clip-on tuners. “There are a lot of clip tuners on the market,” says Neil Lilien of Meisel Music “The only major trend I’ve noticed is that there’s a lot of competition.” Pocket Tones’ Mike Farley concurs, “The ones that clip to a guitar or violin or an instrument that needs to be tuned seem to be the most popular. I wouldn’t want to be competing in that market.” NOVEMBER 2009

Roundtable Roland/BOSS Peter Swaidon BOSS is all about innovation, and this is particularly true in the tuner market. We developed the very first automatic chromatic tuner in 1983-the TU-12, which soon became the industry standard. The TU-2 is was the first tuner to come in a compact pedal, and is our best-selling pedal to date. Our tuners are known for their ruggedness and quality. Many of our tuners have the ability to tune to non-standard tunings such as Open G, Drop D, and more recently, to drop tunings down to six flats. This year we announced a whole new line of tuners. We recently launched the TU-1000 Stage tuner, which has the biggest, brightest display of any tuner ever made. It is designed for stage use, where extreme accuracy and visibility are critical. We replaced the TU-12 with the TU12EX, taking the best of a legacy product and combining it with new features such as Accu-Pitch. We also entered a new market this year with the TU-12BW, which is a tuner designed specifically for brass and woodwind instruments. Along with the standard internal microphone, the TU-12BW comes with an external clip-on contact microphone. The TU-88

has been a hit with guitarists on the go. Not only is it a tuner and metronome, but it also has a built-in headphone amp. Now you can connect pedals and jam, or practice with the metronome through headphones.

Trends Like other markets, the tuner market is feeling some effect from the economic situation. There are a huge number of tuners on the market at all price ranges, but particularly at the low end. The competition for the tuner customer is incredible. Customers can buy usable brand name tuners for as low as $15, and noname ones for as low as $10. Today, there are tuners in other products, like multieffects, amps, on board acoustic guitar preamps, and even cell phones. We’ve noticed quite a bit of confusion about tuner technology, particularly what really is a strobe tuner, and how strobe tuners compare to other kinds. Additionally, customers are often confused about how tuners work with new tuning modes, like the Buzz Feiten system. These mis-

conceptions could be due to marketing and conflicting information on the Internet. Driven by the huge success of the TU-2 pedal tuner, there are now many compactpedal type tuners on the market. Clip-on contact tuners are a new trend and have become a new category, and BOSS has entered this category for the first time with the TU-12BW, a chromatic tuner made specifically for brass and woodwinds.

Looking Towards the Future We will probably continue to see more tuners built into other products, such as electric guitars, as well as products that digitally manipulate pitch so the instruments can be in tune without mechanically turning the keys. Roland had such a feature in the original modeling device: the VG-8. We will probably also continue to see higher accuracy (some current tuners are accurate to within +/- one cent), better displays, and better battery life.

Meisel Music Neil Lilien We’re specializing in tuners and proprietary accessories; things that not everybody is carrying. In the tuner market, we’ve been very successful with clip-on tuners. We just came out with a second clip-on to add to the one that we’ve had in the past several years, and they still seem very popular. We’ve got models that are calibrated for ukulele and banjo, which is a relatively NOVEMBER 2009

new thing. We’re also doing a tuner/metronome/tone generator that is proving popular as well. We have mix and match pricing that we feel is very affordable to the dealers. All of the tuners that we carry retail for $34.95 – the discounting is the same and the net price is the same. What we have noticed is that even though the tuners themselves

are relatively inexpensive items, it goes in cycles. We’ll have a great week and then a dead week. We’ve found that a lot of dealers are just letting their stock run down, which I don’t understand because these are impulse items.

Trends Quite honestly the clipon tuner being an electronic product, I always though it MMR 55

would have a short life, but I’ve been doing clip tuners since 2003 and if anything the sales are getting better. They’re getting smaller, they’re getting smarter, they’re getting quicker, and that’s it. The only trend I’ve noticed is that there’s a lot of competition. There are a lot clip tuners on the market and we’re trying to stay a little bit of head of the market. It seems that still we’re doing ok – not as well as in the past and I think that’s because a lot of dealers are letting their small goods inventories run down until there’s nothing. And that is understandable, but I think it’s a mistake. I’m

hoping we’re going to have a good holiday season coming up and that should start relatively soon but I have to think that the store traffic is off, and dealers are nervous. They don’t want to have to spend money on anything unless they know they can turn it. This is my opinion or theory of course. However, in good times, tuners are a great impulse item.

Looking Towards the Future In the future I think that [tuners] might get a little smaller and a little bit smarter, maybe quicker. We’re looking at tuners with MP3 input and maybe

even MP5 capabilities. You could conceivably watch a movie on your tuner. We’ve started working on new clips that will make it easier to clip the tuner onto a wind or brass instrument -- flutes and things like that. I’ve got a new product coming out that I’d rather not discuss but hopefully, if everybody agrees with my idea, we’ll have something within the next 60 to 90 days.

PocketTones Michael Farley The tuner Farleys Musical Essentials promotes is called PocketTones. We’ve had it on the market since 2002. We’re excited to primarily push the chromatic C and the chromatic F. In the past we’ve had them for guitar, banjo, mandolin, violin, cello and tenor banjo. They were handy devices for those instruments; but so often actual tuners could boast the same capabilities. So, we’ve opted to go with the chromatic versions and push those strongly due to the fact that there are so many singers out there that do not have an instrument. They can have this on their key chain or on their person or on their case, and it produces any tone of the C or F chromatic scales for a singer. They’re tuned at or around middle C, the F is just below middle C for that particular skew and they range from street price 14.95 to 16.99. They’ve become so popular that they’re sold worldwide — the American Idol vocal coaches called and requested them. In fact, Deborah Bird, the vocal coach for American Idol — we’ve branded one with her name on it!

Trends I’ve seen a glut of different varieties of tuners coming forth. The ones that 56 MMR

clip to a guitar or violin or an instrument that needs to be tuned seem to be the most popular. I wouldn’t want to be competing in that market because of the many and varied variety of tuners that are available at such a low price point. Although we consider the PocketTones a tuner of sorts, it’s more of an electronic pitch pipe because it produces tones that you can tune to, whether it’s any instrument or your voice. So, yeah, I’ve seen a trend; I’ve seen a trend towards anybody that knows anything about electronics coming out with his or her own variety and style of tuner. A lot of copies have come forth and the thing that’s a little discouraging is that it’s a race towards the bottom as far as price point is concerned. You can probably get a fairly decent tuner for about $9.99 these days. It’s a difficult market. Unless you have something that’s very unique, it’s hard to stay afloat.

their business. With the PocketTone, it’s just a raw electronic tone that nobody can deny. If you don’t have another instrument nearby for your vocals as a starting pitch or for tuning your guitar, it’s just a basic essential that’s just never going to go away. To ensure that it’s more available and readily available, this month we’ll probably have a version of PocketTones coming out for the iPhone. I know there are about 30 million iPhones in circulation. Certainly there are a good number of those who are singers and who want to access their phone for a tone, no pun intended. It’s going to be that easy and that quick. You can go to the iPhone and pick up a tone right from the device that you have in your pocket all the time.

Looking Towards the Future I think musicians are always going to need a tuning device and those who can come up with the most creative ideas and concepts are going to sustain NOVEMBER 2009

Peterson John Norris Peterson Tuners has existed since 1948. Prior to that we had a brand called the Conn Strobotuner that started in 1936, so we’re the oldest tuner manufacture in the world. Our products are known for their superior accuracy and their stroboscopic displays as well as the creation of dedicated temperaments for certain instruments, which are not available from anyone else. Our tuners are regularly used by the big name bands, pro bands, schools, and the armed forces; those kinds of customers. Our customers or more of the long-range type of customer; they are Peterson users for most of their careers. Most of them have gone to school and learned using a Peterson and when they become teachers or musicians themselves they tend to keep using our stuff.

Trends We’re kind of unique in that we’re not competing with a lot of other high-end tuners. There aren’t that many, if there are any at all, in our sector. There are a lot in the lower and mid priced areas of the market but we’re pretty much alone at the top. There’s a lot of small, clip-on type of tuners that don’t cost very much. It’s been that way now for a while but the lack of accuracy is the most notable thing. These are general indicators. Most people wanted some kind of general indicator but they’re not aware of the fact that some of these tuners are not as good as their ears by far. That’s really the latest trend. Prior to that, we pioneered the true bypass pedal tuner. There was no such

Tuner Types Stomp Box Tuners – Made for guitarists by guitarists. These compact and rugged pedals have almost completely replaced the rack tuners of the 80’s as guitar players have moved towards a stomp box heaven. Today’s guitarist can find a variety of tuners to suite their needs from classic needle tuners, to strobe tuners and even tuners with the capability to comply with alternate tunings, modern intonation systems and a variety of temperaments. Clip-On Tuners – These little guys are everywhere! Equipped with piezo technology, these tuners work on vibrations and have become increasingly popular over the past decade. From $10 to $100 retail, these guys vary in both price and quality. These compact solutions for musicians who need to tune in a variety of situations offer all of the features of the classic handheld tuners. Have no fear of dropped tunings, or strange instruments, if it vibrates, there’s a tuner out there for you Tone Generators – What ever happened to the tuning fork? If you’re old school, you might still have one. 58 MMR

Maybe you have a pitch pipe or better yet, an iPhone. For the singer, choral director or musician on the go, tone generators are far from dead. In fact, the recent iPhone revolution has brought the tone generator back. Today’s musician might have a tone generator on his key chain and if not can find an app to tune to A-439.59 if needed. For those of us who miss the tuning fork, there’s an app for that too. Handheld Devices – Like the Clip-Ons, these wallet-sized devices range in price and quality. As with all tuners, they’re great impulse items and aren’t going away anytime soon. From stringed instruments to orchestral, these tuners come with a range of features from the good old-fashioned bouncing needle to stroboscopic tuning capabilities. If you need to tune up, there’s a handheld tuner out there for you. Dedicated Hardware Units – Dedicated hardware units have come a long way since the old tube operated strobe tuner in the band room. Today’s units come in all shapes and sizes, from rackable needle tuners to large strobo-

scopic units. Dedicated hardware units represent the tip-top in terms of both price point and features. If you’re willing to shell out the dough and need a tuner for any number of hertz sensitive applications, these guys are tough to beat. Software – It might seem like a dirty word to dealers, but software tuners are here to stay. Although these applications might be newer, they boast a range of features and are limited only by the power of your PC. Will they replace the handheld devices? Probably not, but applications are now supported on virtually every platform available to modern consumers. Proof positive: try typing in ‘tuner’ at the apps store. Instruments, Amps & Effects – Whether electric or acoustic, today tuners can be found right on your instrument. Amplifiers and multi-effects have jumped on the bandwagon as well. While the price and quality do vary, many end users find the convenience appealing. Added bonus, no more searching through the gig bag for your needle tuner. NOVEMBER 2009

thing before we came out with the Strobostomp. Since the guitar market is now very pedal-centric, rather than rack-centric like it was in the 80’s, we’ve noticed a lot more pedal type tuners.

Looking towards the Future We have quite a few new products, and we have a belief that no matter what, you’ve always got to have something really new. So recently we brought

out the first affordable guitar to midi converter for $99 in the stores and that’s gone down hugely. We have kind of pioneered a little bit of the future

in that we have an app for the iPhone and iPod touch. We are also the only tuner company to provide both hardware and software solutions. We have hardware tuners and software tuners for any kind of range of applications – for manufacturing, for musicians, or just for casual use. We have a tuner for $5,000 dollars for factory use in massproducing instruments and there’s also a Peterson for $9.99 that you can put on your iPhone.

Tune Tech (SHS) Grant Deaton Tune Tech is a division of SHS international. Currently we have five models of tuners. From $24.95 retail to $39.95 and all of those are clip-on vibration tuners. Two of our models are produced in Korea and the other three are produced in China. If you were to poll our dealers, they would probably tell you that consistency and accuracy of the clip-on vibration tuners that have the readout display that follows the digital needle, is very high.

The Korean tuners that we produce are just extremely accurate, very steady and really easy to tune with. What we do is we constantly shop tuner manufacturers and basically cherry-pick the best that we can find and then add them to our line.

Trends There are so many tuners in the market that all work on essentially the same thing, you could describe them all the same. That

includes our lower price point tuners. However, when you went to use them you would see a noticeable difference between the Chinese made ones and the Korean made ones. The clip-on vibration tuners themselves are a huge trend over the last four or five years. If you were to rewind, just a few years ago, there weren’t that many people actually doing clip-on vibration tuners and the market is flooded with them now. So I would say that the biggest

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MMR 59

trend in tuners themselves is the clip-on vibration tuners. There’s just a ton of them out there ranging from $5 up to $150 dollars. With some of the ones that are geared totally toward price point are you’re going to find issues with price per quality. However, we find that the best tuners are the ones that we’re finding from the Korean manufactures.

Looking Towards the Future I see an expansion in models of tuners. We have four new models that we will be adding over the next few months. Again we’re constantly fi nding and testing new factories and their capabilities. As we fi nd items that are competitive at their price points with the features that we

offer, or if they have anything special to add, we fi nd a place for them in our line. We’ll be significantly growing the amount of models. I would say that our tuner division itself has grown despite the economy. Our overall company has been affected but the tuner division has been the one area where there has been actual growth and that’s from our expansion into international markets and adding additional products at new price points.

Korg Ryan Rhodes Korg invented the world’s first handheld electronic tuner in 1975 and has continued to pioneer the market ever since. We present new products to the market every year and are proud to say that we’ve sold over 20 million tuners worldwide. Our tuner line spans the entire range of guitarists: most professionals use our DTR rack tuners on stage, while guitarists of all ages enjoy the various pocket-sized tuners and metronomes that we bring to the market.

60 MMR

Recent Trends Price point, especially on the low end of the scale has been a major trend. It would appear that consumers are more focused than ever on ‘value purchasing’, and this tends to benefit the Korg line, where feature set, quality and affordability all converge. Despite some newer entrants from established suppliers and OEM offerings,

the end user has consistently chosen our products over others, and we never take that for granted. A new crop of young guitar players are on their way up, as evidenced by robust lesson programs at many of the dealers we sell to. These up

NOVEMBER 2009

and comers, combined with the installed base of instrumentalists, bode well for the future of our industry, as well as that of our tuners.

Looking Toward the Future Since tuners are less expensive than an amplifier or guitar, and they’re a product that all musicians need, we’ve been fortunate that our products have remained strong in this economy. Hav-

ing the leading position in the market has helped us weather times like this in the past, and this recent downturn is no different. One thing is certain – demand for accurate, reliable, feature rich tuners will continue into the future. By definition, non-electronic instruments need to be tuned, and it is our intention to stay ahead of the market and anticipate the needs and desires of our customers.

Zero Crossing Sam Sudore We produce the Ntune onboard electric guitar and bass tuner and our product is really the only product on the market that allows you to put a tuner right inside the electric guitar or bass. It’s a really simple install that only requires about 15 or 20 minutes. You’re basically just replacing your volume or tone control with our product. It uses a push-pull potentiometer to activate the tuner so you pull the volume knob or the tone knob out and it will mute the output of the instrument allowing you to tune up silently anywhere anytime without any cables or pedals. It’s really nice because a lot of the professional musicians who have been using our product have been telling us that they love the thing on stage because

it frees up space on their effects board. It’s fully chromatic so it allows you to do alternate or drop tunings and the other thing that’s really nice about our tuner is that the battery lasts an incredibly long time. If you were to tune twice a day everyday you’d get around two years worth of tuning out of a single battery. One of the biggest things that we hear from players in the field is that gigging musicians always lose or have their tuners stolen and that really clears up that prob-

“What is a strobe tuner? How accurate is this needle? My tuner has a ‘temperament?’” These might be a few of the questions your customers are asking. Here’s how to talk tuner. Needle Tuner – This is probably the most common type of tuner found today. Actual needles are now rare, digital needles from LCD’s and LED’s have dominated the market for some time now. Stroboscopic tuner – More commonly called a strobe tuner, these guys are the ultimate in accuracy. Don’t be fooled by fancy displays. A true strobe tuner is a mechanical device made from a series of discs and lights that appear to stop when the correct tone is reached. Guitar/Bass/Violin/Cello/Ukulele/Banjo… – These tuners are designed to tune a specific instrument. Cheap and handy if all you need is standard tunings. Chromatic Tuner – These tuners will tune to any pitch in the chromatic scale. Virtual Strobe Tuner – While similar in appearance to traditional stroboscopic tuners, these tuners do not have the ability to pick up harmonic partials like a traditional stroboscopic tuner. Temperament – This refers to the system with which your tuner assigns frequencies to each note. Although most musicians now use equal temperament, for piano tuners and academics with period specific instruments, the availability of a variety of temperament settings can be a useful tool.

lem because it’s part of your instrument so you can’t really lose it. I don’t think that there’s another tuner on the market that offers that type of feature set. It’s super accurate; it’s +/- two cents which is actually more accurate than most of the handheld or pedal tuners so that’s also very important when you’re looking at tuning.

Trends Sales seem to be going up quite a bit for us and I think that’s because of the uniqueness of the product and the features that it offers above and beyond NOVEMBER 2009

How to talk tuner!

Cents – Cents matter! The difference between A440 and A441 is about 4 cents. While most humans can’t tell the difference, the accuracy of your tuner is gauged by it’s ability to calculate + or – X number of cents. Hertz – Abbreviated Hz, this represents the number of cycles per second. A is typically 440hz, but today, multiple As are available. Calibration – While the standard is A-440, many modern tuners allow for users to select a number of different pitches, usually in 1Hz steps. However, as the technology improves, smaller units of measurement are now possible. MMR 61

what other tuners on the market can give musicians. Consumers today are looking for a few key things as far as tuners are concerned. One, they want a tuner that’s going to last and be durable, and two they want accuracy. It’s been one of the most resounding things that we hear back for any tuner really is, ‘How accurate is it and will it stand up against xyz’. Today’s consumer wants to make sure that the

money that they’re putting out for the tuner will give them the best quality and the best tuning accuracy.

Looking Towards the Future For us and where we’re going, the future that I see is pretty simple. If you look at the acoustic market [acoustic/electric guitars], it was about seven years ago that those guys started to ship

with onboard tuners. Today you’d be hard pressed to fi nd a guitar an acoustic/electric without a tuner built in. It just makes sense to have the tuner part of the instrument. I don’t see a reason why the future doesn’t hold the same for every electric guitar or bass that’s sold. That’s where I see the future of tuning going. It just makes sense for both the consumer and manufactures.

Intellitouch Mark Wilson Intellitouch was the fi rst clip-on tuner that worked on vibrations. It used no microphones, no wires and can be used in loud situations so you don’t need to go to a quite place to tune. It works on both acoustic and electric instruments and it doesn’t need to be plugged in. Prior to the Intellitouch, no LCD tuners had backlights and most of the tuners used LEDs, so we pushed the market in that respect as well. After a while, other companies saw the value in that approach, and now we’ve got a lot of people com-

ing in and trying to do what Intellitouch did. We are innovators and we try to push the envelope by making products more user friendly, easier to operate, and longer lasting. We’re the only tuner company in the world that puts a lifetime warrantee on it’s products and

that’s because we’re musicians, we buy equipment ourselves and we want it to last. We have high expectations for ourselves. Now with our new PT-10 mini tuner we’ve pushed the envelope a little farther in terms of response time, accuracy, and most importantly it’s size.

Trends Electronic products come down in price as technology becomes

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62 MMR

NOVEMBER 2009

faster and less expensive. That is a trend with all electronics across all industries; the music industry is no different. We as chip designers utilize all of this new technology to reduce the size and the power consumption of our products. So, we still seek to push the envelope and develop new things. Also, the Internet has made international communications easier. As a result, the ability of small independent companies buying generic branded tuners directly from China has increased. When those products come into the market a couple things happen. One, it makes people think ‘Well, that’s what tuners should cost’. The other thing that happens is that as musicians become better musicians, they hear the difference in quality between a tuner that’s really in tune and the tuner that’s just put out there to capture some market share based upon its low price. So we see those two things. We’ve seen a trend towards lower price and greater functionality and we’ve seen an influx of generically branded tuners from China. Right now there are a lot of companies that are in a race to see who can make the least expensive product. When you do that there is a cost in the quality and reliability of the product. The less you pay, the less you get – there’s truth to that. The construction and attention to detail is sacrificed for price and that’s not what we’re interested in.

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Looking Toward the Future We’re not going to seek the lowest prices. We are not going to join the race to the bottom in terms of price because that’s also a race to the bottom in terms of both quality and margin. We’re interested in new ideas and pushing the technology. We’re musicians here so we have high expectations for our products so we’re going to buck the trend of low quality cheap tuners and we are focused on pushing the functionality by adding functions and delivering things that musicians didn’t know they needed because they haven’t seen them yet. That’s what happened with the clip-on tuner. Now there are people out there that can’t live without a clip-on tuner. They didn’t know they needed one until they saw one. In the future, our job is to do the same thing with other functions, features and benefits. NOVEMBER 2009

MMR 63

STRINGS

Mapes Piano String Company Four Generations and Going Strong

apes Piano String Company got its start in 1912 when the Schaff family bought the name from Steven Mapes, a prominent piano string manufacture in New York City. Recently, MMR sat down with Andy Wilson, the head of piano strings at Mapes to talk about the evolution of the company. “We’ve been here almost 100 years. Our reputation of being able to produce good musical strings is out into the market and that helps us greatly,” says Wilson. “You can buy your musical instruments from anywhere in the world, but I think American made products are still number one. The Schaff family has really been very good here at Mapes to keep their company in the location that it is, and employ local people.” “After making piano strings for some time Mr. Schaff decided that he wanted to find a better source of piano core wire, because what was on the market wasn’t very good,” Wilson says, commenting on 64 MMR

the company’s early days. “They originated in New York, where most pianos were being built at that time. But, around 1950, the Schaff family decided to start producing piano core wire in Tennessee.” Wilson explains that the company became so well known for their strings that, “around 1972 they permanently moved the operation from Andy Wilson New York to Tennessee to have it all in one place.” Not only does Mapes produce piano strings and piano wire, but it’s also one of the major manufacturers of guitar strings. Mapes sources such major brands as Martin, Ernie Ball, DR, D’Adarrio, and D’Aquisto, to name a few. “When we started making piano wire and got very good at it, we had extra capacity in our wire drawing,” says Wilson. That led us to start producing guitar string core. We thought, ‘Well, we make our copper wraps for piano strings – why can’t we make the different wraps for guitar strings?’ So we acquired

a company that had the capability to do that and we moved it here to Tennessee. It just made sense for us to make the guitar strings,” says Wilson. “Once we started getting into and buying the wire drawing equipment, we also started getting into spring wire in the music wire grade,” says Wilson. “They call it music spring wire and it’s a high end wire for springs,” explains Wilson. Although Mapes doesn’t manufacture the springs themselves, they do sell quite a bit to individual spring makers in all sorts of industries from automotive to defense. “Mapes is a family owned business, has been since it originated, and I believe that Mapes will continue to be that way,” says Andy. Mapes has been approached “several times” by investors who have tried to convince the company to move the business outside of the U.S. to seek cheaper labor and less restrictive manufacturing

“The biggest thing that sets Mapes apart from our competitors is our quality.”

NOVEMBER 2009

laws, but to no avail. “The Schaff family is very dedicated to the American market and the American people and to the people in our little town here – to keep the doors open and to continue making a product here,” says Wilson. “With that being said, we’ve had to be a lot smarter in how we do things. We have to be a lot more efficient. We’re competing in a global economy and quite honestly its not a level playing field, they’ve got us playing uphill a lot of times,” says Wilson. “The taxes and duties to ship into some of these foreign countries is unbelievable,” explains Wilson. “It can get up as high as 40 percent on our product, and when they make musical instruments to send into the US it’s as low as 4 percent for that finished product to come back into the United States.”

Running Uphill The current economic climate has greatly impacted the piano industry, which is one of Mapes’ primary markets. “The piano builders are not able to sell their products out on the market,” says Wilson. “If they can’t sell pianos, it’s hard for me to sell strings to them to put in those pianos.” He explains that a great amount of the cost of strings lies in the raw materials needed. “A set of guitar strings is going to weigh a few grams, but a set of piano strings is going to weigh about 8 pounds,” Andy says. “So you can see that there’s a lot of difference in how much material is used.” When asked about the price of raw material, Wilson is quick to respond. “There you’ve hit on a very good point,” says Wilson, who keeps a close eye on the price of metal. “All metals went up drastically. The cost of every musical string that’s produced has gone up. Of course that’s hard to pass on [to consumers] in a bad economic time, but nevertheless, raw materials like copper, steel, nickel, and brass have gone up in price. I’m talking about a 100 to 150 percent increase in some cases. It has definitely made us a lot more mindful of how we use what material we get, and we take very good care of it,” he laughs.

Taking Care of Business Throughout the four generations of string makers, Mapes has seen a great deal NOVEMBER 2009

of change with respect to the manufacturing of strings. “Through modern technology, we’ve been able to upgrade our string winding equipment to be better, and more efficient,” says Wilson, who notes that the biggest technological advances lie in the manufacturing of guitar strings. “Because they’re so much smaller, the speed and tension that you wind guitar strings to be efficient in the market today required us to upgrade our machinery and we’ve been able to do that as a result of a lot of updates in technology,” he says. While technological advances in string winding have resulted in a more efficient manufacturing process, Andy is proud to say that the art of making piano strings is still a craft of skilled labors. “We have machines that will make loops and cut strings to length and do all that for us automatically and they’re good,” he says. “But some of it is a hand craft and we wanted to keep that way. Strings that we make for Steinway are handmade piano strings. We make the loops by hand and we wind the copper on by hand. We have a machine that turns the core, but we’re winding it on by hand. “The biggest thing that sets Mapes apart from our competitors is our quality. We’re an ISO certified company – we’re very proud of that, and we monitor that very closely,” says Wilson. He explains that ISO certification is just one part of the quality controls system Mapes has implemented. Employee training and maintaining oversight throughout the manufacturing process are also vital to maintaining a quality product. “Everyone at Mapes is quality oriented – it’s something we do when we bring a new employee in. It’s about being able to make an outstanding product,” says Wilson. “We make all of our own wire, and we control all of our processes here, throughout. Being able to do it all inhouse, instead of outsourcing, helps you maintain that quality. You can’t start with something bad and make it into something good. If you order good steel, you can make a good wire out of it. If you get high quality copper, you can make good wrap out of it, if you get good nickel for guitar strings you can make good guitar strings, and so on.”

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MMR 65

ANNIVERSARY

Batchelder’s Plummer Piano & Organ Co. th Celebrates 50

lummer Piano and Organ Co. in Rapid City, South Dakota has been in operation since 1959, and its third – and current – owner, Matt Batchelder, is celebrating the store’s 50th anniversary. Batchelder has owned this four-story, 50,000 square-foot store for 10 years now. Due to the store’s location in a rural community, Batchelder says that the key to his business has been traveling road shows.

“We travel around a five state area, doing road shows every weekend,” he notes. “We go to convention centers, malls, furniture stores, and parking lots. We wouldn’t be able to do half of the volume that we do if we didn’t travel. We are in a small town, and if I just relied on business from people walking through the door, we’d never make it. Walk in traffic is only about 30 percent of our business.”

Obviously pianos aren’t the easiest instruments to travel with. But, Batchelder’s is equipped with trailers, trucks, and even a semi, which Matt sleeps in during his travels. They will also deliver to any state; Batchelder recently made a delivery to North Carolina, Chicago, and Pennsylvania. He also offers piano moving services and repairs. Matt often

“You can’t expect to increase sales if you’re sitting behind a desk, waiting for customers to come in.”

Matt Batchelder 66 MMR

NOVEMBER 2009

For Batchelder, customer service is crucial. “Communicating and staying in touch with customers is the key. It doesn’t matter who you are or how long you’ve been in business – if you’re out of sight, you’re out of mind. We do mailers, television commercials, and customer appreciation events, both in the store and out on the road. We’ve

also been using the theatre across the street to host concerts and have different artist come and play. Rapid City is a small community and we support one another, which really helps. It’s a lot of work and none of this is easy, but you can’t expect to increase sales if you’re sitting behind a desk, waiting for customers to come in.”

makes these trips on his own, while his 11-member staff keeps things running smoothly back at the store. Even though the road shows have proven to be fruitful, with the decline of piano sales over the years, Matt has had to diversify inventory. The store has expanded their piano lesson program and has also added band and orchestra instruments for both sale and rent, as well as offering corresponding B&O instruction. Batchelder recently acquired an adjacent building and opened an internet café and grocery store, which has become a convenient waiting area and hang-out for the parents of students taking music lessons at Batchelder’s. The café, as Matt explains, has helped to increase the store’s profi le: “The café draws more people to us and creates a bigger picture. Parents have the convenience to shop, go on the Internet, or just have a coffee while their kids are taking lessons.”

It’s hard to believe how perfectly the new Aura Spectrum DI reproduces the subtle uniqueness of your acoustic instrument. But this is no ordinary direct box. Powered by Aura technology, it gives you the eye-opening sound quality of a recording studio – anywhere you plug in. And it’s loaded with everything from a tuner and 3-band EQ to compression and auto feedback control. Yup, it’s pretty unbelievable.

Now you’ve heard everything.

Fishman.com

NOVEMBER 2009

MMR 67

Holidaybuyingguide Sonaré Adds Special “K” Flute Headjoint All Sonaré flutes come standard with a handmade, Powell Signature headjoint made of sterling silver. Effective immediately, all Sonaré models from the SF501 through the

SF705 will be available with the same Signature headjoint, but with a rose gold plated lip plate and crown. This headjoint with gold plated lip plate and crown was previously available only on the Sonaré 707 model. The rose gold alloy used to plate this lip plate and crown is approximately 16K. Price for this option on all models is $100. www.sonarewinds.com

Lowrey’s A200 Encore Lowrey’s A200 Encore is the latest addition to it’s a Series of recreational music making instruments. Like its A-Series predecessors, the Encore is designed for the recreational

stand that holds the neck of the guitar securely until the owner gently pushes the guitar neck back and instantly releases the guitar from the stand. The auto lock mechanism on a cradle stand enables the player to click and lock their instrument using only one hand. The Grabbit stand has a retail price of $35.99. sales@dansr.com

with headroom and responsive feel. The Shuttle 9.0 features a Class D amplifier and SMPS module, enhanced with patent pending P.H.A.T. (Proprietary Heat Abatement Technology) topology. The addition of the Shuttle 9.0 makes the entire Shuttle series a comprehensive, lightweight, amplifier line available, offering a variety of power levels and preamp platforms for all applications. www.genzbenz.com

The Forestone Clarinet Reed

Red Brand’s Copper Bronze Acoustic Strings

The new Forestone clarinet reed was designed by Japanese musician Ittoku Kawai. The reed is man-made and contains bamboo, and is said to produce an authentic sound, response, look, and feel. Ittoku Kawai claims the Forestone reed has the functional properties of cane and is consistent, does not degrade with use, and can withstand extreme temperatures, humidity, or altitude changes. All Forestone reeds are made with a mixture of polypropylene resin and cellulose wood fiber, more than 50 percent of which is bamboo. www.forestone-japan.com

Omnibus Press’ Trust: Photographs of Jim Marshall

player. With hundreds of easy-to-use presets and sounds, the Encore offers an array of styles and player-friendly features. This new model fits into the middle of the Lowrey product line up and is integrated with the Lowrey Magic class program. frankw@lowrey.com

Hamilton Releases Grabbit Guitar Stand The Grabbit stand features a patent pending grabbing mechanism at the top of the 68 MMR

Omnibus Press has released the new photo book from rock and roll photographer, Jim Marshall, entitled Trust: Photographs of Jim Marshall. In Trust, Marshall has documented the world’s greatest musicians since the late 50s. His style and approach gained him unlimited access to everyone from Miles Davis to Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan and The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin and The Who right up to recent sessions with Velvet Revolver. www.omnibuspress.com

Red Brand Guitar Strings launches the first brand of copper bronze acoustic strings on the market. This new brand of acoustic guitar strings promises more warmth and projection from the higher copper content material than phosphor bronze or 80/20 bronze materials. Gauges and availability range from the custom light, light, and medium. Red Brand plans on expanding their gauges with 12 string and acoustic bass variants. The strings retail for $17. www.redguitarstrings.com

Batt-O-Meter Batt-O-Meter tellins musicians the remaining hours of life in their batteries without removing them from their gear. Simply plug the Power Probe into a ¼“jack and the voltage and remaining hours flash on the LED screen. This tool also checks external 1.5V and 9V

Genz Benz’s Shuttle 9.0 Developed from the Genz Benz’s Shuttle 6.0 platform, the new Shuttle 9.0 is a four pound amplifier that offers the same simple tube preamp features and layout, along

batteries and can easily switch between alkaline, carbon-zinc, and rechargeable chemistries. The retail price is $34.95. www.batt-o-meter.com NOVEMBER 2009

INTEGRITY–S E RV I C E – Q U A L I T Y

Mrs. Hailun

ver the last 20 years we have sought

to build the best pianos possible.

Today, Hailun Pianos are recognized among the finest sounding, best engineered, and best crafted instruments from the Far East. With the help of leading experts and piano designers,

Frank

Emerson

(U.S.A), Peter Veletzky (Austria), Emma Shigeru (Japan), Stephen Paulello (France), we are offering you pianos that are truly amazing.

Hailun USA P. O. Box 1130 Richland, WA 99352

Mr. Hailun Hailun Piano Company is family run. Mrs. Hailun heads the Hailun

Piano operations and quality

control. Mr. Hailun leads

the company internation-

ally, ensures constant tech-

nological improvements

and close technological

cooperation with leading European manufactur-

ers. The Hailuns are both

graduates of the Piano Technology School in

Bejing. Hailun insists on the highest

level of quality, integrity in product, and excellence in service.

877•946•8078 www.hailun-pianos.com Merchant Inquiries Welcome

Holidaybuyingguide Levy’s Jimi Hendrix Guitar Straps Under authorized license from Authentic Hendrix, Levy’s has printed and embroidered its soft leather guitar straps with the signature, image, and colorful style of legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix. The

Looking for better margins?

Denis Wick products make more profit with less effort. They consistently sell closer to their retail prices than the competition while maintaining low costs to you. Dealers across the U.S. and Canada are making margins up to 30% on readily available Denis Wick products. To learn how you can make better margins on your brass products, contact a DANSR representative at 888-707-4455 or email us at sales@dansr.com.

Products in Demand. Performance by Design.

North American importer • 818 W. Evergreen Ave., Chicago, IL 60642 • 888-707-4455 www.deniswickusca.com • sales@dansr.com

70 MMR

Hendrix strap designs are screen-printed on suede and sublimation-printed on polyester. www.levysleathers.com

A Complete History of Gibson Les Paul from Backbeat Books Backbeat Books has released Tony Bacon’s third edition of The Les Paul Guitar Book: A Complete History of Gibson Les Paul Guitars. This updated edition includes hundreds of full-color photos of nearly every make and model, from the fi rst prototypes to the models used by rock stars. Additionally there is a full reference section with detailed information on variations and signature editions, every fi nish available, as well as a detailed chronology from the early 1950s through the present with dating and serial number information, neck, body, and fretboard specs, complete with detailed photos. www.halleaonard.com www.musicdispatch.com

Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer by Larry Fine is now available for free on the Internet and as a print publication in bookstores and on the Web site. This advertising-sponsored guide will be published twice a year as a color-illustrated hybrid consisting of a book and a magazine. The book aspect consists of brief, but informative articles and tips on basic piano-buying issues, such as what to look for when buying a new, used, or restored acoustic, digital, or player piano. The magazine aspect will feature rotating content consisting of manufacturer profi les, spotlights on particular technologies and rebuilders, product reviews, and pricing information, which is updated each issue to adapt to market changes. NOVEMBER 2009

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Choose from Pop, Piano, Guitar, Classroom, Instrumental, Percussion, or any combination, and let our print experts do the rest! • Low start-up cost • Top discounts • Automatic replenishment of best-sellers and hot new releases • Full exchangeability • FREE displays!

CUSTOM SPINNER Display Books, DVDs, Software, or a combination! CASCADING RACKS Choose from 32 or 64 facings!

CONTACT YOUR SALES REP TODAY! PHONE (800) 292-6122 FAX (800) 632-1928 WEB alfred.com/dealer E-MAIL sales@alfred.com

Holidaybuyingguide The pricing information is also available on the Web site in a free, searchable database, allowing dealers and consumers to compare acoustic piano brands and models. The book retails for $24.95. www.pianobuyer.com

GrooveTech String Cutters from CruzTOOLS CruzTOOLS have designed the GrooveTech String Cutters using a special induction heat treatment process, featuring blades that will slice through

Meeting the Needs of Students for More Than 25 Years ... Our Best-Selling SV-175 Cremona Violin! Cremona bowed instruments have set the pace for the vibrant student and rental markets for over 25 years. Strict adherence to international sizing requirements, domestic educational set-up standards and continuous quality improvement have made Cremona Violins, Violas, Basses and Cellos proven sales leaders.

guitar and bass strings without damaging cutting edges. A high-leverage handle design allows cutting with minimal effort, and vinyl grips provide a comfortable feel. At less than six inches long, GrooveTech String Cutters are compact enough to fit into storage compartments of cases and gig bags. The retail price is $13.95. www.cruztools.com

ChopSaver Lip Care’s New Counter Display The ChopSaver line of lip care products is now available in a new countertop POP dispenser. Easy to ship, store, and dis-

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

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

249

Suggested Retail

SV-175

72 MMR

[800] BUY-SAGA www.sagamusic.com Dealer inquiries invited.

play, each box contains 24 individually bar coded units. The item numbers for the new 24-pack boxes are CHPR-24 for the Original ChopSaver, and CHPS-24 for ChopSaver Gold with SPF 15. www.chopsaver.com

Eastwood’s Limited Edition ’59 Custom AIRLINE Eastwood Guitars has released 24 copies of the AIRLINE ’59 Custom 3P DLX Limited Edition guitar. Each of these collector editions come in the Electric Indigo color, has a unique serial number, and is loaded with features. The two Vintage Voiced Single Coil pickups frame an Alnico HOT10 humbucker in the middle position. The ’59 Custom series all have the distinctive white body binding, striped NOVEMBER 2009

NEMC

Why We’re #1 $30,579,118.00

NEMC Over

50 Years

(Paid to our Licensed Affiliates) The financially stable program of choice for discerning dealers whose eye is on the future. Now is the time to get out from under the financial RISK and BURDEN of running your own rental program.

The NEMC Afﬁliate Program Offers:

SIN

Q U A L I T Y

S E R V I C E

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Be A Part Of Our Next Successful 50 YEARS!

� A No Fee Licensed Affiliate Rental Program. � Rental agreements that are customized to the specific laws of the Affiliate’s state. � State licensing and/or registration of the Affiliate’s rental program at NEMC’s expense. � Only one quality level of name brand instruments in New and Like-New condition only. � The restoration of all rental returns to Like-New condition at NEMC’s service facility. � Multi-colored Promotional & Educational handouts provided. � Motivational mailings to the Affiliate’s customers. � No inventory investment and all normal freight costs are paid by NEMC. � One of the largest staffs of skilled repair technicians dedicated only to rental instrument service. � Hands-on repair training in our NJ repair center with one-on-one private instruction (FREE). � Billing and collecting rental fees for the Affiliate’s accounts. � Ability to review customer accounts 24/7 through a dedicated web site. � The NEMC Calling Plan for collections. Working for the Affiliates from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Plus:

� The Platinum Plan Plus - to increase commission percentage. � The Annual Rental Bonus Plan - for an additional cash bonus.

� Each Afﬁliate is able to create a Custom, Competitive, and Proﬁtable price schedule for the

� Business is promoted into the Afﬁliate’s retail store, not onto the Internet. NEMC does not Afﬁliate’s individual marketplace. NEMC does not post rental prices on the Internet.

� An Affiliate’s territory is protected. NEMC will not set up its own retail stores in an Affiliate’s territory. compete against its own Affiliates by renting ‘On-Line’.

For Complete Information: Call Toll Free (800) 526-4593 Ext. 240

Ask For Gene Garb

NEMC

National Educational Music Company 1181 Route 22, Box 1130 Mountainside, New Jersey 07092

www.nemc.com

Holidaybuyingguide pick guards, and include the AIRLINE hard shell case and a certificate of authenticity. This new Limited Edi-

tion model is the fourth in a series sponsored by My Rare Guitars and are released periodically on their Web site and through their mailing list. www.myrareguitars.com www.eastwoodguitars.com

HUNTER NEW YORK

SKB Expands Rolling Roto-Racks SKBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rolling Roto-Rack 8U model joins the 4U and 6U versions and is made to transport heavy remote recording and sound reinforcement equipment. The 1SKB-R8W offers secure protection with sturdy built-in wheels and pull-handle. The 8U features industrial grade steel threaded rack rails in front and back and full access rear lids. It is rotationally molded of high impact LLDPE Polyethylene with heavy-duty in-line wheels for supporting heavy loads, and features a low-profile injection molded telescoping cushion grip rubber over-molded pullhandle and cushioned carrying handle. Each lid has four SKB patented trigger latches, featuring TSA locks for air travel. Additionally, the SKB-R8W is stackable with the 4U and 6U as well as the 1SKB19RSF4U Studio Flyer. The 1SKB-R8W Roll-

ing Roto-Rack is covered by SKBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Million Mile Guaranty and retails for $229.99. www.skbcases.com

NXT Series Double Bass The NXT Series Double Bass was crafted in the Czech Republic by the makers of the CR Series and features a solid maple body and neck and graduated ebony fi n-

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 MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS 3300 Northern Blvd. Long Island City, NY 11101 (718)706-0828 Q FAX (718)706-0128 www.huntermusical.com 74 MMR

NOVEMBER 2009

gerboard. The adjustable bridge and truss rod are said to allow for low, fast action, or for higher string settings. The Bass is equipped with the Polar Pickup System. A switch allows selection of the traditional arco mode for percussive and dynamic bowed response, or pizzicato mode. thinkns.com/ instruments/nxtbass.php

the amp sports a drive channel and a clean channel with plenty of headroom. COREBLADE features three effect modules, covering a wide range of standards from authentic spring reverb to chorus and delay. As all effects are added using

our unique “Inversed Parallel Modulation“, the guitar signal always stays in the analog domain. The IDB (Intelligent Dual Breakpoint) noise gate simultaneously measures the gain at the input jack and after the preamp, thus being able to

Keystone Lithium Battery Holders Keystone Electtronics’ 1/3N Lithium battery holders for surface or through-hole mounting, are supplied with durable, heat resitant, UL 94V-0 rated Nylon housings for all soldering and reflow op-

erations. The SMT version features goldplated phosphor bronze contacts. The THM version incorporates tin-plated phosphor bronze contacts and the heat resistant Nylon housing. Both holders accept 1/3N 3-volt cell lithium batteries from major manufacturers. www.keyeleco.com

Hughes & Kettner’s COREBLADE Amp Hughes & Kettner’s COREBLADE, a programmable all-tube guitar amp, delivers a 100 watts and features exclusive TSC tube management and the all-new IDB noise gate. COREBLADE is equipped with four channels, two of them voiced to offer completely different high-gain alternatives. Beyond that, NOVEMBER 2009

MMR 75

America’s Premier Guitar & Bass Parts Supplier

Delta Series by GOTOH 1:21 ratio

Holidaybuyingguide react in any given situation, be it as a tool for sound design on stage or as a noise suppressor in the studio.The MC412CL is a new 4x12“cabinet, especially crafted for COREBLADE. Oversized and made of even stronger wood, it is loaded with Celestion Classic Leads and handles 320 watts at 8 ohms. www.hughes-and-kettner.com

K&M Oboe Stand

AVAILABLE IN A VARIETY OF FINISHES & STYLES

Send $4 US for COLOR CATALOG 13027 Brittmoore Park Drive, Houston, Texas 77041

K&M’s new Oboe stand features solid, zinc die-cast legs. The detachable legs retract into the peg for ease of transport with the instrument. Pricing is as follows: dealer $17.08, list $37.95, and MAP $28.95. www.connollymusic.com

Taylor’s 35th Anniversary Guitars Taylor Guitars 35th anniversary models, the 12-fret XXXV-TF, and the parlor XXXV-P have been constructed in limited quantities. The XXXV-TF, a guitar named so for its 12 frets from the nut to the edge of the body, features a back and sides of AA-grade koa, an Engelmann spruce top, and a slotted headstock crowned with

76 MMR

ebony. The geometry of the neck, body, and bridge design in relation to each other translates into modern yet vintage tones. Other appointments include a bone nut and saddle, green heart abalone top trim, a single abalone rosette and a koa peghead backstrap. The compact sized XXXV-P features a parlor body shape designed by Taylor’s Larry Breedlove, with a back and sides of Madagascar rosewood and a top of wide grain Sitka spruce. Like the XXXV-TF, the mahogany neck joins the body at the 12-fret, while an ebony-topped slotted peghead is complemented by a bone nut and saddle. Also featured are a three-ring green heart abalone rosette and abalone dotted ebony bridge pins along with parlor bracing and Taylor’s proprietary Expression System pickup. The XXXVTF retails for $6,998 and the XXXV-P $5,998. www.taylorguitars.com

Meisel COM-80 Tuner Meisel Accessories’ new clip-on instrument tuner features a large backlit LCD display and broad calibration range. The Meisel COM-80 chromatic tuner can tune any instrument, but has selectable calibration for guitar, bass, violin, and even ukulele. The calibration range extends to A=410Hz. While small in overall size, the COM80 features a large and bright display that shows the target note and the calibration

NOVEMBER 2009

setting. When the note is in perfect tune, the display changes from red to green, speeding up the tuning process. The tuner has a swivel mount and a gel-padded clip that won’t mar an instrument’s finish. The COM-80 is light (1 oz., 27 g) and compact (2” x 1” x ¾”). It is powered by one CR2032 3V cointype battery (supplied). The retail price for the Meisel COM-80 is $34.95. www.meiselaccessories.com

Acesonic’s DGX-210 Karaoke Player Acesonic’s DGX-210 is a full-function, multi-format karaoke player with the ability to record and convert CD+G format to MP3+G without using a PC. The DGX-210 can play MP3+G format from a variety of mediums, including discs, flash drives, external hard drives, and SD cards. The MP3+G format is MP3 audio plus a graphics track to visually display the lyrics. The DGX-210 is compatible with MP3, CD, VCD, CDG, MP3G, DVD files. Other features include professional karaoke mix-

Avid’s Oxygen Series Keyboards Avid’s M-Audio Oxygen series is the first USB MIDI keyboard controller to feature DirectLink, a control mode that instantly maps the Oxygen’s controls to a digital audio workstation (DAW), giving musicians intuitive hands-on control over a session right from the keyboard. Redesigned with a fresh look for stage and studio use and available in 25-, 49- and 61-key models, the Oxygen keyboards can be used for laptop production, live performance, and professional studio applications.

er with echo volume adjustment, a singing scoring function, and two microphone inputs. The DGX-210 is rack mountable and comes with a remote control, power control and RCA cable. The retail price is $109. www.acesonic.com

Breaking News Find it in the Hot News section of MMR’s Web site,

www.MMRmagazine.com www.MMRmagazine.com

The Sound of Italy The Oxygen series controllers feature full-size velocity-sensitive keys along with a complement of sliders, knobs, and buttons for tweaking and performing with software instruments. With DirectLink, these same controls instantly map to a DAW’s mixer, pan, and transport functions, providing real time control with a variety of DAWs including Pro Tools, Cubase, Reason, Logic, and Garageband. The Oxygen 25, 49, and 61 retail for $149.95, $189.95, and $249.95 respectively. www.avid.com NOVEMBER 2009

WYMAN ORLA usa Musical Instruments

Grand Pianos Ensemble & Standard Models

You’ve Just Gotta Hear Them!

info@orlausa.com 516.502.4001 www.orlausa.com

Ensemble, Traditional, Portable, & Church Models MMR 77

P. Mauriat Finds Success by Re-inventing “Vintage” For nearly eight years, the focus of Roger Greenberg and Alex Hsieh has been to create a saxophone with a vintage sound, modern intonation and key work, all at a reasonable price. P. Mauriat Saxophones are the product of great passion for music and dedication to raising the bar in instrument manufacturing. Alex Hsieh, owner and CEO of P. Mauriat Musical Instruments, has amassed a ne collection of vintage saxophones and mouthpieces and a large library of saxophone literature, all of which continue to grow. Roger Greenberg, owner and CEO of MonteVerde Music,

North American Distributor of P. Mauriat, has been a pillar in the classical saxophone world through his extensive international performances and leadership in saxophone education. A disciple of the late Joe Allard, Roger taught at the University of Northern Colorado for twenty-four years where he aided in the success of hundreds of saxophonists, many of which now hold prestigious positions all over the world. Alex and Roger met for the rst time in 2002 as student and teacher, and the product of this relationship is a powerful new brand that has found success combining the best of the old with the best of the new. After more than two years of setting up the P. Mauriat factory and re ning the  rst P.

MACCAFERRI REEDS

Our precision diamond cut reeds are made in the USA from the nest imported cane.

— Hand Selected —

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FRENCH AMERICAN REEDS, INC. 80 Mill Masters Drive Phone: 731-664-5545

Jackson, TN 38305 Fax: 731-664-8684

www.frenchamericanreeds.com online ordering: www.reedstore.com

78 MMR

NOVEMBER 2009

P. Mauriat CEO Alex Hsieh and MonteVerde Music president Roger Greenberg

Since then, P. Mauriat has aimed to bridge the gap between modern innovations in saxophone technology, and the rich, full sounds previously only found in the best vintage horns. In P. Mauriat saxophones, improved ergonomics and precise intonation have met vibrant sound and colorful tone. P. Mauriat and MonteVerde realize that the pursuit for the best instrument will never be over, so they surround themselves with the industry’s best players, technicians, engineers

and educators to achieve a constant forward motion in the development of their products. The core of the P. Mauriat line includes the Rolled Tone Hole Series and the System 76 Series. Rolled Tone Hole Series Unlike other saxophone manufacturers, P. Mauriat genuine rolled tone hole saxophones have tone holes that are drawn and rolled from the body, not soldered. P. Mauriat is the only

Mauriat prototype, Alex took a trip to Colorado in the summer of 2002 for a month of private saxophone study with Roger. This was the  rst time Roger had seen a P. Mauriat saxophone. At  rst, he was a bit skeptical of a Taiwanese brand, but nonetheless Roger recognized that it had potential. Roger’s lessons would often include discussions on what makes a good saxophone and his conclusion was, “Start with SOUND.” Alex was determined to re ne his prototype with a focus on sound, all the while taking advantage of the modern innovations in ergonomics and intonation. Fall 2002 marked Roger’s rst trip to Taiwan when he was invited by Alex to see the P. Mauriat facilities and meet the staff. Of course, sound was the dominating topic. According to Roger, P. Mauriat saxophones were to be hand crafted of the nest material with a priority on a sound reminiscent of the great vintage horns. He relayed to the P. Mauriat engineers that professional players have always favored older vintage instruments because of their rich and complex tones. Again, the P. Mauriat factory worked tirelessly to produce a revised prototype that included Roger’s suggestions, and just months after Roger’s return to Colorado it was ready for testing. Alex orchestrated an airport handoff of this prototype in Taipei as Roger was en-route to Bangkok for a residence at the Mahidol University. Roger was so pleased with this saxophone that he used it on the nal recital of his 2-week residency. At this point he knew that these horns, with a little TLC, were going to be a force on the market and after 30+ years of endorsing a major brand, he became the rst ofcial P. Mauriat artist. NOVEMBER 2009

MMR 79

company in the world currently creating saxophones using this very difcult process. These horns are free-blowing across the entire range, and offer a huge, fat sound with a balanced mixture of overtones. Alto and tenor models are available in a standard gold lacquer, vintage dark lacquer and in unlacquered bare brass.

System 76 The P. Mauriat System 76 horns are created with straight tone holes and offer a slightly more focused sound than the rolled tone hole saxophones. They have a complex blend of overtones creating a rich sound with great projection. They are available in soprano, alto and tenor models and come

in standard gold lacquer or vintage dark lacquer. New Additions P. Mauriat’s latest release, the PMT600G and PMT-600Y trumpets, were in the development stage for over three years. After a number of prototypes and improvements made at the suggestions of professional players and trumpet professors around the globe, the line made its much anticipated and extremely well received debut at the 2009 Winter NAMM show. These trumpets have a medium-large bore and produce the big, rich sound that is part of the P. Mauriat identity. MonteVerde Music is very excited about the upcoming release of the “MonteVerde MV 180”, the rst in a new line of high quality student saxophones by P. Mauriat designed with many of the features of P. Mauriat’s professional models. The rich sound, precise intonation, and solid construction of this saxophone will enable and encourage any student to push the limits of their musicality.

Half the weight

of the original Shubb Capo! www.shubb.com info@shubb.com 707-843-4068 80 MMR

NOVEMBER 2009

Supplierscene Audix Appoints New Distributor for Canada Audix Corporation has recently appointed Mitek Canada to exclusively distribute the complete line of Audix microphones and powered speakers in Canada for the professional music, pro sound, broadcast, recording, and installation markets. Mitek Canada provides a wide range of products to all retailers across the country, from national chains to single store specialists to integrators. For more information, visit www.audixusa.com.

Additional details and a downloadable rebate coupon can be found at www.korg.com/promo.

Fishman Teams with Sam Ash for NYC Clinic Fishman and Sam Ash hosted “Sam Ash Music Presents an Evening with Legendary Acoustic Amplification

Korg Promotion for nanoSERIES Controllers Korg USA has announced a new promotion for their nanoSERIES slim-line USB controllers. From October 1st through December 31st, 2009, anyone who purchases one each of the new nanoKEY, nanoPAD, and nanoKONTROL models (available in black or white) from an

Larry Fishman & Corey Congilio

Guru Larry Fishman” on October 2nd at the music retailers storefront on West 48th Street in Manhattan. This clinic/raff le featured the Fishman founder sharing a lifetime of knowledge about amplifying acoustic instruments, and presenting the new Fishman Aura Spectrum DI. To find out more, visit www.fishman.com.

NAMM’s SupportMusic Commendation at IMC’s Musical Rights Awards authorized Korg dealer in the USA can receive a free Korg nanoHUB and a free nanoBAG. The nanoHUB is a 1 x 4 USB hub that allows multiple nanoSERIES controllers to be connected to a laptop or desktop computer simultaneously. The attractive, zippered nanoBAG with individual product slots provides reliable protection and convenience when transporting multiple nanoKONTROL, nanoKEY or nanoPAD controllers. NOVEMBER 2009

NAMM recently received a special commendation for the efforts of its SupportMusic Coalition at the inaugural International Music Council’s (IMC) Musical Rights Awards held during IMC’s World Forum on Music. Accepting the award on behalf of the Coalition was Gary Ingle, CEO of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), an affi liate of the SupportMusic Coalition and long-time music education and music-making advocate. The SupportMusic Coalition is a pub-

lic service led by U.S.-based NAMM and MENC: The National Association for Music Education, that seeks to strengthen community commitment and support for quality music education in schools. For more information, visit www.namm.org.

The Professional Drum Shop & Mitchell Peters Publications The Professional Drum Shop, celebrating its 50 years in business,has acquired Mitchell Peters Publications. Percussionist Mitchell Peters has over 65 publications in his library and is known for his mallet pieces and method books. Mitchell Peters, formally principle timpanist and percussionist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 1969 retiring in 2006, is currently Professor of Percussion at UCLA. For more information, visit www.prodrumshop.com.

Martin Verdonk Joins Tycoon Percussion Tycoon Percussion has added world percussionist Martin Verdonk to its roster of artists/endorsers. Beyond developing new concepts and techniques, Martin has also collaborated with Tycoon to develop several new instruments that have recently been added to Tycoon’s world percussion collection. Among the Martin Verdonk Signature Series of personal percussion instruments are the Easy-Shake and Swing-Shake shakers as well as the studio-style Las Vegas tambourines. For complete information about Martin Verdonk and these new additions, visit www.tycoonpercussion.com. MMR 81

Classifieds Classified Advertising To place an ad, please call Maureen at 800-964-5150 x34 or email mjohan@symphonypublishing.com Payment by: Visa, MC, Amex or Check Classifieds must be paid in advance. Symphony Publishing 21 Highland Circle, Suite 1 Needham, MA 02494 Fax: (781) 453-9389

Business Opportunities • 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

We Help People Make Music Music Store Wanted If you have a successful single or multi-location music store you would like to sell please contact us. Flexible terms offered. Send inquires to sales@wehelppeoplemakemusic.com or by phone at 510-584-6839

For Classified Sales Call Maureen

800-964-5150 ext. 34 mjohan@symphonypublishing.com

Business Opportunities

For Classified Sales Call Maureen • 800-964-5150 ext. 34 • mjohan@symphonypublishing.com 82 MMR

NOVEMBER 2009

Visit the Classifieds on the Web: www.MMRmagazine.com

Business Opportunities

www.mmrmagazine.com

Dealers Wanted

For Sale Music Store Owner Retiring

www.mmrmagazine.com NOVEMBER 2009

High trafď&#x192;&#x17E;c area, very successful. We are a full line music store, 10,000 sq. ft. free standing building, Band instrument rental program 14 lesson rooms with over 400 students major lines guitars, drums and accessories, Established 21 years, includes tuning business, piano moving with truck and band and instrument repair dept. Can be subdivided: 4,000 sq. ft. and 6,000 sq. ft. Call 631 495-3223 New York MMR 83

Visit the Classifieds on the Web: www.MMRmagazine.com

For Sale

Help Wanted

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27-plus teachers for almost 600 students; half-acre back lot ideal for store expansion or rental space. Call Owner at 832 445-5668 or BROKERS at 281 358-2222 or 281 973-0456 Real Estate and Music School/Store operation can be sold separately

www.mmrmagazine.com

Merchandise

HARD SHELL PLASTIC CASES Flute $9.00, Piccolo $6.00 Clarinet $10.00, Oboe $12.00

ELKHART CASES 1-800-582-0319

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

ENDORSED BY HEART - LIVING COLOUR - LETHARGY 84 MMR

Merchandise

For Classified Sales Call Maureen 800-964-5150 ext. 34 • mjohan@symphonypublishing.com NOVEMBER 2009

Visit the Classifieds on the Web: www.MMRmagazine.com

Merchandise Oboes & Bassoons

We create the finest hand-crafted Oboes & Bassoons. Also replacement 5K Bassoon Bocals.

Linton Woodwinds Corporation, Jack Linton 1013 Alma St. Elkhart, IN 46514 U.S.A. PH: 1-866-220-2909 Fax: 574-266-7658 E-Mail: info@lintonwoodwinds.com www.LintonWoodwinds.com

YAMAHA–KAWAI

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FINANCING AVAILABLE

Breaking News Find it in the Hot News section of MMR’s Web site, www.MMRmagazine.com NOVEMBER 2009

www.mmrmagazine.com MMR 85

Visit the Classifieds on the Web: www.MMRmagazine.com

Merchandise

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Repair Tools

BAND INSTRUMENT REPAIR VIDEO Save $$$ on repair expense. Earn extra income. Journeyman repairman offers “How To” videos on the repair of brass and woodwind instruments. For information write to: B.I.R.V. Co. 880 Slater Rd. Bellingham, WA. 98226 (360) 384-6707

Position Wanted

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.

Fretted Instrument Specialist 28 yr. music industry pro w/ Retail, Wholesale & Manufacturing knowledge with Asian, European & USA experience - Willing to relocate Contact: Stringologist@aol.com

CLASSIFIEDS on the MOVE!

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“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

check

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FAST TURN-AROUND ON STOCK REPAIRS NATIONWIDE NAPBIRT member, 26 Years Experience Contact: Dan Rieck, 801-733-4243 dan@utahwoodwindrepair.com

Reps Wanted Sales Representatives Wanted!! Michigan-based Brass, Woodwind and accessories line. Join a great new organization with an “artist-endorsed” product. Competitive Commissions with incentive. Contact: toya@dymusicusa.com 734-384-1705

For 60 years we have provided musical instrument repair tools to technicians and musicians around the world. We have a wide selection of pads and other supplies in addition to our repair tools. Contact us today for a FREE CATALOG. 86 MMR

INDEPENDENT SALES REPS

For Classified Sales Call Maureen 800-964-5150 ext. 34 mjohan@symphonypublishing.com

Sales Reps Wanted Most territories open A Great Job! Hunter Music Instrument Inc. paul@huntermusical.com NOVEMBER 2009

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Services SHIPPING YOUR PIANO

with Lone Wolf Trucking

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Vintage Instruments

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

WE, BUY, SELL, TRADE and ship worldwide. Written APPRAISALS available. GRUHN GUITARS, 400 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203

(615) 256-2033

fax (615) 255-2021

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Breaking News Find it in the Hot News section of MMR’s Web site, www.MMRmagazine.com NOVEMBER 2009

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PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT 1. Publication Title: Musical Merchandise Review. 2. Publication No.: 0027-4615. 3. Filing Date 10/5/09. 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; Xenophon 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 2009 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 : 11,295/10,918 b. Legitimate paid and/or requested distribution: (1) Paid/ Requested Outside-County Mail Subscriptions:. 6,746/6,691 (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:. 6,746/6,691 d. Nonrequested distribution: (1). Outside county nonrequested copies:.3,846/3,902 (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: 536/170 e. Total nonrequested distribution:. 4,382/4,072 f. Total Distribution:11,128/10,763 g. Copies not distributed:167/155 h. Total: 11,295/10,918 i: Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 61%/62% 16. This Statement of Ownership will be printed in the November 2009 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

Adindex COMPANY NAME

E-MAIL/WEB ADDRESS

PAGE

A A.I.M. Gifts/Albert Elovitz In Ace Karaoke/Acesonic USA Acoustics First Corp. Al Cass Alfred Music Publishing Alfred Music Publishing Allparts Amedia Cymbals USA America Longxing Inc. American Way Marketing LLC Anderson Silver Plating Antigua Winds, Inc.

www.aimgifts.com www.acekaraoke.com www.acousticsfirst.com www.alfred.com/dealer www.alfred.com/dealer www.allparts.com www.amediacymbals.com www.huntermusical.com info@americanwaymktg.com www.antiguawinds.com

28 11 33 80 71 35 76 48 74 20 63 34

B/C Battlefield Drums Bedell Guitars Connolly & Co. Creative Bags and Cases Ltd

www.battlefielddrums.com www.bedellguitars.com www.thomastik-infeld.com www.madarozzo.com; www.hoyerguitars.com

47 3 52 22-23

D Direct Sound Headphones Dunlop Manufacturing Inc.

www.extremeheadphones.com www.jimdunlop.com

33 14

www.eastwoodguitars.com www.eleca.com www.fishman.com www.frenchamericanreeds.com

78 74 67 78

E/F Eastwood Guitars Eleca International Fishman Transducers, Inc. French American Reed Mfg. Co.

www.chopsaver.com www.greatdivideguitars.com www.hailun-pianos.com www.holzinyourhead.com

12 5 69 76

www.JackrabbitMusic.com www.keithmcmillen.com www.kysermusical.com

63 62 75

M/N MonteVerde Music The Music People NAMM National Educational Music Co.

www.monteverdemusic.com www.musicpeopleinc.com www.namm.com www.nemc.com

79 13 16-17 73

O Ohana Music OnBoard Research Corp. 88 MMR

PAGE

Optek Music Systems

www.fretlight.com

www.PDWholesale.net www.palmerinomusic.com psgi@aol.com www.pedalstop.com www.playdrums.com www.petersontuners.com www.promark.com

76 29 63 12 49 57 39

www.qmpsales.com www.realdelosreyes.com www.remo.com www.reunionblues.com www.rolandUS.com

40 14 47 21 7

www.sabian.com www.sagamusic.com www.samsontech.com www.schilkemusic.com www.shsint.net www.shubb.com www.skbcases.com

27 72 1 60 59 80 29

www.cavanaughcompany.com www.supernaturalcymbals.com www.swirlygig.com

65 46 40

P P & D Wholesale Palmerino Music Paul Shelden Global Productions Pedal Stop Percusion Marketing Council Peterson Strobe Tuners Pro-Mark Corp.

Q/R QMP Sales Real de los Reyes Remo Reunion Blues Roland Corp. U.S.

S Sabian Ltd. Saga Musical Instruments Samson Technologies Corp. Schilke Music Products SHS International Shubb Capos SKB Corp. Super-Sensitive Musical String Co. Supernatural Percussion Inc Swirly Gig Industries TKL Products Corp. ToneGear Tycoon Percussion U.S. Band & Orchestra Supplies

www.tkl.com www.theStringCleaner.com www.tycoonpercussion.com www.usbandsupplies.com

cov 2 62 42 9

www.dansr.com www.dansr.com www.dansr.com www.vater.com www.VicFirth.com www.VicFirth.com www.visualsound.net www.wymanpiano.com

70 30 10 43 37 41 cov 4 77

V/W

J/K Jack Rabbit Music Keith McMillen Instruments Kyser Musical Products Inc.

E-MAIL/WEB ADDRESS

T/U

G/H Good for the Goose Products Great Divide Guitars Hailun USA Holz LTD

COMPANY NAME

www.ohana-music.com www.tuners.com

80 59

Vandoren Vandoren Vandoren Vater Percussion Vic Firth, Inc. Vic Firth, Inc. Visual Sound LLC Wyman Piano Company

X/Y/Z Xcel Drumsticks Yamaha Corp. of America Avedis Zildjian Co.

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

48 53 15 NOVEMBER 2009

Jazz Education Network

The

is dedicated to building the jazz arts community by advancing education, promoting performance, and developing new audiences. The Jazz Education Network was founded in the spirit of collaboration and excellence. Our goal is to be a vital resource for a constantly evolving art form that lives globally.

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lead the transformation of the jazz education culture

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Afﬁliate - $25 Annual Fee + $10 per person/member 17 and under categories to be launched soon! Please check the web site for updates.

JAZZ EDUCATION NETWORK

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For complete membership information/beneﬁts please visit us at: www.JazzEdNet.org