Under the Hood

Luna Ukes

By Brian Berk

and Luna Percussion Henna Dragon Series

“Enter the Dragon.” Luna Ukes announced the release of three ukuleles featuring the warmth of mahogany, the power of a builtin preamp and Luna’s own signature laser etchings, showcasing a Henna Dragon on the top.

Why the Henna Dragon? “Historically, the symbol of the Dragon is deeply rooted in cultures throughout the world for its spiritual meaning of offering courage to those who need it most. Much like Luna’s Henna Dragon acoustic/electric guitar, Henna Dragon ukuleles are powerful allies to musicians of all skill levels,” stated Luna.

“Since the brand’s inception, the Henna Series has been a staple to the Luna line and a movement of artistic expression. As the first two works of art in the series, the Oasis and Paradise were inspired by Medieval Spanish henna patterns of that era, and gently laser-etched across the guitar’s spruce wood top,” Adam Gomes, brand director and artist relations for Luna Guitars, told the Music & Sound Retailer. “The introduction of the Henna Dragon design was a testament to the brand’s growth and expansion over the years. In 2020, we were looking for a design that reflects on a musician’s long journey and embodies those characteristics such as strength and perseverance. For both male and female players alike, the symbol of the dragon resembles that exact feeling. Having a powerful design by your side serves as a pleasant reminder to keep doing what you love, and given the challenges we faced in 2020, the Henna Dragon guitar meant even more.”

For ukulele enthusiasts, Luna added a family of Henna Dragon ukes of different sizes and body shapes that feature an all-mahogany body. “Mahogany is a great tonewood used on many ukuleles that produces warm and vibrant sound,” Gomes said. Luna Henna Dragon ukes are available in Concert, Tenor and Baritone models, and feature mahogany tops, bodies and C-shape set necks, which give the instrument a warmer sound overall and higher-pitched tonality, according to the company. In addition, they have pau ferro bridges and fretboards with pearloid moon phase inlays, chrome hardware, slotted headstocks with open-gear chrome button tuners, Luna UK-T2 preamps with built-in EQ and tuners, and open-pore natural finishes. They come equipped with Aquila strings and a gig bag.

Luna Percussion, the percussion arm of Luna Guitars, also added the Luna Henna Dragon Cajon featuring birch construction. The cajon’s birch construction provides a wide tonal range with exceptional projection, the company stated. Its built-in snares can be engaged with a quick switch of a steel knob, allowing percussionists to provide the backbeat to go along with the deep rich percussive tones of the instrument. “For percussion fans, we laser-etched the Henna Dragon design around all four sides of the new all-birch cajon,” Gomes said. The delicately laser-etched dragon design is on full display all around the 12- by 12- by 19-inch body.

“Regardless of which Henna Series instrument you choose, one can always enjoy running their fingers across the raw wood-burned artwork of each of these designs on a satin-finish instrument of their choice,” Gomes concluded.

Company

Pg

ACT ENTERTAINMENT... 27 AMAHI UKULELES ......... 29 AMERICAN WAY MARKETING..................... 26 ARMADILLO ENTERPRISES.................C-II AUSTRIAN AUDIO / GROUP ONE...................... 5 BOURNS PRO AUDIO ...... 53 CASIO................................. 43 CHAUVET LIGHTING...... 8 CHAUVET LIGHTING...... 9 DRUM WORKSHOP ......... 10 DRUM WORKSHOP ......... 11 F.E. OLDS........................... 28 G7TH, THE CAPO COMPANY......................... 35 GATOR CASES.................. 25 GIBSON..........................C-IV HAL LEONARD ................ 7 IK MULTIMEDIA.............. 39 JJ BABBITT ....................... 30 JMAZ LIGHTING.............. 6 KHS AMERICA ................. 33 KORG USA ........................ 37 MANHASSET SPECIALTY COMPANY......................... 3 MUSIC NOMAD................ 20 NAMM................................ 15 OSIAMO............................. 52 PEAVEY ............................. 17 PETERSON ELECTROMUSICAL PRODUCTS..... 24 PROEL NORTH AMERICA .......................... 47 PRS GUITARS ................... 23 QUARTO ............................ 22 REVERB............................. 19 TASCAM ............................ 41 TECH 21 ............................. 45 TMP / THE MUSIC PEOPLE!............................. 21 TONEWOODAMP .........C-III VIDAMI.............................. 51 VOCOPRO.......................... 13 YORKVILLE...................... 31

While every care is taken to ensure that these listings are accurate and complete, The Music & Sound Retailer does not accept responsibility for omissions or errors.

INDEPENDENT RETAILER ROUNDTABLE

(continued from page 31)

thought from my kids, who attended the show.

Sassi: When we had NAMM in January it was [a virtual event]. That was great, but to actually see things in person was tremendous.

The Retailer: How about seeing people you had not seen in 18 months since the 2020 NAMM Show? That had to be so joyous for you.

Sassi: It felt more like two years. I know we last officially saw each other at the 2020 NAMM Show. But the January show is so different from the summer show. The January show is a big blur. It is work, work, work. We often do not get to have meaningful conversations with people we know in the industry like “I drive around the city and see we do at Summer NAMM. It is more like a quick “Hi. See you. I have to go.” the legacy businesses It felt like two years because it was two LOST TO COVID. years since the last [in-person] Summer NAMM where we could actually sit down and talk to people.

It is sad." The Retailer: Let’s talk about resolve. In addition to the pandemic, Lana, you had to endure a looting and fire. Robin and Kimberly, you went through a ton as well. But you made it through. Are you at a point where you can say you have seen everything and you can now do anything?

Deverell: Like Robin mentioned earlier, we had to explore other revenue streams. Recently, everything has been coming back, so we have this dichotomy of old versus new. We are busy. I remember looking at Robin and saying, “This is the best worst thing that has ever happened to us.” It did force change. We are not afraid of change. Robin is a change junkie. But we were definitely stagnant. We needed something to move us into a different direction. As painful as it was, and it was painful, I am glad we got through it and are on the other side. Sassi: Kimberly said a few months ago that we were complacent. We were, a year and a half ago. We did not think so. We thought we were killing it. After the pandemic happened, we thought we could grow in so many different ways. It was the best worst thing that ever happened to us. Negrete: That is a great way to phrase it. I had taken over a family business and was in the process of rebirthing something. I felt like I was given a bike in the middle of a triathlon that had a flat tire and the chain was falling off, and I had to jump on and just continue. I did not get to focus on every other part of the bike to fix it. The bike literally got swept out from under me. In a way, I was able to rebuild from the ground up. We were literally demolished. We looked at a lot of issues and how to improve. The fire that happened the day after the looting in Santa Monica, we redid our Culver City location. That was long overdue. We are going to rename it and have a new grand opening. Also, five of our 10 studios are now podcast stages. We brought in the revenue stream of podcasting. We now offer multi-purpose studios. I have had to look at square footage differently. If I am not getting the revenue from kids taking lessons, how can I utilize this space and continue? Each room has livestream capabilities. You can teach a lesson, or you can come in there and rent a room and talk about your cat for an hour, as long as you pay for it. You can have one of our engineers edit your video. Teachers can teach a class to virtual students. Or, you can mix and record. We have a live recording studio being built now. These are all things I had on my bucket list, and the pandemic afforded us that opportunity. The other thing to mention is, we were put on a map in a different way. We were always there, but people in the community told us they passed by our store for 50 years. Now, they are coming in to take lessons. More importantly, people are coming in to hear our story,

which was amplified after what happened to us. Like Kimberly said, it was the best worst thing to happen to us. It is not that, all of a sudden, we are doing something different. It is that people did not know what we were doing. We had been giving back to the community and had been a staple in the community, but the right people took notice. Some celebrities took notice, and that definitely helped us to amplify what we were doing. Everything was literally lined up against us, including a competitor trying to take us out, and the pandemic. I do feel that this past year has been so crazy that I can do anything now. I am even on [the Santa Monica] City Council now. I believe there is no challenge big enough. It was like I was going to the gym and training for an event. I am all “trained up” and can do anything. When the next challenge presents itself, I am not afraid.

The Retailer: Let’s shift to what concerns you in MI. What is your biggest challenge or biggest concern right now?

Negrete: I have a couple. First is that there seems to be a silo between independent retailers and large retailers. It is just my perspective and the vibe I get. I would say to large retailers, let independent retailers flourish, because it supports your business. I know it is a concept that is hard to look at in a dog-eat-dog world, but if we went away, that is not a positive for large retailers. We have octopus arms that can reach way out into the community. We are the ones spending the time not just selling the product, but music education and its importance. We go to the NAMM [Advocacy] Fly-In to learn how to capture funds. Music education is where it starts. I would like to see larger retailers respect and honor what the independent retailers are doing, as opposed to what seems to be happening: aggressive backdoor ways of eliminating those people.

On the product side, there really needs to be more direct, straightforward dialogue and not talk-around about how they can support the independent retailers. If we are not competitive in the market and we lose the bid, what does that do for the vendor? If I am able to win the bid, there are three of four more accounts behind that. But if I get outbid by a larger company, [the manufacturer] should not think it does not matter because their product is still out there. I take an interest in every product from our vendors and will be their sales rep. I do not see that from larger competitors. I do not see them standing up with a PowerPoint that has [the vendor’s] logo on it. People have asked me if I am invested in the company. I tell them “No, but I really want you to buy their stuff because I truly believe in it, so I took the time to learn about the product so I could effectively sell it.” I would like to see the vendors really supporting us independent dealers and providing an opportunity for us to flourish, because if we do not help the economy of this industry, then everyone suffers.

Sassi: To emphasize what Lana is talking about, there is a danger to having too homogenous an industry, where we are all selling the same thing. We have also taken a stance that if there is a manufacturer that sells its product directly online, we do not carry their products. We are not a free showroom for them. People have come into the store looking for a certain product, and I tell them I would love to [carry that product line], but they sell them online direct, and you can buy it from them. I tell them I cannot help them in these situations. We have to understand we cannot be everything to everybody as a retailer. If manufacturers are doing well selling online, that is fine. But what we like to do is find some of the smaller companies with new products we can move quickly, and by the time the big places find out about it, it is a year and a half later, and we are on to the next thing.

Negrete: That is a great point. I would like [manufacturers] to decide if they are direct or not. Many are on the fence, and it is tricky. In the same respect, when it comes to school bids, which we rely heavily upon, I have witnessed the same thing, where companies are creating their own products and going direct to school accounts. What happened to that code of honor of “I am your rep in the area and that is how it is supposed to work”? I am a marketing major. If I created a product and I am selling it, being online is not going to effectively have longevity and a long-term generational buy-in into my brand. But somebody actually being able to show my brand so they can touch and feel it first and then buy it, that is what creates longevity and long-term buy-in into a brand. We are the ones that help vendors stay longer. But if they focus too much on selling online or only the big-box retailers, we get pushed out.

Sassi: It is true. Look at this in any other industry. Let’s say it is the restaurant industry and Denny’s. They have consistent portions, predictable prices and customer service. There are a ton of them. When I go out to eat, I really do not want to go to Denny’s. I want to go somewhere special. I want to go somewhere different. Something local and cool. If I travel, I will go to Denny’s because I feel safe with its offerings. But if I am local, I want something original. I think people desire that, and that’s what smaller retailers are able to provide. If you come into our music store, I do not think there is anything else like it in San Diego. People come in all the time and say, “Wow, what a vibe you have here. This is great.” We are not corporate. We are a community music store. We are like an oldfashioned coffee house where you used to be able to go on a Friday night, bring your guitar and sign up for an open mic. You cannot do that at Starbucks.

The Retailer: With this said, are you optimistic about the future?

Deverell: If we made it through last year, I think we can make it through anything. I am always a person who is optimistic and positive.

Negrete: We are still standing. That is a good sign. I take a drive around my city and see the legacy businesses that are gone due to

COVID. It is sad. But then you look at the businesses that are still standing, and you talk to those people, and you learn about the individuality Robin talked about.We strive through social media and marketing to create a brand, and we have had to do it virtually.

Having been locked in our homes and forced to be away from people, we are all craving for this one-on-one, old-school vibe that you actually feel and see. Instead of creating a feeling that is material on the internet or social media, people are coming into the store looking to create that feeling in person, including live music. We are trying to engage and have outdoor events that will not be impacted by whatever is going on with COVID right now. I am seeing a big rush and influx of people wanting to come into the store. They are even fine with finding a parking spot. Before, that was a big issue. People are looking forward to having a chitchat with the store owner. My dad, who is 81, gives them a tour of the store. People miss the culture, and it goes across all age ranges.

Going forward, this pause we had in the world has given us an opportunity to reevaluate what our beliefs are and focus on what is important. I think human connection is a big part of it. Small retailers like ourselves

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email us now to become a dealer! are creating that vibe. We are creating that connection. We are touching their heart with music. It sounds so cheesy, but it is so true. I think things look good. I am with Kimberly.

MI SPY

(continued from page 38) acoustic and electric guitars and basses that look as amazing as they sound. He even makes guitar effects pedals! And he is friendly and super knowledgeable about many things, especially repairing and modifying guitars, and he took the time to explain to Agent J how to begin building your own effects pedals.

In some corners, the store resembled a museum (with signed records and albums, vintage concert posters and the like). And there were lots of rock ‘n roll and jazz posters and memorabilia on display, too.

If you are seeking well-crafted, indie-brand musical instruments, stop by. This place really is something else. The handmade beauties we saw during our visit included some unusual body shapes, like a six-sided guitar and an eight-sided one, as well. But the JEB custom guitars are the real draw here; you gotta see them (and yes, the owner will let you strum them).

The Sale

If you’re in the market for a guitar in this district, head out to Ithaca Guitar Works for excellent selection and service. My team of MI Spies truly appreciated this store, and it is the winner this month.

We were also quite impressed with Hickey’s and Music City, both very good stores with a wider variety of instrument offerings. Serious musicians (and choral singers in particular) will appreciate McNeil’s, but they may have to do a lot of hunting through the displays themselves. And for those searching high and low for special, one-of-a-kind guitars, JEB at Corning Art & Frame will be a delight.

But remember, if the desire to commune with nature strikes you, and you bring an acoustic guitar to one of the beautiful parks or gorges in this breathtaking area of New York State, make sure to protect them from the roaring rapids, you dig?

THE FINAL NOTE

(continued from page 54) an Italian-based company. I am fortunate to regularly enjoy the world’s best wines and vineyards in California and Italy.

The Retailer: What is the best concert you’ve ever been to?

Ferranti: Probably U2 Live in Montreal, 1997. I was finishing my music degree from The Crane School of Music in Potsdam, New York, and drove myself just across the border to Montreal, Canada, and experienced a powerful concert. It really spoke to me at just the right time. A close second would be Pavarotti and Friends: Under the Stars and Live in Italy in 1999, [which I attended] while I was in summer school in Italy. That was simply a magical evening and summer.

The Retailer: If you could see any musician, alive or deceased, play a concert for one night, who would it be and why?

Ferranti: It would have to be an experience that you couldn’t replicate today. I can only imagine seeing Johann Sebastian Bach play the organ at a small cathedral in Germany. Or imagine the experience of taking a gondola ride across the water canals of Venice, Italy, to the Cathedral of the Pietà to see Antonio Vivaldi play the violin and conduct a youth symphony through The Four Seasons. That would be an unforgettable night, for sure.

The Retailer: What musician are you hoping to see play in the near future (postpandemic)?

Ferranti: At Proel North America, I am blessed to work with some of the finest singers, pianists and performing artists in the world. They are our family. I am excited for them to put this hiatus behind them. This pandemic has been devastating to our industry artists. They have found creative ways of getting through it (and helping us all get through it) with online performances, house concerts, etc. But I am ready and excited to support them as they come back to doing what they love to do.

The Retailer: What are your favorite songs on your smartphone/iPod?

Ferranti: My song library has so many diverse and eclectic artists on it, and my favorites change all the time. During the pandemic I was enjoying Kate Tempest’s “People’s Faces” as it perfectly captured the moment and what we have been missing for 18 months. But you’ll regularly find me enjoying the best of the rock legends, jazz and Rat Pack classics, impressionistic piano music, great soundtracks, classical music, a cappella music, electronic music, world music. I honestly love variety, and my current favorite changes throughout the year depending on what my soul needs.

The Retailer: What’s the most fun thing you saw/did at a NAMM Show?

Ferranti: It’s always thrilling to see world-class performers hanging out with us at our Proel North America booth having fun, jamming, and just being musicians and colleagues. We regularly are delighted to welcome Stevie Wonder, Don Randi, Marcus Miller, Ray Parker Jr., The New Power Generation, Sheléa, Victoria Theodore, Russell Ferrante, and more than I can list playing our Italian-made Dexibell Digital Pianos, Tamburo Drumsets, singing with our Eikon Microphones, or auditioning our Proel Sound Systems and Axiom Pro Audio in the arena. That’s the magic of NAMM. It takes us all back to being kids in a candy store again. And we have the sweetest Italian candy that fine artists love.

The Retailer: If you had to select three people, past or present, to have dinner with, who would they be and what would you ask them?

Ferranti: Did you see the movie “Midnight in Paris?” Fun movie. It explores this very scenario. A modern-day writer, played by Owen Wilson, goes to Paris to write his novel and dreams of the Golden Era of the past. Each night he finds himself transported back in time to Paris of the 1920s, having dinner and drinks with his artistic heroes such as Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Picasso, Cole Porter and more. While initially fascinating, he ultimately realizes that living in the past is a romanticized concept, but ultimately

its reality is no more or less satisfying than the present. I find the simple pleasures of taking a music dealer out to lunch while visiting their store, dinners at NAMM with colleagues, or a trip to our Proel headquarters in Italy with industry partners to be just as enjoyable as any legendary names I could invoke. Everyone in our industry is welcome at my table, and we’ll have the best time if we remember to include a glass of great wine.

The Retailer: Tell us about your most memorable experience with an MI retailer (without naming them).

Ferranti: Before the pandemic, I brought some of North America’s top MI retailers and music press (the Music & Sound Retailer included) to visit our headquarters in Italy. We had three of the most fun days I’ve had in a long time. Factory tours, new instrument previews, wine tasting, dinners, and a celebratory banquet and concert with some of our top artists. While these retailers compete with each other daily for the business of musicians across the USA and Canada, they were like the best of friends. We all were and continue to be. Lifelong friendships grew from that trip, and we plan to do more trips with our dealers to Italy when the pandemic ends!

The Retailer: What is the best thing about the MI industry?

Ferranti: The best thing about the MI industry is that what we do matters. How we do it changes. Where we do it changes. Who is doing it changes. But what we do matters, and it always will. My previous company, Alfred Music, says it well: “We help the world experience the joy of making music.” And that matters.

The Retailer: Who do you admire most outside of the music industry and why?

I had always admired the intuition, salesmanship, and ultimately the creative products of Steve Jobs and Apple. His dedication to simplicity and highquality intuitive design on behalf of his customers is remarkable. He reportedly had a question that he would ask to his management staff: “What did you say ‘no’ to today?” In a noisy, oversaturated world, I find that level of focus and commitment to purposeful design inspiring. Another great quote of his is “Never settle.” I love selling our world-class, quality musical products with their thoughtful, beautiful Italian design which inspires our customers. Our goal is to innovate, not inundate. Customers should never have to settle.

The Retailer: What technology could change MI down the road?

Ferranti: There are several emerging technologies that are in their infancy but have interesting long-term possibilities. For music education and performance, I think that immersive Virtual Reality could be an exciting platform and provide unique learning, playing and appreciation opportunities and break down costly barriers of entry to these experiences. I can imagine the impact virtual reality could have once it develops further. Imagine bringing to life worlds which one would otherwise never have access to; being completely immersed in an era of music; or even being transported to a stage, concert hall, or even a country or region of the world to experience performances and instruments within a context and reality that goes even beyond today’s platforms. Recently, I experienced a robust flight simulator with complete immersive VR technology. I charted a course from one airport to the next and explored several cities for hours in flight and with a reality that was so satisfying to experience, all on my own schedule, without being in the physical aircraft. I can imagine an aspiring musician practicing, playing or appreciating music for many additional hours outside the in-person lesson room or music studio with this kind of immersive technology. And it could be an exciting market expansion for manufacturers, content creators and MI retailers.

The Retailer: If you weren’t in the music industry, what would you be doing and why?

Ferranti: If I weren’t in the music industry, I suppose I would explore the wine industry. There’s something about the artistry and craftsmanship of winemaking that appeals to my creative side. And the storytelling behind the presentation and sharing of the final product appeals to my business and marketing side. It shares a lot of similarities with quality music products and our MI industry.

The Retailer: Tell us about your hometown and why you enjoy living there.

Ferranti: I live in the Santa Clarita Valley suburb of Los Angeles. I love it for many reasons. It’s secluded enough from the big city to feel like a small town with its peaceful nature and hiking, running and bike-riding paths, and it also has an old town center with eclectic shops, restaurants, a farmer’s market, and even attractions like Hollywood’s original cowboy movie sets, and the famous Vasquez Rocks (original “Star Trek” fans will recognize it as the other-worldly landing site of Captain Kirk and the away-team explorers). And Hollywood, Burbank, and the bustling music and entertainment opportunities of downtown Los Angeles are only 20 minutes away. It’s a great area.

The Retailer: What are your most prized possession(s) and why?

Ferranti: My most prized possession is a one-of-a-kind homemade gift that could never be replaced. When I moved away from home, my mother, rest her soul, gave me a heart-shaped glass music box with a picture of her and me together at a café. When it is wound, it plays “Unforgettable.” It reminds me of her unforgettable love, support and sacrifice for me up until her sudden passing several years ago. I keep it on my desk. If I look at the picture and hear that music box play “Unforgettable,” it can be very emotional. I can’t do that very often.

The Retailer: What’s your favorite book and why?

Ferranti: I enjoy reading. I currently read about 20 books per year (mostly business and non-fiction), but my lasting favorites are stories I read during my formative years. “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho would be among my favorites. A smalltown shepherd boy, in pursuit of his dream, sells his flock, leaves the comfort of his hometown, journeys into the unknown, falls in love, goes through life’s hardships and setbacks, finds a mentor who teaches him the secrets of alchemy and ultimate sacrifice, which transforms his life, and he finally realizes the meaning of his dream. Turning a humble life into gold: the ultimate alchemy. I can identify with that. Hey, a boy can dream.