FOCUSRITE ORANGE MUSIKMESSE BACKS MI RETAIL CONFERENCE & EXPO LARSON WINDCRAFT

No. 121 • JUNE 2010 • WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK PRINT • ONLINE • MOBILE

STRIKING THE RIGHT CHORDAVSL’s MI brand is looking to open up a whole new world of business

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT PROFESSIONAL � FOR EVERYONE IN THE MI BUSINESS

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

FEATURESLARSON 22The tale of an acoustic brand behind a number ofdesign innovations

ORANGE 25How one young lad created a breakthrough

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

WINDCRAFT 33New saxophone sure to get dealers interested

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COVER STORY 18

ISSUE 121 JUNE 2010

You’ve probably noticed that we’re excited about the MIRetail Conference & Expo at the moment. Assuming thatyou have, you will hopefully also have noticed that we

are making a pretty big deal about that the fact that it’s aretail event. It’s been guided by retailers in order to be relevantto retailers. The conference is full of content that targets waysdealers can make more money and subjects of discussion thatthe vast majority want to see aired.

The expo element is the more traditional aspect of theevent. A chance for suppliers and dealers to meet and talkbusiness. The meetings and talking continue into Roland’s AfterShow Party, where the emphasis is less on business and moreon networking, but all the same, a crucial part of being aprofessional in the world of MI. We are a small crowd here inthe UK, so the chance to meet as equals is a valuable one.What’s more, you won’t be seeing that glazing over of the eyesthat is so common for all of us when people ask us what we dofor a living and we have the insensitivity to tell them.

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

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

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

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

Andy Barrett

NEWS

EVENTS

SECTOR SPOTLIGHTS

With sky-high ambitions and

the intention to spread out

all over the MI spectrum,

AVSL (formerly Skytronic)

could just be a good reason

for the industry’s big guns to

be a little bit worried

BRANCHING OUT

MUSIKMESSE JOINS MIRC,

YAMAHA’S JULIAN WARD,

SUSTAINABLE MARINER, JET

CITY IN THE UK, YORK STAYS

STRONG

MI RETAIL CONFERENCE & EXPO 13With not long to go now until its debut, this eventhas been consistently adding huge names to its line-up, making it an essential addition to the MIindustry’s diary

ACOUSTIC GUITARS 37A look at the latest strummable equipment

PERCUSSION 48Investigating what’s new in the rhythmic sector

SHEET MUSIC 55The way through the recession on paper

4

22

25

48

RETAILHOBGOBLIN EXPANDS 69Plus more retail news, an MIA update, a Surreylocation report and Mann’s Music in Colchestergets the Indie Profile treatment

Muiskmesse values

the UK retailer and

wants to get face to

face with you to find

out what you want

from the trade and

from them

mipro@intentmedia.co.uk

ANDY BARRETT

EDITORIALCOMMENT

Musikmesse joins forces with new

NEWS

Top level alliance struck between MI Retail Conference & Expo and world’s biggest MI show � Conference includes e-commerce,

Yamaha’s guitar man goes globalIN A move Yamaha is flagging

up as a milestone, Yamaha UK’s

guitar product manager, Julian

Ward, has been promoted to a

newly created global position,

which marks the first time that

a non-Japanese member of staff

has been transferred from a

subsidiary territory directly to

Japanese head office.

Ward’s new title is

international guitar marketing

and product planning manager

and the role sees him taking

responsibility for a range of

international functions,

including product and

promotional planning and

training. He will manage these

and co-ordinate

communications and market

research information between

the European and US markets

and the head offices in Japan.

Reporting directly to the

head of guitar and drum

marketing in Japan, the

appointment illustrates an

expanding recognition within

Yamaha Japan of the significant

role and influence that the UK

and US markets need to play in

ensuring the continuing

success of Yamaha guitars in the

global marketplace.

The new role also recognises

the importance that Yamaha

Corporation now places on

deploying international skills to

better integrate and develop

marketing programmes, thus

ensuring that the detailed

knowledge and skills of key

Western staff are used to

maximum effect.

“I am really excited about the

new role,” said Ward. “I’ll still be

UK-based, but I now have a

global role. It’s very significant

that Yamaha Japan has added

global marketing to the existing

artist relations and R&D

functions that can be more

effectively influenced and

strategically developed by the

highly influential markets of

Europe and North America in

partnership with our Japanese

head office.”

YAMAHA: 01908 366700

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THE INAUGURAL MI Retail

Conference & Expo has received

a major boost, with Musikmesse

signing up as Headline Sponsor

as it looks to attract even more

UK dealers to what is already the

biggest MI event in the world.

The Frankfurt show will play a

leading role in what now officially

becomes the MI Retail Conference

& Expo in association with

Musikmesse. It’s a long title, but

then it’s a hugely significant deal,

as Musikmesse recognises the

potential of the event and looks to

communicate directly to UK

retailers via a conference and expo

established with the specific aim

of putting them top of the agenda

and presenting a variety of ways

to improve their businesses.

Details of how dealers can

maximise Musikmesse and gain

practical benefits from their visit

will be outlined at the MI Retail

Conference & Expo, which takes

place at The Brewery in central

London on Tuesday, June 29th. The

team behind the German show

will also be on hand to help

dealers plan their trips.

Musikmesse 2011 takes place

in Frankfurt from April 6th-9th.

MI Pro publisher Dave Roberts

commented: “To gain this level of

backing from the world’s leading

MI event is a huge vote of

confidence in the MI Retail

Conference & Expo and we’re

delighted to have such a

prestigious headline partner. Even

more significantly, it shows how

seriously Musikmesse takes its

relationship with UK dealers and

how keen it is to get more of them

than ever to Frankfurt in 2011.”

Meanwhile, details of the

conference agenda have also

been announced. It will include

new research from GfK, a retail-

focused presentation from the

MIA and panel sessions featuring

industry leaders discussing online

selling and the lessons learned

from the collapse of Sound

Control, Reverb and other chains.

AFTER SHOW SPONSOR

GOLD PARTNERS

PLATINUM PARTNERS

Julian Ward breaks new ground by moving up to Japanese head office for guitar promotions and training

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

11:00 – Welcome

Stuart Dinsey, MI Pro

11:05 – Where We’re At, Where

We’re Going

Matt Gibbs, GfK

Exclusive data from one

of the world’s biggest

research companies.

11:30 –

Reverberations

(Panel session)

Chairman: Andy

Barrett, MI Pro

Panelists: Noel Sheehan,

Sheehans; Simon Gilson,

PMT; plus two leading

suppliers TBC.

What has the industry

learned from the

collapse of Sound Control, Reverb

and others?

11:55 – What Has The MIA Ever

Done For Us?

Paul McManus, MIA

How the trade body can help

retailers sell more product and

make more money.

12:10 – Music For All

Tim Walter, Roland

News on the industry charity’s

latest initiative.

12:15 – Online Selling: Threat

or Opportunity?

(Panel session)

Chairman: Peter

Heath, Roland

Panelists: Jason

Tavaria, Dolphin;

David Briggs,

Dawsons; Harvey

Roberts, Audio

Technica; Paul

Marshall, Marshall.

The single biggest

shift in the MI retail

landscape comes

under the spotlight.

12:40 – Music Matters

Billy Bragg

The legendary singer, songwriter

and campaigner talks about the

importance of music and the role

of retailers across all aspects of

the community – and updates us

on his Jail Guitar Doors project.

EVENT PARTNERS

AND SPONSORS

retail event

NEWS

Sustainable Mariner

SOUNDBITES

Bookmark us inyour phone:

MOBILE.MI-PRO.CO.UK

Jet City gets to

Source in UKNew US valve amplifier brand launches in

the UK through Source Distribution

SOURCE DISTRIBUTION has

announced its appointment as

the exclusive UK distributor for

the new US valve amp

manufacturer, Jet City

Amplification.

Established in September

2009, Seattle-based Jet City is

the brainchild of MI veterans

Doug White and Dan

Gallagher, alongside the valve

amp design guru, Mike

Soldano. Both White and

Gallagher have extensive

experience in the MI industry,

having between them

occupied key roles with

Gibson, Ampeg and Alesis

among others, while Mike

Soldano has carved himself an

enviable reputation as a

designer of high gain tube

amps with unmatched

overdrive tone. The company’s

philosophy is to offer

premium-quality boutique

tube amps at very affordable

prices – by applying a volume

manufacturing approach to

Soldano’s legendary boutique

amp designs.

Commenting on the

appointment, Source’s director

of distributed brands, Howard

Jones (pictured right with

Source's northern area sales

manager, Richard Powell), said:

“Four of us at Source – me

included – are experienced

guitarists and it’s been an

established goal of ours to

increase our presence in the

UK MI market. I can’t think of

a better amp than Jet City to

help us achieve that. There’s a

real buzz about Jet City in the

US that has now reached

Europe and the excitement

that these amps have

generated has been quite

amazing. We can’t wait to

introduce them to the UK.”

Jet City’s co-president, Dan

Gallagher, added: “The UK is a

key market for Jet City and

we’re thrilled to be working

with Source. No other UK

distributor offers the same

professionalism, customer

support and sheer marketing

muscle as these guys and we

look forward to welcoming

many UK guitarists as Jet

Citizens in the next few years.

SOURCE DISTRIBUTION:

020 8962 5080

LATESTNEWS

STRAIGHT TOYOUR MOBILE

collapsing chains, exclusive research and charity

SIGN UP FOR THE MI PRO NEWSFLASH SERVICE AT WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JUNE 2010 5

”I can’t think of

a better amp

than Jet to

help us

increase our

MI presence.Howard Jones

Source

Distribution

MARINER, THE distinctive UK-

designed acoustic guitar brand, is

claiming a breakthrough in the

quest for sustainable tonewoods.

After two years development,

the company is unveiling a new

‘Green’ series, built from

paulownia. Mariner is calling the

newcomers its Vertys range.

“Although MI’s overall use of

exotic tone woods from

endangered species is relatively

small, it is highly reliant upon

them,” said Mariner’s founder,

Ken Achard. “Ever since the

brand’s conception, we have

been concerned about this and

have devoted our efforts to

producing an environmentally

friendly guitar.”

The backs and sides of these

instruments are built from

paulownia, while the

fingerboards and bridges are

made from sonokeling, a

sustainable South East Asian

species of rosewood.

The necks are made from

nyatoh, a non-threatened

hardwood, and the tops are solid

sitka , another managed timber

Paulownia grows to harvest in

just seven years, compared with

40 to 45 years for mahogany.

When the tree is harvested it

regenerates from the existing

rootstock, so it can be coppiced

rather than felled. It is also

grown successfully with other

crops for the economically

effective use of land.

The wood weighs in at one

third the weight of

mahogany, meaning guitars

constructed from it are lighter

and comfortable to play over

long periods.

MUSIC FORCE: 01780 781630

MARINER GUITARS: 07710

842989

For details on Event Partner Packages, please

contact Jodie.Holdway@intent media.co.uk

or phone 01992 535 647

Thomastik

exclusive for B&MBarnes & Mullins has revealed

that it is the sole supplier of

Thomastik Infeld strings for the

UK. Although B&M – through

the Hidersine Company – has

had the exclusive distribution

rights for a long time, until

now Thomastik Infeld products

have been sub-distributed

through a number of other

companies.

Bruce Perrin, B&M’s joint

managing director explains the

reasons behind this change:

“Thomastik Infeld is

undoubtedly the brand leader,

and as such it deserves clear,

focussed attention.”

Stageworks matStageworks has launched its

Non-Slip Pedal Mat, suitable

for various instruments,

particularly keyboard, guitar

and drums (see page 70).

The product is an alternative

to gaffa taping pedals down, a

common annoyance for

musicians until now.

Infinity GuitarsInfinity Guitars, a partnership

between Jaden Rose Guitars

and The Monkey

Lord/Chapman Guitars has

now been formed, with new

designs already being planned.

HEADLINE SPONSOR

SARAH YULE has been handed the role

of international sales manager by

Numark Industries. She will be

responsible for a number of important

accounts, as well as helping to expand

the business.

Yule has been involved with music

from a young age and left Liverpool’s

Institute for Performing Arts with a BA

in Sound Technology. After graduation,

she began working for Dolphin Music

Enterprises, which she helped achieve

immense growth.

This led to her moving to TL Audio,

a long established manufacturer of

pro audio equipment.

Here she was required to expand

and organise the distribution

structure, as well as helping to re-

brand the company and the Fatman

brand. Her success in these areas

caused her to become sought after

across both industries, leading to this

new career progression.

Yule is also a keen blogger and is a

columnist for MI Pro’s sister

magazine, Audio Pro International.

Numark Industries was established

in 1971 and is recognised as a global

leader in professional DJ and audio

equipment.

NUMARK: 01252 341400

Yule joins

Numark

YORK, ONE one of the world’s leaders

in brass instruments, is continuing

business despite the request by

Schreiber & Keilwerth, its parent

company, for the opening of insolvency

proceedings recently.

York has maintained its presence at

brass events, such as the European Brass

Band Championships in Linz at the end

of April. A number of renowned brass

bands, including The Cory Band and The

Black Dyke Band, which have endorsed

York for many years, have also got

behind the company.

“My players rely on the advantage

York Musical Instruments give us. In

addition to the quality of the

instruments, the company itself has

built a reputation in the brass band

world for reliability and sincerity and I

look forward to working with the new

owners as soon as possible,” said Dr

Robert Childs, musical director of the

Cory Band.

Successful brass brand remains positive despite Schreiber & Keilwerth financial problems

York continues to stay strong

NEWS

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HANSON CLARINETS has been certified

under the Forest Stewardship Council

(FSC) for its decision to use sustainably

harvested African blackwood.

This makes Hanson, the UK’s largest

clarinet manufacturer, the world’s first

FSC chain of custody for the material.

This chain links all handlers of the wood,

from the harvesters in Tanzania right

through to the instrument manufacturers

and retailers, ensuring that it originates

from a sustainable source.

“We are proud to become the world’s

first FSC-certified maker of woodwind

instruments,” said Alastair Hanson, co-

founder of the UK clarinet maker.

Neil Bridgland, Sound & Fair campaign

manager, added: “Very soon clarinet

players will be able to make purchasing

decisions based on ethical considerations

as well as quality.”

The wood is currently being processed

at a sawmill in Tanzania and will soon be

shipped to Britain. Hanson is expecting to

release its first product using this new

source later in the year.

HANSON CLARINETS: 0870 7440015

Hanson’s to use sustainable woodUK-based clarinet manufacturer world’s first to use environmentally friendly material

“After graduation,

she began working

for Dolphin Music

Enterprises, which

she helped achieve

immense growth.

DJ gear specialist appoints

international sales

manager from TL Audio

FCN MUSIC has been appointed as the

UK distributor for Mi-Si acoustic preamps

and pickups.

Mi-Si has recently announced the

release of a preamp that requires no

batteries at all. This new approach

involves using low-power components

and compact circuits.

To utilise the preamp’s

eight-hour battery life,

the user must simply

power up the device

for 60 seconds. This

new design also

means no more irritations that are

common with previous battery

products, such as extra wires, battery

compartments and RF interference.

The Acoustic Trio, a simple Jack and

power charger with L.R. Baggs acoustic

guitar pickup, is priced at £125. The

Acoustic Duo Soundhole pickup

includes this battery free

technology, as well as the

Mi-Si power charger, all

for £185.

FCN MUSIC: 01892 603733

FCN becomes Mi-Si distributorInnovative battery-free system also introduced by preamp and pickup specialist

+44 (0) 1483 238720sales@ariauk.comwww.ariauk.com

Hiwatt shows

off TubeSync

HIWATT FIRST DISPLAYED KBO

Dynamics’ TubeSync technology at

Musikmesse this year. This device

provides a number of benefits for guitar

users, including reliability and

performance in tube amps.

TubeSync combines with an amp’s

circuitry, testing and monitoring its

inner workings, without affecting tone

or sound. It also prevents the need for

bias current matching, enhances tube

life and can even run an amp at half

power in the event of tube failure.

Hiwatt is the first major amp

manufacturer to incorporate TubeSync

into its products.

“Our amps have proved their

reliability,” said Mark Lodge, Hiwatt’s

general manager. “Incorporating

TubeSync technology has allowed us to

raise the bar further. The benefits are of

great value to us and our customers,”

KBO is currently looking for more

buyers for its technology and is aiming

to get TubeSync included in more amp

products by the end of the year. It is

also in the process of designing variants

that can be fitted by technicians and

even guitarists themselves. Hiwatt is

distributed in the UK thorugh Freestyle.

FREESTYLE: 01924 455414

DISTIE NEWS

08 miPRO JUNE 2010 SIGN UP FOR THE MI PRO NEWSFLASH SERVICE AT WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

London supplier and speaker maker partnership the result of new portable PA series

SCV becomes Turbo drivenSCV LONDON has become the UK

distributor for Turbosound’s MI product

range. Turbosound is best known for its

touring PA and installation products, but

has now entered the portable PA market

with the Milan range.

At the top of this new series is the

MI5, which offers an onboard 450-Watt

Class D amp with two-channel mixer,

offering flexibility for mobile performers.

Turbosound has also recently released

its Aspect and Flex Array systems, aimed

at the live and club markets.

Distribution of the Milan range started

at the beginning of May this year, along

with the new Compact series, launched at

Frankfurt’s Prolight+Sound.

“The appointment of SCV London to

handle the retail channel of our

expanding portable sound product

line is the next step in connecting more

effectively to an even wider

Turbosound customer base,” said

Turbosound managing director

Simon Blackwood.

SCV distributes a number of other

brands in the UK, including Fostex,

Audix and Jamhub.

SCV LONDON: 020 8418 0778

French distributor Saico joins JHS’ worldwide network along with new American supplier, taking the global list to 57

JHS appoints new partners in France and US JOHN HORNBY Skewes & Co has

appointed Saico as the exclusive

distributor for its most popular brands

in France.

Saico, based in Colmar, becomes the

latest supplier to join JHS’ extensive list of

worldwide distributors, now totalling 57.

“The sales team of our Musico

department is really excited to be able to

offer these fantastic guitars to all our

customers,” said Saico’s managing

director, Serge Abraham.

The news came shortly after a separate

announcement stating that JHS has also

set up with a new distributor for the US.

The Musical Distributors Group (MDG)

is now the exclusive US distributor for the

JHS guitar brands, previously handled in

the area by MIDC, based in Toronto,

which will continue as the supplier of Fret

King, Vintage, Encore and Santos Martinez

in Canada.

JHS will be attending the MI Retail

Conference and Expo on June 29th, as well

as exhibiting its products with its new US

partner at Summer NAMM in Nashville on

June 18th to 20th and with its French

distributor at the Paris Music Show from

November 19th to 22nd.

JHS: 0113 286 5381Left to Right: Dennis Drumm, Jack Thompson, Trev Wilkinson, Steven Savvides

New acoustic product enhances guitar sound with no electronics

O-Port docks with D’Addario

D’ADDARIO HAS secured a worldwide

distribution agreement with Dare Music

Group for its new product, the O-Port.

This new gadget is claimed to enhance

an acoustic guitar’s sound without

electronics. The increases in sustain and

harmonic range are even more effective

when the guitar is plugged in and

amplified. This, a D’Addario statement

said, leads to a fuller sound, a stronger

signal to the internal pick-up and

significant feedback control.

It will be sold in two sizes as an

aftermarket, self-installation device,

compatible with virtually any acoustic

guitar model.

“The O-Port is a great new product,”

said Jim D’Addario, CEO of D’Addario &

Company. “We’re always looking to offer

musicians the tools they need – even

tools they didn’t realise they needed. The

buzz around this product is already

stirring, and we look forward to finding

continued success with the Dare group.” D’ADDARIO UK: 0191 300 3000

“The appointment of

SCV is the next step in

connecting to a wider

customer baseSimon Blackwood,

Turbosound MD

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DISTRIBUTION PROFILE

Year Established: 1999 (1989 in the US)

Number of employees: 72 in total for the UK, six

in the MI division.

Is business up or down compared to last year?

Up, due to improved manufacturing volume,

exciting new product launches and investment into

improving service and support.

How has the economic climate affected business?

This is the third recession I have been through and

each time I’ve found that business always comes

back. There was a definite dip last year but we are

seeing UK business starting to build again. Our

attitude is just to keep our heads up and get on

with the job in hand.

What are your best-selling lines, and why do

you think they perform so well?

Mackie and Ampeg are our best sellers, due to

innovation and heritage.

Mackie is renowned for introducing the affordable

pro-quality mixer with the CR1604, followed by the

iconic Mackie 8-Bus recording console.

With Ampeg, it’s also a case of history. It

invented the bass amp and went on to produce the

renowned Ampeg B15 in the 1960s. It also released

the first SVT Amplifier, and this went on to be used

by most top acts at the time.

The Mackie Thump 15A has just been a runaway

success. The key is down to EAW technology and

Mackie design at an unbeatable price point.

How does Loud feel the UK market differs from

other global markets?

It clearly is a mature market so creating real waves

isn’t going to be easy. Having said that, the changes

in the retail side of the market that have occurred

over the past couple years have really opened

things up, leaving business a little more balanced.

We do not see a great difference between the UK

and other similar economies in terms of the mix of

products sold.

What distinguishes you from the competition?

Our EMEA division is based in the UK so we have

close contact with our colleagues in the different

European countries. As we sell directly to dealers in

Germany, France and Benelux we can all operate

from the same price sheet. This gives us a strong

advantage over some UK-only distributors.

I think the breadth of our product portfolio

surprises many customers. With Ampeg, Mackie,

Alvarez and Blackheart as well as Martin Audio &

EAW in the pro-audio market, we have strong

brands delivering great quality and good value.

How do you maintain a good relationship with

retailers?

Legwork. I think good relationships are maintained

at the personal level. I also think not being afraid to

accept honest criticism helps.

What would you say is the biggest challenge

facing the MI industry today?

The UK market is now open to the rest of Europe,

with the internet providing transparency of pricing

and service to consumers. Retailers of the future

will need to have a strong focus on IT and logistics

to be successful.

What are your aims for the next 12 months?

To build on the progress we’ve made over the past

year. Our new production facilities have greatly

improved some of the supply issues we had last

year, so now it’s time to build on that foundation.

We are offering our customers products with good

profit potential and a real point of difference.

High Wycombe

LOUD TECHNOLOGIES

John Kaukis and

Gemma Andrews

explains the

reasons behind

Loud’s global

success and offers

some advice to

smaller suppliers...

Address: Unit 2, Century Point, Halifax Road,

Cressex Business Park, High Wycombe,

Buckinghamshire HP12 3SL, England

Phone: 01494 557398

Fax: 01494 557396

Web: www.loudtechinc.com

CONTACT DETAILS

DRUMMER MAGAZINE’S London

Drum Show, which will take

place on September 4th and 5th

2010 at Olympia in London has

already pulled together an

impressive line-up in terms of

both exhibitors and artists for its

inaugural happening.

Companies from the

distribution side of the trade at

the show include Korg (Paiste,

Mapex and Vic Firth), Remo,

Pearl, MI Direct (Silver Fox

Drumsticks), Hardcase and Alfred

Publishing, with Premier, Marshall

(Natal), Meinl, Istanbul, Ahead

Drumsticks, Soultone Cymbals,

Ford Drums, Tama, Dream

Cymbals, Sound Attack, Rosetti,

Pro-Mark and Yamaha also

signing up. On the retail side,

there will be the Wembley Drum

Centre, London Drum Company

and Percussity.

MI Pro’s sponsor of all things

drum and percussion related,

Mikedolbear.com, will be

presenting a series of high profile

artists in a master class situation

in a 300-seater suite. The Live

Stage auditorium will feature

plush tiered seating and

excellent acoustics, ensuring that

both artists and audience have

the utmost experience over the

two days.

On the artist front, Benny

Greb, Mike Mangini and Pete

Lockett have all been confirmed

to appear at the show.

Greb’s global status amongst

drummers has risen

phenomenally with appearances

at major drum festivals around

the world and in 2009 he

released The Language of

Drumming: A System For Musical

Expression DVD on the Hudson

Music label, showing his unique

approach to drumming.

Mark DeCloedt, Pearl’s

European artist relations

manager, confirmed that

American drummer Mike Mangini

will be present, performing on the

Saturday (September 4th).

DeCloedt has performed and

recorded with a host of artists

and has successfully applied his

Rhythm Knowledge learning

method to all styles of music. He

is a full-time faculty member at

Berklee College of Music along

with being appointed to its

educational committee and as

advisor to the percussion

students. He is the recipient of

several signature products

including Zildjian’s Trashformer

EFX cymbal, Mike Mangini

signature sticks and the Pearl

Mike Mangini Golden Ratio

snare drum.

Positive statements from the

industry have been numerous,

with Marshall’s new purchase,

Natal, backing the event. “Natal

is entering a new age in 2010 so

it’s perfect for us to be exhibiting

at the London Drum Show,” said

Craig Clover, the worldwide sales

and product manager for the

brand. “Natal prides itself on its

long British heritage and as this

era begins for the company,

under the new ownership of

Marshall Amplification, it seems

fitting to be involved with a

major UK event such as this. The

show will provide an excellent

platform to display and

demonstrate the new Natal

product ranges and to meet and

talk to Natal players and

customers, old and new.”

The organiser, Drummer

magazine’s publisher Oyster

House, stated that more artists at

the show will be unveiled soon.

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

VISIT WWW.MIKEDOLBEAR.COM FOR MORE DETAILS.

DRUM NEWS

10 miPRO JUNE 2010 SIGN UP FOR THE MI PRO NEWSFLASH SERVICE AT WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

Drum show starting to take shapeOyster House announces increasing exhibitor list and initial artist roster with more to follow in the near future

STUDENTS FROM Birmingham

and Derby Yamaha Music

Schools hit a high note with

Childline founder Esther

Rantzen, when she visited

Yamaha’s head office in Milton

Keynes to congratulate Yamaha

Music Schools for creating the

Childline Rocks fundraising

campaign, which offers free

music lessons in return for a

small donation in aid of

Childline.

The number of musicians

backing the scheme continues

to grow with The Enemy, Carl

Barat and Reverend and the

Makers recently performing a

Childline Rocks gig at the

Shepherd’s Bush Empire.

Gary Seeney and Gail

Dallali, owners of the

Birmingham and Derby Yamaha

schools, each presented Esther

Rantzen with a cheque for

£1,000. “These cheques are

just the first of the many we

hope to raise from free lessons,

concerts and various activities

within the school and with our

colleagues around the

country,” said Seeney.

Childline Rocks aims to raise

awareness of Childline, which

currently can only answer two

thirds of the 2.3 million calls it

receives every year.

Esther Rantzen bangs

drum for Childline

Left: Benny Greb and

Below: Pete Lockett

Zildjian Mission from Gadd rescheduledYAMAHA MUSIC (UK), Zildjian’s

distributor in the UK and Ireland,

has announced the rescheduled

dates for the Mission from Gadd

European tour, which was

postponed due to the grounding

of flights into the UK after the

volcanic eruption in Iceland.

The replacement dates are

September 3rd, 6th & 8th, and

due to the new position in the

calendar, it has been possible to

add a further date on the tour,

which will be in Manchester on

September 7th.

Details for the dates are:

Friday 3rd (Hexagon, Reading:

0118 960 6060), Monday 6th

(The Helix, Dublin: +353 1 700

7000), Tuesday 7th (Royal

Northern College of Music,

Manchester: 0161 907 5555) and

Wednesday 8th (Corn Exchange,

Edinburgh: 0844 415 5221).

“I was very disappointed that

we had to postpone the first few

dates of the tour due to the

volcano, but I’m excited to come

to the UK and Ireland in

September and meet all the

drummers,” commented Steve

Gadd in the announcement.

“We heard that the unaffected

dates in Holland, Germany, Italy

and Spain were an amazing

success, so I am really grateful to

Steve that he has been able to

find time to re-arrange

everything,” added Gavin

Thomas, the product manager for

Yamaha Drums and Zildjian.

“With the addition of the new

date in Manchester and moving

to a larger theatre in Dublin, it is

wonderful to know that even

more people will now get the

chance to experience the show.”

YAMAHA: 01908 366700

Above: Steve Gadd is looking forward to the UK and Ireland dates

0845 270 2411 0845 270 2433 www.chordmusic.co.uk

OD-50 OverdriveRef: 174.204UK

HM-50 Heavy MetalRef: 174.207UK

MT-50 Metal DriverRef: 174.210UK

SD-50 Super DistortionRef: 174.213UK

CM-50 CompressorRef: 174.216UK

GE-50 Graphic EQRef: 174.219UK

PH-50 PhaserRef: 174.222UK

FL-50 FlangerRef: 174.225UK

CH-50 ChorusRef: 174.228UK

DL-50 DelayRef: 174.231UK

BOD-50 Bass OverdriveRef: 174.234UK

BEQ-50 Bass Graphic EQRef: 174.237UK

BCH-50 Bass ChorusRef: 174.240UK

TU-50 Pedal TunerRef: 174.243UK

DS-50 DistortionRef: 174.201UK

These authentically styled ‘Chord’ pedals all come housed in a heavy duty die-cast case to withstand stage abuse and stay put underfoot.

They have a pure analogue signal chain combined with up-to-date features to satisfy the demands of today’s guitarists, without the exclusive price tag.

... with our NEW range of eff ects pedals!

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Find the perfect stomp pedal for your needs by listening to the sounds and eff ects that can be created at www.chordmusicuk.com

You may feel you’ve had quite

enough of manifestos. Totally

understandable. But, if you’ll indulge

us, here’s one more.

The good news is there will be no

mention of electoral reform or ‘frontline

services’. Instead, we’re presenting a set of

guiding principles behind the MI Retail

Conference & Expo. It’s our 12-point plan

for an event that we hope will become a

regular fixture in our industry’s calendar

and deliver tangible benefits

for all sectors.

We hope we can

count on your

support come the

big day...

1) IT’S ALL ABOUT

RETAIL

The clue’s in the

name, of course. The

MI Retail Conference

& Expo has been

created with dealers at

the top of the agenda.

The vast majority of

delegates will be retailers

(currently over 150

confirmed – see

separate box). The

conference content

has been designed

specifically to help them run better

businesses and make more money. The MI

Retail Conference & Expo is the brainchild

of this magazine. And, just as dealers are

the lifeblood of MI Pro, they are the raison

d’etre behind the event.

2) FREE TO RETAIL

The MI Retail Conference & Expo is, of

course, free to all retailers. In fact, they

have been specifically invited and

incentivised through goody bags that

include an iPod Touch.

3) IT’S NOT A TRADE SHOW

Our feeling was that there isn’t the

appetite for a fully blown, bells and

whistles, two or three day trade show. No

one really wants to trudge aisles, hopefully

chuck around some business cards, eat

slightly limp sandwiches in plastic

containers and end up not entirely sure if

the whole thing’s been worthwhile. Trade

shows can be a little... unfocused. They

become all about selling space and filling

time. At the MI Retail Conference & Expo,

space and time are very deliberately

limited and both will be used smartly.

4) OPEN TO ALL (1)

Hundreds of dealers have received

personal invitations from MI Pro based on

lists supplied by our Event Partners. But

the event is open to all dealers,

regardless of size, location,

stock profile, etc. The

majors such as Dawsons,

Dolphin and PMT will

be represented, of

course, but the vast

majority will be

independent stores.

Some have been around

for decades, others are

yet to open.

5) OPEN TO ALL (2)

Our Event Partners

represent pretty much every

corner of the catholic business

of MI supply (see separate

box for full details). There

are long-established

mainstream distributors,

world-beating

manufacturers, acoustic specialists, pro

audio crossover brands and even insurance

companies. All will be given one of two

tightly defined levels of prominence at the

Conference & Expo and within MI Pro’s

guide to the event (bundled with next

month’s issue). None will dominate any

element. All will get great exposure, time

with dealers and opportunities to do

business. Which brings us to...

6) BUSINESS, NOT SHOW BUSINESS

A key goal is to provide a professional

environment conducive to doing business.

The MI Retail Conference & Expo is about

exchanging ideas, learning, discussing,

meetings and networking. It’s not public-

facing in any way and isn’t a platform for

corporate willy-waving.

7) (CONFERENCE) CONTENT IS KING

The Conference programme (page 14 box)

has been designed in close co-operation

with our Event Partners and, to an even

greater degree, the dealers. All attending

retailers were sent a questionnaire, and

one of the things we wanted to know was

what they’d like discussed. The most

common responses were to do with online

selling and the ramifications of the Sound

Control/Reverb collapse(s). They’re also by

far the most (and most passionately)

discussed subjects via the comment

section on our website. So, the two

centrepiece panel sessions will tackle both

these topics, with input from leading

figures representing all sectors of the

industry.

8) BE INCLUSIVE

The event is being launched by MI Pro, but

it’s absolutely not about MI Pro or for MI

Pro. It’s about the trade and for the trade.

To that end, we’ve involved the MIA and

both retail buying groups, Rocktronic and

Euromusic. We’ve also invited an MI-based

charity along – Jail Guitar Doors.

9) LOW COST, NO HASSLE

The MI Retail Conference & Expo is

designed very deliberately to create more

business, not more work for our Event

Partners. The simple, shell scheme stands

are pre-built and ready to use. They can all

literally just turn up on the day. And it is

just a day. We know time out of the office

is a push for all businesses, retailers and

suppliers, so we’re keeping it tight and

making it focused.

10) IT’S NOT JUST ONE DAY

The event itself is, of course, just one day

(see point 9), but the build-up and the

coverage means that the reach is far more

sustained than one day and far wider than

the physical audience. The conference

content, the key discussions and

opinions as well as our Event Partner

messages and branding will all be

amplified hugely though the pages of MI

Pro and on our website.

11) BRING THE TRADE TOGETHER

There are good reasons why there’s no

dedicated trade show anymore and why

there’s no trade day at this year’s London

Music Show. But it does mean that there

are probably fewer opportunities than ever

for the trade to get together. So, at a very

basic level, the MI Retail Conference &

Expo is at least one opportunity, one day,

when the market’s most pro-active,

successful and forward thinking retailers

can spend time with manufacturers and

distributors that believe co-operation and

communication can only do good.

12) EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY

A peripheral benefit of limiting the

numbers of delegates and Partners is that

the intimate nature of the event makes it

far easier to network and socialise, and

eats and drinks can be an integral, civilised

part of the day rather than mere fuel

stops. A top quality lunch will be served in

a separate room adjacent to the expo,

providing the first opportunity to pick over

the main points thrown up by the

conference, before heading off to meet

Partners and discuss business. Then, when

the Expo closes, the After Show Party,

sponsored by Roland, starts at a bar

directly over the road and, again, there’ll

be some food, some drinks and another

opportunity to chat with friends and

partners before The Fabulous Beatles take

to the stage and give it some Yeah Yeah

Yeah to close proceedings.

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JUNE 2009 13

MI Pro’s first ever trade gathering is less than a month away and already promising to be a ‘must-attend’ date in the MI

calendar. MI Pro’s publisher, Dave Roberts, and managing editor, Andy Barrett, take you through what it’s all about…

Trading place

MUSIKMESSE � EVENT REPORT

“The clue is in the name. The MI retail

Conference & Expo has been created with dealers

at the top of the agenda. Just as they are the

lifeblood of MI Pro, they are also the raison d’etre

behind the event.

MI RETAIL CONFERENCE & EXPO EVENT PREVIEW

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

After consultation with all of the retail

delegates and Event Partners, the subject

matter for the crucial conference section

of the event is now in place, with every

talk and session targeting aspects of our

industry that can improve our

relationships, focus our efforts, and boost

our business, while we air our views.

From stats and associations to

charities and business, the speakers and

participants have been specifically chosen

for the role they play in our trade.

11:00 – Welcome

Stuart Dinsey, MI Pro

11:05 – Where We’re At, Where

We’re Going

Matt Gibbs, GfK

Exclusive data from one of the world’s

biggest research companies.

11:30 – Reverberations

(Panel session)

Chairman: Andy Barrett, MI Pro

Panelists:

Noel Sheehan, Sheehans

Simon Gilson, PMT

Plus two leading suppliers TBC.

What has the industry learned from the

collapse of Sound Control, Reverb and

others?

11:55 – What Has The MIA Ever Done

For Us?

Paul McManus, MIA

How the trade body can help retailers sell

more product and make more money.

12:10 – Music For All

Tim Walter, Roland

News on the industry charity’s latest

initiative, Three Men on a Bike.

12:15 – Online Selling: Threat or

Opportunity?

(Panel session)

Chairman: Peter Heath, Roland

Panelists:

Jason Tavaria, Dolphin

David Briggs, Dawsons

Harvey Roberts, Audio Technica

Paul Marshall, Marshall.

The single biggest shift in the MI retail

landscape comes under the spotlight with

input from all sectors of the trade.

12:40 – Music Matters

Billy Bragg

The legendary singer, songwriter and

campaigner talks about the importance

of music and the role of retailers across

all aspects of the community – and

updates us on his innovative Jail Guitar

Doors project.

14 miPRO JUNE 2009 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

firstimpressions

MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION

First Impressions allows Audio-Technica’s MI retailers to

offer something extra to their customers both in terms of

convenience and price.

To find out more visit www.audio-technica.com/firstimpressionsor to register your interest in participating in the scheme, contact your

area sales coordinator by phone on 0113 277 1441 or by email at

sales@audio-technica.co.uk

EVENT PREVIEW MI RETAIL CONFERENCE & EXPO

From Ackerman to Wembley via Dolphin

and Dawsons, just about every type of

MI retail store is to be represented at

the MI Retail Conference & Expo;

whether independent, multiple, bricks

and mortar or online, the delegates at

the gathering will be as complete a

cross-section of MI’s front line as one

could wish for.

In fact, it isn’t too much to say that

we at MI Pro have been blown away by

the response from the dealer segment of

the industry, so much so that we have

had to move the conference into a larger

room to accommodate the interest.

Our original target of 200 delegates

has been easily surpassed and we now

have over 150 retail businesses

represented by senior directors, owners,

managers and buyers on behalf of

literally hundreds of store outlets – not

only because of the store chains

represented, but also thanks to the

participation at the event of the

Euromusic and Rocktronic buying

consortiums, which between them have

well over 100 stores.

As we have said, this event is all

about MI retail and MI retailers – these

are the people that have shaped the

conference and who are the motivation

for it.

RETAILERS

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

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

Conference content

16 miPRO JUNE 2009 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

EVENT PREVIEW MI RETAIL CONFERENCE & EXPO

SCHEDULE10:30-11:00: Registration

11:00-13:00: Conference

(see page 14)

13:00-14:00: Networking Buffet

13:00-18:00: Expo

18:00-23:00: After Show Party

(sponsored by Roland at the Parker

McMillan Bar directly across the

road from The Brewery). Delegate

goodie bags, including an iPod

touch, will be given out at the

After Show Party.

GETTING THERE, STAYING THERE

The Brewery is situated at 52

Chiswell Street, London EC1Y 4SD

just down the road from the

Barbican tube station on the Central,

Hammersmith & City and

Metropolitan lines, but is also within

walking distance of Moorgate

(Central, Hammersmith & City,

Metropolitan and Northern lines)

and Old Street (Northern line).

Those arriving by car can take

advantage of nearby parking

facilities. The Finsbury Square

Underground (London, EC2A 1AD –

0845 050 7080) is an underground

car park, just 200 metres from The

Brewery, with 258 parking spaces

and a tariff of £36 for 24 hours (£6

per hour).

Aldersgate Street Car Park (158-

170 Aldersgate Street, London EC1A

4HY – 0845 050 7080) is another

underground facility and is 800

metres from the venue. The charge is

£30 for 24 hours (£6 per two hours).

Both car parks allow motorcycle

parking for £4 per day.

If you are attending the event

from further afield and haven’t

already booked yourself into a local

hotel, then have a look at the

special offers that are available at

the following.

HotelProximity to

The BreweryRoom Type Full Rate Special Rate

Thistle CityBarbican

10 minute

walk single

Single

Twin

£263.20

£299.75

£175.07

£186.83

The Kingsley 5-10 minute

taxi ride

Single

Twin

£320.85

£332.25

£143.50

£153.75

Park Inn

Russell Square

10 minute

taxi ride

Single

Twin

£234

£279

£140

£150

Ambassadors

Bloomsbury

10 minute

taxi ride Single

Twin

£255

£275

£140

£150

Strand Palace

Club Rooms

5-10 minute

taxi ride

Single

Twin

£235

£235

£117.50

£141

Travelodge London

City Road Lodge

5-10 minute

walk single

Single

Twin

£89

£89

£89

£89

St Giles

Bloomsbury

10 minute

taxi ride

Single

Twin

£135

£155

£82

£102

President

Russell Square

10 minute

taxi ride

Single

Twin

£73

£97

£73

£97

These rates are inclusive of English Breakfast. All rates are per room per night

including service and VAT and are subject to availability. Please note that full

payment by credit card is required for the Travelodge at the time of booking To

book your accommodation at these special rates contact us quoting MIRC 10

PLATINUM PARTNERS

AFTER SHOW SPONSOR

GOLD PARTNERS

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

HEADLINE SPONSOR

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

COVER FEATURE AVSL

18 miPRO JUNE 2010 WW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

If the name AVSL currently means little

to you and, by and large, the debut of

a new entry-level range of MI products

doesn’t exactly set your pulse racing, now

might be a good time to make a cup of

coffee and find out what is on the way –

and why. Manchester-based AVSL is a

sizeable company with a wealth of

experience. How come you’ve never

heard of it then? Well, you almost

certainly have, but under its previous

name – Skytronic.

Most associated with DJ, PA and

electronic products, Skytronic has

undergone a major reorganisation and re-

branding operation in recent years. Now

called, somewhat anonymously, AVSL (the

umbrella name for the entire group), a

new brand – Chord – has been created as

the home for a range of MI products. This

will ultimately encompass keyboards,

guitars, wind, drums and percussion to PA

and even high-tech, to run alongside

established AVSL brands such as Miditech

and Nu-X Technology. It’s an ambitious

programme, with a major new catalogue

appearing this month. AVSL is absolutely

confident it can establish Chord as a

major MI brand with music shops across

the UK and, eventually, internationally as

well. The company’s marketing manager,

Becky Stanton, and AVSL’s product

manager for music products, Andy Elly,

explained why.

MI Pro: To start at the beginning, most

MI Pro readers will already know

Skytronic and particularly some of

your veteran brands, like Citronic. Why

have you morphed into AVSL and what

does this mean for retailers?

Becky Stanton: The change to AVSL was

so that we could globally market our

brands. The AVSL name allows us to do

that and develop the brands on their

own. Previously, Skytronic was the

company name as well as a brand of ours,

so AVSL has become the mother brand,

with Chord, Citronic and the others as

sub-brands. On a smaller scale, of

course, it’s a bit like Proctor and Gamble,

which is the company, with its other

brands under that umbrella.

Andy Elly: Alongside that, with some of

the acquisitions and changes we’ve put

in place, we’ve actually made the

transition from being a company to

being a group of companies, which is

also one of the reasons behind the

change of names.

There’s always a risk when you

change names. How have you

approached that from a marketing

and brand awareness point of view?

AVSL strikes a new chord It’s not often that a new big beast enters the UK’s MI jungle. But what if the newcomer isn’t really new? What if it has

connections and experience? And what if it plans to take on the current big beasts and beat them at their own game? Gary

BS: Obviously, we let all our existing

customers know exactly what was going

on and we managed the transition by

putting ‘formerly Skytronic’ on the website

and all the other places where the AVSL

name was being used, so people always

knew what was happening. Now, after a

year, we’ve started taking that off, as

people have got used to it. But even

before that, we had already started

developing some of the brands – for

example, we started taking products that

had previously been in the Skytronic

range and using the Chord name or the

Mercury range, or QTX, Adastra or Citronic,

as appropriate.

Chord seems to be AVSL’s main MI

brand and we’ve already seen some

impressively priced effects pedals

from you under that name, with

guitars and basses following. How was

the brand created and what are your

plans for it?

AE: We knew that we wanted to move

more into the musical equipment and

instrument market and we

already had quite a high

profile with other

brands like

Citronic and

Adastra, but

we decided

that it

warranted

an actual

brand, so

after

much

wrangling

we came

across the

word ‘chord’,

which just

said it all for us.

We’ve now begun

to use that to build a

proper MI

product base.

Some of our readers may be surprised

by anyone choosing to move into the

MI field at the moment, as the

conventional wisdom seems to be that

MI is a very challenged market sector,

under a lot of pressure. There is also a

widely held view that it is quite

seriously oversupplied with products

and brands as it is, so what made you

think you could make headway in such

a market?

AE: I realised a lot of companies are

finding it difficult and struggling and you

could say we’re either brave or foolish,

but we feel we know enough to make a

success out of this. We know the market

we want to aim at and there will always

be an MI business out there, which needs

serving in the correct way. We feel we can

do that, we’ve always had a certain degree

of success in all the product areas we’ve

gone into and we feel quite confident that

we can serve this market well.

When you decide to start an MI brand,

like Chord, how do you go about it? Do

you go to the international trade shows

and buy what’s on offer? Do you design

your own products and have them

made? How did it happen?

AE: It’s something that we already do.

From work with our Citronic and other

brands we’ve constantly been going to

trade fairs and promoting our products, so

it’s almost been a seamless transition into

the MI trade.

Obviously, with electronic products,

that makes a lot of sense as they are

fundamentally similar, but what about

actual musical instruments? They

require a lot of specialist knowledge

and can be difficult to get right. How

did you go about that?

AE: Essentially, that was why I was

brought into the company, because I have

had experience within the MI industry in

both retail and installation. We backed

that with research and decided the areas

we wanted to approach first – in

particular from my point of view, guitars

and accessories. And, of course, we already

did a lot of the accessories under our

other brands. With the guitars, we seem to

have hit the nail on the head from the

outset – they’ve been very well received.

Again, from our readers’ point of view,

it would almost certainly be true that

they’d say the guitar market was the

most oversupplied of them all, with

literally hundreds of brands competing

for their business, so why should they

look at the Chord range as opposed to

any of the many others on the market?

AE: I appreciate there are a lot of different

brands out there - certainly in the budget

to midrange, where we are at the

moment, but basically it’s been about

looking for the right features, how to

improve an instrument and understanding

what people are looking for. It’s watching

out for things like poorly finished

fretboards, offering a better variety of

colours and, for us, the big one – catering

for the huge lack of left-handed models

out there.

This is certainly an area that needs

attention and a common complaint.

AVSL COVER FEATURE

“I realised a lot of companies are finding it difficult

and struggling and you could say we’re either brave

or foolish, but we feel we know enough to make a

success out of this.Andy Elly, AVSL Product manager

for MI

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JUNE 2010 19

considerable resources, international

Cooper meets AVSL - a big beast with big plans...

What are you doing here?

AE: The simple fact is that there is a

retooling charge every time you want to

do a production run of left-handed guitars

and what we decided to do, after a fair bit

of discussion, was to take that on the chin

and absorb the retooling costs. As a result,

our trade prices in the UK are on a level

for left and right-handed guitars and I

don’t think there are many other budget

ranges available that are doing this. In

terms of the models in the range, we’ve

gone for the standard fare in designs, but

we’ve gone at a bit of a different angle

because we’ve included a lot of different

finish options. We are working currently

on some quite unique design ideas but it

is pretty much the copy/traditional

market for now, with retail prices from

£90 upwards. Currently, we’ve got

electrics, basses and one electro-acoustic,

but all of that is expanding. There are only

seven different items at the moment, but

with so many variations of colour and so

on it comes to about 40 options in total.

Where does Chord go from here?

AE: We’ve just released a range of Chord

amplifiers and pedals and the selection

has already begun to expand. We started

off with a couple of guitar amps and now

we have five. We started with 15 different

Chord pedals and that has now jumped to

20 different models – again with pedals

they’re very well priced – starting from

SSP £21.99 up to around £75.

That’s heartland starter territory – up

against some huge brand names, so

how do you establish Chord in the mind

of the dealers and the general public?

In fact, do you even try to establish the

name Chord with the public, or does

brand not matter as much with entry-

level products, because customers at

tend to buy what the dealer

recommends?

AE: Essentially, we’ve concentrated on our

dealers, who are already buying other

products from us. Hopefully, the dealer

will help us with the users, but we are

going to start being more informative for

those users, as well.

All the same, most retailers have a

procession of reps calling on them with

entry-level accessories. Why should

they stock Chord in preference –

especially considering well

established names?

AE: It would be easy to say ‘because ours

are better made’ and that may be the

case, but the simple fact is the SSPs I’ve

quoted include really good profit margins

for the retailer. His incentive is that he can

sell a very well-produced instrument, but

one that he can make a proper profit

margin from. Also, our service is second to

none and that’s an important aspect of

our business, too.

Presumably, once a retailer has started

dealing with you, assuming he isn’t

already, he has access to quite a wide

family of other brands as well?

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

well established brand in the disco area,

but what people possibly don’t realise is

the value for money in the PA side of

Citronic. We’ve just released some serious

power amps from Citronic, for example –

the MA series – and if you want big install

cabs, we’ve got the CS and CX series. It’s

really not difficult to sell our products if

people know about them and that’s the

point of the exercise, to help the retailers

know what we have to offer them.

What other product types can you

offer retailers?

AE: Wireless microphones is another area

that is big business for us and we have

wireless transmitters for musical

instruments too, in UHF, VHF and

tuneable UHF. There are also other areas –

transit cases, stands, cables – we have a

wide range of products and they all offer

good profitability.

That’s already quite a breadth of

products. Are you considering

broadening it into other MI areas?

AE: We’re already in MIDI and high-tech

and we’ve already got Chord branded

hand percussion with drums soon to

follow, with kits already on the way.

Then we’re going to move into the

high-tech and studio area. We

want to have a good

music industry offer

that covers

all areas.

Would you consider

distributing other

manufacturers’

products as well as

your own?

AE: We already do, with pre-

branded products like Miditech, Neutrik

connectors and GP batteries, so yes – if

someone has a product that they think

we might be interested in, we’re very

willing to look

at it.

BS: The Chord brand is still in its infancy

and there’s a lot we plan to do with it in

the future – not just with the products,

but also in terms of the marketing of it,

eventually to the end-user. In early June

we’re introducing our very first music-

only catalogue and that will feature

mainly Chord branded products, with

some items from

Citronic and some of

our other brands. The

catalogue is a big

thing for us and we

think it will

be very

helpful

for our

customers to have all the music products

together. Beyond that, we’re also hoping

to develop POS products for shops,

including posters and the like. We’re also

planning informative guides to our

products for customers as well, so there’s

a lot on the way. All that is backed by a

good online support system for our

customers too. Because you can’t see

prices unless you have an account,

retailers can guide their customers to our

site for more information and there’s a lot

they can download as well as, with the

Chord brand in particular, they can do

things like hear the effects pedals online.

We’re also just about to put up some

video for the percussion products, too.

Is there any area that AVSL/Chord

wouldn’t look at? For example, would

you consider keyboards?

AE: Well, we’re certainly looking into the

high-tech and recording area. Beyond the

horizon we are looking at wind

instruments and other stringed

instruments, with samples being made as

we speak - though that’s for some way in

the future. We want to establish what we

have and make sure that all is right before

we move on, but we are intending to do

that in the future.

BS: One thing that is very important is the

Chord branding. For example, we have a

completely new range of leads and cables

just about to arrive and they will feature

some very effective packaging that will

use the same theme that will run

throughout the range, from percussion to

guitars and everything else. Whatever it is

that we’re offering, whether it’s a

percussion product, a guitar or an

accessory, you can see the distinction of

the Chord branding and we do think that

helps retailers. A lot of work has gone into

the packaging and that is part of the mix,

too. It’s a great product, well priced

and well packaged so that, even if

the end-user doesn’t necessarily

know the brand, they will pick up

on it. This all makes for a very

convenient service for the

retailer, not least

because they can buy

so much from us and

because we are easy to

do business with.

AVSL: 0845

270

2411

COVER FEATURE AVSL

“Whatever it is that we’re offering, whether it’s a

percussion product, a guitar or an accessory, you

can see the distinction of the Chord branding and

we do think that helps retailers.Becky Stanton

AVSL marketing manager

AVSL product manager Andy Elly and marketing manager Becky Stanton.

20 JUNE 2010 miPRO WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

COMPANY PROFILE LARSON

Across the English Channel (or

should I say La Manche), the name

High Tech Distribution is as well

known as, say, Barnes & Mullins is on this

island. It is the second largest distributor

in France, having built up its business over

some 30 years. With one notable

exception, French distributors do not have

the habit of setting up shop in Blighty,

but thanks to Ben Whatsley, who during

his time with Percy Prior’s in Salisbury

and the Wembley Guitar Centre built up a

close relationship with Patrice Vigier, High

Tech has taken that leap.

High Tech in France handles a number

of brands, including Vigier Guitars and the

Rapco Horizon cable and routing

products, so after a conversation with

Vigier, Whatsley approached High Tech to

set up an arm in the UK, which happened

in 2007.

“I did it because I like Vigier guitars so

much and I wanted to get that brand out

to a wider audience,” explains Whatsley. “I

started doing two or three models in as

many stores and have built it – in three

years – to over 100 models in a dozen

stores.” Which is very much where

Whatsley is happy to be.

He drew himself up three-year, five-

year and 15-year plans for the UK

business, with the first three years

dedicated to taking Vigier to where he

wanted it to be. The five-year plan

(now underway) involves replicating

that effort with the new Larson

Brothers guitars – hand picking a dozen

or so specialist stores to handle the

reborn brand.

The Larson story is an interesting one.

Founded by Carl and August Larson in

Chicago in the 1890s, the Swedish

immigrants were always keen to keep

their heads below the parapets, making

guitars, mandolins, ukuleles and the like

under whichever brand name their

customers preferred (and they preferred

names such as Maurer, Prairie State,

Euphonon, Dyer and Stahl).

Beavering away in the shadows,

however, the Larson brothers created a

number of design innovations – not least

coming up with a steel string guitar some

20 years ahead of CF Martin & Co. The

luthiers developed a parabolic top and

back, making the instrument more like a

violin in terms of construction.

“It was because of this design that the

brothers never went for mass produced

guitars,” points out Whatsley. “The

construction is very complex, but the end

result is astonishing.” On top of this, the

Larson Brothers patented laminated

bracing and utilised an artificial ageing

technique that had been used by

harpsichord makers for over 200

years. Not only does this make the

wood look better, but it also adds

longevity to the instrument.

And so the company

chugged along, happy to be

making superlative guitars

until, in 1948, the

family shut up shop

in Chicago and

returned to

Sweden, taking

their designs with

them and leaving the

existing guitars to

gather price as others

might dust.

Original Larson

Brothers guitars

can sell for tens

of thousands

of pounds and

collectors

(including the

likes of Bob

Dylan, Jimi

Hendrix and Eric

Clapton)

coveted them.

Brotherly loveLarson Brothers’ Guitars has an interesting history – but, oddly perhaps for a current trade magazine, one

that all but ended over 60 years ago. Andy Barrett looks into an unexpected rebirth…

“Anyone can get their hands on a good brand

name, but you have to have the quality to back it

up. I think we have got that.Ben Whatsley, UK sales manager for High Tech

Distribution

22 miPRO JUNE 2010 WW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

LARSON COMPANY PROFILE

Nearly 60 years later, in 2006, two

luthiers, the German Toni Götz and Czech

Republic native Roman Zajicek, somehow

(as yet unexplained) got their hands on the

designs and the name and began making

Larson guitars once more.

The pair approached High

Tech with a view to getting

the brand established in

Europe, although with such

a niche product, the

company was keen to see

how the instruments would

go down in the USA first.

“I was concerned that there

might be problems and I wanted

to see those smoothed out first,”

reveals Whatsley. “It wasn’t a

problem with the guitars, but

with peripheral issues. And sure

enough, there were some

problems here and there – with

the cases, for example. I have to

hand it to Larson, though. The

firm was on top of everything

and acted on every issue

immediately. I saw a company

that relies on feedback – and

not just paying lip

service, either, but

genuinely taking

matters into

consideration,

creating

relationships.

“In this I saw

a business

working how I like

mine to work. I like to go into a store

personally, put the guitars into people’s

hands. It’s the only way really.

“With all the problems sorted, I was

happy to bring Larson guitars to Britain

and with my approach, I think Larson is

pretty happy to be here too.”

The new guitars are available from two

sources: a factory in Vietnam (where a

special Larson department has been

created), which supplies the £1,000 to

£1,300 guitars and a Czech factory, which

will be responsible for the £1,900 to

£2,100 models.

Whatsley is looking for his select group

of dealers to take the brand forward to

complete his five-year plan.

“The first orders are coming in now,”

he says. “I’m aiming to get the dealers

really fired up about this and I’m pretty

hopeful too. Anyone can get their hands

on a good brand name, but you have to

have the quality to back it up. I think we

have got that.”

As for the 15-year plan, well, we’ll have

to come back to that at a later date, but

mention of the Rapco Horizon brand

should be sufficient to indicate that High

Tech Distribution is going to be around for

some time to come.

“Vigier and Larson guitars aren’t flash in

the pan brands – they are serious,

professional instruments. As we expand

and begin to do Rapco Horizon the sort

of justive it deserves, we’ll be on our way

to building a really strong foundation.” So,

do note down the number.

HIGH TECH: 01722 410002

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

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

www.novationmusic.com/launchpad

Above: Patrice Vigier and Ben Whatsley

miPRO JUNE 2010 23

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JUNE 2010 25

Charlie Cooper, son of Orange’s Cliff,

is a man with a passion –

computers. A recent honours

graduate in computer visualisation and

animation from Ravensbourne University,

Charlie is the brains behind the OPC –

Orange’s revolutionary marriage between

a PC and a guitar amp.

It stunned when it was shown at this

year’s Frankfurt and has probably earned

the venerable British amplifier

manufacturer more media attention than

anything ever in Orange’s colourful

previous history. But what is it? And why

would anyone want a PC and a guitar amp

in a single box?

“A few years ago my dad bought back

some really old 1970s Orange cabinets

and we didn’t really know what to do with

them. But one of my hobbies is building

computers into... Well, into just about

anything you can think of – that and

building media centres. So I came up with

the idea of building an entire computer

into this massive Orange cabinet and

putting a TV on top of it. It was a nice

looking media centre.

“At the same time, a lot of my friends

at university were into home recording

and were often scratching their heads at

how difficult it can sometimes be to get

all the components working smoothly

together. They’d often call me in to help

and when they came to our house and

saw the Orange cab media centre they

said how much they liked the idea. It

flowed from that.”

What Cooper had spotted was a gap in

the market. Though young and relatively

tech-savvy, his musician contemporaries

were still sometimes struggling with home

studio technology and they were bowled

over by the sheer cool of having a fully

fledged Windows PC in a definitively rock

n roll package.

“In essence the OPC is a home studio in

a box, pre-tweaked by me so that it works

really, really well from the moment you

switch it on,” he says.

The original version, as shown at

Frankfurt, featured a single JBL speaker

(“It’s loud enough to annoy the

neighbours,” Charlie says with a laugh),

but since its debut and in the run-up to

Orange bytesThe international response to a British computer innovation has been overwhelming, Orange says. Gary Cooper speaks to

Charlie Cooper, the brains behind the idea and Orange’s Cliff Cooper – the man who backed this unique creation...

ORANGE OPC COMPANY PROFILE

”The way I see it is a computer for a specific

purpose – just as you have PCs for gamers, for

example – this one is a computer for musicians.Charlie Cooper

Creator of Orange’s OPC

Charlie Cooper (left),

who has

masterminded the

Orange OPC and his

father, Cliff.

COMPANY PROFILE ORANGE OPC

the commencement of production, the

package has already undergone a

significant refinement. The single speaker

has been replaced by a pair of 5-inch

JBLs, so it now delivers stereo and a

sound quality that will be a light-year

ahead of the sort of tinny racket usually

dispensed by laptops – and even most

tower PCs. Another advantage – again,

particularly over notoriously

unupgradeable laptops – is that it takes

standard PC components, so it can be

easily expanded and kept up to date. It

also won’t suffer from some of the

latency and noise issues that can plague

computers designed for general purpose

use, nor the compromises called for by

the low power requirement of laptops.

Having been designed from the start as a

tool for music, the OPC, Cooper says,

won’t be a compromise.

“The way I see it is a computer for a

specific purpose. Just as you have PCs

made for gamers, for example, this

is a computer for musicians.”

The moment news of the OPC was

released, interest started flooding in, says

Orange’s founder, Cliff Cooper – a

statement backed-up by Orange’s press

officer, who says he has never seen a

reaction like it. As the news shot

around the world, some US

companies associated with the

PC market, envious of the

street cool of Macs,

immediately realised that here

was a way of making the PC a lot less

utilitarian. As a consequence, though they

are currently tied-up in silicon valley

non-disclosure agreements, Orange has

been talking with some of the biggest

names in the computer world, who are

keen to get on board and become

involved. One immediate effect will be on

the software being bundled with the

OPC. Though names can’t yet be named,

Charlie Cooper says the package they are

now able to put together will make the

OPC a turnkey product with everything

on board that a home recordist

would need to get going – including a

guitar tutor.

“For a musician, instead of buying an

ordinary PC, the Orange PC will be a

better buy,” Charlie says. “Running

Windows 7 X64, it will do what a desktop

will do but it will be properly optimised

for creating music. It’s going to be ideal

for people who aren’t totally clued-up on

home recording and yet they will also be

free to install other professional audio

programmes, because it is a fully-fledged

Windows PC.”

The full production model will be

taken to NAMM in Nashville this June

and by that stage, Orange says, it will

have tied-up all the software deals it is

currently negotiating. By then, there will

finally have a price (something

that can’t yet be quoted) though it is

stressed that the OPC will not be a

particularly expensive product – it’s

designed to appeal to average musicians,

not millionaires.

Cliff Cooper, meanwhile, deserves

tremendous credit for having backed a

project which it’s not hard to imagine

many other amp makers balking at. True,

it was devised by his own son, but many

a father’s reaction would have a been a

clip round the ear followed by a lecture

on the necessity of a few decades’

experience before taking such a

commercial risk. Cliff Cooper doesn’t see

things that way and his enthusiasm for

the OPC seems as great as his son’s.

“I immediately understood what

Charlie was saying about his friends’

experience with recording, having tried it

myself,” he says. “They’d buy an interface

for a PC and find it didn’t match for

some reason. They’d buy software that

didn't work properly and even when they

bought expensive recording software,

they’d often find it very difficult to use –

and I’ve experienced that too. So what

we’re putting together now is a package

that works well enough for a professional

to be able to use but, which will also be

easy enough for a complete beginner.

“The same goes for the

modelling software, which we will be

packaging with the product. We’ve been

able to pick and choose and Charlie has

come up with some exceptionally good

software products for the bundle.”

With his long commercial experience,

Cliff Cooper sees the market for the OPC

very clearly – embracing not only keen

young musicians, but also older players

who have deeper pockets, but have been

scared-off because of the daunting

learning-curve associated with the ever-

changing software market. Not, he

insists, that the OPC will be expensive.

“In fact, it will be cheaper than buying

the individual components,” he says.

“And it’s a great product for

singer/songwriters, too. They will get

everything they need to record and

produce a track, then push a button and

upload it straight to Youtube via wi-fi.”

Technically, the OPC does seem to be

an ideal all-in-one package. “This is one

of the ways that Charlie has been clever.

He’s got all the components into a very

small box, but has spent a lot of time –

and spent a fortune on test equipment –

getting the airflow right, so that it is

properly cooled. It’s silent, there are no

interference or noise problems, it’s

upgradeable and it is a conventional

Windows PC as well, so it will do

everything else that a PC should.

“I’ve never seen so much interest

generated by a new product. In the few

weeks since it was announced there have

been literally thousands of articles, all

over the world and a huge amount of

interest on the web. Our problem now is

that we’ll soon be starting to put them

into production, but we don't know how

many to make. I think we’re on top of

the situation, but we are trying to gauge

the number of units we need. The music

business is very large, but the actual

number of people who make music is

relatively small. That said, we've been

approached by several major American

PC companies, so we’re really not sure

how big this could get. ”

Which is, in the great scheme of

things, quite a nice problem to have in

this day and age – and it’s a tribute to

Orange’s bravery to be different.

26 miPRO JUNE 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

”What we’re putting together now is a package

that works well enough for a professional to be

able to use, but which will also be easy enough

for a complete beginner.Cliff Cooper

Founder and chairman of Orange

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28 miPRO JUNE 2010 WW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

COMPANY PROFILE THOMASTIK-INFELD

Cricket references will probably be missed by your average Austrian manufacturer, but for the mere fact that Thomastik-

Infeld has been around for nearly 100 years means that (whatever your sport) this is a company to which the UK should

be paying a lot more attention. Andy Barrett winds his way through the details...

91 not outO

ne of the most central products

to the MI world is the humble

string. With apologies to the brass,

woodwind, percussion and keyboard

worlds, there is little that keeps your

average mom-and-pop store going like a

set of strings.

When Gordon Brown made his ‘no

more boom and bust’ speech, he could

have added the qualifier ‘in the musical

instrument string business’. The product

rarely goes through any huge surge of

growth on the world market, but then

again, it doesn’t get hit when times (as

now) get tough.

One of the stand-out brands in the

world of strings is Thomastik-Infeld, an

Austrian company that has been hand-

winding its orchestral and steel strings for

over 90 years. Over such a long period,

you would expect a manufacturing

company to come up with a few bright

ideas of its own, but Thomastik-Infeld

pretty much started out by revolutionising

the industry.

When violin maker Dr Franz Thomastik

and engineer Otto Infeld got together in

1919, they already had a product that was

to revolutionise the music industry: the

steel string.

For the first time in history,

conventional gut had been challenged by

a ‘new’ material that offered quality of

tone, precision and reliability. It was

instantly lauded by players worldwide.

Not content with one revolution, the

Austrian pair then came up with a mass-

produced nylon (or perlon) string and

string core, thus virtually single-handedly

creating the instrument string market as

we know it today. Little wonder, then, that

the company is now approaching its

100th anniversary.

“Well, it’s not quite that simple,”

explains Thomastik-Infeld’s sales and

marketing director, Wolfgang Weiss. “To

survive 100 years, you need a good

product, the methods of making that good

product, the best quality materials,

technical innovations, consistency over

the years and good management to

ensure the continuation of that

consistency. It takes a lot of effort.”

Even before the company started, there

was innovation in the foundation as

Thomastik had patented a couple of violin

patents for sound post innovations and

ever since the company’s inception, it has

designed and made its own winding

machines – a tradition that continues to

this day for all string makers. ‘In house’, it

seems, stands for ‘under control’. There is

not a glimmer of temptation to move

manufacture to cheaper climes.

“It’s very important to keep an eye on

things,” says Weiss. “There is a lot of

know-how involved, which means a lot of

training. Our workforce knows how to

make the very best strings and we can

maintain this with everybody here.”

T-I’s leading product is the Dominant

series of bowed strings for violin, viola,

cello and bass, although, Weiss contends it

is very likely the world leader in this

specific sector. “The market is small, so

there are no official figures, but our own

estimates show us to be the world leader

for violin strings,” he says. “Our main

segment around the world is from our

synthetic core strings – we didn’t invent

nylon strings, but we have perfected the

use of the nylon core, making our strings

among the most durable.”

Some 97 per cent of the string maker’s

products are exported and its markets

divide almost equally between the

Americas, the European Union and

Asia/Pacific. “Guitar strings are slightly

different,” Weiss points out. “There the

American and European markets tend to

dominate, but I think you’ll find that any

string maker for bowed instruments will

have a pretty even spread around the

world – it’s normal.”

In the UK, Thomastik-Infeld is

distributed by Barnes & Mullins, a

relationship that Weiss believes mirrors his

products. “Musicians need a reliable string

on their instruments – and it’s the same

with business. You have to have a reliable

partner. Barnes & Mullins is exactly that.

We have been working together for a long

time now – they are doing great and they

always have done.

“The UK market is pretty stable, as is

Europe generally. The MI industry is a little

unusual – and strings particularly – in that

it doesn’t experience big surges of growth

when the economy is good. Similarly, it

doesn’t slump when things are not going

well – like now. This is a small, niche

interest market. What will cause

something like a five per cent growth in a

year will be a government investing in

music education or similar activities.”

Weiss – and one guesses Thomastik-

Infeld as a whole – is pretty phlegmatic

about business, although do not mistake

that with standing still. Rather, the

company continues to tweak and improve

its methods and products in an effort to

maintain its position at the top.

While the company enjoys a prime

position in the bowed instrument market,

its guitar strings (which it has been

making since the 1960s) have a richness

of tone and a longevity that make them

second to none. If you haven’t tried them

out yet – you should. And with Barnes &

Mullins supplying, you know that margins

are going to be tempting to say the least.

BARNES & MULLINS: 01691 652449

The late Dr Peter

Infeld, the man

behind the

modernisation of

the company

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COMPANY PROFILE FOCUSRITE/NOVATION

30 miPRO JUNE 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

Focusrite/Novation’s product

specialist, Iain Horrocks, is a man

who clearly loves his job. Perhaps

unexpectedly for someone at the sharp

end of high-tech products and software,

he’s a drummer – and a drummer with

retail experience too (including time

spent with Sound Control’s Oxford Street

store in London) and he has a real love

for music shops. So how did he wind-up

out on the road as a missionary for

products such as Focsurite, Ableton,

Novation and KRK?

“I’ve been with Focusrite for three years

in June and I was in product support for

two years, which means I’ve been doing

this job since the beginning of this year. It

was quite a smooth transition for me as I

just started by going out and doing

workshops, training sessions and so on. I

must say, at the moment it’s looking

pretty good out there. I’ve got a real soft

spot for music retailers because ever since

the age of about ten, when I started

playing drums, music shops have always

been a haven for me, somewhere to check

out the latest gear and talk to the guys. I

feel quite at home with the retailers.”

In just six months Horrocks hasn’t had

time to visit every Focusrite/Novation

dealer, but he has made a pretty good

start, putting in an average of about four

days a week and returning to base just to

catch-up with the inevitable admin and

paperwork that accompanies any job.

So, who has he visited so far and how

has he found the trade?

“I’ve got a number of people still to see,

but I’ve visited all the PMT stores and

pretty much all the DVs now and

everyone I’ve met seems to have been on

top of their departments. The stores all

look good and I think, overall, it’s very

positive. In addition to those people, I’ve

also visited a few of the independents,

including Dolphin, and they were all really

good, too. There was also GG Digital, in

Glasgow, which is a brand new store that

looks really exciting – I think that’s going

to be a blinding store.”

So how does Horrocks see his job?

What is it exactly that he tries to bring

to retailers?

“When I go into a store, I’m there to

train the staff on the full product range, so

what I’ve done is put together a hard copy

guide for all our products and use that as

a template for the training session. I go

through it and talk about the products

that we offer from all four brands:

Focusrite, Novation, Ableton and KRK.

Then I try to allow enough time at the

end of the session, so that if there are

some Ableton enthusiasts, for example, we

”I think it’s good to get hands-on. There’s

nothing like walking into a music store and

seeing everything displayed nicely and with

things on demo.Iain Horrocks

Focusrite/Novation product specialist

Horrocks’ storyHow do you go about getting product knowledge? So what’s it like in the high-tech market? How well do dealers cope

with high-tech gear? Gary Cooper asks all this of Focusrite’s Iain Horrocks and discovers some of the tips he has to offer.

FOCUSRITE/NOVATION COMPANY PROFILE

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JUNE 2010 31

can go off on a bit of a tangent. Beyond visiting, I’m

a point of contact for the staff too, so if they ever

have any problems in the future, they know they can

contact me to get help and they can also use me for

any feedback they want to give us about the

products. In my opinion, there’s always more to

learn, so I make a point of going in with an open

mind because I’ll often learn things from the staff.”

The four brands he represents pretty much cover

the bases of what has become an essential facility

for today’s musician, Horrocks says. “There’s been

such a boom in home recording studios and people

doing their own production at home that Focusrite

fits perfectly. It’s good quality hardware but it’s

affordable and very compatible as well. But you do

have to have the product knowledge to be able to

sell this sort of thing. Sometimes, it’s the difference

between making a sale and not, particularly when

the customer has already checked out a few bits of

gear beforehand, which is often what happens. They

go into a store to get some professional advice and

it’s the guy in the store’s job to sell the right product

for them and that can’t be done unless you've got

the product knowledge.”

This, of course, is one of the areas where bricks

and mortar stores can really score. A good, well-

equipped sales person can easily close a deal that

would be left hanging in an online environment,

where there is only the limited information on

screen and little chance of feedback or interaction.

“The other thing is that if you are sold the right

product by a shop, you’re going to go back to them

the next time you need something. This is why

people in shops need to know what they are

talking about and to understand what the customer

wants to do. I’ve seen this from several angles – as

a musician myself and then when I worked in

stores. It’s a skill to ask the right questions, find out

what the customer needs and make sure they get

the right product. I’ve been lucky to have worked

with some brilliant salesmen in the past who taught

me that.”

Of the four brands he represents, which is the one

that is really on fire, does he think?

“That’s a hard one but the RP series of the KRK

monitors are at an excellent price point. For the

money, they are really, really good monitor speakers

and they fly out. Ableton – well, you're talking to a

complete Ableton fanatic here and I think it’s an

amazing software sequencer that has opened so many

doors. Then there are the small USB interfaces. People

really need those. They could have bought a good

quality pair of monitors, but they need good quality

balanced outputs and they might not want to spend a

fortune getting that, because they’ve already spent a

lot of money on their speakers. The Focusrite

interfaces are perfect for that. But I’ve got a genuine

passion for all four of our brands – I believe in them

and that helps me do my job. So, I’d say they’re all

hot and if you add the Novation Launchpad, you’ve

got a perfect home studio.

“What I find interesting when I go around to visit

stores is sometimes how it’s the little things that

make a big difference. You sometimes find that,

although it says what it does on the box, people don’t

always realise what it can do and that comes out

during the training sessions.”

Although he is relatively new to visiting stores, has

he formed any overall impressions yet, which will be

guiding the way forward?

“I think it’s good to get hands-on. There’s nothing

like walking into a music store and seeing everything

displayed nicely and with things on demo. If I was

going to go to a store, the main reason would be to

try something out – that’s what excites you and

that’s what ultimately will make a sale. If people get

hands-on, that’s when they say ‘I’ve got to have this. I

want to take this home’.

“So it’s important to have the right products and

have them up and running, so that customers can use

them. That will be the next phase of my training –

putting together some demos so that where possible

in stores we can have Ableton running with Lauchpad.

“I would also have some demos, so I could show

the staff their way around. The plan is to have demo

stations set up so that people can just come into the

stores, try the products and get excited – to feel like a

kid again.” FOCUSRITE: 01494 462246

Left: Horrocks in demo mode and a KRK monitor. Above: Ableton Live and Novation Launchpad controller,

Below: Focusrite Saffire and Liquid processors

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JUNE 2010 33

WINDCRAFT COMPANY PROFILE

Windcraft’s new Series I saxophone is poised to revolutionise the world of entry-level saxes in the UK – not through new

design as much as through careful planning and logistics. Andy Barrett discovers that dealers get a say, too...

Series-ly folksW

ith a long history in brass and

woodwind technical services –

an operation that evolved into

Maidenhead’s Dawkes’ Music retail

operation – Jon Dawkes’ Windcraft

distribution company slowly evolved by

supplying the trade with spare parts

and, more recently, instrument brands

such as Cannonball. But it is thanks to

the company’s specialisation in the

repair and technician side of the

business, that the need for a new kind

of student saxophone was discovered.

Dawkes saw the opportunity to satisfy

that need.

Now, before we go any further, let’s

not get ourselves unnecessarily excited

about some new shape, mechanism,

material or model (a piccolo sax

anyone?). The saxophone business doesn’t

work that way. The instrument that

Adolphe Sax patented in 1846 has

remained pretty much unchanged to the

present (although the subcontra bass sax

never did quite catch on).

What Dawkes and his team saw was a

problem in the supply of Far Eastern

instruments to the UK and the

subsequent control over the spare parts

side of the service.

Enter the Windcraft Series I.

“The inspiration for the Series I came

from our work as a specialist retailer with

a team of eight highly skilled

technicians,” explains Dawkes. “We

noticed that many of the Chinese models

– which come from a wide assortment of

factories – came with no easily

accessible spare parts, which meant

months of searching for where the

product came from and then months of

waiting for the parts to arrive. It simply

wasn’t worth it for many.”

The result is a saxophone made in

China under careful supervision and

backed up by a healthy stock of spares.

“Student instruments get broken and

damaged most of all – we expect this, so

it is important to be able to get them

fixed and working as quickly as possible.

We now have a good stock of instruments

and parts and are ready for business.”

Dawkes goes on to say that his

company’s experience on the technical

side of things will help retailers get

behind the brand, particularly with

guaranteed spare parts available. More

than that, however, he also hopes to

initiate a return to dealer feedback on

products will give them a deeper faith in

the product.

“There was a time when manufacturers

turned to the dealers first for product

feedback, but that has all but disappeared

recently,” he says. “We really want dealers

to give us their advice on the instruments,

so any of them that want to call me are

more than welcome.”

On the manufacturing side, the

Windcraft team has kept a careful eye on

quality control, too, creating a video that

goes through the set-up process that the

Chinese manufacturer uses with its

workforce and overseen by Windcraft’s

agent in China and Dawkes himself.

“We have created check lists, where

the workforce has to sign for each

instrument serviced. It’s this sort of thing

that takes up all the time. I have my fifth

trip to China coming up soon,” Dawkes

continues. “We have set up a workshop

over there that is based very closely on

our workshop here. It’s been hard work,

but I can’t say it hasn’t been fun.

“I think it is important to point out

that everyone has benefited from this

process. We have an instrument we like

and can get behind in every way and the

manufacturer is growing from us sharing

knowledge. The next step – after getting

the instrument absolutely right – will be

to find customers in the domestic Chinese

market. It’s really exciting.

“Testing has been going on here in the

UK and we have been getting customer

responses – we can see that this is going

to work, so that means we have to be all

the more certain to do it properly.”

For sales in the UK, Windcraft has

brought in Vaughan Bower as sales

manager – Bower has worked previously

with the Yamaha and Jupiter brands and is

well known among the brass and

woodwind fraternity.

“Vaughan was always my favourite

rep,” says Dawkes. “When we saw this

project coming to fruition, I started

talking to him straight away. I’m really

pleased to have got him on board. I think

it is a good challenge for him, too.”

Dawkes is also planning to have the

brand at Musikmesse in 2011 and expand

the brand out globally.

WINDCRAFT: 01628 778377

“Testing has been

going on here in the

UK and from

customer responses,

we can see that this

is going to work.Jon Dawkes

Windcraft

34 miPRO JUNE 2010 WW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

PROFILE

I WOKE UPTHIS MORNING

On an average day, I’ll get up at about

seven, take a shower and have a strong

coffee. As an Italian, I can’t leave the

house without one of these! I’ll then leave the

house at around eight and usually get to work

for half past. Everybody else starts at nine but

being managing director, there are never enough

hours in the day

otherwise and I’ll

spend a bit of time

going through

e-mails.

Most of the time I

spend all day in the

office, but sometimes

I’ll head out to a

local shop or into the

west end. If I’m in

the office, I’ll quite

often see to any

customers that come

in, show them the

latest products and

see what they think, in order to improve the

business. This is important because I can get

information and feedback from the customers,

without having to travel.

In my spare time I like to do a bit of

gardening and I enjoy listening to music. I also

like watching football and have been an Inter

Milan fan all my life. I didn’t do a lot of it last

year, but sometimes I go down to Brighton to

visit my friend who has a boat and we’ll do a

bit of fishing. I like to eat out, but cooking at

home is another passion of mine. At weekends

I occasionally try to head abroad or go out for

a meal.

I was in the catering business for eighteen

years before I entered the world of MI. I

realised there were plenty of opportunities in this

sector, which was why I came to England in the

first place.

I worked at a well known club in the west end

and then over time I got tired of it due to it

being hard work and

the wages were not

very good. I then

worked self-employed

for a few years, doing a

variety of different

jobs, before I got my

big break.

In 1990, I was

introduced by an old

friend to Proel Italy,

which was looking to

recruit in the UK.

Although I didn’t play

an instrument, I had a

love for music and one

of the other reasons I originally moved to the UK

was for the music scene here.

I started off in an agent style role when I

joined Proel, going between distributors and

manufacturing companies. It was in this job

that I started developing an understanding of

the business.

I always go home at different times, depending

on how busy I am. Usually it’s between half six

and half seven, except for last night when I went

to watch Inter reach the European cup final.

I don’t have too many plans for the future at

the moment, although I’m going to visit my

mother and brother soon back in Italy.

Proel’s Paolo

Burocchi explains

why he decided to

swap the sun, fine

food and undeniable

beauty of his native

Italy for Blighty and

what got him to

where he is today...

Managing Director – Proel International

PAOLO BUROCCHI

”I was in the catering

business for eighteen years

before I entered the world

of MI. I realised there were

plenty of opportunities in

this sector, which was why

I came to England in the

first place.

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WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JUNE 2010 37

ACOUSTIC GUITARS SECTOR SPOTLIGHT

It’s an odd thought, but just 70 years

ago, when someone mentioned the

word ‘guitar’, the image of a hollow

sound box with a sound hole, neck and

(probably) nylon strings would have

entered their heads. Even going back 50

years, that image would have remained

for most, with the occasional mention of

an ‘electric guitar’ amounting to the very

forefront of music technology and still

something of a rarity. Today it is almost

obligatory to include the retronym

adjective ‘acoustic’ to be sure people

know what we are talking about.

Even then, when asking manufacturers

and suppliers to send in models and series

of guitars, many of them asked the

question: ‘is that pure acoustics or

electro-acoustics?’ Pure acoustics, came

the reply – meaning yet another qualifier

has to be added to the guitar to

differentiate between acoustics with

built-in pickups and preamps (technology

that is all but de-rigueur these days).

Our answer was ‘pure acoustics,

please’, but still some got it wrong.

All of this implies that pure acoustic

guitars are something of a waning market

– possibly even an anachronism – but no.

Acoustic sales are as buoyant as ever and

while the younger electro-acoustic

siblings are certainly carving out more

and more of the market, there are still

important places for the pure acoustic.

Interestingly these places tend to be poles

apart, resting with the beginner and the

pro/semi-pro recording artists.

WHO WANTS ONE?

The beginner would always be wise to

buy a pure acoustic for a couple of

reasons. First, an acoustic instrument will

always sound better producing its natural

sound. As soon as electric signals are

transferred to an amp, the sounds will

change – and that’s even before the user

starts messing about with the

equalisations available on most acoustic

amps. The amplified acoustic sounds

different and can be altered. This, really, is

the last thing a beginner needs to worry

about. What they need is an instrument

that sounds good and plays well so they

can concentrate on learning mastery.

The second reason follows on. Without

the expense of electrickery, the learner

can buy a much better instrument for the

same amount as for an electro model –

and we all know that the better the

instrument one learns on, the more

chance of seeing it through to a lifetime

of playing.

For the recording artist, there is real

value in having a naturally resonating

instrument that can be picked up by the

microphones, keeping the space’s

ambience and the purity of a quality

guitar. For those of us terminal

intermediates, there is still value in having

a pure acoustic to strum on in the house,

but those small gigs are notoriously

difficult to mic. Best make sure you have

a good electro to plug in on open mic

night. The sound man will love you for it.

SHARING THE MARKET

As you will see from this sector spotlight

– the biggest MI Pro has run for many

“ Today it is

obligatory to

include the

retronym

adjective

‘acoustic’ to be

sure people

understand

what you are

talking about.

The advent of the electric guitar 60 years ago and the electro-acoustic 20 years ago have combined to make life as

difficult as possible for the humble acoustic. Despite the onslaught of technology, however, the acoustic guitar holds an

important and stable position in the guitar market. Andy Barrett turns off the power and gropes around the market…

Pureacoustics

SECTOR SPOTLIGHT ACOUSTIC GUITARS

38 miPRO JUNE 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

years – there is no shortage of brands

jostling for a bit of elbow room on your

walls and in your shop windows. There is

barely a supplier in the country that

doesn’t have a brand or two to tempt

you with and, of course, the past 15 years

have seen the arrival of a couple of guitar

specialist supplier/manufacturers in the

UK, and the big four keep on going:

Fender, Gibson, Taylor and Martin.

Spending 500 quid is not such a big

deal these days – credit crunch or no –

and picking up a guitar for, say, £469

means the punter is getting a pretty

bloody good axe that will last them many

years – this makes the retailer’s life that

bit easier. The fact that customers are still

getting unprecedented quality in the

£150 to £300 price bracket makes it

more difficult again. Those buying on

price will still be getting a perfectly good,

solid topped instrument and it is down to

the ability of the salesman to point out

the benefits of paying that little bit more

for a good deal extra.

Margins, too, appear to be holding

their own in the world of acoustic guitars

and the sheer spread of brands available

means that the most densely gathered

shops can still compete without having

to do silly things with the price.

THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

Which brings us into the rundown of

what there is on offer at the moment.

Well, it’s a lot… A lot, a lot. We have over

20 brands to get through – and not a

single naff one among them – but to do

justice to them all would take up the

entire magazine. All we can do is flag up

points of interest and big sellers and hope

to whet your appetite…

One cannot talk acoustics without

starting with Martin and despite the

high-end reputation of the brand, it has

in recent years been making the Little

Martin series, which starts at a smidgen

over £250, thanks to modern ‘wood-

making’ and laminating technology. The

LXM model (£369) features an HPL

spruce-effect top and mahogany effect

back and sides and is a fine beginner

model. For a little more an LX1 (£399)

adds a solid spruce top.

For the more mobile the Backpacker

range offers a Martin guitar in an ultra

compact format with solid top and

laminate back and sides, and comes as a

standard steel string nylon string (both

£269), both with an electro option.

The young pretender to the Martin

crown is Taylor – the company that raised

the bar in acoustic guitars, taking

acoustics to the new generation of

electric players, and pretty much single-

handedly threw the market open by

developing cutting-edge luthier

technologies. The introduction of the

Baby Taylors (page 42) a little less than

ten years ago saw the company stepping

into the fray of the plethora of

competing Asian-made brands and

getting its guitars into the hands of

beginner players.The beauty of the Babys

is that the very highest spec (solid tops

and ebony fingerboards for starters) is

available to players that would normally

have to sigh longingly at such features.

Starting at around the £300 mark, it

would take a brave beginner to dive in at

the Martin/Taylor end of the pool, but for

those that do, there is no looking back.

Starting with these two brands is

logical in more ways than one. Naturally,

they are the aspirational brands for

acoustic players, but also they are linked

by their suppliers in the UK to other top

guitars. Taylor is now distributed

throughout Europe by Fender and Martin

by Westside – the latter also supplying

the intriguing Recording King brand.

Fender holds a unique place in the

world of guitars, not only for the iconic

designs of its electrics, which dominate

the guitar world, but also because of the

means of that domination.

The MI giant has long held the policy

of making a guitar for everyone, and

straddles the market from the entry-level

right through to unique models from its

Cort Luce seriesFrom £279.95 to £499

Cort recently introduced its award-winning

Luce series, a collection of eight acoustic

models, offered in parlour, concert and small

folk cutaway body styles, crafted from exotic

tone woods, including solid cedar and spruce

tops, ebony fingerboards, and trimmed with

abalone and maple bindings.

This dreadnought beauty is something collectors, musicians

and name brand enthusiasts will all want to own. These

exclusively licensed guitars are designed by expert luthiers in

the USA Peavey Custom Shop and adorn the famous Jack

Daniel’s artwork on the headstock. Each Jack Daniel’s acoustic

has mahogany back and sides and a spruce top finished in a

high gloss black.

Aria AD28£279

Remarkable features for the

price, with body, sides and

neck constructed from high

grade mahogany, rosewood

fingerboard and bridge, bone

saddle and nut, and a solid

sitka spruce soundboard, all

contributing to the AD28’s

detailed low frequencies and

sparkling high end.

Lag T100 seriesFrom £299 to £420

Offering premium red cedar solid tops, the

T100 brings together a world of woods to

create superb-sounding instruments.

Available in natural, black, and brown

shadow high-gloss finishes, each model

looks superb and individual. Finely crafted,

these instruments are ideal for the

enthusiast or the professional.

Peavey JD-AG1 Jack Daniel’s £169

40 miPRO JUNE 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

It’s been a treat to see Eko back on

the market and the classic Ranger

model especially. Its classic black

finish (although the natural finish is

available too) and carved back give it

a unique look, together with a

(surprisingly good) laminated spruce

top, mahogany back and sides, a

linden neck, rosewood fingerboard

and the famous adjustable bridge…

Nostalgia freaks, this way, please.

Eko Ranger 6 reissue£183.95

custom shop. Acoustics, too, are available

to all with the famous logo on the equally

famous headstock and one should never

forget the mother of all entry-level

guitars, Squier.

Squier’s SA-100 Acoustic Pack includes

a dreadnought with a laminated spruce

top, rosewood bridge and fingerboard,

nickel-plated frets and die-cast tuners,

and plays as well as, if not better, than

anything else in the sub-£100 bracket.

Recording King’s classic Series 1 and

Series 2 guitars are built from 1930s

designs and have many vintage style

features including bevelled pick guard and

classic butterbean tuners. Unusually for

this price point, they also sport forward

shifted, scalloped bracing.

The Series 1 guitar has a solid

Engelmann spruce top, this time with

solid mahogany or rosewood back and

sides and a one piece mahogany neck,

while the Series 2 adds a traditional style

diamond volute. Both come in

dreadnought and 000 styles.

Tanglewood has established its name

on making quality acoustics, mostly for

the entry-level and mid-range, but has

since grown into the upper end of the

market, as well as introducing electric

guitars and basses. Its roots, however,

remain in the sub-£500 bracket and its

product reflects the importance of this.

Each of the ranges offers the full

spectrum of body shapes, 12-strings and

lefties, with a couple of them containing

acoustic basses, too. The Premier series

features ‘aged’ Canadian cedar or spruce

tops and mahogany necks, while the

Rosewood Reserve series takes the solid

spruce top and combines it with Indian

rosewood back and sides.

The Evolution series sticks to the

popular dreadnought and auditorium

shapes for the laminate topped models

for those on a tight budget, while all

models and shapes are available with

solid tops. Bringing up the rear, but still a

hugely important part of business, are the

Discovery packs, which are available as

dreadnoughts and folk versions.

Crafter is another brand that does

pretty much everything – and again

particularly in the sub-£500 market.

Worthy of mention here is the Hilite

series, which at £239 is Crafter’s least

expensive range. It is made in Korea and

represents excellent value thanks to its

emphasis on sound and playability rather

than cosmetic frills. The dreadnought has

a solid spruce top while the T-body option

has a solid cedar top for a warmer tone.

Both have mahogany back and sides and

are finished with a distinctive gloss

vintage-burst effect.

Rosetti’s Adam Black range has been

making a good name for itself through

models such as the S-5, a solid spruce

topped dreadnought with mahogany

laminated back and sides and a price tag

of just £169. An extra £130 will get the

player the jumbo J-8 (page 46) and the

brand also offers a cool selection of

electro models, too.

While leading the way in the UK with

its resonator guitars, Ozark has a lot more

to offer to any player of any style. The

Ozark Deluxe series is a collection of

distinctive quality guitars at amazing

prices but with a sound comparable to

other more expensive guitars. Ozark

Deluxe models feature all solid

construction from selected AAA grade

timbers and are supplied in a hard case.

The Deluxe models come in four body

shapes: dreadnought, small, cutaway and

parlour. Solid spruce tops and mahogany

back and sides start at a very affordable

£355 for the 3750, a dreadnought with a

warm, fluid tone and good resonance.

While very much a guitar range in the

classical vein, Ortega guitars have been

Freshman Apollo 20£359.99

The UK-designed brand

continues to make waves in

the guitar market by keeping

it simple and maintaining

quality. The Apollo series has

epitomised this and, for

example, the Apollo 20

jumbo sports a solid AA

grade premium sitka spruce

top, rosewood back and

sides, genuine abalone

purfling and rosette,

rosewood fingerboard and

bridge, snowflake inlays and

gold Grover machineheads.

The ROS-16 is a 12th fret OOO-style guitar built from a 1902 design. With a solid

AA-grade Sitka spruce top and mahogany back and sides, this guitar has the warm

sound expected from a 12th fret. Add to this the rosewood fretboard, ebony pyramid

bridge, bone nut and saddle and you have a guitar that sounds as great as it looks.

Recording King Century Studio ROS-16£259

Walden D350£178

FCN’s Walden brand is one of

those workhorse range of guitars

that punches well above its weight.

The entry-level D350, for example,

promises a spruce top with

mahogany back and sides, a

rosewood fingerboard and bridge

and die-cast chrome tuners. This is

the starting point for the range,

which is extensive and has an

impressive roster of endorsers.

SECTOR SPOTLIGHT ACOUSITC GUITARS

Fender Kingman£439.34

Part of the California series,

the Kingman is a single

cutaway dreadnought with

a solid spruce top and

mahogany back and sides, a

‘vintage’ soft C neck of

maple and a rosewood

fingerboard. All quite

familiar, but at this price

point, the Kingman goes

quite a bit further, with

superb playability and, of

course, that name on the

headstock, which is a

guarantee of both quality

and re-sell price.

42 miPRO JUNE 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

SECTOR SPOTLIGHT ACOUSTIC GUITARS

included here simply because they are

probably not as well known as they

should be in the UK. Made by the

percussion specialist Meinl and

distributed over here by Active Music, the

Ortega guitars are attractive, well built

instruments that start at £239 and are a

step up from the pure beginner models,

but ideal for those just starting out.

Whenever one is talking about guitars

these days, the JHS brands will always

have a significant need for a mention and

the Vintage brand’s solid reputation for

providing astonishing quality and high

specification is further strengthened with

the new 2010 range. This represents JHS’

determination to raise the bar, offering

high standards, built with premium

materials, high specifications and

excellent build quality. Vintage acoustic

instruments offer professional attributes,

consistently high levels of playability and

true to the Vintage ethic, keep the most

demanding player happy.

Yamaha’s acoustic range under £500 is

mostly popularised by the FG range. This

was Yamaha’s first venture into making

steel strung acoustic guitars and one even

found itself in Country Joe McDonald

hands for a performance at some hippie

festival known as Woodstock…

Modern FG acoustics are based on a

‘3T’ construction idea that incorporates

thinner back and sides and thinner finish

and allows for greater resonance,

increased volume and a wider frequency

response. The third ‘T’ is the thinner neck

for a more comfortable playing guitar.

Under the hood, the bracing on the FG

guitars is inherited from Yamaha’s

handcrafted L-series guitars with a 90

degree non-scalloped X-bracing design. A

hand-fitted, wood to wood dovetail neck

joint attaches the neck to the body

through the L-shaped neck block. This

combined with a larger bridge gives the

guitar greater stability and optimum

transfer of string vibrations.

All FGs have solid sitka tops and

rosewood fingerboards, with back and

side woods and cosmetics varying as you

go up through the range.

Indie’s Sound guitar is made with a

standard soundhole and strategically

placed ‘sound outlets’ in the lower bout

of the solid cedar soundboard, which

allows the low frequencies to resonate

and escape through the soundboard along

with the highs for a balanced output. The

inside of the back of the body has been

lacquered to accelerate the sound waves

back out through the multi-sound holes,

making a huge projection and increasing

the sensitivity of the guitar’s response. All

this for £379? Got to be a bargain.

Ibanez is another of those brands that

has made a name for itself on the electric

front, but should be overlooked on the

acoustic front at your peril. The Japanese

giant makes some seriously good pure

acoustics. Of note is the RVV Resonant

Vintage Violin low gloss guitar that uses

an Ibanez AEL body with a solid spruce

top and flame maple back and sides. The

advantage of the low gloss (as has been

discussed) is that the woods get the

chance to resonate more freely and thus

create a more even balance of highs and

lows and improve projection.

While maintaining the utmost

impartiality, the author’s second ever

guitar (and the first one that could

actually be played) was a second-hand

Eko Ranger in gloss black – a guitar that

survived the owner’s first ever set-up and

customisation and went on for nearly 20

years more before being handed over to a

struggling Bulgarian guitarist… It might

still be going.

The re-introduction of the Eko brand

has brought back that workmanlike

functionality and a few unique design

features, epitomised by the Ranger 6 re-

issue and the Chetro 6 Deluxe, which has

a selected Val di Fiemme solid spruce top

and rosewood back and sides.

Ibanez A300E£479

The Ibanez arched-back Ambiance

series promises ultimate stage

performance instruments constructed

with outstanding design. Quilted

maple tops, backs and sides,

mahogany neck, abalone rosettes and

gold Grover tuners, all masterfully

combined, ensuring you are both seen

and heard. Those stepping up to an

Ibanez Ambience will find a guitar

capable of serving them right through

to stadium gigs.

Indie Pure£369

Indie’s Pure model, like the Sound, is

aimed at delivering a natural resonance

from source, sporting what Indie calls a

first-stage production, where the body

woods are left unaffected by any stains

or lacquers, allowing the guitar to

breath and the natural tones to flow. As

a result, bass and treble frequencies are

balanced and extremely clear. Indie

dares to be different where most

manufactures wouldn’t gamble on an

unfinished acoustic.

At ¾-scale, the Baby Taylor is Taylor’s ultra-

portable, dreadnought travel mate that

belies its size with a full voice and great

tone. It’s remarkably versatile for special

applications, whether played in alternate

tunings or high-strung, with a capo or a

slide. Top of the list for many, though, is

that it’s the perfect starter guitar for young

kids. Sapele laminate back and sides, a sitka

spruce top and a mahogany neck combine

to make this a real sweet sounding guitar –

and the ebony fingerboard will spoil

learners for ever.

Taylor Baby£326.95

Blueridge BR-143 000Historic£629

18 style with solid sitka top and

solid mahogany body, rosewood

fingerboard and black binding, the

Historic is really a guitar that does

it all, whether folk or fingerstyle or

anything in between. The solid

mahogany and spruce combined

with the smaller body size make it

a truly enjoyable and versatile

guitar to play.

Today’s drummer needs the ability to

adapt to every playing opportunity.

Whether in the studio or on the road,

Renown Maple offers you the versatility

and quality that’s pure classic Gretsch.

Available in a choice of four colours and

four confi gurations, it’s certain to suit

whatever your next gig demands.

See and hear more at: MyGretschDrums.com

RENOWN MAPLE

© 2010 FMIE. All rights reserved.

“ MY SOUND HAS TO CHANGE FROM DAY TO DAY, MY DRUMS DON’T. GRETSCH HANDLES IT ALL.”

Karl Brazil – Robbie Williams / Feeder

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

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JUNE 2010 45

ACOUSITC GUITARS SECTOR SPOTLIGHT

Cort is, some might be surprised to

hear, the world’s biggest manufacturer of

both solid-bodied electrics and acoustic

guitars, producing well over a million

guitars a year from its Indonesian and

Chinese factories – the biggest guitar

plants on the planet. The beautiful SFX

Range, which includes the venetian

cutaway SFX 5 (£429) and SFX 6 (£469),

is constructed from solid tone woods

and, as with all Cort acoustics, is

brimming with quality features as

standard that are often only found on

other brands costing far more.

With a deep-gloss finish, the affordable

T66 Standard range from Lag looks as

good as it sounds. The spruce tops and

mahogany back and sides are accented

by distinctive black and ivorine binding

and the necks are finished in French satin

for feel and comfort. Prices start at £165

for the basic T66D dreadnought model.

Barnes & Mullins’ house brand,

Brunswick, has been delivering great

instruments for the budget conscious for

over 15 years now. Based upon simple,

but important concepts, the brand has

found space in most music stores.

Starting with the entry level, the £109

BD200 models have spruce tops with

mahogany back and sides and do what

you would expect – deliver remarkable

tone and playability for the money.

All models within Aria’s AP series of

parlour-sized acoustics embody many of

the best tonalities akin to the original

small bodied instruments for a sound

that’s warm with a singing mid-range and

a smooth roundness to the trebles. The

AP-STD parlour includes a solid red cedar

soundboard with a decorative soundhole

rosette. Mahogany is the chosen wood

for the neck, back and sides, with

rosewood for the fingerboard and bridge

This guitar is alive with response and the

volume is loud and lively with an

excellent legato quality for just £199.

Walden from FCN Music has five

ranges, the Concorda, Standard, Natura,

Supra Natura, and Madera – all with their

own USPs. The Concorda is a line of gloss

finished, solid wood instruments of

quality, while only solid spruce and cedar

soundboards are used on Natura guitars.

The Supra Naturas add all-wood binding,

trim, bridges and end pins. A narrow-

profile neck allows for execution of the

most complex fingerstyle. The all-solid

wood Madera line is built with 100 per

cent certified FSC-Pure traditional guitar

tonewoods, guaranteeing sustainability.

Freshman guitars start at a mere

£149.95 for the half-sized FA1 TRAVN,

but even this has a solid spruce top and

mahogany back and sides. While the

series goes up to the £700 mark, there

are some top guitars in the sub £400

bracket, such as the FA25 0DLH, a

dreadnought with a Canadian sitka top,

mahogany back and sides,

rosewood fingerboard and bridge and

gold machineheads.

The Vintage brand’s

solid reputation for

providing astonishing

quality and a high

spec is further

strengthened in 2010

with a new collection

of all-mahogany

guitars. The V300MH

is one such, with (of

course) mahogany top,

back and sides, an

eastern mahogany

neck, rosewood

fingerboard and

bridge, and

chrome

hardware –

and the look

is at once

unusual and

completely

irresistible.

Vintage V300MH all-mahogany guitar£179

At the top of Turner’s mid-

range sits the 80s series, a real

treat of a guitar with solid

spruce top and East Indian

rosewood back and sides. The

model claims a new bracing

system that increases

projection and gives a full,

round sound. Bone nut and

saddle, nickel fret wires and

gold plated machineheads add

to the luxury feel, which is

topped impressively with a

mahogany neck and an ebony

fingerboard and bridge.

Turner 80s series£499

46 miPRO JUNE 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

This all-solid construction

instrument is made from

from selected AA grade

timbers and is an enticing

choice – particularly among

fingerpickers. A flawless

construction makes for the

fullest of projections

(important for the

fingerstyle players). An

impressive endorser for the

Deluxe Parlour model is

Andy Partridge of XTC

fame. “I just had to have

this gem of an instrument

even though I hadn’t

intended to buy anything, it

was simply love at first

strum,” he said.

Ozark 3135 parlour£325 Crafter DV-200/N

dreadnought£479

This model incorporates all of

Crafter’s best tonal features at a most

reasonable price. The back and sides

are solid mahogany with a solid

Engelmann spruce top, while Crafter’s

patented T-bracing reduces the overall

weight of the guitar. This system

offers more resonance, tone and

volume than the traditional A-brace. If

you’ve never tried a Crafter before –

the time has surely come.

Adam Black J8 jumbo£299

Possibly the newest kid on the block, Adam Black

guitars offers an extremely wide range of quality

guitars and the chance to find something a little

away from the main pack – so often appealing to

guitarists. The J8 jumbo has a solid spruce top, full

scalloped bracing, laminated koa body, mahogany

neck, rosewood fingerboard, Grover tuners, chrome

hardware – and seriously good looks.

SECTOR SPOTLIGHT ACOUSTIC GUITARS

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JUNE 2010 47

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

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

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

Tanglewood TW130orchestra£249.95

Exactly how Tanglewood came up

with this model is not really a

mystery, but the quality to price

ratio is such that, one suspects,

there must have been some luck

involved. The TW130 plays like a

guitar twice its price (even

tempting ‘master-design’ luthier

Michael Sanden). It’s all mahogany

top, back and sides, gives an

interesting dark quality and the

construction finds that happiest of

balances between tightness of

construction and looseness of

projection.

Ortega is a brand with its light somewhat under a bushel, coming from the cymbal and percussion

specialist Meinl, but this range of classical guitars is a great ‘step up’ for the beginner looking for

something a little ‘more’ as he or she begins to take playing seriously. At the top end of the pure

acoustic range is the R200 with its solid cedar top with palo-roja back and sides and a Spanish-

heeled mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard. This is a brand well worth a look.

Ortega R200 SN nylon string£469

Freshman’s claim to fame

comes from its ability to source

premium graded woods from

throughout the world, adding its

own designs and paying special

attention to the quality of sound

and tone. All materials are sourced

and selected personally by the

Freshman team and all the guitars

are built to an exact specification.

Before leaving the UK factory, each

guitar is inspected and tested by

experienced luthiers. The end result

is a great sounding quality

instrument at an affordable price.

At the top of the Freshman range

comes the impressive Apollo

Collection, which offers the perfect

combination of quality sound and

an appearance to match.

Gremlin’s Blueridge brand has

cornered a really nice little niche in

the market, fitting perfectly with

Gremlin’s ethos of folk for the

masses. With the Historic series

(page 42) taking a cool stance for

‘guitars of old’, there are also the

retro-looking slope-shouldered BG

series, the Contemprary series

with authentic forward X bracing,

solid sitka spruce tops and carved

mahogany low profile neck and the

Adirondack series, with models

from the Contemporary series

featuring a late 1930s style

sunburst gloss finish.

Peavey has a couple of acoustic

ranges of note, namely the

extensive Briarwood range and the

exclusive Jack Daniel’s models. The

latter benefit from the cool of the

branding – although make no

mistake, these are top quality

guitars. Mahogany back and sides

throughout, the JDs have spruce

tops (page 38) or in the case of

the JD-AG2 and 3, cedar. Satin

finishes and quality components

make these ultra-cool models a

treat to play. The Briarwood series

starts at a mind-boggling £79 with

the Stage Pack starter outfit.

It’s not often that a guitar

maker makes much of being

machine-made, but Terry Pack’s

Turner Guitars does just that.

Turners are fine axes, but with

prices that tempt the most

budget-conscious customers. Each

instrument is individually checked

and set up to play as good as it

ever will, straight out of the box.

The ranges (starting with the 20

series, then working up to the 90s)

start with models at £179 and

finish at the high-end 94 and 95C

at £1,079 – and everything in-

between in a variety of shapes and

made from selections of woods.

ACOUSTIC GUITARS SECTOR SPOTLIGHT

The majority of musical instruments

have impressive histories. Pianos, as

we know, go back many centuries

and the first stringed instruments came

about thousands of years ago. The

complexity of some of these instruments

makes these facts all the more impressive,

but there is one category that makes the

rest look like they were all released

yesterday and that is percussion.

This sector of MI originates from so

long ago that nobody knows when it really

started. A neanderthal bashing a stick

against a rock with unintentional rhythm

would be an educated guess.

We’ve come a long way since then,

with our mp3 players and electric cars and

yet we still love nothing more than

occasionally revisiting our less civilised

roots by pounding animal hides when the

mood takes us.

It’s strange, when you think about it,

that in the time it’s taken the human race

to go from cave dwelling to its current

state, percussion instruments have evolved

at a much slower rate. Despite this, they

continue to sell extremely well and are a

source of rare optimism in these tough

times. So why is this?

Percussion has many advantages over

other MI sectors. Anyone can pick up a

tambourine and whack it in time with the

band, who may have spent years of

dedicated practice getting to their level.

Of course, to become an expert

percussionist, similar levels of training to

that of other musicians is needed, but

there is no doubting that tapping along to

a catchy tune is a lot easier than

attempting to master a monster riff.

Educational establishments are one of

the major consumer brackets for

percussion companies and this is

unsurprising due to how easily they can

spark musical creativity. A s these products

appeal to a wide range of other

demographics, why are so many retailers

reluctant to stock them?

One of the reasons is knowledge. These

retailers may fear a situation where a

customer asks questions about their new

“With ease of play

being the major

selling point for a

lot of lines, it’s

surely not too

much of a

surprise that

djembes are doing

so well currently.

Coping in recession-hit Britain has become tough for MI, but percussion companies have got by surprisingly well, with the

future looking even more promising. Adam Savage looks into why percussion is such a dark horse in this industry...

SECTOR SPOTLIGHT PERCUSSION

48 miPRO JUNE 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

The beat goes on…

timpani or cajon range, prompting a rambling,

nonsensical response, or worse, a blank, confused

stare. In reality, it doesn’t take nearly as long to

become a percussion boffin as it does with electric

guitars, for example.

What might also be putting retailers off is that

quite often percussion isn’t displayed effectively.

Many music stores treat these instruments as an

after-thought or put them in a corner and then

wonder why they’re not flying off the shelves like

they’d hoped. Creating an impulse buy, instant

purchase display is important for selling percussion,

because the mass appeal and lower price tags mean

people are more likely to buy one spontaneously

compared to a grand piano, for example.

MI Pro was quick to react to one of the biggest

news stories at this year’s Musikmesse, the

acquisition of British percussion specialist Natal by

Marshall. This of course gives Natal access to

Marshall’s enormous distribution network, as well as

significant new investment and financial incentives.

On the other hand, a business deal of this scale acts

as a case study for the direction the international

percussion market is currently moving in.

The Fuego series is the first in an influx of new

products and the existing lines are all receiving a

makeover. One of these is the Thailand-

manufactured Spirit series, consisting of congas,

bongos and timbales. The Fusion series, made from

premium ash wood, contains tumbas and quintos

and the Classic range pays homage to Natal’s

fibreglass offerings from the 1960s and 70s. To top

it off is the Cubana series, a UK hand-built product

with aluminium Comfort Hoop rim, with durable

tuning bolts and natural hide heads.

Several have decided to branch out into

percussion recently. One of these is Chord,

distributed by AVSL.

Originally an audio specialist, Chord (see cover

feature, page 18) has released a whole range of

drums, shakers, tambourines and more, as well as

venturing into a number of other MI categories. The

new wooden agogos are an example.

Agogos started off in West Africa and were

originally made from metal, making them similar in

appearance to cowbells. The edges on the Chord

model also make them usable as a guiro, a Cuban

instrument that produces a ratchet-like sound.

Cowbells, of course, are a drum accessory that

everybody knows well. With most percussion

manufacturers starting to focus on the more exotic

products, it’s good to see Tama bringing out a new

range of these instruments. Simply named Black

Cowbells, they are just one of a number of new

products from a company that is often thought of

as a solely drumkit specialist.

There are many in the industry out there that

predicted that percussion would ride out this

economic storm fairly well, but few would have

foreseen the immense boom that has occurred in

the sale of cajons in recent years.

Originally thought of as an obscure Peruvian

import instrument, they are now a hot topic among

musicians. Their simplicity, practicality and price

have caused them to become a must-have for

drummers, who want something quick and easy to

take to parties, practices and acoustic sets or open

mic nights.

An instrument that is essentially a box seems the

perfect target for experimentation with visual

design and this is exactly what Meinl has done with

its Headliner Designer series. Ranging from skull

motifs for rock fans to a flower power design to

attract the female market, Meinl has provided a

series that effectively modernises a traditional

instrument from a different cultural background.

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JUNE 2010 49

PERCUSSION SECTOR SPOTLIGHT

A pair of agogo bells on a wooden

handle, their serrated edges allow the

surface to produce a rasping sound

with use of the wooden beater. A

simple, low priced product that sets

the tone for many of the new Chord

percussion releases.

Natal Fuego SeriesBongos£65

The Fuegos are intended

as an entry-level option

for new percussionists.

These bongos, congas, and

conguitas feature heads

made from natural hide, a

Siam oak structure and

chrome plated rims and

hardware.

Chord Wooden Agogos£5.99

50 miPRO JUNE 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

Made with natural rawhide heads

and EZ Curve rims for enhanced

playing comfort, these congas

produce deep tone and volume,

offered at a price that will appeal to

students and other cost conscious

individuals. The lightweight but

durable chrome hardware makes

these drums easier to transport

than other similar models.

Gon Bops California series55th Anniversary Edition£TBC

Made from quarter-sawn red

Appalachian oak, via a build process

that takes nearly a year, those who

invest in these products know they’re

getting quality drums made with

immense care. Traditional design and

craftsmanship is blended with rigidity

and build quality, provided by the best

materials and robust steel side plates.

Available in three finishes, the

Marathon series timbales represents the

other end of the ability scale. Aimed at

more experienced percussionists, these

Cuban inspired drums can be played on

their own or as part of a kit set-up. The

heavy-duty brackets are an essential

addition to an instrument that can be

expected to take a fair bit of abuse. The

adjustable cowbell holder and tripod

stand will cater for percussionists of

different size set-ups and preferences.

Although most cajon manufacturers

have opted to stick with tradition, there

are those out there trying to push the

boat out that little bit further and offer

something entirely different. The E-cajon

from Tycoon certainly falls into this

category with its electronic capabilities.

The TTI-1415C timbales are another

addition to Tycoon’s extensive percussion

range. Stainless steel, chrome-plated

shells sit atop an adjustable tilting stand

with cowbell mounting. Also thrown in

are a tuning wrench, TW-60 cowbell and

pair of sticks. Established in 1985, this

company wholly-owns its factory in

Bangkok and has developed a great

reputation in Europe, Asia and South

America over the years.

Another interesting point about

percussion is that new products are far

more likely to come in the form of

variations of what is already out there,

rather than radically new designs and

ideas. There are only a limited number of

ways, of course, to bang a drum or shake

a tambourine and this works in the favour

of all parties concerned.

This is also the case with tuned

percussion – instruments in the orchestral

category, such as xylophones. They need

very little updating over time and

continue to sell well. Some companies,

such as Jam Percussion on Merseyside,

consider xylophones to be its best-selling

products and they have remained similar

in design to early models. Other products

will occasionally claim breakthroughs,

usually in terms of enhanced practicality.

An example of this would be the

Revolution timpanis from Dutch

orchestral percussion specialists Adams. A

new approach in this case is a removable

bowl function for easy transportation,

while maintaining head tension.

With ease of play being the major

selling point for a lot of lines, it’s surely

not too much of a surprise that djembes

are doing so well currently. Remo, known

mostly for being the world leader in

drumheads, has the Designer series, a

colourful array of djembes fitted with

Remo’s Skyndeep drumhead. A wide

variety of other djembes and congas are

available, as well as more obscure

products from tiny shakers through to

gigantic Japanese Taiko drums and gongs,

for customers that way inclined.

Congas have for years been at the

forefront of percussion lines and have

always sold particularly well worldwide.

Gon Bops is a specialist in this field and

has been busy since being announced as

a wholly owned subsidiary of Sabian

earlier this year. Its California series

congas sell especially well, prompting Gon

Bops to add a 55th anniversary limited

edition product to this range.

Another jewel in the Gon Bops crown

is the Tumbao series of bongos. These

drums feature a plied stave Siam oak

shell, with teardrop-shaped counter

hoops. Options include a choice of the

popular tobacco burst, tobacco fade or

natural finishes.

Latin Percussion, a Fender brand, also

has an impressive selection of congas and

bongos. To commemorate its lengthy

relationship with Carlos Santana, LP has

the Aspire Santana Abraxas series, a range

decorated with artwork from the guitar

legend’s 1970 album, Abraxas.

The bongos include identical

construction features to the congas,

achieving comparable sound and build

quality. With the same angel design as

its bigger brother, this product

completes a range that looks great, as

well as offering great sound and value.

SECTOR SPOTLIGHT PERCUSSION

Adams RevolutionTimpanisFrom £1,899.33

Great versatility is ensured through a built-

in fine tuner, even better for those wanting

to use calf heads. Available in 20”, 23”, 26”,

29” and 32” sizes, these timpanis also

come with a choice of fibreglass, smooth

copper and hand-hammered copper bowl

materials. This lightweight range’s

practicality is enhanced by double locking

swivel casters and third wheel assembly.

Meinl Headlinerseries£134

Two of the six designs are

cloth covered, creating a drier,

crisper sound and they are all

made from eco-friendly

medium density fibreboard.

With internal snare wires and

adjustable top corners, these

cajons are sure to appeal to a

wide variety of musicians.

Latin PercussionAbraxas congas£389.99

Tama BlackCowbellsFrom £22.99

These nice additions to a kit

come with eyebolts,

ensuring the bells sit firmly

and securely in place,

avoiding swinging while

playing. Available in three

sizes, this range is a great

choice for any drummer

looking to add some variety

to a kit’s sound.

Soar Valley DeGreogorio Jaqui£199

Its birch plywood structure

creates a modern, strong

sound with compressed,

controlled basses and high

tones. Anti-scratch paint is

applied to maintain quality

and a set of jingles vibrate

slightly when the bass tone

is played.

With many of these instruments

coming from far off lands, it seems that

there are plenty of fair trade

opportunities in this business. Knowing

that your purchase has been hand-made

in its country of origin without

exploitation makes it that little bit

more satisfying and is something that

appeals to a great number of us.

World Rhythm Percussion follows this

business model, using master craftsmen

from a Spanish manufacturer to produce

its new cajon range, for example. With a

multitude of lower priced products (a

vast selection under £10), World Rhythm

seems to primarily target impulse buyers

and entry level musicians.

Displayed at Musikmesse, the Hydro-

Beat djembe is one that the company

has a lot of confidence in. One of the

more unusual instruments is the plain

coconut karimba, a part of its range of

many products that have clearly

maintained traditional qualities.

Also called an mbira, this polished half

coconut shell amplifies the notes by

creating a sound chamber. The player

plucks the karimba with their finger or

thumb, which is where it gets its other

alias, the ‘finger piano’.

Soar Valley is another company that

offers a plethora of percussion loveliness

of all kinds. Having focused mainly on

Celtic, African and Brazilian products, the

firm has also started covering more

modern, western instruments.

Its impressive range of djembes

includes the Bucara series. With wood

coming from sustainably managed

forests, Soar Valley also seems to take

environmental and ethical factors

seriously. Kambala Professional and

Bassam djembes complete this highly

pleasing variety of African drums.

The De Gregorio Jaqui proves this is

another specialist that has reacted to

the cajon boom. Fandango and Sweet

Spot professional cajons have also been

added to the Soar Valley catalogue.

Continuing with the appeal of

simplicity, the new Stickball from

Rhythm Tech is about as straightforward

as it gets. A ball that attaches to a

drumstick, this shaker came after

collaborating with renowned session

drummer, Billy Ward.

Rhythm Tech’s most famous product is

the one that brought it on to the scene

in the first place, the crescent-shaped

tambourine. Thirty years on, it’s still

going strong and is available in a variety

of colours and the option of either nickel

or polished brass jingles. A cushioned

grip provides further improvement to

the comfort and playability that

caused this model to take off three

decades previously.

Gremlin Music, a leading UK

distributor in folk and acoustic

instruments, is yet another to submit to

the growing pull of the cajon.

Gremlin recently set up distribution

with Katho Cajons, manufactured at a

workshop in Spain. A selection of woods

are available (rosewood, pine, calabo and

birchwood, for example) and the Katho

range includes the calabo bodied

rosewood basik and pine plate rumba

models, and a calabo plated option in red

or black.

Completing the series are the ebano

and cebra cajons, which include a 7mm

wenge back plate, with 17mm and

27mm sound holes respectively.

SECTOR SPOTLIGHT PERCUSSION

CONTACTSFENDER (LATIN PERCUSSION) 01342 331711JHS (RHYTHM TECH)0113 286 5381WESTSIDE (GON BOPS)0141 248 4812EMD (REMO)01293 862612SOAR VALLEY0116 230 4926WORLD RHYTHM01242 282191NATAL01908 272605ACTIVE MUSIC (MEINL)020 869 5678JAM PERCUSSION (ADAMS)0151 494 1492AVSL (CHORD)0845 270 2411FCN (TYCOON)01892 603730HEADSTOCK (TAMA)0121 508 6666JHS (RHYTHM TECH)0113 286 5381GREMLIN01903 203044

52 miPRO JUNE 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

RemoDesigner series£105

Appeals to those going for

either an authentic, African

sound or something simple

to tap away on when the

mood grabs. This drum is

key tuned and features a

Skyndeep drumhead and

Adinkra finish.

Tycoon E-Cajon£279

The first of these instruments to come

with a built-in amp and speaker, this cajon

can be plugged into any speaker set-up and

is powered by a single 9V battery. This

allows bass and slap sounds to project

louder than any other cajon. Also includes

an mp3 connectivity option.

This calabo plated cajon with

10mm birchwood body comes

with four V-shaped strings. This

model is tuneable and

represents the middle of the

Katho range. A warm, clear

sound from the front plate

combines well with a crisp, top

end tone and thudding bass.

A fine combination of traditional know-how and modern

materials and techniques. A pre-tuned mylar head helps achieve

a great tone and its lightweight, fibre-glass structure makes it

perfect for more mobile percussionists and schools. The batik

pattern gives this drum its striking appearance.

World Rhythm PercussionHydro Beat djembe£59.99

This two-piece shaker is basically a ball attached

to a shaft by two bands that can be used as a

shaker, stick accessory, or mallet head. The dry

sound makes it an ideal alternative to maracas

or other similar shakeables.

Rhythm Tech Stickball £19.99

Katho Calabo Black£209

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• Every book includes parts for ALL C, B Flat and E Flat instruments• The CD includes features such as split tracks with melody cues,

professional rhythm tracks, choruses for soloing and removablebass & piano parts

• Ideal for learning, practice and performance

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WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JUNE 2010 55

SHEET MUSIC SECTOR SPOTLIGHT

If you haven’t noticed by now (and I’m

certain you have), there are a couple of

product ranges you can stock that will

keep you going through thick and thin –

and let’s face it, things are unlikely to get

much thinner than they are now… Unless

of course that worrying term ‘double dip’

comes into play. Even if it does, and we

find ourselves, in macro-economic terms,

in a second recession in as many years,

the rule still applies. Sales of musical

instrument accessories and sheet music

remain pretty stable through the very

worst of times.

Perhaps obviously, by that very fact,

you can deduce that even when business

is flourishing, you are unlikely to make

your fortune and retire on accessory and

book sales alone, but what you can do is

create a small market for yourself that

remains constant, whatever the pounding

the economy takes generally or the tidal

shifts that fashion creates specifically.

It doesn’t happen by itself, however,

and simply stocking books and strings will

never guarantee people walking into your

shop, but by maintaining a level of pro-

activity – and even pushing it a bit harder

at times such as now – you will doubtless

see regular customers and passers-by

alike making little or no adjustment to

their accessory and sheet music budget

despite the economic difficulties.

For publishers, too, it would be a

disaster to sit back and hope that

everything will be okay. Customers and

dealers will always be wanting more for

their money, so book makers must

constantly tweak presentation and add

elements to their products. The latter is

possibly the easier of the two thanks to

the accessibility of CDs and DVDs, both in

terms of manufacturing and production,

and the universal usage of these formats.

The tweaking is a little more complex.

Of course, as time passes, certain

elements of long-term best-sellers

become outdated and these need to be

addressed, but, particularly in the world of

popular music, it is not simply a question

of putting into print the music of the

latest hot item, but also being able to

jump the gun a bit as to where the next

source of heat will be. In this age of 15

minutes of stardom, that is a constant

trek through the (sometimes) murky

world of the recording and live music

scenes, via agents and managers.

Thanks to the latter, even once

identified, these desirable subjects for the

printed music page can be difficult to pin

down thanks to contracts and loyalties,

and once the publisher has finally

cornered the subject, the artists

themselves can prove to be enormously

difficult to work with. (The Arctic

Monkeys, for example, are said to be

almost maniacally ‘hands-on’ with their

sheet music books, insisting upon

approving each and every page and

supplying all their own illustrations and

graphics for use, as well as going through

each note on the folio under a proverbial

electro-microscope.)

It’s as ongoing and filled with as many

banana skins as the FA Cup – although, in

fairness to the publishers, at least the FA

Cup gives clubs a few months off each

“As retailers rely on

sheet music and

accessories for

their bread and

butter when times

are hard, so the

publishers look to

the safest possible

bets in terms of

consumer appeal.

Talk to people from either book publishers or record companies and you will quickly get the impression that sheet music

is the least sexy of either industry, being neither a proper book, nor a real representation of an artist’s music. Andy

Barrett points out that, for those in the know, sheet music can be the difference between success and failure…

Under the sheets

SECTOR SPOTLIGHT SHEET MUSIC

56 miPRO JUNE 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

year. There is no such luxury allowed in

the world of music publishing.

So, what are the printed music boys

and girls up to in the year 2010? As you

will see on the following pages, the

effects of the economic climate are the

same for everyone. As retailers rely on

sheet music and accessories for their

bread and butter when times are hard, so

the publishers look to the safest possible

bets in terms of consumer appeal. There

are lots of musicals around, a lot of

more established names on the popular

scene and a lot of tried and tested

educational methods – with, of course,

CDs and DVDs.

With its roots very much in the

contemporary classical sphere, Faber

Music has made a meteoric rise in the

popular music market, particularly since

its purchase of the IMP franchise five

years ago, bringing with it the music of

Warner Brothers and initially much of

the EMI catalogue.

This wave continues with recent

releases of new names, such as Marina

and the Diamonds and more established

composers and performers in the shape

of Corrine Bailey Rae and Amy

MacDonald – not to mention the scoop

of having Ian Dury and the Blockheads

on its books, which makes for the timely

release of the bands’ top hits alongside

the recent bio-pic of Ian Dury (above).

“Pop is a good market to be in,” says

Faber Music’s Phillip Littlemore, “but

these titles can be quite pricey. In times

like these we want to be price sensitive,

too, which is why we have brought out

the Six of the Best series.” Six of the Best

features artists on Faber’s books, but in

smaller publications (the clue is in the

title). To date, there have been several

PVG versions of this, containing a

handful of hit songs form the likes of

Stevie Wonder, Paolo Nutini and Glee

(the TV series), but now there is the

imminent release of some tablature

versions for guitarists alone. The first of

these will see Nirvana, Foo Fighters and

Green Day on the pages. These books all

retail at £8.99.

On the education front, where Faber is

also a major player, the publisher is

looking to ‘enhance’ its catalogue,

developing key series, such as Pam

Wedgwood’s Jazzin’ About (above),

adding piano accompaniment and a

backing CD – again for £8.99.

“Adding CDs to books is something we

simply have to do these days,” says

Littlemore. “It makes things a little more

expensive, but we make sure that this

squeezes our margins and not the

dealers. The added value and our care in

pricing these books correctly means that

dealers will be able to make more out of

our products.”

Faber is also creating some repertoire

books for Grade exam students (up to

Grade 5), two new books in Joanna

McGregor’s Piano World series and, of

course, new ukulele song books (now six

in the colour-coded series).

Mel Bay (as can be seen from the

featured books on page 50) has made

some interesting moves into the world

of popular music, but at the same time

maintained its fundamental role in the

sphere of music education. The Podolski

and Filipski tutors (guitar soloing and

Steve Gadd drumming respectively) see

the publisher taking a couple of

impressive steps into the realm of rock

and pop tutors, which Mel Bay Music’s

Chris Statham describes as “two of the

biggest releases for us in 2010.

“These are huge personalities for us

and mark a couple of very different

genres for us to be going into.”

To illustrate the points made in the

introduction to this piece, Statham

reports over a 25 per cent growth year

on year for his company in the UK and

does not see this trailing off in the

foreseeable future. “We have just had the

PublisherFaber

ARTIST: IAN DURY & THE

BLOCKHEADS

SEX & DRUGS & ROCK &

ROLL £15.99Ian Dury was a wordsmith, artist and

entertainer who gave the English

language two of its most famous

phrases drawn from the song titles, Sex

& Drugs & Rock & Roll and Reasons To

Be Cheerful. Now a major British film

Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, starring

Andy Serkis as Ian Dury, focuses on his

personal relationships during his rise to

fame. It is ten years since Dury's gig at

the the London Palladium, but this

new collection serves as a timely

reminder as to how great his songs

were and how the recordings have

stood the test of time… 30 years on

PublisherFaber

ARTIST: PAM WEDGWOOD

JAZZIN’ ABOUT £8.99Cool syncopation, funky riffs and

smooth, stylish tunes from dynamic to

nostalgic, Pam Wedgwood’s series has

it all. Jazzin' About is a vibrant

collection of original pieces in a range

of contemporary styles, tailor-made for

the absolute beginner (Grade 0 to 2).

So take a break from the classics and

get into the groove as you cruise from

blues, to rock, to jazz. Now sold with

accompanying CD through the range

(available for flute, clarinet, trumpet,

violin, cello and alto sax) and with

piano accompaniment.

PublisherHal Leonard

ARTIST: STEPHEN SONDHEIM

INTO THE WOODS £69.992010 is Stephen Sondheim’s 80th

birthday year and Hal Leonard has

recently signed a worldwide exclusive

agreement to represent the print

publishing for more than ten of

Sondheim's musicals. This month

(June) Hal Leonard Europe releases

new, revised vocal selections for

Sweeney Todd, Into The Woods,

Assassins, Passion and Sunday In The

Park with George. These new editions

all have new engravings, additional

songs and photographs. Great timing –

particularly as Sondheim performance

activity around the country is hitting

overdrive right now, including a run of

Into the Woods at Regent’s Park in

the summer.

PublisherHal Leonard

ARTIST: ROGERS &

HAMMERSTEIN £TBC

THE SOUND OF MUSIC

(SING WITH THE CHOIR)Musical publication sales are also

being boosted by the UK national

tours of Sound Of Music and Hairspray

for which Hal Leonard represents the

exclusive print rights. The Sing with the

Choir series is a new format that

supplies a professional choir singing

the songs (in this case, of The Sound of

Music), for which the enthusiast can

select their voice of choice and sing

along – the Hairspray book is also

available. With the popularity of

musicals as dominant as ever (and

choirs enjoying similar popularity, too)

this is a real safe bet for publisher and

dealer alike.

MUSIC FOREVERYONE

CORINNE BAILEY RAE: THE SEAPIANO/VOCAL/GUITAR £13.99

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

6 OF THE BEST: PAOLO NUTINIPIANO/VOCAL/GUITAR £8.99

6 OF THE BEST: GLEEPIANO/VOCAL/GUITAR £8.99

6 OF THE BEST: NIRVANAGUITAR TAB/VOCAL £9.99

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

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

THE GRUFFALOPIANO SOLO £8.99

MARINA & THE DIAMONDS: FAMILY JEWELSPIANO/VOCAL/GUITAR £14.99

6 OF THE BEST: GREEN DAYGUITAR TAB/VOCAL £9.99

PIANOWORLD REPERTOIREPIANO SOLO £5.99

THE BEST OF CLARINETCLARINET/PIANO/CD £9.99

JAZZIN’ ABOUT PIANO SERIESPIANO SOLO/CD £8.99

THE BEST OF FLUTEFLUTE/PIANO/CD £9.99

MUST-HAVEEDUCATIONAL &

POP TITLESFOR YOUR STORE

58 miPRO JUNE 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

busiest April since I began this business –

and this is not connected to the work we

did at Musikmesse, either. The show was

very successful for us, but the subsequent

business has been the result of our efforts

here in the UK. The two combined make

me very optimistic.”

Statham was, of course, very keen to

point out the exclusive deal with

Vöggenreiter in the UK, “alongside some

other exciting additional European third

party catalogues, which we are in the

process of signing.” He also hinted at

there being a new rep on the road for the

publisher in Britain – so watch this space.

“Having a rep meeting dealers in the

shops is still by far the most popular

method of selling in this business,” claims

Statham. “It’s mine, too. Once we have

this in place, I am certain we can grow

our business still further.”

The publishing giant that is Hal

Leonard, which is supplied to British

stores through the giant that is Music

Sales, is arguably one of the most pro-

active companies in sheet music

publishing, using its size and clout to

make itself a leader in pretty much every

aspect of music making.

The publisher’s growth in Europe, says

the European sales and marketing

director, Mark Mumford, is the result of

work across the board from educational

publications, guitar, personality, films and

musicals and, from numerous series.

Hal Leonard’s playalong series are now

well established in the UK, offering

musicians a considerable quality and

diversity of music, such as the Jazz,

Guitar and Piano Playalongs, and the Pro

Vocal series. “We are finding musicans

coming back again and again to purchase

the latest releases,” says Mumford.

A well timed deal to publish new vocal

scores for Stephen Sondheim musicals in

the composer’s 80th anniversary is

another predictive coup for the company.

Sondheim generates huge interest in the

amateur, as well as professional circuit of

performance and this year will see more

productions than ever being staged

around the country by the more

adventurous groups.

Musical publication sales are also

being boosted by national tours of Sound

Of Music and Hairspray (page 56).

On a slightly different note, June sees

the Hal Leonard piano teacher workshop

tour kick off, with workshops at

Matchetts in Belfast, Ackerman's in

Chichester and Music Notes in

Liverpool. Teachers will get an insight

into the new Hal Leonard All-In-One

Student Piano Library books as well as

ideas for integrating jazz, film music,

musicals at various grade levels to

support student learning.

“There's also a special insight into our

Schirmer Performance series, the latest

release being the Complete Beethoven

Piano Sonatas,” adds Mumford. “I see this

as a unique musical experience and a

really effective way to get teachers into a

store. Our special workshop terms also

give dealers an excellent stock display

with extra discount. Put simply, it’s an

ideal, no-risk-more-profit package for

dealers.” Dealers should contact Mumford

directly for details of how to participate.

SECTOR SPOTLIGHT SHEET MUSIC

FABER MUSIC 01279 828989MEL BAY 020 8214 1022SCHOTT 020 7534 0744MUSIC SALES 01284 702600HAL LEONARD EUROPE01494 730143

PublisherMel Bay

ARTIST: JOSHUA CRAIG

PODOLSKI

ADVANCED LEAD GUITAR

CONCEPTS £22From his prolific solo work as a

producer, writer, video game music

composer and author, to his prominent

memberships in many influential hard

rock and metal groups, Podolsky has

displayed one of the most fiery,

creative personas and influential

approaches to lead guitar playing ever.

This new method and approach of

personal self-discovery on the guitar

will let players achieve the goal of

taking an advanced playing background

and going further still. This

book/CD/DVD set is a must-own tool

for the modern day contemporary rock,

metal and shred guitar enthusiast alike.

PublisherMel Bay

ARTIST: STEVE GADD

TRANSCRIPTIONS BY

KRZYSZTOF FILIPSKI £19.95The Steve Gadd drumming

transcriptions book honours the talents

of one of the greatest drummers the

world has ever known – the amazing

Steve Gadd – in a book that includes

30 stylistically varying transcriptions. It

is a note for note, accurate

interpretation of Gadd’s style of

playing the drums. In some cases there

are only fragments that present the

most interesting parts of the given

song. The music is clearly notated and

easy to read. Attractive quotations,

biography, an extensive discography

and videography are all extra features

of this book. For drummers, quite

simply, a must.

PublisherSchott

ARTIST: OLLIE WESTON

EXPLORING JAZZ

SAXOPHONE (ALSO TRUMPET

AND FLUTE) £16.99This book is designed for the

intermediate saxophonist looking for an

introduction to the world of jazz.

Renowned jazz saxophonist Ollie

Weston introduces key concepts step

by step, explaining clearly and simply

throughout, with the minimum of

musical jargon. Improvisation is featured

from the start, with authentic live jazz

trio recordings on the accompanying

CD. Key subjects covered include

modes, swing playing, melodic

development, the 2-5-1 progression,

jazz blues progressions, pentatonic

scales, jazz chord extensions, stylistic

development and unique sax sounds

among others.

PublisherSchott

ARTIST: NICK BESTON

IMPROVISING BLUES SAX

£16.99The latest addition to this series is

designed for the intermediate

saxophonist looking for an

introduction to the blues. Experienced

saxophone teacher and performer,

Nick Beston, presents straightforward

explanations of different playing styles

and techniques, and covers topics such

as basic blues harmony, chords, riffs,

and effects such as glissando and

‘growling’. Original compositions

support each chapter, and ‘sax advice’

sections offer guidance on the finer

points of saxophone playing. High

quality demos and backing tracks on

the accompanying CD encourage the

learner to apply these techniques to

his or her own improvisations.

MEL BAY distributes to the World!

Something for EVERYONE!Excellence in Music R

Offi ce 512, Fortis House • 160 London Road • Barking, Essex IG11 8BB

Telephone No: +44 (0)20 8214 1222 • Fax Number: +44 (0)20 8214 1328

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

NEW PRODUCTSACCESSORIES � BACKLINE � BASS & GUITAR � DRUMS � PRINT

4. PALMER

PAN 01 PRO DI BOX £82.84They say: The deluxe version of Palmer’s

top selling passive DI box, the PAN01..

For: Engineers, musicians

Range: Palmer DI boxes

Spec: Ground lift, 2mm steel housing,

upgraded transformer with larger magnet

and shielding, metal switches, parallel out

doubles as extra input (summing stereo

signal), balanced XLR out.

From: Adam Hall 01702 613922

5. ROLAND

CB-37SY SOFT-SHELL

KEYBOARD CASE £99They say: The perfect fit.

For: Keyboard players

Range: Roland Accessories

Spec: Fits 37-key instruments,

soft-shell case, carry handles, ‘beltpack’-

style strapping.

From: Roland 01792 702701

ACCESSORIES NEW PRODUCTS

6. ROLAND

CB-61W KEYBOARD BAG

£79.99They say: A soft-shell carrying

case specially designed for

musicians on the move.

For: Ax-Synth E-09, Prelude

GW-8 players

Range: Roland Accessories

Spec: Movable interior pads, large

outer pocket, innerpocket for

music rests, inner pouch for

pedals (damper pedals, volume

pedals, expression pedals etc).

From: Roland 01792 702701

ACCESSORY SPOTLIGHT

T REX

FUEL TANK CHAMELEON £155They say: The most versatile power

supply T-Rex has ever produced.

For: Effects pedal users

Range: T Rex floor units

Spec: Built for players with a large

number of diverse pedals, Fuel Tank

Chameleon offers all the advantages of

our other Fuel Tank power supplies, plus

an unprecedented four separate

voltage options.

The Fuel Tank Chameleon is the latest

addition to the T-Rex Fuel Tank family.

The original Fuel Tank Classic features

five outlets and is ideal for medium-

sized pedal boards. It comes with lots of

single patch cables and a multiple link

cable. The Fuel Tank Juicy Lucy powers

five 12-Volt pedals and offers extras,

such as multiple unit linking. The baby of

the family – Fuel Tank Junior – is a good

choice for a small

number of 9-Volt pedals.

It offers both currency

doubling to 240 mA

and voltage doubling

to 18-Volts.

The Chameleon has

six separate outlets

(up to five

simultaneously), a

choice of 9V DC, 12V DC, 18V DC or

12V AC power, isolated, 300mA outlets

(1,500mA total), switchable 115V or

230V mains, all cables, compact, rugged

design and, of course, T-Rex quality.

From: Westside 0141 248 4812

1

3. MI-SI

ACOUSTIC DUO & TRI SOUND

HOLE PICKUPS FROM £125They say: A high-performance, fully active

preamp that does not need batteries.

For: Guitarists, OEM

Range: Mi-si pickups

Spec: Low-power components, power for

60 seconds for eight hours performance

(Simple Jack 16 hours), no ‘fading’,

interference free, available as Simple Jack

(£125, with LR Baggs pickup) and

Acoustic Duo (£185, Flux 2.0 pickup).

Mi-so power charger.

From: FCN Music 01892 603730

2

6

3

1. FRESHMAN

DLX GIGBAG £44.95They say: Guitars deserve the best.

For: Guitarists

Range: Freshman accessories

Spec: heavy duty, 30mm padding,

multi-accessory pockets, rucksack

straps, carry handles, available for

dreadnought, 12-string, folk, grand

auditorium & classical.

From: Freshman 01355 228028

2. DARE

O-PORT £21.99They say: Proven to enhance the

sound of any acoustic guitar without

the use of electronics.

For: Acoustic guitarists

Range: Dare accessories

Spec: Sound hole/internal pick-up,

feedback control, retro-fit, two sizes

(four inches and 3.5 inches), available

in blask or ivory finishes.

From: D’Addario 0191 300 3000

4

5

60 miPRO JUNE 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JUNE 2010 61

RECORDING SPOTLIGHT

BOSS

BR-800 £399They say: Makes the recording

process fast and easy.

For: Musicians

Range: Boss BR recorders

Spec: Boss continues its top-selling

tradition of portable, affordable multi-

trackers with the new BR-800 – a

battery-powered studio to go. The

sleek new design is made possible by

touch-sensor switches and SD-card

recording media. Up to four tracks can

be recorded or eight tracks played

back simultaneously, plus an

additional stereo track dedicated to

the built-in rhythm generator.

New EZ Recording mode that

interactively guides you through the

recording process. Other helpful

features include the convenient Retry

function, which re-cues automatically

to fix mistakes, and song sketch

recording for instant, one-touch

capture. Built-in stereo condenser mic,

plus a DR-880-quality rhythm

generator for adding drum.

Vocal effects from the VE-20,

COSM guitar/bass effects from the

GT-10 series and modeled acoustic-

guitar body effects from the AP-1

preamp. AC transformer powered (or

six AA batteries.

From: Roland 01792 702701

2

RECORDING NEW PRODUCTS

4. TC HELICON

VOICE TONE CREATE XT

£246.75They say: Multi-effects and perfect tone

in one compact pedal.

For: Vocalists, studios

Range: TC Helicon vocal processors

Spec: 100 presets, Hard Tune effects, FX

on/off, Voice Live 2 reverb, tone button,

tweak parameters, USB connection, delay,

modulation & transducer effects, XLR I/O.

From: TC Electronic 0800 917 8926

5. TASCAM

DR-2D PORTABLE DIGITAL

RECORDER £POAThey say: Brings high-resolution recording

to a compact, affordable package.

For: Musicians, general

Range: Tascam portable recorders

Spec: 96/24 resolution, Wav or MP3 to SD

card, stereo condenser mic, 74dB signal to

noise ratio, dual recording mode

(distortion prevention), internal effects,

metronome, variable speed audition

tempo control, AA battery powered, built-

in speaker.

From: Tascam 01923 438880

6. ROLAND

V-STUDIO 20 £259.99They say: Record guitar and vocals with

tones you have only dreamed about it

until now.

For: Musicians

Range: Roland V-Studio

Spec: Audio interface, control surface,

recording software, COSM effects, record

& playback of 32 tracks, arrange, edit, mix,

11 effects, Roland TTS-1 synth, 1GB of

loops, songs and backing.

From: Roland 01792 702701

1. BLUE SKY

EXO2 NEARFIELD MONITORS

£TBCThey say: Combines true, full-range

monitoring with the convenience of a

desktop remote control hub.

For: Studios

Range: Blue Sky monitors

Spec: Full-range stereo monitoring system,

two 3" two-way satellites, soft-dome

tweeter, 8” subwoofer, 160 Watts total,

XLR, TRS, RCA & mini-jackinputs, wall

mount options.

From: Polar Audio 01444 258258

2. ROLAND

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

For: Musicians

Range: Roland recorders

Spec: Stereo mic, stereo speakers, CD

drive, XLR, TRS & RCA inputs, six AA

battery powered, records to CD and SD,

rehearsal function (auto level

recording), key and tempo change, music

practice functions.

From: Roland 01792702701

3. TASCAM

DR-08 PORTABLE DIGITAL

RECORDER £POAThey say: Packs serious audio quality into

a pocket-sized, handheld dynamo.

For: Musicians, general

Range: Tascam handheld recorders

Spec: Portable digital recorder, 96/24 Wav

& MP3 recording, 2GB micro SD card, two

cardioid mic with variable angling,

variablke speed playback, sound level auto

recording, gain control, low cut filter, noise

cancel, foldable stand, mini-jack I/O, built-

in speaker.

From: Tascam 01923 438880

“Boss continues its

top-selling

tradition of

poartable,

affordable multi-

trackers with the

BR-800

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62 miPRO JUNE 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

BACKLINE SPOTLIGHT

ORANGE

THUNDER 30 COMBO & HEAD

£749 & 649They say: A thundering replacement for

the Rocker 30.

For: Guitarists

Range: Orange amps

Spec: All-valve, class A, 30-Watt twin

channel amp, powered by four EL84

power valves (two more than the Rocker

30). It will be available in head and 1x

12 configurations and includes an FX

loop (not featured on the Rocker 30)

and the 1x 12 is front loaded.

A brand new design incorporating the

best of the Rocker and Thunder series,

the new amps have two channels. The

first is a classic vintage channel which

has crystal clear clean sound and when

turned up delivers a vintage power amp

overdrive. The second

overdrive/distortion channel, features a

shape control as seen in the Thunderverb

models and has a British tone crunch of

numbing

proportions.

The Thunder 30

combo offers a

balance

between power

and portability

and is ideal for

regular gigging.

It's small and

light enough to

be portable, while offering a wide tonal

range for use in the studio

environment. Delivering more punch,

more features and more power, the

Thunder 30 will blow you away when

you here the sound.

From: Orange 020 8905 2828

2

NEW PRODUCTS BACKLINE

3

4. ORANGE

CRUSH PIX RANGE AMPS £319They say: Upgraded to pack more punch

and offer more great value for money.

For: Guitarists, bassists

Range: Orange Crush Pix

Spec: CR100 BXT bass combo, 100W, 15”

speakerbuilt-in tuner, line out, aux in.

Stereo Micro Crush 6 practice amp

(£59.95), two speakers, line out, aux in,

gain control, built-in tuner, 18-Volt

power supply. Also, black finish available

on all models.

From: Orange 020 8905 2828

5. ZOOM

G2NU MULTI-FX PEDAL

£119.99They say: Takes the performance and

functionality of the popular G2 and

incorporate years of innovation.

For: Guitarists

Range: Zoom effects

Spec: 20 amp and stomp box models, 100

preset sounds (20 patches by Steve Vai),

G2.1Nu with expression pedal, USB

connection,

From: Zoom UK 01462 791100

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5

1. RANDALL

RT SERIES VALVE AMPS £POAThey say: Pro caliber and at a price point

that would normally be considered solid

state territory.

For: Guitarists

Range: Randall amps

Spec: Three heads (RT103, RT503 & RT50),

one combo (RT50C) and two matched

cabs (RT412XC & RT212XC) in range.

RT103: three-channel (clean + two

overdrive) 100W, reverb. RT503 50W

version. RT50, two-channel 50W combo.

From: Sound Technology 01462 480000

2. JMI

EFFECTS PEDALS £POAThey say: With two new engineers on

board, the waiting time for JMI is greatly

reduced.

For: Guitarists

Range: JMI effects

Spec: Six pedals, all metal cased, Studio 2

fuzz, MkI Tonebender, MkI.5 Tonebender,

Mk II Tonebender, Pro Mk II Tonebender,

Treble booster.

From: Hiwatt 0113 243 8165

3. MAXON

SM-9 PRO+ SUPER METAL & ST-

9 PRO+ SUPER TUBE PEDALS

$POAThey say: Has been resurrected with

improved circuitry and new features.

For: Guitarists

Range: Maxon Nine series

Spec: Die cast zinc chassis, battery &

AC/DC powered, LED indicator for battery

life, mechanical true bypass switching.

SM-9 Pro+: gain, level and scoop

controls, 9/18 Volt switching via internal

voltage-doubling circuit. ST-9 Pro+:

separate mid control midrange boost,

mode switch for two diode types,

9/18 Volt switching.

From: Godlyke +1 973 777 7477

1

6. VOX

AMPLUG CAB £25They say: Transform any of the Vox

Amplug headphone amps into a

tabletop mini-stack amp.

For: Guitarists

Range: Vox Amplug

Spec: Three-inch speaker cab, 0.7-

Watt output, 9V battery powered

(AC adaptor not supplied), up to

approx ten hours battery life, ships

with battery.

From: Korg 01908 857100

6

1. FRAMUS

PANTERA SUPREME £2,239They say: Blends traditional elements

with modern details and design.

For: Guitarists

Range: Framus electric guitars

Spec: Mahogany neck and body with

arched AAA flamed maple top, original

Seymour Duncan pickups, 3-way switch,

push/pull tone control for humbucker

splitting, TonePros tune-o-matic bridge,

Warwick security locks, chrome hardware,

high gloss finish.

From: Warwick +49 0374 225550

SPOTLIGHT GUITAR

INDIE

SHAPE SEMI-HOLLOW

ELECTRIC £599They say: A supreme blend of hollow-

body bark with solid-body bite.

For: Guitarists

Range: Indie guitars

Spec: The Indie Shape double-cut-

semi-hollow is constructed from top

quality tone woods and hardware

with high-grade mahogany for the

body, cream binding and capped with

a figured maple top, seen through a

translucent wine-red finish. Retaining

Indie's distinct Shape profile, the black

gloss headstock is three-sided,

housing chrome Grover tuners.

With a natural satin finished maple

set neck for smooth playing, heel-less

neck join, graphite nut, smooth 22

fret, bound rosewood fingerboard,

inlaid with crown position markers,

the Shape is a sheer delight for the

performing guitarist.

Electrics and hardware include a

Tone Pro adjustable bridge assembly,

volume and two tone controls, three-

way selector switch and pair of alnico,

GR8 Zebra open humbuckers with

matching cream surrounds.

As a half-chambered semi-hollow

guitar, the Shape has an array of

resounding, percussive acoustic

overtones that emanate within the

body in tight patterns. This, along with

the guitars solid body half acting as a

mahogany/maple sustain block, allows

the guitar to handle high gain amps

without unwanted feedback.

From: Indie 01235 851189

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WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JUNE 2010 63

4. WALDEN

MADERA FSC GUITARS

£895They say: All woods on the new

Madera line are sourced from

sustainably managed forests.

For: Guitarists

Range: Walden acoustics

Spec: Certified FSC-pure tone

woods, including sitka spruce,

South American mahogany and

western red cedar, five models

(natural & tobacco burst

dreadnoughts and grand

auditoriums, classical). Ships with

hard case.

From: FCN Music 01892

603730

BASS & GUITAR NEW PRODUCTS

6. FRET KING

BLUE LABEL VENTURA SUPER

60 HB3 & SSH £749 & £729They say: A no-compromise

instrument in terms of total build

quality

For: Guitarists

Range: Fret King Blue Label

Spec: 22 fret maple neck, 25” scale

length, 10” radius rosewood finger-

board, Gotoh Magnum locking

machines, Wilkinson WVP wave leading

edge fulcrum vibrato, stagger-drilled

block, Wilkinson PAF-style WHHB

humbuckers, Vari-coil rotary control.

From: JHS 0113 286 5381

3. OZARK

3146 CELTIC GUITAR

£460They say: Carrying on the Celtic

influence.

For: Guitarists

Range: Ozark electro-acoustics

Spec: Solid cedar top, rosewood

faced back & sides, mahogany

neck, rosewood fingerboard,

bridge & head veneer, flamed

maple bindings, rtec transducer,

Edge-TN eq with built in tuner,

and endpin jack socket, satin

finish, ships with gigbag.

From: Stentor 01737 240226

5. WASHBURN

NX 100 & 50 ELECTRICS £TBCThey say: Affordable guitars don’t need to

compromise on loofs or playability.

For: Guitarists

Range: Washburn NX series

Spec: NX100 with mahogany body, solid

flame maple top, mahogany set neck,

ebony fingerboard, two humbuckers,

Grover tuners, chrome hardware. NX50:

mahogany body, quilt maple top, maple

set neck, rosewood fingerboard, chrome

hardware, two humbuckers.

From: Sound Technology 01462 480000

4

2. YAMAHA

SUPER BB BASSES £2,249They say: Part of Yamaha’s

Generation Rock direction.

For: Bassists

Range: Yamaha BB basses

Spec: Three-piece alder body,

Acoustic Resonance Enhancement

pre-aged woods, five-ply bolt-on

neck, nickel silver nut, Alnico split

coil neck pickup, ceramic single coil

bridge pickup, thru-body stringing,

four & five-string models.

From: Yamaha 01908 366700

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WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JUNE 2010 65

4. PROTECTION RACKET

TRIPLE AAA DRUM CASE RANGE

FROM £48.99They say: From knocks and dints, to falls

and spills, these cases will keep your

drums safe.

For: Drummer

Range: Protection Racket drum cases

Spec: Lightweight polymers, poly-

carbonate frame, Protection Racket Rocket

Foam padding, 10mm inner, 5mm outer

closed cell foam lining, fleece lining, 600

denier polyester Racketex outer,

poyester/plastic/neoprene handle, double

stitched heavy duty spiral chain zips.

From: Protection Racket 01208 815055

5. REGAL TIP

EX SERIES STICKS £10.99They say: An exciting new addition to the

X series sticks.

For: Drummers

Range: Regal Tip X series sticks

Spec: Designed for fast metal playing,

gloss finish hickory sticks, ribbed black

nylon tips, three models in range.

Death EX: 16 by 0.6-inch.

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

Speed EX: 16x .525-inch.

From: JHS 0113 286 53781

6. TYCOON

SIGNATURE GRAND SERIES

CONGAS £POAThey say: Classic congas made from the

highest quality materials and components.

For: Percussionists

Range: Tycoon percussion

Spec: Hand selected American ash

construction, 30-inches tall, Classic Pro

hoops, reinforced side plates with 3/8"

diameter tuning lugs and backing plates,

die-cast handle, calfskin head, high gloss

finish. Available in 10", 11", 113⁄4" and

121⁄2" diameters.

From: FCN Music 01892 603730

5

1. BIG DOG

DRUM THRONES FROM £115.99They say: Rock solid, offering the ultimate

in strength and reliability.

For: Drummers

Range: Big Dog thrones

Spec: Throne style, vinyl or cloth.finishes,

double braced legs, high-grip feet, heavu

duty seat top clamps, Pro models with

double threaded height adjustment, CNC

machined aluminium leg clamps. Saddle

style: £129.99.

From: MSC 01562 827666

2. CYMPAD

OPTIMIZER FOAM CYMBAL

PADS £POAThey say: World-renowned drum artists

are replacing their old cymbal felts with

new Optimizer foam washers from

Cympad.

For: Drummers, percussionists

Range: Cympad foam cymbal washers

Spec: 40mm foam washers in 8, 12 and

15mm thicknesses, increased cymbal

balance and sustain, suitable for all

cymbal sizes.

From: FCN Music 01892 603730

3. LUDWIG

KEYSTONE SERIES KITS £POAThey say: A more focused tonality and a

dramatic look and feel.

For: Drummers

Range: Ludwig drums

Spec: Three-ply maple shell core,

American red oak inner and outer ply, dual

45-degree bearing edge, low-contact

Keystone lug and mounting bracket. Two

shell packs: 22/16/12/10 and

24/18/16/13.

From: Active 020 8693 5678

DRUMS SPOTLIGHT

TYCOON

DRUMKIT PERCUSSION

£POAThey say: Now offering a wide variety

of mountable percussion specifically

designed for drumset applications.

For: Drummers

Range: Tycoon percussion

Spec: Two-dozen cowbells, six

mountable tambourines, several hi-

hat tambourines, synthetic ‘lip’ blocks,

wood blocks, aluminum bar chimes.

Among Tycoon’s many cowbell

choices, the Black Pearl models are

popular with contemporary drumset

players due to their durable steel

construction, distinctive finish,

penetrating tone and affordable price

point. The Black Pearl series consists

of three bells; the 5” Cha-Cha (TWBP-

C), 7” Mambo (TWBP-M) and 7”

Standard (TWBP-R), favoured for its

lower pitch and deeper tone. All

Tycoon cowbells come equipped with

angled clamps featuring captive eye-

bolts and wingnuts for fast, secure

mounting and comfortable

positioning.

Drummers can choose from several

mountable tambourine options,

including bright and dark sounding

models with brass or steel jingles, as

well as bright and dark models with a

mixture of brass and steel jingles.

Brass jingles are a bit more resonant

while steel jingles have drier, crunchier

tone. One of today’s most versatile

and widely-used accessory percussion

instruments, Tycoon’s durable, double-

crescent, plastic tambourines all

feature double rows of jingles for

maximum volume and articulation

and, due to their exclusive design, all

use Tycoon’s advanced,

interchangeable TXTB-B tambourine

mounting bracket to facilitate quick

and easy conversion between hand-

held and mounted applications.

Tycoon drumset percussion is

recommended for a complete

spectrum of contemporary live and

studio musical situations. The full

range of mountable percussion

instruments, as well as Tycoon’s

accessory clamps, mounts, racks and

stands, are available at local and

online dealers everywhere.

From: FCN Music 01892 603730

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

VISIT WWW.MIKEDOLBEAR.COM FOR MORE DETAILS.

DRUMS NEW PRODUCTS

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66 miPRO JUNE 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

TRADITIONAL SPOTLIGHT

ROLAND

DP-990 DIGITAL PIANO £1,799They say: Seamless variations in tone from

pianissimo to fortissimo.

For: Pianists

Range: Roland

digital pianos

Spec: V-Piano Super

Natural sound engine,

ivory-feel keys with

escapement, available in

medium cherry, satin

black, or polished ebony.

The breakthrough

sound engine delivers seamless variations

in tone from pianissimo to fortissimo,

decaying sounds that linger and fade

naturally without looping, and authentic

sound transition from note to note across

the keyboard.

The DP-990F is a sophisticated,

streamlined piano with

amazing sound and touch

that also serves as a

functional piece of

furniture.

The new LX-10F, DP-

990F, RG-3F, and RG-1F

digital pianos all feature

the new Super Natural

piano sound engine,

uniting Roland's state-of-

the-art V-Piano technology and 88-key

stereo multi-sampling technology.

From: Roland 01792 702701

NEW PRODUCTS TRADITIONAL

“A sophisticated,

streamlined

piano with

amazing sound

and touch

1

34

2

1. ASHBURY

AB-35 PLECTRUM BANJO £189They say: Stunning value for a banjo of

real quality.

For: Banjo players, guitarists

Range: Ashbury banjos

Spec: Four-string plectrum banjo,

mahogany neck, 14-inch resonator, cast

metal rim, 11-inch frosted head, 30

tensioners.

From: Gremlin 01903 203044

2. ASHBURY

AB-55 S SHORT SCALE TENOR

BANJO £499They say: For the finger-picking guitaristr

who wants to head further in the country.

For: Banjo players, guitarists

Range: Ashbury banjos

Spec: Short scale tenor banjo with 17

frets, openback, walnut neck & rim, Whyte

laydie tonering, engraved arm rest and

tension hoop, 24 tension hooks, quality

plantery banjo pegs, double co-ordinater

rods.

From: Gremlin 01903 203044

3. FRESHMAN

STARGAZER UKULELES £24.95They say: Fun, colourful range of

pluckables offers simplicity and great

value.

For: Beginners

Range: Freshman acoustics

Spec: Geared machine heads, colour-

coded bag, available in red, blue, yellow,

pink and natural, aimed at entry-level

musicians.

From: Freshman 01355 228028

4. OZARK

2246 EIGHT-STRING GUITAR

BOUZOUKI £460They say: A unique design attracting the

attention of both guitar and bouzouki

players.

For: Guitarists, bouzouki players

Range: Ozark electro-acoustics

Spec: Eight-string bouzouki, solid cedar

top, rosewood back & sides, rosewood

fingerboard, Artec eq and transducer with

built-in tuner, Celtic knot sound hole and

fingerboard inlays, enclosed Grover tuners,

ships with gigbag.

From: Stentor 01737 240226

6

55. ROLAND

FR-3X V-ACCORDION £2,399They say: Loaded with great accordion

sounds.

For: Accordion players

Range: Roland V-Accordions

Spec: New bellows pressure-sensing

circuitry with resistance regulator,

accordion sounds include jazz, folk,

musette and bajan, orchestral sounds, tone

wheel organ sounds, USB connection, MIDI

compatible, also available as button-style

model.(£2,499)

From: Roland 01792 702701

6. STAGG

77TT BB TENOR TROMBONE

£235They say: Remarkable quality – a great

student instrument designed for beginners.

For: Student trombonists

Range: Stagg brass instruments

Spec: Bb tenor slide trombone, .547-inch

bore (13.9mm), 8.5-inch bell, chrome-

plated inner slide, lacquer finish, ships with

fitted hard ABS case.

From: EMD 01293 862612

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JUNE 2010 69

RETAILNEWS, OPINION, DATA

FOLLOWING THE news of the collapse of

the Reverb chain of stores – and with it

the closure of the Bristol store, the retail

news coming out of Bristol has been

pretty ceaseless, proving that the city has

an extremely vibrant music scene and a

very stable customer base.

The closure of Reverb was followed by

the news of PMT buying the store (which

opened on May 15th following a thorough

renovation) and then the news of

Musicroom’s expanded shop (see Retail

News, MI Pro, May 2010). The latter was

made possible by the decision of

Hobgoblin and Musicroom to go their

separate ways from the store at College

Green they shared.

Hobgoblin moved up the road to 36

Park Street, a shop that is twice the size of

the space it had previously and makes the

Bristol branch the largest in the Hobgoblin

chain. This allows, of course, for more

stock on show, but also for special areas

for trying out the instruments.

In the past year Bristol has become

known for its unique and exciting live

music scene, in which all the Bristol

Hobgoblin shop staff are involved. A

survey published this week by the

Performing Rights Society found Bristol to

be Britain's most musical city. Shop

manager Cris Pierssene, who is a guitarist

in folk and roots band Malarchy, said: “We

have seen an increase in the number of

people interested in learning instruments

and teaching themselves to play. People

are returning to the days of playing

traditional live music – and it’s great.

“We’ve been open a couple of months

now and things are moving on very nicely.

The folk scene in the surrounding area –

Somerset, Gloucester and Devon – is really

vibrant and as the only specialist folk and

traditional music store in the area, we

have a very broad catchment.”

Pierssene went on to describe how folk

music has achieved a tremendous roll in

recent years and that it shows no sign of

slowing. “Five years ago, you would have

been forgiven for thinking that a folk

musician would spend all his playing days

in the backrooms of folk clubs, but now

we have artists winning Mercury prizes

and really making a name for themselves.”

He puts the wave down to artists such

as Seth Lakeman, but also to the surge of

singer/songwriters a few years ago, from

the Coldplay mould, digging a bit deeper

into the craft and discovering music and

styles more influenced by the folk scene.

“In Europe, when people first hear folk

music, it tends to be Celtic –

predominantly Irish – and they love it.

Who doesn’t? From there, players will look

towards their own traditions and find

something that relates to them, to their

identity more.”

In terms of product trends, Pierssene

confirmed what we all knew anyway: that

the ukulele is the single biggest

phenomenon in MI over the past few

years. “I don’t know what it is,” he

confessed. “But it’s interesting to see that

the same thing happened in the early part

of the 20th century, too. I don’t know if

there is a link.

“Aside from that, banjos and mandolins

are very much on the up, as are

concertinas and melodeons. There’s a lot

of growth all round.”

Pierssene certainly hopes that that

growth will continue for his new store well

into the future.

HOBGOBLIN BRISTOL: 0117 9239 0902

Hobgoblin spreads its wingsNew store in Bristol adds to colourful setting and confirms the trend for traditional acoustic

instruments in the growing folk scene not just in this city, but all over the country

NEWSPedal mats,

Umbrella

Music’s new

manager,

Manson’s

pickups and a

tone lifter

from East UK

MIA

Moneyway

signs up to

MIA, to

become a

new retailer

benefit

LOCATION REPORTPart one of

MI Pro’s stroll

through

suburbia,

uncovering a

couple of

nice stores on

the way

ALL INSIDE THIS MONTH

“Banjos and mandolins

are very much on the

up, as are concertinas

and melodeons. Chris Pierssene

Shop manager and

guitarist

INDIE PROFILE

Mann’s Music

in Colchester

tells us how

to keep a

music store

running for

over 150

years

RETAIL NEWS

70 miPRO JUNE 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

EAST UK is introducing its Tone

Lifter, a stack knob for Fender

Stratocasters that replaces the

middle pickup control, offering

mid or combine bass and

treble boost, as well as variable

frequency adjustment.

A switch on the upper knob

activates a relay that bypasses

the electronics, working

automatically in the event of

low battery. The Lifter also

features a bespoke lithium

battery, providing 40 hours of

power, even at full-gain.

“Many famous Strat players

have upgraded their

instrument electronics to

create their individual sounds;

the Tone Lifter helps to imitate

many of these and adds

enough scope for players to

create their own classic

sounds,” said the Tone Lifter’s

designer, John East.

It is available from the East

UK website, as well as a

number of guitar outlets,

priced at £169.95. Also

available from East UK is the

P-Retro bass preamp equaliser,

costing £179.95, or £194.95

with Vintage style knobs.

Formerly E-Pro (East-

Professional), East UK was set

up by John East in 1998 to

market the drop-in, retro-fit

preamp, the J-Retro 01 for

J-style basses.

EAST UK: 01869 346301

East UK develops Tone Lifter

STAGEWORKS GEAR Company

has launched its non-slip pedal

mat, suitable for various

instruments, particularly

keyboard, guitar and drums.

This product is useful as an

alternative to gaffa taping

pedals down, a common

annoyance for musicians, until

now. The mats have received

great reviews from a number

of professionals, who have

tested the product over the last

few months.

The material consists of three

pieces of durable material,

designed to offer a firm hold,

even on challenging surfaces.

These layers work together,

offering absorption, diffusion

and grip.

“Best invention since sliced

bread,” said Melvin Duffy, who

plays pedal steel guitar in the

Robbie Williams Band.

A pack of two costs £14.99

and a ‘buy 12 packs get one

free’ introductory offer is also

being introduced to retailers.

They are the only mats of their

kind on the market and can take

up to three months of hard use

on average.

Stageworks was set up to

help eliminate a number of

common problems faced by

musicians and was started by

Matt and Rick Chambers. This is

their first product, with two

more set to follow in the

coming months.

STAGEWORKS: 01438 730540

Hertfordshire company introduces first of problem solving products

Stageworks releases pedal mat

MANSON’S GUITAR Shop has

partnered up with UK pickup

manufacturer Bare Knuckle, to

release a range of unique

pickups. The MBK-3 set features

more kick than the current

MBK-1 and MBK-2 models.

Manson has been

experimenting at its Devon

workshops to create the MBK-3,

aimed primarily at hard rock,

metal and punk guitarists.

Manson’s is targeting players

looking for tight tone, powerful

output and huge bass response.

The MBK-3 set will work on any

humbucker-equipped guitar and

comes with three ceramic

magnets in the bridge and an

Isotropic Alnico V in the neck.

Bare Knuckle makes the

pickups by hand, using either its

own materials, or those from

local sources. The MBK-3

pickups are available from the

Manson’s website and are priced

at £229.

MANSON’S: 01392 496379

Manson’s adds toMBK pickup range

SHONA MACMILLAN, well

known in the music

equipment business following

stints with Turnkey, Arbiter

and Reverb, is the new shop

manager at Umbrella Music in

East London.

“I’m very excited by this

role at Umbrella Music, which

has one of the largest shop

display areas in London,” said

MacMillan. “Umbrella Music is

a rapidly growing company,

having traded at

Walthamstow Music for over

20 years.”

The Walthamstow

premises features the

Umbrella Music School,

offering lessons to both

children and adults, but the

retail space recently moved to

Leyton in East London.

Umbrella specialises in

various instruments,

particularly digital pianos,

brass and woodwind, stringed

instruments, as well as having

music technology and guitar

departments.

UMBRELLA MUSIC:

0845 500 2323

London-based company appoints highly

experienced new shop manager

Shona MacMillan joins

Umbrella Music

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JUNE 2010 71

MIA NEWS an update from your industry trade association

Retail Finance from MIA member, Moneyway

The Retail Finance market

has changed significantly

over the last two years,

with many lenders such as HFC,

Black Horse, Hitachi and Able to

Buy either puIling out of the

market or only offering finance

facilities to the largest of multi-

national corporates.

With this in mind, it is

becoming increasingly important

that retailers choose the right

lender. In today’s market place it

is not only vital to select a lender

which will work in partnership

with each of their businesses to

develop the right approach to

suit all of the individual needs,

regardless of size or turnover. It is

also crucial that such a partner

has access to sufficient funds.

“Happy customers are the

retailers’ bread and butter and

enabling them to purchase the

item they desire,” commented

David Nield, Head of Asset

Finance and Lending for

Moneway. “Using a favourable

finance deal will enhance their

purchasing experience and lead

not only to a completed sale, but

potential recommendations and

repeat purchases. This is

why we have

invested

heavily in

our

systems

and

service

which we

believe is

second to none.

“Having worked in

partnership with the Arts Council

England (for the Take it Away

finance scheme) and equally

closely with the MIA, we believe

that we have developed the right

package to suit the needs of

each retailer and have seen

business growing month on

month, amounting to more than

600 music retailers now using

our service.

“We love this sector and are

fortunate that as part of a retail

bank

we are not dependent on

wholesale credit lines in order for

us to grow the business further.”

“Retail Finance is an

important part of our business

and it is essential that we are

able to process deals easily and,

more importantly, receive the

funds quickly,” explained Rupert

Bradbury, the managing director

of JG Windows in Newcastle and

Gateshead. “The partnership we

have developed with Moneyway

enables us to offer

products to suit

both our

business

needs as

well as

the

needs of

our

customers."

It is clear to see

that finance is an

attractive proposition to

customers and can increase

footfall which in turn, will

increase sales.

“There are various finance

packages available and it is

important that retailers

understand each product and the

benefits to the customer as well

as when to offer which product,”

added Julie Sheward, National

Account Manager for Moneyway.

“Interest free credit is a great

product for increasing footfall,

however, offering a low to

medium rate ‘interest bearing’

product can also help dealers in

their efforts to convert and

upsell on the shop floor.

“Training is the key,” she went

on. “A lender should be there to

offer guidance and support, not

only to show how to complete

the forms, but also to explain the

benefits of each product and

how it can help with conversion.

“Once retailers are confident

and understand the products’

pros and cons and are able to

process the deals quickly and

easily, the skill of offering any

number of financial packages

becomes second nature.”

MIA: 01372 750600

New association benefit service looks to help dealers with finance packages and training to aid upselling in the shop

Let’s jam!Become a Moneyway Music Finance retailer

Moneyway make retail finance simple:Flexible, straightforward loans

Automated underwriting

Quick, easy online applications

Instant credit decisions

Fast payout

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

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

GOLD PARTNERS

PLATINUM PARTNERS

AFTER SHOW SPONSOR

DEALER DELEGATES:

Absolute Music Solutions LtdAckerman Music Advance Music limitedAllegro MusicAmazonArgosBaird Sound Systems LtdBalaam’s Music Bass GearBecketts Music Bonners Music SuperstoreBrittens MusicBruce MillersCC MusicChamberlain MusicChappell of Bond Street Chas FouldsCity MusicCliff Owen MusicCODA MusicColbecksCompton PianosConnevans Cookes Band Instruments County Music Supplies Ltd

Dawkes MusicDawsonsDigital Village - Music VillageEducation DivisionDolphin Enterprises Europe LtdDolphin MusicDouglas TelfordDuck Son & Pinker Duke of UkeEast Coast Musicebgb MusicEric Furze Guitar & SonEric Lindsey MusicEuromusic LtdFoote’s LtdGamlins Music Centre/Euro MusicGardonyi’s LtdGear4MusicGigbags in City MusicGreensleeves Guitar VillageHard To Find RecordsHarmonics MusicHeybrook MusicHogan MusicHolmes MusicHW Audio

idrums.co.ukimuso.co.ukJ.G. Windows JBS MusicJG WindowsJohn Packer Keyboard KavernKnock on Wood London PA Centre Mann’s MusicMarkson Pianos McCormacks Mickleburgh Millers Music Centre Minim MusicMOR MUSICMusic RoomMusic StationMusicians CentreMusicland UK Morlings NevadaNewcastle Drum CentreNewtonsNormansNorthern Music OnlineOne Man Band

Park MusicPlay Away GuitarsProduction RoomPromenade MusicPurple Turtle Music Red Submarine Limited - Gear4MusicRimmers Music LtdRock And Roll Music RockboxRocktronic Music StoresRosehill InstrumentsSharon MusicSheehan’sSheet Music Hound Sounds of FromeSoundsLive.co.ukStageBeatSymphony Music & TechnologyCentreThe Music StopThe Music Trading CompanyTiverton Music ShopTower Music Trago MillsUmbrella MusicVivace PianosWembley Drum/Guitar/PA

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

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

10:30 – Coffee/Registration

11:00 – Conference

13:00-14:00 – Lunch

13:00-18:00 – ExpoExclusive meetingopportunities for EventPartners and over 100 ofthe UK’s leading dealers

18:00-23:00 – After ShowParty Sponsored by Roland.Beer and The FabulousBeatles at the adjacentParker McMillan bar

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE:11:00 – Welcome Stuart Dinsey, MI Pro11:05 – Where We’re At, WhereWe’re GoingMatt Gibbs, GfKExclusive data from one of theworld’s biggest researchcompanies.11:30 – Reverberations (Panelsession)Chairman: Andy Barrett, MI Pro. Panelists: Noel Sheehan,Sheehans; Simon Gilson, PMT;plus two leading suppliers TBC.What has the industry learnedfrom the collapse of SoundControl, Reverb and others?11:55 – What Has The MIA EverDone For Us?Paul McManus, MIAHow the trade body can helpretailers sell more product andmake more money.

12:10 – Music For AllTim Walter, RolandNews on the industry charity’slatest initiative.12:15 – Online Selling: Threat orOpportunity? (Panel session)Chairman: Peter Heath, RolandPanelists: Jason Tavaria,Dolphin; David Briggs, Dawsons;Harvey Roberts, Audio Technica;Paul Marshall, Marshall.The single biggest shift in the MIretail landscape comes underthe spotlight.12:40 – Music MattersBilly BraggThe legendary singer, songwriterand campaigner talks about theimportance of music and therole of retailers across allaspects of the community – andupdates us on his Jail GuitarDoors project.

74 miPRO JUNE 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

RETAIL LOCATION REPORT

Part one of MI Pro’s journey into the wilds of the English suburbs, this month

sees our intrepid location reporter taking a leisurely stroll around Woking and

the surrounding areas...SurreySURREY MUSIC STORE

In the heart of Paul Weller's hometown

of Woking (and a stones throw from the

fortunately named Stanley Road) sits the

Surrey Music Store, a relatively small

outfit with a nicely open shop floor that

lends itself to uncluttered browsing.

Sitting amongst a nest of young and

suitably cool retail businesses, including

some sort of extreme snow/ski/skate

board shop, this is clearly a good location

with plenty of passing pedestrians and

ample opportunity to lure in passing

music enthusiasts.

The inside of the store features a fairly

general spread of instruments, with a

smattering of pretty much everything

from digeridoos to trombones, but a

specialisation in nothing in particular.

There are enough accessories dotted

around the place to keep anyone in need

of roisin, straps of all shapes and sizes,

cleaning products for brass, strings or

cymbals, guitar bits and pieces or

miscellaneous percussion items happy,

whilst a broad selection of sheet music

dotted around the place has enough

variety across rock, pop and classical to

satisfy the casual browser.

New and second-hand brass sits in

the window, making for an attractive

display, whilst a clutch of classical

acoustic guitars line the walls along

one side.

The electric guitar display finds a

motley selection of new and used

instruments populating one corner of the

shop, and though nothing here goes

above the £250 mark there's plenty to

keep first timer buyers and entry level

musicians interested.

There are an awful lot of musical

gifts on display here as well, from treble

clef socks to mini busts of Mozart, piano

ties and mini ornamental guitars. Maybe

it's not quite rock and roll, but this kind

of merchandise is a decent money

spinner for these tough times.

RIPLEY GUITARS LTD

Sat in the middle of a picturesque market

town, Ripley Guitars is the sort of shop

that’s worth travelling to. Housed in what

one can only presume was once some

conscientious post master's cottage, as

soon as you step inside it's clear that this is

a shop run by people that really love their

guitars. The front half of the store is home

to a counter (populated by some friendly

folks that suit the village green vibe of

Ripley perfectly) surrounded by mountains

of guitar accessories and a wide enough

selection of strings to keep even the most

anal of guitar geeks happy for the rest of

their incredibly specific string plucking days.

It's when you venture further into the

store that you really get to the heart of

Ripley Guitars though. The second-hand

selection alone is enough to justify a day

trip out to the Surrey countryside. If you

like your guitars pre-loved and with a bit of

character to them, then this is a shop that

needs to be on your list of must-sees. With

a heavy leaning towards Gibsons, including

some spectacular Les Pauls from the 90s,

the selection also includes the sort of thing

that gets your average retro-loving 60s

addict hot under the collar. Think mint

Watkins Rapiers, gorgeous Hofners, that

sort of thing. A stunning late 70s Precision

was the centre of attention upon MI Pro's

visit, highlighting the community spirit that

pervades the shop, as strangers stood

around chewing the fat about the relative

merits (or not) of early 80s Fenders.

All told, this is the sort of shop that

makes working in this industry such a

pleasure. Run by people who combine an

obvious love of what they do with some

genuine business acumen and, perhaps

most importantly of all, buckets of

enthusiasm, you can't help but feel that

everyone deserves a local music shop this

good. Maybe if those struggling at the

moment took a leaf out of Ripley Guitar's

book, there wouldn't be quite as many

store closures, who knows?

Blueridge have taken America by storm withtheir authentic vintage style guitars, and nowwe have made them available in the UK. Thisrange, renowned for spectacular value formoney, continues to receive excellent reviewsin all the best known guitar press, includingGuitar & Bass, Guitarist, Guitar Buyer, AcousticMagazine...

The leading brand of resonator guitars, with along US heritage, available in the UK exclu-sively from Gremlin Music. Saga Music, haveapplied the same dedication to quality to theseguitars as they have to the Gitane andBlueridge guitars, and the results are spectacular.

SK120 Rated ‘Exceptional’ in AcousticMagazine. “A wonderful little amp designedby people who understand what musiciansneed”. Also Guitar & Bass have awarded theSK60 a massive 82%.We distribute these ShireKing Acoustic Ampsalong with Headway’s very popular pickupsfor acoustic instruments, including the Snake3 and SA1 pickups, and the ‘Band’ violin andcello pickups.

The best selling aluminium whistles inthe UK. Renowned for their clear sound,they appeal to whistle players of all stan-dards. Though ideal for beginners, theyare professional instruments and areused on stage by many leading players.

For the Gypsy in your soul!These beautiful guitars payhomage to the Selmer and

Maccaferri guitars of the early20th century. They have solid tops,are a joy to play, and look andsound like the real thing, right

down to the excellent reproduction of the orig-inal tailpiece. More to the point, they are veryaffordably priced.

The Kentucky mandolins are the pinnacleof affordable bluegrass instruments, andoffer exceptional quality at excellentprices. These mandolins are a very wel-come addition to our growing section ofgreat quality bluegrass instruments,which includes mandolins, banjos,dobros, guitars and more.

A competitively priced range of stu-dent squeezeboxes, including PianoAccordions from 12 to 120 Bass,B/C, D/G and Cajun one-rowmelodeons, and Anglo and Englishconcertinas, all ideal for beginners.

As well as being the first point of call for all the hard to find traditional musical instruments your customers are askingyou for, Gremlin Music is a one stop shop for any musical instrument retailer. We can supply a massive range of acousticmusical instruments, spares, accessories, strings, books and DVDs. Become a Gremlin Dealer and give your customersa better choice! We pride ourselves on the personal touch - you can always reach us by phone during work-ing hours, and we’ll always send your order as fast as possible, no matter what the size. If you’re a dealer,you can browse our website for prices (retail and wholesale), contact us by email, and place orders online! We’ve beenin the business for over 25 years, and can offer you an experienced, friendly and professional service.

www.gremlinmusic.co.uk post@gremlinmusic.co.ukTel: +44 (0) 1903 203044 (9.30 - 5.30 Mon - Fri) | Unit A, Easting Close, Worthing, West Sussex, BN14 8HQ

Musical Instrument Co.

A new range of Ashbury ukuleles, tenor guitars andmandolin family instruments have been designedby British Luthier Phil Davidson and are hand madein Vietnam.Ashbury also has a professional quality range ofAcoustic Guitars, Mandolins, Banjos & Fiddles,Basses, cases, electrics and more manufactured toa high standard in China and Indonesia.

“I was amazed and Impressed”Build Quality: 5/5, Sound Quality: 4.5/5,

Value for Money :5/5.Acoustic Magazine reviews the AU-24T

Ashbury solid koa Tenor Ukulele

Just a few of our Leading Brands...

How is business compared to this time

last year?

I would say it’s about the same. Last

month we were slightly up and the month

before a little bit down, so at the moment

it seems to be bobbing along at around

the same level.

How do you market the shop?

We are a High Street store, which puts us

in a better position than other music

retailers, who have to cope with being

situated down back streets, for example.

We have a great website that helps a

great deal with the business, of course. We

also do a lot of work with schools through

our Music in Education business, dealing

with around 25,000 teachers and schools.

How do you compete with the online

competition?

We’re constantly monitoring prices, to

ensure we’re not being undercut too

much. We don’t offer a price promise

because we always ensure we offer the

best possible prices. We also compete with

online retailers by offering an online

catalogue ourselves that is constantly

expanding and always being updated with

new lines.

What are your biggest strengths?

In some ways the fact we are independent

is our biggest strength. With a lot of chain

companies, it is very difficult to get

through to someone in overall

management, but I am always available to

deal with enquiries and help customers. I

am a very hands-on director, as well as

the rest of the staff and I believe this is

the best way. Secondly, there is the family

side. When you know your business has

been passed down through generations, it

gives you a real passion to do a great job.

How do you ensure a good level of

customer service?

Again, customers can benefit from the fact

that I am constantly on the shop floor and

we all put in a lot of time and effort to

ensure we’re on hand to deal with any

issues. We simply make sure the customer

is happy and if there are any problems, I

want to hear about them. We also ensure

we have as good a display as possible.

What is the one product you couldn’t

live without?

Stagg is probably our best-selling brand,

but to be honest I couldn’t live without

any of our products. If manufacturers

decide not to give me access to products,

I’ll find others instead and that’s part of

the beauty of being a smaller business. We

are an all-rounder, so we don’t specialise

in a particular type of instrument either

How can the industry do more to

support retail?

By following what some manufacturers

have done recently and that’s adopting a

correct marketing policy. This encourages

dealers to stock, sell and show their

product and give them a fair margin by

doing so.

RETAIL

76 miPRO JUNE 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

INDIE PROFILE

FACT BOXAddress: 123 High Street, Colchester,

Essex, CO1 1SZ

Phone: 01206 572783

Owner: Mann family; Tim Mann is

managing director.

Established: 1854

Employees: Ten

Best-selling lines: Stagg products in

general have proven to be some of the

most profitable in this shop, but there

are numerous great sellers across the

board. Too many to list and no particular

lines noticeably outshining the rest.

Tim Mann explains the

benefits of being an

independent retailer,

particularly one that’s

been in business for over

150 years…

Sound • Lighting • Special Effects • Distribution Power Squared • Tel: +44 (0) 1525 850085 • www.leisuretec.co.uk

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CLASSIFIEDS: MINIMUM 12 MONTHS - ONE ANNUAL CHARGE QUARTER PAGE £1,295

MARKETPLACE INDEX

SU

PP

LIE

R S

PO

TLI

GH

T

TO ADVERTISE CALL DARRELL CARTER OR JODIE HOLDWAY ON 01992 535647

Website makes it easy to buy and sell guitars online

GUITARS.CO.UK is essentially a

unique market place for guitars.

Utilising one of the most

memorable and powerful domain

names in our industry, the

Guitars.co.uk classifieds rank

extraordinarily well for new and

used guitar searches on sites such

as Google and Yahoo.

The ethos of Guitars.co.uk is to

provide highly effective (and

affordable) advertising to private

and trade sellers with no sales fees

or hidden costs. In fact,

Guitars.co.uk would like to believe

it provides the most powerful

advertising medium pound for

pound in guitar retail.

Why not test the water with just

one advert? It will cost just two

pounds, or list your entire inventory

of stock for 45 days for just £50.

Unlike many classified sites or

even online stores, Guitars.co.uk

takes a very pro-active role in

marketing the information

submitted to its readers and

subscribers.

Focus is on quality, reliable, up to

date adverts, which the end user

can have faith in and be

encouraged to make contact with

the seller through a range of

channels (person to person, phone,

website or email).

The layout is designed to make it

as simple to use as possible, with

categories for new and used guitars,

as well as brand specific sections,

for those who know exactly what

they’re looking for.

Richard of Richards Guitars, who

has been using the internet since its

conception to promote guitars,

manages the site. He is widely

trusted by guitarists and so

information provided is taken

seriously and appreciated by the

subscribers.

Guitars.co.uk provides

unquestionable profile for anyone

who wishes to sell a guitar, whether

it be trade or private. A forum

makes it easier for fellow surfers to

interact with each other, by

allowing them to discuss guitars

they are interested in, selling and

various other topics.

Advertising at Guitars.co.uk

starts from £2 for trade or private

sales so if you are looking for an

effective and affordable

new route to customers, get

in touch with Richard at

Guitars.co.uk today.

www.guitars.co.uk

THE PLACE FOR BUSINESS

MIMARKETPLACE

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CONTACT

JODIE HOLDWAY

CALL: (0)1992 535647

ADVERTISE IN

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GREAT ADVERTISINGOPPORTUNITIES

ACCESSORIES AND GIFTWRE

80 miPRO JUNE 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

AMPLIFICATIONS

To find out more about the JVM Series and other Marshall products contact: Marshall Amplification plc Denbigh Road, Bletchley, Milton Keynes MK11DQ www.marshallamps.com

DISTRIBUTOR

Call Tom Harrison on 01132 589599 or email - tom@440distribution.com

MI MARKETPLACE

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82 miPRO JUNE 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

www.gremlinmusic.co.uk

Acoustic, Celtic and TraditionalMusical Instrument Specialists

Become a Gremlin Dealer and giveyour customers a bigger and betterchoice! We pride ourselves on thepersonal touch - you can alwaysreach us by phone during workinghours, and we’ll always send yourorder as fast as possible, no matterwhat the size. We’ve been in thebusiness for over 25 years, and can

offer you an experienced, friendly andprofessional service.

Email: post@gremlinmusic.co.ukTel: +44 (0) 1903 203044 (9.30 - 5.30 Mon - Fri)

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Rothwell effects pedals are trulyhand-made here in the uk and built to thehighest standards. The cases are handpolished and the electronics carefullyassembled by skilled uk workers. The circuit designis innovative and original (we don't do clones, repros ormods) and the sound is the sound of classic rock guitar - pure tone.Our pedals are quickly gaining a reputation for superb quality and are being played on some of theworld's biggest stages. The Hellbender (overdrive) and Switchblade (distortion) are currently beingheard by thousands of fans on Justin Timberlake's world tour, played by Mike Scott (also Prince'smain guitarist), who says "you make truly great, great pedals".

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MANUFACTURER

Find out more at www.fender.com/gdec3Fender® and G-DEC® are trademarks of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. © 2010 FMIC. All rights reserved.

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MI MARKETPLACEINSURANCE AND BUISNESS

PERCUSSION AND DRUMS

OCARINAS

Making Music in SchoolsSince 1983

UK made rainbow ocarinas fromOcarina Workshop are easy to playand great fun to teach with.

These pocket-sized instrumentsare popular with kids & well-tuned.Together with 'Play your Ocarina'music books, they are the key tosuccessful music-making in manyschools around the country.

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Trade orders are sent by return:free delivery & no minimum order

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tel: 01536 485 963fax: 01536 485 051

email: sales@ocarina.co.uk

PIANOS

Rober t MORLEY Co Ltd

34 ENGATE St. LONDON SE13 7HA

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

Robert MORLEY & Co Ltd.Piano & Harpsichord Makers

Established 1881

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86 miPRO JUNE 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

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ADVERTISE YOUR VACANCIES AT

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CONTACT JODIE.HOLDWAY@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK FOR

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WIND INSTRUMENT

JUNE 2000Cover Stars: The Competition Act is looked at

through the eyes of the OFT’s director

general, John Bridgeman, and examines what the

act is intended to achieve and some of the

activities it outlaws

News: QSC sues Behringer, Yamaha levels EKB

pricing, Woodchester Pianos merges with

Whelpdale Maxwell Codd, Music Sales deal with

Sibelius for online sheet music, MIA snubs BBC’s

‘instrument amnesty’ initiative

Features: NSCA report, the piano market, Music

Shipping Company, Dave Widdicombe, e-

commerce, Altec Lansing, JHS Event

Products:Yamaha Disklavier Pro 2000, Ovation

2000 Ltd, Danelectro mini pedals, Ashdown RPM-1

bass preamp, Line 6 Flextone II, Trace Elliot V8

head, Dean Avalanche 7, Fender Hank Marvin

Strat, Yamaha bamboo snare

Number one singles: Sonique: It Feels So Good

Number one albums: Bon Jovi: Crush, Tom Jones:

Reload, S Club 7: 7

RETRO

MI Pro is the only place the UK’s MI trade turns for the news and analysis of everything going on in the industry. Aside

from that, we appreciate the fun that lies at the root of everything we do, so this is the section to crack open a beer, put

your feet up and have a laugh. If you have any pictures you’d like us to include, send them to mipro@intentmedia.co.uk...

88 miPRO JUNE 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

THE LAST WORD IN MI PRO

THE BEATLES: PLEASE PLEASE ME

IN THIS age of mind-boggling

technology and every man, his wife,

dog, children and mates’ ability to

get their hands on it, the question

of ‘how did they do that?’ will

normally result in a list of computer

programs, interfaces, plugins and

(probably) some anecdote about

how they forgot to switch the

compression on (snigger) ‘but we

liked the result so much we left it as

it was’ (guffaw).

Let us, then, take a swift swoop

back 50 years to when The Beatles

first entered the EMI Studios.

The band’s producer, George

Martin had wanted to record the

band live at The Cavern in Liverpool,

but Parlophone, the record

company, was anxious to get the

album out as soon as possible

following the successes of Love Me

Do and Please Please Me in the

singles charts.

Thus at 10am on Monday

February 11th, 1963 the mop tops

entered the EMI Studios (now Abbey

Road) and recorded three, three-

hour sessions (for the pedantic

among you, it amounted to a total

of 585 minutes).

“It was essentially a recorded

broadcast,” Martin recalled years

later. “A straightforward

performance of their stage

repertoire.” By the end of the day,

Martin is reported to have said: “I

don’t know how they do it. We’ve

been here all day, but the longer we

go on, the better they get.”

It is a tribute to the band’s

abilities that the album still sounds

so fresh today.

Martin’s job was, relatively simply,

to set up the band, place the mics,

thread the tape on the reel to reel

and press record. The album was

recorded on a two track BTR (British

Tape Recorders) machine, with the

instruments on one track and the

vocals (recorded simultaneously) on

the other. The ‘mix down’ to mono

used a little reverb to blend the

tracks and the stereo version simply

transferred the instruments to the

left and the voice to the right –

again with added reverb.

The session cost about £400,

with the members of the band

earning MU rates of £22, 10s each –

roughly what a professional football

player would earn in a week. My,

how times have changed.

HOW DID THEYDO THAT?

THE FUTURE OF MI ICONS?

JUST OVER a year ago, in February

2009, in fact, the Georgia Tech show in

Atlanta debuted its ‘centre for music

technology’ and the inaugural

Guthman Musical Instrument

competition. All well and good so far…

Well, maybe not. These two

instruments were entered into that

first competition, but no further

information can be found as to what

happened at the competition, what

won, what was commended or how

the hell these two contraptions might

conceivably fit into the category of

musical instrument.

Answers on a postcard, please…

PIC OF THEMONTH

LATEST NEWSSTRAIGHT TO YOUR MOBILE

Bookmark us in your phone:

MOBILE.MI-PRO.CO.UK

SEND YOUR PICTURES TO CODA@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JUNE 2010 89

Going back 20 years, affordable

music making was tough to

come by and it was this

product, introduced in 1990, that

sparked a creative music revolution.

This 16-channel mixer not only

offered immense build quality, but also

several features that were unheard of

at the time, including its own internal

power supply and Rotopod chassis

with multiple connections. What made

this product such a success, though,

was that it was suitable for a wide

range of musos and performers.

Its price appealed to bands on a

budget and any musically motivated

individual, but also leading studios

would use them as sub-mixers. It

undoubtedly set the bar for other

manufacturers, by offering a mixer

that offered specs that were only

found in larger consoles of that period.

Less experienced musicians also

benefited from its ease of use and

multiple functions. Thousands of

people used nothing but a 1604 to

track and mix their recordings – and

with impressive sound quality.

Perfect for situations where a

number of mics and other audio

sources could be mixed together with

ease, the 1604 also became known for

the type of distortion it could produce.

Well known users include Liam

Howlett from The Prodigy, who feels

Mackie desks are the best for dance

production. The time finally came

when Howlett decided that he

ought to move on and use

a newer product, but

when he

couldn’t get

a good

sound out

of his new

purchase, he

found himself going

back to his old Mackie.

Reliability was another key to its

success. A cheaper product

usually means less longevity, but

instead this Mackie gained a

reputation for soldiering on for

considerably longer than its more

expensive rivals – even those that

were released several years after.

Since then, Mackie has been

updating the 1604 and with the 1604-

VLZ3, has been striving to keep up

with technological advancements, but

also maintain the qualities and

reputation of the

original.

MI ICON Mackie CR-1604 mixer

1972-79The Fat StratVan Halen built his first ‘working’ guitar

from a body and neck made by Lynn

Ellsworth of Boogie Bodies guitars and

bought from Wayne Charvel. He fitted a

single humbucker in the bridge position,

giving the guitar its name.

1979 CharvelIn what was to be a year of indecision,

the super noodler experimented with a

number of guitars, all decorated with

insulating and gaffa tape – the Charvel

taking a yellow and black appearance.

1979 Ibanez DestroyerWhile the Charvel was the main guitar

of 1979, he also used his (gaffa-taped)

Ibanez for tracks such as You really Got

Me and Runnin’ with the Devil.

1980-83 The FrankenstratUndoubtedly Van Halen’s most famous

guitar, this model was made from the

Fat Strat, changing the neck, removing

part of the scratchplate and adding a

Floyd Rose tremolo system.

1983-91 Kramer 5150Beginning to see the value of putting his

name to a guitar, EVH signed up with

Kramer to ‘recreate’ the Frankenstrat as

a signature model. The 5150, as it later

came to be known, was rear loaded and

had the Floyd Rose, was a hot-rodded

Kramer Pacer. It was later a signature

model with both Music Man and Peavey.

1992-03 Music Man EVHThis guitar is still commercially available

under the Axis name, and retains all of

the original features of the Edward Van

Halen model. The guitar showed

something of a mellowing in EVH’s taste

for look and tone – and he named the

series Wolfgang, after his son.

2003-04 Peavey WolfgangIn 2003, the man who would now like to

be known as ‘Edward’ teamed up with

Peavey to produce the Wolfgang range of

guitars, in what was to prove to be a

tempestuous relationship. These axes

were made for just a year by Peavey and

the split between the two is rumoured to

be because EVH started selling his own

guitars online.

2005-presentFender EVHThe notorious noodler is now back in the

Fender fold, making his guitars and amps

under the exclusive EVH brand, with new

replicas of the Frankenstrat, Wolfgang

Guitars and the EVH 5150 III amplifier.

On stage and in the studio, Van Halen

seems more than happy to use his

prototype Wolfgangs.

THE STARS AND THEIR GUITARSEDDIE VAN HALENNot only a pioneer in guitar playing, but also in getting

involved in the guitar making business. What a guy…

1979 1992 -03

1979 2003-04

1980-83 2005-present

1972-79 1983-91

Championed by BBC Radio

2 and NME, and with a

highly anticipated debut

album Animate on the

way, these Dublin rockers

could easily find

themselves in the

limelight before too long.

Here’s the gear that

punters are bound to be

asking for in the not too

distant future...

SOUNDALIKESBLACK SOUL STRANGERS

NEXTMONTHA veritable fest of market overviews in the

June issue, with perspectives on the acoustic

guitar, percussion and sheet music sectors.

On the cover will be one of the most

interesting (and fastest growing) business

models in the trade: AVSL.

EDITORIAL: ANDY BARRETT

mipro@intentmedia.co.uk

ADVERTISING: JODIE HOLDWAY

jodie.holdway@intentmedia.co.uk

Company/job title:

Westside

Distribution – drums and percussion

product specialist.

Years in the industry?

Only four years – unbelievable for a guy

that looks this old.

First single bought?

I think it might have been Friggin’ in the

Riggin’ by the Sex Pistols. Not sure why,

because I was never into punk.

Favourite album?

Too many to name just one. Eat to the Beat

by Blondie, Domino Theory by Weather

Report, So by Peter Gabriel.

Currently listening to?

Dave Matthews Band, Big Whiskey and the

GrooGrux King, Rage! by Lettuce.

Favourite musician?

Dave Matthews (horror – not a drummer!)

Which instruments do you play?

Drums and a bit of percussion.

Are you currently in a band?

Yes, my first ever rock/blues cover band.

MI SPACE

© Intent Media 2010 No part of this publication may be

reproduced in any form or by any means without prior permission

of the copyright owners. Printed by The Manson Group, AL3 6PZ

Enquiries to MI Pro, Intent Media, Saxon House 6a St.

Andrew Street, Hertford SG14 1JA.

Tel: 01992 535646 (Editorial)

Tel: 01992 535647 (Advertising)

Fax: 01992 535648

miPRO is a memberof the PPA

ISSN 1750-4198

PHILIP JUSTIN WYER – guitar – Gretsch

Power and Duo Jet (both with Bigsby),

Martin 000-16SGT acoustic, MXR Micro

amp, Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer, Electro

Harmonix Cathedral, Electro Harmonix

Stereo Memory Man, James Murray

Hadron Collider fuzz, Elixir 10-46 electric

strings, Elixir 12-52 acoustic strings,

Dunlop Nylon .72 picks, Elixir cables, Diago

pedal board, Fender Blues Deluxe, Vox

AC30 amps

BARRY GOREY – guitar and vocals – 1976

USA Fender Telecaster, USA Fender

Telecaster Standard, 1963 Airline Bobcat

Twin, Martin D-15, MXR Distortion+, Line

6 DL4, Boss DD20, Boss GE7, Elixir 10-46,

Elixir 12-52 (acoustic), Dunlop nylon 1.0

picks, Elixir cables, Diago pedal board,

Synths – Korg MS20, Suzuki Omnichord,

Moog Little Phatty, Micro Korg, Akai MPC

500, Fender Hot Rod DeVille, Vox AC30

amps & 4x10, Marshall Power Break

JAMES O' BRIEN – bass – 1973 Fender

Precision, Sans Amp bass driver DI, MXR

Bass DI, Elixir 45-100 strings, Elixir cables,

Dunlop nylon 1.0 Picks, Diago pedal board,

Paxman French horn, Yamaha Bb trumpet,

Ashdown ABM 500 EVO III Head, ABM 4-

10 T Cabinet, Ashdown ABM 1-15 T Cab

BRENDAN O' MAHONEY – drums –

Gretsch USA Maple Custom, Ludwig

Black Beauty snare, Ludwig LM402 snare,

DW 9000 pedal, Various Zildjian Ks,

Sticks – ProMark 2B Hickory, Favourite

colour – blue (?)

MI PRO Magazine. Saxon House, 6a St. Andrew Street.

Hertford, Hertfordshire. SG14 1JA

ISSN: 1750-41980 Copyright 2010

Printed by The Manson Group, AL3 6PZ

the international monthlymagazine for musicinstrument professional andeveryone in the MI business

MI Pro has a monthly circulation of well

over 6,000. It is distributed to all MI

retailers and industry professionals plus

carefully selected pro audio executives

and resellers.

UK: £50 Europe: £60 Rest of World: £90

SUBSCRIPTIONEnquiries, please email: mipro.subscriptions@c-cms.com

Telephone: 01580 883 848

Charges cover XX issues and 1st class postage

or airmail dispatch for overseas subscribers.

MI PRO is published 12 times a year, reaching well over

6,000 readers throughout the UK and international market.

Managing EditorAndy Barrettmipro@intentmedia.co.uk

Editor at LargeGary Coopergary@garycooper.biz

Staff WriterAdam Savageadam.savage@intentmedia.co.uk

Advertising ManagerDarrell Carterdarrell.carter@intentmedia.co.uk

Sales ExecutiveJodie Holdwayjodie.holdway@intentmedia.co.uk

DesignerClaire Brocklesbyclaire.brocklesby@intentmedia.co.uk

Production ExecutiveRosie McKeownrosie.mckeown@intentmedia.co.uk

CirculationPaul Littlemipro.subscriptions@c-cms.com

Editorial ProductionManagerHelen Frenchhelen.french@intentmedia.co.uk

PublisherDave Robertsdave.roberts@intentmedia.co.uk

Managing DirectorStuart Dinseystuart.dinsey@intentmedia.co.uk

90 miPRO JUNE 2010

ANDYGILLESPIE

www.staggmusic.com

BRUSSELS, 1840.ADOLPHE SAX DREAMS UP

A NEW INSTRUMENT.

BRUSSELS, 2010.STAGG INTRODUCES THE ALL-NEW

77-SA ALTO SAXOPHONE.

FEATURES:

F/F# link leverFull regulation screws for left and right hand

Blue steel springsUpgraded felts

Stop bumper on crook key

All Stagg woodwind instruments are fully checked and professionally set up by Stagg’s in-house technicians

prior to shipping.

Please call the UK sales team on 01293 862612, contact your area sales manager, or log on to our dealerwebsite at www.emdmusic.com for more details.

Produc onSo ware

Audio & MIDIInterfaces

DesktopMonitors

V-Studios Plug-insController Keyboards

Here’s some news you’re going to love:

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Visit www.cakewalkbyroland.co.uk for the full 2010 lineup

Hardware and software from Cakewalk by Roland

Here’s some news you’re

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