MI Pro Issue116 January

ROLAND NAMM SHOW FREESTYLE MFY TOMANDWILL GUITAR FX

No. 116 • JANUARY 2010 • WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK PRINT • ONLINE • MOBILE

SCV London sits in something of a unique position

between MI and pro audio, but there's no clash

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SUPPLYBARNES & MULLINS 22Admira’s lasting influence

FREESTYLE 24Hiwatt’s new distributor talks British amps

PULSE 28PA for the people

TOMANDWILL 30How the Clarinéo will rock the woodwind world

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COVER STORY 18

ISSUE 116 JANUARY 2010

CONTENTSREGULARS: DRUM NEWS 12 RETAIL NEWS 66 INDIE PROFILE 72 FRONT LINE 73 NEW PRODUCTS 47-62 CODA 84

Welcome to the New Year and doubly welcome to MIPro’s new look. As you will see going through thismonth’s edition, there are some pretty neat cosmetic

changes to the magazine and I’d like to thank our designer,Claire Brocklesby, for putting in the extra work and coming upwith such great-looking layouts.

On the structural side, you will notice that we have organisedthe mag slightly differently, creating definite ‘sectors’ for the firsttime. Those sectors are: news, events, supply, products and retail,each colour-coded and designed to make navigation that littlebit easier. As a result, you will find the new products section (thefundament of everything we do in this industry) pulled forwardslightly and the retail section a bit further back.

The January edition is, of course, the NAMM Show edition andon page 14 you will find the start of our four-page run-throughof all the launch information that was available as MI Pro wentto press.

NAMM has an ongoing responsibility to make new musicmakers around the world – a task it fulfils with admirablepassion and a lot of imagination. There are obvious benefits toour industry to have more people playing musical instruments,but we must never forget that the benefits to the music playingindividual are many: longer life, better brain power, enhancedsocial skills, the list goes on. By bettering our businesses, we areimproving the quality of life for our customers.

For this reason, I would ask all retailers to go straight to page68 of this issue and read the interview with Lincoln Abbotts, theCEO of Music for Youth and the man responsible for taking theworld’s largest music education charity forward.

Millions of children and youths have passed through the MfYand been infected by the joys of music making – and bought alot of kit, too.

When I asked Abbotts how MI retailers could help MfY, hecame out with a list of things that MfY can do for MI retailers –which was unexpected... But nice.

If you make one New Year’s resolution for your businesses,make this one: call Music for Youth and get involved.

The fact is, everyone benefits – and there aren’t manyactivities that can achieve that.

NEWS

EVENTS

SECTOR SPOTLIGHTS

Andrew Stirling has a

peerless career in pro audio

behind him, but now at the

head of SCV London, he

relishes the work that lies

before him even more

STIRLING

WORK

ROLAND RESTRUCTURES,

BEHRINGER BUYS MIDAS, DAVE

MARTIN AND MARINER,

STEINWAY SHARES SALE

NAMM 2010 14A stand-by-stand run-through of the year’s first launches

GUITAR FX 35Guitarists can’t get enough of them

ELECTRIC GUITARS 40The latest axes under £500

NEW PRODUCTS 47

6

14

40

68

RETAILRETAIL NEWS 65Nevada records on shop floor, World Guitarsgiveaway, Dawson’s Homeworld

MUSIC FOR YOUTH 68Lincoln Abbotts reveals the joys of doing good

LOCATION REPORT 70Victory is MI’s in this naval town

When I asked him

how MI retail could

help, he came out

with a list of how he

could help MI retail

[email protected]

ANDY BARRETT

EDITORIALCOMMENT

Booth and Walter take JOHN BOOTH, the current

managing director at Roland UK,

has begun a new job within the

global Roland group, assuming

the title of director of European

operations, while Tim Walter,

previously Roland UK’s

commercial director, assumes

the role of managing director for

the UK operation. Booth will

continue to represent Roland UK

as chairman.

Since 2007, following Booth’s

appointment to the main board

of directors at Roland Japan, his

time has been split between the

UK, Japan and, increasingly,

Europe. The creation of this

pan-European role is Roland

Corporation’s recognition of the

importance of a collaborative

approach between the European

joint venture companies and that

the growing needs of these

businesses must be identified

and developed.

“I am delighted to be

widening my role at a European

level, representing the Roland

Corporation, Japan,” commented

Booth. “My main focus will now

be helping Roland Corporation

improve and harmonise our

operations across Europe,

although I will remain as

chairman of Roland UK.”

Walter joined the Roland UK

board in 2003, after seven years

at the firm. Since 2008, he has

been commercial director,

responsible for all UK operations.

“Roland UK has enjoyed a

remarkable period since John

took the helm back in 1996,”

said Walter. “The Roland UK of

today has been by driven by

John’s vision, business savvy and

the ability to spot and develop

good people. The founding

principles of the company,

however, remain firmly intact.

The Roland of the past, present

and future is all about people,

product and passion. Our

customers will continue to be

our key focus and central to our

distribution strategy.”

“When I look at the senior

team of Roland UK today, I see

talented, passionate and

dedicated people, most of whom

have risen and developed in our

culture of continuous personal

development,” concluded Booth.

“There is no better example than

Tim, who is a top-class executive

and now definitely ready to step

up to the highest level. As

chairman of Roland UK, I am

looking forward to our

partnership continuing and

bringing even better results.”

ROLAND: 01792 702701

NEWS

Roland UK’s managing director promoted to head of European operations, as commercial director takes on the role of UK

Achard plumps for MartinMariner Guitars gets veteran international sales and marketing man

STEINWAY HAS sold 1.7

million shares of its ordinary

common stock to Samick.

In connection with the sale,

Jong Sup Kim, chairman of

Samick, will join the Steinway

board of directors.

The shares were sold at

$16 each – approximately 37

per cent above the closing

market price on October 28,

2009, the date the parties set

the purchase price.

Steinway intends to use the

proceeds of approximately

$27 million to retire

outstanding debt and for

general corporate purposes.

Steinway’s chairman, Kyle

Kirkland, and CEO, Dana

Messina, continue to hold 100

per cent of class A shares,

which represent over 80 per

cent of the voting power of

the total common stock.

STEINWAY: +49 40 853910

Chairman of Samick joins Steinway board

Steinway sells 1.7million shares

MARINER GUITARS, Ken

Achard’s UK based premium

acoustic guitar company, has

appointed Dave Martin

International to represent the

brand in global markets.

Established last year,

Mariner’s instruments are

designed in Britain and have

been gaining ground in the

domestic UK and Irish markets

under the distributorship of

Music Force Distribution.

“Following a recent

reorganisation of our

production capabilities in the

Far East, we now have the

capacity to widen our

horizons,” explained Achard,

the founder and MD of

Mariner. “Dave Martin is a

highly respected export

consultant and international

marketer in the MI industry.

“He has a wealth of

experience garnered over many

years and is a thoroughly nice

bloke to boot. I believe our

association will drive Mariner

forward to the benefit of

musicians, dealers and

distributors worldwide.”

Dave Martin added: “I’m

very proud to be associated

with Ken and his team at

Mariner Guitars. He and I have

known each other since the

60s back in our Shaftesbury

Avenue music shop days, so it

is a real pleasure for me to be

now working with him to

establish Mariner Guitars on

the international market.

MUSIC FORCE:

01780 781630

DAVE MARTIN:

07775 501414

”My focus will now

be to improve and

harmonise

operations across

Europe.John BoothRoland Corporation

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

Martin (left) and Achard hope to establish Mariner worldwide

Providence appoints

Godlyke for the US

a step up

NEWS

Logic System buyoutAssets purchase agreement results in two new

directors for UK loudspeaker company

UK LOUDSPEAKER manufacturer

Logic System has two new

directors following a recent

assets purchase agreement.

The core assets of Logic

System Pro Audio were acquired

by Gurbakhash Sanghera and

Shameer Sacranie, who have

established a new company

called Logic System Pro Audio

(UK). All 17 staff (including Logic

System founder Chris Scott),

intellectual property, customer

lists and many outstanding

orders have been transferred to

the new operation.

Both Sanghera and Sacranie

have existing interests in audio

and related technologies.

Sanghera is CEO of digital

jukebox manufacturer NSM

Music, while Sacranie is a

corporate lawyer who has

investments in NSM Music.

The deal offers hope for the

company, which recently went

into adminstration after suffering

financial difficulties. These were

somewhat attributed to the

demise of Sound Control, which

had been the manufacturer’s

exclusive retailer.

“The opportunity to get

involved with a premium audio

product and help it to grow was

not to be missed,” said Sacranie.

A new retail-oriented product

line is now set to be launched,

building on Logic’s heritage of

providing pro-audio products to

the working musician.

LOGIC SYSTEM: 01427 677008

SOUNDBITESPeavey EuroSysPeavey is reintroducing its best

selling plywood housed

EuroSys PA systems, originally

launched in the late 1980s,

best sellers for many years, but

absent from the company's

range for some time.

The new range will comprise

two speakers (12 and 15-inch)

and subs (15 and 18-inch).

MTD with ProelProel International has

announced the UK launch of

MTD Kingston bass guitars, a

range of affordable

professional bass guitars

designed in the USA by Mike

Tobias. Three MTD Kingston

ranges are immediately

available in the UK and Ireland:

the Artist series (entry level),

the Heir (mid) and the KZ

(high end). Prices range from

£519 to £1,100.

Faber appoints HLHal Leonard has secured

exclusive, long-term

distribution rights for the

publications of Randall and

Nancy Faber. The Milwaukee-

based publisher will be

responsible for sales,

distribution and marketing of

the Fabers' catalogue

throughout the world.

Bookmark us inyour phone:

MOBILE.MI-PRO.CO.UK

GODLYKE HAS been named

the exclusive North American

distributor for the Japanese-

made Providence effects and

accessories, which enjoy

endorsements from the likes

of Ozzy Osbourne Band and

Robben Ford.

Providence has a reputation

for testing and re-testing

internal wiring layouts and all

other factors to ensure that

each product delivers

uncompromised performance.

Leading musicians and

engineers are involved from

initial product development

right through final evaluation.

Development and

testing go far beyond

basic reliability and

electrical

characteristics, with

critical attention paid

to musicality as well.

Godlyke will launch the

Providence effects line in

winter of 2009. In early 2010,

following the NAMM Show,

Godlyke will begin to offer

other Providence products,

such as its cables and signal

routing units.

GODLYKE: +1 973 777 7477

Japanese effects and accessories added to

US maker and supplier’s catalogue

THE NEXT

LEVEL: Booth

(left) and

Walter will

continue to

work closely

Behringer stunsaudio worldBosch sells Midas and Klark Teknik to

re-branded German manufacturer

BEHRINGER SCORED a last-

gasp winner in the shock news

stakes of 2009 with the

announcement that it had

bought Klark Teknik and Midas

from Bosch.

To add to the intrigue,

Behringer has created a new

holding company, The Music

Group, to oversee the three

brands, primarily with the aim

of distancing the Behringer

brand from the peerless

reputation of the UK audio

designer and manufacturer.

Despite this, the various

websites concerned give facts

and figures that relate directly

to the history of Behringer

and the new holding group is

headed up by Uli Behringer

and Michael Deeb, the bosses

of Behringer.

With Behringer's history of

supplying entry-level products

to the pro audio and MI

industries – a business with a

£135m turnover – this move

is something of a giant leap

forward in terms of quality, as

the two brands are widely

acknowledged as a world

leader in live sound consoles

and outboard.

“We believe we have found

both the passion and the

financial ability needed to

grow Midas and Klark Teknik,”

said Robert Mulatz, senior VP

of Bosch Communications.


LATESTNEWS

STRAIGHT TOYOUR MOBILE

New co-director, Sacranie

Uli Behringer now owns Midas

MD. Booth to remain UK Chairman

NEWS


IN A RECENT meeting held in Hamburg,

senior managers and executives of Yamaha

Europe and Bösendorfer considered the

difficult year the prestigious piano

manufacturer has undergone and

discussed the brand’s future.

In a statement from Yamaha, it was

announced that, despite the rumours to

the contrary, the Viennese piano factory

will remain open.

Yamaha, which announced its multi-

brand strategy to the UK dealers on

September 20th this year, cited this

approach (Yamaha piano sales focusing on

a ‘piano for everybody’ catalogue, from

entry level to the sort of concert grands

made by the likes of Bösendorfer and

Yamaha itself) as the surest way to pull

the 200-year-old brand out of trouble.

Of some obvious regret is the fact that,

as the Bösendorfer operation is

streamlined, layoffs are inevitable from

among the 180-strong staff. The factory’s

council of workers has been invited to

discuss the details of this measure.

The Yamaha statement pointed out that

the global economic crisis has entailed far-

reaching changes in the international

piano industry and has directly affected

Bösendorfer. Since the company’s

purchase in January of 2008, Yamaha has

offered significant financial support for the

Austrian piano firm.

“To strengthen Bösendorfer’s presence

and its instruments in the global markets,

Bösendorfer and Yamaha have decided

upon an intensive collaboration in sales

and marketing,” read the statement.

“Integrated within a multiple-brand

strategy, the strengths and special virtues

of both brands will be more intensively

advertised and utilised in order to open up

new sales possibilities and capture new

market share with combined vigour.

Together, Bösendorfer and Yamaha are able

to offer a perfect solution to every pianist,

every teacher and every audience.

“Instruments built by Bösendorfer,

which will continue to be managed as an

independent company, should therefore be

increasingly available on the world’s

stages. With the support of Yamaha and its

infrastructure, artist management should

be expanded worldwide and collaboration

with concert halls and renowned

educational institutions accelerated.”

The statement concluded that the goal

of all measures was to give Bösendorfer a

stable financial basis for the future, with

the Bösendorfer operation remaining in its

native Austria.

YAMAHA: 01908 366700

IN A speech to the House of Lords

recently on the subject of the Digital

Economy Bill, Baroness McIntosh raised

the issue of Government funding for the

PMSE industry, helping Save Our Sound

UK's cause.

In her speech the Baroness said: “In a

tough environment, its way forward is

still not clear. I hope that Ofcom and the

Government will do everything in their

power to promote an outcome that will

ensure a healthy, diverse public service

landscape for the next generation of

citizens and consumers.”

The Baroness went on to talk about

Ofcom’s new obligation ‘to promote

appropriate levels of investment in

electronic communications’ stating:

“‘Appropriate’ can be a slippery word,

leaving much to the judgment of the

regulator. We have one example already

before us in the current plight of the

UK’s programme-making and special

events sector. This is largely defined by

the technologies it uses and the activities

that rely on them. Those technologies are

wireless microphones.

“The activities are theatre, news

gathering, live music, film-making, TV

production, sports events, concerts,

community events at all scales and,

indeed, party conferences. Justified in its

own view by duties enshrined in the

Communications Act 2003, Ofcom has

decided to clear and sell the 15 channels

relied on by PMSE and the industry’s

radio mics will become unusable.”

At around the same time, the Music

Industries Association has called on its

members to get behind the Save Our

Sound UK campaign.

In a letter to its members, the

association said: “Pressure from

Parliament and your MP is now critical to

help persuade the Government to do

what is required. Peter Luff MP, who has

led the charge in Westminster, last week

tabled an ‘Early Day Motion’ in the

House of Commons. The Motion supports

the Save Our Sound campaign. Clearly,

we need as many MPs to sign the

Motion as possible, and the industry

needs to persuade them to do it.”

MIA: 01372 750600

Save Our Sound Lords itPlight of wireless mic users raised in the House of Lords

as MIA calls upon membership to take action

Emergency meeting ends on a positive note as Yamaha consolidates the Austrian piano maker’s future after a difficult year

Bösendorfer survives crisis

DISTRIBUTION NEWS


THE ROLAND Corporation has

restructured its brands and merged Edirol

into the respective European Roland JV

subsidiaries in order to ‘give more focus

and strength to its distribution throughout

the UK and other key markets in Europe’.

In the UK, the Edirol sales and

marketing operation in Chiswick will now

merge with and be run by Roland UK in

Swansea, effective January 1st, 2010.

In the UK, alongside the Roland and

Boss MI business, Cakewalk by Roland

computer, software and interface products

will be handled by the Swansea office,

while Edirol video products will be the

concern of the Roland Systems Group in

Chiswick. Similar organisations will be

implemented across Europe.

“We are extraordinarily proud of what

we have achieved in Europe with Edirol

over the last 11 years,” said Edirol Europe’s

founder and managing director, Massimo

Barbini. “We have managed to enter

completely new markets from scratch and

build some amazing success stories along

the way. The merger of operations with

existing Roland JV companies will

guarantee the continuity of this success

story and allow Roland to focus on its

brands with a whole new level of co-

ordinated efforts inside the group. I would

like to thank all of my colleagues for

having spent many great years together

and for all of their hard work in making

Edirol what it is today.”

Following the merger of Edirol and

Roland, Massimo Barbini will become

president of Roland Systems Group in

France, a newly formed subsidiary of

Roland based in Paris. The new Roland

company will target the installation

market and aims to expand the Roland

audio and video business with RSS and

Edirol products.

“We are pleased to announce this very

positive merger of operations and brand

realignment,” said Tim Walter, the newly

appointed MD of Roland UK (see page 6).

“We believe it will significantly improve

our brands, product lines, distribution and

potential customer awareness and

understanding of what we do across all of

our product ranges. The Roland and Boss

brands continue to lead the way in their

respective markets, while Cakewalk is now

one of the strongest brands in desktop

music production. And we are pleased to

bolster our Roland Systems Group

operations with the complete audiovisual

range of products now jointly represented

by Edirol for video and RSS for audio.”

ROLAND: 01792 702701.

THE HIGHLY anticipated start-up

manufacturer Knaggs Guitars has

announced its first European distribution

deal. Knaggs will be handled for Central

Europe by Berlin’s Sound Service, which

will be looking after sales in Germany,

Benelux, Switzerland, Austria and possibly

other neighbouring countries.

Knaggs Guitars will officially launch at

Musikmesse 2010, where it will display its

instruments at the Sound Service booth.

Founder Joe Knaggs said: “I have

travelled the world for the past ten years,

so it seems only appropriate that we are

launching Knaggs Guitars across the big

pond. I am proud of the fact that this is

the first major stepping stone for Knaggs

Guitars. We look forward to working with

Sound Service for many years to come.”

Jordanis Sountoulidis, Sound Service

product manager, added: “We can't wait

to receive the first instruments.”

New US guitar brand appoints Berlin-based Sound Service

for European distribution, prior to launch in Frankfurt

OASIS MUSIC and 440 Distribution will

be sharing the distribution of Duesenberg

Guitars within the UK, following Oasis’

successful securing of the brand for

import into the UK.

“I recognised the potential and quality

of Duesenberg, but I felt distribution

within the whole of the UK would be

difficult for Oasis Music alone,” explained

Oasis Music’s Howard Gillespie (pictured

right). “We believe products like these

require the kind of support and attention

that only small and independent

distributors can provide.”

Oasis Music is also the distributor for

Huss & Dalton acoustic guitars, which

hail from Virginia, USA, and the company

sees the addition of Duesenberg,

together with its sister brand, Kluson, as

a natural addition to its portfolio.

“I’ve worked with Tom Harrison at 440

Distribution on many occasions and he

expressed interest in the Duesenberg and

Kluson development. I couldn’t really ask

for a nicer, pro-active colleague to be

associated with,” continued Gillespie.

440 Distribution is fast becoming

established through brands such as K Yairi

and Baden acoustic guitars, DSL straps

and Bullet Cables. The firm was

established by Harrison in 2008.

“I’m of the same mind as Howard,”

added Harrison. “I’m delighted to bring

Duesenberg into my portfolio. It has

achieved a lot in a short space of time

and I hope that we, together with the

support of new and existing dealers, can

continue to grow the Duesenberg brand.”

OASIS MUSIC: 01425 478135.

440 DISTRIBUTION: 01132 589599

North/south divide for

Duesenberg GuitarsOasis Music and 440 Distribution agree to share

distribution of Duesenburg Guitars in the UK

Cakewalk becomes Roland’s dedicated brand, while Roland System Group integrates Edirol video products across Europe

Roland restructures in Europe

Berlin snags Knaggs

Harrison (left) and Gillespie


DISTRIBUTION PROFILE

Year Established: 2009

Number of employees: Eight

How has the current economic climate affected

business?

We are new to the market so it's not affecting us.

What are your bestselling lines and why do you

think they perform so well?

D’Addario has a policy of continual improvement of

its products. Through a process of research and

engineering refinement, products are improved and

updated to keep them at the top. D’Addario XLs are

‘the player’s choice’, but are very different today

than 30 years ago. The Evans EC2, now with SST, is

an upgrade on what was already arguably the best

rock drum head on the market. Planet Waves has

any number of fast-selling gizmos and gadgets,

many in their second, third or even fourth

generation versions.

What are your criteria for selecting

new products?

Although we are D’Addario, that doesn’t mean we

will only carry D’Addario products. We have a

number of great products in the pipeline that we

plan to introduce once D’Addario UK is bedded in.

Accessory products are our speciality and this is the

area you will see us focus on at first. After that,

well, just wait and see…

What distinguishes you from the competition?

This company will be built on offering great

products with world class service and exceptional

dealer margins. We’re not going to use complicated

price/discount structures. We will set a retail price

and offer a simple discount to all dealers.

We have introduced service level agreements

relating to shipping and order satisfaction. If we

don’t deliver on time we’ll pay you £5. If you’re not

happy with any product on your order, you can

send it back. We have published a D’Addario UK

users guide, which details what dealers can expect

from us.

How do you maintain a good relationship

with retailers?

We believe that by keeping things simple and doing

what we say we’ll do we can earn dealers trust. We

have some great marketing ideas that can drive

dealers’ accessory business and we hope dealers

will engage with us and use these ideas to further

their accessory sales.

What would you say is the biggest challenge

facing the industry today?

To keep future generations playing real music. In

the face of any number of activities competing for

consumers’ attention, anything we can do as an

industry to encourage music-making is good for all

of us. Later this year, we’re going to launch

‘D’Addario Presents...’ a regular live music event

that supports local musicians in the North East.

What are your aims for the next 12 months?

To show that we are serious about the points above.

Gateshead, Tyne and Wear

D’ADDARIO

Address: A3 Eleventh Avenue, Gateshead, NE11 0JY

Phone: 0191 300 3000

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.daddario.co.uk

CONTACT DETAILS

Simon Turnbull’s

new venture will

first focus on

establishing

D’Addario in the

UK. It has a

number of other

products in the

pipeline that will

be introduced

once the name is

bedded in the UK.

A HOST of new top names in the

drumming world have been

added to the Aquarian drumhead

endorser list.

Leading the list from the UK

are Biffy Clyro's Ben Johnston,

Siousxie Sioux's Rob Brian, Rob

Jones (65 Days of Static) Mark

Heaney (Gang of Four) and busy

clinician and session player,

Robin Guy.

MSC has also recently

supplied Aquarian heads for Rick

McMurray from Ash (pictured),

who are currently on an

alphabetical tour of the UK and

are releasing a single every two

weeks. Other new signings

include Richard Rayner (Young

Drummer of the Year 2009),

Gilson Lavis for the annual Jools

Holland Christmas tour and Paul

Matthews, who is on tour with

the long-running British stage

musical, Rocky Horror Show

From the other side of the

Atlantic, Aquarian has been

increasing it's roster too. Adding

names such as the legendary

Carmine Appice and Chris Adler

(Lamb of God) are JJ Johnson

(John Mayer) Jeremy Stacey

(Sheryl Crow) and Joey Waronker

(Beck/REM). Aquarien heads are

suppied in the UK by the Music

Shipping Company.

MSC: 01562 827666

The age of the Aquarian endorser

THE UK is to get its own

dedicated drum show during the

Autumn of 2010 thanks to

Oyster House Publishing, which

acquired Drummer magazine and

other former MB Media titles in

September, 2009. The show,

which MI Pro understands will be

held in a prestigious London

venue, is scheduled to run for

two days and is likely to feature

a retail component.

Speaking to MI Pro, Hugo

Montgomery-Swan, MD of OHM

said: “Since taking up the title a

few months ago, we have been

approached by many of our key

clients and advertisers expressing

great interest in Drummer

magazine staging a dedicated

drum show. The MIA retains the

intellectual rights to the name

'Drummer Live', the show

previously run by Drummer

magazine, and as it has chosen

to exercise its right not to

release this to us, Drummer

magazine's show will bear a

different title, namely, 'The UK

Drum Show’.

“In the past weeks, we have

been researching all the key

exhibition venues in London and

not only comparing costs but

also the individual features and

merits of each. We believe now

that we have found a superb

venue in West London for a two-

day show, which features a

purpose made concert

auditorium for the show's live

stage, a generous amount of

exhibition space and all the high-

class amenities including clinic

rooms etc. that a show of this

type truly needs. Our intention is

to announce further details on

the venue's location and other

elements of the show early in

the New Year.”

OYSTER HOUSE MEDIA:

01884 266100

UK drum show to debut in London as Drummer

mag’s new owner pushes brand’s potential

NEWCASTLE DRUM Centre

has launched a new site,

which is focused on helping

drummers complete their kits.

The site has over 4,000

items available, all backed up

by secure web ordering.

Extensive product info and

images enable punters to find

all the details needed right on

the site.

The store is also offering all

web customers the chance to

win every week, with prizes

such as iPods, cymbals, and a

signature snare drum worth

over £300. Between now and

March 2010, every £50 spent

on the site gets a free ticket in

a prize draw. The new site can

be found at

newcastledrum.co.uk.

NEWCASTLE DRUM CENTRE:

0191 221 0301

GATTON DRUMS are hand-

crafted in the UK from Corian, a

granite-like material developed

by Du Pont. The drums are said

to perform like a high-end

wooden drum, but are free of

the excessive tones associated

with acrylic drums.

Craig Cockrell, who runs

Gatton Drums and hand crafts

each one, described the sound

as “full of body, dry at the

centre, with tons of ring at the

edge, bright like a metal drum

yet with much the depth of a

wood drum.”

The drums feature the Trick

GS007 Strainer, S-hoops, Remo

heads and Puresound snare

wires. Corian also has high-

dimensional stability, and allows

for extremely stable

tuning. The shell is said

to be highly damage-

resistant, although

should scratching

occur, the shells can

also be re-sanded

and polished to the

desired finish.

GATTON: 01522 790900

UK company, Gatton Drums produces

drums from Du Pont developed material

Is this a newdrum concept?

Newcastle

drummers

rejoice

More and more top drummers switch to promote the drumhead brand

New website offers

kit completion

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

VISIT WWW.MIKEDOLBEAR.COM FOR MORE DETAILS.

DRUM NEWS


Oyster drums into London

Marshall Amplification plc Denbigh Road, Bletchley, Milton Keynes MK1 1DQwww.marshallamps.com

It’s an odd thing about big trade shows.

By around day three or four, everybody

is forcing a smile that more resembles a

wince and sheepishly admitting that they

are looking forward to getting back home.

Roll forward a year and those same people

are veritably wriggling with delighted

expectation over the prospect of getting

back on to the show floor and to grips

with the business of the moment.

The fact is, shows such as NAMM have

so much going on, so many new products

and so many people who have not been

seen for a year, that we just know there

will be something to benefit us.

In its prime calendar location, NAMM

has long been the springboard for the MI

year – and long may it continue to be so.

There’s nothing like it.

Last year’s gathering was widely

considered to be a ‘quiet’ show, but there

is no way anyone should mistake that for

there being tumbleweeds blowing down

aisles lined by frustrated exhibitors. The

show was pumping and vibrant and a lot

of important business was done and

important networking achieved – as is

always the case.

This year, some 170 of the 1,500-plus

exhibitors will be new to the show,

proving that the dynamism of the trade is

still there after a year that has, largely,

panned out better than many had hoped.

Finally, but most importantly, the

biggest to the smallest exhibitors will have

new stuff on offer, stuff to be seen for the

first time and will be offering the first

opportunities to sign the order book for a

product that could prove the difference

between a good year or a great year.

What follows is the limited amount of

info MI Pro had in December of launches

at Anaheim. There’s a lot to get through

already, but this is nothing compared to

what will be on show when NAMM opens.

EVENT PREVIEW NAMM

14 miPRO JANUARY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

The MI world is set to converge once again in Anaheim for the 108th NAMM Show and receive that annual shot in the

arm that propels us into the year ahead, armed with everything necessary to make a success of our businesses…

THE NAMM SHOW ANAHEIM CONVENTION CENTER, CALIFORNIA, JANUARY 14TH TO 17TH

Happy New Year

”Shows such as

NAMM have so

much going on

that we just know

there will be

something to

benefit us.

NAMM EVENT PREVIEW

ASHDOWN 4778

Kicking of the A to Z, Ashdown has, yet again, an awful lot going

on at NAMM in January. First up is the 427 Small Block head,

which has an octet of KT88s and three over-fed transformers

lurking under the bonnet, as well as an ECC83-fueled preamp.

Following nicely on, the 550 Spyder Head combines the warmth

and grind of the Small Block’s all-tube preamp with the dynamics

of Ashdown’s 500-Watt ABM power stage for a smart and

considerably powerful gigging combo. The third element from

Ashdown is the BTA (Big Tube Amp), which combines a third-

generation ABM preamp with a choice of 200, 300 and 400-Watt

valve output stages.

Rounding off the selection from the Essex noise boys is a wee

amp named after James Dean’s car, the Little Bastard. This all-

tube bass amp head is rated at 30 Watts, so it won’t rip your

head off, but its EL84-equipped power section is more than

capable enough for small gigs. Importantly, it won’t put your back

out on the way (I know a lot of us need that sort of reassurance).

ROTOSOUND B 5596

Metal Legends Duff McKagan of Guns n’ Roses and Velvet

Revolver and James Lomenzo from Megadeth lead a star-studded

line-up of artists appearing on the Rotosound booth during the

Saturday of the show.

They will be joined by emerging talents, Eva Gardener fresh

from touring with Pink, Warren DeMartini and Robbie Crane from

metal rockers Ratt and veteran bass player Billy Sheehan. The

itinerary is as follows. James Lomenzo: 11am, Duff McKagan:

1pm, Eva Gardner: 2pm, Billy Sheehan: 3pm, Ratt band: 4pm.

Rotosound’s R9 and R10 Rotos nickel-on-steel guitar strings

are now available in value twin set packaging. Called Double

Deckers, the new packs of Rotos offer greater value for

money and an improved profit margin for dealers.

The new double decker packs R9DD and R10DD are

space saving, more environmentally friendly and

easier to merchandise. They will be available for

stocking immediately

SABIAN D 3254

Sabian (along with many drum and percussion

companies) tends to use NAMM as a showcase for

the entire year’s product launches, although, in

fairness, the Canadian manufacturer has held back a

bit in recent years.

Of note from the promised releases in January is the

HHX version of the popular Fusion hi-hats. Featuring a

medium top and a heavy, un-lathed, hand-hammered

bottom, the hats come in 13 and 14-inch sizes and

‘deliver high-definition sticking, crisp, clear pedal

‘chick’, and cutting volume in both closed and

open positions’. The Fusion part of the name

comes from the mix – or fusion – of raw

bottom cymbal and lathed top, in this case an

HHX top and an HH bottom.

The enhanced Vault Artisan Crash is the

latest cymbal development from Sabian.

According to master product specialist Mark

Love, both the performance and sound of the

Vault Artisan Crash have been significantly

enhanced through a variety of design changes

and the cymbal responds faster and produces a

richer, fuller sound.

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JANUARY 2010 15

As always, the NAMM Ideas Center will be packing them in

EVENT PREVIEW NAMM

TANGLEWOOD 5010

Tanglewood is pretty chuffed with itself

this year as the company has secured its

slot on the main show floor upstairs from

Hall E. The guitar company now has a

double booth (in between PRS and

Rickenbacker, we are told). Tanglewood’s

directors see this as recognition of

‘everyone's work and effort in building

Tanglewood Guitars into a truly global

brand and every partner has played a

significant part’.

The stand will see a selection of new

products in the Sundance series, the

Discovery series and in the new Signature

by Tanglewood electric guitar line, which

has enjoyed no little success since its

launch in the UK last Autumn. There will

also be some new accessory lines that

reputedly have ‘terrific profit and brand

building potential’.

Tangewood has tried to be extra

competitive in its key market areas – and

taking into account that retail price points

have being driven down by the changing

world economy, Tanglewood believes it

has the products and tools to continue

growing and gaining market share.

The company will also have some

smart mahogany and spruce-topped

ukuleles on show, too.

JHS E 1310

2010 sees the introduction of some bold

new models into the Fret King Blue Label

range, some previously only available as

more exclusive Green Label options. The

60s ‘art school’ Ventura will appeal to the

more extrovert player who will appreciate

the comfort factor and performance

offered by this interesting yet practical

and playable body shape.

The deluxe twin cutaway Elan is

destined to be a popular players’ choice

with its chamfered and contoured body,

carved top and rigid set neck construction.

This guitar ‘definitely ticks the box marked

deluxe’ – and with some new pickup

layout options available alongside a

variety of vibrato and hardtail options, this

Fret King model looks set to be something

of a hit at the show.

MEL BAY 3304

Receive an extra ten per cent discount on

any orders of over 100 units (excluding

pocketbooks) placed in January 2010

quoting the NAMM 2010 promotional

code. Also, every order over 100 units

placed receives automatic entry into

winning a £250 credit and a free gift for

every qualifying trade order over £250.

ALLEN & HEATH 6474

The Cornish mixer maker has selected

NAMM for the global launch of several

new products from the iLive digital mixing

series, the MixWizard multi-purpose range

and the entry-level Zed compact USB

range. Exhibited on US distributor,

American Music & Sound’s stand, the new

products will be unveiled on the first day.

It will also be the first showing outside

the UK of the new Xone:DX, a plug n play

DJ controller launched at the BPM show in

October 2009. The result of close

collaboration between Allen & Heath and

Serato Audio Research, the DX is another

development in A&H’s Xone:D range of


Guns n’ Roses legend Duff

McKagan will be one of several

stars on the Rotosound stand


NAMM EVENT PREVIEW

into the musicwww.rotosound.comwww.myspace.com/rotosoundmusicstrings

See us at NAMMBooth 5596, Hall B

Special guest appearances byDuff McKaganBilly Sheehan

James LoMenzoDoug Ardito

Eva Gardner and Ratt

CALLING ALLUK DEALERSAll UK orders placed at NAMM are subject

to an EXTRA 10% off your normal discount.

Jam

es

LoM

enzo

Billy

Sheehan

Duff

McK

agan

Eva

Gard

ner

controllers, featuring a 20-channel USB soundcard

and integration of the brand new four-deck Serato

Itch software. The Xone:DX is touted as the most

versatile DJ controller to date.

RETAIL UP C 4007

MI Pro’s regular partner at the NAMM Show, the

website consultant and designer will be on hand

throughout the event to offer its services to large and

small alike. Retail Up has based its product profile on

a few simple facts that pertain to the MI trade: first,

there are hundreds of thousands of products to load

and maintain, second, features that support

promotions are costly, and third, pure e-commerce

companies don't have industry-specific services, such

as sheet-music downloads, rentals, print music

fulfilment and so on.

In its essence, Retail Up’s offering is a one-size

solution for all, but in practice the websites it creates

cater to very specific needs of each shop or supplier –

and are branded accordingly. If you are having trouble

with your website or (heaven forbid) you still don’t

have a fully functioning one, it’s well worth having a

chat with these guys.

SPARROW E 1469

The Canadian electric guitar supplier will have its

stunning collection of hand-finished axes on show, as

well as special appearances from Duff McKagan and

Steve Stevens. Regardless of the rock stars, Sparrow is

worth a visit just for the sheer beauty of its products.

ENGL B 5928

The maker of imposing black boxes that are designed

to pummel the senses is keeping its new releases

close to its chest (along with many others), but has

announced that a number of big-name rock artists

will be appearing on its stand at the show. Shadows

Fall and Orianthi will be appearing on the Friday,

while Duff McKagan (busy man) will be there on the

Saturday at 2pm. Steve Morse and Vinnie Moore will

be showing up and whipping out some licks on either

the Saturday or the Sunday. The manufacturer will

also have Paul Allender from Cradle of Filth and Zach

Myers from Shiendown.

ORANGE C 4674

Still glowing from its second Queen’s Award for

Enterprise, Orange will be maintaining its imposing

presence at NAMM with new additions to its growing

Tiny Terror range. The new ten-inch version of the

Tiny Terror Combo, the TT15C- 10, has a Celestion

G10 Vintage speaker and 15 Watts of class A power.

The Smart Power bass cabs will be launched, with the

new 1,000-Watt Terror bass. There will be a lot more

than this on show, so get along to Hall C.

YAMAHA

Yamaha’s annual invasion of the Marriot Hotel over

the road from the Convention Center will once again

feature a mass of new product that even the most

dilligent visitor would have trouble keeping tabs on.

This year will see the new Tenori On Orange and,

importantly, its new operating system, with upgrades

for live and studio performance.

30 years after the introduction of the CP stage

pianos, the manufacturer is introducing three new

models, the CP1, CP5 and CP50. The CP1 has a

redesigned sound technology: Spectral Component

Modeling tone generation, which recreates pure

acoustic and classic vintage instruments.

Yamaha will also launch a new flagship DTX

drumkit, the 950K (alongside the new 900K). The kit

has a newly developed pad technology which offers

dynamic control and feel for players. Alongside the

new pad technology Yamaha have also created the

new DTX900 module, which has a huge range of

effects fromthe Motif XS synthesiser range, as well as

a variety of samples from Yamaha's acoustic drums.

ZOOM B 5940

Another company keeping things very hush-hush

before the show, Zoom has been issuing little bits and

pieces on existing products recently, including the

upgrade for the G1u multi effects system (version

1.10). The new operating system has fixed the

problem that switched off the patch when the unit is

rebooted from bypass mode and the error of delay-

time between the value shown at edit and the actual

value. This is downloadable immediately. Get along to

the stand, however, where there are bound to be

some exciting new releases.

ESTA REQUIREMENTS

The US Department of Homeland Security

implemented the Electronic System for Travel

Authorisation (ESTA) early 2009, which affects the

residents of countries currently participating in the

Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) who can enter the

US without obtaining a visa.

ESTA requires travelers from these countries to

submit basic biographical information on

themselves before entry into the United States. This

is considered an important step for allowing more

countries to participate in the VWP.

ESTA applications may be submitted at any time

prior to travel, though it is recommended travelers

apply when they begin preparing travel plans. For

more information and ESTA updates, log on to

www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id_visa/esta/.

You must fill in the ESTA form is you are

travelling on the Visa Waiver Programme or you are

risking not being allowed in to the US.

COVER FEATURE SCV LONDON


Having been at the top of UK pro

audio distribution since the days

of the original Turnkey operation

(when it pioneered the home recording

business), Andrew Stirling is one of best-

placed commentators to reflect on how

the industry has changed. And in

particular, how it has come to interface so

closely with sectors of the MI business in

recent years.

Today, he co-runs SCV London with

Julian Blyth – distributing Fostex, Audix,

Audient, Summit and a host of others. A

bit rarefied for an MI platform? Perhaps

not these days, as sharper MI retailers

have moved into the still-growing high-

tech area. But who is SCV and how did

Andrew Stirling become a part of it?

“Originally, SCV was a French company,

the biggest pro audio distributor in France,

and Julian Blyth ran the UK office. Some

years ago, the mother company in France

went bankrupt and Julian bought the UK

company from the administrators. He has

been running SCV ever since.”

In the interim, Messrs Blyth and Stirling

had also been partners in Audient, of which

Stirling had been one of the founding

shareholders and he ran the successful

Stirling Audio distribution business, too.

“Then, two years ago, we decided to

merge the two companies, Stirling Audio

and SCV. It made a lot of sense because

there were economies of scale to be had

and we were non-competing, so the

product mix was good,” he says.

One the first things that happened

following Stirling’s arrival was the

abandonment of a couple of mainstream

MI lines – Hughes & Kettner amplifiers

and Blade guitars – which had seemed a

bit anomalous in amongst the company’s

otherwise resolutely high-tech offerings.

Was that why they had gone?

“I felt they didn’t really fit and we

weren’t making any money out of them,

so we parted company with both products

to focus on pro audio, which really is my

background. We were also coming into the

recession, we didn’t really understand that

side of the market and our resources were

better concentrated elsewhere. It was time

for us to stick to our core business.”

SCV’S CURRENT MODEL

“The main corporate pitch – and I think

it’s the one that works for our dealer base

– is that we don’t sell to the end-user.

Stirling Audio was originally a dealer and

started distributing almost by default,

because manufacturers of high-end

products, like Lexicon, decided to go into

the MI business, which made us a bit of a

hybrid retailer/distributor and caused

problems. With SCV that is definitely not

the case.

“One of the reasons dealers like dealing

with SCV is that trust element. They can

share client information with us about a

potential sale and they don’t feel

threatened by us in any way. It’s quite a

traditional business model – a big

warehouse with a big inventory, so we can

deliver product very quickly and a lot of

people like that, too.

“As for the products, they’re quite

diverse, but we always seek out products

that have a distinct technical or

commercial edge. We started with Fostex,

which used to be core MI but is now very

One of the most recognisable names in the UK’s audio industry, Andrew Stirling today heads up one of the hottest

crossover suppliers in Europe. Gary Cooper finds out what makes SCV tick…

Stirling work

SCV LONDON COVER FEATURE

top-end pro in many different areas,

including live sound or film recording.

That said, its speakers are MI and we do

very well with Fostex loudspeakers in

that area.”

At which point, Stirling reveals a

surprise: “Fostex is pulling out of the

multitracker market. Firms like Tascam,

Zoom and Roland have done very well

there and Fostex has decided to switch

gear to use its expertise in slightly more

specialist markets. So over the next 12

months, Fostex will pull out of the small

multitracker market. It’ll still be doing the

24-track machines and it’s still doing the

RAM recorders for live sound and the digital

recorders for the film business, and it will be

doing more with its speaker business, too.”

If this change of direction sounds as if

it might push SCV out of the range for MI

retailers, it won’t, because one of the

company’s other brands, the microphone

manufacturer Audix, is not only

mainstream MI, but growing rapidly. In

doing so, it reveals one of the SCV’s most

distinctive qualities – an absolute refusal

to consider a market so sewn-up that it

is not worth trying to break into.

Traditional wisdom in the MI business

has it that the microphone market is set

in stone, with Shure dominant,

Sennheiser a strong second and everyone

else quite some way behind. So what

price a new entrant – especially one

aiming at the very heartland MI side? But

as it has turned out, SCV and Audix are

doing extremely well in this area.

“Audix is one of our fastest growing

lines and has grown enormously this

year. In fact we’ve doubled our

business with Audix this year,

which we’re very pleased about

given the difficult trading

conditions. I think there are two

reasons for this. One is that nearly

all the other microphone

companies are focusing on the

market for condenser

microphones for studio uses –

that and the fact that everybody

is importing cheap Chinese microphones.

Audix, on the other hand, manufactures

almost everything in the States and has

focused very much on the core, backline

market. The main players there are still

Shure, Sennheiser and Beyer, and that

market is less plagued by the cheap Chinese

copies. Audix has also produced some

unique products and we’ve worked very

hard with it to gain the confidence of the

dealer base.”

Audix has also learned the lesson

taught to the microphone business by

Shure in the 1970s and followed by

Sennheiser a couple of decades later –

that microphones are hard to audition, so

customers are very swayed by

endorsements. Following suit, Audix has

striven to gain big name users and,

Stirling says, this is paying-off with sales.

FINDING A NICHE

Stirling and Audix have also worked at

niches in the market – building a strong

following for instrument miking and

percussion/drumming.

“The vocal mic market is a much more

complicated prospect to enter,” Stirling

says. “Shure owns it, followed by Beyer

and Sennheiser. We’re making inroads –

we have a good product – but it’s more

difficult to penetrate. Percussion is our

biggest area, with instrument miking also

doing very well. I took the view a few

years ago, do I try and sell one

microphone to a singer, or six to a

drummer? It’s the same effort, but for

more microphones and, in fact, the

drummer market is where we focused

initially and it worked well for us.”

Indeed, there are those who say that

Audix’s D6 dynamic bass drum mic is

now the market leader – which is no

small feat for a relatively new brand in

such a short space of time.

Another SCV brand storming away is

Focal – French-designed reference

monitors which are doing extremely well

in the project studio market – and not

just through the specialist studio-

oriented pro audio retailers, Stirling

reveals, but also in MI/high-tech retailers,

who have had great success with it.

Once again, it seems, Stirling and SCV

have proved that however crowded a

market may look, there is nothing to

prevent a newcomer gaining share, if the

product and marketing are right.

“Yes, the speaker market is very, very

crowded, but we’re very fortunate that we

have a sales guy here, Gary Robson, who

knows the studio business very well and

takes the products round to all the top

producers. All the business is channelled

through the dealers, but we do a lot of

direct demo marketing to the top end of

the market, to facilitate those dealers, and

that has worked extremely well.

“As with Audix, I think the endorsement

programme we run has helped Focal.

Using the top producers that Gary has

introduced Focal to has really helped

musicians to make a decision.”

But not everything in the SCV house is

quite so aimed at the top of the market,

it appears. “No, because at the real

cheaper core end, we do Superlux

microphones which are very, very well-

made Chinese products. You don't go

rushing around saying you’ve got a

Superlux mic, but they sell in tremendous

numbers in the pub and club market and

to churches and schools, for which they

offer a good quality, cheap microphone.”

SO HOW CHEAP IS CHEAP?

“We do models from £29 and even

though there are lots of cheap Chinese

microphones around, Superlux has done

nicely because it is a well made product.”

Appetite whetted? If so, then yet

another page to turn to in the SCV

catalogue of product types you might

not previously have thought about is the

Universal Acoustics Foam range of panels

for home and project studios, which SCV

now handles worldwide. Few serious

musicians don’t have some kind of home

recording set-up and few, equally, don’t

have problems with acoustics. Cue

miPRO JANUARY 2010 19

There are a lot of SCV

goods that appeal to

the MI market

Universal, says Stirling.

“Again, we’ve done very, very well with

that. Dealers like it – it’s a no-brainer to

sell and with no after-sales problems.”

With the honourable exception of

some very interesting (if sometimes

overlooked) bass and guitar pedals from

Aphex, most of the other lines offered by

SCV are, it must be said, pretty hardcore

pro audio. So how is that market faring,

vis-à-vis MI? Word suggests that the top

end – the stadium side – has been

suffering badly due to budget cuts by

public authorities and commercial

enterprises responsible for major projects,

but Stirling says that the side of pro audio

in which SCV specialises has been doing

rather well.

“I’ve seen pro audio develop very

nicely across this year. The demise of

Sound Control benefited one or two

dealers and enabled them to put a lot

more resources into the pro audio side.

Without being too cruel, musicians have

always been skint, so whether there’s a

recession or not, it doesn’t make a great

deal of difference to them and we've seen

a consistent, steady business on core

products throughout the whole year and

growth in two or three areas. Corporate

business at the very top end of pro audio

has definitely suffered – the post-

production market is definitely down as

well, but the MI pro audio side – the

home studio market – has held its own

quite well.

“If you look at the transducers around

the computer – speakers and

microphones – most of the people in that

market have done pretty well this year

and most of the products seem to have

been able to hold their perceived value

very well. A wooden box with a piece of

cardboard flapping in and out has a much

COVER FEATURE SCV LONDON


SCV LONDON COVER FEATURE

miPRO JANUARY 2010 21

higher perceived value than two and half

years of software design – which

everybody wants for free.”

Reinforcing that thought is another SCV

product – the Bricasti Reverb, which SCV

sells using the argument that it offers the

processing power of three Macs. Stirling

says there seems to be a growing

realisation among end-users that there is

a lot more to good sound than plugins

and Bricasti has so much more processing

power at its disposal that you would have

to be virtually deaf not to be able to tell

the difference.

“We’ve opened quite a few eyes with

that,” he says. “It has done phenomenally

well and the dealers like it because it is a

nicely profitable piece of hardware for

them with that perceived value that I was

talking about. Offer a plugin and the

reaction is so often ‘Oh, I’ll go and see

if I can download that for nothing from

the internet’.”

Stirling remains well plugged-in to the

finances of the industry and is very aware

of how the only serious money being

made by most musicians today is from

live performances. He believes this is being

reflected in growing markets for good

quality audio products for live sound and

he suggests it’s the need for excellence

that is driving the move upmarket with

products like Audix. So is he intending to

look further into that area?

“Definitely, and by the end of the year

we will have a PA speaker line. We’ve been

offered a few and we have a desire to get

into the smaller speaker market for pubs

and clubs. We have something on the

burner at the moment and we hope to

make an announcement before too long.”

One of the problems facing SCV and

others in the high-tech, but also MI,

market is how best to promote itself. The

high-tech magazines, like Sound on Sound

and Music Tech, are one obvious route –

but where else? There’s not a lot of point

advertising in the ultra-conservative guitar

magazines, so where does he spend his

advertising money?

“The sad thing about page advertising is

that we often do it to stay friendly with

the people we need to be friendly with –

but the real business comes through the

internet. That said, I don’t think there is

any studio, home or pro, that I go into

that doesn’t have a copy of Sound on

Sound and when I want to communicate

with the dealers, I think the MI Pro

concept of trying to get to the guys in the

stores works. They can be very insular and

I’ve always felt that something like MI Pro

that gives them a wider view of who’s

doing what, should help them.

“But my business plan for next year is

to put probably half my marketing budget

into banner advertising, employing a

young man to work Gearslutz and the

other forums on the internet to keep

people up to date with what we are doing.

Of course, the beauty of internet

marketing is that you can monitor it –

you get a report each month telling you

who looked at that page and how many

times. But it’s trial and error.

“Personally, I don't even have a

Facebook account and the concept of

doing it horrifies me, but that’s where it’s

at now. You’re talking to your customer

directly and you’re getting feedback

directly from your market.

“I think the thing that I would want to

get across is that we need to expand our

horizons. Look further than what you are

doing and look to see if there’s something

you could be doing that you’re not doing

now. And don’t give business away.

“I speak to so many people who say

‘Oh, we don’t do that’ – why not? Educate

yourself and expand your horizons. There’s

a lot of business to be had if people will

look for it.

“For example, one of the things that is

fascinating at the moment is how Digital

Village and some others are selling back

into Europe. Thomann has been selling

into this market for ten years now, with

everybody bitching and moaning, but it

has taken ten years for someone to

challenge it.

“We all need to get off our butts and

challenge these guys and not let that firm

take it away from us. And you can

challenge – there are ways of doing it and

it’s taken us a long while on our insular

island to fight back a bit.”

Coming from a man who has

successfully challenged both the

microphone and monitor markets in

recent years – regardless of the

conventional wisdom – these are words

well worth considering as we enter a

new year.

SCVLONDON: 020 8418 0778

“We need to expand

our horizons. Look

ahead and see if

there’s something

else you could be

doing. Don’t give

business away.Andrew Stirling

SCV London

COMPANY PROFILE BARNES & MULLINS

In a time when so many manufacturers

are quick to up sticks and move

production to the Far East in the

pursuit of cheaper costs, it is always

refreshing to find a company that has

stayed true to its roots. One such firm is

Admira, a Spanish classical guitar brand

that is based in Zarautz in northern Spain.

Founded in 1944 by the German-born

Enrique Keller Fritsch, the brand quickly

established a name for itself thanks to its

exceptionally high manufacturing

standards – standards that have been

maintained to this day.

Largely, this has been down to the fact

that building a classical guitar simply

doesn’t lend itself to an automated

process. This is why even today, despite

advances in technology and a few specific

automated processes, the vast majority of

Admira's guitars are built by hand.

Currently over 100 full-time, craftsmen

and women form the basis – both

physical and conceptual – on which

Admira’s long-term future relies.

Admira finds its way to the UK via

Barnes & Mullins, which has sold the

range in one form or another for nearly

50 years.

“It was back in the early 1960s

when we first worked with Keller

(an Admira distributor) in Spain,”

explains B&M’s joint managing

director, Bruce Perrin. “From that

time, for nearly 20 years, it was

making classical guitars for us

under the Barnes & Mullins brand.

The first and possibly greatest B&M

model was the now famous Clasico.

This was – and still is in its current

incarnation – a great entry-level guitar.

“The business was somewhat

different in that period, because if you

wanted a real classical guitar, the

only option was a proper Spanish-

made model. I remember a story

told to me when I first joined

Barnes & Mullins – that one

year in the late 60s, we

imported and sold 38,000

Barnes & Mullins classical

guitars. That shows just how

popular they really were.

“It was 1980 when Keller

decided to actually launch

the Admira brand and since

then neither of us have looked

back. Our experience of the

quality and demand for the

product during the 1960s and

1970s was so positive that

changing the branding in 1980 was no

issue at all.

“These days, the competition is clearly

much tougher,” Perrin continues. “As Keller

recognises too, the choice available to

players has never been so wide. However,

despite being in constant competition

with Asian guitar manufacturers, Admira

Guitars consistently holds its own,

retaining its position as the instrument

brand of choice for thousands of

professionals, teachers and students

who depend upon the quality of their

guitar for their reputation, income or

musical achievement.”

There are a number of stand-out

models within the range that have a

proven track record, which has helped the

brand grow very steadily over the years.

Starting at the entry level, the Infante

(£150), Clasico (£150) and Almeria (£185)

are without doubt the big sellers.

The Infante is a 3/4 size with the

regular dimensions; the Clasico is a 7/8ths

size with a smaller body and full size neck

– great for correct fingering, yet with

better ergonomics for the younger

student – whilst the Almeria is a full-size,

regular classical guitar.

All models consist of Oregon Pine tops

and Sapelli backs and sides and sound just

as you might expect a Spanish-built

classical guitar to – impressive.

The next step up is the Concerto model

(£281), a satin-finished model with a solid

cedar top, creating a mellow, focussed

tone assisted by the rosewood back and

sides. Its understated looks have won the

Concerto a great deal of praise since its

release in 2002.

The Virtuoso (£369) and its more

recent electro cutaway (£537) sibling are

once again staple products for any

classical guitar stockist. A high gloss

finished Solid Cedar top provides the basis

upon which the sound is built and

beautifully grained and glossed rosewood

is used for the back and sides. The electro

cutaway version of the Virtuoso features a

preamp and pickup by Shadow.

This is a company steeped in the

traditions of Spanish luthiery with a real

commitment to keeping manufacturing

processes and locations as they should be.

Admira is a brand that has gone from

strength to strength since its birth over

60 years ago, and is sure to remain a

stalwart of the classical guitar world for

some time yet – and being Barnes &

Mullins, it is the indie dealer that benefits.

BARNES & MULLINS: 01691 668310

As one of the biggest selling names in Spanish classical

guitars worldwide, Admira is a leading brand for Barnes &

Mullins. Rob Power delves deeper into the world of the

flamenco supremo...


TheSpanish Main

ROADREADY ��

��ROADREADY

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‘Any pigeonholing of Vintage at the budgetend of the guitar marketplace is looking

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COME AND SEE US

HALL E 1310

14 - 17 JANUARY

COMPANY PROFILE FREESTYLE

It’s almost six months since Freestyle

Music took over UK distribution of the

HiWatt amplification brand and a year

since it reintroduced another much loved

old-timer, Eko guitars. A busy time then,

and a lot going on for the firm. Freestyle’s

MD, Phil Pilsworth, discusses on the

reception these two iconic brands have

received and the company’s plans for 2010

as it continues its rapid growth.

MI Pro: How did the Hiwatt distribution

deal come about?

Phil Pilsworth: We shook hands at Frankfurt

last year, placed our first order and received

the first container at the end of July. LiMS,

which we exhibited at, was really the

launch pad for us with Hiwatt.

How has the trade reacted to Hiwatt

since you took over sales?

Very well, but it’s been a little bit of a

mixed bag. The previous distributor had

done a good job, but how Hiwatt was being

perceived by the dealers was maybe not

right for the brand. Some dealers are very

aware of HiWatt and its history but some

aren’t, so we’ve been working on creating a

dealership basis for it, rather than just

selling an amp here and an amp there.

We’ve been looking for stores that will focus

on the brand, instead of it being merely the

fourth or fifth amp range they sell.

What sort of dealers have gone for it?

Quite a mixture, including some large

dealers but also some smaller ones, who

saw an opportunity to make a name with a

major branded product that is still in its

early days and which they could get

behind early on.

Does taking Hiwatt involve major

stocking commitments?

Our dealership commitment is fairly

modest. We’ve got a stocking

commitment which encompasses the

Maxwatt and Hi Gain series, which we

call the M dealership, where they can pick

and choose configurations to suit their

store. Then we have the C dealership, which

is the custom shop dealership, ideal for the

small, boutique guitar shop which isn’t really

into 15-Watt practice amps and just wants

to focus on the custom shop products.

Gary Cooper talks to the Yorkshire distributor about Hiwatt and a whole lot more...

Freestylin’ Free style


FREESTYLE COMPANY PROFILE

We’ve set up quite a few new dealerships. It’s a name

that the end-user knows and yet a retailer can stock

it without breaking the bank, which he might have to

do with some other ‘big name’ amplifier brands.

Do you just distribute the models manufactured in

the Far East, or do you handle the British-made

products too?

The Chinese product is predominantly the Maxwatt

series and the Hi Gain valve series, and it’s great

sounding and very highly regarded. The UK-

manufactured Hiwatts tend to be custom shop

models, with various tweaks and cosmetic things that

individual customers order. Those come from the

Hiwatt workshop near Doncaster. We’re don't carry

stocks of those, of course, but we are actively selling

them to the dealers.

Hiwatt seems to have a fantastic promotional

profile – particularly among indie-type bands.

How have you been using that?

It certainly has got a fantastic profile and that was

one of the things that attracted us. Hiwatt has very

high quality endorsees/users, the majority being UK

bands – traditional UK rock n roll – anybody from

Oasis to the Arctic Monkeys and many inbetween.

They’re not the run of the mill American endorsees –

the sort of ‘who does he play for again?’ names that

you sometimes see – they’re all very good people to

be associated with and include a lot of up and

coming bands. We’ve been trying to drive business

into the dealers’ stores via the new HiWatt site and

via our own new Freestyle website. We’re listing all

our dealers on both sites.

There are the newly launched Hiwatt pedals for

dealers to get their teeth into now, aren’t there?

Yes, they’ll fully launch at Frankfurt but we will have a

small number available before then. We’re looking to

see them along with new amplifier models in the new

year. Another development is that the Hi Gain series

are now all going to be loaded with

Fane speakers, which ties-in with the

UK custom shop products and the

whole association between HiWatt

and Fane. Fane will be used in the Hi

Gain series initially, but they will be in

the Maxwatt models too in the coming

months, which is a great selling point. All

three companies are in the M62 corridor,

just west of Leeds, with Arthur Barnes and

Fane at Castleford and Rick Harrison within

40 miles of us, so it’s a very close

Yorkshire-based thing where we’ve all

worked together to move the product

forward for everyone’s benefit.

How about Eko guitars?

That’s another brand with

an illustrious history –

how has its

reintroduction been

received?

Again, it’s been a difficult

economic climate to be

launching anything new, but the

acoustics have done well, particularly

the Eko Vintage Series, which has been

very well received and is now back-

ordered. The 12 and six-strings – the iconic

models with the bolt-on necks and

adjustable bridges – have gone down very

well. This year is a special one as it’s Eko’s

50th and we’ve launched a 50th anniversary

model of the Ranger 6 and 12, which has just

arrived. The six-string will retail at £599 and the 12-

string at £649 – both with fitted hardshell cases,

ebony fingerboards and tailpieces, solid tops, limited

runs, certificates of authenticity – that’s a very

exciting development. We’ll also have new models on

show at NAMM, including an electric semi-acoustic.

So there’s more to Eko than just the legacy models?

Oh yes, there’s a lot in the range. We’ve introduced

some entry-level starter packs of acoustics and

classical models and there are new models coming

along all the time. We’ve still got the original

designers over in Italy, including Remo Serrangeli, who

rejoined the company three years ago, along with

Renato Gasparini. They were the original design team

– Remo designed the Ranger and Renato designed a

lot of the electric models.

Beside restablishing HiWatt and Eko, what has

been happening with your other brands?

The other two major lines we have are Quiklok stands

and Gator cases. Quiklok ties-in nicely with Eko,

because the Eko Music group now owns it. Quiklok is

very well respected and we’ve got new products that

have been launched over the past few months that

are now starting to arrive. Production moved from

Italy to the Far East three years ago and it’s taken a

while to get to grips with that because it slowed

down the introduction of new models, but over the

past 12 months we’ve really been starting to push

forward again, with better quality and more retail-

friendly, full colour packaging, which will be on show

at NAMM. The R&D team are starting to come up

with some very successful introductions as well, like a

new keyboard stand and a unique laptop stand.

And Gator Cases?

Gator is easily our biggest line and keeps going from

strength to strength with new models every six

months. This year, guitar case sales have slightly

decreased for everybody, because of guitar sales going

down, but we’ve just launched the GPE ATA series,

which is unique in that it has a TSA (Transport

Security Association) security lock, which means you

can check into customs, who have a key so they can

open it to inspect. It’s a very secure way of

transporting a guitar. It’s made from military grade

polyethylene, so it’s really a very lightweight

flightcase which saves on excess baggage, but still

offers excellent security and quality. Gator as a brand

has benefited from tremendous support from dealers,

making it the number one case brand in the UK.

What is the particular appeal to dealers?

The quality and pricing. We’ve got very high quality,

but we’re pitched in the mid-price range. Innovation is

a major point, too. Gator has a new site, for example,

where an end-user or dealer can source a case by

instrument manufacturer, model or even just by the

dimensions of the product he wants a case for. If you

enter the measurements, the site will list all the Gator

cases that will fit.

What are your plans for the coming months?

We’re focusing on e-commerce with both Gator and

Quiklok, to support the dealers, who are increasingly

finding that’s where business is coming from. We’re still

advertising in magazines, but next year we’ll be looking

at expanding our web advertising, supporting our

dealers with the information and the ability to sell our

products off their sites, trying to make it as easy as

possible to add our products onto sales – so they sell a

Korg XYZ and it tells the customer it fits this particular

Gator case – ideas like that. That’s been rolled-out

successfully in the US and now we’re bringing it here.

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

We’re loading up a whole stack of exciting new products for Winter NAMM

and we’ll be there in numbers this year to talk you through them.

So if you’re heading for the sun, fasten your seatbelts, make sure your

seat backs are in the upright position and your tray tables stowed.

We’ll see you at The Marriott.If you can’t be there, you can check

out the products and deals from

January 14th at our special website:

www.2010yamaha.com/namm

Come fly with us!

2010yamaha.com


PULSE COMPANY PROFILE

Alittle over two years ago, the

Lancashire-based Pulse brand

established itself with the intention

of blowing a breath of fresh air into the

market. The company’s first products to

make an impact on the market were basic

microphone and amplifier stands, but

before long it was increasingly being asked

for a broader spread of products,

specifically a brand of amplifiers.

With retail keen to see what Pulse was

capable of, the company went away and

developed a comprehensive range of 300,

600, 900, 1300 1.3K and 2.4k power

amplifiers, which reflected not only

retailers’ wishes, but also the the brand

values that the company was to be based

upon. Built up on a number of simple

business and product-based foundations,

Pulse is a company that makes sure it

listens to customers’ needs above all else,

enabling it to deliver quality solutions,

value for money and, importantly, margins

for the retailers.

With the brand’s star firmly in the

ascendent thanks to its successful foray

into the amplifier market, Pulse has seen

its line-up grow from basic stands to a

comprehensive range of touring sound and

light equipment, including speakers, CD

and DVD players, PA systems, touring

cases, microphones and leads, with 2010

looking like it’s going to be another busy

and productive year.

“Our philosophy is simple,” explains

business development manager Dave

Swindlehurst. “We focus on our

customers’ needs and react very quickly

to deliver quality solutions which offer

great margins.

“Take our Portable PA products as an

example. We were asked by several

retailers to develop a range that delivered

both quality and margin over 12 months

ago and we now have six systems in our

line-up that have proved to be must-have

items for all of our customers. From the

very popular Megamouth PA system to our

PA40, probably the best small PA on the

market, we’ve exceeded our customers’

expectations on quality and price and can

guarantee next-day delivery.”

Swindlehurst reinforces Pulse’s

commitment to its customers daily,

through regular visits to retailers where he

can advise them on ranges and relay

feedback to senior product manager

Chris Beesley.

Fairly recent additions to the ranges

include flight cases and touring cases,

including the British-made General

Purpose Road Truck, which has proved to

be a huge seller for Pulse. Also popular are

headset microphones with

interchangeable cables that can be used

with any number of belt packs. Last but

not least are Pulse’s cables, which form a

fully comprehensive range that now

incorporates header cards for easy

merchandising.

“2010 will see new and improved

additions to the Pulse range,” says Beesley.

“These will include two new ranges of

speakers, alongside a series of stage

monitors. I’ve just completed work on a

new Pulse Value Series Range as well as an

ABS range of speakers. The value range

offers unrivalled value for money, hitting

price points rarely seen in the UK, while

still delivering on audio quality. The

fully-featured cabinets complete with

steel grilles and sturdy handles are perfect

for the budget-conscious DJ or karaoke

entertainer.

“The ABS range has been specified to

deliver on sound quality first and as a

result features high power compression

drivers to deliver high-end detail and

accurate woofers, all complemented by

well specified crossover networks.

“ABS cabinets keep weight to a

minimum, a key aspect for today’s

entertainers. I’ve complemented this range

with new ten and 12-inch stage monitors,

so we’re now offering everything needed

by modern entertainers.”

With so much achieved in its first 24

months, Pulse is certainly a company on

the up. A big spread of new gear combined

with proactive management keen to get

the brand on everyone’s lips should mean

that 2010 will be a very busy year for

the newcomers.

PULSE: 01772 664873

A young brand with plenty to offer, Pulse has quickly become a recognisable name in the industry. Rob Power finds out

more about the high flying newcomer and its expanding line-up of amplifier products...

A strong Pulse

Swindlehurst (left) and

Beesley show of a stack

of Pulse’s latest kit

Complete portable lighting systemThe newly upgraded LED Parbar MKII is idealfor all performers from live bands to DJsIt now has improved 20% more powerful LEDsEach lamp has a newly designed lighter casing

LED covers for added protection on the roadThe whole kit now weighs in at only 16Kg!

Sound controllable built-in programsStand-alone operation for soloists

DMX 512 compatible / 15 channelsEach lamp has 108 RGB LEDs

Individual lamp tilt and swivelT-bar incorporates controller

Stand height reaches 240cmSets up in just 3 minutes!

Includes padded rig bag4 pedal foot controller

Stand and stand bag

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COMPANY PROFILE TOMANDWILL

The news, late this autumn, that

Graham Lyons had launched the

Nuvo Clarinéo sent a buzz of interest

around the industry. Already well known

for his 40 year’s work as a leading teacher

and writer, Lyons had in 1992 introduced

the pioneering Lyons C clarinet, in an

attempt to help bridge the wide gap

between the recorder and band and

orchestral wind instruments. But the

Clarinéo promises to be something

altogether more popular and, as such, has

tremendous potential for those retailers

who cater for the educational and young

player market.

Appointed UK distributor for the

Clarinéo is the enterprising

tomandwill.com – best known for offering

a wide range of bags and cases for just

about every imaginable instrument. The

company’s MD, John Hughes-Chamberlain,

picks up the story and explains why the

Clarinéo has created so much interest and

what he and his team will be doing to

promote this genuinely exciting new

introduction. But first, how had

Tomandwill secured the distribution?

“I think the product probably needed a

small distribution company which would

be likely to give it the quite specific

attention that it needed, rather than being

swallowed by a huge company, and we

had known Graham Lyons for some years

and been a fairly good customer of his,”

he explains.

It’s a good product fit, too. Out of the

enormous rage of bags offered by

Tomandwill, the bestsellers are not, as you

might expect, bags for guitars, which

means the company has contacts with a

wide range of shops beyond the

exclusively rock n roll fraternity. “Among

our bestsellers are more unusual items like

double trumpet bags, and a lot of bassoon

and double bass bags,” Hughes-

Chamberlain says.

Having agreed to handle the Clarinéo,

how does Hughes-Chamberlain plan to

convince the market of its virtues?

“We’ve got a multi-pronged approach.

Firstly, we are mailing all the music shops

and we are also very lucky to have Clive

Guthrie with us, who will be known to

most of them. Clive worked for Boosey

and Hawkes for 20 years and he’s

probably responsible for the huge number

of Buffet B12 clarinets that are out there

today, as he would have sold them to the

music shops. He knows the woodwind and

brass market very well indeed and he is

basically running the sales of the Clarinéo

to MI stores.

“We also have Robert Simmonds with

us, who was with Boosey and Hawkes too,

so with those two on board, I believe we

can do a fine job. I think that was the key

thing that led Graham to think this was

the best way of getting the instrument

into shops.”

Hughes-Chamberlain is well aware that

launching not just a new model of an

existing instrument, but something

entirely new, is a huge challenge.

“Music shops, musicians and teachers -

we’re all naturally reticent about things

that are off the standard, anything that’s a

little bit different, so it helps tremendously

when you have people introducing it who

are well known and very knowledgeable,”

he says.

Assuming retailers are receptive, the

next stage of Tomandwill’s marketing

programme presumably has to be

convincing music teachers that the

Clarinéo is the instrument they should be

teaching their pupils to play. So how does

he propose to go about this somewhat

daunting task?

“We’ve created a website –

www.clarineo.com – which went live a

few weeks ago and I must say it’s already

getting a lot of traffic. We will be doing an

awful lot of mailing to teachers and to

music services and schools – all very

much designed to spark interest. On the

website, we’re listing the dealers who are

”You may go on to

play the oboe,

bassoon or any

instrument – and

more easily than

from the recorder.John Hughes-ChamberlainMD, Tomandwill

Tom,Will and

Clarinéo


taking them and we are adding quite a

few names every week. We are also

starting to do a lot of advertising in

various magazines, such as the CAS

Magazine, the Rhinegold Publishing

magazines and much more besides.”

While the Clarinéo’s Lyons C

predecessor certainly had its admirers and

advocates in music services departments

around the country, the Nuvo Clarinéo

seems, on the face of it, an even more

attractive proposition for them. “It is

similar, but a number of significant

improvements have been made, and the

marketing and packaging is at a different

level altogether. Importantly, it’s

attractively packaged and it looks the part.

“Primary school music has traditionally

been about recorders and that is the level

where this instrument should do really

well – the five to nine-year-old range.

Schools have previously been somewhat

restricted to recorders and, more recently,

ukuleles have become quite popular as has

percussion, but an instrument like this is a

fantastic addition for them.”

It is also a much easier and more

suitable bridge to traditional wind

instruments and its clever plastic

construction, ease and cheapness of

service and light weight make it seemingly

the ideal instrument for a beginner.

So does Tomandwill see the Clarinéo as

an instrument children would play after

the recorder, or instead of?

“Either, but I would hope instead,”

Hughes-Chamberlain says. “After playing

this for a few years, you may well go on to

play the clarinet, but you may equally go

on to play the oboe, the bassoon or any

other instrument – and more easily than

from the recorder. But just in its own right

as an instrument at that level, it offers lot

more than the recorder.

“There are two models that we sell.

One is the standard Clarinéo, but the

other is what we’re calling a self-teach

pack, which comes in a colourful box and

includes a tutor book and DVD tutor with

backing tracks. It is something that sits on

the counter of a music shop, making a

very saleable package. And at the price, a

suggested £145 for the self-teach model,

it’s an attractive proposition and very

good value.

“The standard package, incidentally,

without the extras, sells for a suggested

£129. There are some very cheap clarinets

out there too, of course, but compared

with an equivalent quality clarinet or a

flute, the Clarinéo is very appealing.”

While it isn’t hard to see retailers who

already sell traditional instruments taking

the Clarinéo as part of their product line-

up, does Hughes-Chamberlain feel it could

also offer new sales potential for more

rock and roll orientated stores as well?

“That’s a fascinating question, because I

hope so – but I’ve yet to find out. Though

we have been surprised by the reaction

we’ve had to the first mailing we did – we

were expecting a lot more resistance than

we’ve actually had.

“I think a lot of music shops are

actually crying out for new things and this

is genuinely a new instrument. It’s got

good packaging, a fun side, because it

comes in different colours, and I think it

will be really interesting to see whether it

can sell well in lots of different types of

music shops.

“Where we have already been very

successful has been with some really

important music retailers, like Dawkes, and

it’s very encouraging when stores like that,

and even some who didn’t stock the Lyons

Clarinet, have looked at this and been

keen to adopt it.

“We are, as a company, going to be

doing a pretty significant amount of

advertising on this product, because I

think it is something that both justifies

and requires it. We have a pretty good

campaign currently being planned, which

will be taking place over the next nine

months – a lot of it aimed at teachers and

educators, initially.”

With its new retail friendly packaging

and a very child-friendly design and

construction, it’s not hard to see the

Clarinéo reaching places that the Lyons C

couldn’t get to. Certainly, with the sort of

exposure that Tomandwill have planned

for it, the new instrument has

tremendous potential, as a visit to

the new website clearly shows.

Here the Clarinéo is explained

in great and convincing detail.

Importantly, it offers a new

prospect not just for retailers

already selling wind

instruments, but also for

retailers who wouldn’t

consider expanding into

woodwind and brass sales, but

for whom having something

to offer aspirational parents

who are not going to be

satisfied with their children

learning a guitar, offers a

genuinely new opportunity.

What is more, with Tomandwill

so thoroughly behind the new

product, and every chance that

teachers are also going

embrace it, the Clarinéo has

the potential to become a

staple part of a music shop’s

stock in years to come.

TOMANDWILL: 08450 945659

TOMANDWILL COMPANY PROFILE


After securing the distribution rights to Lyons’

groundbreaking Nuvo Clarinéo, Tomandwill has drawn

up a plan of action that should help get the

instrument into the heads of music tutors and into

the hands of school children. Gary Cooper speaks

with MD John Hughes-Chamberlain to find out if it

has something of a recorder killer on its hands...

PROFILE

I WOKE UPTHIS MORNING

Inormally get up, have a quick cup of

tea and check the emails on my

iPhone. Then I wander over to the

office with the dogs. I live on the farm

where the offices are – built within the

stable block. First off, I’ll answer the

dozens of artist requests that have

come into our website and double check

that prior requests have been sorted.

We like to do our utmost and support

everyone to the best of our ability. We

work with anyone from small bands that

play in pubs all the way up to huge

bands such Foo Fighters. We get an

awful lot of people coming to us.

Generally speaking, how much we help

depends on what they’re doing as a

band. We don’t give anything away, but

we offer great pricing and support.

If a band needs loan gear anywhere

around the world we can generally sort

that out for them.

Often, bands won’t take a backline

with them on tour, so we step in. For

example, over the last few weeks the

Foo Fighters were over and it was down

to me to organise two rigs for them.

They were doing Jools Holland one night

and the VMA awards in Berlin the next,

so they needed gear in both places.

Logistically, putting that together was all

sorts of fun and games.

We have a lot of high profile players,

people like Mark King from Level 42,

Nate Mendel from the Foo Fighters, and

Adam Clayton from U2. It’s a broad

spread, you've got everyone from rock

icons to high fidelity players, down to

young English bands like Bloc Party –

we're supporting a lot of artists.

I’ve been doing this job for the last

seven years, so I’ve built up good

relationships with a lot of people.

There’s no one else at the company that

deals with artists or marketing, so I’ve

got a lot of my plate, to say the least.

At the moment I’m working on the

photography for the Valve range coming

out at NAMM. I’ve been working on the

brochure as well as the imagery. I’ll also

be writing press releases for NAMM and

the global media that we deal with.

I’ll be working on Frankfurt after that,

so there’s really no rest. Once the big

trade shows are out of the way, I hit my

really busy period in the summer:

festival season. All the sales people tend

to have a quiet time over the summer,

but for me it’s the opposite and I’m

rushed off my feet.

I get home about six o’clock, and

relax. I play myself and I have a little

studio, so I keep myself pretty busy.

Ashdown’s Dan

Gooday reveals all

about his working

day, which can

include everything

from sorting out

gear for the biggest

bands to preparing

new products for

the biggest trade

shows...

Artist relations and marketing manager

DAN GOODAY


”I’m writing press

releases for

NAMM and I’ll be

working on

Frankfurt after

that, so there’s no

rest.Dan Gooday, Ashdown

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Rackmount MP3 player Ref: MP3 MasterAccepts SD cards or USB drives. Balanced microphone input completes the

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Speakon Leads Ref: PLS00159

Speaker cables featuring Genuine Neutrik

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Ultra-portable PA System Ref: PA-40

Packing an impressive 40Wrms output this

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XLR multicores Ref: PLS00035

Handy cable reels ideal for gigging musicians.


As a breed, guitarists are constantly

looking for the new sound,

whether it's the harshest overdrive

or the wildest delay. It's a constant search

that, for many players, never quite ends –

there's always something else out there

that can be added to the pedal board,

always another update or innovation.

To cope with this, the effects pedal

market is crowded to say the least. Huge

multi-national companies compete with

the smallest of boutique manufacturers

for the attentions of fickle effects

hunters, so there's plenty of variety to

suit pretty much any taste.

Long the first choice of players after

something that offers a large range of

effects as well as essential value for

money is Zoom, a company that has

been turning out extremely popular multi

effects units for quite some time now.

The most recent addition to its range is

G1 X Next, which follows the familiar

dual pedal layout and packs a staggering

amount of variety into what is essentially

a very small box. State of the art

modelling technology combines with

familiar Zoom ease of use, a clutch of

artist presets and a range of effects

including everything from modulations

through to eqs, 20 odd overdrives and a

huge number of delays and reverbs. The

G1 X Next includes an expression pedal

in order squeeze a bit more usage out of

the box, but be in no doubt this is a

highly effective, incredibly flexible pedal

that will have a huge number of Zoom

fanatics reaching for their wallets.

Peavey's main competitor in the

effects market is the Budda Wah, a pedal

that has been favoured by the likes of

Dave Navarro and Steve Vai for a good

reason. Tonally bright without being too

piercing, it features a hard-wire bypass so

that the effect is kept out of the circuit

when it is not in use, keeping the signal

path as uncluttered as possible. A custom

coil inductor, essentially an update on the

technology that was central to the 60's

Cry Baby, is also central to the vocal

effect that the pedal produces.

Another major player in the effects

world is Line 6, a company that has

exposed many players to their first

encounter with effects. The DL4, a delay

modeler that packs the sounds of a huge

range of classic and modern delays into

“Huge multi-

nationals

compete with

boutique

manufacturers for

the attentions of

fickle guitarists

CONTACT DETAILSZOOM01462 791100PEAVEY 01536 424664STRINGS & THINGS (DUNLOP) 01691 668310ARIA UK01483 238720SOURCE (EVENTIDE/MOOG)020 8962 5080WESTSIDE (MORLEY/0141 248 4812CHORD0845 270 2411 HEADSTOCK (IBANEZ)0121 508 6666GODLYKE (GUYATONE)+1 973 777 7477JHS (MXR/DUNLOP)0113 286 5381ROLAND (BOSS)01792 702701HOTROX UK0115 987 3163SOUND TECH (DIGITECH)01462 480000MARSHALL01908 375411

Line 6 M9RRP: £329

Boasting over 80 stomp box models

within its read-for-the-road frame, there

are enough effects in this box to keep

any guitarist happy for months. Easy to

use and with a looper and many of the

effects from the popular DL4 included,

this is quite a package.

The guitar effects market has a vast array of products within it – an amount that belies the cabinet space it affords in

most shops. Rob Power walks through the minefield of über tone to discover some explosive (and profitable) sounds...

The FX effect

Zoom G2RRP: 89.99

Designed for both studio and live use,

there is a staggering amount packed

into what is quite a tiny box, including

16 classic amp and FX models, preset

patches and a drum machine.

T-Rex Tonebug ReverbRRP: £72

With an ingenious dual mode feature

that allowes players to switch between

Modern (contemporart reverbs) and

Spring (classic vintage reverbs) this is a

versatile and great sounding addition to

the expanding ranks of T-Rex pedals.

GUITAR FX SECTOR SPOTLIGHT

SECTOR SPOTLIGHT GUITAR FX


an eye catching green box, has become a

classic in its own right, and is a

consistently strong seller. A new product

on the market for Line 6 is the M9, an

update on the M13 stompbox modeller

which scales down of the size of the M13

but packs just as much of a punch.

A new line of affordable pedals from

Aria has hit the market in the form of

Series 10. Housed in durable cases in

striking colours with chicken head knobs,

effects in the line include DT10 distortion

and the FL10 flanger, amongst many

others, with prices ranging from £44.95

to £64.95.

Eventide, at home with Source

Distribution – as is Moog – has plenty

of gear to entice guitarists in with. The

newest of the Eventide stompboxes is the

Pitch Factor harmonizer (£459), which

joins the Time Factor delay and Mod

Factor modulation pedals. A highly

anticipated pedal, it follows in the

harmonising tradition that Eventide built

its reputation on.

New from Moog is the MF-105M MIDI

Murf 110V, a beautiful looking wood

bound pedal that has bundles of retro

allure in both looks and sounds thanks to

its extremely resonant, 100 per cent

analog mid and bass filter bands.

Westside has plenty to offer the

effects laden guitarist, with everything

from the mighty Morley wahs to the

cutting edge designs of T-Rex under it's

wing. Westside is also home to the

mighty Ebow, one of the most instantly

recognised effects on the market that has

the ability to revolutionise the way a

player approaches the guitar.

A new brand, Chord looks set to make a

name for itself in 2010 with it's

distinctive range of cost effective stomp

boxes. From the likes of the OD-50

overdrive which delivers a sweet classic

rock tone to the PH-50 phaser, there's

enough variety on offer to pique the

interest of any passing guitarist.

Ibanez has its place in effects pedal

heaven guaranteed thanks to the Tube

Screamer, but there are plenty of other

Ibanez pedals that do just as good as job,

from the warm sounding AD9 analog

delay through to the CS9 stereo chorus.

Of particular interest to the shredders

among us is the Ibanez Jemini, the

signature distortion pedal of Steve Vai,

which with its double pedal layout and

crazy colour scheme makes for an

interesting addition to any effects rig.

The Guyatone Mighty Micro range is

the latest from Godlyke, which is based

on the well received Micro series and

aims to offer professional-grade features

and exceptional sound quality in an

ultra-compact, lightweight chassis that is

33 per cent smaller and 50 per cent

lighter than the average stompbox.

To date, the range includes the Hgm 5

Hot Drive, Mdm 5 Micro digital delay (an

upgrade on the best selling MD-2), Mrm

5 Wah Rocker, and finally the Vtm 5 Veri-

Trem, with each coming with a three

year warranty, aluminium 'stomp guard'

to protect the controls and top mounted

jacks. Really worth a look.

Chord PH-50 phaserRRP: £32.99

This fully analog phase shifter aims to

recreate classic rock and pop phasing,

while the versatile controls allow

variations from slow comb filtering all

the way up to high speed vibrato effects.

Ibanez Tube KingRRP: £149

Thanks to the 12AX7 at it's heart, the

Tube King has the enviable ability of

being able to make a solid state amp

sound like a filthy tube driven monster.

Perfect for players with a budget that

doesn't quite stretch to a tube amp...

Moogerfooger MF-102RRP: £279

On the electric side there is the A

beautiful looking ring modulator

designed by none other than Bob Moog

himself, the pedal features an analog

Ring Modulator with a built in Carrier

Oscillator and LFO. A top notch high

end pedal.

Digitech TimebenderRRP: £315

Featuring 10 delay types including, the

TimeBender goes beyond normal delays to

create custom repeat rhythms and has endless

scope for rhythmic variety, whilst up tp to 6

taps can be set to quickly create delays that

would normally take a rack of effects and

hours of programming.

Zoom UK, 15 Weston Barns,

Hitchin Road, Weston, Hertfordshire,

SG4 7AX, UNITED KINGDOM

Zoom Corporation, 2F, ITOHPIA Iwamotocho

2-chome Bldg., 2-11-2 Iwamoto-cho,

Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0032, JAPAN

TEL: +44-1462-791100 www.zoom.co.jp FAX: +44-1462-791117

G1M MICHAEL AMOTT SIGNATURE

G1K KIKO LOUREIRO SIGNATURE

G1J JOHN 5 SIGNATURE

G2G GEORGE LYNCH SIGNATUREG2R RICHIE KOTZEN SIGNATURE

THE NEXT STANDARD


GodlykeRRP: $POA

Selectable waveforms and rugged

construction are all part of the

package here. The Veri-Trem creates

warm vintage tremelo tones and

allows players to sculpt the sound

to their own liking.

With an awful lot of effects brands

under its wing, JHS has plenty to shout

about in this department. First up is the

MXR Black Label chorus, a new addition to

the much lauded MXR range. A Zakk

Wylde signature pedal used to thicken up

his wall of distortion, the pedal features

vintage-style tones and a heavy-duty

housing for a lifetime on the road. Also at

JHS is the ever popular Danelectro Cool

Cat range. Distinctive designs, genuinely

great sounding pedals and prices that

aren't terrifying to guitarists still on

pocket money, Danelectro has made an

impressive name for itself with its effects

and continues to do so.

Hot Rox has a few interesting names

on its books, not least the mighty Electro

Harmonix, a brand that, thanks to it's

flawless 60s heritage, remains hugely

popular and sought after. The Big Muff is

still a strong seller, but there is a hell of a

lot more to the brand, such as the

Memory Man analog delay or the Holy

Stain multi effects unit which includes

reverb, a tremelo and pitch shifting

amongst other tricks.

Roland, with its Boss brand of course,

is still very much the first port of call for

many players searching for effects. While

there are some evergreen pedals that

seem to find their way onto every pedal

board – the DS-2 or DD-5 for example –

some of the more recent additions have

also made a splace. Check out the

absolutely bonkers Slicer for example, a

harmonic, arpeggiator-type pedal than

frankly needs to be heard to be believed.

Still a big name in effects, Digitech

continues to unleash its mindbending

products on the market thanks to Sound

Technology. The RP1000 integrates into

set ups, switching stomp boxes in and out

of the signal path like a pro rig, and allows

players to integrate loops into their sound.

Also better known for its amplifiers,

Marshall has made impressive inroads

into the effects market in recent years. Its

current range includes the crunchy

Guv'nor and Bluesbreaker II distortion

pedals, alongside the likes of the

Regenerator, which includes a phaser,

flanger and chorus all in one small unit.

Value for money, sturdy design and, as you

might expect from Marshall, professional

level sounds that should slot into any set

up with ease.

”Of particular

interest to the

shredders among

us is the

Ibanez Jemini

Boss Space EchoRRP: £189

Reproducing the sound of the classic

piece of outboard studio wizardry, this

dual pedal opens up a whole new world

of sounds to guitarists looking for

something that will send their sound

into the stratosphere. Excellent retro

sounds and style.

Dunlop Kirk Hammett RRP: £249

Designed to capture the tone of the

Metallica icon, and developed in

conjunction with the man himself, this is

an absolute must have for fans of the

band or players looking to emulate

Hammett's way with the wah.

Electro Harmonix CathedralRRP: £179

A stereo reverb capable of allowing

players to transcend this world and

sound heavenly, Electro Harmonix have

once again created something that is

able to not only help alter a guitarist's

sound but also help open up the

floodgates to creativity.

SECTOR SPOTLIGHT GUITAR FX

0845 270 2411 0845 270 2433 www.chordmusicuk.com

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! Audio clips online

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


Ibanez GSA 60RRP: £195

With less aggressive lines than

the classic Ibanez rock guitars,

namely the RG series, the GSA

60 is one helluva cool starting

point for players wanting to get

their first taste of an electric. A

quality maple neck on an

agathis body and looks to die

for, the GSA 60 has two single

coil pickups and a bridge

humbucker for that extra kick to

compensate the bite. A paltry

£195 will buy your customers

this baby.

Picking one mid-priced guitar from the

plethora is very much down to the sales

patter of the shop staff. Once you get over

£200, it is the components and the finishes that

begin to change. The use of quality machineheads

and string retainers on the headstock, the bridge

(whether trem loaded or not), the control pots

and switches. All of these start to make a

difference to the sale and, because the wood

begins to be selected with something

approaching concern, translucent finishes can be

applied to bring out the best of those lovely

mahogany, ash and maple bodies.

With the standard of these lower (but

not lowest) priced axes reaching ever-

improving quality, it is worth pointing out

to the punter that the right choice has

become pretty vital, as this could be a

guitar that remains with the player for ages.

For the dealer, the queue of reps

growing at the door is the result of there

being so much to choose from, so there

should be no problem finding the brands

and models you are comfortable with.

Happy hunting and successful sales…

When talking ‘guitar’ you have to talk

Fender – and when adding the word

budget, the conversation easily swings to

Squier. Fender GBI is making much at the

moment of the new Squier Biffy Clyro

signature models – the Simon Neil

Stratocaster and James Johnston Jazz bass.

The Stratocaster is colour-matched to

Neil’s 60s Custom Shop guitar and features

a custom set of pickups.

Away from the main lines, so to speak,

Fender GBI also has the Hamer XT series,

which at sub £500 represents top value.

With the company’s runaway success in

the sphere of acoustics, it is easy to forget

that Tanglewood has an impressive line up

of electrics to offer. As well as the TSB 58

L-types (above) there is the TSB 67 SG-

type, for those after a touch more classic

cut and the TJD 700, a more modern take

on the double cutaway. The 700 features a

basswood body and a maple neck with

die-cast chrome tuners and nickel

hardware and a couple of humbuckers to

feed the appetite of the heavier rockers.

Barnes & Mullins has a couple of

electric brands on their books and I’m

certain the company wouldn’t mind my

saying that the headliner of these is Lag.

The classic Roxane design (the original Lag

shape) comes in for as little as £419 for

the R200ST. The double cutaway design,

“It’s worth pointing

out to the punter

that the right

choice has

become pretty

vital, as this could

be a guitar that

remains with the

player for ages.

CONTACT DETAILS

FENDER (SQUIER/HAMER)01342 331700TANGLEWOOD 01937 841122BARNES & MULLINS(LAG/GOULD) 01691 652449JHS (FRET KING/VINTAGE/ITALIA/DANELECTRO) 0113 286 5381EMD (STAGG) 01293 862612MUSIC FORCE(ASHTON/SPARROW)01780 781630ARIA 01483 238725INTERMUSIC (SHINE) 01202 696963WESTSIDE (SCHECTER/AXL)0141 248 4812HEADSTOCK (IBANEZ) 0121 508 6666PEAVEY 01536 461234YAMAHA01908 366700

Fret King Eclat 2RRP: £549

At the upper end of this price

bracket is the Fret King Eclat 2,

which features the classic format

for this style of set-neck

construction. With a two-piece flat

front centre-jointed mahogany

body and single-piece mahogany

neck with rosewood fingerboard,

this guitar also features a unique

forearm chamfer, rear comfort

scoop and enhanced upper fret

access. A Wilkinson intonatable

GTB200 combined bridge/tailpiece

and custom designed Fret King

P90s complements this axe.

There is no bigger market for guitars than the £150 to £500 sector of electric models. Thousands of new models appear

each year in much the same way mushrooms do, but the dilemma for player and retailer alike is simply where to start.

Andy Barrett gets up close and personal with a few new additions…

Pre-budget statement

Stagg G ForceRRP: £295

While Stagg is synonymous with

good quality, value-for-money

familiarly styled entry level

electrics, there also exist uniquely

styled models somewhere

between the upper echelons of

entry level to mid price. The

impressive G Force is designed to

get the younger rock players

salivating with its almost

industrial take on the V-style

guitar. A solid alder body fitted

with high output humbuckers, a

fixed bridge and a slim neck

profile for speed playing.

SECTOR SPOTLIGHT ELECTRIC GUITARS


beautifully flamed maple tops and solid

mahogany bodies are equipped with

tonally broad EMG pickups. Like the Arkane

(above), the Roxane has a Matt Design

version too: R200MD. The matt black or

pearl white finishes, brushed chrome

hardware and string-thru body design

create a more contemporary appearance.

B&M’s other brand is Gould, which has

proved a successful starting point for many

an aspiring rocker. The GST100 is an S-type

and available in a choice of finishes (and

leftie versions). This and the L-type GLP100

come in a full colour display box.

JHS’ Vintage brand offers a

comprehensive range of many of the best

known styles of electric guitar directly

available in this price category. These

include Vintage Reissued, Vintage Advance

and the fabulous pre-aged Vintage Icon

instruments, a range which has already

achieved international success.

Furthermore, Fret King Blue Label

guitars are produced in a low volume,

luthier-built environment, bringing the Fret

King designs to a wider audience while

using the same quality of imported

tonewoods associated with the upper-end

Green Label guitars. Blue Label utilises

custom-wound Fret-King pickups and

circuitry with premium hardware by

Wilkinson and Gotoh and authentic

vintage construction.

As JHS becomes, in guitar terms, the

home of Trevor Wilkinson, the Garforth

company also has the Italia range of

guitars – something of a favourite of

Wilkinson’s. In a world of what seems like

homogenised guitar design dominated by

established shapes, it's often left up to the

more radical alternatives to provide some

light relief. Taking inspiration from the

individual guitar designs of the 50s and

60s, Italia takes the concept of 'modern

retro' as its left-field starting point.

JHS also has the hip Danelectro guitar

range. Of note is the reissue of the Hornet

Dead On 67 guitars. Available in a selection

of retro finishes, the Hornets have zero

gloss nickel hardware, double action truss

rods that offer easy adjustment at the

headstock end and 25-inch scale length.

EMD’s Stagg has some uniquely styled

models, positioned somewhere between

the upper echelons of entry level to mid

price in all sorts of shapes and sizes. The

Z600QM (£350) has a solid alder body

with a quilted maple top, high output

humbuckers, fixed bridge and slim neck

profile for speed. This is not unlike the

Nitro T-type (£379) with the same

chequered pattern as the G Force (above).

There is also the funky Tribal model (£189),

an S-type model with two single coils and

a humbucker at the bridge.

Peavey has recently launched the PXD

series, a new breed of ‘extreme’ electric

guitars that captures the aggression and

attitude of modern metal players. With

active pickups anchored to slabs of

mahogany, the PXDs offer full-on

aggression in any of the four models: the

Tomb, Twenty-Three, Tragic and Void.

Features include Kahler tremolos and Tune-

o-matic bridges with all models shipping in

Coffin Case cases or gig bags. They all have

high-output EMG or Peavey VFL active

pickups and they retail from £236 to £354.

Music Force wades in with both

Sparrow guitars (above) and, of course,

Ashton. The latter has a few surprises up

its sleeve with three models in the shape

of the Rocker, a basswood-bodied double

cutaway and the similarly shaped Classic

LagRRP: £459

Lag’s Arkane A200ST (£459) features a Flamed Maple top

on a solid basswood body; a Bolt-On neck; 3 x EMG

Pickups and a Floyd Rose trem system. A200STs are

available in Black Shadow (left handed, too), Honey

Shadow and Royal Blue Shadow. There is also a Matt

design version A200MD (£369) which features a fixed

bridge, string-thru design which is only available in Black

(of course). The famous Roxane design is also available at

the lower end in the shape of the R200ST models (£419).

Aria TA 50 QMRRP: £349

The TA series has been around since 1967.

The new TA 50 QM offers a top, back and

sides that are all quilted maple with a

natural amber finish, combined with the

cream body bindings, chrome hardware

and black scratch plate. A pair of high

output HB-103 humbuckers with ceramic

coils, based on the SH-6 Duncan

Distortion units make for a powerful

signal, but they clean up beautifully. The

guitar has Aria's own SPT bridge and

patented type QH tailpiece.

Axl Badwater AT-820RRP: £159

Axl’s Badwater range has the look and

feel of ancient artefacts, with even the

headstock and backplate sporting

vintage distressing. The Badwater guitars

are built around an alder body with a

bolt-on maple neck and rosewood

fingerboard. The guitars are equipped

with EMG-designed pickups and the AT-

820 (T-style) is available in worn brown

and worn white (£154) and crackle

brown blue or black (£159).

Tanglewood TSB58RRP: £349

Tanglewood’s TSB58 is well suited for

anyone looking to upgrade, or have a

quality second guitar, maintaining the Big

T’s reputation from its acoustics, with a

quality constructed and finished guitar. A

solid mahogany body with a flame maple

veneer top, mahogany set neck, rosewood

fingerboard, Kluson style machineheads

and a couple of Entwistle Alnico HV58

humbuckers make for an attractive

package for just £349.95.

ELECTRIC GUITARS SECTOR SPOTLIGHT

SECTOR SPOTLIGHT ELECTRIC GUITARS


Peavey RockinghamRRP: £473

Designed by Peavey endorser, Darrel Higham of

Imelda May, the Rockingham is bigger than a

Gretsch 6120, but smaller than a Gibson L5, thus

eliminating feedback, but maintaining strength

of construction. Featureing a Bigsby B6 tailpiece

and some funky looking knobs, the Rockingham

bridges the gulf between jazz and rock. The word

from Higham and Peavey is simple: ‘Give on of

these a try – you’ll be impressed’.

both excellent starters. A little more unusual

is the Fidelity, which comes in at £159, has

an elm body, no less, cut in the classic T

shape and looks considerably cooler than its

price tag might suggest. Wilkinson pickups,

a maple neck and a choice of maple or

rosewood fingerboards round off the deal.

Aria’s Diamond series of solid bodied

guitars and basses are inspired by the

guitars of the 60s, and are back as an

affordable, alternative guitar choice. The

Diamond DM380 guitars have cool, reversed

body shapes, topped with a neat, white-

pearloid scratchplate and contrasting black

control knobs. The diamond studded

headstock plate is also included.

The DM380 sports a pair of APS-9 single

coil pickups on alder bodies, with bolt-on

maple necks and rosewood fingerboards.

The guitars remain articulate in crunch

mode, with that little extra bite in reserve

when used with overdrive, for lead work.

Intermusic’s Shine guitars – made by

the Saein company in Korea – are superbly

made, have the widest range of product of

any supplier and are at a very competitive

price to give the retailer a good margin,

which is why, Intermusic tells us, more are

turning away from famous names, to Shine.

There is little to separate Shine from

others in this bracket (quality woods, Grover

tuners, sturdy hardware), the range has

some of the best-looking guitars.

As well as Axl, Westside brings in the

Schecter range of electrics, which start at

the entry level Omen Range (£249) and the

C-1 shaped basswood body, bolt-on maple

neck and two Schecter Diamond Plus

humbuckers. There are options for a licensed

Floyd Rose trem (£299) and a seven-string

model (£279). A step up from here is the

Active Range – a new series of guitars made

by Schecter for export only (so none in the

US). Built in China the guitars come in a

variety of shapes including Schecter’s take

on the L-types with the Solo-6 (£359) and

V-type (£329) as well as its standard C-1

(£329). Body construction is mahogany with

a bolt-on maple neck, gothic cross inlays and

black hardware. These guitars feature

Seymour Duncan’s HB-105 active pickups.

Ibanez has an absolute mass of the very

best in mid-priced guitars and it won’t take

much travelling around the local pub scene

to come across an Ibanez guitar or bass. The

Japanese brand, sold in the UK through

Headstock, is now coming back to the fore

with the latest swing back to ‘shredding’

and guitars such as the GSA 60 (above)

retailing at such low price points, that trend

is likely to continue. Aside from that, there

is the GAX30 with an agathis double-

cutaway body, maple neck, fixed bridge and

dual humbuckers at a mere £149, and the

GRG170DX, an Ibanez RG shaped model

with a synchronised tremolo system and

three pickups set on a basswood body with

a maple neck. This comes in at the same

£195 price point as the GSA 60. As does the

GRGR121EX, a twin humbucker model.

Yamaha, like Squier, is a must-see brand

when looking for a quality, sub-500 quid

guitar. Obviously the Pacifica (above) could

be all that is needed, but there is a lot more.

The RGX121Z, for example, has the looks

and sounds for today’s heavier rockers. A

modern design and progressive curves make

this a smooth, sleek player with a variety of

powerful tones.

Coming in at around the £300 mark, the

RGX A2 features Yamaha’s proprietary

Alternative Internal Resonance technology

in the body construction, LED lit cylindrical

diecast knobs, diecast cylindrical tuners and

Yamaha Alnico soapbar pickups. All of this

goes together to make this a high tech

vehicle, with the expected playability and

considerable value for money.

Yamaha PacificaRRP: £129

Take a solid American alder body, a maple neck

with a rosewood fingerboard, teamed up with

custom designed pickups, a vintage trem and

solid chrome machineheads. Then give it to

Yamaha to put it all together and you have

possibly the most successful budget electric ever.

The Pacifica changed the way people looked at

cheap guitars and began the sort of ‘quality wars’

still going on today. The latest version, the 112 V,

launched in 2007 took the Pacifica another step

forward.

Vintage Icon Thomas Blug V6RRP: £399

Guitars like the new-to-the-range

Vintage V6 Thomas Blug Signature

Icon offer authentic feel, aged

Wilkinson tuners, hardware and

pickups, and look as though they’ve

been played for decades with all the

marks of wear and tear to prove it.

Blug himself pronounced the end

result as ‘breathtaking’, which,

combined with the £399 price tag,

means one helluva big bang for the

buck for budget axemen.

Billy Bones’ success with Sparrow is

an excellent lesson to anyone

looking for a way into the guitar

market. The Korean-made, Canadian

finished models are beautifully

appointed, as shown here with the

Twangmaster. An ash body, maple

neck and fingerboard, Grover tuners,

Kent Armstrong humbuckers and

custom finish makes this (at a quid

inside this price bracket) one of the

best on the market.

Sparrow TwangmasterRRP: £499

R

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1. DENIS WICK

ULTRA U3 EUPHONIUM

MOUTHPIECE £57They say: Has such a powerful high

register – the loudest top B that you will

ever have played.

For: Euphonium players

Range: Denis Wick mouthpieces

Spec: Silver-plated, heavier outer shape,

more rounded cup, sharper inner edge to

rim. Available in two sizes: SM3U and

SM4U). Further euphonium and baritone

models to follow. (Gold-plated version

£80.20.)

From: Denis Wick 01202 665100

2. STAGG

SGEPB/4 PEDAL BAG £36They say: Quality deluxe bag for safe

transportation and use of stomp boxes.

For: Guitarists, bassists

Range: Stagg accessories

Spec: Deluxe padded gigbag, holds four

Boss or similar sized pedals. Interior

dimensions: 280mm high x 460mm wide x

70mm deep (11" x 18.1" x 2.75").

From: EMD 01293 862612

6. ROCKCASE

ABS CASES FROM £109They say: We've extended our Premium

Line cases to include special designs for

oversized guitars with extreme shapes.

For: Guitarists

Range: Rockcase cases

Spec: ABS cases for Explorer, BC Rich &

Dean-type guitars, plush covered EPS

foam inner, through-bolted ergonomic

handle, large, lidded interior

compartment, aluminum extrusions. Five

models available.

From: Warwick +49 3742 2555 3110

4. LOGJAM MUSIC

LOGARHYTHM MKII £49.95They say: A totally analog, natural self-

accompaniment, which is unique to each

player.

For: Musicians

Range: Logarhythm foot stompers

Spec: African sapele tonewood block,

cushioned internal dynamic microphone,

standard guitar lead connection to amp,

PA or recording desk, mark II with optional

heel & toe ‘groove board’ control (£68.26).

From: Logjam 01544 388433

5. FISHMAN

AURA SPECTRUM DI

PREAMP £469They say: Restores the pristine sound of a

studio-miked instrument to undersaddle

and soundhole pickups.

For: Acoustic guitarists

Range: Fishman pickups

Spec: 128 pre-loaded acoustic images

(upgradable), three-band eq, built-in

chromatic tuner with bypass/mute, one-

knob compressor, volume, blend and

image controls, automatic feedback

suppression (three notches), effects loop,

XLR DI.

From: JHS 0113 286 5381

3. KORG

CA-1 & GA-1 TUNERS £13.79

& £11.49They say: Excellent features with a new,

enhanced design – all at an even better

price.

For: Guitar, bass, general

Range: Korg tuners

Spec: Replace GA-30 and CA-30 models.

GA-1 dual mode bass & guitar tuner,

wide detection (7B through 1E in guitar

mode, and low B to high C in bass mode).

CA-1 general instrument tuner, detects

C1 to C8.

From: Korg 01908 857100

ACCESSORIES SPOTLIGHT

HIMA

CARBON FIBRE VIOLIN

CASES FROM £265They say: Nothing combines strength

and lightness as carbon fibre does.

These full-size cases offer all the

protection you could need and are

very easy to carry.

For: Violinists and cellists

Range: Hima cases

Spec: Three new strong and

lightweight carbon fibre cases from

Hima, providing strength and

protection for orchestral strings, all

with foam suspension interior and

‘practical’ carrying straps. Available in

black, silver, red and blue. Full-size

versions only available.

1380: Hima carbon fibre violin

hardcase,foam suspension interior,

two bow holders, removable

accessory compartment and interior

music pocket. Two padded carrying

straps, 1.8kg. £265.

1381: As above but for viola. £285.

1382: Cello case, foam suspension

interior, metal fittings, made in

Germany, two padded back straps, 3kg

approx weight. £620.

From: Stentor 01737 240226

“All the protection

you could ever

need – with the

lightness of

carbon fibre

1

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WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK JANUARY 2009 miPRO 47

ACCESSORIES NEW PRODUCTS

“This amp is a real mother******”Simon Neil, Biffy Clyro

Discover the MoFo at www.haydenamps.com

BACKLINE SPOTLIGHT

BACKLINE NEW PRODUCTS


4. TOTALLY WYCKED AUDIO

LD-01 LITTLE DIPPER VOCAL

FORMANT FILTER $POAThey say: A holy grail effect brought into

the future.

For: Guitarists

Range: Totally Wycked effects

Spec: Envelope-controlled vocal

formant filter based on 70s circuit, dual

filters bend and morph guitar signal,

qulaity component and hard-wearing

metal construciton.

From: Godlyke +1 973 777 7477

5. VOX

AMPLUG ACOUSTIC £45They say: Now you can enjoy sweet

acoustic tones from your electric guitar,

anytime, anyplace.

For: Guitarists

Range: Vox Amplug

Spec: Headphone amp and acoustic

modeller, quarter-inch jack plug,

headphone socket, ‘fat/bright’ switch,

blend control, 27-hour battery life,

aux input.

From: Korg 01908 857100

6. WAY HUGE

ANGRY TROLL LINEAR BOOST

£169They say: Now teamed with Dunlop, Way

Huge pedals still offer legendary tones and

still under the control of Jeorge Tripps.

For: Guitarists

Range: Way Huge pedals

Spec: Boost pedal with 50dB controllable

gain via six-position ‘Anger knob’, master

volume control, quiet relay-based true

bypass, metal construciton.

From: JHS 0113 286 5381

Strings & Things 01273 440442

ITALIA

RETRO AMPS FROM £59.99They say: A reflection of the 'modern

retro' flair and vibe of the Wilkinson-

designed Italia catalogue.

For: Guitarists

Range: New Italia product

Spec: Taking inspiration from some of

the more colourful amplifier liveries of

the 1950s and 60s, the cream and red

combination colour scheme of Italia

Retro amps certainly makes them

stand out in style.

The amps also feature grey check

grille cloth and chrome plated corner

protectors, and the 'chicken head'

rotary controls certainly add to the

retro looks.

Italia amps are perfect for anyone

who needs a practice/rehearsal unit

that's as attractive to look at as it it is

to play through.

Using solid state circuitry, the

Italia Retros are available in ten, 15

and 25-Watt versions, with the latter

featuring a short pan spring reverb.

All are twin channel units with

switchable clean and overdrive

settings. ITR10 10W combo: £59.99.

ITR15 15-Watt: £79.99. ITR25R 25-

Watt with reverb: £119.99.

From: JHS 0113 286 5381

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1.DANELECTRO

COOL CAT FUZZ V2 UPGRADE

£54.99They say: The same as the original Cool

Cat Fuzz unit, with not so much a bright

or fizzy fuzz, but more of an articulate,

liquid sound.

For: Guitarists

Range: Dano effects

Spec: Fuzz pedal, input sensitivity control,

distortion ‘smoothness’ control, headroom

control, output clipping.

From: JHS 0113 286 5381

2. DANELECTRO

COOL CAT OVERDRIVE V2

UPGRADES £44.99They say: Has many added features

eagerly anticipated by pedalheads.

For: Guitarists

Range: Dano effects

Spec: Overdrive pedal with input

sensitivity trimpot, single coil or

humbucker output levels optimumisation,

‘lo fi’ DIP switch for second frequency

range, drive control.

From: JHS 0113 286 5381

3. ROLAND

BA-330 PORTABLE STEREO AMP

£499They say: Whether battery powered or

plugged in, the BA-330 delivers high-

performance sound that defies its size.

For: Live performance

Range: Roland compact PA

Spec: All-in-one portable four-channel

digital PA system, stereo, four custom-

designed 6.5" speakers, two tweeters, AC

or eight AA battery powered, built-in

effects and eq, anti-feedback function,

speaker-stand adaptor.

From: Roland 01792 702701

6

5

NEW PRODUCTS BASS AND GUITAR


BASS & GUITAR SPOTLIGHT

GUYATONE

TA 50 SF THINLINE SEMI-

ACOUSTIC £389They say: The TA series continues to

innovate with alternative styles on the

original 50s design.

For: Guitarists

Range: Aria TA series guitars

Spec: These seriously affordable, big-

bodied semis are offered in a stunning

array of finishes and body tonewoods. As

part of the TA Custom series, the TA 50

SF Scottish Flag, has all the qualities of

the standard TA 50, featuring the same

symmetrical body shape with maple top,

back and sides, mahogany set neck and

a bound rosewood 22-fret fingerboard

with inlaid parallel position markers.

The TA50 SF also features a pair of

high output, Duncan-designed HB-103

humbuckers with ceramic coils wired to

individual volume and tone controls and

selector switch. These pickups are based

on the powerful SH-6 Seymour Duncan

Distortion set.

Aria’s SPT bridge and unique patent

type QH tailpiece are also included.

From: Aria 01483 238720

4. MARINER

LX-6N SUPER JUMBO

ACOUSTIC £495They say: The most elegant super

jumbo acoustic guitar.

For: Guitarists

Range: Mariner Masthead series

Spec: Solid mahogany back and sides,

solid sitka spruce top, maple and

rosewood bindings and detailing,

abalone inlays, Grover Sta-Tite

tuners. Available in natural or jet

black finishes.

From: Music Force 01780 781630

5. MARINER

ESO SERIES FROM £599They say: Beauty and tone,

extraordinary clarity and natural

reproduction.

For: Guitarists

Range: Mariner electros

Spec: Venetian cutaway body on

dreadnought, auditorium and super

jumbo models, Fishman Matrix-

Infinity system, rosewood back &

sides. Left-handers available.

From: Music Force 01780 781630

6. WARWICK

CORVETTE ASH SPECIAL

FRETLESS £1,359They say: The last of the four

planned Warwick Special Editions for

this year.

For: Bassists

Range: Warwick custom

Spec: Based on Corvette STD, bolt-on

neck, Warwick Just A Nut III,

tigerstripe ebony fingerboard,

ovangkol neck, black hardware,

passive MEC pickups, Warwick two-

piece bridge.

From: Warwick +49 0374 225550

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2

3

4

5

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“The TA series

continues to

innovate with

alternative styles

on original

designs

1. ADAM BLACK

LIBERTY UK GUITARS £399They say: A unique and excellent

sounding guitar with superb playability.

For: Guitarists

Range: Adam Black guitars

Spec: Rock maple bolt-on neck, US ash

body, two high-output, ceramic-magnet

humbuckers, gun-metal nickel hardware,

carbon fibre effect scratchplates, natural

or scar red finishes, branded gigbag.

From: Rosetti 01376 550033

2. HOKADA

3343 & 4 STEEL STRING

ACOUSTICS £99They say: Hokada guitars have a strong

reputation for quality and affordability,

meaning playability and great value.

For: Guitarsists

Range: Hokada acoustics

Spec: 3343: Dreadnought shape body,

natural gloss finish, individual chrome

machine heads, bound rosewood

fingerboard. Scale length: 640mm. 3347:

Mini steel string acoustic guitar with

cutaway, rounded pressed back, natural

matt finish. Scale length: 580mm.

From: Stentor 01737 240226

3. ARIA

ZZ2 £359They say: Generates deep

sustaining qualities, a perfect

marriage to the gnarly edged

attack of the mids and soaring

highs.

For: Guitarists

Range: Aria ZZ electrics

Spec: Alder body, bolt-on maple neck,

two Seymour Duncan designed, active

HB-105N humbuckers, through-body

stringing, Aria solid STP bridge,

black hardware. E-type guitar,

black finish.

From: Aria 01483 238720

DRUMS SPOTLIGHT


5. SABIAN

VAULT ARTISAN TRADITIONAL

SUSPENDED CYMBAL. They say: Premium ‘Old World’ sounds

that are tonally deep, dark and rich, with a

robust vintage musicality.

For: Orchestral percussion

Range: Sabian traditional

Spec: Available in 15" through 20",

medium-thin, high-density traditional

hand hammering, HHX tone projection

dimpling, natural finish (brilliant finish

optional), B20 bronze.

From: Westside 0141 248 4812

5. KICKPORT

KICKPORT KICK DRUM SOUND

HOLE £41.99They say: Enhances the sound of your

kick drum.

For: Drummers

Range: New Product

Spec: Condenses and directs low

frequencies, dampens head, tunable,

plastic construction.

From: Pearl +31 77 366 9349 (fax)

6. TECHTONIC

DD502J ELECTRONIC KIT £429They say: If you are in the market for an

entry level electronic kit, read on as this is

aimed at you.

For: Drummers

Range: New Soar Valley product

Spec: standard five-piece set up, kick,

snare, three toms, two cymbals and hi hat,

215 drum, percussion and cymbal

samples, 20 preset kits, ten user-assignable

kits. Ships with maple 5B sticks.

From: Soar Valley 0116 230 4926

YAMAHA

DTX MULTI 12 PERCUSSION

MODULE £685They say: Delivers dynamic, versatile

and affordable pro percussion power.

For: Drummers, producers, DJs

Range: Yamaha DTX

Spec: Self-contained module with 12

on-board percussion pads, 1,200

drum, percussion and keyboard

sounds, many drawn from Yamaha's

Motif synthesizer range and many

completely new.

Up to 200 custom set ups can be

created and stored with ease to suit

any musical context using all internal

sounds and 42 types of effects.

Additional sounds can be loaded

and stored into the onboard 64MB

memory and allocated to any pad.

For established drummers it will

bring a new sound set and

performance capability to current set-

ups and compliment any musical

setting. The unit is designed to

integrate into an existing acoustic set

up or act as a stand alone unit.

The Multi 12 will also prove

invaluable to composers thanks to

the included Cubase AI 5" software

which facilitates quick and easy

computer connectivity.

From: Yamaha 01908 366700

”Will prove

invaluable to to

musicians and

composers thanks

to Cubase

software

included.

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

VISIT WWW.MIKEDOLBEAR.COM FOR MORE DETAILS.

DRUMS NEW PRODUCTS

1. EVANS

EC2 HEAD £POAThey say: Upgraded and enhanced

through sound shaping construction

technique.

For: Drummers

Range: Evans drum heads

Spec: Sound Shaping Technology ring

under two plies of 7mm film, each head

size has different thinkness and densities

on ring, ring isolates and damps higher

overtones, enhancing low-end and attack,

and enabling a broader tuning range.

From: Summerfield 0191 414 9000

2. MEINL

MARCHING & SYMPHONIC

CYMBALS £POAThey say: Suitable for use in musical

situations ranging from very low to

extremely loud volumes.

For: Orchestral & marching percussion

Range: Meinl cymbals

Spec: Nine cymbal pairs, three weights

(thin, medium and heavy), 18", 20" and

22" in each category. Five suspended

cymbals (14", 16", 17", 18", and 20"). B20

bronze, hand-hammered in Turkey.

From: Active Music 020 8693 5678

3. LUDWIG

BUN E CARLOS KIT £POAThey say: A companion shell set to the

Bun E Carlos snare.

For: Drummers

Range: Ludwig kits

Spec: 14x24" bass drum, 9x13" rack tom,

and 16x16" floor tom, new Citrus Glass

Glitter finish, Bun E's personal badge,

Ludwig 100th anniversary badge, signed

and numbered on inner shell label.

From: Active Music 020 8693 5678

3

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5

LIVE SPOTLIGHT

4. ECLER

AUDEO SERIES SPEAKERS £POAThey say: Strikes the perfect balance

between the intelligibility and sound

reproduction quality.

For: Installation

Range: Ecler speakers

Spec: Three in series: Audeo 103, 106 and

108. Full range, two-way acoustic

speakers, ABS casing, 8Ω, 100V lineoperating switch, IP 54 class for outside

install. Available in black or white, ships

with mounting accessories.

From: Miltec 01622 873378

5. PROEL

FLASH 12HA ACTIVE

ENCLOSURE £599 EACHThey say: Despite the massive increase in

power, the weight of the Flash12HA is

just 19kg.

For: Live applications

Range: Proel Flash

Spec: 500-Watt polypropylene-housed

active speaker, custom designed Celestion

neodymium speakers (12-inch woofer and

one-inch compression driver), bi-amped

continuous 400 Watt + 100 Watt output,

1,600Hz crossover, 128dB max SPL.

From: Proel 020 8761 9911

6. RSS BY ROLAND

M380 MIXER £4,799They say: All the features and benefits of

the award-winning M-400, but in a

compact rack-mount unit.


Range: Roland V-Mixers

Spec: Rapid recall of setups, touch

sensitive faders, dedicated multi-function

knobs for eq, pan, gain and dynamics

control, 48-channel mixing, digital patch-

bays with Roland FX, 16 aux/mon sends,

eight matrices, eight DCAs, eight mute

groups and built-in stereo recording.

From: RSS 01792 702701

LD SYSTEMS

STINGER SERIES SPEAKERS

£POAThey say: Powerful performances,

easy handling and high pressure levels

for all types of full-range applications.


Range: LD Systems

Spec: Speaker series ‘powered by

Eminence’, BMS compression drivers.

Passive & active models. Active with

Bang & Olufsen Ice power amp, line

I/O, mic in, volume control, ground

lift, two-band eq, birch ply box with

black textured finish.

LDEB82 passive: Multi functional

high quality loudspeaker with eight-

inch custom made speaker and BMS

one-inch compression driver. 18mm

plywood cabinet structure, highly

durable textured lacquer finish,

integrated speaker stand receptacle.

The versatile Stinger eight-inch is

virtually unbeatable in terms of price-

performance ratio.

LDEB82A active: As above with

B&O amp and Speakon passive

output allowing the connection of a

passive speaker.

This speaker also features the new

Volex power plug.

From: Adam Hall 01702 613922

”Powerful

performances,

easy handling and

high pressure

levels from a

highly durable

enclosure. The

versatile Stinger

eight-inch is

virtually

unbeatable in

terms of price-

performance ratio.

4

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5


2

1.ALTO

APM 200 POWERED MIXER

£785They say: Ultra low noise discrete mic

preamps and extremely high headroom,

giving users greater dynamic range.

For: Musicians, engineers

Range: Alto APM seeries

Spec: 20-Channel 2 + 2-bus format

powered mixer, 16 mic/ line inputs, two

stereo line inputs, low cut filters per

channel, two pre-post faders switchable

for monitoring, four-band fixed eq.

From: Proel 020 8761 9911

3. BLUE

ENCORE LIVE MICS £POAThey say: Brings Blue’s heritage of high-

quality studio microphones to the stage.


Range: Blue Encore

Spec: Three models in range: 100, 200 &

300, all with Aria capsule, cast-zinc bodies,

200 with Active Dynamic circuitry and

output transformer, 300 with Aria

condenser capsule, matched pre-amp and

phantom circuit, tuned enclosure.

From: TC Electronic +45 8742 7000

2. SR TECHNOLOGY

MX1620A POWERED MIXER

£1,449 They say: Designed for the live performer

who requires fully professional audio

quality and exceptional power output.

For: Musicians, engineers

Range: SR Tech MX series

Spec: 700W RMS or 1,200W RMS per side

at 4Ω, 12-channel powered mixer, seven-band master graphic eq, four-band

parametric eq per channel, line/instr/mic

input per channel.

From: Big Cat Audio 01406 365291

NEW PRODUCTS LIVE

www.ashdownmusic.comPhotography: Dan Gooday

HI TECH SPOTLIGHT

RECORDING & HI TECH NEW PRODUCTS

5. SE ELECTRONICS

X1 CONDENSER £99They say: One of the coolest, sexiest new

mics for the MI market in years.

For: Studios

Range: SE mics

Spec: Large diaphragm condenser, 10dB

pad, bass cut, hand-made in Shanghai.

From: Sonic 0845 500 2500

4. SE ELECTRONICS

PROJECT STUDIO REFLEXION

FILTER £99They say: One of the most exciting roll-

outs in the MI sector this decade.

For: Project studios

Range: SE RF series

Spec: Single layer polyester acoustic

board, high density crystal foam lining

with curved ridge, based on the successful

pro version.

From: Sonic 0845 500 2500

M AUDIO

OXYGEN SERIES MIDI

CONTROLLER FROM £73They say: Giving musicians intuitive

hands-on control over a session right

from the keyboard.

For: Computer musicians

Range: M-Audio controllers

Spec: The first USB MIDI keyboard

controller to feature DirectLink, a

hassle-free control mode that instantly

maps the Oxygen's controls to a digital

audio workstation (DAW), giving

musicians intuitive hands-on control

over a session right from the keyboard.

Redesigned with a fresh look for stage

and studio use and available in 25, 49

and 61-key models(£73, £92 and £121),

the Oxygen keyboards are ideal for

laptop production, live performance and

professional studio applications.

The Oxygen series controllers feature

full-size velocity-sensitive keys along

with a complement of sliders, knobs and

buttons for tweaking and performing

with software instruments. With

DirectLink, these same controls

instantly map to a DAW’s mixer, pan,

and transport functions, providing real

time control with a variety of DAWs

including Pro Tools, Cubase, Reason, Live,

Logic and Garageband.

From: Avid 01753 655999

4

1

23

5

6


3. SPECTRASONICS

TRILIAN £209They say: Brings many different types of

Bass together into one extraordinary-

sounding virtual instrument..

For: Computer musicians, producers

Range: Spectrasonics virtual instruments

Spec: 34GB core library incl acoustic,

electric & synth bass samples, built on 64-

bit native ‘steam’ engine, full integration

with Omnisphere synth.

From: Time+Space 01837 55200

4. KURZWEIL

PC3 LE £1,045They say: Includes the widely acclaimed

sound set from the PC3, in addition to

many of the PC3's most popular features.

For: Keyboard players

Range: Kurzweil PC3 series

Spec: Auto control use display, 64-voice

polyphony, ten insert effects, sounds

include orchastral strings, vintage keys,

drums, basses, guitars, voices and horns,

USB thumb-drive, 16 arpeggiators, 61-

note keyboard.

From: Sound Technology 01462 480000

1.FOSTEX

D2424 MK II FROM £1,703They say: A perfect successor to the

D2424, with a great new solution for

transferring to computer.

For: Home recording

Range: Fostex recorders

Spec: Simultaenous 24-track recording, 24

TRS balanced jacks I/Os, 32 virtual tracks,

six foramts (up to 24/96), ADAT I/O, twin

drive bays (second with CF card slot),

80Gb hard drive. 160Gb version: £1,761.

From: SCV London 020 8418 1470

2. LEXICON

PMC 92 REVERB/EFFECTS

PROCESSOR £TBCThey say: The finest collection of

classic Lexicon algorithms to offer the

ultimate processor.

For: Studio, live

Range: Lexicon processors

Spec: 28 mono and stereo reverbs, delays,

and modulation effects, flexible routing

configurations, infinite switch, reflection

pattern selection, scaling and eq’ing, two

channels balanced XLR, two channels XLR

AES/EBU digital I/O.

From: Sound Technology 01462 480000

BOOK OF THE MONTH

AUTHOR: LINDA THOMAS

GETTING INTO HAMMERED

DULCIMERTarget: Dulcimer

Comment: Could the dulcimer be the new

ukulele? It’s always a hard call to predict

the next big thing, but dulcimers are

certainly making something of a

comeback as recent news and arts

broadcasts seem to indicate. In this tome,

Thomas takes the aspirant through the

basics of layout and technique, then

quickly gets going with some tunes. After

a few of these, more lessons and tips are

introduced, so the learner can progress

and play simultaneously.

MEL BAY: 020 8214 1222

ARTIST: MICHAEL JACKSON

THE COMPLETE MICHAEL

JACKSON

Target: Guitar, vocal

Comment: The prime purpose of this

monthly print review section is to alert

retailers of the latest music books on the

market and, more particularly, to those

that are likely to offer at least a good

return on investment.

Well, with the Jackomania resulting

from the artist’s unfortunate demise,

this one will sell by the bucket load.

The book is a reissue of the 1997

publication that contains a full

catalogue of Jackson’s work up to 1996

with vocals (melody notation and lyrics)

and guitar chord boxes, combined with a

brief biography and full discography.

That Jackson long held the crown as

the most famous man in the world is

beyond doubt, his moniker as the ‘King

of Pop’ will most likely be as permanent

as Elvis Presley’s title. Wherever history

consigns HIStory, Jackson is a brand that

will sell be for some considerable time.

With numbers ranging from the

early juvenalia of the Jackson 5, Ben

and Rockin’ Robin, right through to

his final recordings, taking in, of

course, the massive hits of Thriller

and Bad, this comprehensive

collection will be snapped up by fans

and repertoire hungry giggers (not to

mention secretive bedroom players)

alike.

Stock up now, it’s going to fly out

the door (official MI Pro prediction) –

you know you won’t regret it.

FABER: 01279 828989

EDUCATION

AUTHOR: DOMINIC PALMER

DISCOVERING ROCK BASS

Series: Schott ‘Discovering’ series

Target: Bass guitar

Comment: A quite superb collection of

lessons, history and personalities that have

gone to make the bass guitar the

indispensable instrument it is in rock

music today. Palmer covers the major

styles of electric bass playing and throws

in a healthy portion of anecdotes, as well

as taking the learner through some quite

sophisticated playing. Worthwhile for any

interested player to have a look at.

SCHOTT: 020 7534 0744

Target: Ukulele

Comment: And still the uke books keep

coming. This C-tuning edition begins at the

very beginning, with a brief history and

explanation of the instrument and then goes

into, lesson by lesson, the rudiments of

playing, building up to (60-odd pages later)

quite complex work. This serves as an

excellent introduction.

ALFRED (FABER): 01279 828989

AUTHOR: KIRK TATNALL

POWER CHORDSSeries: Hal Leonard Guitar method

Target: Guitar

Comment: Ah, the beauty of the (rock)

classic 5th chord – and here’s a book full

of them. Taking in popular rock songs from

Hendrix through to Weezer, this book

shows the beginner what to do with a

root, a fifth and an octave. It’s the staple

of the young rock guitarist, and here is a

formulated work-through of how to get

the most out of it.

HAL LEONARD (MUSIC SALES):

01284 702600

TRADITIONAL

ARTIST: VARIOUS (JOE CARR, ED)

ANTHOLOGY OF CONTEST

FIDDLE TUNESTarget: Fiddle

Comment: Carr has selected and notated a

collection of ‘Texas Style’ tunes, targeting

the Southern States contest styles of

breakdown, waltz and tune of choice and

drawn from performances of top contest

fiddlers. The book begins with brief notes on

bowing, a noter on chord names and then a

couple of pages of explanatory notes on

each tune – of which there are 56. The book

comes with an accompanying CD.

MEL BAY: 020 8214 1222

AUTHOR: D’JALMA GARNIER III

LOUISIANA CREOLE FIDDLE

METHODTarget: Fiddle, guitar

Comment: As much an education book as

a Creole-style repertoire collection,

although the extensive guide and notes is

really no more than an extended

introduction into the second half of the

book, which is sheet music of a quite

challenging standard. The guitar parts in

Creole (apparently) function more as a

bass line accompaniment, but there are

some tricky chord sequences to go

through, too.

MEL BAY: 020 8214 1222

AUTHOR: MORTY & RON

MANUS

TEACH YOURSELF TO PLAY

UKULELE

PRINT NEW PRODUCTS


NEW PRODUCTS PRINT


ARTIST: KYLE DATESMAN

RENAISSANCE ELIZABETHAN

MUSIC FOR BANJOTarget: Banjo

Comment: An obscure an approach to the

banjo as you are likely to find (this

reviewer conjectures), but a fascinating

one, nonetheless. Datesman takes a

selection of British Elizabethan tunes and

then as many again from the (earlier)

continental renaissance and precedes each

piece with notes playing style and

technique. A whole new perspective for

the ambitious banjo picker.

MEL BAY: 020 8214 1222

ARTIST: JS BACH (ARR INGRAM)

JAZZ BACH FOR FINGERSTYLE

GUITARTarget: Guitar

Comment: JS Bach has been one of the

most influential composers upon modern

jazz players and now Adrian Ingram takes

the Jacques Loussier concept a step

further by introducing the beauty of Bach

to guitarists. Despite the fingerstyle

appellation, the style is definitely jazzy.

There are challenges a-plenty for any

guitarist, but as a result, a lot of

satisfaction to be garnered.

MEL BAY: 020 8214 1222

AUTHOR: JANET DAVIS

BANJO PICKING PATTERN

CHART

Series: Mel Bay charts

Target: Banjo

Comment: Mel Bay’s excellent, low-cost,

comprehensive wall charts (or instrument

case charts?) that cover chords and other

instrument fundamentals continues with

this indispensible folder for banjo players.

It’s almost like dozens of lessons on three

pages, with the added benefit of having

free demonstration audio available online.

Banjo pickers rejoice.

MEL BAY: 020 8214 1222

ARTIST: GREEN DAY

21ST CENTURY BREAKDOWNTarget: PVG

Comment: Billy Joe Armstrong spent

nearly three years perfecting this album –

and after the phenomenal success of

American Idiot, you can hardly blame him.

The result is something of a re-hash of the

predecessor, but none the less dramatic

and powerful for all that. The number of

big hits from Breakdown has come

nowhere near the half dozen or so that

came from Idiot, but then again, kids

wanting to get hold of the authentic

music for Do You Know the Enemy could

well keep sales figures up.

FABER: 01279 828989

POPULAR

ARTIST: VARIOUS

THE REALLY EASY UKE BOOK

Series: Faber Chord Songbook

Target: Ukulele

Comment: The surge of ukulele popularity

continues and is illustrated here as clearly

as you could hope for. Almost 40 songs

with chords and lyrics, covering everything

form All Along the Watchtower to Yankee

Doodle (via Amarillo), this book shows not

only how versatile the uke is, but also how

varied the tastes of those taking up the

instrument and maintaining this most

surprising of trends.

FABER: 01279 828989

ARTIST: ARCTIC MONKEYS

HUMBUGTarget: Guitar

Comment: The guitar tab edition of the

Monkey’s latest album, this is touted as a

band-approved, deluxe edition – and it

does the label proud. Quality snaps from

the band’s energetic live shows are

liberally peppered throughout the precise

tab and vocal folios. Such features make

these books as tempting to the non-

playing fans as to the guitarists who want

to learn the licks, which means, with the

right placement, more people coming into

the shop and more sales.

FABER: 01279 828989

ARTIST: O’KEEFE & BENJAMIN

LEGALLY BLONDETarget: PVG

Comment: Vocal selections from the

musical of the film and that has now hit

London’s West End, this collection will

doubtless become something of a hit

among schools, choirs and drama societies,

as well as with the gigging muso as these

songs become ever more heard. It is always

something of a hit and miss as to which

Broadway/West End musicals make the big

time, but with rave reviews following this

one around, it could well be a laster.

HAL LEONARD (MUSIC SALES):

01284 702600

ARTIST: JAMIE CULLUM

THE PURSUITTarget: PVG

Comment: Another artist-approved

edition from Faber, with the spectacular

cover of Cullum’s latest album. It is tribute

to Cullum that, while essentially being a

jazz player, he slots perfectly into the pop

genre, thus bringing jazz to a whole new

audience. The Pursuit takes what is

becoming the artist’s regular format – a

selection of co-written numbers, carefully

mixed with pop hits and jazz standards

and makes for a diverting collection of

sheet music.

FABER: 01279 828989

Every band has the same problem: rehearsing is too loud for most locations and studio space is expensive. But now you can play anywhere, anytime virtually silent to the outside world: quietly enough for your bedroom, at Uni, in your apartment or hotel room. JamHub® was created to let you play more, and the experience rocks. Just pick a color section and plug in your

instruments, mics and headphones. Then control your own individual mixes with new clarity, and no volume wars. You’ll hear yourself like never before, and improve faster. JamHub is also portable and affordable. And whether you’re a garage band or

touring professionals, there’s a JamHub model designed for you. So start jamming more without disturbing the peace.

the silent rehearsal studio

Introducing

Play anywhere, anytime.

Neighbours can’t hear it. Parents can’t hear it. Cops can’t hear it.But you won’t believe what the band can hear.

Distributed in the UK by SCV London. Call 020 8418 1470 for your nearest dealer. www.scvlondon.co.uk©2009 BreezSong LLC.www.JamHub.com

GreenRoomUp to 7 Musicians

24-bit Digital EffectsUSB Recording Output

BedRoomUp to 5 Musicians

24-bit Digital EffectsAnalogue Recording Output

TourBusUp to 7 Musicians

24-bit Digital EffectsWith Built In RAM Card

Recorder & USB Recording Output

®

GRO

UP

FIELD SALES MANAGERS3 posts - North, South and South West EnglandAVSL Group Ltd., based in Manchester, is looking for three dynamic and enthusiastic individuals to join their rapidly growing sales & marketing team.

Established in 1998, AVSL has grown to become a substantial, well respected manufacturer, importer and distributor of products under our wholly owned brands:

Adastra, AV:Link, Chord, Citronic, Mercury, QTX (Sound, Light & Eff ects)

Our current product portfolio runs to just over 4,000 lines and whilst diverse in content has its roots fi rmly entrenched in the MI, Pro Audio, Eff ect Lighting and Public Address sectors.

Suitable candidates will possess:

skills with a proven track record of

work both alone and as part of a team

sector would be an advantage but not essential

attractive remuneration package.

To apply, please send a full CV and accompanying covering letter to:

Th e Sales Director AVSL Group Limited Containerbase, Barton Dock Road Manchester M41 7BQ alternatively please email your application to: [email protected]

Yamaha Music UK Ltd. is currently seeking a motivated

and professional individual to join their Electronic

Keyboard Division.

Reporting to the Sales Manager, you will be responsible for the sales andbusiness development of our portable keyboard and digital piano rangesutilising resources in order to achieve set sales targets and long-termobjectives. Specific geographic region will depend on the location of thesuccessful candidate.

To be considered for this role you must have a relevant sales backgroundand be able to communicate effectively at all levels in a confident andknowledgeable manner. You will also need to have a flexible attitude asregular UK travel is a requirement of this role.

An up-to-date knowledge of the UK musical instrument retail market,together with experience in field sales and relevant product knowledge is essential. You should also have a good working knowledge of Microsoft Office.

In return, the successful candidate will receive acompetitive salary, company car and the usualcompany benefits.

If you feel you meet the criteria, please

apply by e-mailing your CV and covering

letter demonstrating your suitability,

including your salary expectations by

Thursday 31 December 2009 (quoting

reference RMEKB/1209/TIL) to: Helen Bates,

Human Resources Assistant at:

[email protected]

Regional Manager Electronic Keyboard Division

NO AGENCIES PLEASE

Yamaha Music UK Ltd. is currently seeking a motivated

and professional individual based in the South of

England, to sell our market-leading acoustic pianos.

Yamaha is the world’s leading musical instrument manufacturer and ourAcoustic Division markets acoustic pianos to retailers throughout the UK.

Whilst not necessarily from within the "music industry", the successfulapplicant must have some knowledge of the piano as an instrument aswell as the ability to play to a basic level. More importantly they will beable to demonstrate their sales skills through a proven sales record andpossess the drive, enthusiasm and confidence to expand sales within anestablished territory.

The need to establish trust within the dealer base is essential, we thereforeseek experienced and disciplined communicators, with advanced inter-personal skills, who enjoy being part of a successful team. Computerliteracy and a driving licence are essential.

This is an excellent opportunity for the right candidate to expand anddevelop our piano business through our new multi-brand strategy.

We offer a competitive salary and a car plus all the usualbenefits associated with working for a large, forwardthinking company.

If you feel you meet the criteria, please apply by

e-mailing your CV and covering letter demonstrating

your suitability, including your salary

expectations, by Thursday 31 December 2009

(quoting reference RMACO/1209/TIL) to:

Helen Bates, Human Resources Assistant at:

[email protected]

Regional Manager Acoustic Division

NO AGENCIES PLEASE

The Insolvency Act and Rules 1986KEMBLE & COMPANY LIMITED

(In members’ voluntary liquidation)

Notice is hereby given that written resolutions were passed bythe members of the Company on 9 December 2009 placing the

company into members’ voluntary liquidation (solvent liquidation)and appointing Jeremy Simon Spratt and Finbarr Thomas

O’Connell of KPMG as joint liquidators.

Notice is also hereby given, pursuant to Rule 4.182A of theInsolvency Rules 1986, that the joint liquidators of the Company

intend to make a final distribution to creditors. Creditors arerequired to prove their debts on or before 26 January 2010 by

sending full details of their claims to the joint liquidators atKPMG Restructuring, 8 Salisbury Square, London, EC4Y 8BB.

Creditors must also, if so requested by the joint liquidators, provide such further details and documentary evidence to supporttheir claims as the joint liquidators deem necessary. The intended

distribution is a final distribution and may be made withoutregard to any claims not proved by 26 January 2010. Any creditor

who has not proved his debt by that date, or who increasesthe claim in his proof after that date, will not be entitled to disturb

the intended final distribution. The joint liquidators intendthat, after paying or providing for a final distribution in respect

of creditors who have proved their claims, all funds remaining inthe joint liquidators’ hands following the final distribution to

creditors shall be distributed to the shareholders of the Companyabsolutely.

The Company is able to pay all its known liabilities in full.Dated: 9 December 2009

Jeremy Simon Spratt, Joint Liquidator


RETAILNEWS, OPINION, DATA

SHUNNING THE traditional recording

studio, UK band Georgia Wonder has

turned to its local music retailer, Nevada

Music, and will record its next album on

the shop floor.

Like many bands, Georgia Wonder was

struggling to fund its next studio album.

Although the duo had done much of its

previous work at home on the first two

EPs Hello Stranger and Destroy, the pair

felt that, given the right resources, they

could take things much further creatively.

And it wasn’t just studio time that the

band needed – it was also short on world-

class instruments such as the guitars,

basses and keyboards that all contribute

to making a great album.

“It dawned on us that our local music

shop has everything we need to record

our music,” explained Stephanie Grant

(vocals). “If we could get the keys, we’d be

half way there.”

The band emailed its local store,

Nevada Music and asked if they could use

the shop to record their next album.

To their surprise, Mike Devereux,

founder of Nevada, loved the idea and

went a step further by setting up the

Made In Nevada project.

“It’s always nice to see bands thinking

out of the box,” commented Devereux.

“It’s a great concept and we’ve given them

free reign to do anything they like in our

shop for six months. We’re as excited as

anyone to see what Georgia Wonder come

up with.”

The band is making a video blog of the

process that will be posted on Muzu.tv

and the Made In Nevada Youtube page.

“We’re going to be a bit like a couple of

kids in a candy store,” said Georgia

Wonder’s Julian Moore. “So it would be a

shame if we didn’t show people what we

were up to. We can take this opportunity

to experiment and share the results. There

are so many instruments for us to chose

from, we have no idea where to start. If

only all music stroes were like this.”

NEVADA MUSIC: 023 9220 5100

Made in Nevada launchedUK band Georgia Wonder moves on to local store’s shop floor to record their latest album

NEWSWorld

Guitars’ PRS

giveaway,

Cheshire’s

Homeworld,

Shadows’

Strat

snatched

MUSIC FOR YOUTH

How MI

retail can

help the

world’s

largest music

education

charity –

and itself

LOCATION REPORT

I love the

smell of

Portsmouth

in the

morning –

smells of...

Victory

INDIE PROFILEBerkshire’s

own drum

specialist,

Drumwright

also puts the

world to

rights

ALL INSIDE THIS MONTH

BEHIND THE COUNTER

The horror of

the in-store

hangover

gives way to

musings on

what’s next

for MI trends

Georgia Wonder: making waves in Portsmouth and beyond

Marcia and Mike Devereux (centre left and right)receiving their MIA award at 2009’s ceremony

DAWSONS MUSIC Chester opened the

region’s first Yamaha Homeworld in

November, immediately followed by a

public opening, where visitors to the store

had the opportunity to see, hear, and play

the latest Yamaha products aimed at the

home user and speak to product experts.

“We are absolutely delighted to have

been selected to become the first Yamaha

Homeworld in Cheshire,” said Dawsons’

managing director David Briggs. “The key

to our success has always been the very

personal service we offer and the high

degree of expertise of our staff. As a

Yamaha Homeworld the store now offers

the ultimate musical shopping experience

and promotes the benefits of learning to

play to people at all skill levels in relaxed

and luxurious surroundings.”

“We congratulate Dawsons Music on

the opening of the new Homeworld in

Chester,” added Yamaha’s EKB director,

Robert Webster. “Dawsons has been one

of Yamaha’s major home keyboard and

digital piano dealers for many years. The

key reason for this is the quality of

personal service extended to all its

customers. We are thrilled that the chain

has embraced the Homeworld concept.”

With nine stores throughout the UK,

Dawsons Music is one of the largest

musical instrument retailers in the

country. The company, established in 1899

in Warrington, came to Chester in 1972

and moved to its current Pepper Street

location in 1994.

DAWSONS CHESTER: 01244 348606

RETAIL NEWS


Dawsons makes news for EKB in Chester’s standout store

Cheshire’s first Homeworld

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

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

Call us today on 0113 277 1441 – and experience more.

*Terms and conditions apply. Visit www.audio-technica.com/warranty for full details.

HAMPSHIRE RETAILER Oasis Music has

reported the theft of a Shadows 50th

Anniversary Stratocaster.

The special collector’s outfit,

numbered 16, was stolen while in the

possession of FedEx. The package had

been misrouted to Birmingham instead

of going to Brighton and by the time it

reached Brighton on Saturday morning,

all that was delivered was a sealed

empty box.

Oasis Music would like to ask all

industry professionals and customers to

keep an eye and ear out for any

information that might lead to the

return of the guitar.

Anyone who comes across the guitar

or has any information can contact

Howard Gillespie at Oasis Music by

email on [email protected] or

on the phone number below.

The company hopes by ‘turning up

the heat’ the package will miraculously

re-appear once the thief realises that

it's too ‘hot’ to sell easily.

This is not the first incident involving

the guitars. Another, bound for Ireland

via UPS, was over a week late arriving,

but was eventually found behind other

packages in a depot in Cologne.

OASIS MUSIC: 01425 478135

Exclusive guitar stolen from Oasis Music in transit

Strat snatched from Shadows

WORLD GUITARS has announced plans

to celebrate its first anniversary by

giving away a Paul Reed Smith Private

Stock guitar with a price tag

approaching £10,000.

Based in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire,

World Guitars is the largest PRS dealer

in the country and carries more Private

Stock models than any other in Europe.

In order to enter the competition,

participants must visit World Guitars at

The Old Magistrates Court, High Street,

Stonehouse, Gloucestershire and fill in

an entry form.

The form contains a PRS Private

Stock spec sheet, from which entrants

must guess the options included on the

unique competition prize. The £10,000

Private Stock prize will be awarded to

the entry that gets closest to guessing

the spec of the guitar itself.

The competition will be open to

entries until January 31st.

WORLD GUITARS: 01453 824306

UK’s largest PRS dealer celebrates first anniversary

World Guitars giveaway

FRESHMAN HAS introduced a long-

awaited range of acoustic amps, as well as

the latest Apollo 3 series guitars.

The new amp range starts with the

£69.95, 10-Watt Junior, aimed at the

beginner with two inputs, phaser, treble,

bass and volume controls. At £149.95, the

Freshman Senior is a compact 30-Watt,

twin-speaker amp designed for the

rehearsal/studio environment and offering

chorus, delay, eq and effects send/return.

Top of the range is the £249.95, 60-Watt

Master (pictured), which adds two

channels, five-band graphic eq and reverb.

Meanwhile, following the success of the

Freshman Apollo 1 and 2 ranges, which

sold out three times in 2009, the firm has

introduced the Apollo 3 series.

The new series comprises two models –

a dreadnought cutaway and OOO

cutaway, which, according to Freshman,

‘pack a punch tonally, well above their

weight’. They feature quality timbers, a

neat eq section and dual pick-ups.

ACCESS ALL AREAS: 01355 228028

Brand new product line debuted alongside Apollo 3 series

Freshman broadens throughlaunch of acoustic amp range

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 the

SK60 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 pay

homage to the Selmer andMaccaferri guitars of the early

20th century. They have solid tops,are a joy to play, and look andsound like the real thing, right

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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.

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Aman of considerable repute, who

has earned (among a few of his

fans) the title of ‘wise’, often says:

‘distrust anyone who wants to teach you

something’. This aphorism will doubtless

produce wails of approval from the

average school pupil, who will take it as

justification to ignore his or her teachers

whenever it suits them. What the proverb

means, of course, is that it is the student

that should seek learning and not the

teacher soliciting teaching.

Music for Youth is the world’s biggest

music education charity, yet, when you

boil it down, it doesn’t actually, actively

teach anything at all. What it does, quite

often, is change the lives of young

musicians and ignite the spark in them to

begin or further or complete their musical

education and ultimately enter the world

of ‘the player’.

2010 marks the charity’s 40th

anniversary, so what better time to take

an indepth look at what the charity is

doing, what it hopes to do and – most

importantly – how you, the MI retailer,

can get involved in what is arguably the

single most important inspiration for

nurturing young musicians in the UK?

Lincoln Abbotts is MfY’s CEO and only

the second man to head up the

organisation after Larry Westland, the man

who, in 1970, set this particular snowball

rolling until he stood down in the

beginning of 2008. (Westland is now the

honorary life president.) I sat down with

Abbotts to find out more about MfY’s year

ahead and how the MI trade can help.

Some of his answers are surprising, yet

no less inspiring for that… But first, he

outlines how Music for Youth works.

“You can boil down MfY activities into

three categories,” begins Abbotts, as

energetic in speech as he is with a baton

in his hand. “The first thing is

performance. Music for Youth gives young

players a bigger stage, whether that is at

one of the regional festivals, at the

National Festival or the Schools Prom. We

make it possible for them to feel the thrill

of a professional performing experience.”

The regional festivals (of which there

are now 73) cover the entire country from

Belfast and Glasgow to Truro and

Tenterden and everything in between,

meaning that wherever you live, there will

be one nearby. As long as the performers

are under 21, admission is open, whether

from a school, a community group, a

private project and whether covering

orchestras, pop and rock or folk music. As

Abbotts puts it: nothing is typical.

“There is still something of a perception

that it is classical music by school

orchestras, but that simply isn’t the case,”

he explains. “And this isn’t a competition,

either. The experts (we prefer to call them

mentors) who view everything at the

festivals will never say one performance is

good and another bad; they are there to

give advice as to how each can improve.

There is a real ‘festival atmosphere’ at

RETAIL MUSIC FOR YOUTH


”We are painfully

aware that not

every child has

the opportunity

to play.Lincoln AbbottsCEO, Music for Youth

Music for Youth will celebrate 40 years of its existence in 2010. The charity’s CEO, Lincoln Abbots, tells Andy Barrett how dealers

The hub of the

these events and we find that the

performers learn from each other as well,

just from watching.”

Once the regional festivals are over, the

mentors make recommendations as to

which acts will best benefit from

appearing at the National Festival in

Birmingham – a full week of performance,

essentially taking over the whole city, with

performances at the Symphony Hall, the

O2 and all the others, as well as some

concerts outdoors, again giving the

musicians the chance to step up on to a

bigger stage. Some 12,000 children and

youths take part and from here over 3,000

are selected to appear at the Schools

Prom at the Albert Hall in London.

The mentors are all active musicians –

people making a living from playing or

recording music and who have an

awareness of music education and how to

express themselves to young musicians.

There are currently about 50 of them

giving up their time to help at the

festivals. In 2009, members of the pop

group Divine Comedy looked over a lot of

the pop and rock acts, while Peter Stark

worked with the orchestras – to give you

an idea of the calibre of these people.

“The second element of MfY is

inspiration,” continues Abbotts. “We are

painfully aware that not every child has

the opportunity to play, so this year we

are putting on five free concerts

where youngsters can come and

see other youngsters on stage.”

This idea stems from

Abbotts’ time with the

BBC, where he

initiated a roadshow

that aimed to get

kids inspired to

play. “The

difference with

this,” he says, “is that

there is a big contrast

between seeing a 30-

year-old on stage and

seeing a 14-year-old. Seeing a teenager

playing tells the primary school kid that he

can do this, too – and from there ‘pester

power’ comes in as the child presses the

parents to get him an instrument.”

The third element is ‘engagement’. This

means getting children – and particularly

schools – involved in music making. MfY is

currently using the official ‘Year of Music’,

which runs through to the end of the

2010 school year and incorporates all of

the activities going on around the country,

from Howard Goodall’s Sing Up project to

the opportunities of Government funding

for musical instruments, and alerting

schools to them.

“We are making a noise so that

entrepreneurial teachers can hear about

what is going on and say ‘I want music in

this school’ and know that instruments are

available to help make that happen.

Wherever you look, people are making

music. It is our job to take advantage of

and support all of these initiatives.”

The crux of this article – and the main

reason MI Pro wanted to find out more

about Music for Youth is that, as the hub

of the local musical communities, the MI

retailer really should be getting involved

(if it isn’t already). Abbotts’ explanation of

what they should do was surprising.

“The crucial element for us is the

regional festivals,” he begins. “The first

thing to do is pick up the phone and call

us. Ask for details about the festival

nearest to you and what you can do.

Basically, all you need to do is pitch up at

the festival and say ‘hello, I’m Mr Bedford

Music Shop’ and bring some of your flyers

or cards. If you have a guy free who can

man a stand in the hall where the

activities are taking place, even better. We

can’t guarantee you sales, but we can

promise contacts and potentials.”

Hang on, this sounds more like what

can MfY do for dealers. “Yes, but it’s about

relationships and creating networks,”

enthuses Abbotts. “Of course, we could ask

for money, but

that only goes so far. It’s far more

important to have everyone involved.”

Beyond this, there is a lot dealers can do

for MfY in terms of putting themselves

out a bit.

“Retailers can identify potential

mentors for the festivals. We are always

on the hunt for inspirational people in

each of the geographic locations. If dealers

can put people forward, this would be a

great help. Once they know where and

when the local festival is, they can

encourage the young musicians that come

into their shops to attend. Then, of course,

if Mr Bedford Music Shop has a spare

room out back, we could organise getting

some kids down to try out some gear.

Money is always useful, but never our first

element for discussion. Local sponsorship

of a festival can be as little as £200 and

for that we can tailor the deal to the

festival and the sponsor, including

branding, a stand at the event and so on.

But I have to say, money is not the driving

force here. If you are motivated, please

give us a call.”

In the same way that MI Pro gets tarred

with the rock n roll ‘brush’, so MfY gets

smeared with the classical counterpart,

but in both cases, the labelling is vastly

inaccurate. “Whatever you do, wherever

you do it, under whatever umbrella, if the

performers are under 21, we want to hear

from them. We have just got new

sponsorship from Rock School and this

year there will be more rock and pop than

ever before. The great thing about getting

in as many styles as possible, is that the

genres become blurred and when these

youngsters get together, ensembles are

created that defy definition. It’s a

wonderful thing.”

Wonderful indeed. And with some

50,000 kids passing through the festivals

each year – and the alumni numbering in

the millions, that is a wonder that just

keeps growing.

The ‘wise man’ who told us to distrust

teachers and altruists was essentially

advising that we check out these people

before believing them. Well, this is the

third or fourth time I’ve

checked Music for Youth out

and each time I’ve done so,

it has been clear that the

charity does nothing but

good. I heartily advise any

dealer that hasn’t had a look

to do so right away. The

same wise man said ‘don’t

be helpful – be available’. I

think Lincoln Abbotts would

agree with that.

MFY: 020 8870 9624

MUSIC FOR YOUTH RETAIL

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

can be central to what it does…

matter


RETAIL LOCTION REPORT

England expects that every MI store does its duty – and

they certainly try their best. Ross Mulkern takes a swing

by downtown Portsmouth to check out the stores there

and finds a few very healthy examples…

Portsmouth

PJ’S GUITAR CENTRE

PJ’s Guitar Centre stands as something of

a guitar emporium, offering a huge range

of guitars and equipment, covering the

spectrum of products available on the

market today.

From the obligatory Gibsons and

Fenders to expensive signature models –

even a particularly ostentatious six-

necked example assuming pride of place

in the window – every guitar-playing

demographic seemed well provided for.

The staff were both helpful and

knowledgeable, with a good understanding

of the industry as well as the products on

display, which made trying out a guitar a

comfortable and informative experience.

The sheer range of equipment on offer,

however, means that despite its relatively

large size, everything is very densely

packed, which creates a situation where

the sheer mass of guitars can somewhat

overwhelm you and make it hard to find a

specific instrument unaided, and some

great instruments may go unnoticed to

the casual observer. The presence of

attentive staff makes this a minor flaw.

The shop has a high-end sheen, but not

at the expense of personality, with various

Kiss masks and other memorabilia on

display, giving the shop a fun feel, which is

a nice change from the intimidating

atmosphere found in many larger guitar

shops such as this, especially for a less

experienced musician.

PJ’s is located just out of the Albert

Road area, taking it slightly away from the

hoards of local shoppers. That said, with a

prosperous Portsmouth music scene,

centred around the nearby Wedgewood

Rooms, its reputation is enough to ensure

a steady stream of custom.

VENN PIANOS

Venn Pianos shares something of the

workshop feel of its close neighbour,

Street Level. A large proportion of its

business is dedicated to repairs and

maintenance, with manager Stephen Venn

working as a professional tuner when not

in the shop.

The shop offers used and new

instruments for both sale and rental,

including short-term hire. From various

upright examples, such as a particularly

distinctive 1937 Challen, complete with

art deco motif, to full-size grands, the

shop floor plays host to a great variety of

pianos, including more recent Far Eastern

examples for those in search of something

a little more basic. In addition, the

company, due to its affiliation with

Roberts of Oxford, offers a piano removal

and advice service between the

Hampshire and Oxford areas.

As mentioned, the shop itself has a

professional yet informal feel, in keeping

with the specialist nature of the business,

with a friendly and helpful service.

STREET LEVEL

Located at the heart of Portsmouth’s

bohemian epicentre, the Albert Road (a

street so renowned among the local

populace that it even plays host to its own

yearly appreciation festival), Street Level is a

retailer ideally situated to attract local

musicians and tourists alike.

The shop itself appears somewhat on the

smaller side when compared to the MI

supermarkets that are more and more

frequently springing up in big cities these

days, but the space available is maximised

to its full potential, with every wall and

shelf lined with a myriad of equipment and

accessories. Included in this is a rather

comprehensive selection of pickups and

after-market electronics of an abundance

that one would struggle to find in many

larger stores. With regards to such products,

the shop offers a full fitting service, as well

as set-ups, maintenance and general repairs,

such as re-fretting in a dedicated workshop

toward the rear of the unit.

As for the instruments themselves, the

selection available, while less than

extensive, is well considered, comprising

guitars and basses ranging from budget

models to several more expensive or

unusual examples, such as a Dan

Armstrong-style ‘see-through’ model.

Although primarily a guitar shop, Street

Level caters for other sections of the MI-

buying public by stocking woodwind,

percussion and stringed instruments.

From the outside, the shop appears

colourful and its attention-grabbing facade

stands out from surrounding businesses, and

the staff were extremely informed and glad

to answer my queries.

RETAIL


Chris Wright of percussion

specialist Drumwright talks

to Rob Hughes about

Christmas pricing mayhem...

How is business compared to this time

last year?

Year on year about the same, happily. We

are experiencing a bigger Christmas surge

than last year.

How do you market the shop?

Via direct mail-outs, a comprehensive

website, strong links with excellent drum

teachers and ad campaigns in Rhythm

magazine.

How do you compete with the online

competition?

Online is now a major part of our business

too, but the price-match feeding frenzy this

Christmas is scary. It bodes ill for the future

of specialist drum stores, unless they have

the cash and capacity to price for volume

sales. There is no choice with the level of

transparency afforded by Google Shopper

and so on. We get high levels of repeat

business from loyal customers, but they

expect us to price-match the box shifters.

What are your main strengths?

Our knowledgeable staff, range and depth

of stock, strong marketing capability and a

healthy balance sheet.

How do you ensure a good level of

customer service?

Through constant monitoring of shop floor,

customer surveys and by maintaining a high

number of customer compliments and a

refreshingly low number of complaints.

What is the one product you couldn’t

live without?

That’s a difficult one to answer but, if I were

pushed, I’d have to say Zildjian cymbals.

How can the industry do more to

support retail?

Two things: first, by recognising the

investment ‘bricks and mortar’ retailers

make in stock, premises, display and

rewarding us. Many suppliers do this in a

range of imaginative ways, for example,

marketing support, rebates on in-store sales

and so on. There needs to be more of this if

retailers are to survive and thrive.

Second, by monitoring dealer prices more

closely. And before they shout ‘competition

law – we can’t’, yes they can.

Much more of the price mayhem is

caused by cock-up than conspiracy. Too

many retail bosses leave junior staff, who

don’t know a margin from a mark up, to fix

prices. Most of the more ridiculous prices I

have seen recently on investigation by

suppliers have proved to be the result of

errors, not strategic thinking. Supplier

‘health checks’ on retailers are not anti-

competitive – they are just common sense

and vital to the survival of this industry.

INDIE PROFILE

FACT BOX

Address: 4 Loddon Vale Centre,

Hurricane Way, Woodley, Berks, RG5 4UL

Phone: 0118 9441418

Owners: Brooke and Chris Wright

Established: 1996

Employers: 7 full-time and 5 part-time

Bestselling lines: Mapex, Pearl and

Tama acoustic kits, Yamaha and Roland

electronic drums, Zildjian, Sabian and

Paiste cymbals.

L to R: Drumwright’s Brooke and Chris Wright pose as winners of a 2009 MIA Award


RETAIL

A NEW YEAR, NEW MUSIC AND NEW GEAR TO SELL

This month, MI Pro’s undercover retailer says store staff need to keep an eye on the year’s upcoming trends...

Now that the crushing New

Year’s hangover is beginning to

clear, it’s time once more to

welcome in a new decade. What will

the 2010s bring us, one can’t help but

wonder? Surely we’re due some sort of

musical revolution, some rebirth of

invention that’s going to have all the

kids excited and the grown ups scared.

While that’s only a nice thought, it has

the benefit of making the dismal

January weather easier to deal with.

Realistically, this year looks set to

carry on much in the same vein as the

last. In the face of ever-impending

economic meltdown, a pick and mix

selection of largely unwinnable wars

and the all-powerful Simon Cowell’s X

Factor chart domination, the Great

British public are well aware that the

musical future lies with them. This is

rather handy for music shops, which

have traditionally weathered social and

economic disasters relatively well.

I guess it’s easier to write songs

when you’ve got the blues. Howlin’

Wolf would have been a lot less

interesting if he’d had a £30k-a-year

job and a house in Shropshire.

2009 was certainly a strange time

for music. An uneasy mix of boys with

guitars and girls with huge voices and

wild imaginations. It’s hard to judge

what’s coming next.

Maybe DJ Hero on the Xbox will lead

to a fresh surge in the dance charts,

rendering our years of carefully

cultivated guitar knowledge useless as

we try to get to grips with decks. Or

perhaps the legions of marginal

shredders will unite, coming

together like a mammoth, über-fast

playing mega-transformer that will

smash us all to tiny pieces with

1,000,000 note-per-second attacks.

Probably not, though, eh?

One thing for sure is that if retail is

to prosper, it must be ready and willing

to adapt to the market at the drop of a

hat. Music trends come and go so fast

now that it would be easy to miss out

on a rash of Tenori On sales simply

because in the six months they were

popular you managed to miss it.

Keeping a close eye on what’s

going on outside the pop charts

will be increasingly vital, as musicians

search for new ways to get themselves

heard and to stand out from the crowd.

So be vigilant, fellow shop-front folk,

and let’s make 2010 a good one.

“Howlin’ Wolf

would have been

a lot less

interesting with a

£30k-a-year job

BEHIND THE COUNTER

HAPPY N

EW YEAR


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MARKETPLACE INDEX

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PO

TLI

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T440 DISTRIBUTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0113 258 9599

AALLPARTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0870 442 3336

BBILL LEWINGTON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01268 413366

CCOVERNOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0121 327 1977

FFOCUS MERCHANDISE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8245 9035FCN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01892 603730FUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0113 320 0304

GGHANA GOODS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0117 955 8668GUITARRAS DE ESPAÑA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0117 973 3214

HHC DISTRIBUTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00 353 5991 34268HERGA MUSIC SERVICES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8861 1590HOT ROX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0115 987 3163

JJAM PERCUSSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0151 494 1492

LLEED REPRESENTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01243 378050LEISURETEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01525 850085

MMARSHALL AMPLIFICATION. . . . . WWW.MARSHALLAMPS.COMMCELLAND/GREMLIN MUSIC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01273 491333MEL BAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8382 8010MUSIC SHIPPING CO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01562 827666

OOCARINA WORKSHOP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01536 485963

RRICH ART . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WWW.RICH-ART.CO.UKROBERT MORLEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8318 5838ROTHWELL AUDIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01204 366133

SSAXOPHONE UK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01892 662 533 SOAR VALLEY MUSIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0116 230 4926STEVE CLINKSCALE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01573 225 885

TTEAC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01923 438 880

VVARSITY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0131 557 4310

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dB TechnologiesAn acoustic specialist with 25-years of experience

DB TECHNOLOGIES has made quite

a name for itself in the past few

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installations. A growing reputation

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DVA (digital vertical array) series,

while the upper echelons of the

passive Arena range continues to be

a mainstay for pro mobile

applications and fixed installations.

RCF’s influence? UK retailers are also

stocking its smaller boxes for the

pub and club markets.

The current president, Arturo

Vicari, who founded the parent

company, AEB (Acoustic Engineering

Bureau) back in the 1970s, bought

RCF in 2004, from Mackie. While this

might seem to place dB and RCF

head to head in the market, in

practice, they tend to focus on

different areas and, in fact, both

benefit from the other’s technical

expertise – AEB having a strong

background in electronics and RCF in

speaker design.

“We started with one or two

models and now have expanded the

range with a lot of very professional

products – and that’s where the

synergy with RCF lies,” notes

international sales manager Harald

von Falkenstein. “With us having a

very good R&D department for

electronics and amplification and

with RCF acknowledged as one of

the world’s best speaker chassis

manufacturers, we have synergies

where we supply all the electronics

for its active systems and in our

more professional products, like the

DVA range or the DVX range, we use

RCF chassis speakers. Obviously, this

gives us a good advantage over

some of our competitors as it means

we are doing everything in-house.”

The DVA system has become dB’s

most successful ever product, as it has

brought the line array concept down

to an affordable level for many who

would otherwise have been confined

to point source systems. It does this

by using plastic housings with 420W

of digital amplification on board,

coupled to RCF neodymium speakers.

The DVA system opened the door for

smaller rental companies to be able

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DBTECHNOLOGIES.COM

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www.allparts.uk.comor email us: [email protected]

GUITAR PARTS


MI MARKETPLACEDISTRIBUTIONDISTRIBUTION

Call Tom Harrison on 01132 589599 or email - [email protected]

DISTRIBUTION ETHNIC AND FOLK

GHANA GOODSWEST AFRICAN PERCUSSION

WHOLESALE AND RETAIL

PO Box 95, Fishponds

Bristol, BS16 1AG

Tel: 0117 9354132

[email protected]

www.ghanagoods.com


INSURANCE AND BUSINESS

MUSIC PUBLISHERS

MI MARKETPLACE

GUITAR AND ACCESSORIES

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".

Why not join our growing list of uk and international dealers and stock Britain's finest boutiqueeffects pedals.

BRITAIN'S FINEST BOUTIQUE EFFECTS

WWW.ROTHWELLAUDIOPRODUCTS.CO.UK01204 366133

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.

Make sure school ocarinas are onyour counter-top and availablewhen customers request them!

Quote ‘MI Pro’ when you order12 Ocarinas & 12 Books and beamazed at the ocarina’s potential...

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

www.ocarina.co.uk

tel: 01536 485 963fax: 01536 485 051

email: [email protected]


MI MARKETPLACEPERCUSSION

PERCUSSION

PERCUSSION AND DRUMS

PERCUSSION


WIND INSTRUMENT

REPAIRSPROMOTIONAL

MI MARKETPLACE

WIND INSTRUMENT


MI MARKETPLACE

CONTACT

DARRELL CARTER +44 (0)1992 535647

MI MARKETPLACE

GREAT ADVERTISINGOPPORTUNITIES

DATES FOR YOUR

2010 DIARY

The full year of unmissable MI shows at

a glance...

JANUARYNAMM 201014th to 17th, Anaheim

Convention Center,

California

MARCHMUSIKMESSE24th to 27th, Frankfurt

Messe, Germany

APRILPLASA FOCUS27th to 28th, Leeds

Royal Armouries,

Yorkshire

JUNEJHS Event13th to 16th, JHS Head

Office, Garforth,

Yorkshire

JULYSUMMER NAMM17th to 19th, Nashville

Convention Centre,

Nashville, Tennessee

SEPTEMBERPLASA 1012th to 15th,

Earls Court, London

OCTOBERMUSIC CHINA12th to 15th, New

Shanghai Exhibition

Centre, Shanghai

NOVEMBERMUSIC LIVE5th to 7th, National

Exhibition Centre,

Birmingham, UK

DATES ARE BELIEVED

TO BE CORRECT

Please contact the

organiser before

booking any travel or

accomodation

MI PLANNER

JANUARY 2000

Cover Stars: Clive Morton talks about how Mad

About Guitars grew into the Music Live show and

how the move was seen as stepping up to

heavyweight champion status

News: Trace Elliot halves its workforce, Musical

Connection retail chain closes, Bob Doyle replaces

Davis Merrey as MD of Klark Teknik, Akai sells MI

division to AMIC

Features: AV at Prolight+Sound, 25 years of

Schools Proms, Rotosound, Red Sound, Business

budgeting by Alan Townsend, Soft synths, Rosetti,

Marantz mass product launch

Products: Cornford MKJ50H, Fender Jazzmaster

reissue, Danelectro Hodad, HK Audio Elias,

Sennheiser MKW-2 Gold, Shure Beta 91 &

98Tascam DA-78 HR, Yamaha GA-1 grand

Number one singles: Westlife, I Have a

Dream/Seasons in the Sun – Manic Street

Preachers, The Masses Against the Classes – Britney

Spears, Born to Make You Happy

Number one albums: Travis, The Man Who

RETRO

MI Pro prides itself on bringing you hard-hitting news and analysis, but, we reckon you’d also enjoy seeing your peers in

their more ‘off duty’ moments. So, we’ve expanded CODA to include a permanent pictorial spread of the month’s social

highlights. If you have any snaps from an event you’d like us to include, please send them to [email protected]...


THE LAST WORD IN MI PRO

MARSHALL’S CHILDLINE AMPDECEMBER 10TH saw Dr. Jim

Marshall presenting the NSPCC with

a cheque for £25,000. The Guv'nor,

who is well known for his

contributions, having given literally

millions throughout the years to

charity, got the opportunity to meet

Esther Rantzen CBE, who has been a

trustee for the NSPCC since February

2006, and donate this generous

amount from Marshall.

The money was raised through

the sale of Marshall’s limited edition

Lead & Bass Fifty combo, which was

custom built in collaboration with

Paul ‘The Modfather’ Weller to

celebrate his 50th birthday last year.

Only 50 of these eye-catching amps

were ever manufactured and all

profits gained from the sale of these

units were donated to Childline, a

service provided by NSPCC.

A big thank you goes out from

Marshall to all those who bought

one of these fantastic amps, with

your help the amp maker was able

to give such a worthwhile charity

the money it needs to continue

helping thousands of children.

PIC OF THE MONTH – THE PIKASSO

In our efforts to bring every aspect of

the musical instrument business to

every musical instrument retailer, MI

Pro will go to any lengths to dig out

potential money spinners…

This little beast, however, is unlikely

to be a mega-seller, unfortunately.

The Pikasso guitar has four necks,

two sound holes, 42 strings and two

access doors: one on the player's side

and the other at the tail block. It is

the work of master luthier, Linda

Manzer, who made it for Pat Metheny

(should have guessed, really). It took a

year and four month’s in total to build

(around 1,000 hours) and when the 42

strings are strung up to high tension,

the Pikasso is under approximately

1,000 lbs pressure.

There isn’t anything even remotely

usual about this axe. The body is

tapered (thinner at the top than the

bottom) to give the player a better

‘view’ as the instrument leans

backwards (although this effect is

nothing new to Ovation players). It

has a custom piezo pickup system

fitted as well as a hex pickup.

Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide

to the Galaxy series had one entry

concerning Slartibartfast’s desire to

take up the octiventral heebie-phone.

“A delightfully futile task, he knew, as

he had the wrong number of mouths.”

And then, fiction became fact…

WWW.MANZER.COM

LATEST NEWSSTRAIGHT TO YOUR MOBILE

Bookmark us in your phone:

MOBILE.MI-PRO.CO.UK

SEND YOUR PICTURES TO [email protected]


IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Amainstay of US folk and

bluegrass since well before rock

n roll was even dreamt of, the

autoharp is an intriguing instrument

that has found its way in the hands of

some of the biggest US country stars

and has more than earned its place

among our list of MI Icons.

While there is some conjecture

about the origins of the strange

looking 36 stringer, what is known for

certain is that it first came to

prominence in the latter part of the

19th century and by the roaring 20s

was becoming a regular fixture in the

hands of folk and bluegrass enthusiasts

across the US.

Often seen in the hands of Grand

Ole Opry star Cecil Null, it was widely

popularised by the Carter family (of

June Carter-Cash fame), the singing

sensations of the country scene at the

time and who were widely known and

respected throughout America.

While something of a rarity in the

public eye nowadays, there is a

strangely alluring quality about the

instrument. Strung with anything from

36 to 46 strings, it is essentially a

chorded zither that can be used as

either as a rhythmic or melodic

instrument. With its ease of playing

and ringing sound, the autoharp

certainly has enough history and

prestigious players to sit comfortably

among the rest of our MI Icons.

MI ICON Autoharp

1966 to 74The 1956 Martin D-28 that Mitchell

bought from a marine captain had

accompanied the officer to Vietnam. The

guitar was in a tent showered by

shrapnel and was the only thing to

survive the blast. Mitchell always felt

this event affected the guitar’s sound.

She mourned its loss in 74 (an awful

‘lost luggage incident) like that of a

friend. “I’ve never found an acoustic that

could compare with it,” she said.

1975 to 85As Mitchell began to explore jazzier

sounds, she turned to electric guitars

and no less than five George Benson

model Ibanez guitars, set up by Joel

Bernstein and Larry Cragg and each

with different string gauges and tunings.

She claimed that the Roland Jazz

Chorus amp she used was invented to

replicate her Hejira sound in

performance.

1985 to 92Mitchell switched back to acoustic and

Martin, using a D-45 and a new D-28,

which were used on a couple of albums

that many saw as Mitchell back at her

best, the Grammy-winning Chalk Mark

in a Rainstorm and Night Ride Home.

1992 to 96She adopted two Collings guitars – a

D2H dreadnought and the 3/4-size Baby

She referred to the latter as “the best

acoustic guitars I've found since I lost

my dear one.” (Referring to the 56

Martin D-28.) Despite this, it was the

full-sized guitar that featured on the

Turbulent Indigo album, with the Baby

used for songwriting duties.

96 to 2000Mitchell was one of few top artists to

embrace guitar synthesis and for some

years almost exclusively played an

electric guitar made by Fred Walecki of

Westwood Music in Los Angeles, which

she used with the Roland VG-8. The

guitar was a lightweight German spruce

model, although information on this

instrument is flakey, to say the least.

2000 to presentTaking the synth and effects route a step

further (and her desire for ever lighter

guitars), Mitchell switched to a hex

equipped Parker Fly and Roland VG-88.

Although her album output has been

negligible in the past ten years, her

occasional live performances see her

looking very comfortable with her

trusty Parker.

THE STARS AND THEIR GUITARSJONI MITCHELLNot your average guitar hero, but not your average singer/songwriter, either, Mitchell is a unique artist, who has carved a

niche all her own, never seeking commercial success over artistic advancement. Here are her weapons of choice…

1966/74 1992/96

1975/85 1996/2000

1985/92 2000+

Current holders of the 'biggest

band in the world' tag, U2 fills

out stadiums with ease, and

having just been confirmed for

Glastonbury 2010, is sure to be

everywhere this year. Here's the

kit the members make their

noises with...

SOUNDALIKESU2

NEXTMONTHThe fullest NAMM report you could hope

for and in-depth looks at the wireless

microphone market and all the latest on the

budget acoustic guitar scene.

EDITORIAL: ANDY BARRETT

[email protected]

ADVERTISING: DARRELL CARTER

[email protected]

The Rushworth name, of course, will

forever be associated with the famous

Liverpool shop where David’s father,

James Rushworth, then chairman of the

family firm, regularly sold to the Fab Four.

Once, he even had a shipment of Gibson

145 guitars flown in from Chicago

especially for them.

Company/job title:

Director/Intermusic

Years in the industry?

It's been 47 years

First single bought?

That would have been Travelling Light by

Cliff Richard

Favourite album?

I think I'll say... Abba, Best Of – To sing

along (very loudly) in the car on the M62

Currently listening to?

Faure Requiem (very therapeutic)

Favourite musician?

I'm going to go for Paul McCartney on

that one

Which instruments do you play?

I play the piano

Are you currently in a band?

Yes, I am part of a choral singing group

David Rushworth

MI SPACE

© Intent Media 2009 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

Bono: vocals – lucky late 70's mic stand,

various microphones

The Edge: guitar – Gibson Explorer, various

Fender, Gibson, Fernandes, and Rickenbacker

guitars (up to 20 per night), Vox AC30,

Fender Deluxe Tweed, Fender Blues Jr,

Roland JC120, Boss FV-300L volume pedal,

Dunlop Cry Baby, Digitech Whammy WH-1,

Skrydstrup SC-1, Lovetone Meatball,

Lovetone Doppelganger, Electro-Harmonix

Big Muff PI, Ampeg Scrambler, Ibanez TB-9

Tube Screamer, Boss GE-7 Graphic Equalizer,

Boss CS-2 Compressor/Sustainer, Boss PW-2

Power Driver, Boss FA-1 FET Amplifier,

Skrydstrup Bufferooster, Sobbat DB-1 Drive

Breaker, Kay Fuzz.

Adam Clayton: bass – Various Fender

Precision and Jazz basses, Lakland Darryl

Jones signature bass, Ashdown BM C410H-

500 combo, Ashdown ABM 900.

Larry Mullen Jnr: drums – Yamaha Birch

Custom Absolute Nouveau kit - 14x10" rack

tom, two 16” x16" floor toms, 14” x7"

Brady Sheoak Block snare, 24” x16" kick

drum. Pro-mark 5A Japanese oak

drumsticks. Paiste Signature cymbals - 16"

power crash, 17" power crash, 18" power

crash, 18" full crash, 22" power ride, 14"

heavy hi-hat.

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

Hertford, Hertfordshire. SG14 1JA

ISSN: 1750-41980 Copyright 2009

Printed by The Manson Group, AL3 6PZ

the international monthlymagazine for musicinstrument professional andeveryone in the MI business

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

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: [email protected]

Telephone: 01580 883 848

Charges cover XX issues and 1st class postage

or airmail dispatch for overseas subscribers.

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

6,000 readers throughout the UK and international market.

Managing EditorAndy Barrett

[email protected]

Editor at LargeGary Cooper

[email protected]

Associate EditorRob Power

[email protected]

Deputy EditorRob Hughes

[email protected]

Advertising ManagerDarrell Carter

[email protected]

DesignerClaire Brocklesby

[email protected]

Editorial ProductionManagerHelen French

[email protected]

Production ExecutiveRosie McKeown

[email protected]

CirculationPaul Little

[email protected]

Sub-EditorGemma Messina

[email protected]

PublisherDave Roberts

[email protected]

Managing DirectorStuart Dinsey

[email protected]

86 miPRO JANUARY 2010

MI Pro Issue116 January

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Transcript of MI Pro Issue116 January