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MI RETAIL CONFERENCE ORANGE PC MUSIKMESSE OVERWATER MDS HÖFNER RETAIL CHAINS
No. 120 • MAY 2010 • WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK PRINT • ONLINE • MOBILE
BEATING A PATHMarshall looks to bring the Natal brand to the global market once again
MUSICAL INSTRUMENT PROFESSIONAL � FOR EVERYONE IN THE MI BUSINESS
REGULARS: DRUM NEWS 10 RETAIL NEWS 59 INDIE PROFILE 68 FRONT LINE 69 NEW PRODUCTS 51-55 CODA 80
FEATURESDRUMS IN FRANKFURT 22John Newey looks over stuff worth thumping
HÖFNER 30Still growing after all these years
OVERWATER 33Tanglewood brings in the Chris May touch
MDS PUBLISHING 36How the German supplier is growing in the UK
SIGN UP FOR THE MI PRO NEWSFLASH SERVICE AT WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO MAY 2010 3
COVER STORY 26
ISSUE 120 MAY 2010
Well, it was only a little over a month ago that I wassettling down to write this leader. Musikmesse hadnot yet happened and we had just announced the
MI Retail Conference & Expo. If you recall, I was pretty excited.Now, Musikmesse is behind us – and a fine show it was. You
can see the report (and our attempt to cover as much of theshow’s news as possible, as hard as that always is) on page 19,followed immediately by John Newey’s report on the the drumand percussion market at the show. This used to be a regularcontribution from John, so it’s a real pleasure to welcome himback to MI Pro.
On top of that, the MI Retail Conference is all but filled. Aswe go to press, there are a couple of Partner Packagesremaining and a few retail visitor spots still available, but that’sabout it. A really big ‘thank you’ to everyone who has gotbehind the project. It is a pretty unique thing, surely, for abrand new trade event to have established itself so quickly inthe MI calendar. News of the big retail names coming alongcan be found on page 4 and the first of the previews can befound on page 17. For those last places, get in touch with JodieHoldway at jodie.holdway@intentmedia.co.uk.
Beyond that, once again we have achieved a really broadspread of interest in this month’s magazine, from drums andpercussion to guitars (page 30) and basses (page 33), fromsaxophones (page 41) to microphones (page 46), taking insheet music (page 36), the problem of retail chains (page 13)and retailing on the internet (page 65) along the way.
MI Pro has been knocking about your stores for well over tenyears now and during that time, we have developedrelationships and an understanding of what makes this industrytick. It has also taken that amount of time to hone themagazine and its website to the point that it serves themusical instrument trade better than any other publication wehave ever had. The brand has developed from a magazine toincorporate a website second to none in the world of MI andnow an event designed to bring the trade together. We’re proudof this and we’re equally keen, with your help, to continue theimprovement process.
Andy Barrett
NEWS
EVENTS
SECTOR SPOTLIGHTS
Marshall shocked the world
by announcing its purchase
of Natal at the Musikmesse
this year. Craigs Fenney and
Glover give us a peek insiude
the thinking
A NEW START
MI RETAIL CONFERENCE &
EXPO, PHILIP YORK, ORANGE
PC, SCHREIBER & KEILWERTH IN
ADMINISTRATION
MI RETAIL CONFERENCE 17What is there to talk about?
MUSIKMESSE 19The biggest show in the world... In MI, of course
SAXOPHONES 41Blowing the market away
VOCAL MICROPHONES 46Wired and ready for sound
4
19
33
41
RETAILMUSICROOM 59MI retail’s best kept secret?
GUITARS.CO.UK 65How Richard Chollerton spread the lerv
Once again, we
have achieved a
really broad spread
in this month’s
magazine
mipro@intentmedia.co.uk
ANDY BARRETT
EDITORIALCOMMENT
Retail flocks to new tra
NEWS
High Street’s biggest names sign up to MI Pro conference and expo on June 29th at The Brewery in central London, as event
Clockwork Orange
a thing of the pastORANGE AMPS has announced
the establishment of a new
division named OMEC Personal
Computers (OPC). This is a
subsidiary of the Orange Music
Electronic Company and
has been set up specifically
for product development and
advancement in sound
technology and personal
computers.
Orange has used its
expertise in sound technology,
engineering and electronics to
build a new generation of
computers that incorporate the
latest computer technology
with ‘integrated tools for the
musician and music lovers’.
The first product launch will
be an all-in-one computer and
amplifier, the OPC, which is
designed and built in the UK.
The OPC is a fully integrated
computer with internal speaker,
which delivers playing,
recording, editing and
computing capabilities. This is
the first computer of its kind
that can connect the user and
their music to the digital
domain simply by plugging in
an instrument.
Orange also claims the OPC
is the first computer to have a
built-in high-power speaker,
delivering full range hi-fi quality
sounds, as well as vintage guitar
sounds and a universal input
jack, enabling users to plug in
a variety of musical
instruments, mics and
audio sources.
The first models
will include
modelling
software,
incorporating
computer
samples of
vintage and
current Orange
amps and
cabinets, and a
free, branded
recording software
package. The software is
included to create music or to
choose guitar sounds for
playing, recording and listening
through the computer.
“The OPC takes us in an
exciting new direction with
huge potential for growth,” said
Cliff Cooper, Orange’s chairman.
“This will help us appeal to a
wider audience and reach new
markets worldwide.” The OPC
is due to be released in June.
ORANGE: 020 8905 2828
Samick confirmsSteinway purchase
SAMICK MUSICAL Instruments
has finalised its acquisition of $27
million worth of Steinway shares
at $16 per share. The money will
be used to eliminate the
company’s existing debt, as well
as for general corporate purposes.
This move means Samick now
owns around 1.9 million of
Steinway’s ‘B’ shares. This makes
them the largest single holder of
Steinway's ‘B’ stock, owning
around 30 per cent. The company
is still owned almost outright by
Kyle Kirkland and Dana Messina,
who together hold some 90 per
cent of the manufacturer’s
‘A’ stock.
Share prices in the company
have risen in the last year from
around $14 to nearly $19
currently. If this increase
continues, Samick will be
considering the deal something of
a bargain.
Last year was a worrying one
for Steinway, with sales down 27
per cent for the second quarter
and a loss per share of $0.07.
With much of the company’s
pressing debt removed, the future
at least is looking brighter.
4 miPRO MAY 2010 SIGN UP FOR THE MI PRO NEWSFLASH SERVICE AT WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
THE UK’S MI retailers have
wholeheartedly welcomed MI
Pro’s new, tightly targeted, trade
event aimed squarely at boosting
their business.
The MI Retail
Conference &
Expo takes
place at The
Brewery in
central
London on
June 29th.
The event
was only
announced on
March 4th, but
already over
100 retailers
have registered to
attend, representing
around 150 shop fronts
throughout the UK. These include
two of the UK’s largest chains
and a raft of top independents.
Additionally, both of the sector’s
buying groups, Rocktronic
and Euromusic, have backed
the event and are rallying
their members.
“I see the conference as a
new opportunity for
everybody who is
actively involved
in the music
business to
communicate
openly and
honestly with
each other,"
said Tony White
of the multi-
award-winning
Bonners in
Eastbourne. "I am
especially looking
forward to forging closer
relationships with key
suppliers, and gaining new
ideas that I can take away from
the event which we will
implement within our own
business. The conference is
definitely a great idea and I am
very pleased that the initiative
has been taken to try something
different, yet very positive for
the MI business.”
"I think it is a great idea for us
to get together to discuss how
we can improve our industry,"
added David Briggs, the MD of
the Dawson's chain. "Particularly
at retail level, we all have to
paddle our own canoes, but I
really hope that if we can work
together, there can be benefit
for all."
“I am looking forward to
attending the MI Retail
Conference & Expo,"
commented Noel Sheehan
of Sheehan's in Leicester
– another award winning MI
outlet. "I am curious to see
what this new format of event
may deliver to exhibitors
and retailers.”
de event
NEWS
Schreiber & Keilwerthin administration
SOUNDBITESFCN with Mi-SiFCN Music has been appointed
as the UK distributor for Mi-Si
acoustic preamps and pickups.
Mi-Si has also announced the
release of a preamp that
requires no batteries at all. This
new approach involves using
low-power components and
compact circuits.
New clarinet woodHanson Clarinets has been
certified under the Forest
Stewardship Council (FSC) for
its decision to use sustainably
harvested African blackwood.
The UK’s largest clarinet
manufacturer has become the
world’s first FSC chain of
custody for the material. The
wood is currently being
processed at a sawmill in
Tanzania and will soon be
shipped to Britain
Tiny double bassStentor unveiled its smallest
ever double bass at this year’s
Musikmesse. The 1/16 model
was a result of claims
emerging that much younger
musicians who wish to learn
the instrument are not
currently able to. This new bass
is made from hand-carved
solid spruce, smaller machine
heads and measurements
made precisely to scale.
Bookmark us inyour phone:
MOBILE.MI-PRO.CO.UK
Natal re-birthMarshall returns to founder’s roots with
purchase of British percussion brand
AT ITS annual VIP dinner in
Frankfurt during this year’s
Musikmesse, Marshall
Amplification announced its
acquisition of the British
percussion company, Natal,
from its owner, Craig Fenney,
the founder of the Music
Shipping Company. The move
marks a dramatic entry for
Marshall into the rapidly-
expanding market and
provides the opportunity for
Natal to benefit from
Marshall’s financial,
manufacturing and marketing
strength. Marshall has brought
in Craig Glover, formerly of
PMT and the founder of
Drumfest, to be Natal’s brand
manager within the company.
Celebrating the venture, Dr
Jim Marshall (who recalls
selling Natal products in his
Ealing music shop in the
1960s) commented: “It
seemed only natural to invest
in a percussion company,
bringing my involvement in
drums full circle. Natal, like
Marshall, is a UK company
manufacturing high quality
products and has earned itself
an impressive heritage.”
A brand new student-level
range is already in
development and ranges such
as the Spirit, Fusion and Classic
are being updated. The
professional Cubana series is
now being manufactured at
Marshall’s UK factory.
“From Natal’s point of
view this provides a huge
new investment in the brand
and its products,” said Fenney,
who will continue his
involvement with Natal as
a consultant.
“We had taken Natal as far
we could and were determined
to keep it a British-owned
company, so Marshall is the
perfect choice. I will be
working with Craig Glover on
product development and
export sales, as well as
continuing to grow the Music
Shipping Company.” (See cover
feature page 26.)
MARSHALL: 01908 375411
LATESTNEWS
STRAIGHT TOYOUR MOBILE
inspires unprecedented response from trade
"In the last five years we have
invested heavily in rebranding and
refurbishing most of the stores
and put in place people,
structures, procedures, policies,
and the methodology to run the
very best contemporary music
stores," said Iain Davidson, the
chairman of the Musicroom chain
– the largest MI multiple in the
UK. "Consequently, we feel we
can now contribute to the
industry's debates and discussions
in full rather than just being a bit
part player."
"How could I refuse?" asked
Anil Patel of the Wembley Guitar,
Drum and PA Centres. "I am
interested to find out how we can
grow the musical instrument
industry by selling more products
and improving margins. I'm
hoping to meet a lot more trade
partners on the day."
On behalf of the Rocktronic
group of stores, John Hulke
commented: "I will be attending
the conference as I feel it is vital
in our industry to talk face to face
with other retailers, however large
or small, as we need to respond
to the changing demands and
wants of the consumer. It’ll be
good to share our common
experiences, issues and challenges.
As many MI retailers as possible
should attend the MI conference
to tap in to the considerable
knowledge available."
All MI Retail Conference &
Expo retail participants will
receive a goody bag containing
an iPod Touch. If you’re a retailer
and wish to register your interest
in the event, please email
mirc@intentmedia.co.uk. But
spaces are running out, so get
in quick.
For details of Event Partner
packages, please email Jodie
Holdway or Darrell Carter or
call them on 01992 535647.
SIGN UP FOR THE MI PRO NEWSFLASH SERVICE AT WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO MAY 2010 5
The two Craigs: Glover (left) and Fenney
”From Natal’s
point of view
this provides a
huge new
investment in
the brand and
its products.Craig Fenney
WIND INSTRUMENT specialist
Schreiber &
Keilwerth has
gone into
administration.
Company director
Armin Eckert registered
the company as insolvent
on March 12th at the
Regional Court in Darmstadt.
The administrator, Tobias
Hoefer, has taken over
the company.
The manufacturer’s
directors cited the impact
of the financial crisis and
narrow opportunities to
bring credit funds to
support the company as
the reasons for the firm
entering administration.
“The credit supply
to our company was
via a bank which,
through the financial
crisis, can be
described as a ‘bad
bank’. This caused us
many problems over
the past few
months,” Eckert
explained. “The bank
sought to reduce our cash
supply and as a result, no
sensible working environment
could exist within our
company. The seasonal
weak months of January
and February, coupled
with limited cash supply,
led us to place the
company into
administration.”
Hoefer is now at the
company in Nauheim and
is stabilising the business
and seeking solutions
for the future. He was
upbeat in his initial
analysis that a
long-term
future for the
instrument
maker could
be secured
and that most
of the 300 jobs at
the sites in
Nauheim and
Markneukirchen
could be saved.
SCHREIBER &
KEILWERTH:
+49 615 297580
AS OF April 1st 2010, Bösendorfer
pianos will be distributed through
Yamaha’s global distribution channels,
which Yamaha claims will open up
new commercial opportunities for
both brands.
The move will also see Bösendorfer
benefiting from Yamaha's
international marketing and PR and
gaining from access to the global
network of artist support facilities.
Yamaha is keen to stress that the
traditional qualities, materials and
Austrian piano building techniques
that all combine to maintain
Bösendorfer's position as one of the
world's most respected piano makers,
will be retained.
The news follows on from late last
year when it was announced that the
Bösendorfer factory in Austria had to
make a significant number of lay-offs
to its workforce following a difficult
trading year. The piano manufacturer
has effectively been supported by
Yamaha since the Japanese giant
bought the company in January 2008,
but the economic squeeze of 2009,
coupled with a strong euro, made
trading all the more difficult.
At that time (November 2009)
Yamaha announced that it would be
bringing Bösendorfer directly under
its 'multi-brand' strategy, offering
pianos from the entry level to the
very highest quality from a single
source – Yamaha.
Recognising that the Yamaha CF
series and Bösendorfer pianos are
both high-level performance
instruments, although distinct from
one another, the new arrangement
will provide opportunities for the
international dealer network. It will
also boost the piano offering from the
Yamaha group of companies.
Bösendorfer
goes global
with Yamaha
ASHDOWN ENGINEERING has recruited
Stuart Ascott as regional sales manager
for the south of England. He will deal
with the sale of Ashdown’s bass amps,
Lodestone guitars and basses, and the
Hayden guitar amp range.
Ascott, a guitarist taking his first
steps in the MI industry, came from the
audio-visual sector. He got off to a busy
start, joining the rest of his Ashdown
colleagues at Frankfurt’s Musikmesse
event last month.
“Appointing Stuart is part of a drive
to increase the service and support we
offer to our UK dealers,” said Ashdown’s
managing director, Mark Gooday. “We’ve
found a talented guitar player who
combines the essential qualities of
technical sales experience with a
passion for music.”
ASHDOWN: 01245 441155
New southern sales manager will be using his musical expertise across all three brands
Ashdown increases sales team
NEWS
6 miPRO MAY 2010 SIGN UP FOR THE MI PRO NEWSFLASH SERVICE AT WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
PHILIP YORK, whose name was
synonymous with CF Martin guitars in the
UK throughout the 1980s and 1990s, has
died, following a long illness.
In 1981, when York acquired the Martin
line for the UK, premium acoustic guitar
sales were at a low ebb. Though always an
icon, Martin had not enjoyed the most
active representation in Britain and when
York’s Dreadnought Guitars company took
over, it came into the care of a former
professional musician who loved the
brand and had an extensive knowledge of
its history.
Despite York’s best efforts, the
keyboard-dominated 1980s weren’t much
kinder to acoustic guitar sales. However,
he persisted and when the instrument’s
fortunes began to turn, following the
success of MTV's Unplugged series, Martin
guitars were well placed to benefit.
A keen sportsman, York was a good
enough tennis player to have considered a
professional career. He was an avid cricket
fan and a member at Middlesex. In the
1960s he had worked as a guitarist in
Germany and later, Sweden, where he
settled for some years.
York’s loss of Martin's distribution in
2003 was the cause of some bitterness,
which unusually spilled over into the news
pages of MI Pro at the time. Those who
knew York well, however, were aware that
his behaviour was already starting to
appear erratic. What no-one realised was
that this was an early sign of a
neurological condition, which was
eventually to prove fatal.
In a statement to MI Pro, Chris Martin,
chairman and CEO of CF Martin, said:
“Philip and I spent a great deal of time
together promoting Martin in the United
Kingdom. I would visit at least once a
year and we would travel all over doing
in-store clinics. Phil was a friend and I
will always treasure the acquaintance. I
was saddened as his degenerative disease
progressed, but I trust now that he is
resting peacefully.”
Another long-term friend, Andy
Preston, founder of Andy’s Guitars in
Denmark Street, added: “Philip was
known to me as a person of determined
character and very much his own man.
While he operated Dreadnought Guitars
single-handedly for over two decades, he
was also deeply interested in psychology,
which he studied at the City Lit in
London, often combining his visits to the
guitar shops in Denmark Street with a
study session. He was also, especially
later in life, very centred on the Christian
way of life and often spent many hours
visiting churches in London and his
home base of Frinton.
“Although always his own man and in
some ways a bit of a loner, he very much
enjoyed company and going out.
“Solitary, but engaging; a loner, but
at the same time gregarious and
generous; always searching and
enquiring. I hope he found what he was
looking for as he confronted his final
difficult days with his family around
him.” York is survived by his former wife,
Eva and two daughters.
Philip YorkThe UK face of CF Martin guitars for over two decades has died after a long illness
“The Japanese giant
bought the
company in January
2008, but the
economic squeeze
of 2009, coupled
with a strong euro,
made trading all the
more difficult.
Happier days. L to R: Philip York, Chris Martin, Eric Clapton
Produc onSo ware
Audio & MIDIInterfaces
DesktopMonitors
V-Studios Plug-insController Keyboards
Here’s some news you’re going to love:
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Visit www.cakewalkbyroland.co.uk for the full 2010 lineup
Hardware and software from Cakewalk by Roland
Here’s some news you’re
going to love
Summerfield takes a stand125-year-old Ohio manufacturer available in the UK
SUMMERFIELD MUSICAL Instruments
has been appointed as exclusive UK
and Ireland distributor for Hamilton
Music Stands, with the company
announcing that comprehensive
stocks of all models in the range are
available immediately.
The Ohio-based Hamilton Stands
was founded in 1883 and has been a
leader in the design and engineering of
sheet music and instrument stands.
Many early products were patented and
featured at the St Louis International
Exposition in 1906.
The product line includes guitar
stands and accessories, wind
instrument stands, a bass viol stand
and symphonic, portable and folding
music stands.
Sean Murtagh, Summerfield’s sales
manager, said that the partnership
between Hamilton, with its long
history, and Summerfield, one of the
UK’s longest established musical
instrument distributors, creates a
synergy that will ensure success in
the UK.
SUMMERFIELD: 0191 414 9000
DISTIE NEWS
08 miPRO MAY 2010 SIGN UP FOR THE MI PRO NEWSFLASH SERVICE AT WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
New US manufacturer, ZT, in UK through specialist supplier
Aria sings amp’s praise
THE ZT BRAND of solid-state guitar
combos is now available in the UK
through Aria Distribution, bringing what
could be the world’s biggest power-to-size
ratio combos to these shores for the first
time since their launch at the NAMM
show in January.
All three models in the range, which
comprise the Club, Lunchbox and
Lunchbox Acoustic, are capable of
delivering an impressive 200 Watts RMS.
The Lunchbox delivers through a 6.5-
inch, high-output speaker, while the bigger
brother, the Club, is driven through a
single 12-inch speaker.
The Club weighs in at 22lbs (ten kilos)
and can deliver an organ-moving 130dB
SPL, but keeps control simple with just
volume, gain, treble, bass, reverb, line
out/headphone level controls and
effects loop.
The Lunchbox and Lunchbox Acoustic
both benefit from an optional extension
cabinet, which will retail at £94.95.
“We’re delighted to add ZT Amplifiers
to our portfolio; we feel that it’s the
perfect fit for Aria Distribution,”
commented Aria Distribution’s MD, Martin
Hartwell. “They are incredible amps and
must be heard to be believed. We can now
offer the UK this superb range of
extremely portable and powerful
guitar amplifiers.”
ARIA DISTRIBUTION: 01483 238720
SIGN UP FOR THE MI PRO NEWSFLASH SERVICE AT WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO MAY 2010 9
DISTRIBUTION PROFILE
Year Established: 1999
Number of employees: 13
Is business up or down compared to last year?
It’s up. We have started to establish ourselves well
in the UK and are constantly attracting new
customers. Freshman is still growing and of course
we hope it continues.
How has the economic climate affected business?
It has been tough, there’s no doubt about it. The
economic climate that has had a huge impact
globally, has hit the UK particularly hard and it has
been difficult. Nevertheless, we have had to simply
carry on and this has meant we’ve been working
harder. Promoting stores more is an area that we
have to work especially hard at.
What are your best-selling lines, and why do
you think they perform so well?
Freshman Guitars is by far our number one product,
but our best-seller in particular is the Apollo series.
It looks and sounds great, has received excellent
reviews and represents good value for money. It
just ticks all the boxes. The prices of this series has
been perfect too in attracting customers who aren’t
willing to spend vast sums of money. The price
range of £299 to £500 has appealed to a huge
number of people, which is why we have currently
sold out of them.
What are your criteria for selecting new
products?
We listen to what stores have to say. That is the
most important thing. They are the ones who sell
the instruments and meet the customers face to
face. We also follow market trends and try to react
to them as much as we can. When you have a
product that is already doing so well (like the
Apollos), you just have to try and expand on it and
continue to listen in order to make it even better.
What distinguishes you from the competition?
We have a variety of strengths that make us
brilliant competitors. We offer an exceptional UK
design and we use only high-grade materials. We
always ensure that all our products are made to the
very highest standard and of course good customer
service is very important to us.
How do you maintain a good relationship
with retailers?
We deal with any issues head on and support the
stores as much as we can and through any media
possible. Business is tough and retailers take the full
force during these times, so our good relationship
comes from the amount of support we provide.
What would you say is the biggest challenge
facing the MI industry today?
Getting through these times of financial hardship.
Another challenge is the threat of TV shows such as
X Factor, which pull in astonishing audience figures.
Never once do you see an instrument in sight and
this can be really damaging. Young people are
starting to think that music just happens and there
need to be similar shows that inspire youngsters to
try out new instruments, rather than just becoming
pop stars.
What are your aims for the next 12 months?
To be honest, we’re aiming for more of the same.
We need to solidify our growth and carry on
expanding as much as we can. We are also starting
to enter new marketplaces around the world and
this just shows how well we are doing currently.
GLASGOW
FRESHMAN GUITARS
Sean Kelly
describes how, in
difficult trading
conditions, having
a sympathetic ear
for those on the
front line is
crucial...
Address: 9 Glenfield Road, Kelvin Industrial Estate,
East Kilbride, Glasgow, Lanarkshire G75 0RA
Phone: 01355 228028
Email: sales@freshmanguitars.co.uk
Web: www.freshmanguitars.co.uk
CONTACT DETAILS
ZILDJIAN AND Hard Rock Cafe
welcomed various artists to an
afternoon of rock n roll
hospitality, offering the
opportunity to see and play all
the latest products from Zildjian.
This included some prototype
cymbals with creator Gavin
Harrison on hand to explain his
reasoning behind them.
Hosted by Zildjian’s Tina
Clarke (international artist
relations manager) and Bob
Wiczling (international marketing
manager), the event was also
enjoyed by associates from the
UK’s drum media, namely
Rhythm and Drummer magazines,
Mike Dolbear, as well as Yard
Gavrilovic (‘supertech’ to Steve
Gadd and Ginger Baker).
“It’s quite a feat getting so
many of our artists in one room
and word must be spreading that
this is an event not to be missed,
where everyone has a lot of fun
whilst checking out the latest
Zildjian offerings,” enthused
Clarke. “Once again, it’s great
to see established artists
mingling with some of our recent
signings and guys from
some of the UK’s hottest bands
right now.”
YAMAHA: 01908 366700
THIS PAGE IS SPONSORED BY MIKEDOLBEAR.COM, THE LEADING ONLINE RESOURCE FOR EVERYTHING DRUMS.
VISIT WWW.MIKEDOLBEAR.COM FOR MORE DETAILS.
DRUM NEWS
10 miPRO MAY 2010 SIGN UP FOR THE MI PRO NEWSFLASH SERVICE AT WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
Zildjian’s UK Artist Session 2010Cymbal giant hosted its seventh UK Artist Session at London’s Hard
Rock Café in March, attracting its largest attendance of artists to date.
RHYTHM TECH is celebrating
three decades of
manufacturing percussion
instruments this year.
The percussion maker is
arguably most famous for
revolutionising tambourine
design when it created its
crescent-shaped model back
in 1980.
Richard Taninbaum, the
company’s founder, came up
with the idea during a
recording session when he
became tired with the effort
that went in to using a
traditional round
tambourine.
“I couldn’t keep playing
that heavy tambourine. I
became intent on
making a great-sounding
tambourine that would
be a lot easier to play,”
said Taninbaum.
He found that round
models, the only kind around
at the time, were difficult to
play for long because their
design placed all the weight at
the front. He found that
holding one in the middle
would offer improved balance.
This led to the creation of the
crescent-shaped tambo.
Rhythm Tech is distributed
in the UK through JHS & Co
JHS: 0113 286 5381
Rhythm Tech’s pearl anniversary
SIGN UP FOR THE MI PRO NEWSFLASH SERVICE AT WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO MAY 2010 13
ANALYSIS NEWS
Following the collapse of Andrew Landesberg’s Reverb group and the recent problems at Music Ground, it seems the curse
that hangs over MI retail chains in the UK has struck again. So what is going wrong? Is it inevitable that building chains
in the UK is doomed to failure? Gary Cooper asks a group of people who might just know the answers…
Chain reactionI
n May 2008, when Sound Control went
into administration following months of
speculation and rumour, the collapse
shocked (even if it didn’t entirely surprise)
the MI industry. With 26 shops and 163
immediate redundancies, it was the biggest
retail failure in British MI history – though
2007’s loss of the 13 Williams stores was
hardly insignificant. Williams and Sound
Control were by no means the first MI
chains to fail, however. Though these
names are now largely forgotten, the UK
has a history of rapidly mushrooming and
equally folding MI multiples. Ask an
industry veteran about Southern Organs
and he will sit you down and tell you
blood curdling tales about the perils of
retailers ‘getting above themselves’.
Reaching for failure is how many in the
industry see it. The fact that other retail
sectors have their problems too, is often
overlooked – which is curious when you
consider that, in the past few years, far
larger concerns than Sound Control (Zavvi,
Adams, Borders and, as if one could ever
forget, Woolworths), have all bitten the
proverbial dust. So is it fair to single out
musical instruments, as if some curse
hangs over the sector, making it impossible
to grow beyond two or three shops?
All the same, the industry boffins say
MI chains just don’t work in the UK.
Admittedly, they have plenty of examples
to support their case.
So which is it? An ambition doomed to
fail, or just a very hard thing to get right?
Someone who should know the answers
is Keith Woodcock, the man who
developed the Academy of Sound chain
from Carlsbro retail and eventually sold
the group to Sound Control for a
considerable sum of money. Woodcock
had proved that a retail chain in the UK
can work. So what went wrong with
Sound Control and how good a chance
does he give anyone else of replicating
his success?
“The basics are that once you’ve gone
past two stores you have to have the
infrastructure in place – and that requires
a huge amount of investment,” he says.
“One of the reasons Sound Control
purchased Academy was because we spent
nearly £200,000 on a serious stock
management computer system, which
they then completely screwed up after
they bought it. It was a bespoke system
that enabled us to know every product,
every sale in each store, what margins we
had on all product groups and exactly
what the stores were doing turnover wise.
It also included well thought-out and in-
depth agreements of achievable budgets
for the stores. When we sat down and
looked at what we expected to do in the
next financial year, there was a lot of
fearing worst case scenarios, where we
thought the margins could go – and we
were able to keep a bead on that all
the time.”
Among other benefits, Woodcock says
this put him in the driving seat when
negotiating with suppliers. If confronted
with a demand that Academy stocked, say,
50 examples of a new product, Woodcock
and his team were able to show why they
couldn’t and wouldn’t do it. “It actually
made for good relationships with our
suppliers, because it meant they could see
we knew what we were doing. We were
able to say to them, ‘Look, this is what we
invested in, this is what we’re getting and
it’s not good enough’.”
Of course, being big enough to be
talking that way helped and it does make
Woodcock’s point that having the figures
puts him in the driving seat.
“People say they can’t afford systems
like that. The truth is they can’t not afford
them once you’ve gone down that
multiple route. I learned many years ago
that Laker Airways went broke while it was
making record profit. What went wrong
was it ran out of cash. You can run a
business for quite a long time without
profits, but you can’t run it for weeks
without cash. That’s why I had a full-time
accountant on hand to give us all the
figures we needed. These are the back-end
basics that aren’t really common in the
music industry.”
That said, Woodcock is the first to
admit that all this took place at a time
when the banks were being encouraged to
throw money at businesses. “That’s true,”
says Woodcock. “Some of what I’m saying
possibly isn’t relevant today because of
that, but certain points are true whatever
the climate. For example, before Sound
Control, we had other approaches and
“The basics are that once you’ve gone past two
stores you have to have the infrastructure in place
– and that requires a huge amount of investment.Keith Woodcock, formerly Academy of Sound
NEWS ANALYSIS
14 miPRO MAY 2010 SIGN UP FOR THE MI PRO NEWSFLASH SERVICE AT WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
part of that was because of the branding
we had done. It was a professionally run
retail business and that’s why it attracted
the offers it did.”
Woodcock still smarts from the
suggestion that the price Sound Control
paid for Academy was part of the latter’s
undoing. “It’s not the price it paid - it’s
that they screwed it up after they bought
it,” he says. “They didn’t utilise what
they’d bought.
“That said, times have changed. Things
are much tighter now and people might
not be prepared to put those sorts of
controls in. Without them, though, I can
quite easily see it going wrong. I’m not
sure, today, whether chains are actually
the right way to go. If I was starting fresh
again, I don’t think I would. I was lucky
because I was one of the beneficiaries of
the banks throwing money at things. The
whole ballpark is different now.”
There remains, of course, the rumour
that Sound Control paid a huge sum for
Academy because its bankers had an eye
on an eventual sale to the US giant, Guitar
Center. Some believe that, without
swallowing another chain, the Scottish
retailer wasn’t big enough to attract the
Americans’ interest. True or not, it adds to
the uniqueness of the Academy story.
From a retailer who has been there and
done it, to one who is still very much in
the fray, David Briggs of Dawsons
continues to defy the odds with a
successful chain that doesn’t attract
rumours. How does he see the problems
facing the ambitious retailer?
“I think some people who grow from
one store to a second don’t realise how
difficult it’s going to be. The reason we
have been successful, particularly over the
past couple of years, has been getting our
supply chain and logistics seriously well
organised. We now have stock profiles for
every shop and a computer system that
tells us if any shop is below its profile with
anything. We never run out of key
products. You will not go to a Dawsons
shop and fail to find a 20-foot guitar lead,
for example.
“I don’t think it’s a big secret that the
other thing Dawsons have done – possibly
more than any of our competitors – is
source goods direct from Far Eastern
suppliers. We’ve now got more than 20
Korean and Chinese suppliers and because
we’ve sent musicians out there, we’re
thrilled with the quality of the products
we’re bringing in. We’ve been buying from
quality companies who make good kit. I
believe we give a really good offer to the
customer, because we can sell Chinese
products to them for less than branded
products and make more money ourselves.
“If you look at what’s happening in the
industry, some of our suppliers have
complex bureaucratic operations. They
might have the product made in, say,
Vietnam with a mark-up then added in
Japan and Europe’s mark-ups, then
another in their British headquarters. Then
the retailer has to add his mark-up and
guess what? They’ve priced themselves
out of the market.”
One of the problems faced by chains is
achieving consistent quality of service. It
was said, for example, that while some of
the Sound Control shops were good,
others were less so. How does Briggs
maintain quality across Dawsons?
“I personally recruit everybody. Nobody
is recruited to this business without me
being involved and I think that is
absolutely the key – you’ve got to have
good people. There are a lot of good
musicians out there, but a limited number
who are also good commercially.”
Personnel can make an enormous
difference too, Briggs adds. “One of our
shops has a new manager, who we’ve
moved from another shop. Here we are, in
the middle of what is not the easiest
period and yet we were 50 per cent up
last month on the previous March – and
that’s all about people. Running a music
shop is not rocket science, but my view is
that in order to make money on it, you’ve
got to have good staff and give great
service. When people come to a music
shop they expect service and having
friendly, knowledgeable people who are
enthusiastic about what they do. This is
the key.”
One of the other question marks that
hangs over retail chains is one of
geography. Some pundits believe that
transport is difficult in the UK for the sort
of hands-on supervision that is needed to
make a chain uniform and effective. Does
Briggs agree?
“I don’t think we give as much help to
our stores in the South as perhaps we
should because they’re 200 miles away,
but they’re both doing well. My view is
that it’s important that the central people
in a chain visit the stores and give them
support. That comes down to
communication, which is so important in
business. Despite modern technology,
nothing beats a face-to-face meeting, so
you need to visit the stores and if they’re
all over the country, then it’s hard.”
Which brings us to something of an
enigma: the burgeoning PMT. It appears to
be defying the state of the market,
shrugging off online competition and still
expanding – most recently, by taking over
the formerly Sound Control, later Reverb,
premises in Bristol.
PMT’s Simon Gilson is straight to the
point when asked why he thinks Reverb
failed. “Naivety,” he says. It’s hard to
argue, when recalling the statements
about expansion made by Andrew
L-R: David Briggs of Dawsons, Keith Woodcock, formerly of Academy of Sound and PMT’s Simon Gilson talk about chains
SIGN UP FOR THE MI PRO NEWSFLASH SERVICE AT WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO MAY 2010 15
ANALYSIS NEWS
Landesberg in the past year, even as he
was closing stores. And Sound Control?
“Lack of financial control,” Gilson says.
That said, he isn’t entirely convinced by
Keith Woodcock’s insistence on the
primacy of infrastructure. “I have a huge
amount of respect for Keith, but I would
sit between him and Pat Kelly (Sound
Control) at a table and laugh at both.
Academy built far too much infrastructure
without the front end, while on the other
hand, Sound Control completely lost a grip
on finances and costs within its stores.
Academy was a very good company, but
didn’t have the sales drive to go forward –
though it did have the dexterity to sell for
a lot of money. It was a case of because
the banks could, they did.”
But what of PMT? Clearly, Gilson is
aware he and his partner Terry Hope are
now the subjects of speculation.
“I guess we’re causing a bit of disquiet
because were getting so big,” he says. “I
was always prepared for that, but what I
would say to our critics is that we’re 20
years old this year and we’ve spent a very
long time building what we have. This
hasn’t been built in a day and unlike
anybody else, we built from a position of
strength. We never borrowed very heavily,
when we did the Sound Control thing –
and a year from today we’ll be completely
debt free. We did a three-year deal with
the bank and we’re two years into it. If
someone wants to criticise us for building
a strong business, then criticise away.”
Gilson goes on to make a telling
point. “People don’t like success in this
country. Tough! I don’t get up in the
morning to fail.
“People lose sight of what it’s about. It’s
very hard. There are geographical
differences and if you’re not willing to take
those on board, you’re setting yourself up
for problems. Also, if you can’t have trust
in the people running those stores for you,
then you’ve got huge problems. If you
increase your size, but lose vision of why
you started, then you’ve also got problems.
It’s a very complex issue and I’m not
saying we’re getting it all right. However,
we are getting it more right than anyone
else ever has and, importantly, we do rule
financially with a rod of iron.
“We’re two years into the ex-Sound
Control project now. In the first year it was
heinous – the people didn’t know how to
do anything. Money was flooding out and
it took a good year to get it to go
anywhere. Now we’ve got it under control.
“Terry and I have built an awful lot of
strength in this company. We’ve never
done what so many around us have done:
milked it and taken stupid dividends.
Because of that we’re reaping the benefit.”
Of the three people interviewed, one
has built, run and sold a successful chain,
while the other two are currently defying
the doomsayers. It’s hard not to agree with
the consensus view that Sound Control
was the beneficiary and then the victim of
boom and bust – hyped beyond its ability
to control itself and with an eye on a prize
that never materialised.
Still, the spectre of ‘consolidation’ hangs
around the industry – MI being one of the
few retail sectors without a single major
retail chain with dozens of stores. If any
eagle-eyed venture capitalist thinks the
industry is ripe for his attentions, a
sobering antidote might lie in the camera
trade. Like MI, photography had become a
specialist hobby, served by High Street
single shops and small chains, trying to
compete both with online discounters and
other retailers who had moved into their
market. Then Jessops came along. Such a
hungry capitalist might ask himself
whether that is really where he would
want to be, once he had similarly digested
the MI market.
Which suggests, particularly in a
recession, and with Guitar Center having
enough to contend with in its home
territory, that good, single stores and small
chains are the way ahead. Until the next
boom, of course - when the banks and the
politicians will, once again, decide to forget
the basics. Watch this space.
‘Playing’ Live is so much more than just launching clips.
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“If you look at what’s happening in the industry,
some of our suppliers have complex
bureaucratic operations. They’ve priced
themselves out of the market.David Briggs, Dawsons
Regardless of the
risks, large
manufacturers are
still willing to invest
in chain stores
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO MAY 2009 17
With spaces for supplier partners and retail visitors all but gone for MI Pro’s first trade event, Andy Barrett goes through
the value of talking things over. Take it as your last chance to get involved…
MI RETAIL CONFERENCE & EXPO EVENT PREVIEW
MI RETAIL CONFERENCE & EXPO JUNE 29TH, THE BREWERY, CHISWELL STREET (BARBICAN), LONDON
ALL DEALERS WISHING TO PARTICIPATE SHOULD CONTACT MIRC@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK
Why you should go to the MI
Retail Conference & Expo
There is a received wisdom that says
business is something you do, not
something you talk about – and like
any received wisdom it is most definitely
wrong. The assumptions here are that our
businesses somehow function in a
vacuum and that any new ideas that crop
up will somehow make their way to
us without any effort on
our part.
NAMM, of
course, has been
holding its
‘university
sessions’ at its
trade shows for
years now, with
literally hundreds
of dealers and
experts sharing
views and learning
from each other at
each event. The fact
that these sessions
grow more numerous
and more supported at
each subsequent show
should be evidence enough that
there is value in talking business, but
still the recalcitrants remain.
MI Pro, by its very nature, encourages
dialogue, which is why we have decided to
stick our neck out and say to the UK’s MI
trade at large, ‘let’s talk’. The result of this
is the MI Retail Conference & Expo, the
aim of which is to get the UK industry
together, suppliers and retailers,
associations and researchers, and create
some sort of snapshot of where we are,
what we are doing and why. The fact that
all of us are involved in business means
that business will inevitably be done, too –
it’s a win/win.
Interestingly, the two major issues that
have dominated MI business talk over the
past few years are fundamentally
connected. Bricks and mortar attempting
to compete with internet pricing and retail
chains versus independents are
intriguing discussions and
have had the effect of
pitting retailers against
each other, as well as
the more
‘traditional’
suspicion of dealers
for suppliers and
vice versa.
On the basis of
this, two panel
sessions will take
place at the MI
Conference where all
sides of these issues
will be discussed.
Confirmed panellists
on the e-commerce panel
include Jason Tavaria from
Dolphin Music and online
branding and commerce consultant
and former MI retailer Jon MacDonald.
Keynote talks will be given by Billy
Bragg, who will be recounting his personal
MI retail experiences as a customer, as
well as outlining the work of his Jail Guitar
Doors charity, which aids the
rehabilitation of prison inmates through
supplying guitars and offering tuition.
The leading market research company
GfK will be represented by Matthew Gibbs,
who will present some exclusive facts and
figures regarding MI sales across the
country and over the past three years,
showing some of the main product trends
appearing in our industry.
Paul McManus, the CEO of the MIA, will
outline just some of the benefits the trade
association can offer MI retailers, including
special credit terms, business consultation
and specialist insurance, as well as asking
the rhetorical question: what has the MIA
ever done for us? This will point out, for
example, how activities such as lobbying
Government, which resulted in music
education becoming enshrined in the
national schools curriculum, have resulted
in a tangible increase of end users.
The event has also been promised a
representative from the Department of
Children, Schools and Families – identity
to be confirmed owing to the uncertain
outcome of the general election on May
6th – to deliver a talk on music education
and how retailers can benefit from the
money available for musical instruments.
As MI Pro goes to press, there are still a
couple of Expo Partner packages available
– and with the number of retailers
attending now over 100 (representing over
150 outlets – see news, page 4) and
growing daily, these partnerships are
becoming increasingly valuable. Suppliers
and manufacturers interested in being an
Event Partner should contact Jodie
Holdway at:
Jodie.holdway@intentmedia.co.uk or on
01992 535647.
If all of this was not enough, after the
business of the day is complete, Roland is
hosting an after-show party, with food,
drinks, a live band and, of course, still
more opportunity to network among the
most important and influential people in
the UK’s trade.
Left to right: Jason Tavaria, Matthew Gibbs, Billy Bragg and Paul McManus
“There is a received wisdom that says business is
something you do, not something you talk about
– like most received wisdom, it is wrong.
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As this year’s Musikmesse
approached, any industry observer
would have been forgiven for being
concerned that, as 2010 showed signs of
the economy finally turning around to bite
the MI trade, it would be something of a
downer in comparison to recent years.
Come to that, any observer at all would
have been forgiven such thoughts, as even
the management at the Frankfurt Messe
was expecting a downturn.
“I would never have guessed it would
look as good as it did,” admitted
Musikmesse’s brand manager, Cordelia von
Gymnich. “We were 5,000 square metres
short of target at the sales deadline last
year and it wasn’t looking good. In the
end, we were two per cent down on
exhibitors, two per cent down on space
sold and two per cent down on visitor
numbers, so I have to be pleased, really.”
This was obvious to regular visitors and
exhibitors alike, as the slightly lower
numbers were accentuated by the wider
aisles. What would not have been
immediately obvious, however, is that
exhibitors were pretty much universal in
their approval of the show and the quality
of those visiting their stands.
Certainly as far as UK suppliers were
concerned, it was as good a show as any.
Barnes & Mullins, Denis Wick, JHS, Orange,
Wia Music, Shure, Laney and Marshall,
among many others, all reported excellent
trading on the show floor.
As sometimes happens, with the
climate tough, those that make the effort
are that little bit more determined to
make the show work for them. So, having
proved again that show statistics are very
relative, let’s take a look at them.
A smidgen under 110,000 visitors
(107,838, to be precise) perused the
products and services on show from 2,340
exhibitors (combined figures over both
Musikmesse and Prolight+Sound, which
separate to 1,510 and 829 respectively).
Of particular note this year, though, is the
increase of almost three per cent (to just
over 40,000) of non-German visitors. This
could be why the UK brands had such a
good time of it this year.
There had been a fair few reshuffles in
the halls this year, most notably in the
piano departments. With the German
piano exhibitors plumping for biennial
appearances at the show, this year saw
their return in a new space, namely the
site’s Forum building. This proved to be a
huge success, with a 100 per cent
approval rating – so successful, in fact,
that now the piano exhibitors are
considering whether it would be risky to
abandon the momentum achieved.
Discussions will continue through May
with a decision expected early in June.
Other successes included the ‘new look’
Hall 3.0, which saw a wider spread of
companies, most notable among them
being Korg, and the efforts of the
organiser to keep noise levels down. More
thumbs up there.
It is an indication of how good the
show continues to be and the standards
expected that the chief complaint from
exhibitors this year was about the carpets,
which in some halls were a foot or two
narrower than the aisles.
“It’s easy to dismiss this,” said von
Gymnich, “but the ambience of a hall is
important, so we take it very seriously. I
must say, we hadn’t really foreseen this
reaction. It is a small change to take on
board and the effect can be huge, but it’s
a question of what we can afford. We will
be looking to rectify this, however.”
Which, in a way, brings us back to those
wider aisles. On the face of it, keeping a
show looking busy can be easily achieved
with a touch of smoke and mirrors, but
von Gymnich is refreshingly frank on this
subject. “Of course we can move the halls
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO MAY 2009 19
Musikmesse figures, almost across the board, were down this year, but exhibitor and visitor reaction was distinctly
upbeat. What could this mean? Andy Barrett finds that Musikmesse is still the show everyone wants...
Quietly confident
FACT FILE
EVENT: Musikmesse (&
Prolight+Sound)
DATE: March 24th to 27th
VENUE: Frankfurt Messe
EXHIBITORS: 2,340 (combined –
1,510 at Musikmesse)
VISITORS: 107,838
VERDICT: With visitor, exhibitor
and stand space all down by two
per cent, international visitor
figures were up nearly three per
cent – which is significant from
the standpoint of the British
market. All in all, probably a
better show than many expected
– and expectations are always
high at Frankfurt. Carpets aside,
another winner. Top marks.
MUSIKMESSE � EVENT REPORT
“Of particular note this year is the increase of
almost three per cent (to over 40,000) of non-
German visitors. This could be why the UK brands
had such a good time this year.
around,” she said. “For example, we could
have moved the violins from Hall 1 and
put them in another hall and created a
more crowded environment, but you have
to be aware that it would probably have
been the wrong place for them. We are
monitoring this situation very closely. If
the downturn continues for a few more
years, then we will have to reconsider. It is
expensive to open up a hall and we can’t
take that lightly, but at the moment, it
seems to be working okay. If the
companies decide to come, we won’t
need to replan, but when asking exhibitors
how they see the economic climate, the
vast majority are saying ‘bad’. We’ll see..”
Musikmesse is, of course, the world’s
largest MI show and even grasping a
fragment of what was on show is a
mammoth task. MI Pro, however, gets the
broadest of perspectives, so here is our
run-through of the hit makers this year.
KORG
Located for the first time in Hall 3.0, the
MI giant was on hand to showcase its
vast selections of new products.
The global manufacturer also had on
display an array of new launches including
synthesizers, recording equipment,
arranger keyboards and the much
anticipated Kaossilator Pro.
Korg’s other major showpiece was the
Monotron. Powered by two AAA batteries,
the compact synthesizer can be held in
one hand, but is capable of producing
thick and powerful sounds. Due to its size,
the Monotron only offers five knobs and
one switch, but concentrates on the most
important sound parameters.
VOX
The amp specialists saw this opportunity
to show off its new AC models, the S33
and 55 and new HDC77 guitars.
It also unveiled a new member of the
AC4 family, the AC4TVmini. Based on the
original models from the 1960s, these
practice amps come with a premium
transformer and select components for
optimum tone. The AC4TVmini also
comes equipped with a 6.5-inch speaker.
PEAVEY
The US amp giant pulled in huge numbers
of visitors with new additions to its Vypyr
range. An already successful series, the
Vypyr selection has been bolstered with
the arrival of the Vypyr Tube 120H and
matching 412 loudspeaker enclosure. The
head offers 24 amp channel models,
along with 11 editable preamp ‘stomp
box’ effects and 11 editable post-amp
‘rack’ effects.
HH ELECTRONICS
HH Electronics has been brought back by
the distribution company Headstock. The
HH brand had been owned by the
suppliers since the 1980s.
The reincarnated PA and amp
manufacturer will be remembered as
trusty equipment on the pub gig circuits
during the 1960s and 70s.
Duncan Boniface is responsible for the
revival and had been traveling to China in
order to find suitable manufacturing
partners. A new selection will include
products ranging from small practice
guitar gear to large scale PA enclosures.
JHS
An impressive range of JHS products
made their European debuts at
Musikmesse. These included the new Fret
King, Vintage, Santos Martinez and
Encore launches.
Its centerpiece was the new Ventura
Super 60 in Fret King’s Blue Label series.
Accompanying it were Vintage’s new
models, the Thomas Blug V6 and Mick
Abrahams VS6.
The close relationship between JHS and
Fishman, the electronics and audio brand
it purchased, was evident with the new
Santos Martinez guitars. New models are
fitted with Fishman pickups and preamps.
OVERWATER BY TANGLEWOOD
Overwater, a custom bass guitar brand
designed by Chris May, has teamed up
with Tanglewood Guitars.
Four new models in Tanglewood’s
Aspiration range were introduced at
Frankfurt. These products, on show in the
electric guitar hall, ranged from £329 to
£899, with a fifth model believed to be on
the way.
This was the first time Tanglewood had
booked a dedicated electric guitar stand
in Hall 4, owing to the launch of the
Aspiration series and the new Signature
series of solid-bodied electrics. These
guitars, which slot into the mid-price
range, are modelled on classic G-type
designs, offering an alternative to more
immediately obvious brands in this sector
of the market.
MACKIE
Mackie has released an affordable new
powered subwoofer, the TH-18s.
This new sub has been designed to
accompany the SRM450v2 PA speaker.
The combination of these two will be
sold at around $400 less than its
competitors. The HD Series powered subs
also made a debut this year, ideal when
partnered with the HD Series
loudspeakers launched last year.
ALESIS
Alesis introduced its new i02 Express
recording interface this year.
The system provides recording setups
for home, project and portable studio
scenarios. Compatible with both PCs and
Macs, the two-channel USB device allows
the user to record at up to 24-bit
resolution, for input into DAW, recording
and performance software.
PRESONUS
The studio specialist announced version
1.5 of its DAW software, Studio One,
which has a number of new features
including support for video playback and
sync for composing to picture, major
enhancements to the browsers drag-and-
drop capabilities, the ability to draw your
own automation waveforms, automation
points that are locked to events, a new
key-command editor, changing tempos
within a event without slicing the event
into separate events, and support for song
and album art.
ARIA
Although not on the Aria stand at the
show, the big news for Aria Distribution in
the UK is that the new ZT amp brand
(lightweight, but extremely powerful
solid-state models from the US) is
available to the UK through the
specialist supplier.
There are three models in the range,
The Club, the Lunchbox and the Lunchbox
Acoustic, all of which pump out some
200 Watts of power (amounting to SPLs
of 130dB) in diminutive frames and a top
weight of ten kilos.
AMPEG
Ampeg’s new Heritage models use JJ
valves for the preamp stage and Winged C
power valves. The SVT-CL has a capacity
of 300 Watts, which makes it perfect for
the companion cabinets. Both the SVT-
810E and SVT-410HLF come with
Eminence drivers that feature identical
specifications to the original SVT series.
The audio giant was under pressure by
fans to return to its US roots, after years
of manufacturing overseas. Loud
Technologies bought Ampeg back in 2005
for over $32 million, but has suffered in
the last year. This resulted in a decline in
manufacturing speed, which prompted the
decision to relocate and move back home
to the US.
LINE 6
Line 6, a pioneer of guitar modelling,
surprised this year’s by announcing it was
moving into microphone and guitar
wireless technology.
The XD-V70 and XD-V70L systems will
function in the 2.4 Gigahertz frequency
and will be sold throughout Europe. They
both offer 12 channels, a 100-metre
range and heavy-duty cast metal 1/2U
rack receivers. They will cost a little over
£500. The Relay digital wireless system is
20 miPRO MAY 2009 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
EVENT REPORT � MUSIKMESSE
”I would never have
guessed it would
turn out as well as
it did.Cordelia von GymnichFrankfurt Messe
The MI/pro audio crossover sector was significant this year
MUSIKMESSE � EVENT REPORT
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO MAY 2009 21
also due to be released for guitars in the
very near future.
ROLAND
Roland kept up its tradition of launching a
number of new products at this year’s
Frankfurt event.
These include new digital recorders,
synthesizers, accordions and both upright
and grand pianos.
Among the highlights of Roland’s new
releases was the GAIA SH-01 modern
digital synthesizer. The SH-01 provides a
hands-on feel and draws comparisons to
Roland’s keyboards from the 1980s. Five
simultaneous effects can be layered,
resulting in dozens of variations. The three
complete synths allow for thick, powerful
sounds and 64 polyphonic voices ensure
the production of massive sounds.
KAM
Kam revealed new additions to its 2010
product range, much of it featured in the
interim Catalogue Additions, a supplement
to the full catalogue which keeps the
company up to date through to the
autumn launch of the new catalogue.
New products showcased included USB
Midi controllers, digital products for the
home studio, LED lighting, passive and
active speakers, switch mode amplifiers
and the award winning laser range.
Kam also exhibited its Kamkase
flightcase brand.
STUDIOMASTER
MI’s one-stop-shop for things audio, saw
over 30 new products this year, with the
noteworthy among them being the
company’s portable PA under the
Stagesound brand and the C4TX series of
modular mixers with twin DSP and
available as 19-inch rackable versions, or
as standalone models. Those that visited
the show and the Studiomaster stand
were also taking note of the JX range of
passive and active speakers, ranging from
eight-inch to 18-inch models.
FAITH
With success at the Music China event
over the last few years, this was Faith
Guitar’s first proper foray into the export
opportunities offered at Musikmesse.
Faith Guitars exhibited its Natural,
Higloss, Eclipse and Signature ranges, as
well as a few first-look upgrade previews
and new shapes.
On the booth in the Acoustic Hall along
with Faith were Patrick James Eggle’s own
guitars, accompanied by Eggle himself.
Barnes & Mullins has indicated that it
intends to exhibit at Frankfurt 2011.
firstimpressions
MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION
First Impressions allows Audio-Technica’s MI retailers to
offer something extra to their customers both in terms of
convenience and price.
To find out more visit www.audio-technica.com/firstimpressionsor to register your interest in participating in the scheme, contact your
area sales coordinator by phone on 0113 277 1441 or by email at
sales@audio-technica.co.uk
MIPA 2010 winnersTHE ANNUAL MIPA ceremony inspired
its usual collection of surprised
eyebrows and knowing nods, with big
winners this year including Korg and TC,
each with three awards. Hartley Peavey
picked up the Lifetime Achievement
Award (see below), bringing about the
loudest applause and the most
vigourous nods of approval. Here is the
full list of winners…
Most innovative product:
TC Electronic PolyTune
Bass amp: TC Electronic Rebel Head
450 Bass cabinet: TC Electronic
RebelStack 210/212
Electric bass: Warwick Starbass II
Acoustic bass: Warwick Alien
Bass strings: D’Addario EXL 170
Acoustic drums: Tama Starphonic
snare drums
Cymbals: Meinl Byzance Sand ride
Drum hardware: Pearl Eliminator
Demon Drive bass drum pedal
Drumheads: Vic Firth signature series
Electronic drums: Korg Wavedrum
W-DX
Percussion: LP One Hand triangle and
Meinl Taku Hirano signature handed bale
Drum education: Keith Harlock The Big
Picture (Hudson DVD)
Electric guitar: PRS 305
Acoustic guitar: Taylor Baritone
eight-string
Guitar amp combo: Peavey Vypyr 15
Guitar amp head: Marshall JMD:1
Guitar effects: Boss ME-25
Pickup: Seymour Duncan Blackouts
Acoustic guitar amp/LR Baggs
Acoustic Reference
Strings: Elixir Nanoweb
Synthesizer hardware: Dave Smith
Instruments Tetra
Stage piano: Yamaha CP1
Controller keyboard: Novation ReMote
SL Mk II
Software instrument: Synthogy Ivory II
Sound library: Vienna
Symphonic Library
Live performance tool: Korg
Kaossilator Pro
Portable sound: Fohhn Linea
Focus steerable
PA system: D&B T-series
Live microphone: Neumann
KMS 104 Plus
Sound system technology:
Optocore Sane
Mixing desk (live): Soundcraft Vi2
Studio microphone: Neumann TLM 102
Studio monitor (nearfield): Focal
CMS 65
Recording software: Cakewalk Sonar
V-Studio 100
Mixing desk (project studio):
PreSonus Studio Live
Mixing desk (high end): SSL Matrix
Audio processor (software): UAD-2
Field recorder: Zoom H4n
DAW controller: Cakewalk Sonar
V-Studio 700
Lifetime Achievement Award:
Hartley Peavey
Since building his own amplifier in his
parents’ basement in 1957, Harvey
Peavey has established himself as a
pioneer of amp and speaker technology.
His ambition to provide affordable amps
stems from the 1960s when he started
taking existing products apart and
realising they were too expensive.
Peavey Electronics was created in
1965, debuting with the Peavey
Musician amp. Today the company is
one of the world’s MI and audio leaders.
45 years on, with over 2,000 products
sold in 136 countries, there are few who
have not enjoyed music via a Peavey
product. Musicians are the main
contributors to musical advancement,
but there are few others influencing the
industry as much as Hartley Peavey.
Hartley and Mary Peavey
EVENT REPORT MUSIKMESSE DRUMS
22 miPRO MAY 2009 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
Whoever said too much choice
can be a bad thing would have
a field day in the current drum
and percussion marketplace. Not so long
ago drums came in rock or fusion sizes in
three ranges: entry level, mid-price and
high-end, with a decent selection of solid
or wood grain lacquer finishes at the top-
end and wrapped finishes at the bottom.
Now, however, the humble dealer is faced
with such a dizzying array of styles,
woods, finishes and price points to suit
every possible music niche and sub-niche
that the early onset of choice paralysis
becomes another worry to add to the
Bumper Book of Anxieties, already on its
tenth reprint thanks to economic gloom,
the worst winter in 30 years and a long
wait until the next TV series of Mad Men.
Thankfully this year’s Frankfurt
Musikmesse saw the brake being gradually
applied, with manufacturers focusing on
improved quality and lower price-points
rather than a blizzard of new drumkit
launches. Not that the show lacked the
odd surprise or two.
Following Sabian’s purchase of the Gon
Bops percussion company at the NAMM
show, Marshall Amplification sprung its
own sizeable shock by announcing it had
acquired the legendary British percussion
company, Natal, started by Alan Sharp in
the mid-1960s. A move that’s not as
curious as it may appear considering Jim
Marshall started out as a drummer, sold
Natal from his first shop and that
Marshall’s CMI distribution arm was the
first UK distributor of LP congas and
percussion in the late 70s and early 80s.
Meanwhile, the question of Sonor’s
decision not to exhibit this year was
another hot topic, particularly considering
it’s one of Germany’s biggest instrument
manufacturers.
The word on the strasse, and apparently
in the Sudfaus bar, suggested it would be
back next year, joined no doubt by even
more new Turkish cymbal companies,
which took the total to over ten this year.
If they go on multiplying at this rate
they’ll have their own hall by 2012.
DRUMS AND KITS
Expect to see a lot more of Gretsch this
year as Fender rolls out a big push on the
UK market, particularly with its newly
updated Catalina Club and Renown Maple
ranges. With prices ranging from £500 to
£700, the Catalina Club is terrific value
with seven-ply mahogany shells, lacquer
or wrapped finishes, four shell pack
configurations, from 18-inch bass drum
jazz sets to 24-inch bass rock monsters,
shorter tom depth options, suspended
mounts and Evans heads.
The Renown Maple range, inspired by
Gretsch’s admired USA Custom range and
featuring six-ply rock maple shells with
die cast hoops and Evans heads, is also re-
styled for 2010, offering shorter, more
traditional depth tom sizes, four shell
pack configurations, four very sellable
new finishes and prices up to £1,200.
Watch out for the new Stanton Moore
snare featuring a one-piece 14 by 4.5-
inch birdseye maple shell and Gretsch’s
first snare drum with a maple shell
and hoops.
Ludwig is also on a roll with the new
mid-price, American-made Keystone
series, aimed squarely at the rock market.
Active Distribution should have them in
the UK by July. Blending traditional
touches with wild sparkle and pearl
Musikmesse this year threw up a good deal of news and even more new product – and the drum and percussion market
was no exception, although John Newey discovers something of a slow-down while pounding the tub thumpers’ aisles…
Drums along the Main
“Thankfully, this year’s Musikmesse saw the brake
being applied, with manufacturers focusing on
improved quality.John Newey
finishes, the Keystone has maple shells with outer
plies of American Red Oak, a dual 45-degree bearing
edge, Evans heads and new low-contact Keystone
lugs. The package, claims Ludwig, gives enhanced
volume with a bigger attack and quick decay. Higher
up the scale is the new Legacy Exotic series,
featuring exotic wood veneers, including African
black limba, Brazilian sumauma and Australian
lacewood – what no bubinga? – over maple and
poplar shells and a droolsome new limited edition,
engraved chrome over brass snare drum, constructed
like the 1920s’ Black Beauty.
The bubinga wood lover is well catered for at
Tama, which now offers all its Starclassic Bubinga
series, including Elite, Elite EFX, and Omni-Tune, at
lower prices, courtesy of the company’s new factory
in China. Vintage 1920s’ metal snare drums are also
the inspiration behind Tama’s new Starphonic
stainless steel snare drum, while the new Phoenix
Ergo-Rider and Wide Rider drum thrones bring
together comfort and embroidery for those after a
neat seat.
Premier announced its return (how many’s that?)
with an overhaul of its low to mid-price product
range with the Cabria PK, APK and XPK series,
renamed the Performance series, and design
updates on the APK and XPK including new lugs,
block suspension mounts and lacquer finishes, with
the option of short stack toms in addition to
standard sizes.
It’s back to the 1990s as the Genista series has
been re-introduced and is now available in either
maple or birch with its distinctive oval lugs and
impressive new finishes, including stainless steel and
blue sparkle, while the entry level Olympic line now
comes with a lacquered finish and Premier’s Classic
series is now available with bubinga shells and a
particularly desirable mid-price tag.
Pearl gets a taste for bubinga, too, with its
Masters Custom Artisan Bubinga kit featuring an
outer ply of this exotic grain wood, while lower
down the scale the Vision VSX series has an eye-
popping new ‘graffiti’ finish, but all eyes were on
Pearl’s E-Pro Live, the company’s first venture into
electronic drums since the 1980s.
The E-Pro combines real acoustic drums and
hardware with TruTrac electronic batter heads that fit
under the hoops like a regular head and E Classic
electronic brass cymbals. Its Redbox electronic drum
module has over 100 high definition kits, 1,000 drum
and percussion sounds, reverb, eq, flanger and other
sonic shapers as well as a USB computer interface
for downloading additional new sounds. It looks just
like a regular mid-range Pearl kit and if you fit
regular batter heads rather than TruTac heads it can
be used as a regular kit. Whether this is the kit of
tomorrow and unleashes copycats or proves too
cumbersome for converts to the compact size of
Yamaha and Roland’s electronic kits only time will
tell, but trying to predict drummers’ buying habits is
far from the easiest game in town.
Mapex look set to do good business at the quality
entry level with its Horizon series, offering five drum
kits with hybrid birch/basswood shells, suspended
mounts, lacquered shells, innovative hardware and
Remo heads at prices less than many competing
brands, while its new Falcon bass drum pedal range
is a winner, with incredibly smooth action and bags
of power. Stagg also up the entry level stakes with
the TIM6 five-drum kit offering poplar and maple
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO APRIL 2009 23
MUSIKMESSE DRUMS EVENT REPORT
”The dealer is faced with
such an array of styles,
woods, finishes and prices
to suit every possible niche
that the onset of choice
paralysis becomes another
worry to add to the
Bumper Book of Anxieties.
shells, lacquered finishes and Remo
heads for £499 and a TIM3 with wrap
finish for £349.
Affordability is the key word at DW
too, with the new 2000 series hardware
delivering DW quality at prices that
should propel punters into the stores: a
DW double bass pedal for just £170
anyone? The prices of the top end Custom
Shop kits have been rationalised with no
additional costs for the latest shell
configurations and innovations and the
company’s PDP Platinum series gets a new
look and a new lower price.
If dealers want an indicator of the
coming season’s fashion trend, then matte
on matte finishes looks a sturdy bet. Just
ask Yamaha, which debuted a cracking
new Rock Tour series, featuring eco-
friendly big leaf mahogany shells that
deliver big sounds with highly distinctive
matt hardware on matt metallic shells.
Traditionalists will swoon over the new
Limited Edition Vintage version of the
classic 9000 Recording series with
Hokkaido birch shells, a ‘vintage’ natural
finish that is said to age beautifully.
It’s rare to see a new drum company
launch at Frankfurt and impress in quite
the way that the German-based Drum
Craft did. Eco-friendly manufacturing,
birch and maple shells with highly
distinctive new lug designs, zero gravity
mounts, superb matt-satin chrome
hardware on matt lacquer finishes and
winner of the Red Dot Design Award.
What’s more, it reckons UK distribution
will be firmly in place by the summer.
CYMBALS
Out in cymbal land the cast bronze
furnaces are never quiet. Sabian has a
treat for jazz players with the 21-inch
Vault Artisan three-point ride, designed by
Jack DeJohnette, and a range of Artisan
crashes, while Fusion hats are added to
the HHX series and the increasingly
popular mid-price B20 cast bronze XS20
range now comes with a brilliant finish.
High-profile German drum meister
Benny Greb’s innovative new Byzance 14-
inch Sand hihats impressed from Meinl
with their combination of vintage looks
and contemporary sound that saw the
new Byzance Sand ride scoop a MIPA
award, while prototypes of the company’s
first ever cast B20 cymbal to be
completely manufactured in Germany, the
M series, promised much in terms of
sound and price.
Zildjian’s big new launches target both
the top-end jazz market, with the awe-
inspiring 22-inch K Constantinople Thin
Ride Overhammered, a 22-inch K
Constantinople Bounce ride and a 20-inch
K light flat ride, and forward looking rock
players with new cut-out EFX models for
K Zildjian and A Custom and multi-hued
eight and ten-inch ZXT Trashformers.
Big is the byword at Paiste with a
monster 2002 series 24-inch Reverend Al’s
Big ride, designed by Alex Van Halen and a
24-inch Rock Ride, Metal crashes and
Metal Edge hats for the Alpha series, all
now with a brilliant finish.
Highpoints among the
proliferation of Turkish
manufacturers were Istanbul
Agop’s 30th Anniversary ride
and hihats, which recalled
vintage dark Turkish-made K
Zildjians and the new Master
Vintage series from Bosphorous.
And watch out for British artisan
cymbalsmith Matt Nolan and his growing
range of handmade cymbals, gongs and
metal sound sculptures. He is the UK’s
only current cymbal smith and his range of
distinctive sounds and finishes deserve
wider attention.
PERCUSSION
Marshall’s acquisition of Natal looks set to
build on the legacy of this pioneering UK
manufacturer, expanding the percussion
range and opening up international
distribution. Already there is a new student
priced conga and bongo range, Fuego,
while the top-end Cubano series congas
will be made at Marshall’s HQ from the
original fibreglass moulds. Don’t be
surprised to see Natal move further into
drums, judging by a prototype stave wood
shell snare drum lurking in the wings.
LP launched a Top Tuning version of its
Classic Conga range with inverted lugs
facilitating easier tuning, a new mid-price
range of Aspire congas with Santana
graphics and brilliant new percussion
innovations such as the LP Percusso, a
hybrid that allows you to play tambourine
and claves using one hand, and the LP One
Handed triangle.
Sure fire winners from Meinl include
new Journey series rope tuned djembes
with lightweight fibreglass shells and new
synthetic heads that are perfect for the
outdoors, as is Remo’s new Apex key tuned
djembe with Acousticon shells and
Skyndeep black goatskin style head.
Gon
Bops confirmed
UK distribution through Westside and have
new Mariano series congas, inspired by the
traditional Gon Bops models and a new
PureCussion range of congas and bongos.
Sheila E signature series congas and
bongos were new at Toca, while djembes
continued to be the company’s biggest
seller with new Pro Africa carved shell
models and Antique Gold and Silver
synthetic shell Freestyle djembes
extending the range further.
Tycoon, distributed by FCN Music, is
one of the fastest growing Thailand
percussion companies, with a long history
in OEM manufacture for more famous
brands and Musikmesse saw it launch a
new lower priced Spectrum range of
congas and bongos as well as the world’s
first Acrylic cajon with a transparent body
and burl front plate.
With cajons having made their
breakthrough in the USA and Europe over
the last decade, they were all over this
show in myriad new ranges, yet the take-
up in the UK lags seriously behind. Maybe
a good summer is what’s needed and a
change in the draconian live music
licensing laws.
Jon Newey is editor and publisher of
Jazzwise magazine and is one of the
UK’s longest standing drum and
percussion writers.
EVENT REPORT MUSIKMESSE DRUMS
24 miPRO MAY 2009 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
“If dealers want an
indicator of the
coming fashions,
then matte on
matte finishes
look a sturdy bet.
For dealer information, visit our dedicated UK website at www.daddario.co.uk/inkedInked by Evans available from D’Addario UK, A3 Eleventh Avenue, Gateshead, NE11 0JY T: 0191 300 3000
COVER FEATURE NATAL
26 miPRO MAY 2010 WW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
Whatever industry watchers
might have been expecting to
be the key announcement at
this year’s Musikmesse, it’s likely not to
have been that a venerable British
amplifier manufacturer had purchased a
small, but respected, British percussion
company. Indeed, early soundings taken
from Frankfurt returnees included a
sprinkling who still didn’t, as the saying
goes, ’get it’.
By now, it’s likely they will have read
and digested the Marshall plan for Natal
a bit more thoroughly and seen the
underlying premise: that for a company
like Marshall – at the top of the
international league in its chosen field –
to grow, it has to do it by doing
something completely different. As that
isn’t going to be Marshall air
conditioning and guitars have rarely
offered a happy hunting ground for
amplifier makers (Fender excepted),
percussion offers possibilities because it
leverages Marshall’s vast international
contacts, resources and experience and
offers one or two unexpected benefits.
The man charged with taking Natal to
the next stage under Marshall’s aegis is
former retail specialist Craig Glover, but
Natal’s former owner, Craig Fenney, who
acquired the business in the 1990s, will
be staying with the brand as a
consultant, while simultaneously running
his percussion distribution business, The
Music Shipping Company. I took the
opportunity to get them together to
explain this fascinating development and,
I hoped, drop a few hints about the
future as Britain’s biggest MI
manufacturer opens a new chapter.
MI Pro: Can we start at the beginning?
Who approached whom?
Craig Fenney: Craig (Glover) and I had
previously been talking about other
projects and he knew Marshall had
already thought about moving into drum
and percussion products. At the time,
Natal wasn’t up for sale, but we were
approached and the more we looked at
it, the more sense it made. What made it
really attractive was that Marshall didn’t
want to buy a brand and stick its name
on some dodgy Chinese congas – they
wanted to invest in the brand and build
it to the level it should be at.
MIP: What do you mean? ‘Should be?’
CF: People often don’t realise how far
Natal goes back. It predates LP and a lot
of others who have appeared since LP. In
fact the only major brand that has been
in existence as long is Gon Bops. That’s
Peri-Natal rejuvenationTo say that the world was surprised at Marshall Amplification’s announcement that it had bought the Natal
percussion brand at Musikmesse this year is the mother of all understatement. Looking at it rationally, however, one
sees the sense. Gary Cooper gets the message beaten out for him…
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO MAY 2010 27
NATAL COVER FEATURE
important because it’s one of those
examples of a British brand that has never
really ‘had its day’. The brand deserves to
be one of the biggest in the world, but we
at Music Shipping simply didn’t have the
resources to let it become that big. It was
doing all right in the UK, but that was
about it. What Marshall wanted to do – to
produce in the UK at the Milton Keynes
factory, to allow some of the ideas we
already had on the drawing board to come
to fruition, to develop other ideas, that we
hadn’t even thought about at the time –
became the key factor in the acquisition.
MIP: It’s a common story: a small British
company can’t develop globally
because of a lack of finance.
CF: That’s pretty much how it was for
Natal back when it started. The things
Natal invented when it started in the
1960s were really impressive, but it never
had the business resources to patent or to
capitalise on them and, let’s be honest, a
lot of other people copied them and made
a fortune as a result.
A case in point is the Comfort Hoop
and the fact that Natal is the only
company that has perfected making
aluminium hoops. Plus the fact that
Marshall allowed me to stay involved as
well... I was swayed. It gives us the
resources and the power of a big
manufacturer, but the control of a small
manufacturer and the chance to keep it
British at the same time.
Craig Glover: That aspect – the
Britishness – was a key factor for Marshall.
If a large American company had been for
sale, it wouldn’t have been interested.
MIP: Craig (Glover), our readers will
know you from your time with PMT and
the huge success of the Drum and
Guitarfest shows. But for those who
don’t, could you fill in the background,
please?
CG: Prior to PMT, I had my own
dedicated drum store – The Drum
Company – in the centre of Birmingham
for five years and it was during that time
that the Drumfest event was born and
began to evolve. The only event that was
happening in drumming at the time was
the Modern Drummer festival in the
States, so the idea was to do a similar
thing in the UK.
The store was beneath the Birmingham
School of Music and that was the first
venue, with 300 people attending the first
one. After I sold the business to PMT, five
years later we expanded it so that it went
from one in Birmingham, to one in
Birmingham and one in Essex, then
Northampton was added and then
Sheffield. Finally, last year, we had the one
huge show at the Birmingham NIA:
Drumfest, Guitarfest and the Stick it to
MS event with the world record attempt.
MIP: Stick it to MS was a huge success.
CG: It was. We had coverage in just
about all the broadsheet newspapers and
I’ve just been nominated for Fundraiser of
the Year for the MS Society, because we
raised over £65,000 for them at that
event.
MIP: How long were you with PMT?
CG: Eight years, starting off managing
the Birmingham store, then as business
manager, promoting instore events as well
as external shows. I did that and I looked
after the event. Prior to that, I was with
Academy of Sound for eight years and
before that with Jones and Crossland.
MIP: How did the link with Marshall
come about?
CG: By doing the shows. I was working
very closely with Paul Marshall and Jon
Ellery, Marshall’s joint MD, on both the
Guitarfest shows and Music Live. We built
a relationship and it got to the point
where it became easy to walk into their
office and say ‘You make big rectangular
boxes with amps in them – how about
making round things that you hit?’ People
have asked how we persuaded them to do
percussion, but there wasn’t much
convincing. They’ve been so supportive.
MIP: Small MI manufacturers reading
this interview might be getting a bit
depressed by now. There seems to be
the suggestion that the only way for a
small UK company to reach an
international market is to sell out to a
giant. Is that really how it is?
CF: I think it is. I’d never say it’s
impossible, but it’s monstrously difficult.
You need that massive international
market to justify spending the money on
product development. If you’re talking of a
product offered to a market of 58 million,
you still have to spend the same amount
of money to get the product right. If you
do it for a world market – and Marshall is
distributed in 86 countries – that’s when
the sums make sense. You need the world
market to make it work.
MIP: And that raises yet another war
cry of small business: the banks aren’t
interested in financing them. Was that
your experience with Natal?
CF: Music Shipping Company could not
have raised the capital we needed to take
Natal worldwide. We’ve never had much
help from the bank. Maybe we could have
done for Natal what Marshall are going to
do, but it would have taken 50 years.
MIP: Whenever companies are taken
over, the marketing types like to dust
down that word ‘synergy’. Is there a
synergy here?
CG: Actually, there really is – and
beyond the obvious. Marshall has certain
bottlenecks in its production, where the
woodworking and electronics side don’t
quite match – and that has happened
historically. What Natal can offer is
something for the production staff to do
with wooden cajons or fibreglass congas
and bongos during those inevitable
bottlenecks. What this means is,
effectively, no additional staff costs for
“The things Natal invented when it started in the 60s
were really impressive, but it never had the business
resources to patent them or capitalise on them –
and let’s be honest, a lot of people copied them
and made a fortune as a result.Craig Fenney, Natal
Natal. The staff are really interested and
enthusiastic because they can see the
effect it has on their job prospects. There’s
a really massive buzz in the Marshall
factory about this. The people who work
there really care and they really want to
make UK products.
MIP: Percussion makers often say that
retailers are missing a huge market
with percussion – that many of them
don’t realise there are percussion circles
and casual buyers walking right past
their shop windows, not coming in
because they don’t stock percussion.
CG: The problem for large stores is that
percussion products can get lost among
the ranges of general kit accessories that
they stock. Natal will be addressing this.
Our sales team, which includes a
dedicated Natal key account manager,
who is a percussionist and has also worked
in high level drum retail, will also be
working to help stores, of course.
CF: That said, and I can say this with my
Music Shipping hat on, there are an awful
lot of dedicated drum shops out there
who do get it. Hand percussion is an
instrument that anybody can play to a
certain level and the sales to people who
are non-musicians are significant.
MIP: Were you surprised by the ‘I don’t
get it’ reactions from some?
CG: I think most people get the
connection with Jim Marshall being a
drummer, but for those who don’t, nobody
raised an eyebrow when Fender bought LP
and nobody was interested when Gibson
bought Slingerland. When people see what
he has in store for NAMM, then I think a
lot more of them will get it.
MIP: Are you saying that Natal will be
bigger than it seemed at Frankfurt? A
drum range on the cards?
CF: You’ll have to wait for NAMM. As to
what we have up our sleeves, we’ll leave it
to people’s imagination. All we can say at
this stage is that, at Frankfurt, Natal
launched a snare drum...
CG And there will be a complete range
of snare drums available, probably from
October – UK-built. There will also be a
major launch of products at NAMM – and
that’s really all we can say now.
MIP: You are saying that the Marshall
factory is going to be making
percussion products in addition to
importing cheaper models. Is there
really a future in making this sort of
equipment here?
CG: You’d be surprised how interested
Marshall’s international distributors are in
having UK-made products. The
Cubana range, which will be built in
the UK, got a huge amount of
interest, as did the cajons and when
we told them the snare drums will
be produced in the UK, they were
ecstatic. Because it’s made in the
UK, it is different and that is what
distributors are craving.
CF: The snare has its own design
lug boxes and its own snare throw
mechanism, all designed and
produced by Natal.
People still want British product
and the key to this is, because of the
way Marshall works, it’s going to be
available at an attainable price. It’s
not going to be as cheap as the stuff
that’s coming out of China, but it’s
not going to be a ridiculous price.
There’s a lot of American product in kit
percussion that people want and there’s
no reason why we can’t make British
percussion with the same appeal.
MIP: Is there a sense here that people
are getting a bit sick of Chinese-
sourced identikit products?
CG: Definitely.
CF: Nothing from Natal is going to be
Chinese, or anyone else’s, identikit
products. It’s full-on with design here...
CG: I’m having a T-shirt made with
‘non-generic’ on it. It’s a catchphrase here
with Natal.
MIP: There is great affection for Jim
Marshall, but he has been suffering
from poor health in recent years. Has
he been involved in this project?
CG: A lot of people ask that and the
answer is quite amusing. Jim is delighted
and is really behind it. If he didn’t want to
do this project, it wouldn’t have happened.
Let me give you an example of how on
the ball he is. At Frankfurt, I was standing
next to him and he quietly leaned over to
John (Ellery) and asked him to speak to
three of the staff, who he didn’t feel were
properly active on the stand. Jim knows
exactly what is going on and is in control.
MIP: With our readers in mind, is there
one thing you’d like to get across about
this Natal project?
CG: As I said, percussion can easily get
lost in stores so we’re going to be
spending a lot of time and effort in
making displays. We won’t dump stuff on
the retailer, we’ll be providing good POS
material and building that in the UK
factory, too, so if someone needs a certain
design display we can custom build it.
MIP: And the marketing side?
CG: There’s so much on the way: clinics,
endorsers and an education syllabus
scheduled for NAMM. There is also direct
marketing planned – that’s something
Marshall is getting into in a huge way.
CF: This project has been under wraps
and I only started to get introduced to
some of the Marshall staff at Frankfurt,
because it has been at director level only
for months. The thing that impressed me
was how long some of them have worked
for Marshall. People I met have been there
28 years, 20 years. Marshall prides itself
on being a big family and even for a
cynical bloke from Birmingham, like me, it
really is a family. Marshall is something
very special and what it has in store for
Natal is going to be very special too.
COVER FEATURE NATAL
“
28 MAY 2010 miPRO WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
You’d be surprised how interested Marshall’s
international distributors are in having UK-made
products. We told them the snares are made in the
UK – they were ecstatic.Craig Glover
Marshall
BRAND PROFILE HÖFNER
The name behind one of the most recognisable instruments on the planet, Höfner has plenty more to offer players
looking for something a bit different. Rob Power takes a look at what's in store...
Hassling the HofW
hen Karl Höfner founded the
Höfner company in Schönbach,
Germany in 1887 he had no
idea that his name would go on to share a
stage with the biggest band in the history
of popular music. Thanks to his company’s
dedication to quality and its strikingly
original instruments though, it’s no
surprise that Sir Thumbsaloft himself still
plays Höfner.
It was in 1956 that prestigious violin
and guitar maker Walter Höfner invented
an electrically amplified semi-acoustic
bass guitar. Five years later, a certain Mr
Paul McCartney came across his first
Violin ‘Beatle Bass’ in a Hamburg music
store, and has remained loyal to the
tonally distinctive and utterly beautiful
instrument ever since.
Having moved in 1997 to a modern
production facility near the village of
Hagenau, Höfner has maintained its
reputation for quality and innovation by
continuing to offer the hand-made jazz and
bass guitars to discerning musicians around
the world. However, its desire to make the
classic Höfner shapes and sounds available
to a wider range of players has seen the
more recent launch of the Contemporary
series, designed to keep the original
aesthetic but offer a more manageable
instrument.
Distributed in the UK by Barnes &
Mullins, Höfner has made a significant
comeback in the last few years with a re-
invigorated range of guitars that are
steadily building a new fan-base. Alex Mew,
B&M’s marketing manager explains the
impact they have had: “It’s been an
interesting experience. Höfner has long
been a desirable brand with a rich history,
but it has suffered from sometimes being
seen as a purely ‘heritage’ brand. That said,
having the support of somebody like Paul
McCartney is an enormous benefit to
Höfner and all retail partners, as I really do
not think there is another bass in the world
that has the iconic status of the Höfner
Violin Bass. In recent times though I have
been involved in supplying some of today’s
best bands with Höfner guitars, most
notably Noel Gallagher and Bjorn from
Razorlight, who have both been swayed by
the unique appearance and tone of the
Verythin models.
“It’s essential that in the future we focus
on expanding the appeal of Höfner guitars
beyond the established bass and jazz guitar
markets, and I believe that the introduction
of new re-issues and modernised versions
of classic designs will lead to an ever
growing number of young and established
bands choosing Höfner Guitars. We’re
fortunate to be involved with Höfner at
this time in its history and we’re confident
that more and more retailers will take the
opportunity to add this unique and exciting
brand to their portfolio.”
MI Pro recently scoured the halls at the
2010 MusikMesse, and found Höfner
showing its famous Violin Basses, Club
Basses, Verythin semi-acoustics and many
other favourites alongside a host of new
guitar models.
Products on show from the
Contemporary range included the
HCT-J17 Jazz models based on the ‘Cello’
guitars of the 1950s. Available in either
one or two pickup variations with or
without a cutaway, these models are
spruce-topped with a flamed maple
back and sides. A great entry into
the world of semi-acoustic, big
bodied guitars, they will retail for
around £600.
The HCT5007SB Verythin Bass
is another exciting addition to
the range. Based on the Verythin
six-string body, this model has a
shorter 30-inch scale length,
a centre block for added
sustain and reduced
feedback, and comes with
Höfner’s original ‘Staple’
pickups. The Verythin bass is
expected to cost around £650
and will be available in the UK
from June 2010.
Höfner also introduced the
HCTVTH3SB Verythin3 model. This
sunburst, spruce-topped guitar is one of a
new breed that features the classic 1960s’
fingerboard pearl stripe inlay. Equipped
with three original Höfner ‘Bar’ pickups
with individual on and off switches, this is
a marked departure from standard Verythin
models, which feature regular humbuckers.
Coming in slightly higher than the existing
Verythin guitars, the Verythin3 will be
available around June for £600.
From the German facility comes a
much anticipated Verythin: the HVSCBKO
SingleCut. This model features a Bigsby
trem system which is sure to make this
guitar immensely desirable. Available in
black or sky blue and supplied in a deluxe
Höfner hard case, the expected price of
£1,200 is highly reasonable. Verythin
SingleCut models are set to arrive in the
early summer.
Lastly in the Verythin range is the
Verythin Special. The spruce top and
highly flamed maple back and sides are
finished in a dark cherry or sunburst finish
and it’s armed with two Höfner Mini
Humbuckers with an unusual master
volume control, as well as individual
volume and tone controls. The look is
finished off with the 1950s’ accented F’hole
design which sets this and the SingleCut
model apart from their contemporary
series siblings.
“We’re fortunate to be involved with Höfner at this
time in its history and we’re confident that more
retailers will take the opportunity to add this
unique and exciting brand to their portfolio.Alex Mew
Barnes and Mullins
30 miPRO MAY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
‘It’s rare for a guitar to feel truly effortless
(especially when you pick it up for the first time)
but the V6 is a joy to play.
‘It’s rare for a guitar to feel truly effortless
(especially when you pick it up for the first time)
but the V6 is a joy to play.
‘This guitarlooks andfeels like a real old rocker.’
REISSUED REISSUED
‘Any pigeonholing of Vintage at the budgetend of the guitar marketplace is looking
increasingly unjustified’Louis Thorne
‘Any pigeonholing of Vintage at the budgetend of the guitar marketplace is looking
increasingly unjustified’Louis Thorne
Designed in association with
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New 2010 models*
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‘Putting it through a wah and fuzz pedal induced instant Hendrix, with
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Geoff Whitehorn
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Features
‘ We live in an aspirational world, and there is no more aspirational product than a guitar. Myth and mystique surrounds the instruments of old we think of as ‘Holy Grails’.
My objective with Fret-King Blue Label series™ instruments is to bring all the best attributes of our shared heritage together and produce modern classics.
A lifetime of research carried out into what makes an electric guitar ‘tick’, combined with wide experience of guitar building in many production facilities on every continent, has enabled me to use my knowledge to create a range infused with the subtleties which blend style, tone, clarity and power to make a truly world-class guitar.
New to the Fret-King® Blue Label range in 2010 are the Ventura and Elan Super 60 models, which are available in various finishes and pickup configurations. A Ventura 80 bass has also been introduced.
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BLUE LABELNEW 2010 MODELS
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FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON JHS PRODUCTS AND DEALERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
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Includes the new state of the art DM10 brain with a massive 1047 uncompressed, fully editable, 24-bit individual classic drum sounds, covering all music genres – we dare you to take the sound challenge!64 note polyphonic and 128 MB internal ROM, 100 preset kits, 100 user kits The world fi rst expandable drum brain with external 3rd party sound sets downloadable via USB – and from the worlds most respected drum sound houses (BFD and ToonTrack amongst others)
75 x real audio demo sequences, editable drum recorderVast array of fully editable FX, incl. reverbs, delays, compressors12 pad inputs for extra pads/cymbalsIncludes real alloy, but silent SURGE CYMBALS = one 12“ hi-hat, one 16“ triple-zone ride with choke, one 13“ dual-zone crash with chokeHeavy-duty chrome drum rack with professional mounting hardware Rugged steel continuous hi hat controller
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WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO MAY 2010 33
Hall 4.0 at the Musikmesse this year
witnessed something of a quiet
revolution – if one can use that
adjective when talking about anything in
the electric guitar hall – as Tanglewood
Guitars took a stand dedicated to electric
instruments for the first time. And while
the new Signature series was more than
evident, it was not the six-stringers that
were making the biggest buzz
(unfortunate pun not intended).
No, the big news on the Tanglewood
electric stand was the appearance of the
Overwater by Tanglewood brand of bass
guitars, which sees Chris May’s Overwater
designs finding their way into the mid-
price bracket for the first time. It is
something of a coup for both parties.
May has been looking to broaden his
appeal for some years now and
Tanglewood gets to jump into the bass
market with one of the most respected
bass makers in the world.
“I have done some stuff for other
companies in the past and I have
been approached by various others
to do some work – mostly as a
consultant,” reveals May. “Having
had experience working abroad, I
now know that working in the Far East
is like walking through treacle, so I’ve
tended to steer clear.”
When Tanglewood’s Tony Flatt
approached Overwater in February 2009,
however, May’s desire to reach out finally
met with an operation that ticked all
the boxes.
“For a start, Tony was really
excited about the possibilities. On
top of that, Tanglewood is a British
business and is based relatively
close to me and I’ve known the
guys for years. Add to that the
fact that it has a huge amount of
experience of mass
manufacturing in the Far East and
that you never hear a bad word said
about its guitars, I was pretty
interested from the start.
“I suppose the clincher came when Tony
said ‘you’re the bass person – you tell us
what to do.’ I have never been interested
in entering into a badging operation, so
when someone tells you that you should
simply design the guitars and they will
cost them afterwards, you know your
principles are not going to be
compromised. I am determined to keep
the ethos of my custom basses and have
the Tanglewood models as the baby
brothers. We’ve called the Tanglewood
basses the Aspiration series – that sums
up exactly what we are trying to do.”
Flatt and Tanglewood’s work with May
closely follow the work the company
undertook with the Swedish luthier,
Michael Sanden that resulted in the
Master Design series of electro-acoustics –
guitars whose design and manufacture
was overseen by a worthy craftsman, but
on a scale and with an outreach that goes
a whole world further than the luthier
could hope to achieve. The result is
Tanglewood making guitars of
unimpeachable pedigree, while designs
that would never have reached a mass
market find themselves in the hands of
players from all walks and who might well
begin to dream of playing ‘the real thing’.
It’s a smart model.
The principle of May’s designs is simple:
Make an electric bass guitar as though it
were an acoustic instrument first. The
fundamental tone comes from the woods
(and the combinations thereof), so May
has spent decades (his business began in
1979) testing and sourcing the very finest
examples. The next step is to get the
electrics right.
“It’s not cutting edge technology, but
you’d be amazed at how many people get
it wrong. My basses are quiet – really
quiet – but I don’t do anything differently
from anybody else. I just engineer them
properly. The internal wirings, for example,
use copper mesh shielding and are neatly
laid out. This doesn’t cost any more,
doesn’t take any more time, it’s simply
knowing that it makes a difference – but a
lot of people don’t seem to know this.
The darlingbass of MayChris May has been making some of the finest bass guitars
on the planet for over 30 years now, but has been looking
for ways to increase availability. Andy Barrett discovers
that Tanglewood had the know-how and the outreach…
Overwater by
Tanglewood starts the
aspiration chain
OVERWATER BY TANGLEWOOD BRAND PROFILE
You don’t need spaghetti under the cover.
It only makes for trouble later on and adds
to the noise the instrument will make.”
For those of you assuming that May is
talking about his custom-made
instruments – top marks, but the same
wiring and care is being taken on the
Tanglewood models, as well (see picture,
right). “We are using the same two and
three-band eqs on the Tanglewood models
as we do on the custom instruments.”
May is probably being a little modest
when he says that there is nothing cutting
edge about what he does. Among his
credits are the first active bass, the first C-
register bass, the first five string, six string
– the list is pretty impressive.
“I’ve been pretty fortunate,” he says,
with no hint of irony. “I started making
basses for pro players and kind of
stumbled into making them for session
and freelance players. From there, all sorts
of ideas and suggestions began to crop up,
including the growing interest in reaching
lower notes. In 1985 I made a 36-inch
scale, C-register bass for one customer – it
was meant to be a one-off, but then a
chance meeting with David Gilmour (I had
no idea who he was and I asked him what
he did) revealed that he was looking for a
low bass, so I made him one, then more
for Guy Pratt and John Entwistle and
others. By the time Mick Knopfler said he
needed a five-string model, the
technology was already there.
“This is how we keep a step ahead of
the game,” continues May. “We work with
and listen to the players and act
accordingly. Of course, it is all very well
coming up with a design for a five-string
or six-string bass, but then you have to
design the pickup and the electrics.”
Squeezing the Overwater ethos into the
Tanglewood brand is not, May is very keen
to point out, a one or two
man job. The project team
includes some of the top
people in electric guitars.
There is Alan Entwistle –
another Tanglewood
‘regular contributor’,
having designed the
pickups for many
Tanglewood electrics –
Overwater luthier and
CAD expert Haydn
Williams, bass electronics
expert John East and
production engineer Jim
Donahue (himself a luthier) all
working under May’s direction.
The fact that this is the
same team that designs
and makes Overwater’s
boutique basses again
shows the utter lack
of corner-cutting in
the creation of the
Tanglewood brand.
“Each of these
guys speaks a
particular dialect of
the manufacturing
language that factories understand,” May
continues. “The factories can only do what
you tell them to do. If you want a pickup
to work properly or a bridge that is just
right, you are going to need the right
tools. So many so-called makers just get
their components off the peg, but these
new models are designed – and essentially
made – by top luthiers.
“This means I have a range of basses
that slots in perfectly under the
handmade Overwater models.”
This, of course, is not to say that it has
all been plain sailing. May describes the
frustrations of getting messages across
and incorrect prototypes delivered as akin
to herding cats. “It’s a huge learning curve
for all of us,” he admits. “We’re only now
getting the models that sound and feel
right after over a year of work, but we’re
nearly there. We’re down to getting the
finishing touches right – you know, having
the fingerboards buffed to give them a
hand-made feel.” At this point, May
laughs. “It’s funny, I was in China looking
over a couple of prototypes and I noticed
that the fret ends had been smoothed, so I
asked them how they had done that. The
chap rather shamefacedly said that he had
a worker on the line filing them by hand. I
was delighted! That’s just what I do. It is
just these finishing touches to production
that need to be made and we are ready to
go into production. Once they have the
full schedule, they can repeat it over again
and get it right each time.”
For the dealers, the new Overwater by
Tanglewood basses will be shipping
sometime during May and will be hitting
the shops around June – at the latest July.
There are four basic models in the range
to begin with, starting out with the J-
series model, which is the only passive
model of the four, at an impressive £329
retail. The other three have the more
distinctive Overwater Progress styling and
come in at the £499 (Standard), £549
(Deluxe) and £899 (Elite) price points. The
latter is a full-blooded, neck-thru-body
instrument with two pickups and gold-
finished hardware, fitting, as May points
out, snugly under the starting price of
around £1,400 for a handmade Overwater.
“Custom bass guitars is what I do,” he
concludes. “I’m not replacing anything
with anything else. Doing this with
Tanglewood simply gives me the chance
to get to more people.”
The final message is that Overwater by
Tanglewood is not a range of Overwater
copies, it is a series of bass guitars aimed
at a more budget conscious player. “If I
could make my own guitars like this, I
would,” says May. “This is spreading the
word of the custom instruments, but more
than that, I believe that the one will feed
off the other. We have learned a lot on
this project and there will be
techniques and innovations that both
sides of the business will benefit from. I’m
not trying to start a turf war or anyting
like that with the brands that are already
on the market, I’m just looking to get into
the mainstream.”
With the Tanglewood sales and
marketing machine behind the project,
mainstream is certainly what it will be –
and a most welcome newcomer to the
sector it is.
TANGLEWOOD: 01937 841122
”It’s not cutting edge
technology, but you’d
be amazed how many
people get it wrong.Chris MayOverwater
Keeping wiring tidy
reduces interference
and aids maintenance
BRAND PROFILE OVERWATER BY TANGLEWOOD
34 miPRO MAY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
Retailers wishing to attend should email mirc@intentmedia.co.ukFor details of Event Partner packages, email Jodie.Holdway@intentmedia.co.uk or phone 01992 535647
10:30 – Coffee/Registration
11:00 – Conference
13:00-14:00 – Lunch
13:00-18:00 – ExpoExclusive meeting opportunitiesfor Event Partners and over 75of the UK’s leading dealers
18:00-23:00 – After Show PartySponsored by Roland. Beer andThe Fabulous Beatles at theadjacent Parker McMillan bar
Confirmed speakers include:
BILLY BRAGGThe veteran singer-songwriterand activist talks about theimportance of music, the role ofMI retailers at the hub ofcommunities and the progress ofhis Jail Guitar Doors scheme.
MATTHEW GIBBS, GFKThe man heading up the MIdivision at one of the biggestresearch companies in the worldpresents exclusive data on thecurrent state and possible futureof the UK market, highlightingthe key trends and outstandingopportunities.
JASON TAVARIA, DOLPHINThe Dolphin founder and directorwill be part of a panel discussingthe challenges and rewardsinvolved in the rise of e-commerce.
PAUL MCMANUS, MIAHow the trade body can help allretailers do more business andmake more money.
Further panel sessions will beannounced shortly.
Plus, a representative from theDepartment of Children, Schoolsand Families will outline what thepost-May 6th Government’s plansare for music education.
EVENT PARTNERS
AFTER SHOW PARTY SPONSOR
In recent years, classical music has
mutated from the passion of the
privileged to a genre with true mass
market appeal. While TV and radio
exposure both have their part to play, at
the sharp end of the classical world, it’s
sheet music providers like MDS that have
proliferated classical scores into thousands
of stores across the country.
These days, anyone who overlooks
having a decent classical selection in store
risks alienating a large and growing
customer base, something MDS has known
for some time now. “MDS was founded on
July 1st, 2004, as a limited liability
company (GmbH) and is a wholly owned
subsidiary of Schott Music,” explains
general manager Andreas Pawlenka.
“However, the distribution centre on the
outskirts of Mainz has existed since 1974.
“Over the last ten years, MDS has
pursued a particularly dynamic growth.
“In 1999, the warehouse complex was
significantly expanded. With the
integration of the sheet music distribution
of MDS Ltd, Ashford in 2001, the company
started to provide a comprehensive,
flexible spectrum of distribution and
warehousing services worldwide.
“We offer titles from a huge selection of
classical music publishers, including Schott
Music, Boosey & Hawkes, Universal Edition
and Carl Fischer, with more than 100,000
titles from over 100 publisher partners and
suppliers, to thousands of trade partners all
over the world.”
Don't be fooled into thinking this is a
purely classical outfit though. MDS has
got fingers in many parts of the publishing
pie and is a company with a keen eye
for expansion.
“MDS is a distributor of all types of
printed music,” says Pawlenka. “Therefore,
we do not specialise in particular niches
and with the exclusive distribution of
Schott Music, Boosey & Hawkes, Universal
Edition and Doblinger we cover almost the
complete range of sheet music.
“Moreover, in the last five years we
gave a lot of thought to product lines,
generating additional turnover for the
trade besides printed music. The most
successful examples are the high-quality
music accessories of Vienna World and the
products of Star Notenschreibpapiere
(manuscript papers). Therefore, the
diversity and breadth of our portfolio is
also reflected in the bestsellers of the last
months. As well as the focus on Christmas
music there is a wide diversification
throughout all genres and instruments.”
There are plenty of reasons for retailers
to look in MDS’ direction when searching
for a new sheet music supplier. In recent
years the company has grown to become
one of the leading names in this area of
the market.
“MDS offers a fast and efficient service,
with orders taking on average three
working days from placing the order to
despatch and delivery from our German
warehouse,” says Pawlenka. “More and
more customers are placing their orders
online through the website and in the UK,
all orders placed online over £175 are sent
carriage free. We also maintain a UK
service centre, catering for the UK trade
and offering a direct contact. There is also
our UK sales representative, David Barker,
who travels throughout the UK.”
With the global economy still weak and
the entire MI sector feeling the strain,
MDS has found a positive spin on things.
“Times of economic stress bring people
closer together,” asserts Pawlenka. “ In
recent months, we have been in close
contact with many publishers. All of us
realised that each music publisher can
only exploit its full market potential if we
succeed to anchor the music industry
deeply as a whole and deliver our message
of active music making in the public and
political consciousness. I think of this
financial and economic crisis as a chance
to abandon old competitiveness and to
work on co-operation.
“Of course, MDS benefits from the
investment opportunities of our parent
company Schott Music. Those capable of
reacting and investing in economic turmoil
increase their chances for a successful
future. That’s why Schott Music has proved
successful in Mainz for 240 years and in
London for 175 years.”
So what does the future hold for this
industrious sheet music specialist? “One
subject lies particularly close to my heart,”
says Pawlenka. “We made significant
technical investments and constantly work
to improve our online database at mds-
partner.com. Meanwhile, most music
publishers realise that high-quality master
data is a prerequisite for successful
business. Therefore, we support the
endeavours of the Music Publishers
Association in the UK to provide a uniform
database like the International Database for
Printed Music and Musical Products system
of the German Music Publisher’s
Association in Germany.
“Of course, there will be time for
networking and exchanging ideas with our
partners. Creative and innovative ideas are
always welcome. I am particularly looking
forward to this active exchange of ideas.”
MDS: +49 6131 50519
“Times of economic
stress bring people
closer together. Andreas Pawlenka
General manager, MDS
There are rich pickings in the world of music publishing, something that successful German
publisher MDS knows only too well. Rob Power takes a look at the Teutonic titan...
36 miPRO MAY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
COMPANY PROFILE MDS
The MDS touch
EVENT PARTNERS
AFTER SHOW PARTY SPONSOR
Retailers wishing to attend should email mirc@intentmedia.co.ukFor details of Event Partner packages, email Jodie.Holdway@intentmedia.co.uk or phone 01992 535647
Over 100 dealers representing over 150shops (900 if you count all the Argosstores) have registered to attend the MIRetail Conference & Expo. They include:
AbsoluteAckermanAdvance MusicAmazonArgosBaird Sound SystemsBeckett’s MusicBonnersBrittensBruce MillersChappell of Bond StreetChas FouldsCoda
Cooke’s Band InstrumentsCounty Music SuppliesDawkesDawsonsDolphinDuck, Son & PinkerEric FurzeEric LindseyFoote’sGamlinsGardonyi’sGreensleevesHard To Find RecordsHolmes MusicHW AudioJ.G. WindowsKnock On WoodMillers Music Centre
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The MI Retail Conference & Expo is also supported by the UK’s two main buying groups
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO MAY 2010 39
PROFILE
I WOKE UPTHIS MORNING
Iusually get up at seven and the first thing I do
is check for any emails on my Blackberry. Then
it’s a case of having a bit of breakfast followed
by a nice, relaxing 40-minute drive from my home
in Kilsby to my workplace in Rothley.
My job as sales manager involves spending half
my time in the office and the other half on the
road. If I’m in the office I’m usually doing a bit of
research and development or sourcing and if I’m
out and about, I’m usually traveling around the
Midlands, at the
moment mostly
helping set up
dealerships for Dream
Cymbals, which we are
exclusive UK
distributors for.
I also go all over the
country, to places like
Manchester and it’s
nice to get on the road.
I started at Soar
Valley in February 2009
after having worked at
Arbiter for 21 years and
I spent 15 years
building Sabian up in the UK. I do a lot of work
with Ryan Swift from our art and graphics
department, particularly on products and adverts.
I enjoy working here; it’s located in a nice
village and on my break I often head off for a pub
lunch or go and eat down by the river.
One problem with being on the road is that
sometimes I end up working a 12-hour shift from
eight until eight, whereas on a normal day I’ll get
in just after six.
As for my free time, I like to do a bit of daily
meditation to classical music and I’ve recently
taken up learning the cajon. I’ve been playing for
about a year and I’m currently doing my best to
work up to the level where I can play at one of
the local open mic nights around here, aimed at
alternative instruments.
As you’d probably expect, I have a drum
background and I’ve played in a band for 20 years.
We did our last gig about two months ago, after
we got fed up with carting all the gear around.
I also have two teenagers (a son and daughter)
and sometimes I’ll have a go with my son’s new
Smith & Wesson BB gun that he’s currently
obsessed with. I’m at the age now where I
always try and
maintain a healthy
balance of work,
family and leisure.
Work is really busy
at the moment. The
business is based
around education and
traditional
instruments from
around the world, but
there are severe
education budgeting
cutbacks on the
horizon. This is one of
the reasons why we
have started moving more into more rock n roll
style percussion.
We also have Techtonic, Soar Valley’s own
electronic drum kit, as well as Dream Cymbals. All
of this means there is a lot to keep me busy at
the moment.
I’m looking forward to getting back to Bulgaria
soon, as I have an apartment there and I love the
country. I’m thinking of heading over in May and
again in August, I try to get over there a couple
times a year. The rest of the time I rent it out, so
this is another nice little moneymaker. I also have
a little pug that I enjoy taking for a walk every
day. That might not be very rock n roll but it
makes me happy.
Darran Bramley, Soar
Valley’s sales
manager, gives MI
Pro insight in to his
balanced lifestyle of
hectic sales and Zen-
like relaxation
techniques…
Sales Manager, Soar Valley
DARRAN BRAMLEY
”I spend half my time in the
office and the other half on
the road. If I’m out and
about, I’m mostly setting
up dealerships for
Dream Cymbals, which
we are exclusive
distributors for.
With 30 years of experience in digital pianos, the Privia collection from Casio
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To experience the innovative and true expressiveness of Casio’s new pianos, visit www.casiomusic.co.ukOr call 0208 208 7829 for your nearest stockist.
The model shown is the beautiful PX-730. The Privia range starts from £599.99
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CASIO Electronic Musical Instruments
YE
A
R WARRAN
TY
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO MAY 2010 41
SAXOPHONES SECTOR SPOTLIGHT
The problem with dynamic trends in
consumer markets is that the more
meteoric the boom, the harder the
bust hits. Home organs is a prime
example, although there it was keyboard
technology that shifted the market, but
guitars, too, suffered hugely during the
synth and DJ crazes of the 80s and 90s.
Guitars have, of course, fought their
way back to the hearts of the instrument
buying public, but not before a good few
scares and bankruptcies had traumatised
that portion of the trade.
From the vantage of the second decade
of the second millennium, the whittling of
the saxophone market to a stable plateau
took place so long ago that sales have
remained pretty consistent through the
living memory of most dealer outlets and,
as a result, those that have got themselves
settled in this smart corner of the trade
wouldn’t swap it for the world.
Saxes are much like any other MI
product, fitting into the entry-level, mid-
priced and high-end categories, and across
musical genres, but spanning as they do
the woodwind and brass instrument
families, the complexities of materials and
construction make them a tricky
maintenance option for the player and
thus a stocking option filled with pitfalls.
While it is true that Far Eastern
manufacture has opened up the
saxophone market to unprecedented
levels and equally true that the standard
of these instruments has reached a level
that couldn’t even be dreamed of 20 years
ago, there is a lot of gear out there that
could prove more trouble than it is worth.
The first issue is one of being in tune –
important from pretty much any
perspective when talking of music.
Now, before some of you vintage
Selmer players start drafting your letters
about how perfect tuning on a sax is
impossible and hitting the note is an
essential element of the art of playing the
instrument, let me tell you that I know.
But that doesn’t change the fact that
there are some instruments out there that
patently do not keep tune with
themselves, let alone with others. A
dodgily tuned instrument is not much of a
hindrance, actually, when learning in
isolation – as many do – but it is the
ensemble playing that makes such
instruments all but useless.
The other thing to watch out for is the
build quality. Substandard assembly and
keywork increases the likelihood not only
of things going wrong, but also the ease
(or even the point) of repairing. It can be a
headache for the retailer. Dodgy
instrument goes wrong, customer brings it
in, it is repaired, customer pays… Now,
when it goes wrong again, the customer is
most likely to question your service rather
than the quality of the instrument.
Of course, the margin on cheaper
instruments is not going to match that of
the higher-priced models, either, so if you
are going to stock cheaper saxes, you
want to be sure you are getting your own
value for money as well as the customer.
The need, therefore, for a specialist
technician is vital. You don’t need to
employ one full-time in your shop, of
course, but you will need to develop a
good relationship with someone locally. If
you do, it’s a real win-win. More business
for the tech and a new stream for you.
“Those that have
got themselves
settled in this
smart corner of
the trade
wouldn’t drop it
for the world.
Saxophones have remained a staple of the MI trade for nigh on a century now and while the products peaked in terms of
growth a long time ago, the consistency of the instrument makes it something of a temptation for many MI retailers…
The joy of sax
SECTOR SPOTLIGHT SAXOPHONES
42 miPRO MAY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
Saxes – particularly alto saxes – are big
on the education side of things and this is
where a lot of dealers have made good
business from renting instruments to
uncertain parents, which brings in a nice
touch of cashflow and will mean that
there will be a sale, or at worst a resale.
The problem with the rental market for
some is that cheaper instruments and
increased Government funding for
instruments means that a) parents are
more likely to buy, particularly when b)
schools are buying more of their own
instruments and often selling on. The
specialist education retailers out there
(and there are surprisingly few) are doing
good business from this situation – and
good luck to them – but it means that
the rental market is on something of a
decline at the moment, leaving the best
slice of the market in the mid to high-
end. Not an area one can jump into easily.
Little wonder, then, that the majority
of instruments we have been asked to flag
up for this article fall squarely in those
two brackets.
Staying with teachers for a moment,
Yamaha is probably their single most
recommended brand. The instruments are,
of course, very good and although a lot of
the pros like something a little darker
and dirtier, the crystal sound of a Yamaha
is also liked and the stability of the
instruments makes them perfect
for students.
Yamaha alto and tenor saxophones are
characterised by a highly expressive tone,
comfortable playability and extremely
accurate intonation, while the sopranos
are considered by many to be the very
pinnacle of the instrument, featuring
considerable warmth for an
upper-register instrument.
Yanagisawa has been making
saxophones in its specialised Japanese
workshops since 1954 and is regarded by
a great number of professionals as the
ultimate player’s instrument. Add to that
a history of genuine innovation and
Yanagisawa’s position among elite
musicians is most definitely secure.
Yanagisawa’s appeal begins at the
advanced student level with the popular
A901 and T901 models (£2,235 and
£2,525). These brass lacquered
instruments lead into the bronze
lacquered 992 series and subsequently
into the 9930 silverplated series.
Yanis arrive in the UK (supplied to the
UK through Barnes & Mullins) in sealed
boxes, following set up in Japan. Dealers
prefer to receive them like this, too –
untouched since leaving the factory.
Yanagisawa saxes can be seen in action
all over the world by artists such as
Tommy Smith, Peter King, Snake Davis,
Ingrid Laubrook and Gilad Atzmon.
Manufactured in Taiwan, Antigua
models were initially launched only in the
US market, but having seen the positive
results across the pond, Reliance Corp (the
manufacturer) chose to refocus its efforts
on building Antigua into a global brand.
Having spent its recent history OEM
manufacturing saxophones for some of
the biggest names in the business, the
company had experience that was second
to none. Like Yanagisawa, Antigua is
Antigua TS4230 tenor£1,313
Of Antigua’s extensive range, the most exciting at the
moment are the TS and AS4230s, which benefit from
the projection and tone of the Powerbell and really
look the business thanks to a rather tasty antique
finish, more usually the preserve of antique violins or
vintage guitars.
Very much in the high-end of the
sax market, Yanagisawa is still an
unbelievably popular brand, and the
A901 alto is one of the reasons
why. A rich, clear tone combines
with ease of blowing and a
superlatively smooth action to
make this the choice of many
pro players. Other features
include an adjustable front
F key, Teflon inner octave
system, C#-Bb connected table
key, airtight waterproof pad. The
A901 is hand-engraved with a
lacquer finish.
Yanagisawa A901 alto £2,235
Jupiter JAS-567GL alto£634.49
This alto sax is one of the most
popular student instruments and
this model has been awarded the
MIA Best Woodwind Instrument
accolade twice. Built in China, the
567 has an excellent spec, but is
made lighter than the JAS-769GL
to accommodate the needs of
children. Strong but light bracing
means even a small child has very
little issue with weight.
5 reasons to stock Windcraft instruments
To join our network of Dealers & for a 30 day FREE trial please contact:Vaughan Bower on 07934 411 186 or by email: vaughan@windcraft.co.uk
www.staggmusic.com
BRUSSELS, 1840.ADOLPHE SAX DREAMS UP
A NEW INSTRUMENT.
BRUSSELS, 2010.STAGG INTRODUCES THE ALL-NEW
77-SA ALTO SAXOPHONE.
FEATURES:
F/F# link leverFull regulation screws for left and right hand
Blue steel springsUpgraded felts
Stop bumper on crook key
All Stagg woodwind instruments are fully checked and professionally set up by Stagg’s in-house technicians
prior to shipping.
Please call the UK sales team on 01293 862612, contact your area sales manager, or log on to our dealerwebsite at www.emdmusic.com for more details.
44 miPRO MAY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
Everybody knows Stagg as pretty
much the premier entry-level
brand for… Well, just about
everything – and that includes
saxophones. What many might
not know about, perhaps, is the
extensive technical department
in Brussels that sets up each
instrument before shipping.
These hand-made instruments ship in a
variety of coloured and natural lacquers
and with a lightweight hard case.
Stagg 77-ST tenor£605
Odyssey OAS25L alto£399
JHS’ Odyssey OAS25L alto sax pack
has been a first-choice option for
student players for years, with a
polished gold clear lacquer brass body,
forged keywork, reinforced mounting
posts, stainless steel springs and
leather pads with reflectors for
brightness and tone. The body
features drawn tone holes,
wire reinforced bells and
removable decorative key
guards. This pack contains
a plush-lined hard case,
mouthpiece and woven sax
sling with safety clip.
distributed in the UK through Barnes &
Mullins, giving the Shropshire supplier an
enviable coverage in this sector for
students to the best of the pro market.
On the alto and tenor side of things, all
the Antigua Pro range feature a Powerbell
design, which provides increased
projection and tonal clarity. The starting
point for these models is the alto AS4240
(£835) or tenor TS4240 (£969), which
feature a clear lacquer body and keys,
extensive hand-engraving, premium
leather pads with domed metal resonators
and a hard shell wood case.
Jupiter manufacturer KHS puts great
emphasis on quality in both materials and
manufacturing, but the company is also
committed to environmental protection
and employee welfare across its factories.
Jupiter uses premium nickel silver and
brass from Japan on its saxes, unrivalled
coating metals from the UK, refined
polishing compounds from the USA,
mouthpieces engineered in Germany, cork
from the wine regions of Italy and France,
specialised adhesives from Canada and
lubricating compounds from Switzerland.
That’s an impressive component spec.
The JAS-769GL is the mid-range
instrument in the Taiwanese-made range
with subtle differences to the JAS-567GL
(see page 42) and this model has been the
backbone of the Jupiter saxes for at least
20 years. It is recommended for the
more advanced child or adult wishing to
learn. It is an instrument for life, and
feedback to Jupiter continuously tells the
tale of instruments being passed from
parents to children, proving Jupiter is
very much standing the test of time.
JHS’s Odyssey brand sees the
Garforth supplier/manufacturer doing
what it does best: taking experts in the
field and using them for R&D to create
value-for-money instruments that
include features from more expensive
models. Odyssey brass and woodwind
topped the retailer vote in MI Pro’s 2008
retailer survey.
Odyssey alto saxophones feature
(as seen above) a top notch spec and
come with a good selection of
accessories. There is also a wide range
of Odyssey accessories available for
the whole family of brass and
woodwind instruments.
All of the above, of course, merely
ripples at the surface of the huge
amount of saxophone options available
from the mighty (and mightily priced)
Selmer down to the most humble of
models, across soprano, alto, tenor,
baritone and even the odd bass model,
for beginners, students, semi-pros and
pros. It’s a big business, competitive,
but big.
Among those worthy of more comment,
but where we have unfortunately run out
of space, there is the J Michael line-up
available through FCN. This range includes
all of the features one would expect, as
well as a wide variety of finishes, aimed
predominantly at the entry-level market.
On the student to pro side, Trevor
James’ The Horn continues to hold its
respectable portion of the market.
The big news of the past few years
among the pro players, particularly jazzers,
has been the P Mauriat range of saxes.
Hand-made from start to finish, P Mauriat
offers players great response, a full sound
and intonation, and superb key action.
Finally, the last spot is reserved for the
new kid on the block. Windcraft, which has
been supplying the trade with quality
accessories and replacement components
for some years now, has launched the
Series I range of instruments, with an alto
sax that has a strong USP.
With music services around the UK
buying into cheaper, Far-Eastern made
instruments, the problem of repair and
maintenance grows as technicians are
faced with saxes of no known origin – thus
a problem finding spares. Windcraft has
taken the baton on this one with a new sax
that takes up the claim of being built for
quality, not to fit a budget. Possibly, but the
important issues are that the sax comes
with a five-year warranty from a company
with quality technicians and all of the right
spares and replacements to give each
instrument the longest possible playing life.
So keen is the supplier to get the news
out there that it is offering dealers a 30-
day free trial.
Windcraft Series I alto£471.02
The Series I saxophone is free blowing
with good construction, intonation and
solid sound and comes with a Windcraft
student mouthpiece. It is also supplied in
a lightweight back-pack style case with
accessories, Gonzalez reeds and a five-
year warranty. With Windcraft’s
experience of supplying quality
accessories and components, this is a
student sax with some serious back-up.
Check ‘em out.
CONTACT DETAILS
BARNES & MULLINS(YANAGISAWA/ANTIGUA)01691 668310EMD (STAGG) 01293 862612YAMAHA 01908 366700KORG (JUPITER) 01908 857100WINDCRAFT 01628 778377JHS (ODYSSEY) 0113 286 5381FCN (J MICHAEL) 01892 603733WORLDWIND (P MAURIAT/TREVOR JAMES)01622 859590
Yamaha YAS275 alto£968
A real favourite among teachers, the
YAS275 alto is a free blowing, well
intoned sax that can take the student
right up to pro-playing level. The 275
has a left-hand seesaw key that’s been
redesigned to facilitate playability as
well as feel more comfortable and like
all Yamaha saxes, an adjustable thumb
hook for comfort and ease of playing.
The finish is gold lacquer and the
outfit ships with a hard case and a
Yamaha mouthpiece.
SECTOR SPOTLIGHT SAXOPHONES
Considering just how central a good
set of microphones is to achieving a
decent live sound, it’s astonishing
how many artists simply use the first thing
at hand. How many gigs have you seen
with the singer clutching a house mic that
has been hollered into by every halitosis-
ridden metal singer to have passed
through? I’m betting it’s quite a few.
Microphones for live use are crucial to
presenting an artist, no matter what style
or genre, in the best possible light.
Thankfully, there are plenty of products to
suit most price points out there that don’t
sacrifice quality for value.
SENNHEISER
The award-winning Evolution series
continues to sell extremely well for
Sennheiser, with a number of hand-held
models, including the e840, e935 and e965
in particular, all performing well. The
cardioid e935 shows what Sennheiser does
best. Its tough metal body contains an
advanced shock mount design and hum
cancelling coil, and comes complete with a
protective pouch and microphone clamp.
RØDE
Røde has a great reputation for excellent
sound, a sturdy and solid feel and very
reasonable prices. In the live arena, the M
series is swiftly becoming an established
line in this area of the market. The dynamic
M1 is built to take a nuclear blast (or a
particularly careless roadie), whilst the M2
condenser features integrated shock
mountings and a feedback rejecting super-
cardioid pickup pattern.
PEAVEY
Peavey has long been interested in the
microphone market and has a few
interesting options for under £200. The
PVM22, for example, is a high output
dynamic mic with coated diaphragm and
neodymium magnet and is available for
£195. The hypercardioid PVM46 comes in
slightly cheaper at £179.
SAMSON
Samson has two handheld condenser mic
models which have found a solid following
in the live market. First up is the CL5, a
handheld dynamic available in black or
nickel finish, which alongside its brother the
CO5, is a strong performer. Elsewhere at
Samson is the Q8, another handheld
dynamic designed for live and studio use. It
is well suited to regular gigging thanks to its
well thought out construction and inherent
feedback rejection. A shock mounted multi-
axis neodymium element and super cardioid
pickup pattern make this a clear sounding,
versatile microphone.
AUDIX
With a host of new products unveiled at
Frankfurt, Audix is clearly going all out to
expand in this area of the market. Jeff Beck
is on the road with a full complement of
mics, including the D2, D4, the i5 for snare
drums and the SCX25 as overheads. Beck
also has an i5 on his Marshall Cab and uses
an OM7 for vocals.
The OM7 is known for its ability to
provide unprecedented gain before feedback
on concert level stages, without sacrificing
sound quality. It is also extremely resistant
to feedback on loud stages.
The newly designed Fusion series consists
of four models – the F2, F5, and F6
“Thankfully, there
are plenty of
products to suit
most price points
out there that
don’t sacrifice
quality for value.
With musicians happily blasting their hard-earned cash on expensive instruments, few seem to realise that a good
microphone can be just as important. Rob Power takes a look at what’s currently on offer in this understated sector...
SECTOR SPOTLIGHT MICROPHONES
46 miPRO MAY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
Hot Chip use Shure
microphones
(picture Jo
McCaughey)
Vocal dexterity
dynamic microphones and the F9
condenser. Each of these products is
available individually or collectively in
three new mic packages: the FP4, FP5,
and FP7.
Suited for both live and studio, the F2,
F5 and F6 include low mass diaphragms
for excellent transient response and high
output neodymium magnets. Precision
cast zinc alloy bodies and durable steel
mesh grills complete this impressive list of
specs. The F9 condenser is designed for
overheads, cymbals and acoustic
instruments. It features a 16mm gold
vapor diaphragm and an impressive
dynamic range of 115 dB.
JHS
The GYC brand from JHS has gone from
strength to strength in recent months and
has a number of clear best-sellers. The
1950s’ style GM55 stand mounted
microphone comes solidly constructed in
a chrome-plated die-cast casing. Also
featuring a self tensioning swivel base, this
is an eye-catching and affordable
microphone, coming in at £109.
The robust and reliable GS56S uni-
directional microphone is priced at just
£17.99. It’s traditionally styled, featuring a
sensitivity rating of -72dB and is supplied
with 4.5m of cable and standard mono
jack plug.
AUDIO TECHNICA
There is plenty currently on offer from
Audio Technica, particularly in the Artist
Elite and Artist series. These ranges are
covered by a lifetime warranty. They also
fall into the first impressions trial scheme,
where customers can try them for two
weeks free of charge.
The excellent Gallows are using the
AE6100 for vocals, the AE2500 for guitars
and the AE5100, AE300 and ATM350 for
various drums.
More affordable AT live mics include
the Pro Series and entry level Midnight
Blues ranges, both covering dynamic and
condenser models. A couple of ‘packaged’
drum mic sets in the MB range – the
DK5 and DK7 feature the previous set,
plus a pair of MB4k condensers for
overheads.
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO MAY 2010 47
MICROPHONES SECTOR SPOTLIGHT
Shure Beta 27£389.00
A new addition to Shure’s range is
the side-address Beta 27, featuring a
large diaphragm and extremely low
self-noise. Its supercardioid polar
pattern targets the sound source,
allowing for extremely fine detail no
matter how demanding the acoustic
environment may be.
Stagg MD-007 £51.00
A mic designed to bring out the
inner Elvis, this is a great looking
50s’ style condenser that both
looks and sounds the part
without costing the earth. A
must for nifty fifties throwbacks
or anyone looking for something
a bit different.
Audio Technica AE2500 £540
An unusual dual use microphone,
featuring both dynamic and electret
capsules. This is an innovative and
highly adaptable microphone with a
number of application including
kicks drums and, if you're Metallica,
guitar cabs.
Kam KDM550S£39.95
Quality ergonomic design combined
with an affordable price makes this
Kam mic perfect for musicians taking
their first steps out into the big bad
world of live performance.
48 miPRO MAY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
The M1-S combines the
sound quality of the M1 with
a fully lockable On/Off
switch, high-output
neodymium capsule and
feedback rejecting pickup
pattern, as well as a ten year
Røde guarantee.
Røde M1S£TBC
Sennheiser e 965£492.99
The e 965 is a hand-held vocal
microphone with true condenser
capsule that is able to cut through
high on-stage levels with ease.
Additionally, the e 965 is the best-
selling model of the award-winning
evolution 900 Series.
“Audio-Technica’s innovative approach
is highlighted with products like the
AE2500 and the new AT4080 and 4081
microphones. Their unique dual ribbon
design means they are robust enough for
use on stage as well as in the studio, unlike
ribbon mics of the past,” said Audio
Technica’s UK marketing manager, Harvey
Roberts.
SHURE
When it comes to stage mics, Shure is the
first name that springs to many minds. The
SM58 remains the industry standard
dynamic mic and is likely to be found at
your local venue. With this and the SM57
setting the standards in build quality, sound
and overall performance, Shure remains at
the top of the microphone tree.
A new addition is the side-address Beta
27. This model’s supercardioid polar pattern
targets the sound source, allowing for fine
detail. With its large diaphragm and
extremely low self-noise, the Beta 27
defines sound quality and high-calibre
performance.
KAM
Kam has an impressive value range of
dynamic stage and studio vocal
microphones, offering a fine balance of
performance and price.
The KDM series includes the Kam
KDM580S, a professional grade vocal
microphone with on/off switching. Next is
the KDM580, which is the same as the
580S but without the switching facility.
After that we have the 550S and 550B, two
high quality dynamic mics with on/off
switch and anti-roll rubber collars.
Suited for the education market is the
KDM500, a chrome finish model with
on/off switch and rigid carry case. Finally
there are the KDM400 and 200 models,
which also offer fantastic value for
money. All come with an XLR to 1/4 inch
jack microphone cable as standard.
STAGG
The Stagg range does a great job of
providing quality gear that is both
affordable and reliable. Take for example
the MD500BKH and the MD1500BKH,
a pair of ruggedly built dynamic mics
from the MD series that both look and
sound great for just £16.00 and £29.00
respectively. With hardshell carry cases
and XLR leads, that’s quite a bargain.
For another example of Stagg’s
astonishing value for money, take a look
at the DMS-5700 set of seven drum
mics, with five dynamic condensers, all
for £193.
CONTACT DETAILSSOURCE DISTRIBUTION020 8962 5080PEAVEY01536 461234KORG (SAMSON)01908 857100AUDIX - SUPERLUX020 8418 1470JHS01132 865 381AUDIO TECHNICA0113 277 1441 SHURE01992 703058KAM01582 690600SENNHEISER01494 551551
SECTOR SPOTLIGHT MICROPHONES
Peavey PVM480 £199.00
This supercardoid condensor has
a wide dynamic range, with flat
frequency response under its
powder black finish and comes
with a reassuring two year
guarantee from Peavey.
GYC MUD525£25.99
Hugely popular due to its wide
frequency response, which
offers high quality sound
reproduction at an affordable
price, the MUD525 features a
hard steel mesh with built-in
foam screen and pop filter. It
can also protect the element
from strong bumps and shock
without damage.
Superlux D112/C harmonica mic£41.13
The Superlux D112/C is a
dynamic microphone
specifically designed for
harmonica players. A
detented volume control is
perfectly placed underneath
the mic that is easy to
access while playing. The
tailored frequency response
is ideal for reproducing that
classic blues sound many
harp players are looking for.
Audix OM7£217.38
The OM7 is known for its
ability to provide
unprecedented gain before
feedback on concert level
stages. In addition, the
OM7 is extremely resistant
to feedback on loud stages
and for performers who
tend to ‘cup’ the
microphone with both
hands.
Exclusively distributed in the UK & Ireland by Source • www.sourcedistribution.co.uk/rode • T: 020 8962 5080
Only one manufacturer has the confidence to back its entire range of microphones with a 10 yearwarranty and a full money back guarantee. All of which makes it even easier to love your Røde.
Find out more at www.rodemic.com/moneyback
MONEY BACKGUARANTEE
Offer ends June 30th 201010YEAR
WARRANTY
With an outstanding heritage of musical instruments, the Celviano range
from Casio offers an authentic playing experience with a classic, inspired
appearance. With remarkable sound quality, 88 keys, authentic AiF sound
source and hammer action keyboard that replicates the true feel of an
acoustic instrument, let the magnificent sound of the Celviano range fill
you with classical inspiration.
Celebrating 30 Yearsof Musical Instruments
To experience the innovative and true expressiveness of Casio’s new pianos, visit www.casiomusic.co.ukOr call 0208 208 7826 for your nearest stockist.
The model shown is the elegant AP-420. The Celviano range starts at £769.99
www.casiomusic.co.uk
CASIO Electronic Musical Instruments
YE
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NEW PRODUCTSACCESSORIES � BACKLINE � BASS & GUITAR � DRUMS � PRINT
1. DUNLOP
HEAVY CORE STRINGS £8.99They say: The result of close co-operation
between Dunlop’s strings department and
many of its endorsed artists.
For: Guitarists
Range: Dunlop strings
Spec: Made in California, nickel-plated,
hex-core strings, three gauges (heavy,
heavier & heaviest) 10 to 48, 11 to 50
and 12 to 54, each with different core-to-
core wrap ratio. High tension standard
tuning or standard tension dropped
tuning.
From: JHS 0113 286 5381
Strings & Things 01273 440442
2. PLANET WAVES
TRU-STROBE PEDAL TUNER
£110They say: The ultimate stage tuner.
For: Musicians
Range: Planet Waves tuners
Spec: +/- 0.1 per cent accuracy, die-cast
casing, back-lit LCD display, Buzz Feiten
Tuning System offsets, six de-tuned
modes, adjustable calibration from A400
to A499, true bypass wiring.
From: D’Addario UK 0191 300 3000
Summerfield 0191 414 9000
4. MIGHTY BRIGHT
9 LED ORCHESTRA LIGHT
£59.99They say: Addresses many common
illumination needs of traveling and
professional musicians.
For: Musicians
Range: Mighty Bright lights
Spec: Nine-LED clip-on music light, four-
page coverage beam, adjustable gooseneck
arm, back shade for beam direction, AC
adapter (supplied) or three AA battery-
powered, ships with carrying case.
From: JHS 0113 286 5381
5. RICO
CLASSIC RESERVE CLARINET
REEDS £25 PER BOXThey say: Designed for clarinetists by
clarinetists.
For: Clarinetists
Range: Rico clarinet reeds
Spec: Lower-internode cane reeds,
developed using 3-D modeling software,
increased warmth and lightened
articulation from new tip radius, 3.5+ and
4.0+ strengths, cane treatment for reed
warping reduction, ten reeds per box.
From: Barnes & Mullins 01691 652449
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO MAY 2010 51
ACCESSORIES NEW PRODUCTS
6. ROTOSOUND
DOUBLE DECKERS £10.95They say: Top selling strings
now available in superb value
twin set packaging.
For: Guitarists
Range: Rotosound electric guitar
strings
Spec: R9 and R10 nickel on steel
guitar strings available in double
packs for 20 per cent price saving,
coded R9-2 and R10-2, packaging
reduced by 70 per cent
(compared to buying two packs).
From: Rotosound 01732 450838
ACCESSORY SPOTLIGHT
ORIGINAL
AIRLINE SERIES
GIGBAGS FROM £16.95They say: Exciting new designs
now available in the UK
For: Guitarists, bassists
Range: Original gigbags
Spec : Three ranges: Red, Blue and
White Label. Red Label: 30mm superlight
padded bags, with oversized padded rear
carry straps, all metal strap clips, full
area zip front pocket for books and
accessories, weatherproof 600 denier
lightweight colour-coded material.
Incorporating suitcase-quality zippers.
Five in range: Classic, electric, bass,
acoustic and super jumbo. £34.95.
Blue label: As above with 20mm
padding and also for G banjo, tenor
banjo and universal mando. £24.95.
White Label: 10mm superlight padded
gig bags, with rucksack style rear carry
straps, full area zip front pocket for
books and accessories, weatherproof 600
denier lightweight colour-coded material.
Available for 3/4 classical and full sized
classical. £16.95.
From: Tanglewood 01937 841122
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3. MARKBASS
BASS BAGS £POAThey say: Designed to improve the lives
of bass players.
For: Bassists
Range: Markbass
Spec: Bass Bag 24 for two basses (or bass
& clothing), Little Mark hard case, Super
MoMark bag for two heads or head and
laptop, accessories, etc.
From: Proel 020 8761 9911
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52 miPRO MAY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
DRUMS SPOTLIGHT
MEINL
M SERIES CYMBALS £POAThey say: Meinl has revolutionised
the production techniques of its B20
bronze cymbals.
For: Drummers
Range: Meinl cymbals
Spec: After a five years of
development, every aspect of
production for the M series takes
place in Meinl's German cymbal
factory using computer controlled
production methods.
Hand hammered B20 bronze
cymbals (80% copper and 20% tin).
With the full support of corporate
management, development leader
Stefan Müller brought a great deal of
patience and an innovative mindset to
the project.
Working in co-operation with
mechanical engineering firms, an
industrial furnace was developed,
which is an indispensable component
in processing B20 bronze.
With the new M series, not only
has Meinl set another milestone in
modern cymbal making, but is
sustainably positioning itself in the
world market.
The range contains full spec
splashes, crashes and rides in various
sizes and medium weight.
From: Active 020 8693 5678
THIS PAGE IS SPONSORED BY MIKEDOLBEAR.COM, THE LEADING ONLINE RESOURCE FOR EVERYTHING DRUMS.
VISIT WWW.MIKEDOLBEAR.COM FOR MORE DETAILS.
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NEW PRODUCTS DRUMS
3
4. RHYTHM TECH
STICKBALL £19.99They say: For those who like something a
little different.
For: Drummers, percussionists
Range: Rhythm Tech sticks & beaters
Spec: Two-piece, stick-mounted shaker
attached to shaft of stick by two bands
(o-rings), dry shaker sound, functions as
standalone shaker, mallet head or
stick accessory.
From: JHS 0113 286 5381
5. TECHTONIC
DD502J ELECTRONIC KIT £399They 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
6. VIC FIRTH
STICK BAG £49.95They say: A new bag from Vic Firth, but
with a funky twist.
For: Drummers, percussionists
Range: Vic Firth stick bags
Spec: Hold up to 24 pairs of sticks,
accessories pockets, retractable clips (for
kit suspension), four outer zipped pockets,
detachable shoulder strap, double stiched
vinyl outer, available in plaid‚ digital camo
and skull & crossbones patterns.
From: Korg 01908 857100
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1. MEINL
DRUM MATE £94.40They say: A touch of flair and a whole
heap of professionalism.
For: Drummers
Range: Meinl accessories
Spec: Woven synthetic top side in zebra-
skin finish, soft rubber underside, 160cm
(5.25ft) x 200cm (6.5ft), ships with
custom travel bag.
From: Active 020 8693 5678
2. KORG
WAVEDRUM £469They say: Hang on tight; the power-
packed, affordable Wavedrum is here
today and ready to make musical history.
Again.
For: Percussionists, drummers, musicians
Range: Korg electronic percussion
Spec: Head and rim pickups, pressure
sensor, sensitive to hitting, rubbing,
scratching etc, 36 DSP algorithms, PCM
sound engine with 200 samples, user-
assignable patches, 12 storable programs
in Live Sound mode, 100 loop phrases.
From: Korg 01908 857100
3. PROTECTION RACKET
NUTCASE SINGLE CASES £POAThey say: A range of sizes to be purchased
individually, providing greater choice and
flexibility for customers.
For: Drummers
Range: Protection Racket cases
Spec: Available for toms: 8”x8”, 10”x9”,
12”x10”, 13”x11”, 14”x12”, 15”x13” &
16”x14” (large enough for suspension
mounting systems). Floor toms: 14” & 16”.
Bass drums: 20”, 22” & 24” (16”
to18”depths). 14” x 5” & 14” x 6 snares.
Racketex polyester outer.
From: Protection Racket 01208 815055
“Made in co-
operation with the
best in
mechanical
engineering.
1. ARIA
A-50 NYLON STRUNG GUITAR
£319They say: For decades, Aria has been
recognised the world over as a maker of
high quality classical guitars.
For: Guitarists
Range: Aria acoustics
Spec: Traditional Spanish design, rosewood
back & sides, solid spruce top,
mahogany neck, bone nut & saddle,
black & gold machineheads,
rosewood fingerboard.
From: Aria 01483 238720
SPOTLIGHT GUITAR
JACKSON
JS SERIES GUITARS FROM
£279They say: Jackson is proud to
welcome the new JS Series models to
the dark domain of the Bloodline in
2010.
For: Guitarists
Range: Jackson guitars
Spec: The eight guitars comprising the
entry-level JS Series are affordable
takes on classic and instantly
recognisable Jackson designs.
JS1R Dinky: The bare-bones edition
with a reverse headstock, dual Jackson
JE10 humbucking pickups and fulcrum
bridge.
JS22R Dinky: Dual high-output
humbucking pickups and a fulcrum
bridge.
JS23 Dinky: Same as the JS22R, but
with a single humbucking bridge
pickup and scalding single-coil neck
and middle pickups.
JS32RT Dinky: One of the original
Jackson innovations. Two high-output
Jackson CVR2 humbucking pickups,
string-through body design and JT390
adjustable bridge.
JS32T Kelly: Two high-output Jackson
CVR2 humbucking pickups, string-
through body design and JT390
adjustable bridge.
JS32T King V: Two high-output
Jackson CVR2 humbucking
pickups, string-through
body design and
JT390 adjustable
bridge.
JS32T Warrior:
Two high-output
Jackson CVR2
humbucking pickups,
string-through body
design and JT390
adjustable bridge.
JS32T Rhoads:
Two high-output
Jackson CVR2
humbucking
pickups, string-
through body
design and
JT390 adjustable
bridge.
From: Fender
01342 331700
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6. VOX
HDC-77 SEMI-HOLLOW
ELECTRIC GUITARS £POAThey say: Featuring many of the same
design cues and distinguished
components as the esteemed Vox Virage.
For: Guitarists
Range: Vox electric guitars
Spec: Maple-ply top & back, mahogany
sides, two coaxe pickups, inverse heel
joint, MaxConnect aluminum bridge, Vox
Super Smooth tuners, siennaburst,
blackburst, trans red & solid ivory finshes.
Ships with hard case.
From: Korg 01908 857100
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WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO MAY 2010 53
4. TANGLEWOOD
SIGNATURE BY TANGLEWOOD
ELECTRICS FROM £299.95They say: The timing seems to be
perfect for a new, profitable solid body
electric brand.
For: Guitarists
Range: Tanglewood electrics
Spec: TSB58 (LP Style: £359.95):
mahogany body, flame maple veneer,
mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard,
two Entwistle Alnico HV58 pickups.
TSB58 Custom (£419.95):
as above with front and back binding,
three pickups, gold hardware. TSB58 C
Ltd (£449.95): as TSB58 with
crotch walnut veneer top. TSB
67 (SG Style: £299.95):
double cutaway, solid
mahogany body,
mahogany set neck,
rosewood fingerboard,
two Entwistle Darkstar
ceramic pickups.
From: Tanglewood
01937 841122
BASS & GUITAR NEW PRODUCTS
2. ARIA
IGB-77 BASS £979They say: Combined beauty and
performance, with a bass that excels in
sound quality, flexibility and aesthetics.
For: Bassists
Range: Aria Integra series basses
Spec: Spalt maple carved top and
headstock face, rosewood fingerboard,
alder body, maple bolt-on neck, two
Seymour Duncan AJJ-1 Pro active
pickups, master volume, balance,
active treble and active bass
controls, BB104 tailpiece.
From: Aria 01483 238720
3. ARIA
A19C-200N 19TH CENTURY
NYLON £799They say: Offers meticulous workmanship
and attention to detail both with regards
to playability and appearance.
For: Guitarists
Range: Aria acoustics
Spec: European ‘Romantic’ styled guitar
(circa 18th/19th century), 'V' headstock,
mahogany neck, ebony fingerboard
( joining body at 12th fret), solid spruce
top, rosewood back & sides, ebony bridge,
630mm scale.
From: Aria 01483 238720
5. VINTAGE
V6JMH FILLMORE £249They say: Designed to give you an
authentic taste of Jimi’s ‘right hand
guitar flipped’ tone.
For: Guitarists
Range: Vintage electrics
Spec: Right-hand body with
Wilkinson staggered pole, alnico-
powered single coil pickups and
neck set ‘leftie’, mid-depth C-
section neck, Wilkinson chrome
hardware, American
alder body, hard
maple bolt-on neck,
rosewood
fingerboard.
From: JHS
0113 286 5381
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54 miPRO MAY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
BACKLINE SPOTLIGHT
ORANGE
ROCKAVERB 50-WATT HEAD
& COMBO £1,299 & £1,549They say: Smooth, clean and
articulate to quite simply outrageous
gain – liquid fire.
For: Guitarists
Range: Orange Rockaverb
Spec: All valve, 50-Watt, channel
switching head with valve FX loop
and valve driven reverb. This amplifier
utilises a two-stage clean channel
and a four-stage dirty sound. The
clean channel on this amp is one of
the smoothest and cleanest ever
produced and creates a unique
power valve overdrive when pushed to
the max.
This four-stage gain machine can
produce anything from an articulate
clean chime, through all the classic
rhythm and crunch sounds with
original Orange character, all the way
up until you reach a gain level that is
quite simply outrageous. The quartet
of 6V6 output valves and a new
exclusive F8 output transformer
design help give the Rockerverb 50 its
uncompromising tone.
The Rockerverb 50W combo
incorporates the Rockerverb head in a
quality constructed cabinet using 13-
ply, high-density 18mm birch
plywood. Loaded with one (£1,399) or
two 12-inch Celestion Vintage 30 loud
speakers, it incorporates the new F8
concept in output transformer design.
From: Orange 020 8905 2828
2
NEW PRODUCTS BACKLINE
4. ROLAND
KC-110 BATTERY POWERED
KEYBOARD COMBO £359They say: Roland adds another great amp
to its lineup as well as another ‘World’s
First’ title to its pedigree.
For: Keyboard players
Range: Roland amps
Spec: World’s first AA battery-powered
stereo keyboard amp, AC adaptor
(included), 30 Watts, two 6.5-inch
speakers, built-in stereo digital effects,
three independent channels, tilt stand,
pole mountable.
From: Roland 01792 702701
5. VOX
PATHFINDER BASS COMBO £65They say: A bass amp that faithfully
carries on the Vox sound, look, and
tradition.
For: Bassists
Range: Vox amps
Spec: Ten-Watt combo with two five-inch
Vox Bulldog speakers, drive, treble, bass &
volume controls, bright switch,
phones/line out.
From: Korg 01908 857100
6. VOX
AGA70 ACOUSTIC AMP £299They say: Vox presents the unmistakable
sound of the acoustic guitar.
For: Acoustic performers
Range: Vox amps
Spec: Two channels (normal and tube-
pre), two inputs (guitar & mic) per
channel, Lo-Z and Hi-Z level switch per
input, three-band eq per channel, ‘colour’
control for overall sound, 6.5-inch speaker,
line in, XLR out.
From: Korg 01908 857100
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1. FENDER
RUMBLE BASS AMPS FROM
£99.99They say: A giant step forward that
significantly raises the line’s power
and profile.
For: Bassists
Range: Fender Rumble series
Spec: Now available in 15, 30, 75, 150 and
350-Watt configurations, Fender Special
Design speakers, all (except Rumble 15)
with adjustable overdrive blend, 30 & 75
models with tilt-back construction, 150 &
350 with eq and XLR outputs.
From: Fender 01342 331700
2. HAO
OMEGA DRIVE SIXTEEN $POAThey say: The culmination of several
years of research and development.
For: Guitarists
Range: HAO Premium Workshop models
Spec: Incoming nine-Volt DC power
supply converted to 16 Volts DC for
improved headroom and dynamic
response, true bypass, volume, gain & tone
controls, battery or AC adaptor powered,
three-year warranty.
From: Godlyke +1 973 777 7477
3. ORANGE
TINY TERROR TT15C-10
COMBO £399They say: Its own distinctive tonal
flavour and an alternative to the existing
12-inch model.
For: Guitarists
Range: Orange Tiny Terror
Spec: Ten-inch speaker version (Celestion
G10 Vintage), 15-Watt, Class A, two-stage
preamp, two 12AX7 preamp valves,
two EL84 power valves, volume, gain &
tone controls.
From: Orange 020 8905 2828
“The clean channel
is one of the
smoothest,
cleanest ever
produced,
creating a unique
overdrive when
pushed
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PRINT NEW PRODUCTS
BOOK OF THE MONTH
ARTIST: OSCAR PETERSON
10 CLASSIC TUNESSeries: Jazz Playalong
Target: Bb, Eb, C and bass clef instruments
Comment: Another unusual choice for
book of the month, but with jazz
publications worryingly sparse at the
moment and books concerning those few
individuals who can be labelled ‘jazz
royalty’ even scarcer, this small volume of
ten pieces by Peterson immediately stood
out from the other publications on the MI
Pro reviews desk this month.
Set out in a ‘semi-fake-book’ style, with
printed notation marked with ‘handwritten’
clefs, rests and chord sequences, this is a
worthy book for repertoire for the
advanced player, but it also doubles as a
valuable education tool, thanks to the
accompanying CD.
Each of the different registers has its
own score and the CD has a demo track
(without melody) and a split
melody/backing track for soloing.
The split tracks include melody cues
with proper style and inflection,
removable bass and piano parts and
additional choruses for extended soloing.
The scores and CDs get to the heart of
what jazz (and Peterson, for that matter) is
all about and offers many hours of
enjoyment and, perhaps more importantly,
development.
There are now over 100 books in the
Jazz Playalong series, making a
considerable library for both the jazz
aficionado and student.
HAL LEONARD (MUSIC SALES):
01284 702600
EDUCATION
AUTHOR: LONGWORTH &
WALKER
GUITAR BASICSTarget: Young beginners
Comment: Touted on the cover as a
‘landmark method for individual and
group learning’ and aims to take young
learners from absolute beginner to
initial/preparatory grade for classical
guitar. The book, which is attractively
illustrated and moves with ease through
the lessons, getting to grips with rhythm
and then simple notation, building to the
beginnings of repertoire, featuring original
and selected tunes.
FABER: 01279 828989
AUTHOR: STEVE KAUFMAN
MY FIRST BLUEGRASS GUITAR
PICKING SONGSTarget: Beginner guitar
Comment: Another book for the absolute
beginner, this time for the steel strung guitar
and with the aim of raising up new bluegrass
players, thus the emphasis is on melody or
lead lines. Kaufman takes a ‘no pressure’
approach, which is pleasing and prepares the
learner for those days when nothing goes
right – which are frighteningly often, of
course. Enjoy the journey and don’t think too
much about the destination, he says. Amen
to that. Accompanying CD included.
MEL BAY: 020 8214 1222
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO MAY 2010 59
RETAILNEWS, OPINION, DATA
WHEN MUSICROOM opened its new
store in Portsmouth in November 2009, a
couple of potential headlines were created
– although unfortunately, none of them
were publicised.
For a start, it was Musicroom’s first
wholly new store premises for over five
years and second, it became the blueprint
for a very forward-looking plan of unifying
the Musicroom brand and expanding it.
The Bristol store has recently re-opened
along the same lines.
A third headline could’ve been added
too. The Portsmouth store brought the
total number Musicroom premises to 14
(not counting the three in-store franchises
in Kenny’s, Dundee, City Music, Truro and
McCullough Piggot in Dublin), making it
by far the largest MI chain in the UK and
Ireland (contrary to received wisdom).
Given Musicroom’s background,
evolving from the Music in Print franchise
(which still functions as a sheet music
racking service open to any and all
dealers), it is also interesting that of these
14 stores, just the London stores, Rose
Morris and Argent’s, are sheet music only
– the rest are all full-line stores.
“We’ve been very quiet about
ourselves,” said the chain’s general
manager, Simon Pollard. “But the
Portsmouth and Bristol stores mean it is
time to show what we are up to.”
If anyone is surprised that Musicroom
has grown to such proportions without
attracting any attention, it will probably
make sense that both Fox’s and Williams
were heavily involved with Music in Print
when they went under (in 2005 and 2006
respectively). Musicroom scooped up
some of the stores and kept them going.
“A few years ago, the London stores
(Rose Morris and Argent’s) were our best
performers. They haven’t dropped off, but
now they sit seventh and eighth. Our
Nottingham site, which was part of the
Fox’s chain, now does twice that.”
The Bristol store had been running with
the Hobgoblin franchise inside, but now,
with the business model bringing in
pianos, keyboards and electric guitars
(among others), the two no longer fit.
“It became obvious some time ago that
we could do a lot more in Bristol,” said
Pollard. “We took over the whole store
and Hobgoblin has moved. The two
businesses complement each other, so
we’re looking to growing the market.”
Hobgoblin isn’t the only neighbour.
After the closure of the Reverb store, PMT
has now moved in – a more direct
competitor than Hobgoblin. “I think it’s
really good that PMT are there,” revealed
Pollard. “Yes, we compete, but we also
complement each other. Bristol is too
large a city not have a wide choice.”
That complement is the result of
Musicroom’s USP – sheet music. While the
chain stocks guitars from Fender, Taylor,
Ibanez and Martin, as well as pianos from
Roland and Yamaha, it sees itself as an
entry-level to mid-range store. “We go
from the bottom to the top with
instruments, explained Pollard. “For us it is
important to have the ability to help
people begin playing and then progress,
but print is the biggest thing. It generates
footfall and gives us opportunities to cater
to anyone and everyone.”
Further growth for Musicroom is
unlikely to occur in any sort of tidal wave
of expansion. For a start, the chain covers
the country pretty well already.
“There are a couple of areas a bit thin
on the ground and we are always looking
at new locations, but we are very careful
to consider the impact a store might have.
You have to think of others and the good
of the trade. With the Portsmouth and
Bristol stores, we now have the range of
products, the systems and infrastructure in
place to roll out to other locations. Our
stores are well merchandised and inviting
– we have spent a lot of time with our
shop fitters and continue to find
improvements to our stores making them
more accessible and interesting.”
MUSICROOM: 01284 702600
More good news for BristolMusicroom expands city store and cements blueprint for any possible future ventures
NEWSPMT Bristol,
HTFR
Birmingham,
Euromusic
AGM,
Rotherham
Piano Centre
MIA
What have
the Romans
ever done for
us... Or the
MIA for that
matter?
LOCATION REPORTConcrete
cows to
major
supplier, with
a healthy
selection of
fine stores in
between
ALL INSIDE THIS MONTH
INDIE PROFILE
The
Rotherham
Piano Centre
explains how
to survive in
the hard
times
BEHIND THE COUNTERA fond
farewell... Or
is it just au
revoir?
Simon Pollard and Iain Davidson
RETAIL NEWS
60 miPRO MAY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
EXTRA SEATING had to be
arranged for the annual
Euromusic Conference at the
Glynhill Hotel and Spa in
Renfrew, near Glasgow, as some
55 delegates from 42 music
stores descended from as far
afield as Thurso and Plymouth
for the consortium’s business
and networking event.
Dealers were shown new and
exclusive products and given a
rundown of the latest deals
exclusively available to
Euromusic members.
This year saw more than half
a dozen new members in
attendance enjoying the
business of the day, as well as
traditional Scottish
hospitality in the evening and a
dram (or two).
Day two saw the formal AGM
taking place and the
introduction of more products
and exclusive lines before lunch
and goodbyes.
One new member, Rob
Mulliner from the new Academy
of Sound in Stoke, was clearly
pleased. “The event was really
well organised and I’m glad I
came along,” he said. “Of
particular interest to me is the
container import programme,
which I am eager to take
advantage of.”
Euromusic is a not-for-profit
company, limited by guarantee
and owned by its members that
grew out of the SMIRA buying
consortium. The organisation
imports and resells exclusive
lines such as On Stage Stands,
Peerless, Perez and Jim Deacon
Guitars and has its head office
in Glasgow.
EUROMUSIC: 0141 577 5330
Deals for Euro dealers
SIMON GILSON and Terry
Hope’s Professional Music
Technology MI retail chain (PMT)
has taken over the premises in
Bristol formerly held by Sound
Control and, latterly, Reverb
before the respective closure of
the two businesses.
Gilson told MI Pro that he and
his team had been making
moves for the store for about a
month before securing the deal.
It is the second time the
business has tried to secure the
city-centre premises.
The store was closed for
refurbishment, but is now up and
running. Gilson added that the
opportunity for the former staff
to apply for vacancies was taken
up and many of the previous
employees are now on board.
“We spruced the place up,
inside and out and made it
recognisably a PMT store,” said
Gilson. “This is the culmination
of the negotiations we started
when Sound Control went out of
business. We have always
wanted the Bristol store, but it
was the one that got away. Now
the circle is complete and we are
very, very happy.”
When asked about the
reputation of a store that has
now effectively gone out of
business twice, Gilson pointed
out that it had never been the
Bristol store itself that had gone
under. “The businesses it was a
part of had difficulties, but this is
an excellent store, with excellent
staff in a top location. It’s part of
PMT now, so let’s move on.”
PMT: 01702 436501
Former SC and Reverb store now in the hands of third major chain
PMT takes over Bristol store
MI PRO IS pleased to point out
that the Rotherham Piano Centre
is very much open for business.
Some confusion arose after MI
Pro featured fellow Rotherham
MI retailer, Rockem Music in its
Indie Profile section in the
December 2009 issue. Rockem,
which operates out of the same
building as the piano centre, sent
an image for the feature that
showed the shop front of
Rotherham Piano Centre. The
image was unfortunately
captioned: ‘What was Rotherham
Piano Centre is now Rockem
Music’, although it transpires
that neither business has either
closed or moved out of the
building and both still enjoy
good trade there.
“We share the same building
with Rockem Music, but both
businesses are still going strong,”
pointed out David Kenyon, the
owner of the Rotherham Piano
Centre. “We are a family-run
business of over 35 years and
have handled literally thousands
of pianos. We always have a
stock of over 65 pianos on
display and are agents for
Yamaha, Kawai, Kemble,
Schuman and Bentley to name
but a few.”
For more on the Rotherham
Piano Centre, see this month’s
Indie Profile on page 68.
Rotherham PianoCentre going strong
HARD TO FIND Records
opened its first music
technology superstore in
Birmingham during April,
coinciding with an
announcement detailing new
partnerships with Korg, Roland,
Akai, Alesis and Focusrite as
part of the launch.
The 6,000 square foot
showroom will be displaying
and selling a large selection of
music technology and pro
audio products, as well as
facilities for in-store
demonstrations.
The UK’s second Korg Pro
centre was also unveiled at the
opening and alongside this is a
Roland and Boss zone. The first
ever Akai and Alesis demo
station also premiered.
“For a while we have been
one of the MI industry’s best
kept secrets and have gone
about our business almost
under the radar, but it now
makes perfect sense for us to
increase our presence,” said
David Black, the new HTFR
store’s supervisor.
The shop will be located on
Birmingham’s Upper Gough
Street. For more information,
visit the HTFR website at
htfr.com.
HARD TO FIND RECORDS:
0121 687 7777
Hard to Find Records opens MI superstore
in Birmingham focusing on hi tech
HTFR easy to spot
A few drams later: the Euromusic dealers at the event
Did you know... Over 120 music and book retailers use Music In Print to manage their stock?Music In Print (MIP) don’t stop there! They also...
1.supply everything you need to run a successful printed music department within your shop
2. supply the stock so there is no capital outlay and absolutely no risk when working alongside the MIP system
3. offer a wide selection of products from thousands of books and DVDs available from the MIP catalogue
For further information please call Iain Davidson on 01284 714926 or email iain.davidson@musicsales.co.uk to arrange an onsite meeting to discuss your bespoke printed music department.
“ The help and support we receive from Music in Print has been fantastic, not only do they supply a vast selection of printed music and excellent racking system, they also have a stock control/supply system second to none.” John Millington, Millington Music
“ Music In Print (MIP) provide our sheet music and their experience of what and how much to stock has proved invaluable.” Alan Kilvington, Gough And Davy
“ A weekly stock delivery keeps everything up to date and the range is comprehensive too. We have considered other suppliers over the years but have stayed with MIP as I don’t believe that anyone else could do it better.” James Cockell, North London Music Centre
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WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO MAY 2010 63
MIA NEWSan update from your industry trade association
What has the MIA done for us?
Moving into 2010, the
MIA is working hard to
try and offer dealers an
even stronger portfolio of
membership benefits that will
save them money and support
their businesses in this
challenging climate. The
association has just added a
whole new range of services and
would like to update all MI Pro
readers about them, especially
those that are not yet members.
CURRENT KEY MEMBERSHIP
BENEFITS
The free business helplines are
available to offer advice on legal
issues, employment law, tax,
health and safety and much
more. Since its introduction, this
has proved to be one of the
MIA’s most popular benefits.
Discounted debit and credit
card rates with HSBC – half the
MIA’s retail members use this.
Discounted insurance services
from MI insurance specialist,
Cover Notes. This company is the
industry specialist and makes a
point of saving dealers money.
Discounted advertising with
Yellow Pages – again, over half all
the MIA retail members have
used this service.
THE NEW BENEFITS (ALL
SPECIALLY DISCOUNTED)
Vehicle services – this benefit
just launched, from one car to a
whole fleet, a total range of
leasing and purchase services.
Clothing services – a massive
range of clothing, no order too
small, no order too large for all
of your business needs.
Training courses – a huge
range of professional courses for
all levels of staff and
management and all of them are
discounted for MIA members by
ten per cent.
Foreign currency services with
SGM-FX. This company has saved
MIA members over £52,000 in
the last year alone.
ASC Finance for Business – a
company that specialises in
helping smaller businesses
expand without red tape. Comes
highly recommended by the
Federation of Small Businesses.
AIMS Accountancy services,
the largest independent network
of UK accountants. AIMS is
offering the first hour of
consultations free, as well as
fixed price services – again,
highly recommended.
On top of this, you may have
seen the MI Pro newsflashes
about some MIA supplier
members (such as Sound
Technology and Peavey) offering
special deals and offers especially
to MIA retail members. If you
have not been a retail member
of the MIA before, your first year
is only £200 plus vat. To find out
more, go to mia.org.uk and click
on ‘join the MIA’, or call Clare on
01372 750600 (or email
clare@mia.org.uk).
The more members the
association has, the more
benefits it can offer dealers and
the more it can do to support
and grow the musical instrument
industry as a whole.
WHAT HAS THE MIA EVER
DONE FOR US?
Learning a musical instrument in
this country is a statutory
entitlement for all school
children. The MIA was part of the
lobby that secured this. It is the
envy of most other countries in
the world.
The VAT-free, instrument-
purchase scheme for school
children was set up by the MIA.
Thousands of school children
have been given the opportunity
of buying an instrument as a
result of the system.
The MIA is a partner with the
Take it Away scheme and Arts
Council England. Over £26
million of instruments have been
sold with the scheme. 50 per
cent of the customers would not
have been able to buy their
instrument without it.
The MIA is the founding
sponsor of Music for Youth, the
world’s largest children’s music
making charity. 40 years later,
it is still supporting MfY’s
extensive activities.
The MIA secured £40 million
of spending from the
Government on new school
instruments over a four-year
period. Specific advice was
provided by the MIA for using
this money on quality musical
instruments above all.
Shops do not have to pay a
fee for demonstrating musical
instruments thanks to the MIA’s
negotiations with the PRS.
The MIA is the partner in the
Government rollout of new
rehearsal rooms across the
country. MIA members are
supplying the instruments.
The biggest music making
event in the UK, the London
Music Show, is wholly-owned by
the MIA.
The MIA partners with the
market research leader, GfK, to
produce the only annual industry
statistics available.
The MIA runs the industry
charity, Music for All. All activities
are directed towards the mission
of ‘Making More Musicians’. The
MIA especially concentrates
efforts on those that do not have
access to making music. This
includes special support for
schools and the young.
Everything the MIA and Music
for All do is to get everyone
playing an instrument.
An association such as the
MIA needs everyone in the
industry to be a part in order to
get more and more people
playing an instrument. Joining
will make you a part of the
future success of the industry.
MIA: 01372 750600
The Music Industries Association outlines its activities and all the reasons why MI retailers in the UK should be a part
of the only association for the industry in this country…
In a period in business life where
enthusiasm is hard to come by, talking
to Richard Chollerton of Richard’s
Guitars in Leamington Spa can be
something of a shock. There is
enthusiasm – and then there is Richard
Chollerton. If one can radiate a positive
state of mind, then Chollerton does it in
spades. It’s not as though he doesn’t have
a reason to be negative, either.
His Muzonet initiative, which was
designed to run as an online hub for the
UK MI trade was in many ways a success.
He gave small suppliers and retailers the
chance to co-ordinate online enquiries
on a national level, to respective regional
benefit. Chollerton looks back at Muzonet
with fondness, but accepts he was
perhaps a bit naïve.
“I don’t believe the backlash Muzonet
suffered was the result of genuine
cynicism or bad feeling,” muses
Chollerton. “I genuinely believe that
people simply didn’t understand what I
was trying to do – nor could believe that
it was a genuinely altruistic attempt.”
It is tribute to his belief in the business
that Chollerton is back again, hoping
to expand his website (guitars.co.uk) out
to dealers around the country, offering
them extremely high value classifieds and
profiles on the site for as little as two
quid for an ad, or £365 for full access
across the site for a whole year – it turns
out to be very little for quite a lot.
“Dealers need effective advertising –
and during a recession all the more so,”
he says. “For a pound a day, they can get
enormous online profile, promoting their
shop and the brands they sell. On top of
that, I will give any dealer that signs up
my full support.”
Opening his website out to other
dealers might appear odd to some, but
his thinking seems pretty sound. The idea
is that, using mechanisms that push
items high up on Google, making the
probability of user ‘hits’ more likely,
smaller, independent dealers can get the
sort of online presence normally reserved
for big manufacturers and e-tailers. If
enough dealers sign up, guitars.co.uk
could easily become a centre of guitar
selling activity.
“Big online stores with reams of
products to upload often don’t have the
ability to do so regularly and listing items
one by one is way too much effort. Even
if they do, these stores are selling on
price alone. On my site, a dealer’s
proactive efforts and specialisation in
selling particular brands will shine
through. My system will naturally reward
anyone who puts the effort in to
maintain a good turnover.”
This will prompt a welcome push on
online prices, helping specialist guitar
dealers to maintain respectable prices
and thus decent margins. He also plans
to highlight the dangers of paying too
little for instruments and the effect that
can have on after-sales services.
“Of course, it is imperative that
competition exists for the consumer, but
it is also important that dealers can have
confidence. For this they need systems
that are supportive and that do not lead
to a destructive cattle market, selling on
price alone.
“I have already had customers talking to
dealers and that has resulted in some
really positive feedback. I am already seeing
the development of a really good online
shopping experience via specialists that
appear at the top of Google searches.
“This is not a faceless site – it has
real dealers at the end of the line that
customers can talk to and visit. From here
onwards, people will always shop online.
We have to accept this fact. What is
important, though, is that the customer
will often take a route that leads to
personal contact if they can find it. That’s
what guitars.co.uk does. It’s an online world
of personalised contacts – and they are all
specialists. Customers are going to love it.
For the sceptic, Chollerton reiterates
his ‘small-but-specialist’ credentials. “I
grew my business to the point where
I was selling eight to ten guitars a day –
and I didn’t enjoy it. It was a pressure
environment that pretty much
destroyed me. I’m not trying to create a
superstore for myself here. I genuinely
believe that a united, independent presence
can compete with the big online
discounters – but that means dealers have
to work together.”
Chollerton has created the basis of
this – the rest depends upon the response
from dealers.
WWW.GUITARS.CO.UK
GUITARS.CO.UK RETAIL
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO MAY 2009 65
Richard Chollerton has spent his career in two spheres simultaneously – MI retail and web development – and he
believes the two are intrinsically linked, or should be. Andy Barrett takes a look at his latest project…
The gift of presence
”Dealers need
effective
advertising – and
during a recession
all the more so.Richard ChollertonRichard’s Guitars
66 miPRO MAY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
RETAIL LOCATION REPORT
Concrete cows and roundabouts might not scream rock n roll, but scratch beneath the surface and there are plenty of
shops waiting to keep the local up-and-comers in all the gear they’ll ever need. MI Pro investigates...
Milton KeynesHOBGOBLIN
Although strictly speaking this branch of
leading folkie chain Hobgoblin is in nearby
Newport Pagnell, its MK postcode makes
it fair game for the strummers and
pluckers in the local area. Although not
the biggest shop in the world, it’s nicely
located just off a busy High Street and the
hand-painted shop front echoes the rustic
charms that lie within.
As is befitting of a chain that has built
its reputation on catering for the largely
unamplified folk circuit, this branch is a
walk-in wardrobe of unplugged
wonderment. Most impressive is the large
selection of mandolins that occupies most
of the back of the shop, with prices to suit
everyone from beginners to pros. A
similarly comprehensive stock of ukes rubs
shoulders with a respectable acoustic
guitar section, featuring a range of
products from Yamaha, Blueridge and
Recording King. A specialist book section
covers a broad range of traditional and
contemporary folk music that could prove
difficult to track down elsewhere and no
doubt provides plenty of encouragement
for the local finger-in-ear brigade. Scottish
and Irish pipes were both in stock, while a
display cabinet packed full of tin whistles,
pan pipes and all sorts of mysterious and
beguiling blowables caught the eye. Throw
in helpful staff that know the value of
personal space in a smaller store and
enough intriguing nooks and crannies to
keep the curious coming back for more,
and you’ve got another excellent example
of a Hobgoblin branch.
HOLLYWOOD MUSIC
As soon as you open the door into
Hollywood, it’s blindingly obvious that this
is a store on the up and up, and with good
reason. Lots of high-end gear in the form
of an eye-watering selection of Gibson
and Fender goodies are immediately
noticeable, making pretty much every
punter stop in their tracks before they’ve
even taken two steps. The main room,
home to electric guitars, amps and effects,
is pretty cosy at the moment, but stuffed
to the gills with goodies none the less.
An expansion into the adjoining shop
was underway during MI Pro’s visit, a good
move which will make things much more
manageable and give the staff a chance to
really show off their wares to full effect.
With a clutch of new brands on the way
to bolster the current selection there is
clearly plenty more on the horizon for
Hollywood Music.
However, even as it is now there are
still plenty of reasons to visit, not least
some nice stocking choices that sit
outside of the obvious and show the staff
here to be a knowledgeable lot that know
the value of filling the walls with gear that
you don’t see everywhere. It’s nice to find
a business that is showing that although
times are tough, there is still plenty of
room for enterprising shops with the right
forward-thinking approach to flourish.
With lots more to come from this
enterprising store, the good people of this
city can count themselves lucky.
ROCK HARD MUSIC
Although it might be hidden away from
passing trade with its industrial estate
location, it’s definitley worth making the
effort to go to Rock Hard. A nicely sized
retail space with an attached rehearsal
and recording studio, it’s clear that this
business is intended as an all-in-one
solution for the enterprising musical youth
of Milton Keynes.
All of the major brands are represented,
with new and second-hand stock sitting
happily side by side. A few acoustic kits
were on display amongst the numerous
guitars and basses, although for drummers
the main attraction here lies in a corner
dedicated to a large number of electric
Yamaha kits. Smiling, eager-to-please
staff are added to the mix, and questions
varying from ‘what year is this Hofner’
to ‘what’s your recording set up’ are
met with boundless enthusiasm. Rock
Hard might lay a little off the beaten
track, but it is without a doubt well worth
the bus fare.
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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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How is business compared to this time
last year?
Business is definitely down this year due
to the impact the recession has caused.
Despite this, we have to try our best to
remain competitive.
How do you market the shop?
We do a lot of our marketing through the
website and take out adverts in local
newspapers. We tried radio advertising
before, but this was not successful. We
have marketed well, because we have
satisfied thousands of customers across
the UK and we are able to supply and
deliver to anywhere in mainland Britain.
How do you rise to the challenge of
online competition?
Well, of course it’s difficult to keep up
with online retailers, but we have to try
and compete. A lot of stores like us are
simply used by people to try out new
pianos, who then go home and buy them
on the internet. It makes a mockery of
places with showrooms when people just
sample the products and purchase them
elsewhere. The best we can do is try our
hardest to compete.
What are your biggest strengths?
We offer excellent customer service and
the best products by ensuring we sell
most of our pianos on recommendation.
We also offer extra incentives like
throwing in free stools, for example, to put
us ahead of the competition.
I am also very proud of the family-run
aspect of the business. I own the building
and we do all our own deliveries, as well.
How do you ensure a good level of
customer service?
Customer service is crucially important to
the business. We offer a personal service
and give customers the peace of mind
that allows them to go away satisfied.
Our no quibble policy and money back
guarantee also ensures that our customers
go away happy.
What is the one product you couldn’t
live without?
I couldn’t possibly choose one overall, I’m
just very proud of our selection of
Yamahas, Kawais, Kembles, Schumans and
Bentleys, in particular.
We are agents for these manufacturers
and always ensure there are at least 65
pianos on show, in order to achieve as
good a display as possible.
How can the industry do more to
support retail?
There needs to be more emphasis on the
promotion of acoustic pianos rather than
the dominating digital piano market.
Pianos are being bought for next to
nothing these days and when young
people play these poor instruments, it puts
them off playing for life.
We only deal in quality new and
second-hand instruments here and people
need to be aware that pianos should not
be bought cheaply.
RETAIL
68 miPRO MAY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
INDIE PROFILE
FACT BOXAddress: The Old Chapel, Chapel Lane,
Westgate, Rotherham, Yorkshire S60 2JB
Phone: 0800 0832 317
Owner: David Kenyon
Established: Over 35 years (as an
exporter), but as a retailer for ten years.
Employees: Three
Best-selling lines: Yamaha, Schumans
and Kawai. We seem to be more
successful with selling pianos in the
£500 to £1,500 range and second-hand
David Kenyon stresses the
importance of good
customer service and the
threat that online MI
retailers pose…
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO MAY 2010 69
RETAIL
WE NEED A NEW BREED OF BRAVE TRADERS
Our man behind the scenes delivers his heartfelt farewell and a rallying call to all you budding retailers out there...
In this industry, perhaps more than
others, we know only too well how
precarious the delicate balance
between gainful employment and
heavy hearted unemployment can
be. Sure, the first few days spent
lounging on the sofa eating crisps
and shouting at Jeremy Kyle, while
waiting for Columbo to arrive and
make everything better, might seem
okay, but soon the reassuring
luminescent glow of daytime
television pales and reality starkly
punches you in the face.
It's a situation not unknown to any
musician that has ever pursued
stadium sized dreams, only to discover
the harsh reality of an unimpressive
wider world. Jobs, like gigs, come and
go. Some are great, some are shit
beyond comprehension, but in the end
it's the fact that you went out and
gave the whole rock star thing a go
that makes it all worthwhile.
What we must never do, my
plectrum pawning, string selling
brothers, is ever give up hope.
Similarly, shops open and close, rising
and falling on a tide of lean months
and bumper Christmases, internet-
fuelled popularity and term time
rushes, which also let us know that
players need their shops as much as
shops need their players. So don't be
afraid to start new ones, to laugh in
the face of economic hard times and
bravely launch your vintage
guitar/piano/kazoo emporium on a
world that, at worst, can only say no.
This country and its starward-gazing
musicians need brave shop folk like
you and I to make dreams a reality.
And so, it is with a heavy heart
and a weary pen that the time has
come for me to leave you. This final
entry aims only to deliver a simple
message: do the best you can, with the
tools you have and make yourself
happy. Work hard to make your dreams
happen, and you never know, they just
might. If they don't, at least you'll be
able to look yourself in the eye in 20
years instead of bitterly braying at any
young buck that passes your way with
a twisted, cynical sneer.
Good luck to you all; maybe
one day I'll leave my own slice of
High Street heaven and come and visit,
bestowing questionable wisdom upon
you like a crap Jesus. Until then,
toodle-pip one and all, and I'll see you
on the other side. Peace.
“What we must
never do, my
plectrum pawning,
string selling
brothers, is ever
give up hope.
BEHIND THE COUNTER
THE FUTURE’S BRIGHT
Product Support Co-ordinator
Korg UK is the UK and ROI distributor for Korg, Vox, Jupiter, Mapex, Paiste,Vic Firth, Samson, Hartke and (from May 1st)Behringer.
An exciting opportunity exists for someone with the relevant skills andcapabilities to play a major part in all aspects of helping KORG owners toget the utmost enjoyment and inspiration from their products.
The role will involve engagement with the KORG user community across awide range of channels including social media, website updates, forums,telephone and email support. You will be responsible for creating andsharing news of product updates, tips, FAQís and other technical supportwith both our dealer network and end users. There will also beopportunities for involvement in exhibitions and field training activity.
We are looking for someone with a passion for music and musicproduction, a technical understanding of synthesizers, computer musicmaking and guitar amps, together with a natural affinity for providinghelp and support to customers.
Applications are particularly welcome from candidates who haveexperience in a similar position within the electronic musical instrumentsindustry.
A competitive salary and benefits await the successful candidate.
To apply for this position, please send your CV together with your currentsalary details to Alan Scally, UK Marketing Manager alan@korg.co.uk
All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.
Written applications only please.
No agencies.
KORG (UK) Ltd. 9. Newmarket Court, Kingston, Milton Keynes, MK10 0AU
REGIONAL SALES MANAGERSouthern Region
D’Addario & Company, the world’s largest manufacturer of MI accessories, has opened for business and is already making waves. We are looking for a professional sales representative to develop our UK business in the south and complete our team.
Working with your Internal Sales Representative, you will be responsible for achieving sales targets for your region across the D’Addario UK portfolio of fretted & bowed strings, Planet Waves accessories, Evans Drumheads, HQ Percussion and PureSound Percussion.
You will be experienced, highly organised, and computer literate with a demonstrable ability to plan and manage the sales strategy for your region.
We are offering a competitive salary/bonus package and car. If you have the skills, personality and professionalism to represent the world’s leading MI accessory company then please send a copy of your CV to:Simon Turnbull, Managing Director, D’Addario UK Ltd simon.turnbull@daddario.co.uk.
visit www.daddario.co.uk for more
RECRUITMENT
71 miPRO MAY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
CLASSIFIEDS: MINIMUM 12 MONTHS - ONE ANNUAL CHARGE QUARTER PAGE £1,295
MARKETPLACE INDEX
SU
PP
LIE
R S
PO
TLI
GH
T
TO ADVERTISE CALL DARRELL CARTER OR JODIE HOLDWAY ON 01992 535647
Bag couture collection joined by two guitar ranges
MADAROZZO HAS Introduced its
2010 Gigbag Couture, a unique
range of guitar and fretted
instrument gigbags designed and
manufactured by Martin Ritter –
well known in the gigbag industry.
Designed from the ground up, the
Madarozzo 2010 collection of
instrument bags now comprises 85
products, available in a variety of
designs, price points and colours.
These include bags to fit everything
from banjo, mandolin and ukulele to
all guitar shapes. There are also bags
for acoustic bass, v-shaped guitars,
semi-acoustic guitars, headless
models, super-size jumbos, and bags
for even more unusual shapes.
Players wanting to transport more
than one guitar are also catered for
with bags that accommodate two
electric guitars or two basses.
All bags, which offer headstock,
bridge and endpin protection zones,
are made from luggage grade
polyester. Other features include a
luxury padded handle and mobile
phone pouch, while some offer a
professional backpack system. In
addition, they carry the Madarozzo
‘fashion factor’ – a fusion of design,
functionality, and instrument
protection.
You knew this, but perhaps you
didn’t know that Madarozzo now
has some radical guitars and basses.
Developed over two years and
launched at NAMM in January, the
Madarozzo guitar range features
‘advanced guitar architecture’ –
custom designed hardware that
complements futuristic designs. Four
models are available: the Madrose
guitar and the Madchilli bass were
launched at NAMM, while the Vidaa
and the electro-acoustic Princess
were first seen at Frankfurt.
Ritter’s company has also
purchased the Hoyer guitar brand
and trademarks and Musikmesse
saw the European launch of the
stunning Hoyer electric guitars,
which comprise the Ern, Eagle,
Arrow, White and Black Lady models,
as well as the Hoyer Eagle bass.
“We are very pleased at the
prospect of Hoyer being a significant
part of our future development in
the MI business,” says Ritter. “We
have great respect for the heritage
of the Hoyer brand and the work the
company has put in to revitalise the
brand during the last few years. We
aim to bring Hoyer Guitars to the
global market and endeavour to
build on its long heritage.”
THE PLACE FOR BUSINESS
MIMARKETPLACE
440 DISTRIBUTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0113 258 9599
AARIA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01483 238720ALLPARTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0870 442 3336AVSL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0845 270 2411
BBILL LEWINGTON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01268 413366
CCOVERNOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0121 327 1977 CBAC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8816 8368
DDADDARIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SALES@DADDARIO.CO.UKDBT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0800 234 2848
FFCN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WWW.FCN.CO.UKFOCUS MERCHANDISE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8245 9035
HHC DISTRIBUTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00 353 5991 34268HERGA MUSIC SERVICES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8861 1590HOT ROX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0115 987 3163
JJAM PERCUSSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0151 494 1492
LLEISURETEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01525 850085
MMARSHALL AMPLIFICATION. . . . . WWW.MARSHALLAMPS.COMMCELLAND/GREMLIN MUSIC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01273 491333MEL BAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8382 8010MUSIC SHIPPING CO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01562 827666
OOCARINA WORKSHOP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01536 485963
PPROEL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8761 9911
RRICHARD GUITARS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 07531 935 399ROBERT MORLEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8318 5838ROTHWELL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01204 366 133ROTHWELL AUDIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01204 366133SSAXOPHONE UK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01892 662533 SOAR VALLEY MUSIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0116 230 4926
TTEAC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01923 438880
WWIND PLUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0116 243 1698WORLD RYTHM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01242 282191
Madarozzo
PROMOTIONAL
To find out more about the JVM Series and other Marshall products contact: Marshall Amplification plc Denbigh Road, Bletchley, Milton Keynes MK11DQ www.marshallamps.com
72 miPRO MAY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
ACCESSORIES AND GIFTWARE
IRELAND & N.IWalter Hennessy087 2596183
SCOTLAND &NORTH EAST
Steve Clinkscale07958 351712
NORTHERNENGLANDChris Hind
07958 830072
SOUTH WESTCENTRAL ENGLAND
& WALESSteve Preston
07554 454054
LONDON &SOUTH EASTIan Collins
07836 237337
For full dealership details contact yourlocal area representative
HC MUSIC DISTRIBUTION LTD
00353 5991 34268sales@hcdistribution.comwww.cort-guitars.co.ukwww.myspace.com/cortguitars
ACOUSTIC DISTRIBUTION
DISTRIBUTOR
Call Tom Harrison on 01132 589599 or email - tom@440distribution.com
MI MARKETPLACE
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO MAY 2010 73
MI MARKETPLACEDISTRIBUTOR
0845 270 2411
0845 270 2433
sales@avslgroup.com
www.avslgroup.com
A leading distributor within the Audio Visual, Sound & Light, Public Address and MI trades.
GRO
UP
Order online
Friendly sales team
Over 4000 products in stock
DISTRIBUTOR
Active & passive speakers Line array InEar & Wireless Public adress
The sound of experience
a member of
dBTechnologies UK16 Whitebeam CloseNewhey, RochdaleOL16 4NDDirect: 07595 672157Freephone: 0800 234 2848mail: sales@dbtechnologies.com
www.dbtechnologies.com
www.dbtechnologies.com
DISTRIBUTOR
@
DISTRIBUTOR
DISTRIBUTOR
74 miPRO MAY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
Listings Plus 2010 - Now Available
bringing brands together
www.leisuretec.co.uk
Sound • Lighting • Special Effects • Established 1990 • Distribution Power - Squared
DISTRIBUTOR
MI MARKETPLACE
DISTRIBUTOR
DISTRIBUTOR
...bridges, necks, bodies,
electronics, frets, inlay dots, pickups, knobs,
switches, pickguards, tools scratchplates, strings, screws,
nuts, saddles, tailpieces ...and much more!!!
The UK’s Premier Guitar & Bass Parts Supplier
Pick a partABM, Badass, Bartolini, Bigsby, CRL, CTS,
Danelectro, Earvana, Electrosocket, Fender,
Gotoh, Graphtech, Hipshot, Hofner, Jim
Dunlop, Lace, Leo Quan, Moses, Razor,
Schaller, Sperzel, Sprague, Switchcraft
& Wilkinson.
To order call 0870 442 3336Low call rate 0845 345 5951
Order online or find a local dealer @:
www.allparts.uk.comor email us: info@allparts.uk.com
GUITAR PARTS
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO MAY 2010 75
MI MARKETPLACE
INTERNATIONAL LTD
The UK’s fastest growing supplier of Professional Audio and MI equipment direct to the industry!
Supplying you with our ever expanding range from
As well as premier UK distribution for these leading brands
Tel: 020 8761 9911Fax: 020 8761 9922
Email: sales@proelint.co.uk
www.proelint.co.uk
DISTRIBUTOR DISTRIBUTOR
76 miPRO MAY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
INSURANCE AND BUSINESS
MI MARKETPLACE
MUSIC PUBLISHERS
If you answer yes to any of the following questions,
Guitars.co.uk WILL be of value to your business...
Want your shop SEEN?
Want your service APPRECIATED?
Want your Products SOLD?
We believe in power in numbers and want the UK’s
specialist stores to be seen, appreciated and most of
all get their rightful place BACK at the heart of guitar
sales in the UK.
DON'T be a sceptic.
SEE that positive things can happen!
Make it happen by calling us at your
earliest opportunity
07531 935 399
GUITARSGUITAR 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
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO MAY 2010 77
MI MARKETPLACEMANUFACTURER
PERCUSSION 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: sales@ocarina.co.uk
PIANOS
Rober t MORLEY Co Ltd
34 ENGATE St. LONDON SE13 7HA
020•8318•5838Grand & Upright Pianos by
Elysian, Grotrian-Steinweg, Bechstein,Monington & Weston
and other famous makers
John Morley Clavichords, Spinets,Harpsichords, Virginals & Celestes
Antique, Modern & New, Rental, Repairs,Sales lists & colour brochures on request.
Robert MORLEY & Co Ltd.Piano & Harpsichord Makers
Established 1881
www.morleypianos.com
78 miPRO MAY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
PERCUSSIONPERCUSSION AND DRUMS
MI MARKETPLACE
PROMOTIONALPERCUSSION
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO MAY 2010 79
REPAIRS
MI MARKETPLACE
CONTACT
JODIE HOLDWAY
CALL: (0)1992 535647
ADVERTISE IN
MI MARKETPLACE
GREAT ADVERTISINGOPPORTUNITIES
WIND INSTRUMENT
SAXOPHONES
MAY 2005Cover Stars: Aria UK. Martin Hartwell insists that
his entire team appears on the cover and he
follows the same tack through the interview. It’s
not about him – it’s about working as a team
News: Musicians Channel ceases broadcast, Warner
Music on Wall Street, Steinway and Pearl River
collaborate, D’Addario wins trademark case over
Gibson, Napster loses $24.3 million
Features: London Guitar Show at Wembley,
Musikmesse drum report, BMF preview, Wiii
electrical recycling legislation
Products: Elixir anti-rust strings, Ashdown Essex
Blonde, Fallen Angel & MAG 600, Laney VC15
combo, Gretsch G6073 bass, Höfner President
Thinline, Line 6 Variax 300, Blue Cardinal & Raven
mics, E-mu 1616 sound card, Conn Selmer 88H
trombone & Dizzy Gillespie King trumpet
Number one singles: Akon: Lonely,
Oasis: Lyla, Axel F: Crazy Frog
Number one albums: Bruce Springsteen: Devils
and Dust, Akon: Trouble, Steve Brookstein: Heart
and Soul, Faithless: Forever Faithless – The Greatest
Hits, Gorillaz: Demon Days
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 mipro@intentmedia.co.uk...
80 miPRO MAY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
THE LAST WORD IN MI PRO
MUSIKMESSE’S SOCIAL SIDE
No trade show in the world offers such breadth of choice
for the trade to find nice corners to get together and chill
out. Clockwise from above, Mel Bay treats staff and guests
(l to r) Jeff Ponte, VP of sales, Rodney Branigan’s German
press photographer and his German agent, Rodney
Branigan, Bryndon Bay, Mel Bay president, Maria
Evangelou and Chris Statham (with MI Pro) and Noel
Delaney, German sales rep for Mel Bay Music. Brian Cleary
of Barnes & Mullins graced the Lag Guitars dinner with a
shirt that hurt. Algam’s boss, Gerard Garnier gets up close
and intimate with MI Pro’s editor, Andy Barrett (sporting
more hair than is good for him) and sales manager Jodie
Holdway. Barrett had the distinct feeling that the close
attention from such an important man had little to do
with him. Below, Garnier again, greeting the guests with
Lag’s founder and chief luthier, who has (to the joy of sub-
editors everywhere) changed his name to Michel Lag.
PARTY TIME
LATEST NEWSSTRAIGHT TO YOUR MOBILE
Bookmark us in your phone:
MOBILE.MI-PRO.CO.UK
SEND YOUR PICTURES TO CODA@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO MAY 2010 81
Those outside the brass fraternity
might be surprised to consider
that, aside from percussion, the
horn is the oldest instrument known
to mankind, as our prehistoric
antecedents were getting notes from
the hollow horns of animals tens of
thousands of years ago.
Taking this into account, it is not at
all surprising that horns are among the
most complex in terms of
construction, owing to the millennia of
evolution they have gone through.
Of them all, the most complex and
– acknowledging the letters of
complaint that will arrive – most
beautiful is the French horn.
Originally known as the hunting
horn, the French horn’s circular shape
came from the need to have a deeper
sounding and louder tone, while being
manageable on horseback. The
lengthened tubing was thus shaped to
this manageable shape.
By the mid-17th century, the
hunting horn was being used in
orchestras by the likes of Jean-Baptiste
Lully and Pietro Cavalli. Within a
hundred years of this, they were
commonplace for composers such as
Handel and JS Bach. It was also around
this time that ‘crooks’, small pieces of
tubing added to the instrument to
change the key, were developed. Valves
followed in 1813, bringing about the
instrument we recognise today –
although many composers refused to
allow these instruments into their
orchestras for some time as they
were considered to be harsher
sounding than their
forebears.
While the trumpet is
by far the most
popular brass
instrument, it is the
French horn that
has the most
music composed for it. The tone of the
instrument is mellower and blends
more easily with the strings and
woodwind sections, its tenor register
having an almost human quality.
From the time of Mozart to the
present, the French horn sections of
many compositions are among the
most mellifluous and no-one could
imagine the sound of a orchestra
today without the rich tone
of the French horns holding
things
together.
MI ICON The French Horn
AND MARSHALL, TOO
THE BIRTH OF A BRAND?
Marshall chose its annual VIP dinner in
Frankfurt to announce its purchase of the
Natal percussion brand. There to witness
the event were (clockwise from above)
KMD’s Lesely Kane, considering the
benefits of either a yashmak or that Ulrike
Meinhoff look, Jason Hunt, looking
suitably grizzled and rugged for doing a
shift on the Indie Guitar stand, Jon Gold,
the MIA’s president, showing Hunt the
benefits of some slick razor work and the
stunning percussion work before the
jangling jaws after the Marshall team had
announced the Natal deal. Finally, the
lovely Jackie from Marshall, who sat with
the MI Pro team and delighted them with
tales from the backroom and reminders to
go and wash our hands.
The hard-rocking Scottish
trio are finally making
waves in the mainstream,
much to the knowing
relief of their army of
hardcore fans.
Here is a rundown of the
tools they use to raise
the roof...
SOUNDALIKESBIFFY CLYRO
NEXTMONTHA veritable fest of market overviews in the
June issue, with perspectives on the acoustic
guitar, percussion and sheet music sectors.
On the cover will be one of the most
interesting (and fastest growing) business
models in the trade: AVSL.
EDITORIAL: ANDY BARRETT
mipro@intentmedia.co.uk
ADVERTISING: JODIE HOLDWAY
jodie.holdway@intentmedia.co.uk
Company/job title:
DJPR (shameless plug: www.djpr.co.uk)
Boss
Years in the industry?
20 years
First single bought?
Sylvia by Focus (or Caroline by Status Quo)
Favourite album?
Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky,
not the ELP version – unless I’ve had a
drink, in which case that’s better
Currently listening to?
Oddly enough, religious choral stuff
Favourite musician?
Varies – currently Chopin
Which instruments do you play?
Piano
Are you currently in a band?
Not yet
MI SPACE
© Intent Media 2010 No part of this publication may be
reproduced in any form or by any means without prior permission
of the copyright owners. Printed by The Manson Group, AL3 6PZ
Enquiries to MI Pro, Intent Media, Saxon House 6a St.
Andrew Street, Hertford SG14 1JA.
Tel: 01992 535646 (Editorial)
Tel: 01992 535647 (Advertising)
Fax: 01992 535648
miPRO is a memberof the PPA
ISSN 1750-4198
SIMON NEIL: guitars – Fender 1960
Custom Relic Stratocasters, 50s
Stratocaster Relics, Gretsch White Falcon,
Squier Simon Neil Signature Stratocaster,
Taylor GS8, Taylor 714CE, Boss TU-2, DS-1,
MD-2, HM-2, MT-2, DD-6, LS-2 & RC-2,
Hayden MoFo 30 head & Classic 412 cab,
Marshall 1959SLP head & 1960A cab,
Peavey Classic 30 combo, Fender Deville
combo, Ernie Ball Skinny-Top, Heavy-
Bottom strings, Dunlop Custom picks
JAMES JOHNSTON: basses – Two Fender
Jazz USA five-string basses (one with with
upgraded pickups), Fender Jazz (American
Standard), Fender Jazz (American Deluxe),
Squier James Johnston Signature Jazz bass,
Tech21 SansAmp bass driver, DI Preamp,
Boss LS-2, ODB-3, TU-2, Ashdown BTA-400
(x 3), ABM-900, four Classic 810 cabs,
Hayden 7/15, Dunlop Custom green/pink
.96mm bass picks
BEN JOHNSTON: drums – Saibian HHX
ride, 14" Stage/Fast hi-hats, 16" AAX Stage
crash, 17" AAX Stage crash, AAXtreme
china, Pearl Eric Singer Signature snare
drum, Pearl Masters kit, 22x18" bass, 12x8"
rack tom, 14x14" and 16x16" floor toms,
Pearl Eliminator double bass pedal, Aqarian,
Pearl and Remo heads, two-octave,
chromatic xylophone
MI PRO Magazine. Saxon House, 6a St. Andrew Street.
Hertford, Hertfordshire. SG14 1JA
ISSN: 1750-41980 Copyright 2010
Printed by The Manson Group, AL3 6PZ
the international monthlymagazine for musicinstrument professional andeveryone in the MI business
MI Pro has a monthly circulation of well
over 6,000. It is distributed to all MI
retailers and industry professionals plus
carefully selected pro audio executives
and resellers.
UK: £50 Europe: £60 Rest of World: £90
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MI PRO is published 12 times a year, reaching well over
6,000 readers throughout the UK and international market.
Managing EditorAndy Barrett
mipro@intentmedia.co.uk
Editor at LargeGary Cooper
gary@garycooper.biz
Associate EditorRob Power
rob.power@intentmedia.co.uk
Staff WriterAdam Savage
adam.savage@intentmedia.co.uk
Advertising ManagerDarrell Carter
darrell.carter@intentmedia.co.uk
Sales ExecutiveJodie Holdway
jodie.holdway@intentmedia.co.uk
DesignerClaire Brocklesby
claire.brocklesby@intentmedia.co.uk
Production ExecutiveRosie McKeown
rosie.mckeown@intentmedia.co.uk
CirculationPaul Little
mipro.subscriptions@c-cms.com
Editorial Production ManagerHelen French
helen.french@intentmedia.co.uk
PublisherDave Roberts
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Managing DirectorStuart Dinsey
stuart.dinsey@intentmedia.co.uk
82 miPRO MAY 2010
DavidJones
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