www.mmrmagazine.com January 2010 NEW, DIGITAL VERSION www.mmrmagazine.com Inside the Secret World of MI Auctions Playable Art - Buyer’s Guide Exhibitor Listing NAMM University Schedule 2010 NAMM Show Preview The Fenyves Stradivarius, Cremona, 1720 Sold at Skinner, October 15, 2006 $1,436,000
Inside the Secret World of MI Auctions Buyer’s Guide Exhibitor Listing NAMM University Schedule January 2010 NEW, DIGITAL VERSION www.mmrmagazine.com w w w. m m r m a g a z i n e . c o m The Fenyves Stradivarius, Cremona, 1720 Sold at Skinner, October 15, 2006 $1,436,000
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w w w . m m r m a g a z i n e . c o m J a n u a r y 2 0 1 0
NEW, DIGITAL VERSION
www.mmrmagazine.com
Inside the Secret World of MI Auctions
Playable Art -
Buyer’s Guide
Exhibitor Listing
NAMM University Schedule
2010 NAMM Show Preview
The Fenyves Stradivarius, Cremona, 1720
Sold at Skinner, October 15, 2006
$1,436,000
MMR_COV1 COV1 12/11/09 9:33:44 AM
KAWAI K-3 Professional Upright Piano2009 Acoustic Piano of the Year
For the ninth time in ten years, KAWAI has received
the coveted Dealer’s Choice Award as selected by
the readers of Musical Merchandise Review.
www.kawaius.com
2008KAWAI K-3 Professional Upright PianoAcoustic Piano of the Year
2007KAWAI CA91 Digital PianoDigital Home Keyboard of the Year
2005KAWAI RX Series Grand PianosAcoustic Piano Line of the Year
2004KAWAI RX Series Grand PianosAcoustic Piano Line of the Year
2003KAWAI RX Series Grand PianosAcoustic Piano Line of the Year
2002KAWAI CN270 Digital PianoDigital Home Keyboard of the Year
2001KAWAI ES1 Digital PianoDigital Keyboard of the Year
2000KAWAI CP200 Digital EnsembleDigital Keyboard of the Year
JANUARY 2010 VOL.169 NO. 1 Contents16 Upfront Q&A: Tabor Stamper
MMR gets the scoop from Jupiter Band Instruments’ president on the compa-ny’s recent offerings and plans for the immediate future.
22 Playable Art – Inside the Secret World of MI Auctions
Big names, historical interest, dizzyingly large selling prices – MI auctions are exciting, glamorous, and – for the lucky sellers – remarkably profi table. But who’s selling? Who’s buying? How does it all work? We talk with representa-tives from three major auction houses – Skinner, Christie’s, and Sotheby’s – to get an overview of the scene.
32 Bedell Guitars – “Peace, Love, Rock & Roll,” and Proven Business Savvy38 Band & Orchestra: Diplomatte Musical Instruments
MMR speaks with president and CEO Paul Shelden about Diplomatte’s development, his own background as a performer and educator, and how the company maintains quality control in the production of its instruments.
43 NAMM University Professional Development Schedule
It’s back-to-school time! Four days of lectures, training sessions, and free breakfasts – all designed to keep MI retailers in the black for years to come.
60 Buyer’s Guide to New Gear at NAMM – Part 1New and notable products to check out in Anaheim this January.
82 2010 NAMM Exhibitor Roster94 The Porchboard
Nadene Isackson of Enroute Music explains the evolution and functionality of the company’s unique percussion product, The Porchboard.
4 Editorial6 Upfront12 People96 At A Glance: Hix Brothers Music’s Peter Hix
98 Supplier Scene106 Classifi eds112 Advertisers’ Index
Departments
www.MMRmagazine.com
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Cover photo: The Fenyves Stradivarius, Cremona, 1720 Sold at Skinner, October 15, 2006 $1,436,000
Ten years ago the industry’s largest “chain” in terms of outlets was Merry Go Round, with 81 units (36 present count, according to the company Web site). Number three on the charts was Music and Recording Superstores (MARS). For those
who need a refresher course in the history of the six-year chain, it started with a bang, launched by ex-Offi ce Depot president Mark Begelman and eventually grew to 50 stores before vaporizing in a chapter 7 fi ling in 2002. Perhaps its greatest (and only) lasting contribution to the body retail was the introduction of their industry breakfasts during NAMM, attracting a large cadre of vendors and the freeloading press who listened with feigned interest as MARS executives spun a tale of $5 dollar lesson plans, record label launches, satellite stores and sponsorships of concert venues. While the chain is gone, NAMM has continued the free breakfast format. As for the founder of MARS, Mr. Begelman later surfaced as an offi cer of a bank and in more recent times as the CEO of Pizza Fusion, “the fi rst ever organic pizza franchise.” The company projects 90 fran-chise units by the end of 2010 (present count: 30, with one unit in Saudi Arabia).
America’s top chain, Guitar Center ended the past decade with the acquisition of Musician’s Friend and 67 units. Ten years later, GC has some 311 outlets, bolstered by the purchase of Music And Arts Center (29 stores in 1999). Rounding up the fi rst tier in ’99 was Sam Ash Music, which has grown from 32 to 45 outlets.
As we turned the page to the new century we reported 95 dealerships with three or more units, totaling 804 stores. By contrast, this year’s report (December 2009) had 69 dealerships with a total of 774 units. In addition to the MARS demise there was a substantial number of smaller chain dealers; Werlein’s, Colton Piano, Karnes Music, Washburn Piano, Biasco and McFadden Music, among others, that have left the scene. Brook Mays (which once had 31 stores) is signifi cantly downsized, as are several others (Fletcher Music reduced from 32 to 22 outlets, Schmitt Music, now 18 from 25). On the plus side, Best Buy has entered the business with some 98 MI departments and internet sales have increased steadily, accounting for much of the lost brick and mortar sales and spawning a small but aggressive stream of Internet-only dealers.
Prophetically, we asked dealers and suppliers to forecast business in the early 21st century. Heid Music’s Paul Heid, told us, “Enjoy the business we are doing now, be-cause these are the good times people will refer to in the future.” Fred Bramante of Daddy’s Junky Music said, “ I detect a faltering in one of the ‘Big 3’” (see MARS above) Hartley Peavey: “Retailers of the future will have to get involved in value-added retail-ing or they simply will not exist… this means education, training the customer, having rental and lease programs, and doing installations. In short they must do all the things that the Internet can’t do.” Dennis Houlihan, Roland Corp: “There will always be room for a sharp retail operation, whether in an e-commerce or brick-and-mortar format. If you can add some value to the transaction and effectively answer that old question of, ‘why should I buy from you?’ you should succeed”.
And on a fi nal note we invite you to read the comments from the appraisers of the nation’s leading auction houses, there may be gold hanging on your wall.
A Look Back
sdavis@ symphonypublishing.com
MMR_4 4 12/11/09 9:35:57 AM
“I designed the new HU-6 upright piano forthe discerning pianist who requires an instrument with the touch and sound of agrand piano. This piano is engineered in the American tradition and is equipped with atrue sostenuto pedal.”—George Emerson
The HU-6 which is 52” in heightsets a new standard of advancedcraftsmanship in the constructionof upright pianos. With the sound,the action and the overall feel that
one might expect from a grandpiano, the HU-6 meets all of thetechnical and musical require-ments for any institutional or pro-fessional setting.
As chief Scale Designer and LeadEngineer with thirty two years ofexperience in the American pianoindustry, George Emerson has received the highest honor Chinapresents to foreign experts for
helping advance the developmentof craftsmanship and technology.Emerson was one of only 50 foreigners out of 485,000 experts inChina to receive the 2008 ChinaFriendship Gold Medal.
We invite you to experience thetouch, feel and sound of the HU-6at room 205-B at the Namm Show2010 in Anaheim, California, January 14-17, 2010.
G e o r g e E m e r s o n in front of his new design, the Hailun HU 6
UpfrontEffective December 7th, Hal Leonard Corporation now has exclusive long-term distribution rights for the publications of Randall and Nancy Faber. The Fabers negotiated the terms of the agreement with Hal Leonard president Larry Mor-ton. The Milwaukee-based music print publisher will be responsible for the sales, dis-tribution and marketing of the Faber catalog throughout the world.
The Fabers have more than 200 publications to their credit. The new deal encom-passes their entire catalog, including Piano Adventures®
and its array of supplementary publica-tions, such as the PreTime® to BigTime® Library, the Developing Artist Piano Lit-erature Series, the DuetTime ® Piano Se-ries, piano solos and ensembles, classical sheets and songbooks, and more.
Working with the Hal Leonard editorial staff, the Fabers will begin creating new publications utilizing songs from Hal Leonard’s broad catalog, aimed at expand-ing the Faber brand into un-tapped areas. The fi rst results of this new collaboration are expected off press by the fi rst quarter of the coming year.
6 MMR JANUARY 2010
Management Changes at BechsteinKarl Schulze, CEO of Bechstein, recently announced management changes at the company’s Ameri-can subsidiary, effective January 1, 2010.
Kenneth C. Ambrose will be step-ping down as CEO of Bechstein Amer-ica, LLC and David Skidmore – cur-rently general manager – will become president. Ambrose is described by the company as “the driving force in creating the Bechstein America sub-sidiary and establishing Bechstein’s fi rst offi ce in the U.S. in New York in 2007.” Mr. Ambrose will stay on board at Bechstein in an advisory position during the transition.
Fabers Partner with Hal Leonard
Settlement Reached Between Ningbo Hailun & Hailun DistributionNingbo Hailun Musical Instruments Co., Ltd. (“Ningbo”) and Hailun Dis-tribution, LLC (“Hailun Distribution”) announced that they have resolved all of their disputes and have entered into a written agree-ment memorializing the terms of their settlement.
In accordance with the terms of their settlement, the exclusive distribution
agreement previously entered into by Ningbo and Hailun has been mutually terminated at the parties’ joint request and Hailun Distribution has ceased
distributing Hailun branded pianos in the U.S. Ningbo’s new exclusive distribu-
tor, Hailun USA, shall handle all future sales of Hailun branded pianos.
White’s Music Center to CloseAfter a run of over 60 years, it’s being reported that family owned White’s Mu-sic Center of California – with stores in Porterville, Hanford, Tulare, and Visalia – is closing its doors. It’s further being reported by local media, that on Wednes-day, December 2, Keith White, son of the store’s original founders, was declared dead. He was 78. According to the Tu-lare County Coroner’s Offi ce, the cause of death was self-infl icted.
The Visalia outlet was expected to re-main open through the holiday season, allowing shoppers to purchase closeout items, as well as settle any existing busi-ness, including picking up instruments that had been dropped off for repairs and service.
At press time, White’s Web site was no longer online and we were unable to contact a representative for further com-ment.
MMR_6 6 12/11/09 9:37:10 AM
In the sixties, Rock ‘n Roll changed the world, revealing a passion for expression through music. As a teenager Tom Bedell was fi lled with that passion and sought to share it with the world by introducing his line of namesake Bedell acoustic guitars. Today Tom remains as passionate about music and fi ne guitars as he was all those years ago. He again shares that passion by introducing Bedell Performance Series Guitars. Beautifully designed in all solid wood and precisely handcrafted of the fi nest materials available, Bedell Guitars let you share your music and your passion. It’s your music… Perform it on a Bedell.
Times change. Passion doesn’t.
Experience a Bedell at your local dealer.
bedellguitars.com | 877.264.3356
HANDCRAFTED, ALL SOLID WOOD GUITARS
In 1964, it was simply about sharing a passion. It still is.
In 1964 at the age of 14, Tom Bedell developed his own line of acoustic guitars to help a generation explore their musical passions. Over four decades and two inductions into the Iowa Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame later, Tom Bedell introduces his new line of namesake acoustic guitars.
Management Changes at Young ChangVincent Choi, the president of Young Chang North America, has announced that Bruce Mc-Neil, currently national sales manager, has been promoted to vice president. Vincent expects this change to, “add more vitali-ty to Young Chang and a positive force to the company’s future di-rection.”
UpfrontNAMM Show’s Fernand L. Petiot Marching Band to Celebrate 40th Back in 1970, a group of NAMM Members began what would become a 40-year-tradition by picking up and playing musical instruments and engaging in a “Grand March to the Exposi-tion” to open The 1970 NAMM Show. As a part of that grand tradition, the group enjoyed drinking Bloody Marys at their morning rehearsals and thus, in 1976, this all-industry band became known as the Fernand L. Petiot Marching Band after Mr. Petiot, who is credited with the invention of this famous drink.
Over the years, many celebrities have led this famous band including, Doc Severinsen, Maynard Ferguson and Bobby Shew. Today, the Fernand L. Petiot Marching Band still proudly opens the NAMM Show and participation is open to all NAMM Members. Petiot Band members gather to re-hearse in the morning of the show’s first day using instru-ments on loan from various exhibitors’ booths. The band then quickly runs through the music and marches into the Anaheim Convention Center lobby before parading through the exhibit halls.
This year, marks the 40th anniversary of the Petiot Band and NAMM is planning to celebrate the occasion with the help of another group of adult musicians, Portland Oregon’s own “Get a Life Marching Band.” Founded in 1994 by former school band members Bob Pulido and John Lind, “Get A Life” is an all-adult band whose members have three things in common according to the group’s Web site: They were all in high school or college marching bands, they still haven’t gotten over it, and they would rather miss a note than a meal. This band of young-at-heart se-niors has performed at many prestigious events including the Rose Parade and President Obama’s Inauguration.
The 40th anniversary celebration performance of the Fer-nand L. Petiot All-Industry Marching Band along with special guests the “Get a Life” Marching Band will take place to open the 2010 NAMM Show at the Anaheim Convention Center on January 14, 2010, at 10 a.m. PST.
Handcrafted to express the music in you. Trust your music to the majesty and wonder of solid Canadian red cedar. Experience the bountiful and balanced music. Marvel at the full projection of sound. Savor the rich, natural beauty of the grain.
To purchase a Great Divide Solid Cedar guitar, visit your local Great Divide dealer or call 1.877.264.3356.
Canadian Red Cedar
Indian Rosewood greatdivideguitars.com
1.877.264.3356
A DIVISION OF TWO OLD HIPPIES, LLC, P.O. BOX 557, SPIRIT LAKE, IOWA 51360.
Nine models to choose from, available in Dread-nought, Orchestra, and Parlor bodies with mahoga-ny or rosewood back and sides.
Update to December 2009 “Print Publishing Review & Forecast”
Omnia Sol (Let Your Heart be Staid)
Night of the Father’s Love
Let All the People Say Amen
Keep Your Lamps
Dreams that Children Dream
Speak, O Lord
Celtic Communion
Listen to the Rain
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Yes, My Jesus Loves Me
I Hear the Prophet Callin’
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Lorenz Top Sellers 2009
Peter and the Wolf, Prokofi ef trans. By Earl North for Wind Quintet & Optional Percussion
Gershwin Three Preludes, trans. Stewart for Wind Quintet
Carl Nielsen Wind Quintet
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Simple Gifts, trans. Stewart for Wind Trio
Carulli Six Duos for Flute and Guitar
Beethoven Fur Elise, trans. Stewart for Wind Quintet
Ecloghe by Castelnuovo-Te-desco for Flute, EH, and Guitar
Period Pieces with NooGlu (Wind Quintet no. 3)
Six Carols for Flute and Piano
Bluesmasters for Wind Trio
Telemann Trio Sonata in A Mi-nor, trans. Stewart for Wind Trio
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Trillenium Music Co. Top Sellers 2009
Gretsch Celebrates Bigsby’s BirthdayDecember 12th, 2009 marked the 110th birthday of Paul Adelbert Bigsby, “the man who designed and built the fi rst solidbody electric guitar.”
A skilled motorcycle machinist—and also a music fan—Paul Bigsby got into the world of guitars in the mid-1940s when he designed a replacement vibrato mechanism for C&W artist Merle Travis’s Gibson L-10. Paul’s device set a new stan-dard, and it rapidly became the vibrato of choice for many guitar manufacturers the world over.
In late 1946, Travis approached Bigsby with a concept for a new guitar. Travis’s
rough sketch depicted a solidbody elec-tric with all six tuning pegs on one side of the headstock. When the guitar was completed, Merle Travis played it on re-cordings, on radio, and on public per-formances. The revolutionary design in-spired guitar players and builders alike.
Fred Gretsch describes the care that has been taken to preserve the Bigsby heritage, saying, “Gretsch guitars have featured Bigsby vibrato tailpieces for fi fty-fi ve years. Gretsch and Bigsby are often thought of together, and now we’re one company. We’re continuing to man-ufacture vintage-style Bigsby vibratos
and bridges using the same hand-made methods prescribed by Paul Bigsby more than half a century ago.”
10 MMR JANUARY 2010
Neil A. KjosNeil A. Kjos, Jr. took over the music pub-lishing company that his father, Neil A. Kjos, Sr. had formed in 1936. He began by developing and adding the best-selling Bastien Piano publications to a catalog that had previously focused exclusively on instrumental and choral publications. Development of the popular Bastien ped-agogy culminated with the release of the Bastien Piano Basics in 1985, the world’s fi rst ever 4-color piano method.
Under Neil’s direction the company became one of the most trusted names in music education with the release of numerous award winning methods and publications including the Standard of Excellence band method and All for Stringsmethod for string orchestra. He was one of the fi rst U.S. publishers to expand in-ternational outreach, and his publications today are available in more than 16 lan-guages worldwide. Neil was also instru-mental in fostering a greater dialog be-tween teachers and directors worldwide through extensive workshopping interna-tionally, and by introducing foreign band directors to the Midwest Clinic and ABA.
Neil retired in 1997 and the company is now run by his sons Mark and Tim Kjos. Neil passed away on November 23.
Trade Regrets:
MMR_10 10 12/11/09 9:37:25 AM
“Without a doubt, this is the best trumpet I’ve ever played.”
Professionals are playing XO by Jupiter.Your customers will want to as well.
Roger IngramEducator, Author, Recording Artist, and Lead Trumpet with the Orchestras of Harry Connick, Jr., Maynard Ferguson, Woody Herman, Jazz at Lincoln Center and Ray Charles. http://RogerIngram.com
XO Trumpets, Saxophones, Trombones, Low BrassOnce your customers try an XO, they will discover what more professionals already know – that XO instruments perform to the highest standards.
For 2010, Jupiter is introducing new B�, C and piccolo trumpets, new tenor and bass trombones, new compensating euphoniums and new C tubas.
XO by Jupiter. Professional. By Design.
Visit the Jupiter XO Exhibit at the 2010 Winter NAMM, Booth 4800. jupiterxo.com
Roger performs exclusively on the new XO 1600I Trumpet.
PeopleHal Leonard Corporation has an-nounced Greg Gilpin as the director of educational publications for Shawnee Press, the choral and instrumental music publishing company it acquired in June. Gilpin will be responsible for Shawnee’s overall publishing and marketing for the school market, developing new educa-tional resources for all grade levels.
Brad Strickland has joined as director of sales at MV Pro Audio.
Strickland’s history includes a long tenure with Korg USA followed by six years at Ilio. He’s been deeply involved with sales, market development, adver-tising and promotion, artist relations, and logistics and planning. His resume even includes a stint as co-manager of the band Little Feat.
Carolyn Manley will return to Conn-Selmer to lead the educational outreach of this company. Manley will direct the Educational Programs of Conn-Selmer Institute, as well as manage special events and artist relations.
Manley worked at Conn-Selmer over eight years in positions of increasing responsibility from customer service through marketing management, and was instrumental in developing the edu-cational division plan for Conn-Selmer. Manley returns to Conn-Selmer follow-ing four years of employment in senior management positions within the Gem-stone Musical Instruments Company.Mike Kamphuis has been promoted to se-nior director of product marketing at Conn-
Selmer, Inc. Kamphuis will be responsible for all activities related to implementing and coordinating the Conn-Sel-mer product marketing strat-egy for its legendary Brass, Woodwind and Stringed in-strument brands.
Dick Markus joins Regal Tip as sales manager for Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. Markus has held senior positions with several major compa-nies, including Remo, Ma-pex, Latin Percussion and EMD. Dick’s background includes sales & marketing, management, and strategic planning.
MMR: Tell us about the new XO line of instruments. What’s happening on this professional level for Jupiter?
Tabor Stamper: We are very excited about our XO line of professional in-struments. During 2010, the complete
XO line of brass instruments will in-clude three Bb trumpet models, new C and piccolo trumpets, a superb fl ugel-horn and, later, a new D/Eb trumpet. In addition, we have a new series of bass trombones to join our straight and rotor tenors in both dependent and indepen-dent designs.
These instruments have been care-fully designed and tested over the last several years. We have utilized trumpet designers and craftspeople from around the world and leaned heavily on some of the fi nest professional players to bring our designs to a level rarely approached by builders today. One example is Roger Ingram. Roger is a great player and his lead playing with Harry Connick Jr. and others will give our entire XO trumpet line more exposure, but we have other top players that are equally supportive of the entire line of trumpets, trombones, euphonium and tubas. As these models become available next year, the enthu-siasm and interest in XO will be clearly evident.
MMR: I understand that Jupiter is very involved with the Drum and Bugle Corp. scene. Are there any new developments within your Marching band line of instruments?
TS: Our Quantum project for marching band has been very aggres-sive, encompassing the entire outdoor ensemble. As a result, the Quantum line of marching instruments is coming into its own quite nicely. This group of instruments is a joint effort between designers at Jupiter who have focused on marching brass and those at Ma-pex and Majestic for marching drums, timpani and mallet instruments. The marching brass line was designed as an ensemble, rather than individual in-struments, adding sonority and power to the resulting sound. The key to the marching drums is the rich tone of the specially constructed shells. Our players in both DCI (Drum Corps In-ternational) and WGI (Winter Guard International) corps have commented on the full and vibrant tone and they love how the drums really “sing.” Our work with both DCI and WGI corps has shown that these instruments perform very well and are designed for the long haul. The front percussion ensemble is a natural growth from concert percus-sion and the Majestic concert drums and mallet instruments are providing the quality and value needed in today’s competitive marching environment.
UpfrontQ&A
Jupiter Band Instruments, Inc. has been growing rapidly over the past few
years and just recently released a new line of professional instruments that’s
already meeting with positive reaction. Even in a tough economic time, Tabor
Stamper, Jupiter’s president, is very pleased with the company’s position and
is excited about the future. Recently, MMR sat down with Stamper to get a
better handle on Jupiter’s growth as a company, their newest products, and
what the future holds.
MMR_16 16 12/11/09 9:42:04 AM
JANUARY 2010 MMR 17
MMR: Jupiter has expanded in recent years, in both size and scope. How are you adapting to this growth?
TS: Dealers will begin seeing more evi-dence of our true corporate identity, KHS America. As you know, Jupiter wind instru-ments are only one part of what we provide to the music world. Majestic concert percus-sion is rapidly making its place in the mar-ketplace, and Mapex drums have long been a respected name. Altus fl utes are among the fi nest in professional, handmade fl utes. We believe it is inaccurate to simply place all of these brands under the Jupiter name. Instead, each will be marketed on its own unique merits and managed under the KHS umbrella. KHS America is a wholly owned subsidiary of KHS International, with man-ufacturing facilities all over the world for Jupiter wind instruments, Majestic concert percussion, Mapex drums and professional level Altus fl utes, crafted in Japan.
MMR: With facilities all over the world, how does KHS America effectively maintain quality control?
TS: One of our greatest assets is that we own and control our own research, design, and manufacturing facilities. These fa-cilities are wholly committed to our KHS brands. They are also quite fl exible in ac-commodating and achieving a high level of craftsmanship and quality. The company has instilled a culture of improvement in ev-ery facet of design and manufacturing. Even when the quality of our instruments appears to be excellent, we see our manufacturing team always examining how to improve even more. Because our facilities are ISO 9001 certifi ed, we have excellent control over quality in all areas.
MMR: It’s been a challenging year or so for all, to say the least. What can dealers expect from KHS America in 2010?
TS: Among our strengths as a grow-ing company is our ability to pattern our
business in harmony with our dealers’ needs. We are able to match our pro-grams more closely with our dealers’ buy-ing patterns and assist them in promot-ing to schools and individuals, as well as providing them consistent and profi table
rental instruments for band. Unlike some manufacturers that have simply given up all logic in this diffi -cult economy, we are privileged to have the support of many deal-
ers, both large and small, who appreciate our common sense approach and will-ingness to adapt to their needs.
MMR: What does the immediate future hold for KHS America?
TS: We believe that the year 2010 will be a Majestic year. Majestic timpani have been available in Europe for some time, but now, with the introduction of the complete line of concert percussion, from timpani and concert drums to con-
“One of our greatest assets is that we own and control our own research, design,
and manufacturing facilities.”
MMR_17 17 12/11/09 9:42:09 AM
18 MMR JANUARY 2010
UpfrontQ&Acert and marching mallet instruments, Majestic will play a major role on the stages of America’s fi nest ensembles and will become a staple for dealers who want to serve their schools with the most up-to-date, high-value instruments.
This coming year, dealers will see the results of our worldwide efforts. Our newest professional products are the foundation. New, more active efforts with key artists and educators, as well as recommitted promotional efforts will drive demand. Of course, our standard instruments will continue to support student achievement with a warranty that is good through high school gradu-ation, and our background and harmony instruments continue to support today’s fi nest school bands.
Overall, KHS America is dedicated to music performance and education, pro-viding high quality wind and percussion instruments of exceptional value at all performance levels. We do this in part-nership with our loyal dealers, working hard to make sure they can serve their customers while making a fair profi t. It takes all of us to get the job done.
See us at NAMM Booth 4768
See us at NAMM Booth 3416
Find it in the Hot News section of MMR’s Web site,
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Get Ready to Make the Most of the NAMM Show...and Increase Your Chances for a Successful New Year
Congratulations to all of you who’ve made the choice to join your industry peers for the 2010 NAMM Show. Making the commitment to invest in yourself and your business could well be the smartest decision you make all year.
Each January brings with it the promise of a fresh start, and while no one is predicting a quick recovery the economy is showing signs of life. With this in mind, I am confident that this NAMM Show will position you and your business for success in the coming year. Networking with your friends and peers, launching the latest products that will excite the market and learning from the industry’s best and brightest by attending as many NAMM University classes as you can will undoubtedly give you the competitive edge in the year ahead. I truly believe that this moment is critical for the long-term health and development of your business and our industry. Opportunity is all around us, and this NAMM Show will help the industry “get ready” to fulfill its potential for growth and success.
The NAMM Show is so much more than the typical convention. We’re music people at heart, and there will be more talent and star power at this show than I can ever remember from shows past. The exhibitors are pulling out all the stops and bringing their biggest artists to inspire us all. The NAMM Show is also the industry family reunion, where friendships and camaraderie truly matter and have lasting value to us all.
We have packed this year’s NAMM Show with new features and activities to provide your business with the tools and support it needs, allowing you to make the most of your decision to attend. Be sure to plan your schedule to guarantee that your store has the must-have inventory for spring. Attend NAMM U sessions to ensure your business is prepared for the “new economy.” Visit the Wanna Play? Booth and find out how to promote music making to whole new markets, and meet music business students from all over the U.S. who are eager to enter our workforce with new ideas and energy. Stop by the new H.O.T. (Hands-On Training) Zone to meet with business mentors who can help guide you and your business to the next level. And enjoy the hundreds of musical events we have scheduled, designed to remind us all why we’re in the best business in the world!
Thanks again for your continued Membership, support and friendship. We’re looking forward to seeing you at the show and helping you succeed in 2010!
News ADVERTORIAL • JANUARY 2010
NAMM News is published by NAMM. To keep up-to-date on the
latest breaking industry news, sign up for our PLAYback Digital e-newsletter
“I think the NAMM Show helps every size of retailer. Being face-to-face with your vendors is so important to show you’re in it, a part of the industry and you’re serious about
business.”
RICH PIRES
commercial Members.
the country.
best music products and materials for their schools.
new exhibitors, in addition to 1500+ booths.
solutions targeted to professionals in the live audio, house of worship, and stage and lighting industries.
“I realized I was approaching it too aca-demically,” he says slyly. “I went into the vault, grabbed an amp, pulled it to my desk, and started to play the rest.”
The client, Eric Clapton; The product, his guitars; Clapton’s cause, Crossroads Centre in Antigua, his island home where this cen-ter reaches out to help recovering alcoholics like himself. Keane reports that Clapton was nervous about putting up what he called “his A-Team” of mostly Fender Strats, the “cream of his collection.”
“His choice in guitars was wonderful, they all sounded and played magnifi cently,” Keane says. A connection with the “Guitar God” himself would suffi ce mediocre instruments; “but they were superior guitars.” The event is reported to have earned $5,072,350.
This 1850 Rocca violin was made by renowned luthier, Giuseppe Rocca (1807 – 1865). Often called “a poor man’s Stradavarius,” string instruments made by his hands typically go for $150,000.
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JANUARY 2010 MMR 23
At Christies, the pop-related market has become a growth market, and it has spurred them out of dealing with pri-marily the violin family. Specifi cally, it’s fi ne American guitars that are attracting their deep-pocketed clients attention.
For ROI, though, it’s hard to beat the classic violin: In 1971, history was made at Sotheby’s when the “Lady Blunt” Stradi-varius of 1721 was sold for the equivalent of a record-breaking $140,000. In 2008 it sold privately for nearly 40 times that amount, $5.7 million. Sotheby’s deals almost exclusively with violins, and the name of the maker and the player both contribute to value.
“Most great violins have a name of a performer attached to it,” Sotheby’s Tim Ingles says. “Take for example, Joshua Bell’s Stradivarius. It used to be played by the great Polish violinist Bronislaw Hu-berman (1882–1947).” That added value to the instrument, though “whether it now being Bell’s instrument will add val-ue to it [in the long run] is debatable.”
(That instrument has a great story, too: In 1985 it resided incognito for months in the Danbury home of Edward Wicks, where its “owner,” a thief named Julian Altman, who was on his way to jail, had brought it for safekeeping. With-in months of his imprisonment, Altman was near death from stomach cancer. On his deathbed, according to his wife, he divulged that the violin he had played for nearly 50 years was the Gibson Stradivar-ius that had been stolen in 1936 from Hu-berman at Carnegie Hall. Bell acquired it in 2001 for a price of $4 million.)
Skinner, Inc., one of the world’s leading auction houses, has seen its own profi le – and that of auctions, and music-related auctioning – raise signifi cantly through ties to a popular television program: “A lot of people come to us through PBS’ ‘Antique Road Show Series,’ for which I am one of the appraisers,” explains David Bonsey, who runs Skinner’s Fine Musical Instrument department. “Many of these instruments were actually found under beds in homes of people who really had
no idea of the value until they did an In-ternet search and found out about these instruments being sold at Skinner’s. So we do get a lot of these instruments from the original owners’ families, which is really important when you’re doing auc-tions. We try as much as possible to get stuff that is fresh – things that haven’t passed on from hand to hand from deal-ers and musicians, because those are the items that really do the best in the mar-ketplace.”
These music auctions are still “live,” per the cliché branded into our minds from movies. Not surprisingly, they also include technology that reaches a slightly larger audience – as in the world. “It’s a live auction, so people will bid live in the room, but also people are able to bid by telephone as well as absentee bids via an Internet portal called Christie Live,” Ke-ane says. “Clients can bid in real time on the Internet from the privacy of their own time – it’s not static the way eBay is. You’re linked right up to the room, and the auc-tioneer looks right at you. It’s a personal connections, and has opened up the pro-cess to a very global audience.” Sotheby’s offers similar services.
Christie’sKeane, with Christie’s for 10 years, is
department head for MI with the respected auction house, which was founded in 1766. In 2008, Christie’s did $5.1 billion in pri-vate sales, with musical instruments being
a growing piece of that gross. Keane previ-ously worked for Skin-ner in Boston, where he launched their MI department. A musi-cian and instrument maker himself, he’s worked with both gui-tars and violins prior to embarking on his
auction house career.On December 3, Christie’s experi-
mented with a Country Music Sale, the fi rst sale dedicated to the creation, his-
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From a “Lloyd Loar” mandolin played by legendary country star Bill Monroe.
Kerry Keane
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tory, and evolution of country music. The foundation of the sale is property from the estate of songwriter and “King of Western Swing” Hank Thompson. In-cluded were musical instruments, stage outfi ts, and hand-written lyrics from American artists including Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams, Bill Monroe, Buddy Holly, Johnny and June Carter Cash, among
others.“It’s the fi rst time for Christie’s
– or any other venue for that mat-ter,” states Keane. This project evolved from his visits with Nash-ville clients (which include classi-cal and country/pop clients). “On every trip, I was shown property
specifi c [to the country genre], but I kept saying, ‘Let’s wait until we can do a special sale around country music.’” Recently, when Christie’s secured the Thompson estate as a client, Keane knew it was time to reach out to all the “wonderful property” he has seen over the years that would compliment the event.
Deciding the value of a particular musical instrument is part art, part science, and fi lled with surprises.
“The fi rst step is really to attribute work to a specifi c maker,” Keane ex-
plains. “We want to know the time period. With gui-
tars specifi cally, we want to know mak-ers, model, and when it was made.” This information is usual-ly fairly easy to access
via serial numbers, but not always. Manufac-
turers with a long history weren’t always as par-ticular to the whole “chro-nology” thing when it came to numbers
that one might think. “At the
end of the day, we really need to see
the instrument. Only then can we determine its age,
condition, and originality.”Keane outlines the fi ve fundamentals
of deciding if an instrument is worthy of a live auction:
Attribution: Who made it;Quality: That aside, an instrument tied to an artist has some more value;Condition: How is it going to be ac-cepted by the knowledgably buyer?Freshness: An instrument that hasn’t been seen for years, or better yet – has yet to be discovered. Some-thing that inspires a collectors sense of discovery; andProvenance: If it comes from Eric Clapton, etc., “the temperature of a passion infl uences a lot of a sale.”
When one enters the stratosphere of this caliber of auctions, an artist sig-nature on it can actually devalue more than value it. Exceptions exist: In 2004, Johnny Cash took his 1965 Fender Malibu and scrawled in his own shaky, barely decipherable hand: “I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die.” “What a great phrase,” sighs Keane. “It’s taken from one of his greatest songs, in his hand, on an iconic guitar.” But that is rare, as more often, say, with a Jeff Beck signature on one of his many Fender Stratocasters, it can be a turnoff to deep-pocketed participants.
Sometimes the best of both worlds collide: An artist association meets the historical implications. This past April, Christie’s sold a guitar that was Roy Rog-ers’. Fair enough. But it was a 1930 Martin OM45 Deluxe. Oh wait. It turned out to be the very fi rst OM45 Deluxe – a prototype in fact. The good people of Martin pro-duced it, shipped out to a Sherman Clay store in San Francisco, and by 1933 it had landed into the hands of Rogers. “Rog-ers had bought it at pawn shop, as it was the height of the depression,” says Keane. “This specifi c guitar was undiscovered. When it came to the surface, only 14 of these OM45s were thought to have been made.” This one made that number 15. Keane raised eyebrows when what many thought was a $150,000 to $250,000 guitar was declared by him worthy of $350,000 winning bid. When a collector who rec-ognized its importance paid $554,500 for it, it proved that even Keane himself had underestimated its potential.
“Prior to the sale, there was a great debate – what would drive its value? The historical aspect or the association with Rogers? People are still arguing that. But for me, they can’t be separated.”
And who is dabbling in all of this?“It’s a very broad spectrum,” says
Keane. “There of course the private col-
24 MMR JANUARY 2010
Dale Evans’ and Roy Rogers’ guitars.
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JANUARY 2010 MMR 25
lectors, who harbor a deep passion in the property be it violin bows or electric guitars. They come to the process with a great love of the item and an in-depth historical knowledge.”
Those who have only passing knowl-edge of how auction houses distribute high-end collectables may recall the 1980s boom on impressionistic paintings: Col-lectors spending so much money on your Van Goghs and Picassos that the only thing they could reasonably do with them was lock them in their private safes as they were essentially uninsurable. Luckily that is not the case with most of these instruments.
“The guitar collectors are by and large all players and uniquely talented,” says Keane. “The buyer of some special elec-tric guitar might be a patent attorney in New York City, but on Thursdays, he plays in a blues band in New Jersey.” With the exception of your late 16th or early 17th century guitars, most acquisitions are played, even if not professionally.
“One of the fi nest collections is owned by a gent out in LA named Jonathan Kell-erman [novelist]. He’s built a wonderful private collection, and is a very talented musician. He enjoys them, and has a great passion for them.”
Keane says he does hear from MI stores – especially those who are closing up business with no kin ready, willing, or able to take over. “They often have a col-lection of vintage instruments they want to sell. There’s a relatively vibrant market in the private sector for those.” If you’re wondering if Keane thinks his company is better than your eBay, etc.: “I think what auction does for many clients is of-fer a transparency in the process. There’s no secret to what we think it’s worth, what its worth after it sells – it’s all true capitalism.”
Beyond the guitar? Not much. Years ago they sold a trap set used by The Who and it broke records, but that proved to be exceptional. “There’s a small com-munity of percussion collectors, but its not nearly as vibrant,” Keane says. “The guitar is an iconic American symbol and represents popular culture.” Not to say that’ll always be the case – for example, if the Rhodes piano Billy Joel played “Just the Way You Are” surfaced, that would be of interest; but again, the com-munity willing to bid on it would not be as large.
(As for Keane, he says he very much enjoys his job, which is easy to under-
stand as “only those who work in Chris-tie’s musical instrument department and the wine department get to sample their wares.”)
SkinnerWhen asked what types of instruments
come into the Skinner’s gallery, Bonsey is quick to reply. “The instruments we usual-ly handle for our fi ne musical instrument sales, pretty much fall into the category of string instruments and from time to time we also do wind instruments — we don’t really handle keyboards. Most of the items we do are from the violin family, I would say that’s about 75 percent of our business.” The rest of Skinner’s inventory is made up of about 20 percent guitars and other fretted instruments and fi ve percent assorted wind instruments.
“The wind instru-ments are usually good vintage saxo-phones, trumpets and collectable fl utes — especially from American makers. We kind of refrain from commercially built wind instru-
1959 Gibson Les Paul. Sold at Skinner May 7, 2006 for $293,000.
F5 “Lloyd Loar” Gibson Mandolin, 1923. Sold at Skinner Oct. 17, 2004 for $129,250.
1957/63 Gibson Explorer. Sold at Skinner October 15, 2006 for $611,000.
David Bonsey
MMR_25 25 12/11/09 9:50:26 AM
ments from the 20th century and we generally don’t handle the old marching band instruments and things like that from the ’20s and ’30s because there are not a lot of calls for them,” says Bonsey.
Although Skinner Inc. carries a vari-ety of interesting instruments, Skinner’s bread and butter with respect to fi ne in-struments are their selection of stringed instruments. “The highest price per unit would be violins and guitars easily,” says Bonsey. “The violin market has been extremely strong for all of the 10 years I’ve been doing this. I mean, we sold one Stradivarius for 1.43 million. Ten years ago at the very fi rst auction sale that I did we had a Neapolitan violin from the mid 1700s by Alessandro Gagliano that reached a world record price of 200K and that’s still actually a world auction record,” says Bonsey. To gauge prices of any given sale, Bonsey takes an average lot level. “We take a number of lots in a sale and add up the gross receipts from
all of those instruments in a certain class and we’ll get an average lot level. So we have different categories,” explains Bon-sey. “We’ll have maybe 40 or 50 violins within the under 10K level, we might have up to 10 or 20 violins in the 10-20k level and we might have even several of the 50-100K and above price range. Generally, the guitars will be anywhere from the 5k range up to 25k range,” says Bonsey.
In the past, Bonsey has sold gui-tars for as much as 611k. “That was for a 1957 Gibson Explorer, which was re-ally in near perfect condition from the original owner. It had been purchased by the owner’s father for him in Chicago in 1963,” says Bonsey. It was one of those Explorers that were fi nished in 63 out of partly 57 parts and partly 63 parts. These Explorers had actually been sitting un-fi nished for a while at the factory. They bought it in Chicago, and it was sent back to the factory because the father really wanted it to have a Bigsby vibrato on it.
So, it came back from the factory with the Bigsby vibrato and a little plate over the stop tailpiece holes that said ‘custom made,’” explains Bonsey. “It was a pretty near perfect piece and it was sold at the height of the market. So there was some very strong bidding from collectors that fi nally brought it to 611k and that was actually at the same sale where we sold the Stradivarius. That was a good day for us.”
Making the MarketIn addition to buying and selling some
very rare instruments, auction houses have often created a market for little known instruments. “I can pretty much say that Skinner made the market on the Lloyd Loar F5 mandolins,” says Bonsey. The very fi rst one that we had came to us at a time when the retail blue book value was at about 40k. This one came to us in beautiful condition. It had a one-piece back and it was a later fern inlay so it was
26 MMR JANUARY 2010
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The Stradivari “Emiliani” violin, made in 1703 by Antonio Stradivari himself.
Buddy Holly Gibson Incorporated, A Guitar, style J-45, Kalamazoo, Mi., circa 1942-43.
Hank Thompson Vox, an electric 12-string octave guitar, Italy, circa 1966
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JANUARY 2010 MMR 27
towards the end of Lloyd’s tenure at Gib-son. That one sold for 80k and we’ve sold probably half dozen or more after that — eventually reaching an auction price of 129K for one of the very beautiful two-piece fl ame maple back. Not long after that the retail prices reached about 200k, maybe a little bit over for the Lloyd Loar instruments.
“We were pretty important in the rise of the prices for the 59 Les Paul as well,” says Bonsey. “We sold one some years back for 293k. That one was a 59 Sunburst that was actually in pretty well used condition. It had a medium amount of fade from the color on the top but nonetheless it was at a time when the market was hot. That one I brought out of Minnesota in February. So you can imagine, I fl ew up to Minne-sota and drove halfway across the state to meet someone in a very small town who had this guitar,” laughs Bonsey. “It was quite amazing bringing it back. That one sailed past an estimate of 120k so it did quite well. Interestingly enough last year we had another 59 burst that was the very previous serial number from the one we sold years back and that one was in near perfect condition from the original owner, although that one sold for a bit less (235K).”
What Economy?Bonsey is confi dent that the market
will continue to grow. “When you’re selling at an auction, prices are really going to remain constant. Because of the conservative nature of auctions, prices don’t go up and down so much like re-tail prices do. The violin market is by nature very conservative so that never really goes down,” says Bonsey. “The guitar market, although it’s a little more volatile, is similar. It’s seen the biggest spikes but recently it’s been leveling off,” says Bonsey. “The more conservative market for steel string acoustics like the nice old martins has been pretty steady too. I haven’t seen that market go down at all. I think the biggest hit has been to the solid body electrics. They’re not re-ally extremely rare, they just have a big demand in the mass market and in the pop culture market,” explains Bonsey. “Guitars can be very, very hyped so that people will go on a buying frenzy and then things will inevitably cool off so the electric market has taken the biggest hit in recent years, but I think it’s just a
matter of time before it comes back to where it was,” says Bonsey.
“Some of these instruments are so old and so rare that they don’t really fl uctuate in price. The very high-est ones do appreciate at a higher rate. In other words, the top Stradavari violins will appreci-ate sometimes on an average at over 10 percent per year and they can spike at an auction when there’s a crisis,” explains Bonsey. “Actually the very best violins will shoot up in price because people will see fi ne tangibles as a safer place to put their money -- rather than in the stock market where it can go up or down. The great thing about auc-tions is even in slow retail times and times of diffi cult credit, there are people with money who will buy the very fi nest examples of these vio-lins, so prices do remain steady on the overall scene. Like I said, they’re pretty conservative to begin with so they never really go down, they just have a steady climb upward.”
Sotheby’sTim Ingles, head of musical instru-
ments of Sotheby’s, says he plays cello, though refuses to call himself a cellist. He’s been in the music instrument de-partment of the auction giant for 15 years, and heading it for 10. The depart-ment consists of himself, and another expert, and support staff. A bookseller founded the company in 1744.
The MI department deals almost ex-clusively with violin family instruments. “It’s a steady market,” he says. “Obvious-ly, the size of the market moves according to fashion to a certain extent.” He sites Japan’s economic boom of the 1980s as a period when many treasured violins were sold at astronomical prices. “This will re-peat itself as the Chinese market opens up
– I’m told there are 10 million people in that country learning the violin at the moment … assuming even a few of those reach greatness, then it’s inevitable that that market will become even stronger.”
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A white lace-up stage shirt by Nudie featuring rhinestones, blue leather tassels, pink and blue musical note embellishments and a Nudie tag in the collar. Additionally, a typewritten Roy Rogers tag appears on the inside bottom of the shirt.
Tim Ingles
MMR_27 27 12/11/09 9:50:54 AM
28 MMR JANUARY 2010
The reality is there is a limited supply of premium Italian violins (300 years old or more), so they will forever increase in value. While it’s hard to imagine some-one spending a couple of million on a Jeff Koons sculpture and putting it out so people could climb on it, similarly priced instruments are being played. “In the last century, there were private custom-ers who hoarded instruments, but to be honest, most collectors choose to loan in-struments to professional players.” A col-lector who spots an up-and-coming tal-ent who eventually becomes a household name and loans him or her an acclaimed violin can add value to the instrument (in addition to joy to the music-loving world, of course).
MI storeowners need not spend time in their store’s attic looking for that un-discovered gem, however. The days of tripping across that long overlooked mil-lion-dollar cello are “rarer and rarer,” and when something is discovered, it tends to be something of a more modest value.
Beyond strings, Sotheby’s has worked with clients selling pianos and harp-sichords, but to a much lesser extent. Ingles says there’s less demand for key-board instruments, though they do sell collectable Flemish and English harpsi-chords, particularly those built before 1820. “These are much more likely to end up in a museum, though,” he adds. And they usually aren’t played: unlike centuries-old violins, the owner has a dilemma: to make it playable, original parts need to be replaced, thus automat-ically devaluing the instrument. “It’s a conundrum of originality versus play-ability.”
Ingles gets asked all the time why these old instruments are so valued. “There’s a good reason for that: Pianos are a branch of engineering that has seen constant improvement, whereas with violins, there has been absolutely no improvement in engineering over the last 300 years. The object that is someone’s day job just happens to be an antique.” He admits that it’s ultimately a mystery, because experts can recre-ate a Strad from the 1600s but still fall short of greatness. To the unbiased ear, the old violin sounds different; to the biased ear, much better. “You can hear the difference – the older violin’s sound is more complex, so the aging process plays a roll but not completely… it’s a fascinating world.”
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The gregarious businessman has been asked a question that causes him to pause: “Considering today’s econo-my, and all the other companies mak-
ing guitars today, is there a need for yet another?”
A smile fi nally breaks and he says: “I’m going to answer a rational question
with an emotional answer: We did not say, ‘What a great business opportunity this would be!’” He laughs, adding, “I’m doing this because I love guitars, love music, and I want to build the best gui-tars in the world. I’ve been successful in my previous endeavors and I will be suc-cessful in this one.”
Bedell certainly makes his case. It may seem like a contradiction that
the self-described “old hippie” has such acute business sense, but in fact the combination will be fundamental to the success of the new guitar company that carries his name. Quality products made with an unwavering devotion to the art of music making are backed with decades of successful marketing and manufacturing experience. From this fertile ground two lines have sprouted: Bedell Guitars, all made from hand-selected wood designed to compete against higher-end names priced higher than the $700 to $1,400 range that these will be at; and also the Great Divide line, for the entry-level priced between $200 and $600 MSRP.
Today they have two workshops in China producing the guitars. But he is
“Peace, love, rock & roll,” and proven business savvy
Bedell GuitarsFRETTED
Tom Bedell is stumped.
MMR_32 32 12/11/09 9:53:40 AM
JANUARY 2010 MMR 33
“Our instruments are products of our lifelong love of music and guitar in particular.”
acutely aware of the negative attitude toward Chinese made guitars, and says that this is because other companies go there for the low prices only and end up with poorly made fi nal products. “That’s not what I do,” Bedell says emphatically. “I built a fi sh and tackle operation into a $500 million business with offi ces in 22 countries and 50 percent of our prod-ucts were made in China … but we had a huge staff, well-supported research and development, and true quality control. That’s what I’m doing with these gui-tars.”
There are two lines within the Bedell name: the Performance ($895 to $1,495 MSRP) and the Inspiration Series ($695 to $995). Additionally, there’s Great Di-vide guitars, which will have models priced between $159 and $600 MSRP. “What is fascinating is when we went through every step in the process, we learned it doesn’t cost that much more to do it right,” he says. “So many of these factories building lower priced guitars are just slapping them together. Even with a $300 guitar it’s important how it sounds; you just have to make more ef-fort to make those guitars sound great, and we’re dedicated to doing that.”
The JourneyBedell’s beguiling journey begins in
the small town of Spirit Lake, Iowa. His great-grandmother moved to the lake-side picturesque village in the later 1800s, as soon as the U.S. Cavalry made it safe to do so.
In 1937, his father, Berkley Bedell, be-gan his fi shing tackle business while he was still in high school. Berkley Fly Com-pany, now called Pure Fishing, became the largest supplier of all things fi shing in the world.
On a Christmas morning when Bedell was 10, he noticed his siblings were far out pacing him in presents. When it was done, the elder Bedell “remembered” there was one more present to give out. “He left the room and brought back this beautiful blond Strat,” recalls Bedell. “I actually cried – I couldn’t believe it.” By 13 he was earning money giving guitar lessons at the local music store. Having his fa-ther’s insight for business, he thought he deserved more than just the half he received of the $2 payment, especially considering that in addition to the large student roster he had built up, he was also selling guitars for the store
MMR_33 33 12/14/09 1:24:58 PM
and not earning any commission. The owner said no, and he left the store taking his students with him.
Two years later Bedell decided in-expensive guitars were needed in his area, so he contacted an agent of his father’s who was based in Japan over-seeing manufacturing there. Firing up what was then cutting edge technol-ogy, a Telex, he asked to have a few sample guitars from various manufac-turers. He picked the best one, made some changes, and designed his first Bedell Guitars logo. “Once they came in, I had a good buddy with a driver’s license, and we drove around to music stores selling them.” In 1966, at 16, he opened Bedell Guitar Company, a re-
tail store in Okoboji, Iowa, which was quickly followed by a second on in the central part of the state. (With glee he tells this story: When he applied for a sales tax license, he got a letter from the state saying he had to be 21. So he wrote back that he’d be more than happy to keep the sales tax money … that rule was later amended to include young en-trepreneurs.) Both stores carried all the major brands of the day.
He greatly values those days as a young retailer, and the lessons he took away from it – even the ones he can’t recreate.
“Every Friday night, the commu-nity centers would all hold dances, so I also started a booking agency,” he re-calls. “Kids would come into my store to buy gear, and I would book their bands. It’s sad that there aren’t more opportunities to play like there was in those days.”
Bedell kept putting his name on gui-tars, too, and in 1968 he became the youngest person to ever show at NAMM. While he admits he didn’t write up a lot of orders, he says, “It was great to be a part of it.”
His family convinced him to forsake the MI business for college, and he would graduate from Stanford with a degree in Asian studies, and end up in Washington D.C. where he set up a political consult-ing business (his father was a congress-man from 1975 to 1987).
“The fishing company had been left to a manager who wasn’t running it well, and in 1979 my father asked me to return to Spirit Lake and run the busi-
34 MMR JANUARY 2010
When Tom and Molly Bedell opened their retail store in Aspen, Colo. last June, they knew it would be just as much as a lab for merchandising ex-periments as it would be a traditional brick and mortar shop. Hippie-inspired clothing and accessories share the space with acoustic guitars – a pairing that makes more sense then it fi rst might appear. The bought and remodeled the store (previously called The Great Divide) to fi t what each was creating (he, guitars; she, clothing) and their eclectic personalities.
“It’s been fascinating,” Tom Bedell says. “Aspen is a tourist community, and we get fl ooded with people from June through Labor Day, then again from Thanksgiving through Easter.” They quickly learned that while they were selling more musical instruments then the previous owner (and they carry other lines besides Bedell’s), three-quarters of the sales were cloth-ing. “The peace, love, rock and roll memorabilia, the t-shirts, sweat clothes, scarves, and belts all sold like crazy – and all at good margins.”
As for the mix of products, “it’s so much fun to watch. Men buy more guitars than women, and women like shopping. So the guy comes in and goes into the guitar room and has the time of his life playing all these great guitars – Santa Cruz, Collings, Bedells, etc. Meanwhile the wife is having a blast shopping for gifts and apparel [items]. If it was a typical apparel store, he’d be standing there going ‘let’s go,’ but here, the women get to shop lon-ger. And he doesn’t want to go.”
It works in reverse too. The guitarist spends more time with the instru-ments, and the longer they play, the more likely they are going to get into that “gotta have it” mood. “It just brings a synergy to the store to have other [non-musical] stuff. It’s almost magical.”
Even when there isn’t a guitar sale made, they’ve created a shopping ex-perience that leaves a lasting impression. Bedell laughs and tells the tale of a recent afternoon when a gentlemen spent 45 minutes playing in the guitar room. He didn’t buy a guitar, but the next day Tom found a six-pack of beer on his doorstep. Included was a note that said, “You gave me the most fun of my vacation! Thank you very much!”
In addition to retailers trying his guitar, he’s also wants them to consider experimenting with the apparel like they have. “We’re going to be develop-ing two old hippie products that dealers can buy and make full margins on, and these will be at our booth at NAMM. The ‘lifestyle’ approach has worked well for us, and we want to share.”
New Merchandising Ideas
MMR_34 34 12/14/09 1:25:04 PM
JANUARY 2010 MMR 35
ness,” he says. He did, and he rebuilt it. In 2007 he sold the business that was now referred to as Pure Fishing, and globe trotted for a year. But retirement didn’t fit well, and one day in 2008 he turned to his wife Molly and said he wanted to go back to work.
“As much as I enjoyed the fi sh and tackle business, guitars were in my blood.”
Bedell Guitars RevisitedOn February 7th of last year, he and
Molly bought a music store in Aspen, Colo., and renamed it Two Old Hip-pies. “I wanted to design guitars, and she wanted to design hippie chic clothing, and it’s been a nonstop blast ever since.”
He knew he would need help, so he turned to Dan Mills. With 20 plus years spent in music retail and management at Nashville’s Gruhn Guitars, four years with Gibson, and two years as a district sales manager for US Music, Mills cer-tainly had the skills and experience Bedell was looking for.
“The opportunity to de-velop new brands at a startup company was intriguing,” Mills said from China, where he was overseeing manufacturing. “In light of the economic situation, I thought it was a perfect time to intro-duce new thinking and attitude into the guitar business. Tom’s enthusiasm is infectious and he is a brilliant guy. I was hooked after our fi rst meeting.”
His journey of a thousand miles began with one step – or rather, several visits. He hit the roads visit-ing great guitar makers like Rich-ard Hoover (Santa Cruz), Bill Collings (Collings), McPherson (McPherson), and toured factories like Martin’s. “I wanted to learn the passion and magic of guitar making, and where in the produc-tion process it’s often lost. I wanted to learn about woods, what’s the dif-ference is between a good and a great piece, everything. Dan [Mills] has been my mentor all the way through.”
With great effort they found just the right
workshop in China where Bedell’s dream could bear fruit. “It’s one of the fi nest workshops in the world.” Team Bedell designed every step in the manufactur-ing process, and each piece wood is hand selected for Bedell models –no laminates need apply. “I even have ebony in the head stock.”
Meanwhile, he’s also launching a unique program that will essentially turn every music retailer who partici-pates into a satellite of the Bedell Cus-tom Shop. “The customer will go into the store, log onto the Web site from the dealer’s computer, and choose not only the wood but also the actual boards,” he says. “They can say I want a top made of Adirondack spruce, binding made of rosewood, etc. We will build that guitar and ship it to the dealer.” Depending on the materials and features, these indi-vidual guitars will cost between $1,400 and $3,000.
The Destination“Our instruments are products of
our lifelong love of music and guitar in particular. The all solid wood Bedell Guitars are wonderful instruments,” says Mills. “We are very stringent in quality control, have the highest ex-pectations of ourselves and enjoy in-teraction with dealers and customers. We want the player to love our guitars as we all love the music they make.”
“The best thing we can do is have people play our products,” Be-dell says. “I’m going to individual stores and putting the guitar into the retailer’s hands, and they play it and say, ‘Wow I can sell that.’”
Yet he’s acutely aware of what he’s going up again – not
only in terms of compe-tition, but the economy. “2009 will not go down as a great year for gui-tars, and everybody has inventory they wish they
didn’t.” But Bedell is going to make it
to the beachhead with an advertis-ing campaign that includes placements in lifestyle maga-
also be using guitar magazines to es-tablish the brand. “We’re aggressively going out and telling the world about our instruments. Thanks to magazines like MMR, dealers are becoming aware and we’re getting a great reception.”
He does admit he’s getting interest from dealers who want to try to carry some of his guitars, but need to wait until Winter NAMM. “We need to clean up in-ventory and when we do, we’ll try Bedell and Great Divide,” is what he’s hearing. And NAMM is what he currently has his sites set up: “We have a great booth at NAMM in Hall C and we’ll have eight in-struments from our custom shop, and all of the Bedell and Great Divide products,” he says. Plus the booth will include the work of Molly’s hippie brand of clothing and accessories.
Clearly, Bedell is back in the MI game for the love, love, love.
“The chance for me to go out and de-sign my very own guitars is a thrill,” Be-dell says.
Delta Series
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MMR: How did Diplomatte Musical Instruments get its start?
Paul Shelden: In the year 2000, my wife and I went on vacation for a week in China, which was a very ‘new thing’ at that time. I was fascinated with China and with the possibilities of what could happen there. So, I started to work with a factory in China for about four months, making trips back and forth as a con-sultant. I was impressed with how they worked, how they learned, and how in-tense they were in trying to do the right
thing. A few years after that I thought that I would develop my own brand of instruments and my own business. So, I joined forces with the person who was the head of sales and international de-velopment for one of the factories and we formed Diplomatte Musical Instru-ments.
MMR: How has your background as a teacher and performer shaped the Diplomatte brand?
PS: I am the only person in the in-dustry that’s running a company who has a Doctorate in Performance, and who is a professor, and band director. I was an educator; I am very much fa-miliar with what educators and schools want. I am a musician; I know what has to be done for music students and professionals alike. So as a professional I was dedicated to making sure that I could produce the very finest instru-ments. As an educator, I was dedicated to the quality that students will be able to use. And I believe with the people that I am working with, we can start holding up the quality control mantel against any other instruments being made today.
MMR: How does Diplomatte maintain quality control?
PS: First, you don’t let anything out until it has been checked, rechecked and checked all over again. I think that as a musician, I am passionate about music and everything that has to do with mu-sic and when you get the factories – the managers in the factories, the owners of the factories and the workers in the facto-ries passionate about what they are doing, then I think that a great deal has already been done to develop quality and qual-ity control. I was at many larger factories where you see an assembly line manufac-turing of clarinets, or fl utes or trumpets or trombones or whatever. None of those people really cared. They were not really making a product beyond what they did in their chair — putting a screw together or soldering a joint or connection. For ex-ample, one of the violinmakers that I work with, the guy makes the entire violin. It’s not an assembly line. The complete pro-cess is overseen with a passion for quality.
When I go to the factory they respect me very much and they know that my demands are very high. I insist on the managers of each departments be able to play the instru-ments. How can you understand what a fl ute
Recently, Diplomatte Musical Instruments has been making a splash on the Band and
Orchestra instrument scene. Working with a select group of factories and suppliers all over
the world has helped Paul Shelden, president and CEO of Diplomatte, keep overhead down
and retail prices low, while still producing quality instruments. Shelden’s unique perspective, as both a player and
educator has certainly had an effect on his brand. To get a better handle on the inspiration behind Diplomatte, MMR
sat down with Shelden to discuss the company and it’s hopes for the future.
BAND & ORCHESTRA
MMR_38 38 12/11/09 9:55:48 AM
JANUARY 2010 MMR 39
is supposed to sound like if you don’t play it? I’m the president of a company where I can play the product. If you take the president of a fi sh company where the guy doesn’t eat fi sh, he’s not gonna’ stay on top of things. I used to send materials and method books to some of the factory managers to help them understand more about the instruments and learn and study and understand that quality and quality control are the foundation of any product that’s going to come out of these fac-tories.
MMR: Why China?
PS: My goal was to make the best in-struments possible and to take advantage of the talents in China. To make good stuff, not junk. And my philosophy was based on the fact that many years ago, when I was much younger, Japan made all the junk in the world. Anything that came from Japan was junk — you knew it was junk before you saw it, because that was the way it was. That changed and Japan became the pur-veyor of all the good stuff. All of a sudden Japan was making cars that were better than American cars — not cheaper, but better and the same thing happened with musical instruments and engineering prod-ucts. During the last decade, all the junk was coming from China and I knew that would change. Low and behold, I started working; not with large factories that made everything, but with smaller factories that concentrated on quality control – not on how much they can produce but how well they can produce it. We have been working out with about 22 different factories and we are very happy with the quality control.
MMR: How involved are you with the merchandising of your products?
PS: We do advertisements, and there’s a lot of word of mouth. I sell to merchan-disers, dealers, and school systems, but I don’t sell individually to the public. We’re a wholesale house. At this point, I’m able to keep my overhead down. This might sound crazy, but I don’t want to grow too large. I just want to be able to make my products, make them well, and stay in control of the quality of the products. As the industry starts looking up, I will probably put a Web site into place and hire a couple more peo-
ple, but I’m happy in being able to control the business this way and deal with a lot of word of mouth. So far, word of mouth has been doing very well for us.
MMR: What does the future hold for Diplomatte?
PS: I see the fu-ture holding a lot of promise. Again, I go back to my philoso-phy of what’s go-ing to happen with China. China will follow the direc-tion of Japan, and in many respects I see that happening
already. As long as I can work with people that are passionate, caring, diligent and even forceful about making an excellent product and being proud of making an excellent product, we will grow well and we will do very well. I believe very strong-ly in what we do and what we continue to do. It’s a small company, and we’re trying to keep it small so that we can control as much as we can in the product develop-ment and quality control.
“I am the only person in the industry
that’s running a company who has a Doctorate in Performance, and who is a professor, and band director.”
Find Breaking News in the Hot News section of MMR’s Web site, www.MMRmagazine.com
BREAKFAST SESSION8 a.m. Breakfast of Champions Joe Lamond, President and CEO, NAMM, and Guests
(FREE breakfast served 8 a.m.–8:30 a.m.; session 8:30 a.m.–9:30 a.m.)Hilton Anaheim Hotel, Pacifi c Ballrooms
In this session, Joe Lamond will welcome some champions of business for a series of up-close and personal discussions. Listen in on the thoughts of these opinion lead-ers and get a rare glimpse into their views on the future of our industry in this rap-idly changing business environment.
IDEA CENTER SESSIONSNAMM Idea Center, Booth #5501 in Hall BSessions Start Every 30 Minutes
10:30 a.m. How Do I Make Time to Market My Business? Presented by Danny Rocks, Catalyst, The Company Rocks
All success is planned. But in order to plan, you must know what is required—from a time commitment perspective. How much time do you need to devote to developing a “Web presence” for your store? And how are you going to make that time available? Join Danny Rocks as
he shares the plans and tactics that suc-cessful music dealers are using to reach more potential customers using social networking and Internet marketing tech-niques.
Special Double Session*11 a.m.The 5 Silver Bullets for Productivity ImprovementPresented by Brad Huisken, President, IAS Training
Brad Huisken will lead participants through a fun and motivational semi-nar on how to implement a productivity improvement program. He will discuss the fi ve silver bullets for productivity improvement, along with detailing non-negotiable sales and customer service standards, training techniques, ac-countability and goal setting. In today’s sales environment, the only thing that separates one music store from its com-petition (other companies and other places where people are spending their disposable income) is its people. The main responsibility of a sales manager is to give his/her people the help, train-ing and guidance they need in order to achieve success. Through the consistent application of sound business principles, you will achieve increased productivity now—and in the future.
*Attendees can join in for one or both parts of this session, beginning at 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
Special Double Session*NoonHow to Build and Maintain an Effective e-Mailing List (Part 1)Presented by George Hines, George’s Music
Before you can send out an e-newsletter, you must have a list of e-mail address-es. How do you get that list? You build it—with a plan. Today’s customers are reluctant to give you their e-mail address until they know how you will use it—to their benefi t. George Hines will show you how he has built an effective e-mail list and structured his messages to delight his customers and keep them “clicking through” on the special offers in his e-mails.
12:30 p.m. How to Create an Effective e-Newsletter: Before and After Makeovers (Part 2)Presented by Danny Rocks, Catalyst, The Company Rocks
In Part 2, Danny Rocks joins George Hines to demonstrate how to create an effective e-mail marketing campaign by using an e-newsletter. You will see case studies of makeovers—many contribut-ed by NAMM Members. This is a session you won’t want to miss!
*Attendees can join in for one or both parts of this session, beginning at 12 p.m. and 12:30 p.m.
NAMM University
MMR_43 43 12/11/09 9:57:24 AM
44 MMR JANUARY 2010
NAMM University
1 p.m.Creative Ways to “Beat the Market” Presented by Percussion Marketing Council
Join the PMC panel of drum retailers and industry leaders from around the country as they present insights on staying focused through the continued diffi cult economic climate. They’ll share creative ways they’ve discovered to “beat the market.”
1:30 p.m.The Magic of Wish Lists: Build Your Business Year-RoundPresented by Lane Baldwin, Lane Bald-win Business Solutions
Random selling is out. Learn how to meet specifi c customer needs and you’ll do more business. The proper use of wish lists and companion strategies will signifi cantly increase your sales and im-prove customer satisfaction year-round. Wish lists are not only great for the holi-days; used wisely they will increase your business all year long by proactively ad-dressing your customers’ future needs. (Tip: One key to the success of this strat-egy is to use these lists for more than just holiday gift purchases.) Learn specifi c techniques that will bring customers, as
well as their friends and family, back to your store for virtually every music-re-lated purchase.
2 p.m. How to Take Advantage of NAMM U OnlinePresented by Danny Rocks, Catalyst, The Company Rocks; with Alan Friedman, Friedman, Kannenberg & Company, PC; George Hines, George’s Music; and Pete Gamber, Alta Loma Music
Now you can supplement the live NAMM U Breakfast Sessions and Idea Center presentations you enjoy at the NAMM trade shows. Just visit NAMM U Online, a full resource library of videos, articles and interviews. You can have your staff tap into the knowledge base of train-ing courses and business topics by vis-iting www.namm.org.The fi rst courses are currently up and running online. Join NAMM Members and course cre-ators Danny Rocks, Alan Friedman, Pete Gamber and George Hines as they show you how to improve your sales, fi nan-cial performance, lesson programs and technology/Web presence—all from the comfort of your home or offi ce.
2:30 p.m.tbd
3 p.m.Managing Your Best Resources: Mining for Great Store EmployeesPresented by Peter Dods, Easy Music Center
How can your store hire better, more qual-ifi ed employees? If you hire people off the cuff, you may be doing your store a disser-vice. Having a thorough interview process is one key to hiring people that will add to the strength of your business. Peter Dods will walk you through a simple and effec-tive hiring protocol that will land you the right employees for your store. And, your staff will be motivated, energized and ready to help make your store the best in your area!
3:30 p.m.If You Rent It…They Will Come: Short-Term Rentals Presented by Mark Tirabassi, Hubbard Music
Renting items for a weekend, a day or even an hour. Learn the tips and tricks on how to set up a short-term rental program. This session is ideal for combo stores that want to connect with the local bands, schools and churches in their area. Mark Tirabasssi, author of “Backline Basics” and an Ohio music store retailer, breaks down the wall of rental fear, as he teaches you how to start up the short-term rental extension of your store and open your eyes to this overlooked cash cow.
Special 90-Minute Session*A Three-Part Series on Building Your Business and Empowering Your Staff, Teachers and StudentsPresented by Donna Hall, President, New York School of Music/Rock Camp USA, and Dom Famularo, Drumming’s Global Ambassador/Educator, Education Con-sultant for Sabian Cymbals, Vic Firth Sticks, Evans Drumheads, Hudson Music and Mapex Drums, with Special Guests
4 p.m.Create It, Date It and Do It (Part 1)Keep your business moving forward. Learn how to make it one of the most exciting places to be in your community using music lessons, programs and com-SEE THE VIDEO • WWW.WILKINSGUITARS.COM • 408-287-4020
munity events that earn GREAT profi ts and create a buzz!
4:30 p.m.The Power of Passion (Part 2)The one thing you cannot afford to lose is your passion. If you don’t have it, then get It! If you lost it, then fi nd It! Learn how to get and share your passion with your students, employees and teachers to create an environment where everyone wants to be.
5 p.m.The Power and Profi t of Teaching—Empowering the Teachers to TEACH and SELL (Part 3)With Special Guest Panel of the Music Industry’s Top Educators and Manufac-turers: Vic Firth, Vic Firth Sticks; Neil Larrivee, Director of Education, Vic Firth Sticks; Rick Drumm. President, D’Addario & Company;
Dave Sebree, CEO, Austin School of Music & Rock Camp USA; and Pete Gamber, Alta Loma Music
Your teachers are a force! When well-empowered with education and business skills, they can help your market grow. They can motivate, educate and inspire students to get involved with learning and purchasing. Join this powerhouse panel as they share how to inspire students to have fun, develop their talents and remain in-volved in music for a lifetime!
*Attendees can join in for one, two or all three parts of this session, beginning ev-ery 30 minutes.
FRI., JAN. 15, 2010
BREAKFAST SESSION8 a.m. The Post-Crisis ConsumerPresented by John Gerzema, Chief In-sights Offi cer, Young & Rubicam Group
(FREE breakfast served 8 a.m.–8:30 a.m.; session 8:30 a.m.–9:30 a.m.)Hilton Anaheim Hotel, Pacifi c Ballrooms
Best-selling author and consumer insights expert John Gerzema says there’s an upside to the recent finan-cial crisis: the opportunity for positive change. These changes will remake the consumer marketplace, restore capi-talism, revitalize the economy and set America on a new, more sustainable trajectory. Join John as he explores America’s post-crisis values and be-havior shifts, explains the new impera-tives for business, identifies four major cultural shifts driving new consumer behavior and shows how businesses are evolving to connect with thoughtful spending.
IDEA CENTER SESSIONSNAMM Idea Center, Booth #5501 in Hall BSessions Start Every 30 Minutes
10:30 a.m.Where the Wild Things (and People) Are: Facebook for BeginnersPresented by Scott Robertson, APR, Di-rector of Marketing & Communications, NAMM
You’ve probably heard something about Facebook, the social networking com-munity that is helping people everywhere connect and share like never before. This session starts from the beginning of the story and promises a very happy ending with you and your staff being able to stay better connected with your current—and future—customers and drive more store traffi c. Bring your questions and anec-dotes, and NAMM promises you’ll have a wild time.
11 a.m.Marketing? Promotion? It’s Your Store… and Your Money!Presented by Bob Popyk, Founder of Bentley-Hall, Inc. and Columnist for The Music Trades Magazine
Here are a dozen ways to bring in more customers everyday without major me-dia draining your checkbook, or taking a chance on sales events you’re not sure will work. Learn some easy ways to get more customers through your door through low-cost marketing and zero-cost PR.
11:30 a.m.5 Secrets to Closing a Sale When a Customer Starts to WalkPresented by Bob Popyk, Founder of Bentley-Hall, Inc. and Columnist for The Music Trades Magazine
What’s easier than fi nding new customers? How about maximizing the ones who are already in your store? Don’t let “I’ll think about it” or “I’ll let you know” stifl e your sale. Here are some ideas you can use (and share with your whole staff) to make sure you give every customer your best shot be-fore they leave without buying!
Special Double Session*NoonMath for Musicians: How to Read a Financial StatementPresented by Alan Friedman and Daniel Jobe, Friedman, Kannenberg & Com-pany, PC
The Yamaha AvantGrand is a whole new breed of piano. In a
fusion of technology and tradition that could only come
from Yamaha, the genuine grand piano action and
revolutionary Tactile Response System (TRS) of the
new AvantGrand N2 create a visceral connection
between you and the instrument. You don’t just
hear its tone, you literally feel it – from
your fingers to your soul. Until now, this
sensation existed only in the realm of
acoustic pianos. The N2 wraps it in a
compact, stylish package for serious
pianists and teachers. Ask your Yamaha
District Manager for all the details.
The AvantGrand resonates with thenatural reverberation of a grand piano; you can feel as well as hear the sound.
To accurately re-create a concert grandpiano tone, we sampled sound from fourlocations on a full Yamaha CFIIIS.
The slide-out control panel allows you toadjust the vibration created by the TactileResponse System, add reverb, record a performance and select other sounds.
Introducing aHybrid That’s Absolutely GrandThe Yamaha AvantGrand N2 is the World’s First Upright with a Grand Piano Action
If you can read music, you can certainly learn to read a fi nancial statement. If you can read tab or follow a chord chart, you can easily read a balance sheet and income statement. No fi nancial report used in the running of your business is more important than a basic fi nancial statement. Explained the right way, a fi nancial statement can tell you how your business is doing and guide you if things are off track. In today’s rough economy and competitive marketplace, generating a fi nancial statement and know-ing what to do with it is essential. Join music retailing accountants Alan Friedman and Daniel Jobe to gain the confi dence to read a set of fi nancial statements, make sense of them and know exactly what to do next.
*Attendees can join in for one or both parts of this session, beginning at 12 p.m. and 12:30 p.m.
1 p.m. Four Keys to Making Money with RMM Piano Classes Presented by Brian Chung, President, Piano Manufacturers Association International
Learn how Recreational Music Making pi-ano classes can build traffi c in your store, create enthusiastic customers and add to your bottom line.
1:30 p.m.Creative Merchandising: Make the Most of What You Have!Presented by Jen Tabor, Souldier USA
Give your retail store a facelift and turn your employees into assets. Unlock the hidden potential in your store with simple ideas and easy tips at little to no expense. If you’ve been doing business as usual, then it’s probably time for a change. Join Jen Ta-bor as she leads you through an idea-packed session that will provide you with creative ways to give your shop a natural, exciting makeover. Topics include maximizing the potential of the “youth” in your store and how to get the most bang for your buck by updating your merchandising techniques to increase your cash fl ow.
2 p.m. Igniting The Spark
Presented by John Anning, AIMM (Alli-ance of Independent Music Merchants)
What do music stores have to do with creating musicians? Join John Anning with guest artists from around the show fl oor to discuss the impact early music store experiences had on their careers, how they see the instrument music mar-ket now and what they look for when they visit stores today. This won’t just be story-telling for its own sake—it’s a great way to remind your staff (and yourself) of the power we have to inspire and assist musicians.
2:30 p.m.Rock ’n’ Roll Retail: How to Turn Your Salespeople Into Retail Rock StarsPresented by Jason VanderPal, Guitar Center
What do top-performing retail sales-people have in common? Find out in this exciting, unique session. In tough times like this we have two choices: wait
for things to get better or lead our people to get better. Great salespeople have a signifi cant impact on your bot-tom line. So, one of your best approaches to improving sales numbers is improving the sales skills of your staff. It’s a fact: better skills yield better results! Join Jason VanderPal, General Manager of Guitar Center in Holly-wood, as he shares the top fi ve sales techniques used by his store’s highest-producing salespeople. Listen in on secrets like “how to avoid the greatest tragedy in sales” and “why you should throw away your business cards.” Don’t miss it!
3 p.m.Do It Today, Be Ahead Tomorrow: Taking Advantage of the Current Slowdown to Put Your Best Foot ForwardPresented by Billy Cuthrell, Progressive Music Center
This session includes ways to increase your visibility in advertising by negotiating lower rates and better terms, and being more aggressive with your branding via print, social media and Google.
3:30 p.m.The Wanna Play Experience: The New Opt-In ProgramPresented by Robin Walenta, West Music Co., Joel Menchey, Menchey Music Service, and Chris White, White House of Music
Join three retailers who have helped pilot the new Wan-na Play Experience to encourage people of all ages to take that fi rst step toward becoming music makers. Lis-ten as they share the success stories of their pilot efforts and as they “display” the marketing tools and oppor-tunities they used to increase store traffi c, broaden and strengthen demographics of their customer base, and encourage community involvement through the Wanna Play Experience. They’ll share their own unique stories on how they used the free program materials success-fully and how you can drive brand new potential cus-tomers into your store.
Special 90-Minute Session*4 p.m.Lesson Strategies for the New Decade!Presented by Pete Gamber, Owner, Alta Loma Music, and “The Lesson Room” Columnist, Music Inc. Maga-zine, with Guests
Welcome to 2010! Things aren’t the way they used to be! It’s not just changes in the music industry, but changes in our country, economy and the world that will cause changes in our business and the way we approach our music lesson programs. You need to get off of “cruise control” and “put the pedal to the metal” when it comes to your lesson program! Find out how to recruit new stu-dents and retain them. Discover how to fi nd new teachers and make them part of your team. Learn how to promote
product and services through your lesson rooms. Join Pete Gamber and a panel of music industry leaders as they share ideas and programs that you can take home and easily put into motion to make your lesson program “roar down the highway”!
*Attendees can join in for one, two or all three parts of this session, beginning ev-ery 30 minutes.
SAT., JAN. 16, 2010
BREAKFAST SESSION8 a.m. Strategies for a Changing Retail World Presented by George Whalin, Retail Ex-pert and Author, Retail Management Consultants
(FREE breakfast served 8 a.m.–8:30 a.m.; session 8:30 a.m.–9:30 a.m.)Hilton Anaheim Hotel, Pacifi c Ball-rooms
Anytime there are signifi cant changes in the economy, consumer buying habits and the consumer marketplace in general, it’s important for retailers to take a look at what they are doing, as well as what they are not doing to improve, fi ne-tune and
grow their businesses. Rather than being reactionary in tough times, it is far more productive to challenge the status quo, evaluate all the costs associated with op-erating a retail business in this new envi-ronment and re-position the business for when the economy turns back around. In this eye-opening presentation, retail expert George Whalin will discuss fi ve things retailers should STOP doing and fi ve things they should START doing right now to survive and thrive in today’s eco-nomic turmoil. The ideas and tips in this valuable presentation are real-world solu-tions to the challenges retailers face every day in these diffi cult times. This is a pro-gram you won’t want to miss!
IDEA CENTER SESSIONSNAMM Idea Center, Booth #5501 in Hall BSessions Start Every 30 Minutes
Special Double Session*10:30 a.m. Rock Star Retailers—Real Results from Using Social MediaPresented by Scott Robertson, APR, Di-rector of Marketing & Communications, NAMM, and Jen Lowe, BoomBoom Per-cussionEverywhere you turn there’s talk of this social media craze. But beyond the hype, did you ever wonder if any companies in
the industry have actually had success with it? And if so, how did they do it? In this session, you’ll fi nd out how your music retailing peers are taking action and making social media work for them. Scott Robertson and Jen Lowe will high-light ten music products dealers who are using social media to drive their busi-nesses. Come hear and see the top ideas and commentary from these retailer “rock stars” in a fun, lively session.
*Attendees can join in for one or both parts of this session, beginning at 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.
11:30 a.m.Take Control of Your Web SitePresented by Jim Hodgson, Hodgson Marketing
Learn how free software can make your Web site more popular and easy to manage. Join Jim Hodgson as he shows you how to use blogging and content management software WordPress to add to and edit your Web site, draw quality incoming links, rank higher on Google, and get the word out about your busi-ness.
Special Double Session*Noon How to Design a Year-Round Promotional Calendar (Part 1)Presented by Danny Rocks, Catalyst, The Company Rocks
Successful stores never stop promot-ing—it’s a year-round activity. How do you know what to promote and when to run the promotions? You begin by sched-uling promotions on your calendar. Join Danny Rocks as he shares the best pro-motional campaign ideas gathered from NAMM Dealers around the country. No matter what you specialize in—school music, combo, pianos—you will take home solid ideas for running successful promotions year-round.
12:30 p.m. How to Ensure Successful Promotions (Part 2)Presented by Danny Rocks, Catalyst, The Company Rocks with Panel: Greg Billings, Owner, Steinway Piano Gallery of Naples, and Gayle Beacock, Beacock Music
Putting a promotion on your calendar is a good fi rst step. But to run a successful promotion, you must have a solid plan and know how to execute that plan. Retail is de-tail and you need to mind all of the details to run an effective promotion. Join Danny Rocks and his panelists, Greg Billings and Gayle Beacock, as they share their best practices for staging promotions that bring in the customers and bring home the cash!
*Attendees can join in for one or both parts of this session, beginning at 12 p.m. and 12:30 p.m.
1 p.m.Show Me The Money NOW! Sure Ways To Get FinancingPresented by Alan Friedman and Daniel Jobe, Friedman, Kannenberg & Com-pany, PC
When it comes down to it, banks have two objectives: to make money by lend-ing you money and to make sure they get paid back. That means you must convey your business and industry knowledge to your banker in a most convincing way. While a healthy fi nancial statement is a good start, you need a whole lot more to make sure you obtain the fi nancing you need to run and grow your business. Join industry accountants Alan Friedman
and Daniel Jobe to pick up a “surefi re” presentation to win over your banker.
1:30 p.m.Guiding Your Customers through the Decision-Making ProcessPresented by Greg Billings, Owner, Stein-way Piano Gallery of Naples
Join Greg Billings as he demonstrates the difference between being a salesperson and being a “customer whisperer”! Learn more about how your customers experi-ence your store and the buying process. In this fascinating session, Greg shares the latest insights on how customers make decisions, and offers practical applica-tions so you can confi dently guide your customer through the decision-making process. This session promises to set the stage for a new retail understanding and help you and your customers achieve the best retail experience.
Special Double Session2 p.m. Becoming A Retail Superstar: Business-Building Lessons From America’s Best Independent StoresPresented by George Whalin, Retail Management Consultants
Join retail expert and former music retail manager George Whalin for a special presentation jam-packed with strategies, ideas and business-building tools employed by top U.S. independent retailers. Whether just starting out or eager to take your business to the next level, you can learn what has worked for the best in the business, even in tough economic times. You will learn how to stand out and thrive, how the right mer-chandise mix and selection give you the most powerful competitive edge, how even the smallest stores can use creative marketing ideas and why the right tools to attract customers and customer-rela-tionship building have become retail’s most important and powerful business strategy. In the middle of one of the most severe economic downturns in memory, learn the ways to not just survive—but thrive!
3 p.m.This Is How I Manage My StorePresented by Bryan McCann, Instru-mental Music Co.
Each retail operation is unique. How-ever, there are universal best practices of management that you can modify to meet your needs. You are invited to learn how veteran retailer Bryan Mc-Cann manages his staff, his store opera-tions and his customer relationships to remain competitive and profi table. He will share specifi c situations where he has faced a challenge and turned it into an opportunity to improve his com-petitive position. Experience is the best teacher, and in this session you will be able to learn from Bryan’s experience how to better manage your own success-ful retail store.
3:30 p.m.Music Industry “Regs and Legs” Presented by Mary Luehrsen, Director of Public Affairs & Government Relations, NAMM and Executive Director of the NAMM Foundation, with Guests
Join us for this issues update on new and pending regulations and legislation that affect the music products industry. This session will provide current information to ensure that you are informed about regulatory requirements and evolving legislation where your input matters.SEE THE VIDEO • WWW.ROCKBOX.COM • 408-287-4020
(Paid to our Licensed Affiliates)The financially stable program of choice for discerning dealers
whose eye is on the future.
Now is the time to get out from under thefinancial RISK and BURDEN
of running your own rental program.
$31,697,467.00
The NEMC Affiliate Program Offers:
A No Fee Licensed Affiliate Rental Program. Rental agreements that are customized to the specific laws of the Affiliate’s state.
State licensing and/or registration of the Affiliate’s rental program at NEMC’s expense. Only one quality level of name brand instruments in New and Like-New condition only.
The restoration of all rental returns to Like-New condition at NEMC’s service facility. Multi-colored Promotional & Educational handouts provided.
Motivational mailings to the Affiliate’s customers. No inventory investment and all normal freight costs are paid by NEMC.
One of the largest staffs of skilled repair technicians dedicated only to rental instrument service. Hands-on repair training in our NJ repair center with one-on-one private instruction (FREE).
Billing and collecting rental fees for the Affiliate’s accounts. Ability to review customer accounts 24/7 through a dedicated web site.
The NEMC Calling Plan for collections. Working for the Affiliates from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.The Platinum Plan Plus - to increase commission percentage.
The Annual Rental Bonus Plan - for an additional cash bonus.
Plus:
Each Affiliate is able to create a Custom, Competitive, and Profitable price schedule for theAffiliate’s individual marketplace. NEMC does not post rental prices on the Internet.
Business is promoted into the Affiliate’s retail store, not onto the Internet. NEMC does notcompete against its own Affiliates by renting ‘On-Line’.
An Affiliate’s territory is protected. NEMC does not own any retail stores.
For Complete Information: Call Toll Free (800) 526-4593 Ext. 240 Ask For Gene Garb
Why We’re #1
NEMCNational Educational Music Company1181 Route 22, Box 1130Mountainside, New Jersey 07092 www.nemc.com
Special 90-Minute Session*4 p.m.Seven Ways to Thrive in Any EconomyPresented by Danny Rocks, Catalyst, The Company Rocks, with Panel: Rob-in Walenta, West Music; Gayle Beacock, Beacock Music; George Hines, George’s Music; and Kevin Cranley, Willis Mu-sic
Change always brings opportunities to improve your business. The trick is to act on these opportunities. This is “business unusual.” In this session, you will take away seven solid tips to energize your staff and your business. This is your opportunity to learn from other music dealers. Join Danny Rocks and his panel of Gayle Beacock, Kev-in Cranley, George Hines and Robin Walenta, who will explain exactly what they are doing now to improve their business operations, sales and marketing. They will share the pro-cess that they (and other dealers) have used to take advantage of a changing economy.
*Attendees can join in for one, two or all three parts of this session, beginning ev-ery 30 minutes.
SUN., JAN. 17, 2010
BREAKFAST SESSION8 a.m. Best in Show—This Year’s Hottest Products Frank Alkyer, Publisher, Music Inc., and Panel
(FREE breakfast served 8 a.m.–8:30 a.m.; session 8:30 a.m.–9:30 a.m.)Hilton Anaheim Hotel, Pacifi c Ball-rooms
With more than 1,500 companies exhib-iting and demonstrating thousands of products at the NAMM Show, sometimes it can be diffi cult to make sure you’ve seen all the important new items. Join Music Inc. publisher Frank
Alkyer and his esteemed panel of retail buyers, media and gear heads as they scour the aisles and dig into the merchandise to fi nd the best products, ideas and trends from the hidden depths of the show. You know as soon as you get home, someone always says, “Did you see the new …?” and you feel you’re the only person who missed it. You have the chance to change all that in this rapid-fi re, 60-minute snapshot that cov-
ers what you need to see before leaving Anaheim.
IDEA CENTER SESSIONSNAMM Idea Center, Booth #5501 in Hall BSessions Start Every 30 Minutes
10:30 a.m.Social Media, I Get It...But Where Do I Start?Presented by Kurt Witt, Yamaha
OK, so you’ve been hearing about this blog, Facebook, YouTube thing for long enough. You want to get started, but where do you start? What’s the most ef-fective place and, more importantly, how much is this going to cost? In this ses-sion, you can get some real-world tips and strategies from Kurt Witt. After sev-eral years of social media activities, Kurt and his team at Yamaha have some prac-tical insight on such issues including the dreaded question: “Where am I going to fi nd the time?”
11 a.m.Getting Twitter: Much More than Meets the EyePresented by Scott Robertson, APR, Di-rector of Marketing & Communications, NAMM
“Why would anyone care that I’m hav-ing wheat toast for breakfast?” you ask as you stare at a blank screen and really ad-mit that you just don’t “get” this Twitter thing. Don’t worry, there’s another side of Twitter that will feed you information and insights on your current and future customers’ attitudes and behavior—if you know how to use it. Everything you always wanted to ask them at your fi n-gertips in 140 characters or less. This fun, interactive session will show you how to make the most out of the hottest microb-logging site on the Web.
11:30 a.m.Getting Your Recommended Daily Allowance of Social Media Presented by Scott Robertson, APR, Di-rector of Marketing & Communications, NAMM
The things that people used to go to companies for, they are now getting from each other by connecting through technology. Is your store’s marketing
mix ref lecting that change? Whether you’re a social media newbie or pretty proficient, this session will arm you with some tips, tricks and takeaways that you can use immediately to drive store traffic and build your store’s brand online.
Noon The Power of YouTubePresented by Mike Nessen, BoomBoom Percussion
With 90 million viewers watching more than 10 billion videos each month, You-Tube is a true Internet phenomenon. But YouTube isn’t just for Hollywood gossip and funny animal videos—it has the potential to be a highly effective and surprisingly affordable marketing ve-hicle for any business—small or large. Any business that can reach even a small subset of YouTube’s 90 million monthly viewers has a signifi cant advantage over its competitors. In this session, learn how
to make an impact with your customer base worldwide with the help of online video content.
12:30 p.m.Get Found OnlinePresented by Kenny Smith, Music Inc. Magazine Columnist
If you want to be successful, then your store needs to be searchable and sellable on the Internet. Years ago, a Web site was all you needed, but not so anymore—many retailers aren’t doing enough to grab their share of this growing market. In this session, Kenny Smith will discuss new ways you can manage, promote and sell more products using simple but ef-fective online means and proven music industry techniques that will work for you—for FREE! Don’t miss out on this chance to get Kenny’s top Web secrets for attracting new customers and making more sales.
50-Minute Session1 p.m.Industry Panel: Trends in Music EducationPresented by Sandy Jordan, Associate Director, Public Affairs & Government Relations, NAMM and Eric Ebel, Se-nior Project Manager, Public Affairs & Government Relations, NAMM, with Guests
Take part in an interactive discussion on up-to-the-minute topics ranging from best practices for grassroots advo-cacy to the critical role played by music education and business in developing skills for the workforce of the 21st cen-tury.
50-Minute Session2 p.m.2010 Best Tools for Schools AwardsPresented by Symphony Publishing
Symphony Publishing editors and guests host the announcement of winning products in the fi rst annual Best Tools for Schools Awards. Come see what students and leaders in music education and busi-ness have chosen as the most relevant and innovative quality products being show-cased at the 2010 NAMM Show.
MMR takes a look at new products on display at the 2010 Winter NAMM show in Anaheim.
FRETTED
Kustom Amplification’s new KG Series consists of five com-bo amplifiers and a 100-watt half-stack. All KG models pro-vide a 1/8-inch MP3/CD input for practicing along with tunes and a 1/8-inch output for head-phones that disconnects the amp’s internal speaker for silent practicing.
Kustom also offers the new KG100HFX head and KG412 speaker cabinet, delivering the
full 100 watts of output power as a half-stack with foot-switchable channels. Reverb, delay, and chorus effects are also featured.
All Kustom products for 2010 including the new KG Series now come with a five-year transfer-rable electronics warranty. The KG100HFX and KG412 half-stack are available at a price of $399.99.www.kustom.com NAMM Exhibit #4868
Kustom Amps KG Series
The Deluxe banjo by Deering is made of mahogany covered in a glossy fi nish and features a set of new peghead inlays with double arches that create a crown high-lighted by a trinity of leaves and delicate
petals and a gold and white art nouveau fan. The leaves fl ow throughout the natural ebony fi ngerboard, ending
with a special inlay at the 22nd fret with the name “Deluxe” engraved into a gold band.
The custom option of having the Deluxe in maple is also now available at no increase in price.
Deering has introduced a new inlay pattern on their ma-
hogany Sierra banjo and the option for a maple upgrade, with no increase in price to the customer. The new in-lays on the Sierra are a bal-ance of fl owing lines and natural elements like fl oral buds, tulips, leaves, and fl eur de lie along with a custom inlay at the 22nd fret bearing the name “Sierra.” The Deluxe retails for $3,244 and the Sierra for $2,699. www.deeringbanjos.comNAMM Exhibit #1511
Deering Banjo’s New Additions SHS International’s Sundown AmpsSHS International’s new line of Sun-down guitar and bass amplifi ers range from
15 watts to 40 watts and feature cabinets cov-ered in black tolex with a broad white racing stripe, side panels accented with white rolled piping, silver mesh grill cloth, and chicken head control knobs. All Sundown amps of-fer a fi ve year warranty. The new amplifi ers range from $79.95 to $179.95.
www.shsint.net
MMR_60 60 12/11/09 10:04:08 AM
JANUARY 2010 MMR 61
Buyer’s Guide to New Gear
The Loar’s A-Model MandolinThe Loar’s A-model mando-
lin is hand-carved by luthiers at The Loar workshop. The ni-trocellulose-fi nished A-model mandolin (LM-400) features
a hand- graduated solid spruce top, fl amed maple back and sides, and an abalone/mother-of-pearl fern headstock inlay. The
mandolin is assembled with a one-piece, rounded v-pro-
fi le fl amed maple neck and bound rosewood fretboard, compensated ebo-ny bridge, and vintage-style tuners. The nitrocellulose lacquer is thinly sprayed on the vintage sunburst fi nish and then hand-buffed.www.theloar.comNAMM Exhibit #461
M&M’s Kona Everest ModelThe fi rst model from M&M’s Kona Pro line of guitars is the Everest – a mahog-
any string-thru designed body, capped with a fi gured spalted maple top. The set neck designed guitar features a mahogany
neck equipped with a two-way truss rod, select rose-wood fi ngerboard, and 24
¾” scale neck. The Kona Everest model (KE51NA) is available in natural and
burst fi nish. www.mmwholesale.comNAMM Exhibit #4342
Tanglewood’s Rosewood Reserve Series Tanglewood Guitar Company UK is bringing its Rosewood Reserve Series of guitars to North America in 2010. The Series features solid Sitka Spruce tops and rosewood-veneered back and sides on all mod-els. Rosewood Reserve brings to market nearly
20 new models in a variety of body styles – including the slope-shouldered Dread-nought, Folk, Super Folk, Super Jumbo, Parlour, 12-String Dreadnought, Classical, and Acoustic Bass. Features include maple-bound rosewood fi ngerboards, mahogany necks, maple-bound bodies, gold vintage-style machine heads, rosewood rosettes, bone compensating saddles, and D’Addario EXP11 strings. Most models are available in natural gloss and vintage sunburst. Re-tail prices of range from $529 to $739.www.tanglewoodguitars.com
Recording King’s Elite BanjoRecording King’s RK-Elite banjo is modeled after the original Mas-tertone banjos of the 1930s. Com-ponents include a Mastertone-style tone ring, true steam-bent three-ply maple rim, and a nitrocel-lulose lacquer fi nish. Design features include a vintage-style double-cut Recording King peghead, and a custom Flying Eagle-style peghead
and fretboard inlay. The RK-Elite comes with a Recording King vintage hardshell case. The retail price is $1,424.99.www.recordingking.comNAMM Exhibit #461
Eastwood Ships 500th MandocasterThe Eastwood Mandocaster features a solid Alder body with a bolt on 14” scale maple neck and rosewood fi ngerboard,
two single coil pickups with a three-way switch. There is also a left handed model and an optional custom hard shell case available for this guitar-style mandolin. www.eastwoodguitars.comNAMM Exhibit #1155
Blackbird Guitars’ Ferrari RiderBlackbird Guitars’ limited-edition Fer-rari-branded Rider guitars are signed by F1 drivers Philipe Massa and Kimi Rai-kkonen. The Rider travel guitar features a one-piece, hollow neck, carbon fi ber construction. All Blackbird Rider models are said to be built for the road with a vir-tually indestructible carbon-fi ber body that is less than two-thirds the size of a standard acoustic. The fi rst run of the Ferrari guitar series sold out, but Black-bird Guitars is accepting special, custom orders on the Rider model. www.blackbirdguitars.com
JBovier Launches Electric MandolinsThe two new electric mandolin models from JBovier Stringed Instruments are the
“EMC” (Electric Mando Caster) and the hybrid “ELS” (Electric Leo Smith). Both instruments feature dual JB-53 pickups, a proprietary JBovier rail pickup design, and a wider magnetic fi eld. A three-way switch allows selection of two independent single-
coil voices, or a humbucker voice in the center position. The pickups are controlled by one volume knob and one tone knob. A large pickup cavity is cut and “blank” pick-guards will be made available to allow do-it-yourself pickup modifi cations.
The ELS model features a rosewood fretboard; the EMC’s fretboard is maple. Headstocks feature JBovier’s signature logo, string spacer (EMC only), and Wilkinson tuners. Both the EMC and ELS are available in either classic cream or sunburst. A four-string confi gura-tion is standard for both models (nut width: 28mm), however the EMC model will also be available in a fi ve-string version (nut width: 31.25mm). All electric mandolins in-clude a JBovier padded gig bag. Retail prices are $849 for the four-string EMC and ELS models, and $949 for the fi ve-string EMC. www.jbovier.net
Légère Signature Series Tenor Sax ReedsLégère is now offering their Signature Series technology for the tenor sax. The
new reeds feature a special material and profi le and are said to capture color and expression. Légère reeds are available for all clarinets and saxophones.www.legere.comNAMM Exhibit 3016
New from Wood ViolinsWood Violins has announced the return of their Stingray SV4 four-string fretless
electric violin and the release of the new Stingray SV5, a fi ve-string fretless version. The Sting-ray SV-4 and the Stingray SV-5 are light in weight and feature Wood bridge piezo pickup. The SV4 and SV5 come with case, bow, and rosin and are both avail-able in metallic red and metallic black fi nishes.
The WVA-10D is a dedicated electric violin amplifi er, custom-voiced by Mark Wood. It features two-band EQ with bass and treble control, a distortion channel, variable delay with level control, and a headphone output. The amp is 10”W x 11”H x 7”D and weighs only 12 pounds. The WWP-1 Wood Wah features a metal casing, non-slip rubber footpad, and noise free switching. The amp and pedal are also sold separately, and are
designed for use with any Wood Violins instrument. www.howardcore.comNAMM Exhibit #4883
Jupiter Xylophone & ClarinetJupiter’s Majestic’s X8540H concert xy-lophone features graduated bars of select Honduran rosewood and a four octave range. The advanced bar production methods employed by this instrument in-
clude an extended range of quint tuning, and tonally matched wood selection. The leg system of the X8540H is stable yet portable, and has a large range of height adjustment that is can be easily set by one person through side mounted cranks. The natural oak frame of this xylophone is stained to match the Majestic M8650H fl agship marimba.
See us at NAMM Booth 1355 See us at NAMM Booth 2885
Jupiter’s 737NTO clarinet fea-tures an ergonomic C/G key riser, offset trill keys, and adjustable thumb rest. Its body is made from select Grenadilla wood and uses a .577” bore. It features undercut tone holes, nickel-plated nickel sil-ver keys and metal tenons, as well as a new ring design. The 737NTO comes with a wood-frame attaché style case.www.jupitermusic.comNAMM Exhibit #4800
KEYBOARD
Wyman Piano’s Newest ORLA ModelsWyman Piano’s new ORLA CDP45 is an Ensemble piano in a traditional digital piano cabinet, available in high polished ebony or rosewood. The new ORLA Grand 450 is an Ensemble pia-no in a digital grand cabinet, available in polished ebony and polished snow white.
Both the new ORLA CDP45 and Grand 450 Ensembles feature an 88-note graduated hammer action keyboard, 476 authentic orchestral sounds including ORLA’s XM Sound Library, and an extensive style sec-tion with 260 styles. Additional styles can be loaded via the USB port. The player can also use a USB memory stick to record musical data (up to 16 tracks) or play back commer-cially available standard MIDI fi les. Both models feature an upgraded amplifi cation system and speaker package.www.orlausa.com NAMM Exhibit #458
Mason & Hamlin’s Composite Action PianosMason & Hamlin’s complete composite piano action pianos has been designed and
manufactured by its sister company, Wes-sell, Nickel & Gross. The composite actions are being offered as an upgrade option on all models of Mason & Hamlin pianos. www.masonhamlin.comNAMM Exhibit #205A
Yamaha’s Clavinova CVP500 SeriesReplacing the Clavinova CVP400 series, the Yamaha’s Clavinova CVP500 series of digital pianos are suited to both beginner and advanced musicians. The CVP500 pia-nos offer Yamaha Pure CF sampling tech-nology for piano realism along with Super Articulation 2 Voices which is said to allow pianists to play non-keyboard instrument sounds with a new level of natural realism. Yamaha’s exclusive Internet Direct Connect feature instantly downloads the latest new content directly into the instrument via an Ethernet/LAN connection. The CVP500 series also features MP3 audio fi le playback with the ability to incorporate MP3s into user panel settings and performance.www.clavinova.comNAMM Exhibit # 100
PERCUSSIONTycoon’s Concerto Spectrum Series Congas The Concerto Spectrum Series congas from Tycoon Percussion combine sound and
performance with a high-gloss, pearles-cent fi nish in a choice of red, blue, and
green color options. The
fi nish, which is some-times referred to as a “fl ip-fl op”, appears to change colors dramatically depending on the viewing angle and lighting.
Concerto Series congas feature an al-ternative body shape with a lower belly section for noticeably increased low end as well as range and response. Like all of Ty-coon’s conga drums, the Spectrum models are made from hand-selected, eco-certifi ed Siam Oak and equipped with premium-grade water buffalo skin drumheads. The drums are 30˝ tall and available in 10˝ Re-
quinto, 11˝ Quinto, 11 3/4˝ Conga and 12 ½˝ Tumba models that are sold separately and include basket-style stands. Matching 7˝ and 8 ½˝ Bongos are also available.www.tycoonpercussion.comNAMM Exhibit #3570
Vic Firth’s Designer Stick Bags & New Signature StickThe new Vic Firth stick bags are avail-able in plaid, digital camo, and skull & crossbone patterns. Able to hold 24 pairs of sticks, these bags also have pockets for accessories and sheet music. The water re-sistant nylon bags feature two detachable back pack-style shoulder straps and elastic fasteners with retractable clips for secure suspension from the fl oor tom. The bags retail for $74.25 and the sticks for $16.
Vic Firth’s new Tommy Igoe Groove Essentials Signature Stick features a “Taj Mahal” tip that is said to be ideal for sensi-tive cymbal work and an extended taper.
The bags retail for $74.25 and the sticks for $16.www.vicfi rth.comNAMM Exhibit #3040
Bosphorus Stanton Moore Signature CymbalsBosphorus Cymbals’ Stanton Moore Sig-nature Series in BFD2 format is a line of handmade cymbals avail-able in a fully dynamic virtual instrument for-mat, recorded and produced by John Emrich. The Signature Series cymbals have been captured in high defi -nition audio for audio professionals. www.bosphoruscymbals.comNAMM Exhibit #2954
Sabian’s Bar ChimesSabian’s Bar Chimes are available in ei-ther delicate-sounding aluminum bars or with the full sound and sustain of bronze bars. The Bar Chimes are suspended from a solid wood bar that can be mounted on a cymbal stand or other screw-top hold-er. Each bar has 24 chimes that produce
Strings will never be the same. Howard Core CompanyExclusive DistributorsHowardCore.com
The Stingray SV-4® & Stingray SV-5® Electric Violin Kit, created by
world-renowned electric violinist, Mark Wood.Exciting and affordably priced new products from Wood Violins!
The great looking and sounding Stingray SV-4 and Stingray SV-5, the fantastic Wood electric violin amplifier, and the awesome
“Wood Wah” wah-wah pedal!
PLUS... We’ll give you access to exclusive musical content from our website, along with sheet music and play-along tracks!
So right out of the box, you’re instantly rockin’!
See us at NAMM Booth 4897 See us at NAMM Booth 4883
a shimmering re-sponse, in a cascad-ing effect. The Sa-bian Bar Chimes are backed by Sabian’s two-year warranty and come with a protec-tive carrying case.www.sabian.comNAMM Exhibit #3254
Mapex Redesigns Black Panther Snare Drum SeriesMapex’s redesigned Black Panther Snare Drum Series consists of fourteen all new models, each with its own distinct voice and identity. The new Black Panther
snare drums feature newly designed fi n-ishes and appointments including new lugs, hoops, throw-offs, and snare strain-ers.
All of the new Black Panther models feature one of two classically designed lugs. One is a sculpted shield-style split lug, while the other is a forged tube-style lug. To complete the trans-formation, each drum features a new die cast chrome plated Black Panther badge.
The new Black Panthers feature a piston-style throw-off that requires minimal effort to operate. The adjust-ment dial employs “micro-lock” tech-nology that provides a silent, yet tactile “click” as it’s turned, allowing precise tension control. Mapex’s new “Sonic Saver” hoops bridge the gap between f langed and die cast hoops. The shap-ing process creates a rounded profile at the top of the hoop that is said to re-duce wear and tear to sticks, hands, and wrists.www.blackpanthersnares.com NAMM Exhibit #4808
PRINT
Rockbox and Wilkins Instructional Video Rockbox Electronics and Wilkins Gui-tars have worked together to create a new video demonstrating how to use analog effects pedals with digital recording soft-
ware. Studio engineer and guitarist Mark Gordon Creamer is featured in the video spotlighting the recording process and the necessary equipment involved. Using a Wilkins WRS Modern Series electric guitar, a Rockbox Boiling Point over-
drive/boost pedal, and the speaker emu-lation feature of Cubase software, Mark demonstrates the possibilities of creating a realistic tube amplifer sound by plug-ging into his computer home studio.www.rockbox.comNAMM Exhibit #5004
Steve Gadd Drumming TranscriptionsThe Steve Gadd Drumming Transcriptionsbook honors the talents of one of the
greatest drum-mers, Steve Gadd. Represented are 30 stylistically-vary-ing transcriptions written note for note, resulting in a very accurate interpretation of his style of play-ing. The book in-
cludes quotations, a biography, and discography.www.melbay.comNAMM Exhibit #3304
Rock House’s Leads & Riffs: Creative Concepts for MetalRock House’s Leads & Riffs: Creative Concepts for Metal DVD features Michael Paget, founding member and lead gui-tarist of Bullet for My Valentine. In this new DVD, Paget reveals the elements of his aggressive lead style and shares pen-tatonic and full seven note scales across the neck used to create his leads. Paget explains how he applies bending, three-string sweeps, tremolo picking, and hammer pull-offs to his leads. The DVD also comes with a free les-son booklet and membership to Rock House’s lesson support on their Web site. This feature offers students supplementary support for the lessons featured on the DVD. Once registered, students can interact with the commu-nity, utilize the additional learning tools,
and access the special features. The more than 70-minute DVD also includes be-hind the scenes photos, iPod ready video, and an interview with Paget. The DVD retails for $24.99.www.rockhousemethod.comNAMM Exhibit #4618
Alfred’s Play-Along SeriesAlfred’s Jazz Play-Along Series is a play-along for instrumentalists who want to develop their improvisation skills while playing classic jazz standards. The series launched with two volumes, Volume 1: Strayhorn & More and Volume 2: Swingin’
Now, written at the medium to medium-advanced level. Each book contains nine popular jazz tunes, arranged for C, B-fl at, E-fl at, and Bass Clef instruments. Additional features include multiple jazz choruses for plenty of soloing opportuni-ties, and demo tracks with horn players and a pro rhythm section to demonstrate the melodies, style, interpretation, and sample solos. In addition, the play-along tracks allow a soloist or group to learn and perform with the rhythm section only. Split tracks offer piano/guitar, and bass players the opportunity to perform with the track by dialing in/out left or right stereo channels.
Singin’ with the Big Band features 11 big band vocal arrangements in a variety of styles and tempos written at the medium diffi culty level. An accompaniment CD al-lows vocalists to sing with a professional big band to improve vocal skills, style, interpre-tation, and confi dence. Each song has two tracks — a professional demonstration of each piece, and a sing-along backing track for practice or performance.www.alfred.comNAMM Exhibit #4822
Learning Dock’s Teach Me Bass GuitarBassist and educator Roy Vogt’s Teach Me Bass Guitar, from the Learning Dock, fea-tures over 16 hours of DVD-based instruc-tion for bass guitar. The 10 DVDs feature a real-time, onscreen fretboard and over 100 play-along video tracks with Nashville studio mu-sicians. All of the music is original and written exclusively for each lesson. Exer-cises and play-along tracks are included in a loop library that the student can access at any time during each lesson.www.thelearningdock.com
eMedia Guitar Method Version 5.0Guitar Method Version 5.0 CD-ROM is the latest version of eMedia’s guitar tutorial software. It offers over 180 lessons, instruc-tional videos that expand to full-screen.
and special enhancements throughout. The new software includes interactive feedback on melodies and tools that take advantage of this new feature, such as the new Note Tracker and Finger Tracker, which show what is being played in staff notation and also on an animated fretboard. www.emediamusic.comNAMM Exhibit #6504
ACCESSORIES
Planet Waves Headstock Tuner The new Headstock Tuner from Planet Waves uses the in-struments’ vibra-tion as its input (instead of cable hook-ups or mi-crophones) and provides tuning without the in-terference of am-bient room noise. Its dual visual
cues include a multicolor backlit display in tandem with digital needle graphics. The multicolor backlit display indicates status with red to show when a note is out of tune and green to show when in tune. Its tuning software uses the ultra-sensitive piezo sen-sor system for increased vibration sensitiv-ity and more accurate note registration. www.planetwaves.comNAMM Exhibit #4834
Weaseltrap Records’ Harmonic CapoThe Harmonic Capo, from Weaseltrap
Records, straps on the guitar neck at a harmonic point, lightly touch-ing the strings to produce open-string harmonics, but can still play normally below
it, creating variable chords and note pro-gressions. www.weaseltrap.comNAMM Exhibit #1632
New Pedulla Bass Option An optional fi nger ramp is now available on new Pedulla bass guitars (fretted or fret-less). The ramp fi ts between the two pickups keeping the body-to-string vertical distance consistent at the height of the pickups, ac-commodating those players that prefer the
contact to anchor and gauge their fi nger style stroke, while allowing ample depth be-tween the fi nger-board and pickup. The edge of the ramp remains par-
allel to the string and acts as a multi-position thumbrest. Available now on new Pedulla basses (excluding the Rapture). www.pedulla.comNAMM Exhibit #5964
KickPort for Bass DrumsKickPort for bass drums slows the air exit-ing the drum by restricting and compress-ing the fl ow of air through its tube and then allows the rapid expansion or relax-ation of the air through its fl ared opening. At the same time, The KickPort enhances the low frequencies and dampens the vi-
bration of the head, reduc-ing the need for internal muffl ing or dampening materials. The cumula-tive effect of this natural tone control and sonic enhancement is said to be a cleaner, more powerful sound with a low-er fundamental frequency that can be felt and heard both by the listening audience and the drummer behind the kit. www.kickport.comNAMM Exhibit #2873
Safety-Ease Lid AssistThe Safety-Ease Lid Assist is a device that assists in opening and closing a grand piano’s lid. Designed by piano techni-cian and retailer Danny Geoghegan, the Safety-Ease Lid Assist does not require any drilling or alteration of the piano. Its design allows the device to slip on and off the instrument quickly and easily.www.safetyease.com
Alliance Rubber Wrapz & StrapzAlliance Rubber’s Wrapz and Strapz are used to secure cables and cords and are
all-weather UV and ozone-resistant, stretchable and reusable, and are avail-able in black and camo. www.alliance-rubber.comNAMM Exhibit #3202
CASES & BAGS
Ford Drumvee CasesDrumvee soft cases are made from military-spec digital Camo 600 denier polyester and offer 100 percent waterproof stability. Be-tween the fabric layers are 1⁄2” of closed-cell foam, plus 1⁄2” of polyfoam to protect the drums within. All webbing is tear-resistant to 500 pounds, all seams are double-stitched
with ballistic polyester thread. Extra-strong #10 YKK zippers are sewn into each case with a lip that acts as a double gasket to keep moisture from entering. Other features in-clude snaps and o-rings of heavy-duty steel, ergonomic molded rubber handles, and padded shoulder straps.www.forddrums.comNAMM Exhibit #3555
LIGHT & SOUND
Jensen Jet Falcon SpeakerJensen Speakers’ 12” Falcon is a 50 watt speaker featuring a new style of cone, al-lowing for a tone that is said to be warm and full bodied with lows that are rich
and fat and respond to overdrive distor-tion with a crunch. www.jensentone.comNAMM Exhibit #4893
Roland’s Portable SamplerRoland’s SP-404SX Portable Sam-pler is an update to the SP-404 and offers 44.1kHz/16-Bit sound qual-ity, improved DSP effects, a new pat-tern sequencer, and data management.The SP-404SX includes 29 DSP effects - including fi lter, delay, unique voice ef-fects, subsonic, and looper. Twelve trig-
ger pads, three control knobs, and a sub pad for rapid triggering al-low DJs, musicians, and sound engineers to trigger samples and jingles and apply effects quickly. The built-in
microphone, simple user interface, and optional battery operation enable record-ing with the SP-404SX anywhere. The more versatile pattern sequencer now in-cludes an improved quantize mode with new shuffl e feel for creating the hip hop, R&B, and reggae grooves. The retail price is $465.50.www.rolandus.comNAMM Exhibit #7300
American DJ’s Shooting Star LEDLike their Aggressor and Aggressor Tri LED, the new Shooting Star LED from American DJ features a grid-style de-sign on the front, with beams shooting out from rows and columns of lenses to cover the dance fl oor with bright shafts of multi-color light. But the Shooting Star LED actually has more lenses than its predecessors - a total of 48 - so it pro-duces four dozen beams. Its lenses are stacked six rows high, with eight lenses in each row, so it can cover a much larger area, creating not just a shower colored beams.
HUNTER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS3300 Northern Blvd. Long Island City, NY 11101
The Shooting Star LED’s 48 beams are created by a 10-watt Tri-Color RGB LED. It features American DJ’s exclusive Tri-Color LED Technology, which means it can pro-duce beams in a rainbow of seven different colors - red, green, blue, purple, yellow, cyan, and white. The spectrum of colors is made possible because the Shooting Star’s LED lamp is actually a three-in-one unit, comprised of red, green, and blue LED di-odes. As a result, color mixing can be done inside the lamp to offer a wider variety of hues than the typical LED effect. The retail price of the Shooting Star LED is $459.www.americandj.comNAMM Exhibit #5774
MXL’s Live Series MicrophoneMXL’s Live Series Collection is a specially-designed live/stage condenser built with metal body construction and includes three interchange-able capsules to create three polar patterns - cardioid/omni/hyper-cardioid. The
mocrophones also feature a roll-off switch with steep cutoff to help reduce handling noise and proximity effect. The MXL LSC-1/2 Live Series microphone includes 25 ft microphone cable, mic stand adapter, car-dioid/omni/hyper-cardioid capsules, car-rying case, and cleaning cloth. www.marshallelectronics.netNAMM Exhibit #6866
Samson’s Q2U Recording PackSamson Technologies’ Q2U Recording Pack with HP20 headphones features a dynamic handheld microphone, an XLR output and a USB I/O allowing it to be plugged directly into a live sound console or any computer with a USB input. The microphone’s on/off switch controls the XLR output, allowing anyone to perform in a live setting and record to a nearby computer or laptop simultaneously.
The Q2U also features a built-in 3.5mm stereo headphone jack output with volume control for no-latency monitoring during recording. Plus, a cardioid pickup pattern and a high-quality A/D converter with a 16-
bit, 48kHz sampling rate help to ensure the sound repro-duction in both live and recording appli-cations is clear, de-tailed, and accurate. The Q2U includes USB and XLR cables, a mic clip, desktop stand, HP20 headphones and Cakewalk Music Creator. The retail price is $89.www.samsontech.com
Heil’s Kick Drum MicHeil Sound’s PR 48 large diaphragm dynamic microphone designed for kick drum use features a 1.5-inch diameter element and is mounted in a vulcanized double shock mount, which offers complete isolation with-in a rugged cast metal housing. The PR 48 met-al housing was designed with a slanted entrance to the three pin XLR so the cable assembly is easier to con-
nect. A specially designed low pass fi lter sets the -3 dB hinge points at 30Hz and 8kHz with a +10 dB peak from 50 Hz to 80 Hz. The response rolls off at 8kHz, which helps control unwanted top end “noise” inside the drum, while keeping frequencies critical to kick drum har-monics found when the beater meets the drum head. The microphone provides a 600-ohm balanced output and can han-dle over 150 dB of SPL. www.heilsound.comNAMM Exhibit #7018
Fitness Audio UpgradesHeadset MicsFitness Audio’s sweat resistant microphone series the Aeromic and Cyclemic, have now been upgraded with new PHAT frame technology. They are said to be three times more du-rable than the stan-
dard frame, the headset was designed for heavy use in fi tness classes. As a result, Aeromic and Cyclemic both have in-creased warranties to 50 classes per week for two years against sweat death.www.fi tnessaudiodistributors.com NAMM Exhibit #1833
Gemini’s Dual Mixing ConsoleGemini’s CDMP-6000 Professional Dual
CD/MP3/USB mixing console provides a digital connection via built-in USB in-puts, allowing the user to play and ma-nipulate songs directly from your USB key/fl ash drives. Providing the fl exibility and convenience of both CDs and MP3s, this mobile DJ rig and club installation piece features include scratch, BPM read
out, and one loop per side. The CDMP-6000 XLR also offers outputs as well as record, booth, and master outs via RCA.www.gci-technologies.com
BreezSong’s JamHub JamHub silent rehearsal studios intercon-nect instruments and microphones, and by using the SoleMix controls, each band member creates
their own clear and balanced mix. Three models are available: JamHub BedRoom, JamHub GreenRoom and JamHub TourBus. A SoleMix remote is included with two models and sold separately. Retail prices are respectively: $299.99, $499.99, $699.99. www.jamhub.comNAMM Exhibit #1100
2010 NAMM SHOWAnaheim Convention Center & Anaheim Marriott
Exhibitor Booth#2box AB 24303 Drumsticks 26543L International 582565Amps 3392A & S Case Company, Inc. 6288A+D Gitarrentechnologie GmbH 1361Ableton 6314Absara Audio LLC 5218Access Bags and Cases 4796Access Music 6900Accord Studio D.O.O. 3523ACE Musical Instruments Co., Ltd 3492Ace Products 5956Acesonic USA Inc. 1668Acoustic Guitar Magazine 5226Acoustica Inc. 6329Acoutin Custom 2965ADAM Audio USA 7119Adamas Guitars 5720Adams Musical Instruments 2638, 2648Adams Musical Instruments 2648A-Designs 6290ADIG Invention AS 1215Advanced Plating, Inc. 1211AEA 7108Aerial7 Industries Inc. 1577Aguilar Amplifi cation 5266AHEAD Drumsticks 3564AIM Gifts 4223Aiweidy Lighting USA Inc 5298Akai Professional 6400AKG Acoustics 7800
AL Corp 2711Alesis 6400Alfred Music Publishing Co. 4822ALGAM S.A.S. 6440Alhambra USA 1520Manufacturas Alhambra, S.L. 1520Allegro Acceptance 472Allen & Heath, LTD 6474Allen & Heath, LTD 6474Allen Organ Company LLC 432Alleva-Coppolo Basses & Guitars 1655Alliance Rubber Company 3202Allparts 5882Editions Alphonse Leduc 4001Alpine Innovations, LLC 1333ALTO 6555Alvarez 209A, 4468AMA Verlag 3220Amati USA Inc 4610Amedia Cymbals USA 2865America Sidco Inc 2800American Audio 6330American DJ 5774American Music & Sound 5700, 6474, 6824American Recorder Technologies, Inc. 2746American String Teachers Assn. 2004American Way Marketing LLC 4301Ampeg 209A, 4468Amphenol Australia Pty Ltd 6699AMV Sales & Consultation LLC 1443Anadolu Muzik Aletleri San ve Tic Ltd. Sti 3264Analysis Plus 3482AnaMod 6254Anderson Group Intl, LLC 1307Tom Anderson Guitarworks 1526Angels Musical Instruments, Inc. 4015ANSIR Music 1456Anthem Musical Instruments, Inc. 2905Antigua Fabrica de Guitarras SRL 4853Antigua Winds, Inc 4912Anvil Cases Inc. 4849APC Instruments 1228Aphex Systems, Ltd. 5696API 6411Apogee Electronics 6428Applied Acoustics Systems 6728Applied Microphone Technology 6242Applied Research and Technology 6555Aquarian 3546Arbor Guitars 5420Aristides Instruments B.V. 1448Arkay Musical Strings 4011Armadillo Enterprises 4272Arobas Music 1414Aroma Music Co., Ltd. 1272
Art Strings Publishing 4618Art Vista Productions 6427Art Vista Productions 6427Artec Sound Co., Ltd 4862Artioli Designs 5725Arturia 6310Ashdown Design & Marketing LTD 4778ASK Video 6224Aubert Lutherie 4001Audio Ease BV 6510Audio Innovate 5477Audio Media 5307Audio2000’S® 6390audiobro 1808Audionova Inc 4143Audio-Technica U.S., Inc. 6740Audix Corporation 6976Strings by Aurora 4011Australian Music Association Inc. 2004Automated Processes, Inc., (API) 6411Avalon Design 6955Avant 6985Avid 6600Aviom, Inc. 7801AV-Leader Corporation 1873Avlex Corporation 6810Axis Percussion 3478AXL Musical Instruments 5476Ayers Music Co., Ltd 1214B & C Speakers 4786B & S 4614B.C. Rich 4884B-52 Professional 5952Bad Cat Amplifi er Co. Inc. 1461Baer Amplifi cation 3398Dino Baffetti Di Baffetti G & C. SNC 4819Bag End Loudspeakers 4146BAM France 4001Barcus-Berry 5420Bari Woodwind Supplies, LLC 3515Bartolini Pickups and Electronics LLC 5872Bass Drum O’s Hole Reinforcements 3564Bass Dynamics 5598Bass Player 5307Basslines by Seymour Duncan 4358Basson Sound Equipment 5857Bazhou Basix Musical Inst. Co. Ltd 4458Bazhou Basix Musical Inst. Co. Ltd 4458Bazhou Luan Yu Musical Instruments Co., LTD 3004B-Band, Inc. 3385BBE Sound, Inc. 4690Beamz Interactive 6110Beard Guitars LLC 1415Beato Inc. 2752Becker Stringed Instruments 5720
The following list of exhibiting
companies appearing in
Anaheim this January was
provided by NAMM and is current,
as of December 3. For the most up-
to-date information, show attendees
are advised to pick up the 2010 Show
Directory, available throughout
the Anaheim convention facilities
beginning January 14th.
Exhibitor Booth# Exhibitor Booth#
MMR_82 82 12/11/09 10:12:33 AM
JANUARY 2010 MMR 83
NAMM Exhibitors List
Beechler Mouthpieces 4410Behringer USA, Inc. 6756Beijing Dual Joy Musical Instrument Co., Ltd 2821Beijing Hsinghai Piano Group Limited 427Beijing J&N Pearl Shell Products Co., Ltd. 1322China Beijing Lanyao Huihao Musical Instrument Co., LTD 1478Beijing Musco International Trading Co., Ltd 3015Beijing Senqian Musical Instrument Factory 3212Beijing Senqian Musical Instrument Factory 3212Beijing Sunrise Musical Instrument Corp. Ltd 2805Beijing Viasho Technology Co., Ltd. 2712Beijing Xiyangyang Instrument Cases Co. 2821Beijing Xiyangyang Instrument Cases Co. 2821Beijing Yiyuan Musical Instruments Co., Ltd. 3524Belcat Co., Ltd. 3484Ben Chafi n Custom Guitars 5771Benavente Guitars 4178Benchmark Media Systems, Inc 1676Berklee Press 5301Berndt Woods 1039Besson 4300BEST BRASS Corporation 2906Best Media 1876Betterway Electronic Co., Ltd. 1768Beyerdynamic 6474Beyond (Tianjin) Musical Instrument Manufacture Co., Ltd. 2567BG Franck Bichon 4305M/S. Bhargava & Co. 2816BI Technologies 1569BIAS (Berkley Integrated Audio Software) 6424Big Apple Concepts 2982Big Bang Distribution 3564Big City Music 6735Big Dipper Stage Lighting Science and Technology Co., Ltd. 5270Big Dog Drum Hardware 3564Big Fish Audio 6514Big Idea Guys, LLC 1586Big Island Ukulele Co. 1326BigHeart Slide Company 4176Bigsby 3540Black Diamond Strings LLC 3513Blackbird Guitars 1302Blackheart 209A, 4468Blackstar Amplifi cation Ltd 3592Blankenship Amps 3290BLESSING 3512E. K. Blessing Co Inc. 3700Blue Microphones 6220BlueBook OnLine 5400Bly Musical Instruments Co., Ltd 1444Bogner Amplifi cation 5821Bohemia Piano America Inc. 414BooHeung Precision Machinery Co., Ltd. 1438Borsini Accordions 2834Bosch Communications Systems Division 6569Bosphorus Cymbals 2954Bosphorus Cymbals 2954BOSS U.S. 7400Bourgeois Guitars 1421Bourns, Inc. 1548Brace Audio Corporation 1775Brady Drum Company 3379BRANCHER 4001Brazen Guitars 3297Breedlove Guitar Company 1810BreezSong, LLC 1100Breezy Ridge Instruments, Ltd. 6230Bridgecraft USA Inc 2992Brodmann 443Brown’s Guitar Factory 3383Brubaker Guitars 5973Brunel Music Co. 5729Brush Wellman Inc 1575BSS Audio 7800BSX Bass Inc 5973Budda Amplifi cation 5282Buddy Rich Drum Company 3070
Buffet Crampon USA, Inc. 4300Bulk Molding Compounds, Inc. 3395Bullet Cable 5499Bulletproof Instruments, LLC 2997Burkart-Phelan, Inc. 3200Burns London 1330Burriss Amps & Effects Pedals 5899C.B.I. Professional Wiring Systems 4268Cable Up 6630CAD Audio 6226CAD Audio 6226Cadeson Musical Co., Ltd 2746CAE 7002CAFIM Confederation of European Music Industries 3124Cakewalk 6700Calato Mfg 3441
CalDigit 6425Calicchio Musical Instruments Inc. 4311California Alliance for Arts Education 2004California State PTA 2004Calzone Case Company 4849Cannonball Musical Instruments 4426CANOPUS Co., Ltd 2964Carl Fischer LLC 5412Carr Amplifi ers Inc 3482Carruthers Guitars 1805Carvin Corp. 4490The Case Brace Company 5494Casio America, Inc 6776CE Distribution, LLC 4893Cecilio Musical Instruments 3214Cedar Creek Custom Case Shoppe 4450Celemony Software GmbH 6900
Cremona bowed instruments have set the pacefor the vibrant student and rental markets for over25 years. Strict adherence to international sizingrequirements, domestic educational set-up standardsand continuous quality improvement have madeCremona Violins, Violas, Basses and Cellos provensales leaders.
Our best-selling, ebony fitted SV-175 CremonaPremier Violin Outfit has again been upgraded toinclude the new LaSalle LB-13 Octagonal Bow andthe TL-33 deluxe rectangular Travelite case.
Meeting the Needs of Studentsfor More Than 25 Years ...
Celestion 4278Central Music Co. 6012Century Guitars 2896Century Strings Inc. 2727Chandler Limited 6254Changzhou Foreign Trade Corp. 1234Changzhou Grand Glory Technology Software Co., Ltd. 6007Charites Strings, Inc. 3024CharterOak Acoustic Devices 6847Charvel Guitars & Basses 300CHAUVET 5581Cherry Lane Music 4618Cherry Music Technology Co., Ltd. 2925Cherub Technology Co., Ltd 2930Chesbro Music Co. 4430Chevalets Despiau 4001Chiayo Electronics Co., Ltd. 5997Chicken Systems, Inc. 6921Chonwoo Corp. 4136Chosen Fat Co., Ltd. 2861Chris Campbell Custom Guitars 5004CIEC Overseas Exhibition Co., Ltd. 1444, 1554, 1648, 2365, 2566, 2712, 2714, 5270CIEC Overseas Exhibition Co., Ltd. 1444, 1554, 1648, 2365, 2566, 2712, 2714, 5270Cipex International 6796Circle K Strings 1226Civilized World, Inc. 5004Classic Musical Instruments 1120Classical Strings Inc. 1067Steve Clayton, Inc 4590Cliff Inc. 5785Cloud Microphones 1855Club World 5400CMEA: The CA Assoc. for Music Ed 2004CodaBow International, Ltd 3500Coffi n Case 4130Coil LLC 1457Cole Clark Guitars 1210Coleman Audio 6897Collings Guitars, Inc. 1730Community Professional Loudspeakers 6940Composite Acoustics Technologies 1811Concepta KVB AG 4326Concert Musical Instrument Factory 1422Concord International Group, Inc. 3221
Connolly Music Company 3500Conn-Selmer Inc. 4224, 4600ConventionTV@NAMM 5400Cook Woods 1227Cora & Peter Kuo, Inc. 3165Cordoba Guitars 5300Core One 5499Cornford Amplifi cation 3196Countryman Associates, Inc. 6691Antoine Courtois Paris 4300Crafter USA 1330Crane Song 6290Crate 209A, 4468Craviotto Drum Company 3065Creative Bags and Cases Limited 1807Crest Audio 5740Crown International 7800CruzTOOLS, Inc. 1321CSC Products Inc. 2813CSFI 4001CTS Corporation 1105Curt Mangan Inc. 4291Cycling ‘74 6314Cymbag International, S.A. De C.V. 2351Cymbag International, S.A. De C.V. 2351Cympad 2764Cympad 2764Cympad USA 2764D’Angelico Guitars 3391D.B. Musical Instrument Co., Ltd. 2792D’Addario 4834D’Addario Canada 4852Dae Hung International Co., Ltd. 1486Dae Hung Precision Co., Ltd 1378Daisy Rock Girl Guitars 4818Dana B. Goods 5561D’Andrea Inc. 4858Danelectro 4790Dangerous Music, Inc 6916Daniel Violins 3010DANSR Inc. 3400DAS Audio 6848DAS Audio of America, Inc. 6848Dave Smith Instruments 5900The Davitt & Hanser Music Co. 4868Daylight Design, Inc. 3283dbx Professional Products 7800
DBZ Guitars 3290DC Voltage 5935Ddrum 5466Dean B. Zelinsky Guitars 3290Dean Guitars 5466Dean Markley Strings 5710Deering Banjo Company 1511DEG Music Products, Inc 4218Delano Pickup Systems 1546Demeter Amplifi cation 4388Denis Wick - London 3400Denon Electronics B5955Der Jung Enterprise Co., Ltd 1254DF Music Enterprise, Inc. 3204DH Electronics Co., Ltd. 1874Diamond Amplifi cation 3290Diamond Guitar Pedals 3097Digidesign - An Avid Company 6600Digitech 212ADiMarzio Inc. 5830DiPinto Guitars 5829Diplomat Musical Instruments 3233Diplomatte Musical Instruments 3233Direct Music Supply 3447Direct Sound Headphone,s LLC 1635Ibrahim Diril Cymbals 3449Dixon Drums 5420DJ Tech Ltd. 7023DJ Times 5400Dogal di Cella & C. SNC 4819Dommenget Custom Guitars 3287Dörfl er GmbH 3220DownBeat Magazine 4319DPA Microphones, Inc. 6996DPH’s Music & Arts International 2704DR Handmade Strings 4184Drake Ceramic Instruments LLC 3208Dramastic Audio Corp. 6695Dream Cymbals & Gongs 3279Drum Channel 2364Drum Workshop, Inc. 2654DRUM! Magazine 3541Drumdial Drum Tuners 3564D-TAR 4358Duesenberg USA 3491Charles Dumont & Son, Inc. 4418Duncan Pickups & Stompboxes 4358Dunlop Manufacturing, Inc. 4768, C4861Dusty Strings Co. 1716DVK Technologies 6809Dwarf Craft Devices 1580Dynamico Guitars 1673E & O Mari 5729E and E Exports Inc. 6949E.M. Winston, LLC 4801Earthworks, Inc. 6292East International Exhibition Co., Ltd 1230, 1234, 1768, 1850, 1856, 2925East International Exhibition Co., Ltd 1230, 1234, 1768, 1850, 1856, 2925East Union (Tianjin) International Trade Co., Ltd. 3325Eastman Strings, Inc. 4310, 5110Eastwood Guitars, Inc 1355EBS Sweden AB 3382Ebtech 4382ECEN Electronics Co., LTD 1786Eden & Eden, Inc. 1437Eden Electronics 5244Editions Henry Lemoine 4001Egnater Amplifi cation 5952Eigenlabs LTD 3100Eko Music Group 1636EKS 7222Elation Lighting Inc. 5768Eleca International Inc. 4897Electroswitch 6953Electro-Voice 6569Elise Musical Instrument Co., Ltd 1554Elixir® Strings 5000
Genz-Benz Amplifi cation 5720Geo Woo Musical Instrument 1367George L’s Musical Products 5820German American Trading Co., Inc 414Get’m Get’m Wear 4194Getzen Company, Inc. 4412GEWA music 3124, 3220ghost Modular Pickup Systems 5920GHS Strings 4684Gibraltar Hardware 5720Gig Gear International 2898Gig-FX, Inc. 1129GigSkinz Gigbags 6796Gioco Corp. 2878Global Truss 5569Global Wood Source Inc 5943Globe Plastics 3395Glockenklang 4178GMS Drum Co. 3050GNI Music 1342Godin Guitars 211AGodlyke, Inc. 1582GO-EN International 1616Gold Tone, Inc. 1415Golden Sound Distributors, LLC 3015Goldfi sh Guitars 4011Gon Bops Percussion 2654Goodall Guitars 1715GooDeal Group Inc. 1868W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. 5000Gotoh 4140C.A. Götz Jr. GmbH 3501Graph Tech Guitar Labs 5920Greatmind Instrument Manufacturing Co. 3422Green Monster Music 1407Gretsch Co. 3540Gretsch Drums 5720
Gretsch Guitars & Basses 300GretschGear.com 3540Grid1 Audio LLC 4198Grip Studios 5725GRK Manufacturing Co 470Grover Musical Products 5315Grund Audio Design - GAD 6790Grundorf Corp 6790Guangzhou Daling Musical Instruments Factory Co., Ltd. 2971Guangzhou Desam Audio Co., Ltd 2996Guangzhou DUS Audio Co., Ltd 1173Guangzhou Jisheng Musical Instruments Manufacturing Ltd 4596Guangzhou Lang Qing Development Corp., Ltd. 1544Guangzhou Romance Musical Instruments Co., Ltd. 1255Guangzhou Sunpost Musical Instruments Co., Ltd 4250Guerilla Guitars Inc 4162Guild Guitars 300Guistar Picks LLC 1443Guitar Connection 2883Guitar Edge 4318The Guitar Folks Inc. 3499Guitar Hands 1111Spanish Guitar Master Craftsman’s Guild 1604, 2901Guitar Player 5307Guitarlink 5004Guitarparts Co., Ltd 1343Guitarras Antonio Aparicio 1306Guitarras Francisco Esteve 1604Taller de Guitarras Juan Hernández 1604Raimundo Guitars 1604Guitars in the Classroom 2004Guitars Manuel Rodriguez 5258Guptill Music 1611
G-Vox 6628GWW Group Inc. 1719H & F Technologies, Inc. 6390H & F Technologies, Inc. 6390H.E.A.R. - Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers, Inc. 2005Hagstrom Guitars 5700Hailun USA 205BHal Leonard Corporation 4318, 4618Hall Crystal Flutes 3534Hallet, Davis & Co. Pianos 447Halo Custom Guitars 4598Hamer Guitars 5720Hamilton Metalcraft Inc. 4166Hamilton Stands 3101Hammond Suzuki USA Inc. 5800Hangzhou Worlde Music Electronic Co., LTD 1200Hannabach GmbH 3032Hanser Music Group 4868, 4878, 4884Hanson Musical Instruments 5496HANXIANG Technology Co., LTD 3109Hardman Pianos 447Harris Musical Products, Inc. 4823, 4827, 4831Harry Hartmann 3032Hayden Guitar Amps Limited 4778Headway Music Audio Ltd 1512Geigenbau Klaus Heffl er e.k. 3220Heil Sound 7018Heintzman Distributors Ltd 464Hengshui Duoli Musical Instrument Manufacture Co., Ltd 3406Hercules Stands 5420Hering Indústria E Comércio Importação E Exporta-ção Ltda. 1502Hermes International 5114Hermes Music SA de CV 5114Herouard and Benard 4001
See us at NAMM Booth 1100
thesilent rehearsal studio
Unprecedented3X Winner
BreezSong LLC(877) JAM-HUBS
www.JamHub.com
Ready to make JamHub silent reheasal studios a business focus? Simply want to learn a little more? Be sure you find our booth.
Good, a cool looking new product Better, a whole new idea to sell Best, a genuine need filled
That’s why it won three Best In Show awards -
Will you make sure you find it? Your opportunity is hidden at NAMM. Hint: Start downstairs
HHb 6579Hidrau Model S.L. 1115High Spirits, Inc. 1427Hill Guitar Co. 1426Hipshot Products 5735Hiptrix Inc. 2346Hodge Products, Inc. 3434Hofner 1120Hohner, Inc. 3240HollywoodWinds 4406Homespun Tapes, Ltd. 4618Hosa Technology, Inc. 5590HOSCO Inc. 1627Hoshino USA Inc. 4634Hot Picks 1586House Band 4910House Ear Institute 1196House of Troy 469Howard Core Company, LLC 2920, 3227HOYER® Guitars Est. 1874 1807HQ Percussion 4834HRtronics, LLC 2785Nik Huber Guitars 4143Hudson Music 4618Hughes & Kettner 6555Humes & Berg Mfg. Co., Inc. 4400Hunter Music Instrument Inc. 3000Huss & Dalton Guitar Co., Inc. 1408HW Products, Inc. 5410i3 SRL 6903Ibanez 4634IBC Trading Ltd 1448, 1636IBMA 2004Nadir Ibrahimoglu e.K. 3032Idarca-Audio Inc 1106Ideas In 3D 1630IEC-Berlin 3032, 3124, 3220
IK Multimedia 6520IK Multimedia US LLC 6520ILIO 6728Independent Audio Inc 1692Indie Guitar Company 4295Indústria e Comércio Rouxinol Ltda. 1342Infi nite Response, Inc. 5908Innovative Percussion, Inc. 2765Intelli Co., LTD. 4894Intellistage Stages 6796Intercultural Family Services 2004International DJ Expo 5400International Music Café LTD 4913ION Audio LLC 6400ISP Technologies, LLC 5863Istanbul Mehmet Cymbals 2870Istanbul Zil ve Muzik Aletleri San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. 2870Istanbul Zilciler Muzik Alet. Imal. San. Ve Tic. Ltd Sti 2854Italia Guitars 4758iZotope, Inc. 109, 6920J & H Technology Co., Ltd. 3424J.A.C. Musical Instruments, Inc. 1655J.J. Babbitt Co 4322Jackson Guitars & Basses 300Jaguar Amplifi cation 3582James Trussart Custom Guitars 4885Paul L. Jansen and Son Inc 471Jarrell Guitars LTD. 1472Jay Turser Guitars 5244JB Piano GmbH 407, 443JBL Professional 7800JDK Audio 6411Jensen Speakers 4893Jet City Amplifi cation 5897Jet Fretz 5948
Jiangyin GoldenCup Angels Musical Instruments Co., LTD. 2900Jiangyin Jiyang Musical Instrument Co., Ltd 3610Jiaxing Jinlida Electron Co., Ltd. 1856Tianjin Jinbao Musical Instruments Co., Ltd. 3278Tianjin Jiuyue Technology Co., Ltd. 2365JJ Electronic 5397JJ Guitars Ltd. 1531Jocavi - Acoustic Panels 1772JodyJazz Inc. 3317JoeCo 1663John Bowen Synth Design 5912John Hornby Skewes & Co. Ltd. 1310Jones Double Reed Products, LLC 3009Jordan Electric Violins 5317JoyCargo 1615JP Guitars 1369JR Music Supply 3330JT Sound Inc. 3394JTS Professional Co. Ltd. 4368Jupiter Band Instruments, Inc 4800JZ Microphones 6946K and S Music 3014K.H.S. Musical Instrument Co., Ltd. 4808K2 CNC 1204Kahler International 5727KaiFat Ningbo Electronic Co., Ltd 4568Kaino Music Corp. 1107Kala Brand Music Co. 1336Kamaka Hawaii, Inc. 1510Kanstul Musical Instruments, Inc. 4510Kasza Cymbals 3564Kawai America Corp. 207-1, 207ABKay Vintage Reissue, LLC 2797Kaysound Imports Inc 6809Kazoobie, Inc. 3329Keith McMillen Instruments 6227
See us at NAMM Booth 2701 See us at NAMM Booth 1833
Kelly Concepts, LLC 2533The Kelly SHU 2533Kemper Digital GmbH 6900Keyboard 5307The Keyboard Corp. 474KHL Corp 1581KickPort International 2873Kima Music Products 2809Kirlin Industries Inc 1776Ki-Sound Industrial Co., Ltd 1473Kiwaya USA 1724Klein + Hummel 6579KMC Music, Inc. 5720KMS Shokai Co., Ltd 4140Koch Guitar Electronics 4143König & Meyer 3500KÖNIG & MEYER GmbH & Co. KG 3220Kool Box 5947Ko’olau Guitar & Ukulele 1311Korg USA, Inc. 6440Krank Amplifi cation 3584Kremona - Bulgaria 3321Kremona Inc. 3321Kupo Industrial Corp 5475Kurzweil USA 6474Kush Audio 6324Kustom Amplifi cation 4878Kyser Musical Products Inc. 5948L.T.P Publishing Pty Ltd 5311La Bella Strings 5729Lace Music Products 5975LAG 6440Lakland Musical Instruments 5496Lamvin Inc. 1880Laney Amplifi cation 4350Latin Percussion - Division of KMC Music 5720H.G. Leach Guitars 1525Lectrosonics, Inc. 6698Lee Oskar Harmonicas 5720Leem Products Co., Ltd. 1839Legere Reeds 3016Levana Audio 4698Levine School of Music 2004Levy’s Leathers Limited 4658LEWITT GmbH 1660
Lexicon 7800Line 6 212BLittle Kids Rock 2004Little Labs 6254Littlite 7002LM Products 4287The Lodestone Guitar Company Limited 4778Longo Custom Drums 2871Looperlative Audio Products 6244Los Cabos Drumsticks 3364LOUD Technologies Inc. 209A, 4468George Lowden Guitars LTD 1620LowEnd 4178Lowrey 429LPD Music 4758LR Baggs 5252LSL Instruments 1675Ludwig Drum Co 4224Luna Guitars 4272Luthier Music Corp 1529lynda.com 1406Lynx Studio Technology 6527M & M Distributing 3412M & M Merchandisers 4342Mackie 209A, 4468macProVideo.com 6912Mad Professor Amplifi cation Ltd 3285MADAROZZO® 1807Maderas Barber 1604Magic Chords Player 3499Magic Fluke Co. 1717Magic Parts Company 5890Magnetics USA 1734Magus Innovations LLC 3295Major Music Supply 1521MakeMusic, Inc. 6114Malekko Heavy Industry 1857Manhasset Specialty Co. 3530Manley Labs 6280Mano Percussion 5244Mapex USA 4808MARATHON 5896MARCA 4001Mari Strings, Inc. 5941Mark of The Unicorn 6410
Mark Ross Percussion 2632Markaudio 2782Markbass 2782Marleaux Bass Guitars 1546Marlo Plastic Products 5404Marshall Amplifi cation 6440Marshall Amplifi cation PLC 6440Marshall Electronics 6866Martin Blust 4299The Martin Guitar Co. 5454Martin Roland 4496MARUE Co., Ltd. 1475Mascot Electric Co., Ltd. 1844Mason & Hamlin Piano Company 205AMatchless LLC 5921M-Audio - An Avid Company 6600Maxtone Musical Instrument Mfg. Co., Ltd 3120Randall May International, Inc 2550Mayas Music Publishing, Inc. 5814Mayones Guitars USA 5004MBJ Mothership 1467MBT Lighting 5420McDSP 6405McNally Instruments 1726McPherson, Inc. 1514Meadowbrook Insurance Group 150Medina Artigas S.A. 4855MEINL 3454Meinl USA L.C. 3454Mel Bay Publications, Inc. 3304MENC: The National Association for Music Education 2004Merano Musical Instruments 3521Mesa Boogie Ltd - Mesa Engineering 5390Metasonix 6735Meteoro Amplifi er 1380Metrophone Headphones 3564Metropolitan Music 3110Miami Parts Import, Inc 6794Mic Check 1744Mic Holder Mic Mounts 3564Michael Kelly Guitar Company 4868MicW Audio 1679Midas Consoles North America 6824MIDC - Musical Instruments Distribution Canada Ltd. 1310Mid-East Mfg., Inc. 2812Mighty Bright 1327Mighty Mite 4458Mike Lull’s Guitar Works 5999Miktek, LLC 1788Milab 6630Minarik Guitars 1028Mipro 6814Mi-Si Electronics Design, Inc. 3535Mixmeister Technology 6400Mixosaurus DAW Drums 6624MIXVIBES 7123MJS Music & Entertainment 4323MMO Music Group, Inc. 5810Modern Drummer Publications 3579ModTone Effects 4897Modular Technical Service Inc 3329Mogami Cable 6866Mojave Audio 6979Mollard Conducting Batons 3509MONO 1256Monster 4242MonteVerde Music 4514Moody Leather Inc. 4881Moog Music Inc 6100Moon Wha S.O.G. Co., Ltd 1217Morgan Hill Music 2882Moridaira USA., Inc. 1720Morley 4382Moses, Inc. 5286Movek 3590MPR Enterprises 1325Mr. Bagz LLC 1807MRP Drums 2632
MTD (Michael Tobias Design LLC) 5868MU Technologies 1206Muse Inc 5860Muse Research & Development Inc. 6729Museum of Making Music 2004The Music & Sound Retailer 5400Music Distributors Association 2007Music for All, Inc 2004Music Freight 150Music Inc Magazine 4319Music Industries Assoc. of Canada (MIAC) 2008The Music Link 461, 5476Music Magazine Publishers Association 5806Music Maker Publications 5416Music Marketing Inc. 6825The Music People!, Inc. 6854Music Player Network 5307Music Products Group 5299Music Sales Corporation 4618Music Teachers National Association 2004Music with Colors LLC 2879Musica & Mercado 5812Musical Distributors Group 6909Musical Merchandise Review 5305MusiCares 4902MusicianLink 1112MusicMags 5806MusicMedic.com 3012Musicorp 5420Musikmesse 5904Musilia, Inc. 3108Musiquip Inc. 5010Musitek, Inc 6420MV Pro Audio, LLC 6624MXL Microphones 6866Nady Systems, Inc. 4650Theodor Nagel GmbH & Co. KG 3220NAGMIM - National Association of German Musical Instrument Manufacturers 3124Nakano Co., Ltd. 2991Nalu Ukulele Company 1508NAMM Endorsed Business Providers 150NAMM Foundation Pavilion 2004Nanjing Aileen Trading Co., Ltd 1035Narita Industrial Co., Ltd. 2928National Association of School Music Dealers 2007National Center for Creative Aging 2004National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts 2004National Reso-Phonic Guitars Inc 1610National String Project Consortium 2004NEMC 4221Neotech, a division of OP/TECH USA 3430Neumann USA 6579Neutrik USA 6320Nevaton 6630New Horizons International Music Assoc., Inc 2004New Sensor Corporation 5396NewBay Media, LLC 5307Nikita Custom Guitars 1681Ningbo Apextone Electronics Co., LTD 1680Ningbo Polinata Electronics Co., Ltd 1856Ningbo Promic Technology Co., Ltd. 1648Ningbo Rixing Electronics Co., Ltd. 1850Ningbo Tiansheng Jiahua Plastic Co., Ltd 1648Ningbo Xiangyang Tech City Electronics Co., LTD 1648Ningbo Yinzhou Alctron Electronics Co., Ltd 1745Ningbo Yinzhou Yonggang Electronic Component Factory 1851Ningbo Zhenhai Leilei Acoustic Equipment Factory 1867Ninghai Hongding Musical Instruments Co., Ltd 2566Noise Bug 6108Nord USA 6474Nordstrand Guitars 3398Normandy Guitars 1583Norris-Whitney Communications Inc. 5406North American Music Inc. 447North American Wood Products 1074Notefl ight 6829
NOTION Music, Inc. 7019Nova Strings, Inc 1512Novation 6474NS Design 5864N-Tune 4172Numark 6400Oasis, Inc 1412Odyssey Innovative Designs 6610Off-Set Double Bass Drum Pedal 3544OFFWORLD Percussion 2349Ohana Music 1621Oktava 6799F.E. Olds and Son, Inc 3416Oleg Products Inc. 3320Oliver Musica USA Inc. 2801Olympia 4894Olympus Imaging America 6909OME Banjos 1517Omnisistem 5399OnBoard Research Corp. 4131Onori International, LLC 3090Orange Music Electronic Company Inc. 4674OregonBurls.Com 1455Orkestra Zilleri San Ve Tic Ltd Sti 2758Orlando’s Wind Instruments 2809ORTOFON Inc. 1110Oscar Schmidt Division of Washburn Int’l 5244Osiamo LLC 2991Otto Musica Corporation 2909Outlaw Guitars 3582Ovation Guitars 5720P. Audio System Co., Ltd. 6948P3 Phantom Powered Pedal System 5935Pacifi c Drums & Percussion (PDP) 2654Pad-Saver®, HW 5410Paiste America, Inc. 3270Palatino Pianos 461Pantheon Guitars, LLC 1421Panyard, Inc 3589Parker Guitars 5244Parsek SRL 2782PartnerShip 150Passport by Fender 300Paul Lairat 2887Paul Reed Smith Guitars 210B, 5320
Paul Shelden Global Productions, Inc. 3233Paxphil Corporation 5824Peace Musical Company 3470Peace Musical Company 3470Peak Music Stands 3020Pearl Corporation 2438, 2638, 2648Pearl Flutes 2438, 2638Pearl River Piano Group America Ltd. 1530, 206AJohn Pearse® Strings & Accessories 6230Peavey Electronics 5740M.V. Pedulla Guitars, Inc 5964Peerless Guitars Co., Ltd. 1241Penn Elcom, Inc. 1738Penton Media 5715Percussion Marketing Council 2004Percussion Plus 5420Percussion Plus Limited 2665Performance Guitar 1138Perri’s Leathers Ltd 5960Peterson Electro-Musical Products, Inc. 5990Petrof 411PG Music Inc. 1209PGC LLC 476ph413, Inc. 2258Phil Jones Bass 3596Philomuse, Inc. 1416Phoenix Audio LLC 6847Phonic Corporation 6878Piano Empire, Inc. 444Piano Force 424Piano Manufacturers Association International/National Piano Foundation 2007Piano Press 5805Piano Technicians Guild 475PianoDisc 205APick Guy, Inc. 1331Pickboy 2991Pick-Smith, Inc. 1515Pigtronix 5218PikCARD USA 4398Pioneer Electronics USA 119, 211BPJLA Music Sales/Marketing 3416Planet Waves 4834Platinum Samples 6910Play Piano in a Flash Class 476
Sound Enhancement Products, Inc. 4382Sound On Sound 6321Sound Plug Electronic Co., LTD 7020Soundcraft 7800SoundKing Group Co., LTD 6000SoundToys, Inc. 6524Soundtrack USA LLC 7009Soundwear Dimbath e.K. 3600Source Audio LLC 5599SPARS 2262Spaun Drum Company 3549SpeakerPower 1578SPEAR GUITAR 1305Spector 5856Spectr Audio, Inc. 6894Spectrafl ex 1687Spectrasonics 6720Sperzel 6234SPHK Corp. 1305SPL 1758SPYN 1734Squier Guitars & Basses 300St. Blues Guitar Workshop 3082St. Louis Music 3700Stageline 5420Standback 5935Stanton Magnetics, Inc. B5963Starkey Laboratories Inc. 6851Start Musical Instrument Co., LTD 3305Steinberg North America 6528Stentor 5720Stentor Music Co Ltd 4219Steph Accessories Inc. 4390SteptimeWare LLC 6820Stets Metal Arts Inc 1351Steven Fryette Design, Inc. 5391Sticks ‘n’ Skins 2857Story & Clark Pianos 208BStrictly 7 Guitars 2999
Most great inventions begin with a problem. For Nadene Isackson of Enroute Music,
the solution was the Porchboard. “We were doing an anti-drug program for elementary schools,” says Isackson. “We were trying to entertain 300 children with just an acoustic guitar and couldn’t keep their attention. They wanted a rhythm, they wanted a boom,” laughs Isackson. “So, we came up with something that was analog but amplified, and controlled with the feet just like the old blues players who would add rhythm with their foot by stomping on the porch boards.” The instrument is a passive percussion instrument with “no batteries or transistors”. “You put it on the floor and tap on it and it comes out sounding like a really finely tuned bass drum.” Isackson notes that although the instrument was originally designed to accompany solo instrumentalists, the Porchboard is catching on with drummers as well. “You don’t have to mic it, it’s portable and there’s no feedback,” she says.
The Evolution of a SolutionIsackson started developing the Porch-
board in 1996 and within six months, had
come up with a design that worked. “Our requirements were kind of high – we wanted something that was durable, so we couldn’t use a regular peizo or music pickup because they’re not designed to put your feet on and pound on all the time and they have a ten-dency to break.” To address the issue, Isack-son decided to use what she calls a “prox-
imity sensor.” The technology was origi-nally developed by the automotive industry for use in car trans-missions. “It’s a really heavy-duty magnetic sensor that can with-stand hours and hours and years and years of
somebody pounding on it,” says Isackson. Although the Porchboard was origi-
nally made from mahogany, Isackson soon discovered that the type of wood used had no effect on the sound of the instrument. Today, Porchboards are manufactured from composite decking made of “recycled plastic bags and hardwood sawdust.” Isack-son tells MMR that the choice to go green was easy. “One, it’s more durable; two, it’s green; and three, we can,” she says. “Why not recycle if you can? It doesn’t affect the sound and it saves the beautiful woods for guitars where the sound is affected.”
Getting the Word OutAlthough sales are currently up, Isack-
son acknowledges that bringing new in-
struments to the market is tough. “Back in 1996, there weren’t other commercially made products like the Porchboard,” she says. Although many companies would relish the thought of having a product without battling to out-perform others, for Isackson, the lack of competition was a real problem. “Competition really legit-imized us, and I would argue that we’re bigger, better, and badder than any of our competition because we’re more durable and we use a better sensor,” she says.
“We can talk about our instrument as much as we want and nobody cares, but when you get a recognizable name using one, it helps a lot. Putting it in the hands of people like Brad Paisley helped legiti-mize us too,” says Isackson. Although getting big name endorsements was helpful, Isackson believes that the surge in sales is due to word of mouth. “We’re now getting actual working musicians out there using them and telling people about the Porchboard. Word of mouth sales are now quite heavy.”
With sales on the rise, Isackson says that she hopes the company retains its “small philosophy” while growing into a “big com-pany.” “I have a product that can really bene-fi t a whole lot of musicians and I’ve got to get the word out,” she states. “I’ve had so many musicians tell me that it makes them more competitive. It might be a solo guitar player but they get the gigs now because it adds that fullness, and until musicians know it’s out there, they can’t possibly benefi t from it.”
“I have a product that can really benefi t a whole lot of musicians and I’ve got
to get the word out.”
The Porchboard
MMR_94 94 12/11/09 10:21:45 AM
MMR_95 95 12/14/09 9:07:48 AM
Who: Peter Hix
What: Hix Brothers Music
Where: Chicago
When: Founded 1946
At A Glance: Hix Brothers Music’s Peter Hix
Type of store: Sells fretted instru-ments and related accessories; amplifi ers; drums and percussion products; multi-track recorders; and sound reinforcement. Also features a nine-studio teaching facility.
Ukulele Laddie: When I was fi ve, my father gave me a soprano uke.
I knew I wanted to be in music instru-ment business when... I was eight and played a baritone uke in my father’s Hawaiian band – and got paid!
Low point: Cleaning toilets in some factory in the San Fernando Valley.
High point: Singing background vo-cals for Kenny Loggins.
Best thing about my job: Watching young players progress and seeing them get excited about perform-ing.
Opposite of that: Dealing with spoiled self-centered parents who think their kids are never to blame.
My biggest mistake: Not pursuing an audition offer for Rufus [of Rufus and Chaka Khan fame].
My proudest achievement: The Hix Brother’s Rock U Program.
If I could go back in time and tell my younger self one thing, it would be:Study harder, consume less beer, and get a degree in anything.
No, really? factoid: I went to Bible school for a while.
Favorite meal: Anything Italian or Mexican or with fi sh or vegetables and chicken and fruit.
Last good concert I went to: Robben Ford at the McAninch Arts Center at the College of DuPage.
The most important thing about man-aging a music store is: Trying to stay ahead of your customers.
The most important thing about do-ing business with a manufacturer is:Trust and communication.
If I could change one thing about how MI business is done, it would be… To fi nd a way to get a trade show for the masses so they can see what’s really out there other than the same three guitars that everyone buys.
Who I admire most in this business:Anyone who got out safely.
True or False: Can you be happy AND rich in the music instrument busi-ness? True.
… and your favorite musician joke is: My brother, a drummer, and I were go-ing to a gig. I locked my keys in the car. It took me a half hour to get him out.
Motto: It seemed like a good idea at the time.
”
Best part: Watching young players progressand seeing them get excited about performing.
“
96 MMR JANUARY 2010
MMR_96 96 12/11/09 10:22:37 AM
believe in music5790 Armada Drive • Carlsbad, CA 92008 • 760.438.8001 • www.namm.org
Keep Music Education Strong
Keep music education strong—go to supportmusic.com.
Learning to play music is so much more than memorizing notes and scales.
It helps a child developcreativity and instills self-discipline,commitment and confidence.
Your leadership in the community assures that music is a part of quality education for every child.
Neil Grover Honered with P.A.S. AwardPresident and founder of Grover Pro, Neil Grover, has been awarded the Percussive Arts Society’s “Outstanding Supporter
Award.” The Out-standing Supporter Award was estab-lished to recognize an individual each year who has sig-nifi cantly promoted the Society through their professional and educational ac-tivities to increase visibility and aware-ness of the Society. Grover continues to serve on the Board of Directors of the
Percussive Arts Society, a post he has held for 12 years.For more information, visit
www.groverpro.com.
American Way Marketing named New Distributor for Légère ReedsTim Elvy, vice president of sales for Légère Reeds has announced the appointment of American Way Mar-keting as an Ameri-can distributor for Légère products. American Way Mar-keting is a American company dedicated to serving American music retailers. Lé-gère makes synthetic reeds used by most major symphonies. Legere Reeds only support distributors that support Ma and Pa operations.
For more information, contact Tim Elvy of Legere Reeds at 705-735-6395; e-mail [email protected].
Kustom Amps at B.B. King’s Blues ClubsKustom Amplifi cation has been named “Offi cial Amplifi er of B.B. King’s Blues Clubs.” Kustom is providing a variety of ampli-fi cation products for B.B. King’s Blues Clubs in Memphis, Nash-ville, Orlando, and upcoming new locations. For the Memphis club, Kustom has provided its all-tube Defender and ‘72 Coupe
guitar combo amplifi ers as well as the new, 300-watt DE300HD Deep End head and DE410H speaker cabinet.
For more information, visitwww.kustom.com.
Wessell, Nickel & Gross at NAMM Wessell, Nickel & Gross is inviting all pianists who attend the NAMM Show to play and evaluate new composite actions. The company will conduct the evaluations in the PianoDisc/Mason & Hamlin exhibit.
To fi nd out more, visitwww.wessellnickelandgross.com.
Rockbox Wins Gear Award & Distribution DealRockbox’s Boiling Point overdrive/boost pedal has been chosen as one of 49 prod-ucts selected out of over 1000 submis-sions in 2009 by Premier Guitar maga-zine for their “Premier Gear” award. In the November 2009 issue, Premier Guitarrounded up 25 pedals for an article titled “The Stomping Grounds” and rated the Boiling Point fi ve out of fi ve stars.
Rockbox has been named U.S. distribu-tor for Mayones Guitars. Mayones has been building electric guitars and basses in Poland since 1982, including many custom models for endorsing artists. All the production is done in Gdansk by a team of 25 luthiers and sound engineers. Mayones is Poland’s big-gest guitar and bass manufacturer.
For more information, visit www.rockbox.com.
Rotosound’s ‘Win a Trip to London’ and Two for One DealRotosound is running a two for one deal across all strings sets excluding RS77 and RS 88 Flatwounds at NAMM. Any order over $500 will be entered into a drawing
for an all expenses paid trip to London. The trip to London includes fl ights, ac-commodation at a London hotel, meals, and a special VIP trip to see Rotosound’s factory.
For more details, visit the Rotosound ex-hibit at NAMM or www.rotosound.com.
Waves Audio Virtual Stock SoftwareWaves Audio’s Virtual Stock Software Dis-tribution System (VSSD) allows dealers to
go online, enter a customer’s order into the system, and instantly receive unique serial numbers to unlock the customer’s copy-protected software, which is downloaded by the user. This “virtual stock” eliminates dealer inventory costs, while providing customers with the products they need. To learn more, visit www.waves.com.
Rico Reeds Team Up with Blue Note RecordsRico Reeds and Blue Note Records have entered into a worldwide, multi-year licensing agreement in which Rico will launch select straps for sax-ophone featuring Blue Note sessions photography and album artwork.
Inspired by the great jazz standards recorded on the Blue Note label, each sax strap features the artwork from Blue Note’s classic recordings and their album covers.
The sax straps by Rico feature the clas-sic Blue Note album artwork printed on leatherette with a soft suede lining. Each strap features Rico’s curved hook and easy slide adjustor. The licensed straps will be available in two lengths, one for soprano/alto and one for tenor/bari saxes. The straps will be available via D’Addario & Com-pany’s retail and online distribution channels. The retail price is $35.
Strinberg now available in the U.S.Strinberg brand names of guitars and basses in Brazil, where it has been pres-ent for over 15 years, is now available for distribution in the U.S., through Mi-ami Audio Music. Located in Miami, Florida, since 2001, M.A.M. took over distribution of Strinberg for Latin America and the Caribbean in 2004 and is now expanding its business to the whole U.S.
Strinberg has a complete line of elec-tric guitars and basses, acoustic guitars, classical guitars, wireless systems, digital tuners, metronomes, string sets, straps, ABS cases, and nylon bags. For more in-formation, visit www.strinberg.com.
Sonor Launches Certifi ed Dealer ProgramSonor has launched its Sonor Certifi ed Dealer Program. The fi rst two Sonor Certifi ed sessions were held on October 22 and November 23 at Hohner Inc.’s
(Sonor’s U.S. distributor) headquarters in Glen Allen, Virginia. Over two week-ends, the 14 attendees learned about the history of the Sonor brand, shown in-depth detail of how Sonor drums are manufactured, and participated in dis-cussions related to new products. Sonor Certifi ed retail salespeople are awarded a custom leather jacket, shirts, and more. After certifi cation, each Sonor Certifi ed salesperson will have their picture, bio, and examples of their drumming posted to the Sonor USA site, and all subse-quent customer inquiries and leads will be routed to the Sonor Certifi ed Dealer that is geographically closest to the cus-tomer.
For more information, visit www.sonorusa.com.
Kawai Partners with ShopatronKawai America has launched their on-line store powered by Shopatron. Kawai has assembled a collection of their most popular digital pianos, accessories, and related items and has made them avail-able on their new online store.
Supplierscene
CADAUDIO.COM
TIMELESS.NAMM
Booth 6
226
Personal Astatic Live
Lowest noise floor in its class (3.7 dBA)
A classic in its own time, the sophisticated new Equitek E100S, engineered and built in the U.S.A., has the smooth, rich tone with full
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ensures the highest performance. Vintage cherry case and
stealth shock mount included.
See us at NAMM Booth 4849
Dealers Wanted
The Anvil/Calzone Case
Companies are proud to
introduce the latest
additions to our
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We’re currently seeking
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invite you to meet with
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protection of iSeries.iSerieswww.calzoneiseries.com
For more information about distributing iSeries Flight Cases, please
A shopper on can click on “buy now” links for selected products and be taken to Kawai’s Shopatron-powered online store. Kawai is engaging their authorized dealers nationwide as order fulfillment partners, enabled through Shopatron’s proprietary order exchange system. Products will be delivered by Kawai dealers throughout the United States.
To fi nd out more, visit www.kawaius.com.
Daisy Rock Donates Guitar to Special Needs Trust AuctionDaisy Rock Girl Guitars has joined in Deftones’ bassist Chi Cheng’s Special Needs Trust Auction. Cheng sponsored a community service group based out of the band’s hometown of Sacramento that aids homeless citizens in develop-ing their musical talents, among other things.
In November, 2008 Chi was in-volved in a horrific car accident and was left in a semi-conscious sate. Chi’s family has accumulated an over-whelming amount of medical bills that insurance does not entirely cover, and it is Deftone’s mission to raise signifi-cant funds to help ensure his recovery. They have launched the benefit auc-tion in conjunction with their man-
agement, Velvet Hammer Music and Management Group, and in associa-tion with Charity Buzz. In support of this mission, Daisy Rock Girl Guitars have donated a Black Ice Siren Guitar, which has been autographed by Def-tones, to further help this cause.
To view this and other items, please visit www.charitybuzz.com.
D’Andrea Appointed Worldwide Distributor of KSD BassesD’Andrea Inc. has entered an agreement with Ken Smith of Ken Smith Basses LTD. to serve as worldwide distributor of KSD
(Ken Smith Designs) Basses. D’Andrea will be responsible for worldwide distri-bution, marketing, and customer support of KSD Basses which include the Proto J Series, and the new Burner Select Series. The new Burner Basses are reproduc-tions of Ken Smith’s BSR ‘B’ body and neck designs.
For additional information or inqui-ries regarding US Dealer and Interna-tional Distributor opportunities, please contact D’Andrea at 516.496.2200 or [email protected].
Ukalaliens Invade Kala DealersSponsored by Kala Brand Music Co., the Ukalaliens have been leading workshops for aspiring ukulele players and begin-ning musicians at Kala dealers through-out the U.S. The Ukalaliens are Kate Power and Steve Einhorn who have writ-ten The Ukalaliens Songbook: A Beginner’s Guide To Ukulele Fun.
The Ukalalien have been to stores from Portland to Boston, Florida to Cali-fornia. The workshops are seen as oppor-tunities for stores to reach new custom-ers and non musicians. Attendees often invite their friends and family to join in
the fun which creates a community at-mosphere. Many attendees have gone on to create their own ukulele communities or club. Kala has provided the Ukalaliens with Travel Ukuleles from Kala’s slimline series. The Ukalaliens complete their fall tour in December but are booking dates for their tour next spring.
To fi nd out more, visit www.kalaukulele.com.
Musiquip Inc. Appointed AER’s New U.S. DistributorMusiquip Inc, has been appointed the new U.S. distributor of AER – Audio Electric Research GmbH.
AER’s products, manufactured in Ger-many, are widely regarded as the industry’s premier acoustic guitar amplifi ers. The brand has developed a worldwide repu-tation for unsurpassed tone, design, and portability, and boasts an impressive artist roster of acoustic guitar notables, including Tommy Emmanuel, Peppino D’Agostino, Martin Taylor, and Jaime Findlay.
The arrangement was fi nalized during a visit made by AER founder and Presi-dent Udo Roesner to Musiquip’s state-of-the-art facilities in earlier this year. The Musiquip distribution network has al-ready proven successful in bringing other European-based MI brands to market in the USA (including Tanglewood Guitar Company UK), and the marriage will al-low AER’s fi ne products to benefi t from accomplished sales, marketing and cus-tomer support teams.
“There is no question that AER sets the standard in acoustic amplifi ca-
tion,” asserts Jeff Sazant, VP, Musiquip Inc. “We’re thrilled and proud that this highly-respected company has entrusted their American operations to our organi-zation. Knowing that AER’s decision was made fi nal after Udo’s visit to our offi ces, based largely on the confi dence that our team instilled in him, only makes this development more rewarding.”
Fender Honored During Little Kids Rock CelebrationFender Musical Instruments Corp. chief executive offi cer, Bill Mendello, was hon-ored by David Wish, founder of Little Kids Rock, during the Little Kids Rock “Right to Rock” fundraising celebration on Oct. 22 in New York City. The event, which was headlined by Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band member, Clarence Clemons, also featured Betsy McLaughlin, chief executive offi cer of Hot Topic, Inc., and Mary Luehrsen, executive director of the NAMM Foundation. The evening was de-signed to honor many of the people, com-panies, and organizations who have sup-ported Little Kids Rock over the years.
To fi nd out more, visit www.littlekidsrock.org.
The Chipmunks & VH1 Join Forces for Music EducationVH1 Save the Music Foundation” and Twentieth Century Fox are making mu-sic together on the studio’s family com-edy event Alvin and the Chipmunks: The
Supplierscene
(L-R): Udo Rösner (Director, AER) Tommy Emmanuel (Acoustic guitar legend and AER Endorser) Erik Lind (Product Manager, Musiquip Inc.)
w w w . h e i l s o u n d . c o m
(The hall between the arena and A Hall)
Name these artists and win a Heil microphone! Visit the Heil Sound booth for details
Left - D’Andrea CEO: Charles Lusso Center - Ken Smith Basses President: Ken Smith Right - D’Andrea Director of Sales & Marketing: Fred DiTomasso
Squeakquel, which opens in theaters ev-erywhere Wednesday, December 23.
The VH1 Save The Music Foundation, a nonprofi t organization dedicated to restoring instrumental music education and raising awareness about the impor-tance of music education, will be inte-grated in the Squeakquel during a scene where the animated Chipmunks are per-forming live on stage. Before they begin their performance, Alvin thanks the fans for supporting them and the benefi ciary of the benefi t concert, “VH1 Save The Music.”
Additionally, Fox and VH1 have to-gether created an exclusive 30-sec-ond PSA that will run repeatedly on VH1 through-out the month of December. The PSA features Al-vin, Simon and Theodore tout-ing their status as
“rock stars” and giving credit for their successes to their experiences study-ing music in school. The PSA includes the foundation’s messaging that “music develops minds” and “music = brain-power.”
To fi nd out more, visit www.VH1savethemusic.com.
Grammy Foundation FundraisingSanDisk Corporation, makers of plug-and-play slotRadio music cards, has an-nounced that its new philanthropic ef-fort is getting a little musical help from Aerosmith’s Joe Perry. For every SanDisk slotRadio card purchased now through January 31, 2010, SanDisk will donate $1 to the Grammy Foundation to help sup-port their Grammy in the Schools music education programs for high school stu-dents. Perry is working with SanDisk to help raise money for the Grammy Foun-dation and build awareness of the pro-grams it offers to expose young people to careers in music and to recognize excel-lence in music education.
For more information, visit www.slotradio.com.
Fishman Supports Woodstock Invitational Luthiers ShowcaseThe Woodstock Invitational Luthier’s Showcase describes itself as a “low-key, laid-back event for the community of acoustic stringed-instrument build-ers, players, collectors, and afi cionados. Held in upstate New York, at the Bears-ville Theater, on October 24th & 25th, the Showcase featured a variety of hand-made acoustic instruments embodying the best of classic and modern lutherie. It also gave the public a chance to meet the builders and experience fl attop, archtop, manouche, and hybrid acoustic guitars along with mandolins, banjos, violins, lutes, ouds, and ukuleles. Live music demos and performances featur-ing some of the region’s musicians were held both days of the festival.
Supporters for the popular event included the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce and Arts along with Fish-man Acoustic Amplifi cation, La Bella, D’Addario Strings, Hudson Valley Homes and Land, and the Alchemy Cafe. Fish-man supplied SA220 Solo Performance Systems for the live performances at the
Bearsville Theater as well as the house P.A. for the luthier’s exhibition hall.
For more information about Fishman, visit www.fi shman.com.
Dr. Phil Foundation Launches Little Kids Rock Across AmericaThe Dr. Phil Foundation has launched Little Kids Rock Across America with a $500,000 donation designed to restore, revitalize, and enhance musical pro-grams in schools in 10 cities across the
Fishman Photo Cutline: (left to right): Teresa Williams, Larry Campbell, Happy Traum and John Sebastian.
country. The program brings music ed-ucation to school children from grades K through 12 in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Atlanta, Washington D.C., Tampa, and two ad-ditional cities to be named by the end of 2009.
A CD featuring some of the school children’s original compositions was dis-tributed to the press and is available on the Little Kids Rock Web site. Fender is a corporate sponsor of Little Kids Rock and has also donated to the program.
For more information, visit www.littlekidsrock.org.
NAMM’s Kickoff for National “Wanna Play Music Week” In MayNAMM will join the Coalition for Music Education in Canada in its sixth annual Music Monday event May 3, 2010, to dem-onstrate the importance of music educa-tion programs throughout North America, and to celebrate the many proven benefi ts of playing music for people of all ages.
The two organizations are encourag-ing schools and after-school programs, organizations, groups, and individuals across the U.S. and Canada to participate in Music Monday by either performing the designated Music Monday piece or a song of their choice at the exactly the same time on May 3.
The song will be sung and played by all schools and participants across the U.S. and Canada at 10 a.m. Pacific time, 11 a.m. Mountain time, 12 p.m. Central time, 1 p.m. Eastern time and 2 p.m. Atlantic time, and 2:30 in New-foundland. NAMM is also encouraging people to pick up any instrument of their choice and play anytime on that day.
For more information, visit www.namm.org.
Music for All Foundation Scholarships
The Music for All Foundation award-ed three scholarships to high school se-niors planning to pursue degrees in mu-sic education at the Bands of America Grand National Championships, pre-sented by Yamaha, Nov. 13 in Indianapo-lis. The scholarships honor the legacy of Dr. William D. Revelli and are made pos-sible through generous gifts from Mark Jolesch of Jolesch Photography, Yamaha Corporation of America, and the Fred J. Miller Family. Scholarship candidates are nominated by their high school band directors.
David Nelson of Miamisburg, Ohio, a member of the Miamisburg High School Band, was awarded the Jolesch Scholar-ship. Brandon Allen of Smithfi eld, North Carolina, a member of the West John-ston High School Band, was awarded the Yamaha Scholarship.
Kyle Kraft of Robbinsville, New Jer-sey, a member of the South Brunswick High School Band, was awarded the Fred J. Miller Family Scholarship. Kyle is a fi rst-chair French horn player and is in-volved in many music, school, and lead-ership programs.
For more information on Music for All Foundation Scholarships, visit www.musicforall.org.
Carl Fischer Music & Theodore Presser Welcome Two New Managers
Carl Fischer Music and Theodore Presser Company have appointed John Guertin to the position of licensing & copyright manager and Anne Sobel to the position of marketing manager.
Guertin will be responsible for the clearance of music rights, negotiation of fees, drafting, and analysis of agree-ments, building and use of licensing and copyright data-
bases, and supervision of staff within the company. He comes to Carl Fischer and Theodore Presser with experience from working as associate manager of digital rights at Universal Music Group, and previously, assistant manager of music services at EMI Publishing.
Sobel joined Carl Fischer Music and Theodore Presser Company in 2005 as an account executive in the sales depart-ment, working with educational music dealers, distributors, and other dealers in the southwestern and west coast areas of the United States. As marketing manager, she will be responsible
Supplierscene
MMR_104 104 12/14/09 10:48:39 AM
JANUARY 2010 MMR 105
for all dealer and direct sale marketing, ad-vertising, and promotion, as well as confer-ence and trade show outreach on behalf of the companies.
For more information, visit www.carlfi scher.com.
D’Addario Featured on CNND’Addario & Company was recently
featured on the CNN show Your Moneyand on CNN Headline News. It is also available for viewing online. Your Moneyis a one-hour news show hosted by Chris-tine Romans and Ali Velshi broadcast by CNN from the Time Warner Center stu-dios in New York City. Featuring the busi-ness news of the week and showing view-ers how it impacts their bottom line.
The piece discusses D’Addario’s recent adoption of Toyota’s “LEAN” practices and D’Addario’s commitment to fac-tory automation. For the past two years, D’Addario has reportedly cut inventory, streamlined factory fl oor operations, up-
dated technology and saved jobs at their Long Island-based company. Though critics maintain that LEAN implementa-tions and automation eliminate jobs, Jim D’Addario, company CEO, disagrees. He claims that by cross-training and teach-ing workers new skills, like constructing Planet Waves straps, D’Addario has been able to profi tably move jobs back from China to Long Island, N.Y.
To fi nd out more, visit www.daddario.com
Miley Cyrus Touring with Sennheiser’s SKM 5200
For her three-month-long Wonder World Tour, Disney actress and singer Miley Cyrus, will be using Sennheiser wireless vocal microphones, instrument systems, and stage-wide evolution wire-less personal monitor set-ups.
Monitor engineer Vish Wadi, whose resume includes tours with Shakira, Sting, Mariah Carey, and Madonna, as
well as the Best of Both Worlds Tour, notes that the choice of Sennheiser’s SKM 5200 wireless handheld transmit-ter, outfi tted with the MD 5235 dynamic capsule for Cyrus and her two back-ground vocalists is unchanged from the previous tour.
This time out the ew 300 IEM G2 channel count has increased from the previous tour to twelve, according to Wadi. Cyrus, the two background singers and the fi ve musicians, plus two backline techs, all make use of the G2 IEM systems. Opening act Metro Station, which includes older brother Trace Cyrus and Mason Musso, older brother of “Hannah Montana” co-star, Mitchell Mason, is also making use of Sennheiser RF gear, including evolution wireless 500 Series handheld mics with 935 heads and EM 550 receivers, plus G2 IEMs.
For more information, visit www.sennheiserusa.com.
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110 MMR JANUARY 2010
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Miscellaneous
BAND INSTRUMENT REPAIR VIDEOSave $$$ on repair expense. Earn
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brass and woodwind instruments. For information write to:
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G/HG7th Ltd. www.g7th.com 89GCI Technologies www.gci-technologies.com 101Great Divide Guitars www.greatdivideguitars.com 9H & F Technologies Inc. www.audio2000s.com 72Hailun USA www.hailun-pianos.com 5Hal Leonard Corp. www.halleonard.com 14-15 Heil Sound Ltd. www.heilsound.com 102
J/KJack Rabbit Technologies www.jackrabbittech.com 105Jupiter Band Instruments, Inc. www.jupitermusic.com 11Kawai America Corp. www.kawiausl.com cov 2 KMC Music, Inc www.kamanmusic.com 76KSM Guitars www.ksmguitars.com 105KSM Guitars www.ksmguitars.com 28Kyser Musical Products Inc. www.kysermusical.com 71
L/MLevy’s Leathers Ltd. www.levysleathers.com 63M&M Merchandisers Inc. www.mmwholesale.com 91Mandolin Brothers Ltd. www.mandoweb.comMayones Guitars www.rockbox.com 77Mel Bay Publications Inc. www.melbay.com 49Miami Audio Music Corp. www.miamiaudiomusic.com 39Messe Frankfurt Inc. www.messefrankfurt.com 74
N/ONAMM www.namm.com 20-21 National Educational Music Co. www.nemc.com 55Oasis Inc www.oasishumidifi ers.com 103Ohana Music www.ohana-music.com 56OnBoard Research Corp. www.tuners.com 79Optek Music Systems www.fretlight.com 64Orla www.orlausa.com 88
PP & D Wholesale www.PDWholesale.net 39Paul Shelden Global Productions/Diplomat Musical 84Pearl River Piano Group www.PearlRiverUSA.com 57M. V. Pedulla Guitars www.pedulla.com 12PianoDisc www.pianodisc.com 30-31 PJLA Music Products www.pjlamusc.com 18