mi pro issue116 january
DESCRIPTION
MUSICAL INSTRUMENT PROFESSIONAL FOR EVERYONE IN THE MI BUSINESSTRANSCRIPT
ROLAND NAMM SHOW FREESTYLE MFY TOMANDWILL GUITAR FX
No. 116 • JANUARY 2010 • WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK PRINT • ONLINE • MOBILE
SCV London sits in something of a unique position
between MI and pro audio, but there's no clash
MUSICAL INSTRUMENT PROFESSIONAL � FOR EVERYONE IN THE MI BUSINESS
London calling
A N E W C L A S S O F A M P L I F I E R
Introducing the latest member of the Marshall family – the Class5. A tonally rich 5 Watt all-valve combo thatexclusively features true class A circuitry from input to output, plus an abundance of pure Marshall tone, feel andresponse. Conceived in the wake of numerous requests from both professional stadium fillers and bedroomwiddlers alike, this compact yet punchy 1x10" amp is the answer to your low wattage, big tone prayers!
Ideal for use at home, the studio, rehearsal or small gig, the Class5 is all-valve Marshall tone at its best – pure,audacious and inspiring!
To find out more about the Class5 contact:Marshall Amplification plc Denbigh Road, Bletchley, Milton Keynes MK1 1DQ or visit the official Marshall website: www.marshallamps.com
SUPPLYBARNES & MULLINS 22Admira’s lasting influence
FREESTYLE 24Hiwatt’s new distributor talks British amps
PULSE 28PA for the people
TOMANDWILL 30How the Clarinéo will rock the woodwind world
SIGN UP FOR THE MI PRO NEWSFLASH SERVICE AT WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JANUARY 2010 3
COVER STORY 18
ISSUE 116 JANUARY 2010
CONTENTSREGULARS: DRUM NEWS 12 RETAIL NEWS 66 INDIE PROFILE 72 FRONT LINE 73 NEW PRODUCTS 47-62 CODA 84
Welcome to the New Year and doubly welcome to MIPro’s new look. As you will see going through thismonth’s edition, there are some pretty neat cosmetic
changes to the magazine and I’d like to thank our designer,Claire Brocklesby, for putting in the extra work and coming upwith such great-looking layouts.
On the structural side, you will notice that we have organisedthe mag slightly differently, creating definite ‘sectors’ for the firsttime. Those sectors are: news, events, supply, products and retail,each colour-coded and designed to make navigation that littlebit easier. As a result, you will find the new products section (thefundament of everything we do in this industry) pulled forwardslightly and the retail section a bit further back.
The January edition is, of course, the NAMM Show edition andon page 14 you will find the start of our four-page run-throughof all the launch information that was available as MI Pro wentto press.
NAMM has an ongoing responsibility to make new musicmakers around the world – a task it fulfils with admirablepassion and a lot of imagination. There are obvious benefits toour industry to have more people playing musical instruments,but we must never forget that the benefits to the music playingindividual are many: longer life, better brain power, enhancedsocial skills, the list goes on. By bettering our businesses, we areimproving the quality of life for our customers.
For this reason, I would ask all retailers to go straight to page68 of this issue and read the interview with Lincoln Abbotts, theCEO of Music for Youth and the man responsible for taking theworld’s largest music education charity forward.
Millions of children and youths have passed through the MfYand been infected by the joys of music making – and bought alot of kit, too.
When I asked Abbotts how MI retailers could help MfY, hecame out with a list of things that MfY can do for MI retailers –which was unexpected... But nice.
If you make one New Year’s resolution for your businesses,make this one: call Music for Youth and get involved.
The fact is, everyone benefits – and there aren’t manyactivities that can achieve that.
NEWS
EVENTS
SECTOR SPOTLIGHTS
Andrew Stirling has a
peerless career in pro audio
behind him, but now at the
head of SCV London, he
relishes the work that lies
before him even more
STIRLING
WORK
ROLAND RESTRUCTURES,
BEHRINGER BUYS MIDAS, DAVE
MARTIN AND MARINER,
STEINWAY SHARES SALE
NAMM 2010 14A stand-by-stand run-through of the year’s first launches
GUITAR FX 35Guitarists can’t get enough of them
ELECTRIC GUITARS 40The latest axes under £500
NEW PRODUCTS 47
6
14
40
68
RETAILRETAIL NEWS 65Nevada records on shop floor, World Guitarsgiveaway, Dawson’s Homeworld
MUSIC FOR YOUTH 68Lincoln Abbotts reveals the joys of doing good
LOCATION REPORT 70Victory is MI’s in this naval town
When I asked him
how MI retail could
help, he came out
with a list of how he
could help MI retail
ANDY BARRETT
EDITORIALCOMMENT
Booth and Walter take JOHN BOOTH, the current
managing director at Roland UK,
has begun a new job within the
global Roland group, assuming
the title of director of European
operations, while Tim Walter,
previously Roland UK’s
commercial director, assumes
the role of managing director for
the UK operation. Booth will
continue to represent Roland UK
as chairman.
Since 2007, following Booth’s
appointment to the main board
of directors at Roland Japan, his
time has been split between the
UK, Japan and, increasingly,
Europe. The creation of this
pan-European role is Roland
Corporation’s recognition of the
importance of a collaborative
approach between the European
joint venture companies and that
the growing needs of these
businesses must be identified
and developed.
“I am delighted to be
widening my role at a European
level, representing the Roland
Corporation, Japan,” commented
Booth. “My main focus will now
be helping Roland Corporation
improve and harmonise our
operations across Europe,
although I will remain as
chairman of Roland UK.”
Walter joined the Roland UK
board in 2003, after seven years
at the firm. Since 2008, he has
been commercial director,
responsible for all UK operations.
“Roland UK has enjoyed a
remarkable period since John
took the helm back in 1996,”
said Walter. “The Roland UK of
today has been by driven by
John’s vision, business savvy and
the ability to spot and develop
good people. The founding
principles of the company,
however, remain firmly intact.
The Roland of the past, present
and future is all about people,
product and passion. Our
customers will continue to be
our key focus and central to our
distribution strategy.”
“When I look at the senior
team of Roland UK today, I see
talented, passionate and
dedicated people, most of whom
have risen and developed in our
culture of continuous personal
development,” concluded Booth.
“There is no better example than
Tim, who is a top-class executive
and now definitely ready to step
up to the highest level. As
chairman of Roland UK, I am
looking forward to our
partnership continuing and
bringing even better results.”
ROLAND: 01792 702701
NEWS
Roland UK’s managing director promoted to head of European operations, as commercial director takes on the role of UK
Achard plumps for MartinMariner Guitars gets veteran international sales and marketing man
STEINWAY HAS sold 1.7
million shares of its ordinary
common stock to Samick.
In connection with the sale,
Jong Sup Kim, chairman of
Samick, will join the Steinway
board of directors.
The shares were sold at
$16 each – approximately 37
per cent above the closing
market price on October 28,
2009, the date the parties set
the purchase price.
Steinway intends to use the
proceeds of approximately
$27 million to retire
outstanding debt and for
general corporate purposes.
Steinway’s chairman, Kyle
Kirkland, and CEO, Dana
Messina, continue to hold 100
per cent of class A shares,
which represent over 80 per
cent of the voting power of
the total common stock.
STEINWAY: +49 40 853910
Chairman of Samick joins Steinway board
Steinway sells 1.7million shares
MARINER GUITARS, Ken
Achard’s UK based premium
acoustic guitar company, has
appointed Dave Martin
International to represent the
brand in global markets.
Established last year,
Mariner’s instruments are
designed in Britain and have
been gaining ground in the
domestic UK and Irish markets
under the distributorship of
Music Force Distribution.
“Following a recent
reorganisation of our
production capabilities in the
Far East, we now have the
capacity to widen our
horizons,” explained Achard,
the founder and MD of
Mariner. “Dave Martin is a
highly respected export
consultant and international
marketer in the MI industry.
“He has a wealth of
experience garnered over many
years and is a thoroughly nice
bloke to boot. I believe our
association will drive Mariner
forward to the benefit of
musicians, dealers and
distributors worldwide.”
Dave Martin added: “I’m
very proud to be associated
with Ken and his team at
Mariner Guitars. He and I have
known each other since the
60s back in our Shaftesbury
Avenue music shop days, so it
is a real pleasure for me to be
now working with him to
establish Mariner Guitars on
the international market.
MUSIC FORCE:
01780 781630
DAVE MARTIN:
07775 501414
”My focus will now
be to improve and
harmonise
operations across
Europe.John BoothRoland Corporation
6 miPRO JANUARY 2010 SIGN UP FOR THE MI PRO NEWSFLASH SERVICE AT WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
Martin (left) and Achard hope to establish Mariner worldwide
Providence appoints
Godlyke for the US
a step up
NEWS
Logic System buyoutAssets purchase agreement results in two new
directors for UK loudspeaker company
UK LOUDSPEAKER manufacturer
Logic System has two new
directors following a recent
assets purchase agreement.
The core assets of Logic
System Pro Audio were acquired
by Gurbakhash Sanghera and
Shameer Sacranie, who have
established a new company
called Logic System Pro Audio
(UK). All 17 staff (including Logic
System founder Chris Scott),
intellectual property, customer
lists and many outstanding
orders have been transferred to
the new operation.
Both Sanghera and Sacranie
have existing interests in audio
and related technologies.
Sanghera is CEO of digital
jukebox manufacturer NSM
Music, while Sacranie is a
corporate lawyer who has
investments in NSM Music.
The deal offers hope for the
company, which recently went
into adminstration after suffering
financial difficulties. These were
somewhat attributed to the
demise of Sound Control, which
had been the manufacturer’s
exclusive retailer.
“The opportunity to get
involved with a premium audio
product and help it to grow was
not to be missed,” said Sacranie.
A new retail-oriented product
line is now set to be launched,
building on Logic’s heritage of
providing pro-audio products to
the working musician.
LOGIC SYSTEM: 01427 677008
SOUNDBITESPeavey EuroSysPeavey is reintroducing its best
selling plywood housed
EuroSys PA systems, originally
launched in the late 1980s,
best sellers for many years, but
absent from the company's
range for some time.
The new range will comprise
two speakers (12 and 15-inch)
and subs (15 and 18-inch).
MTD with ProelProel International has
announced the UK launch of
MTD Kingston bass guitars, a
range of affordable
professional bass guitars
designed in the USA by Mike
Tobias. Three MTD Kingston
ranges are immediately
available in the UK and Ireland:
the Artist series (entry level),
the Heir (mid) and the KZ
(high end). Prices range from
£519 to £1,100.
Faber appoints HLHal Leonard has secured
exclusive, long-term
distribution rights for the
publications of Randall and
Nancy Faber. The Milwaukee-
based publisher will be
responsible for sales,
distribution and marketing of
the Fabers' catalogue
throughout the world.
Bookmark us inyour phone:
MOBILE.MI-PRO.CO.UK
GODLYKE HAS been named
the exclusive North American
distributor for the Japanese-
made Providence effects and
accessories, which enjoy
endorsements from the likes
of Ozzy Osbourne Band and
Robben Ford.
Providence has a reputation
for testing and re-testing
internal wiring layouts and all
other factors to ensure that
each product delivers
uncompromised performance.
Leading musicians and
engineers are involved from
initial product development
right through final evaluation.
Development and
testing go far beyond
basic reliability and
electrical
characteristics, with
critical attention paid
to musicality as well.
Godlyke will launch the
Providence effects line in
winter of 2009. In early 2010,
following the NAMM Show,
Godlyke will begin to offer
other Providence products,
such as its cables and signal
routing units.
GODLYKE: +1 973 777 7477
Japanese effects and accessories added to
US maker and supplier’s catalogue
THE NEXT
LEVEL: Booth
(left) and
Walter will
continue to
work closely
Behringer stunsaudio worldBosch sells Midas and Klark Teknik to
re-branded German manufacturer
BEHRINGER SCORED a last-
gasp winner in the shock news
stakes of 2009 with the
announcement that it had
bought Klark Teknik and Midas
from Bosch.
To add to the intrigue,
Behringer has created a new
holding company, The Music
Group, to oversee the three
brands, primarily with the aim
of distancing the Behringer
brand from the peerless
reputation of the UK audio
designer and manufacturer.
Despite this, the various
websites concerned give facts
and figures that relate directly
to the history of Behringer
and the new holding group is
headed up by Uli Behringer
and Michael Deeb, the bosses
of Behringer.
With Behringer's history of
supplying entry-level products
to the pro audio and MI
industries – a business with a
£135m turnover – this move
is something of a giant leap
forward in terms of quality, as
the two brands are widely
acknowledged as a world
leader in live sound consoles
and outboard.
“We believe we have found
both the passion and the
financial ability needed to
grow Midas and Klark Teknik,”
said Robert Mulatz, senior VP
of Bosch Communications.
SIGN UP FOR THE MI PRO NEWSFLASH SERVICE AT WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JANUARY 2010 7
LATESTNEWS
STRAIGHT TOYOUR MOBILE
New co-director, Sacranie
Uli Behringer now owns Midas
MD. Booth to remain UK Chairman
NEWS
8 miPRO JANUARY 2010 SIGN UP FOR THE MI PRO NEWSFLASH SERVICE AT WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
IN A RECENT meeting held in Hamburg,
senior managers and executives of Yamaha
Europe and Bösendorfer considered the
difficult year the prestigious piano
manufacturer has undergone and
discussed the brand’s future.
In a statement from Yamaha, it was
announced that, despite the rumours to
the contrary, the Viennese piano factory
will remain open.
Yamaha, which announced its multi-
brand strategy to the UK dealers on
September 20th this year, cited this
approach (Yamaha piano sales focusing on
a ‘piano for everybody’ catalogue, from
entry level to the sort of concert grands
made by the likes of Bösendorfer and
Yamaha itself) as the surest way to pull
the 200-year-old brand out of trouble.
Of some obvious regret is the fact that,
as the Bösendorfer operation is
streamlined, layoffs are inevitable from
among the 180-strong staff. The factory’s
council of workers has been invited to
discuss the details of this measure.
The Yamaha statement pointed out that
the global economic crisis has entailed far-
reaching changes in the international
piano industry and has directly affected
Bösendorfer. Since the company’s
purchase in January of 2008, Yamaha has
offered significant financial support for the
Austrian piano firm.
“To strengthen Bösendorfer’s presence
and its instruments in the global markets,
Bösendorfer and Yamaha have decided
upon an intensive collaboration in sales
and marketing,” read the statement.
“Integrated within a multiple-brand
strategy, the strengths and special virtues
of both brands will be more intensively
advertised and utilised in order to open up
new sales possibilities and capture new
market share with combined vigour.
Together, Bösendorfer and Yamaha are able
to offer a perfect solution to every pianist,
every teacher and every audience.
“Instruments built by Bösendorfer,
which will continue to be managed as an
independent company, should therefore be
increasingly available on the world’s
stages. With the support of Yamaha and its
infrastructure, artist management should
be expanded worldwide and collaboration
with concert halls and renowned
educational institutions accelerated.”
The statement concluded that the goal
of all measures was to give Bösendorfer a
stable financial basis for the future, with
the Bösendorfer operation remaining in its
native Austria.
YAMAHA: 01908 366700
IN A speech to the House of Lords
recently on the subject of the Digital
Economy Bill, Baroness McIntosh raised
the issue of Government funding for the
PMSE industry, helping Save Our Sound
UK's cause.
In her speech the Baroness said: “In a
tough environment, its way forward is
still not clear. I hope that Ofcom and the
Government will do everything in their
power to promote an outcome that will
ensure a healthy, diverse public service
landscape for the next generation of
citizens and consumers.”
The Baroness went on to talk about
Ofcom’s new obligation ‘to promote
appropriate levels of investment in
electronic communications’ stating:
“‘Appropriate’ can be a slippery word,
leaving much to the judgment of the
regulator. We have one example already
before us in the current plight of the
UK’s programme-making and special
events sector. This is largely defined by
the technologies it uses and the activities
that rely on them. Those technologies are
wireless microphones.
“The activities are theatre, news
gathering, live music, film-making, TV
production, sports events, concerts,
community events at all scales and,
indeed, party conferences. Justified in its
own view by duties enshrined in the
Communications Act 2003, Ofcom has
decided to clear and sell the 15 channels
relied on by PMSE and the industry’s
radio mics will become unusable.”
At around the same time, the Music
Industries Association has called on its
members to get behind the Save Our
Sound UK campaign.
In a letter to its members, the
association said: “Pressure from
Parliament and your MP is now critical to
help persuade the Government to do
what is required. Peter Luff MP, who has
led the charge in Westminster, last week
tabled an ‘Early Day Motion’ in the
House of Commons. The Motion supports
the Save Our Sound campaign. Clearly,
we need as many MPs to sign the
Motion as possible, and the industry
needs to persuade them to do it.”
MIA: 01372 750600
Save Our Sound Lords itPlight of wireless mic users raised in the House of Lords
as MIA calls upon membership to take action
Emergency meeting ends on a positive note as Yamaha consolidates the Austrian piano maker’s future after a difficult year
Bösendorfer survives crisis
DISTRIBUTION NEWS
10 miPRO JANUARY 2010 SIGN UP FOR THE MI PRO NEWSFLASH SERVICE AT WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
THE ROLAND Corporation has
restructured its brands and merged Edirol
into the respective European Roland JV
subsidiaries in order to ‘give more focus
and strength to its distribution throughout
the UK and other key markets in Europe’.
In the UK, the Edirol sales and
marketing operation in Chiswick will now
merge with and be run by Roland UK in
Swansea, effective January 1st, 2010.
In the UK, alongside the Roland and
Boss MI business, Cakewalk by Roland
computer, software and interface products
will be handled by the Swansea office,
while Edirol video products will be the
concern of the Roland Systems Group in
Chiswick. Similar organisations will be
implemented across Europe.
“We are extraordinarily proud of what
we have achieved in Europe with Edirol
over the last 11 years,” said Edirol Europe’s
founder and managing director, Massimo
Barbini. “We have managed to enter
completely new markets from scratch and
build some amazing success stories along
the way. The merger of operations with
existing Roland JV companies will
guarantee the continuity of this success
story and allow Roland to focus on its
brands with a whole new level of co-
ordinated efforts inside the group. I would
like to thank all of my colleagues for
having spent many great years together
and for all of their hard work in making
Edirol what it is today.”
Following the merger of Edirol and
Roland, Massimo Barbini will become
president of Roland Systems Group in
France, a newly formed subsidiary of
Roland based in Paris. The new Roland
company will target the installation
market and aims to expand the Roland
audio and video business with RSS and
Edirol products.
“We are pleased to announce this very
positive merger of operations and brand
realignment,” said Tim Walter, the newly
appointed MD of Roland UK (see page 6).
“We believe it will significantly improve
our brands, product lines, distribution and
potential customer awareness and
understanding of what we do across all of
our product ranges. The Roland and Boss
brands continue to lead the way in their
respective markets, while Cakewalk is now
one of the strongest brands in desktop
music production. And we are pleased to
bolster our Roland Systems Group
operations with the complete audiovisual
range of products now jointly represented
by Edirol for video and RSS for audio.”
ROLAND: 01792 702701.
THE HIGHLY anticipated start-up
manufacturer Knaggs Guitars has
announced its first European distribution
deal. Knaggs will be handled for Central
Europe by Berlin’s Sound Service, which
will be looking after sales in Germany,
Benelux, Switzerland, Austria and possibly
other neighbouring countries.
Knaggs Guitars will officially launch at
Musikmesse 2010, where it will display its
instruments at the Sound Service booth.
Founder Joe Knaggs said: “I have
travelled the world for the past ten years,
so it seems only appropriate that we are
launching Knaggs Guitars across the big
pond. I am proud of the fact that this is
the first major stepping stone for Knaggs
Guitars. We look forward to working with
Sound Service for many years to come.”
Jordanis Sountoulidis, Sound Service
product manager, added: “We can't wait
to receive the first instruments.”
New US guitar brand appoints Berlin-based Sound Service
for European distribution, prior to launch in Frankfurt
OASIS MUSIC and 440 Distribution will
be sharing the distribution of Duesenberg
Guitars within the UK, following Oasis’
successful securing of the brand for
import into the UK.
“I recognised the potential and quality
of Duesenberg, but I felt distribution
within the whole of the UK would be
difficult for Oasis Music alone,” explained
Oasis Music’s Howard Gillespie (pictured
right). “We believe products like these
require the kind of support and attention
that only small and independent
distributors can provide.”
Oasis Music is also the distributor for
Huss & Dalton acoustic guitars, which
hail from Virginia, USA, and the company
sees the addition of Duesenberg,
together with its sister brand, Kluson, as
a natural addition to its portfolio.
“I’ve worked with Tom Harrison at 440
Distribution on many occasions and he
expressed interest in the Duesenberg and
Kluson development. I couldn’t really ask
for a nicer, pro-active colleague to be
associated with,” continued Gillespie.
440 Distribution is fast becoming
established through brands such as K Yairi
and Baden acoustic guitars, DSL straps
and Bullet Cables. The firm was
established by Harrison in 2008.
“I’m of the same mind as Howard,”
added Harrison. “I’m delighted to bring
Duesenberg into my portfolio. It has
achieved a lot in a short space of time
and I hope that we, together with the
support of new and existing dealers, can
continue to grow the Duesenberg brand.”
OASIS MUSIC: 01425 478135.
440 DISTRIBUTION: 01132 589599
North/south divide for
Duesenberg GuitarsOasis Music and 440 Distribution agree to share
distribution of Duesenburg Guitars in the UK
Cakewalk becomes Roland’s dedicated brand, while Roland System Group integrates Edirol video products across Europe
Roland restructures in Europe
Berlin snags Knaggs
Harrison (left) and Gillespie
SIGN UP FOR THE MI PRO NEWSFLASH SERVICE AT WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JANUARY 2010 11
DISTRIBUTION PROFILE
Year Established: 2009
Number of employees: Eight
How has the current economic climate affected
business?
We are new to the market so it's not affecting us.
What are your bestselling lines and why do you
think they perform so well?
D’Addario has a policy of continual improvement of
its products. Through a process of research and
engineering refinement, products are improved and
updated to keep them at the top. D’Addario XLs are
‘the player’s choice’, but are very different today
than 30 years ago. The Evans EC2, now with SST, is
an upgrade on what was already arguably the best
rock drum head on the market. Planet Waves has
any number of fast-selling gizmos and gadgets,
many in their second, third or even fourth
generation versions.
What are your criteria for selecting
new products?
Although we are D’Addario, that doesn’t mean we
will only carry D’Addario products. We have a
number of great products in the pipeline that we
plan to introduce once D’Addario UK is bedded in.
Accessory products are our speciality and this is the
area you will see us focus on at first. After that,
well, just wait and see…
What distinguishes you from the competition?
This company will be built on offering great
products with world class service and exceptional
dealer margins. We’re not going to use complicated
price/discount structures. We will set a retail price
and offer a simple discount to all dealers.
We have introduced service level agreements
relating to shipping and order satisfaction. If we
don’t deliver on time we’ll pay you £5. If you’re not
happy with any product on your order, you can
send it back. We have published a D’Addario UK
users guide, which details what dealers can expect
from us.
How do you maintain a good relationship
with retailers?
We believe that by keeping things simple and doing
what we say we’ll do we can earn dealers trust. We
have some great marketing ideas that can drive
dealers’ accessory business and we hope dealers
will engage with us and use these ideas to further
their accessory sales.
What would you say is the biggest challenge
facing the industry today?
To keep future generations playing real music. In
the face of any number of activities competing for
consumers’ attention, anything we can do as an
industry to encourage music-making is good for all
of us. Later this year, we’re going to launch
‘D’Addario Presents...’ a regular live music event
that supports local musicians in the North East.
What are your aims for the next 12 months?
To show that we are serious about the points above.
Gateshead, Tyne and Wear
D’ADDARIO
Address: A3 Eleventh Avenue, Gateshead, NE11 0JY
Phone: 0191 300 3000
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.daddario.co.uk
CONTACT DETAILS
Simon Turnbull’s
new venture will
first focus on
establishing
D’Addario in the
UK. It has a
number of other
products in the
pipeline that will
be introduced
once the name is
bedded in the UK.
A HOST of new top names in the
drumming world have been
added to the Aquarian drumhead
endorser list.
Leading the list from the UK
are Biffy Clyro's Ben Johnston,
Siousxie Sioux's Rob Brian, Rob
Jones (65 Days of Static) Mark
Heaney (Gang of Four) and busy
clinician and session player,
Robin Guy.
MSC has also recently
supplied Aquarian heads for Rick
McMurray from Ash (pictured),
who are currently on an
alphabetical tour of the UK and
are releasing a single every two
weeks. Other new signings
include Richard Rayner (Young
Drummer of the Year 2009),
Gilson Lavis for the annual Jools
Holland Christmas tour and Paul
Matthews, who is on tour with
the long-running British stage
musical, Rocky Horror Show
From the other side of the
Atlantic, Aquarian has been
increasing it's roster too. Adding
names such as the legendary
Carmine Appice and Chris Adler
(Lamb of God) are JJ Johnson
(John Mayer) Jeremy Stacey
(Sheryl Crow) and Joey Waronker
(Beck/REM). Aquarien heads are
suppied in the UK by the Music
Shipping Company.
MSC: 01562 827666
The age of the Aquarian endorser
THE UK is to get its own
dedicated drum show during the
Autumn of 2010 thanks to
Oyster House Publishing, which
acquired Drummer magazine and
other former MB Media titles in
September, 2009. The show,
which MI Pro understands will be
held in a prestigious London
venue, is scheduled to run for
two days and is likely to feature
a retail component.
Speaking to MI Pro, Hugo
Montgomery-Swan, MD of OHM
said: “Since taking up the title a
few months ago, we have been
approached by many of our key
clients and advertisers expressing
great interest in Drummer
magazine staging a dedicated
drum show. The MIA retains the
intellectual rights to the name
'Drummer Live', the show
previously run by Drummer
magazine, and as it has chosen
to exercise its right not to
release this to us, Drummer
magazine's show will bear a
different title, namely, 'The UK
Drum Show’.
“In the past weeks, we have
been researching all the key
exhibition venues in London and
not only comparing costs but
also the individual features and
merits of each. We believe now
that we have found a superb
venue in West London for a two-
day show, which features a
purpose made concert
auditorium for the show's live
stage, a generous amount of
exhibition space and all the high-
class amenities including clinic
rooms etc. that a show of this
type truly needs. Our intention is
to announce further details on
the venue's location and other
elements of the show early in
the New Year.”
OYSTER HOUSE MEDIA:
01884 266100
UK drum show to debut in London as Drummer
mag’s new owner pushes brand’s potential
NEWCASTLE DRUM Centre
has launched a new site,
which is focused on helping
drummers complete their kits.
The site has over 4,000
items available, all backed up
by secure web ordering.
Extensive product info and
images enable punters to find
all the details needed right on
the site.
The store is also offering all
web customers the chance to
win every week, with prizes
such as iPods, cymbals, and a
signature snare drum worth
over £300. Between now and
March 2010, every £50 spent
on the site gets a free ticket in
a prize draw. The new site can
be found at
newcastledrum.co.uk.
NEWCASTLE DRUM CENTRE:
0191 221 0301
GATTON DRUMS are hand-
crafted in the UK from Corian, a
granite-like material developed
by Du Pont. The drums are said
to perform like a high-end
wooden drum, but are free of
the excessive tones associated
with acrylic drums.
Craig Cockrell, who runs
Gatton Drums and hand crafts
each one, described the sound
as “full of body, dry at the
centre, with tons of ring at the
edge, bright like a metal drum
yet with much the depth of a
wood drum.”
The drums feature the Trick
GS007 Strainer, S-hoops, Remo
heads and Puresound snare
wires. Corian also has high-
dimensional stability, and allows
for extremely stable
tuning. The shell is said
to be highly damage-
resistant, although
should scratching
occur, the shells can
also be re-sanded
and polished to the
desired finish.
GATTON: 01522 790900
UK company, Gatton Drums produces
drums from Du Pont developed material
Is this a newdrum concept?
Newcastle
drummers
rejoice
More and more top drummers switch to promote the drumhead brand
New website offers
kit completion
THIS PAGE IS SPONSORED BY MIKEDOLBEAR.COM, THE LEADING ONLINE RESOURCE FOR EVERYTHING DRUMS.
VISIT WWW.MIKEDOLBEAR.COM FOR MORE DETAILS.
DRUM NEWS
12 miPRO JANUARY 2010 SIGN UP FOR THE MI PRO NEWSFLASH SERVICE AT WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
Oyster drums into London
Marshall Amplification plc Denbigh Road, Bletchley, Milton Keynes MK1 1DQwww.marshallamps.com
It’s an odd thing about big trade shows.
By around day three or four, everybody
is forcing a smile that more resembles a
wince and sheepishly admitting that they
are looking forward to getting back home.
Roll forward a year and those same people
are veritably wriggling with delighted
expectation over the prospect of getting
back on to the show floor and to grips
with the business of the moment.
The fact is, shows such as NAMM have
so much going on, so many new products
and so many people who have not been
seen for a year, that we just know there
will be something to benefit us.
In its prime calendar location, NAMM
has long been the springboard for the MI
year – and long may it continue to be so.
There’s nothing like it.
Last year’s gathering was widely
considered to be a ‘quiet’ show, but there
is no way anyone should mistake that for
there being tumbleweeds blowing down
aisles lined by frustrated exhibitors. The
show was pumping and vibrant and a lot
of important business was done and
important networking achieved – as is
always the case.
This year, some 170 of the 1,500-plus
exhibitors will be new to the show,
proving that the dynamism of the trade is
still there after a year that has, largely,
panned out better than many had hoped.
Finally, but most importantly, the
biggest to the smallest exhibitors will have
new stuff on offer, stuff to be seen for the
first time and will be offering the first
opportunities to sign the order book for a
product that could prove the difference
between a good year or a great year.
What follows is the limited amount of
info MI Pro had in December of launches
at Anaheim. There’s a lot to get through
already, but this is nothing compared to
what will be on show when NAMM opens.
EVENT PREVIEW NAMM
14 miPRO JANUARY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
The MI world is set to converge once again in Anaheim for the 108th NAMM Show and receive that annual shot in the
arm that propels us into the year ahead, armed with everything necessary to make a success of our businesses…
THE NAMM SHOW ANAHEIM CONVENTION CENTER, CALIFORNIA, JANUARY 14TH TO 17TH
Happy New Year
”Shows such as
NAMM have so
much going on
that we just know
there will be
something to
benefit us.
NAMM EVENT PREVIEW
ASHDOWN 4778
Kicking of the A to Z, Ashdown has, yet again, an awful lot going
on at NAMM in January. First up is the 427 Small Block head,
which has an octet of KT88s and three over-fed transformers
lurking under the bonnet, as well as an ECC83-fueled preamp.
Following nicely on, the 550 Spyder Head combines the warmth
and grind of the Small Block’s all-tube preamp with the dynamics
of Ashdown’s 500-Watt ABM power stage for a smart and
considerably powerful gigging combo. The third element from
Ashdown is the BTA (Big Tube Amp), which combines a third-
generation ABM preamp with a choice of 200, 300 and 400-Watt
valve output stages.
Rounding off the selection from the Essex noise boys is a wee
amp named after James Dean’s car, the Little Bastard. This all-
tube bass amp head is rated at 30 Watts, so it won’t rip your
head off, but its EL84-equipped power section is more than
capable enough for small gigs. Importantly, it won’t put your back
out on the way (I know a lot of us need that sort of reassurance).
ROTOSOUND B 5596
Metal Legends Duff McKagan of Guns n’ Roses and Velvet
Revolver and James Lomenzo from Megadeth lead a star-studded
line-up of artists appearing on the Rotosound booth during the
Saturday of the show.
They will be joined by emerging talents, Eva Gardener fresh
from touring with Pink, Warren DeMartini and Robbie Crane from
metal rockers Ratt and veteran bass player Billy Sheehan. The
itinerary is as follows. James Lomenzo: 11am, Duff McKagan:
1pm, Eva Gardner: 2pm, Billy Sheehan: 3pm, Ratt band: 4pm.
Rotosound’s R9 and R10 Rotos nickel-on-steel guitar strings
are now available in value twin set packaging. Called Double
Deckers, the new packs of Rotos offer greater value for
money and an improved profit margin for dealers.
The new double decker packs R9DD and R10DD are
space saving, more environmentally friendly and
easier to merchandise. They will be available for
stocking immediately
SABIAN D 3254
Sabian (along with many drum and percussion
companies) tends to use NAMM as a showcase for
the entire year’s product launches, although, in
fairness, the Canadian manufacturer has held back a
bit in recent years.
Of note from the promised releases in January is the
HHX version of the popular Fusion hi-hats. Featuring a
medium top and a heavy, un-lathed, hand-hammered
bottom, the hats come in 13 and 14-inch sizes and
‘deliver high-definition sticking, crisp, clear pedal
‘chick’, and cutting volume in both closed and
open positions’. The Fusion part of the name
comes from the mix – or fusion – of raw
bottom cymbal and lathed top, in this case an
HHX top and an HH bottom.
The enhanced Vault Artisan Crash is the
latest cymbal development from Sabian.
According to master product specialist Mark
Love, both the performance and sound of the
Vault Artisan Crash have been significantly
enhanced through a variety of design changes
and the cymbal responds faster and produces a
richer, fuller sound.
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JANUARY 2010 15
As always, the NAMM Ideas Center will be packing them in
EVENT PREVIEW NAMM
TANGLEWOOD 5010
Tanglewood is pretty chuffed with itself
this year as the company has secured its
slot on the main show floor upstairs from
Hall E. The guitar company now has a
double booth (in between PRS and
Rickenbacker, we are told). Tanglewood’s
directors see this as recognition of
‘everyone's work and effort in building
Tanglewood Guitars into a truly global
brand and every partner has played a
significant part’.
The stand will see a selection of new
products in the Sundance series, the
Discovery series and in the new Signature
by Tanglewood electric guitar line, which
has enjoyed no little success since its
launch in the UK last Autumn. There will
also be some new accessory lines that
reputedly have ‘terrific profit and brand
building potential’.
Tangewood has tried to be extra
competitive in its key market areas – and
taking into account that retail price points
have being driven down by the changing
world economy, Tanglewood believes it
has the products and tools to continue
growing and gaining market share.
The company will also have some
smart mahogany and spruce-topped
ukuleles on show, too.
JHS E 1310
2010 sees the introduction of some bold
new models into the Fret King Blue Label
range, some previously only available as
more exclusive Green Label options. The
60s ‘art school’ Ventura will appeal to the
more extrovert player who will appreciate
the comfort factor and performance
offered by this interesting yet practical
and playable body shape.
The deluxe twin cutaway Elan is
destined to be a popular players’ choice
with its chamfered and contoured body,
carved top and rigid set neck construction.
This guitar ‘definitely ticks the box marked
deluxe’ – and with some new pickup
layout options available alongside a
variety of vibrato and hardtail options, this
Fret King model looks set to be something
of a hit at the show.
MEL BAY 3304
Receive an extra ten per cent discount on
any orders of over 100 units (excluding
pocketbooks) placed in January 2010
quoting the NAMM 2010 promotional
code. Also, every order over 100 units
placed receives automatic entry into
winning a £250 credit and a free gift for
every qualifying trade order over £250.
ALLEN & HEATH 6474
The Cornish mixer maker has selected
NAMM for the global launch of several
new products from the iLive digital mixing
series, the MixWizard multi-purpose range
and the entry-level Zed compact USB
range. Exhibited on US distributor,
American Music & Sound’s stand, the new
products will be unveiled on the first day.
It will also be the first showing outside
the UK of the new Xone:DX, a plug n play
DJ controller launched at the BPM show in
October 2009. The result of close
collaboration between Allen & Heath and
Serato Audio Research, the DX is another
development in A&H’s Xone:D range of
16 miPRO JANUARY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
Guns n’ Roses legend Duff
McKagan will be one of several
stars on the Rotosound stand
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JANUARY 2010 17
NAMM EVENT PREVIEW
into the musicwww.rotosound.comwww.myspace.com/rotosoundmusicstrings
See us at NAMMBooth 5596, Hall B
Special guest appearances byDuff McKaganBilly Sheehan
James LoMenzoDoug Ardito
Eva Gardner and Ratt
CALLING ALLUK DEALERSAll UK orders placed at NAMM are subject
to an EXTRA 10% off your normal discount.
Jam
es
LoM
enzo
Billy
Sheehan
Duff
McK
agan
Eva
Gard
ner
controllers, featuring a 20-channel USB soundcard
and integration of the brand new four-deck Serato
Itch software. The Xone:DX is touted as the most
versatile DJ controller to date.
RETAIL UP C 4007
MI Pro’s regular partner at the NAMM Show, the
website consultant and designer will be on hand
throughout the event to offer its services to large and
small alike. Retail Up has based its product profile on
a few simple facts that pertain to the MI trade: first,
there are hundreds of thousands of products to load
and maintain, second, features that support
promotions are costly, and third, pure e-commerce
companies don't have industry-specific services, such
as sheet-music downloads, rentals, print music
fulfilment and so on.
In its essence, Retail Up’s offering is a one-size
solution for all, but in practice the websites it creates
cater to very specific needs of each shop or supplier –
and are branded accordingly. If you are having trouble
with your website or (heaven forbid) you still don’t
have a fully functioning one, it’s well worth having a
chat with these guys.
SPARROW E 1469
The Canadian electric guitar supplier will have its
stunning collection of hand-finished axes on show, as
well as special appearances from Duff McKagan and
Steve Stevens. Regardless of the rock stars, Sparrow is
worth a visit just for the sheer beauty of its products.
ENGL B 5928
The maker of imposing black boxes that are designed
to pummel the senses is keeping its new releases
close to its chest (along with many others), but has
announced that a number of big-name rock artists
will be appearing on its stand at the show. Shadows
Fall and Orianthi will be appearing on the Friday,
while Duff McKagan (busy man) will be there on the
Saturday at 2pm. Steve Morse and Vinnie Moore will
be showing up and whipping out some licks on either
the Saturday or the Sunday. The manufacturer will
also have Paul Allender from Cradle of Filth and Zach
Myers from Shiendown.
ORANGE C 4674
Still glowing from its second Queen’s Award for
Enterprise, Orange will be maintaining its imposing
presence at NAMM with new additions to its growing
Tiny Terror range. The new ten-inch version of the
Tiny Terror Combo, the TT15C- 10, has a Celestion
G10 Vintage speaker and 15 Watts of class A power.
The Smart Power bass cabs will be launched, with the
new 1,000-Watt Terror bass. There will be a lot more
than this on show, so get along to Hall C.
YAMAHA
Yamaha’s annual invasion of the Marriot Hotel over
the road from the Convention Center will once again
feature a mass of new product that even the most
dilligent visitor would have trouble keeping tabs on.
This year will see the new Tenori On Orange and,
importantly, its new operating system, with upgrades
for live and studio performance.
30 years after the introduction of the CP stage
pianos, the manufacturer is introducing three new
models, the CP1, CP5 and CP50. The CP1 has a
redesigned sound technology: Spectral Component
Modeling tone generation, which recreates pure
acoustic and classic vintage instruments.
Yamaha will also launch a new flagship DTX
drumkit, the 950K (alongside the new 900K). The kit
has a newly developed pad technology which offers
dynamic control and feel for players. Alongside the
new pad technology Yamaha have also created the
new DTX900 module, which has a huge range of
effects fromthe Motif XS synthesiser range, as well as
a variety of samples from Yamaha's acoustic drums.
ZOOM B 5940
Another company keeping things very hush-hush
before the show, Zoom has been issuing little bits and
pieces on existing products recently, including the
upgrade for the G1u multi effects system (version
1.10). The new operating system has fixed the
problem that switched off the patch when the unit is
rebooted from bypass mode and the error of delay-
time between the value shown at edit and the actual
value. This is downloadable immediately. Get along to
the stand, however, where there are bound to be
some exciting new releases.
ESTA REQUIREMENTS
The US Department of Homeland Security
implemented the Electronic System for Travel
Authorisation (ESTA) early 2009, which affects the
residents of countries currently participating in the
Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) who can enter the
US without obtaining a visa.
ESTA requires travelers from these countries to
submit basic biographical information on
themselves before entry into the United States. This
is considered an important step for allowing more
countries to participate in the VWP.
ESTA applications may be submitted at any time
prior to travel, though it is recommended travelers
apply when they begin preparing travel plans. For
more information and ESTA updates, log on to
www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id_visa/esta/.
You must fill in the ESTA form is you are
travelling on the Visa Waiver Programme or you are
risking not being allowed in to the US.
COVER FEATURE SCV LONDON
18 miPRO JANUARY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
Having been at the top of UK pro
audio distribution since the days
of the original Turnkey operation
(when it pioneered the home recording
business), Andrew Stirling is one of best-
placed commentators to reflect on how
the industry has changed. And in
particular, how it has come to interface so
closely with sectors of the MI business in
recent years.
Today, he co-runs SCV London with
Julian Blyth – distributing Fostex, Audix,
Audient, Summit and a host of others. A
bit rarefied for an MI platform? Perhaps
not these days, as sharper MI retailers
have moved into the still-growing high-
tech area. But who is SCV and how did
Andrew Stirling become a part of it?
“Originally, SCV was a French company,
the biggest pro audio distributor in France,
and Julian Blyth ran the UK office. Some
years ago, the mother company in France
went bankrupt and Julian bought the UK
company from the administrators. He has
been running SCV ever since.”
In the interim, Messrs Blyth and Stirling
had also been partners in Audient, of which
Stirling had been one of the founding
shareholders and he ran the successful
Stirling Audio distribution business, too.
“Then, two years ago, we decided to
merge the two companies, Stirling Audio
and SCV. It made a lot of sense because
there were economies of scale to be had
and we were non-competing, so the
product mix was good,” he says.
One the first things that happened
following Stirling’s arrival was the
abandonment of a couple of mainstream
MI lines – Hughes & Kettner amplifiers
and Blade guitars – which had seemed a
bit anomalous in amongst the company’s
otherwise resolutely high-tech offerings.
Was that why they had gone?
“I felt they didn’t really fit and we
weren’t making any money out of them,
so we parted company with both products
to focus on pro audio, which really is my
background. We were also coming into the
recession, we didn’t really understand that
side of the market and our resources were
better concentrated elsewhere. It was time
for us to stick to our core business.”
SCV’S CURRENT MODEL
“The main corporate pitch – and I think
it’s the one that works for our dealer base
– is that we don’t sell to the end-user.
Stirling Audio was originally a dealer and
started distributing almost by default,
because manufacturers of high-end
products, like Lexicon, decided to go into
the MI business, which made us a bit of a
hybrid retailer/distributor and caused
problems. With SCV that is definitely not
the case.
“One of the reasons dealers like dealing
with SCV is that trust element. They can
share client information with us about a
potential sale and they don’t feel
threatened by us in any way. It’s quite a
traditional business model – a big
warehouse with a big inventory, so we can
deliver product very quickly and a lot of
people like that, too.
“As for the products, they’re quite
diverse, but we always seek out products
that have a distinct technical or
commercial edge. We started with Fostex,
which used to be core MI but is now very
One of the most recognisable names in the UK’s audio industry, Andrew Stirling today heads up one of the hottest
crossover suppliers in Europe. Gary Cooper finds out what makes SCV tick…
Stirling work
SCV LONDON COVER FEATURE
top-end pro in many different areas,
including live sound or film recording.
That said, its speakers are MI and we do
very well with Fostex loudspeakers in
that area.”
At which point, Stirling reveals a
surprise: “Fostex is pulling out of the
multitracker market. Firms like Tascam,
Zoom and Roland have done very well
there and Fostex has decided to switch
gear to use its expertise in slightly more
specialist markets. So over the next 12
months, Fostex will pull out of the small
multitracker market. It’ll still be doing the
24-track machines and it’s still doing the
RAM recorders for live sound and the digital
recorders for the film business, and it will be
doing more with its speaker business, too.”
If this change of direction sounds as if
it might push SCV out of the range for MI
retailers, it won’t, because one of the
company’s other brands, the microphone
manufacturer Audix, is not only
mainstream MI, but growing rapidly. In
doing so, it reveals one of the SCV’s most
distinctive qualities – an absolute refusal
to consider a market so sewn-up that it
is not worth trying to break into.
Traditional wisdom in the MI business
has it that the microphone market is set
in stone, with Shure dominant,
Sennheiser a strong second and everyone
else quite some way behind. So what
price a new entrant – especially one
aiming at the very heartland MI side? But
as it has turned out, SCV and Audix are
doing extremely well in this area.
“Audix is one of our fastest growing
lines and has grown enormously this
year. In fact we’ve doubled our
business with Audix this year,
which we’re very pleased about
given the difficult trading
conditions. I think there are two
reasons for this. One is that nearly
all the other microphone
companies are focusing on the
market for condenser
microphones for studio uses –
that and the fact that everybody
is importing cheap Chinese microphones.
Audix, on the other hand, manufactures
almost everything in the States and has
focused very much on the core, backline
market. The main players there are still
Shure, Sennheiser and Beyer, and that
market is less plagued by the cheap Chinese
copies. Audix has also produced some
unique products and we’ve worked very
hard with it to gain the confidence of the
dealer base.”
Audix has also learned the lesson
taught to the microphone business by
Shure in the 1970s and followed by
Sennheiser a couple of decades later –
that microphones are hard to audition, so
customers are very swayed by
endorsements. Following suit, Audix has
striven to gain big name users and,
Stirling says, this is paying-off with sales.
FINDING A NICHE
Stirling and Audix have also worked at
niches in the market – building a strong
following for instrument miking and
percussion/drumming.
“The vocal mic market is a much more
complicated prospect to enter,” Stirling
says. “Shure owns it, followed by Beyer
and Sennheiser. We’re making inroads –
we have a good product – but it’s more
difficult to penetrate. Percussion is our
biggest area, with instrument miking also
doing very well. I took the view a few
years ago, do I try and sell one
microphone to a singer, or six to a
drummer? It’s the same effort, but for
more microphones and, in fact, the
drummer market is where we focused
initially and it worked well for us.”
Indeed, there are those who say that
Audix’s D6 dynamic bass drum mic is
now the market leader – which is no
small feat for a relatively new brand in
such a short space of time.
Another SCV brand storming away is
Focal – French-designed reference
monitors which are doing extremely well
in the project studio market – and not
just through the specialist studio-
oriented pro audio retailers, Stirling
reveals, but also in MI/high-tech retailers,
who have had great success with it.
Once again, it seems, Stirling and SCV
have proved that however crowded a
market may look, there is nothing to
prevent a newcomer gaining share, if the
product and marketing are right.
“Yes, the speaker market is very, very
crowded, but we’re very fortunate that we
have a sales guy here, Gary Robson, who
knows the studio business very well and
takes the products round to all the top
producers. All the business is channelled
through the dealers, but we do a lot of
direct demo marketing to the top end of
the market, to facilitate those dealers, and
that has worked extremely well.
“As with Audix, I think the endorsement
programme we run has helped Focal.
Using the top producers that Gary has
introduced Focal to has really helped
musicians to make a decision.”
But not everything in the SCV house is
quite so aimed at the top of the market,
it appears. “No, because at the real
cheaper core end, we do Superlux
microphones which are very, very well-
made Chinese products. You don't go
rushing around saying you’ve got a
Superlux mic, but they sell in tremendous
numbers in the pub and club market and
to churches and schools, for which they
offer a good quality, cheap microphone.”
SO HOW CHEAP IS CHEAP?
“We do models from £29 and even
though there are lots of cheap Chinese
microphones around, Superlux has done
nicely because it is a well made product.”
Appetite whetted? If so, then yet
another page to turn to in the SCV
catalogue of product types you might
not previously have thought about is the
Universal Acoustics Foam range of panels
for home and project studios, which SCV
now handles worldwide. Few serious
musicians don’t have some kind of home
recording set-up and few, equally, don’t
have problems with acoustics. Cue
miPRO JANUARY 2010 19
There are a lot of SCV
goods that appeal to
the MI market
Universal, says Stirling.
“Again, we’ve done very, very well with
that. Dealers like it – it’s a no-brainer to
sell and with no after-sales problems.”
With the honourable exception of
some very interesting (if sometimes
overlooked) bass and guitar pedals from
Aphex, most of the other lines offered by
SCV are, it must be said, pretty hardcore
pro audio. So how is that market faring,
vis-à-vis MI? Word suggests that the top
end – the stadium side – has been
suffering badly due to budget cuts by
public authorities and commercial
enterprises responsible for major projects,
but Stirling says that the side of pro audio
in which SCV specialises has been doing
rather well.
“I’ve seen pro audio develop very
nicely across this year. The demise of
Sound Control benefited one or two
dealers and enabled them to put a lot
more resources into the pro audio side.
Without being too cruel, musicians have
always been skint, so whether there’s a
recession or not, it doesn’t make a great
deal of difference to them and we've seen
a consistent, steady business on core
products throughout the whole year and
growth in two or three areas. Corporate
business at the very top end of pro audio
has definitely suffered – the post-
production market is definitely down as
well, but the MI pro audio side – the
home studio market – has held its own
quite well.
“If you look at the transducers around
the computer – speakers and
microphones – most of the people in that
market have done pretty well this year
and most of the products seem to have
been able to hold their perceived value
very well. A wooden box with a piece of
cardboard flapping in and out has a much
COVER FEATURE SCV LONDON
20 miPRO JANUARY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
SCV LONDON COVER FEATURE
miPRO JANUARY 2010 21
higher perceived value than two and half
years of software design – which
everybody wants for free.”
Reinforcing that thought is another SCV
product – the Bricasti Reverb, which SCV
sells using the argument that it offers the
processing power of three Macs. Stirling
says there seems to be a growing
realisation among end-users that there is
a lot more to good sound than plugins
and Bricasti has so much more processing
power at its disposal that you would have
to be virtually deaf not to be able to tell
the difference.
“We’ve opened quite a few eyes with
that,” he says. “It has done phenomenally
well and the dealers like it because it is a
nicely profitable piece of hardware for
them with that perceived value that I was
talking about. Offer a plugin and the
reaction is so often ‘Oh, I’ll go and see
if I can download that for nothing from
the internet’.”
Stirling remains well plugged-in to the
finances of the industry and is very aware
of how the only serious money being
made by most musicians today is from
live performances. He believes this is being
reflected in growing markets for good
quality audio products for live sound and
he suggests it’s the need for excellence
that is driving the move upmarket with
products like Audix. So is he intending to
look further into that area?
“Definitely, and by the end of the year
we will have a PA speaker line. We’ve been
offered a few and we have a desire to get
into the smaller speaker market for pubs
and clubs. We have something on the
burner at the moment and we hope to
make an announcement before too long.”
One of the problems facing SCV and
others in the high-tech, but also MI,
market is how best to promote itself. The
high-tech magazines, like Sound on Sound
and Music Tech, are one obvious route –
but where else? There’s not a lot of point
advertising in the ultra-conservative guitar
magazines, so where does he spend his
advertising money?
“The sad thing about page advertising is
that we often do it to stay friendly with
the people we need to be friendly with –
but the real business comes through the
internet. That said, I don’t think there is
any studio, home or pro, that I go into
that doesn’t have a copy of Sound on
Sound and when I want to communicate
with the dealers, I think the MI Pro
concept of trying to get to the guys in the
stores works. They can be very insular and
I’ve always felt that something like MI Pro
that gives them a wider view of who’s
doing what, should help them.
“But my business plan for next year is
to put probably half my marketing budget
into banner advertising, employing a
young man to work Gearslutz and the
other forums on the internet to keep
people up to date with what we are doing.
Of course, the beauty of internet
marketing is that you can monitor it –
you get a report each month telling you
who looked at that page and how many
times. But it’s trial and error.
“Personally, I don't even have a
Facebook account and the concept of
doing it horrifies me, but that’s where it’s
at now. You’re talking to your customer
directly and you’re getting feedback
directly from your market.
“I think the thing that I would want to
get across is that we need to expand our
horizons. Look further than what you are
doing and look to see if there’s something
you could be doing that you’re not doing
now. And don’t give business away.
“I speak to so many people who say
‘Oh, we don’t do that’ – why not? Educate
yourself and expand your horizons. There’s
a lot of business to be had if people will
look for it.
“For example, one of the things that is
fascinating at the moment is how Digital
Village and some others are selling back
into Europe. Thomann has been selling
into this market for ten years now, with
everybody bitching and moaning, but it
has taken ten years for someone to
challenge it.
“We all need to get off our butts and
challenge these guys and not let that firm
take it away from us. And you can
challenge – there are ways of doing it and
it’s taken us a long while on our insular
island to fight back a bit.”
Coming from a man who has
successfully challenged both the
microphone and monitor markets in
recent years – regardless of the
conventional wisdom – these are words
well worth considering as we enter a
new year.
SCVLONDON: 020 8418 0778
“We need to expand
our horizons. Look
ahead and see if
there’s something
else you could be
doing. Don’t give
business away.Andrew Stirling
SCV London
COMPANY PROFILE BARNES & MULLINS
In a time when so many manufacturers
are quick to up sticks and move
production to the Far East in the
pursuit of cheaper costs, it is always
refreshing to find a company that has
stayed true to its roots. One such firm is
Admira, a Spanish classical guitar brand
that is based in Zarautz in northern Spain.
Founded in 1944 by the German-born
Enrique Keller Fritsch, the brand quickly
established a name for itself thanks to its
exceptionally high manufacturing
standards – standards that have been
maintained to this day.
Largely, this has been down to the fact
that building a classical guitar simply
doesn’t lend itself to an automated
process. This is why even today, despite
advances in technology and a few specific
automated processes, the vast majority of
Admira's guitars are built by hand.
Currently over 100 full-time, craftsmen
and women form the basis – both
physical and conceptual – on which
Admira’s long-term future relies.
Admira finds its way to the UK via
Barnes & Mullins, which has sold the
range in one form or another for nearly
50 years.
“It was back in the early 1960s
when we first worked with Keller
(an Admira distributor) in Spain,”
explains B&M’s joint managing
director, Bruce Perrin. “From that
time, for nearly 20 years, it was
making classical guitars for us
under the Barnes & Mullins brand.
The first and possibly greatest B&M
model was the now famous Clasico.
This was – and still is in its current
incarnation – a great entry-level guitar.
“The business was somewhat
different in that period, because if you
wanted a real classical guitar, the
only option was a proper Spanish-
made model. I remember a story
told to me when I first joined
Barnes & Mullins – that one
year in the late 60s, we
imported and sold 38,000
Barnes & Mullins classical
guitars. That shows just how
popular they really were.
“It was 1980 when Keller
decided to actually launch
the Admira brand and since
then neither of us have looked
back. Our experience of the
quality and demand for the
product during the 1960s and
1970s was so positive that
changing the branding in 1980 was no
issue at all.
“These days, the competition is clearly
much tougher,” Perrin continues. “As Keller
recognises too, the choice available to
players has never been so wide. However,
despite being in constant competition
with Asian guitar manufacturers, Admira
Guitars consistently holds its own,
retaining its position as the instrument
brand of choice for thousands of
professionals, teachers and students
who depend upon the quality of their
guitar for their reputation, income or
musical achievement.”
There are a number of stand-out
models within the range that have a
proven track record, which has helped the
brand grow very steadily over the years.
Starting at the entry level, the Infante
(£150), Clasico (£150) and Almeria (£185)
are without doubt the big sellers.
The Infante is a 3/4 size with the
regular dimensions; the Clasico is a 7/8ths
size with a smaller body and full size neck
– great for correct fingering, yet with
better ergonomics for the younger
student – whilst the Almeria is a full-size,
regular classical guitar.
All models consist of Oregon Pine tops
and Sapelli backs and sides and sound just
as you might expect a Spanish-built
classical guitar to – impressive.
The next step up is the Concerto model
(£281), a satin-finished model with a solid
cedar top, creating a mellow, focussed
tone assisted by the rosewood back and
sides. Its understated looks have won the
Concerto a great deal of praise since its
release in 2002.
The Virtuoso (£369) and its more
recent electro cutaway (£537) sibling are
once again staple products for any
classical guitar stockist. A high gloss
finished Solid Cedar top provides the basis
upon which the sound is built and
beautifully grained and glossed rosewood
is used for the back and sides. The electro
cutaway version of the Virtuoso features a
preamp and pickup by Shadow.
This is a company steeped in the
traditions of Spanish luthiery with a real
commitment to keeping manufacturing
processes and locations as they should be.
Admira is a brand that has gone from
strength to strength since its birth over
60 years ago, and is sure to remain a
stalwart of the classical guitar world for
some time yet – and being Barnes &
Mullins, it is the indie dealer that benefits.
BARNES & MULLINS: 01691 668310
As one of the biggest selling names in Spanish classical
guitars worldwide, Admira is a leading brand for Barnes &
Mullins. Rob Power delves deeper into the world of the
flamenco supremo...
22 miPRO JANUARY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
TheSpanish Main
ROADREADY �����
�����ROADREADY
‘Our snobbery led us to assume that we’d be forced to lay in to these guitars. We were wrong, and you should ensure you don’t make the same mistake.’
Designed in association with
Trev Wilkinson Design Associate
s
‘There’s innovation everywhere you look.Classy tones and playability
and amazing value too.Nigh-on impossible to fault.’
David Greaves
‘It’s rare for a guitar to feel truly effortless
(especially when you pick it up for the first time)
but the V6 is a joy to play.
‘It’s rare for a guitar to feel truly effortless
(especially when you pick it up for the first time)
but the V6 is a joy to play.
REISSUED REISSUED
Your next guitar is here...
www.fret-king.com
An Original Design Concept
Trev Wilkinson Design Associate
s
Designed in association with
Trev Wilkinson Design Associate
s
‘Any pigeonholing of Vintage at the budgetend of the guitar marketplace is looking
increasingly unjustified’Louis Thorne
‘Any pigeonholing of Vintage at the budgetend of the guitar marketplace is looking
increasingly unjustified’Louis Thorne
'The award-winning, critically-acclaimed range
of Santos Martinez classical and electro-
classical guitars offers analluring combination of
sweet-toned performanceand easy playability.'
Tony Simmons
'The award-winning, critically-acclaimed range
of Santos Martinez classical and electro-
classical guitars offers analluring combination of
sweet-toned performanceand easy playability.'
Tony Simmons
Blue Label Super TMetallic Light Blue
‘Putting it through a wah and fuzz pedal induced instant Hendrix, with
authentic feel and tone’Huw Price
‘Putting it through a wah and fuzz pedal induced instant Hendrix, with
authentic feel and tone’
Designed in association with
Trev Wilkinson Design Associate
s
Green Label Corona 60 HB Original Vintage Burst
Fitted with optional gold hardware and vintique 24 carat gold pickguard.
HAND MADE IN THE UK
FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON JHS PRODUCTS AND DEALERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
CONTACT YOUR JHS ASM OR OUR SALES OFFICE ON:
0113 2866 411www.jhs.co.ukWorldwide Trade Distributors:
Designed by
Trev Wilkinson
COME AND SEE US
HALL E 1310
14 - 17 JANUARY
COMPANY PROFILE FREESTYLE
It’s almost six months since Freestyle
Music took over UK distribution of the
HiWatt amplification brand and a year
since it reintroduced another much loved
old-timer, Eko guitars. A busy time then,
and a lot going on for the firm. Freestyle’s
MD, Phil Pilsworth, discusses on the
reception these two iconic brands have
received and the company’s plans for 2010
as it continues its rapid growth.
MI Pro: How did the Hiwatt distribution
deal come about?
Phil Pilsworth: We shook hands at Frankfurt
last year, placed our first order and received
the first container at the end of July. LiMS,
which we exhibited at, was really the
launch pad for us with Hiwatt.
How has the trade reacted to Hiwatt
since you took over sales?
Very well, but it’s been a little bit of a
mixed bag. The previous distributor had
done a good job, but how Hiwatt was being
perceived by the dealers was maybe not
right for the brand. Some dealers are very
aware of HiWatt and its history but some
aren’t, so we’ve been working on creating a
dealership basis for it, rather than just
selling an amp here and an amp there.
We’ve been looking for stores that will focus
on the brand, instead of it being merely the
fourth or fifth amp range they sell.
What sort of dealers have gone for it?
Quite a mixture, including some large
dealers but also some smaller ones, who
saw an opportunity to make a name with a
major branded product that is still in its
early days and which they could get
behind early on.
Does taking Hiwatt involve major
stocking commitments?
Our dealership commitment is fairly
modest. We’ve got a stocking
commitment which encompasses the
Maxwatt and Hi Gain series, which we
call the M dealership, where they can pick
and choose configurations to suit their
store. Then we have the C dealership, which
is the custom shop dealership, ideal for the
small, boutique guitar shop which isn’t really
into 15-Watt practice amps and just wants
to focus on the custom shop products.
Gary Cooper talks to the Yorkshire distributor about Hiwatt and a whole lot more...
Freestylin’ Free style
24 miPRO JANUARY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
FREESTYLE COMPANY PROFILE
We’ve set up quite a few new dealerships. It’s a name
that the end-user knows and yet a retailer can stock
it without breaking the bank, which he might have to
do with some other ‘big name’ amplifier brands.
Do you just distribute the models manufactured in
the Far East, or do you handle the British-made
products too?
The Chinese product is predominantly the Maxwatt
series and the Hi Gain valve series, and it’s great
sounding and very highly regarded. The UK-
manufactured Hiwatts tend to be custom shop
models, with various tweaks and cosmetic things that
individual customers order. Those come from the
Hiwatt workshop near Doncaster. We’re don't carry
stocks of those, of course, but we are actively selling
them to the dealers.
Hiwatt seems to have a fantastic promotional
profile – particularly among indie-type bands.
How have you been using that?
It certainly has got a fantastic profile and that was
one of the things that attracted us. Hiwatt has very
high quality endorsees/users, the majority being UK
bands – traditional UK rock n roll – anybody from
Oasis to the Arctic Monkeys and many inbetween.
They’re not the run of the mill American endorsees –
the sort of ‘who does he play for again?’ names that
you sometimes see – they’re all very good people to
be associated with and include a lot of up and
coming bands. We’ve been trying to drive business
into the dealers’ stores via the new HiWatt site and
via our own new Freestyle website. We’re listing all
our dealers on both sites.
There are the newly launched Hiwatt pedals for
dealers to get their teeth into now, aren’t there?
Yes, they’ll fully launch at Frankfurt but we will have a
small number available before then. We’re looking to
see them along with new amplifier models in the new
year. Another development is that the Hi Gain series
are now all going to be loaded with
Fane speakers, which ties-in with the
UK custom shop products and the
whole association between HiWatt
and Fane. Fane will be used in the Hi
Gain series initially, but they will be in
the Maxwatt models too in the coming
months, which is a great selling point. All
three companies are in the M62 corridor,
just west of Leeds, with Arthur Barnes and
Fane at Castleford and Rick Harrison within
40 miles of us, so it’s a very close
Yorkshire-based thing where we’ve all
worked together to move the product
forward for everyone’s benefit.
How about Eko guitars?
That’s another brand with
an illustrious history –
how has its
reintroduction been
received?
Again, it’s been a difficult
economic climate to be
launching anything new, but the
acoustics have done well, particularly
the Eko Vintage Series, which has been
very well received and is now back-
ordered. The 12 and six-strings – the iconic
models with the bolt-on necks and
adjustable bridges – have gone down very
well. This year is a special one as it’s Eko’s
50th and we’ve launched a 50th anniversary
model of the Ranger 6 and 12, which has just
arrived. The six-string will retail at £599 and the 12-
string at £649 – both with fitted hardshell cases,
ebony fingerboards and tailpieces, solid tops, limited
runs, certificates of authenticity – that’s a very
exciting development. We’ll also have new models on
show at NAMM, including an electric semi-acoustic.
So there’s more to Eko than just the legacy models?
Oh yes, there’s a lot in the range. We’ve introduced
some entry-level starter packs of acoustics and
classical models and there are new models coming
along all the time. We’ve still got the original
designers over in Italy, including Remo Serrangeli, who
rejoined the company three years ago, along with
Renato Gasparini. They were the original design team
– Remo designed the Ranger and Renato designed a
lot of the electric models.
Beside restablishing HiWatt and Eko, what has
been happening with your other brands?
The other two major lines we have are Quiklok stands
and Gator cases. Quiklok ties-in nicely with Eko,
because the Eko Music group now owns it. Quiklok is
very well respected and we’ve got new products that
have been launched over the past few months that
are now starting to arrive. Production moved from
Italy to the Far East three years ago and it’s taken a
while to get to grips with that because it slowed
down the introduction of new models, but over the
past 12 months we’ve really been starting to push
forward again, with better quality and more retail-
friendly, full colour packaging, which will be on show
at NAMM. The R&D team are starting to come up
with some very successful introductions as well, like a
new keyboard stand and a unique laptop stand.
And Gator Cases?
Gator is easily our biggest line and keeps going from
strength to strength with new models every six
months. This year, guitar case sales have slightly
decreased for everybody, because of guitar sales going
down, but we’ve just launched the GPE ATA series,
which is unique in that it has a TSA (Transport
Security Association) security lock, which means you
can check into customs, who have a key so they can
open it to inspect. It’s a very secure way of
transporting a guitar. It’s made from military grade
polyethylene, so it’s really a very lightweight
flightcase which saves on excess baggage, but still
offers excellent security and quality. Gator as a brand
has benefited from tremendous support from dealers,
making it the number one case brand in the UK.
What is the particular appeal to dealers?
The quality and pricing. We’ve got very high quality,
but we’re pitched in the mid-price range. Innovation is
a major point, too. Gator has a new site, for example,
where an end-user or dealer can source a case by
instrument manufacturer, model or even just by the
dimensions of the product he wants a case for. If you
enter the measurements, the site will list all the Gator
cases that will fit.
What are your plans for the coming months?
We’re focusing on e-commerce with both Gator and
Quiklok, to support the dealers, who are increasingly
finding that’s where business is coming from. We’re still
advertising in magazines, but next year we’ll be looking
at expanding our web advertising, supporting our
dealers with the information and the ability to sell our
products off their sites, trying to make it as easy as
possible to add our products onto sales – so they sell a
Korg XYZ and it tells the customer it fits this particular
Gator case – ideas like that. That’s been rolled-out
successfully in the US and now we’re bringing it here.
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
We’re loading up a whole stack of exciting new products for Winter NAMM
and we’ll be there in numbers this year to talk you through them.
So if you’re heading for the sun, fasten your seatbelts, make sure your
seat backs are in the upright position and your tray tables stowed.
We’ll see you at The Marriott.If you can’t be there, you can check
out the products and deals from
January 14th at our special website:
www.2010yamaha.com/namm
Come fly with us!
2010yamaha.com
28 miPRO JANUARY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
PULSE COMPANY PROFILE
Alittle over two years ago, the
Lancashire-based Pulse brand
established itself with the intention
of blowing a breath of fresh air into the
market. The company’s first products to
make an impact on the market were basic
microphone and amplifier stands, but
before long it was increasingly being asked
for a broader spread of products,
specifically a brand of amplifiers.
With retail keen to see what Pulse was
capable of, the company went away and
developed a comprehensive range of 300,
600, 900, 1300 1.3K and 2.4k power
amplifiers, which reflected not only
retailers’ wishes, but also the the brand
values that the company was to be based
upon. Built up on a number of simple
business and product-based foundations,
Pulse is a company that makes sure it
listens to customers’ needs above all else,
enabling it to deliver quality solutions,
value for money and, importantly, margins
for the retailers.
With the brand’s star firmly in the
ascendent thanks to its successful foray
into the amplifier market, Pulse has seen
its line-up grow from basic stands to a
comprehensive range of touring sound and
light equipment, including speakers, CD
and DVD players, PA systems, touring
cases, microphones and leads, with 2010
looking like it’s going to be another busy
and productive year.
“Our philosophy is simple,” explains
business development manager Dave
Swindlehurst. “We focus on our
customers’ needs and react very quickly
to deliver quality solutions which offer
great margins.
“Take our Portable PA products as an
example. We were asked by several
retailers to develop a range that delivered
both quality and margin over 12 months
ago and we now have six systems in our
line-up that have proved to be must-have
items for all of our customers. From the
very popular Megamouth PA system to our
PA40, probably the best small PA on the
market, we’ve exceeded our customers’
expectations on quality and price and can
guarantee next-day delivery.”
Swindlehurst reinforces Pulse’s
commitment to its customers daily,
through regular visits to retailers where he
can advise them on ranges and relay
feedback to senior product manager
Chris Beesley.
Fairly recent additions to the ranges
include flight cases and touring cases,
including the British-made General
Purpose Road Truck, which has proved to
be a huge seller for Pulse. Also popular are
headset microphones with
interchangeable cables that can be used
with any number of belt packs. Last but
not least are Pulse’s cables, which form a
fully comprehensive range that now
incorporates header cards for easy
merchandising.
“2010 will see new and improved
additions to the Pulse range,” says Beesley.
“These will include two new ranges of
speakers, alongside a series of stage
monitors. I’ve just completed work on a
new Pulse Value Series Range as well as an
ABS range of speakers. The value range
offers unrivalled value for money, hitting
price points rarely seen in the UK, while
still delivering on audio quality. The
fully-featured cabinets complete with
steel grilles and sturdy handles are perfect
for the budget-conscious DJ or karaoke
entertainer.
“The ABS range has been specified to
deliver on sound quality first and as a
result features high power compression
drivers to deliver high-end detail and
accurate woofers, all complemented by
well specified crossover networks.
“ABS cabinets keep weight to a
minimum, a key aspect for today’s
entertainers. I’ve complemented this range
with new ten and 12-inch stage monitors,
so we’re now offering everything needed
by modern entertainers.”
With so much achieved in its first 24
months, Pulse is certainly a company on
the up. A big spread of new gear combined
with proactive management keen to get
the brand on everyone’s lips should mean
that 2010 will be a very busy year for
the newcomers.
PULSE: 01772 664873
A young brand with plenty to offer, Pulse has quickly become a recognisable name in the industry. Rob Power finds out
more about the high flying newcomer and its expanding line-up of amplifier products...
A strong Pulse
Swindlehurst (left) and
Beesley show of a stack
of Pulse’s latest kit
Complete portable lighting systemThe newly upgraded LED Parbar MKII is idealfor all performers from live bands to DJsIt now has improved 20% more powerful LEDsEach lamp has a newly designed lighter casing
LED covers for added protection on the roadThe whole kit now weighs in at only 16Kg!
Sound controllable built-in programsStand-alone operation for soloists
DMX 512 compatible / 15 channelsEach lamp has 108 RGB LEDs
Individual lamp tilt and swivelT-bar incorporates controller
Stand height reaches 240cmSets up in just 3 minutes!
Includes padded rig bag4 pedal foot controller
Stand and stand bag
“The effects are literallydazzling, with a very effectiveselection of lighting effectsavailable from 11 separate ofpreset internal programs thatcan be selected via the built-incontrol panel” PlayMusic
“The Parbar is the completeset-up... A genuine all-in-onesolution, the Parbar simplyscreams convenience” iDJ Mag
“The LEDs far outstrip standardlight bulbs and will boost yourpresentation” Tim Slater
“The Parbar is a great way toilluminate your band or showwithout costing a bomb. Damnnear essential, we say” Pickup
COMPANY PROFILE TOMANDWILL
The news, late this autumn, that
Graham Lyons had launched the
Nuvo Clarinéo sent a buzz of interest
around the industry. Already well known
for his 40 year’s work as a leading teacher
and writer, Lyons had in 1992 introduced
the pioneering Lyons C clarinet, in an
attempt to help bridge the wide gap
between the recorder and band and
orchestral wind instruments. But the
Clarinéo promises to be something
altogether more popular and, as such, has
tremendous potential for those retailers
who cater for the educational and young
player market.
Appointed UK distributor for the
Clarinéo is the enterprising
tomandwill.com – best known for offering
a wide range of bags and cases for just
about every imaginable instrument. The
company’s MD, John Hughes-Chamberlain,
picks up the story and explains why the
Clarinéo has created so much interest and
what he and his team will be doing to
promote this genuinely exciting new
introduction. But first, how had
Tomandwill secured the distribution?
“I think the product probably needed a
small distribution company which would
be likely to give it the quite specific
attention that it needed, rather than being
swallowed by a huge company, and we
had known Graham Lyons for some years
and been a fairly good customer of his,”
he explains.
It’s a good product fit, too. Out of the
enormous rage of bags offered by
Tomandwill, the bestsellers are not, as you
might expect, bags for guitars, which
means the company has contacts with a
wide range of shops beyond the
exclusively rock n roll fraternity. “Among
our bestsellers are more unusual items like
double trumpet bags, and a lot of bassoon
and double bass bags,” Hughes-
Chamberlain says.
Having agreed to handle the Clarinéo,
how does Hughes-Chamberlain plan to
convince the market of its virtues?
“We’ve got a multi-pronged approach.
Firstly, we are mailing all the music shops
and we are also very lucky to have Clive
Guthrie with us, who will be known to
most of them. Clive worked for Boosey
and Hawkes for 20 years and he’s
probably responsible for the huge number
of Buffet B12 clarinets that are out there
today, as he would have sold them to the
music shops. He knows the woodwind and
brass market very well indeed and he is
basically running the sales of the Clarinéo
to MI stores.
“We also have Robert Simmonds with
us, who was with Boosey and Hawkes too,
so with those two on board, I believe we
can do a fine job. I think that was the key
thing that led Graham to think this was
the best way of getting the instrument
into shops.”
Hughes-Chamberlain is well aware that
launching not just a new model of an
existing instrument, but something
entirely new, is a huge challenge.
“Music shops, musicians and teachers -
we’re all naturally reticent about things
that are off the standard, anything that’s a
little bit different, so it helps tremendously
when you have people introducing it who
are well known and very knowledgeable,”
he says.
Assuming retailers are receptive, the
next stage of Tomandwill’s marketing
programme presumably has to be
convincing music teachers that the
Clarinéo is the instrument they should be
teaching their pupils to play. So how does
he propose to go about this somewhat
daunting task?
“We’ve created a website –
www.clarineo.com – which went live a
few weeks ago and I must say it’s already
getting a lot of traffic. We will be doing an
awful lot of mailing to teachers and to
music services and schools – all very
much designed to spark interest. On the
website, we’re listing the dealers who are
”You may go on to
play the oboe,
bassoon or any
instrument – and
more easily than
from the recorder.John Hughes-ChamberlainMD, Tomandwill
Tom,Will and
Clarinéo
30 miPRO JANUARY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
taking them and we are adding quite a
few names every week. We are also
starting to do a lot of advertising in
various magazines, such as the CAS
Magazine, the Rhinegold Publishing
magazines and much more besides.”
While the Clarinéo’s Lyons C
predecessor certainly had its admirers and
advocates in music services departments
around the country, the Nuvo Clarinéo
seems, on the face of it, an even more
attractive proposition for them. “It is
similar, but a number of significant
improvements have been made, and the
marketing and packaging is at a different
level altogether. Importantly, it’s
attractively packaged and it looks the part.
“Primary school music has traditionally
been about recorders and that is the level
where this instrument should do really
well – the five to nine-year-old range.
Schools have previously been somewhat
restricted to recorders and, more recently,
ukuleles have become quite popular as has
percussion, but an instrument like this is a
fantastic addition for them.”
It is also a much easier and more
suitable bridge to traditional wind
instruments and its clever plastic
construction, ease and cheapness of
service and light weight make it seemingly
the ideal instrument for a beginner.
So does Tomandwill see the Clarinéo as
an instrument children would play after
the recorder, or instead of?
“Either, but I would hope instead,”
Hughes-Chamberlain says. “After playing
this for a few years, you may well go on to
play the clarinet, but you may equally go
on to play the oboe, the bassoon or any
other instrument – and more easily than
from the recorder. But just in its own right
as an instrument at that level, it offers lot
more than the recorder.
“There are two models that we sell.
One is the standard Clarinéo, but the
other is what we’re calling a self-teach
pack, which comes in a colourful box and
includes a tutor book and DVD tutor with
backing tracks. It is something that sits on
the counter of a music shop, making a
very saleable package. And at the price, a
suggested £145 for the self-teach model,
it’s an attractive proposition and very
good value.
“The standard package, incidentally,
without the extras, sells for a suggested
£129. There are some very cheap clarinets
out there too, of course, but compared
with an equivalent quality clarinet or a
flute, the Clarinéo is very appealing.”
While it isn’t hard to see retailers who
already sell traditional instruments taking
the Clarinéo as part of their product line-
up, does Hughes-Chamberlain feel it could
also offer new sales potential for more
rock and roll orientated stores as well?
“That’s a fascinating question, because I
hope so – but I’ve yet to find out. Though
we have been surprised by the reaction
we’ve had to the first mailing we did – we
were expecting a lot more resistance than
we’ve actually had.
“I think a lot of music shops are
actually crying out for new things and this
is genuinely a new instrument. It’s got
good packaging, a fun side, because it
comes in different colours, and I think it
will be really interesting to see whether it
can sell well in lots of different types of
music shops.
“Where we have already been very
successful has been with some really
important music retailers, like Dawkes, and
it’s very encouraging when stores like that,
and even some who didn’t stock the Lyons
Clarinet, have looked at this and been
keen to adopt it.
“We are, as a company, going to be
doing a pretty significant amount of
advertising on this product, because I
think it is something that both justifies
and requires it. We have a pretty good
campaign currently being planned, which
will be taking place over the next nine
months – a lot of it aimed at teachers and
educators, initially.”
With its new retail friendly packaging
and a very child-friendly design and
construction, it’s not hard to see the
Clarinéo reaching places that the Lyons C
couldn’t get to. Certainly, with the sort of
exposure that Tomandwill have planned
for it, the new instrument has
tremendous potential, as a visit to
the new website clearly shows.
Here the Clarinéo is explained
in great and convincing detail.
Importantly, it offers a new
prospect not just for retailers
already selling wind
instruments, but also for
retailers who wouldn’t
consider expanding into
woodwind and brass sales, but
for whom having something
to offer aspirational parents
who are not going to be
satisfied with their children
learning a guitar, offers a
genuinely new opportunity.
What is more, with Tomandwill
so thoroughly behind the new
product, and every chance that
teachers are also going
embrace it, the Clarinéo has
the potential to become a
staple part of a music shop’s
stock in years to come.
TOMANDWILL: 08450 945659
TOMANDWILL COMPANY PROFILE
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JANUARY 2010 31
After securing the distribution rights to Lyons’
groundbreaking Nuvo Clarinéo, Tomandwill has drawn
up a plan of action that should help get the
instrument into the heads of music tutors and into
the hands of school children. Gary Cooper speaks
with MD John Hughes-Chamberlain to find out if it
has something of a recorder killer on its hands...
PROFILE
I WOKE UPTHIS MORNING
Inormally get up, have a quick cup of
tea and check the emails on my
iPhone. Then I wander over to the
office with the dogs. I live on the farm
where the offices are – built within the
stable block. First off, I’ll answer the
dozens of artist requests that have
come into our website and double check
that prior requests have been sorted.
We like to do our utmost and support
everyone to the best of our ability. We
work with anyone from small bands that
play in pubs all the way up to huge
bands such Foo Fighters. We get an
awful lot of people coming to us.
Generally speaking, how much we help
depends on what they’re doing as a
band. We don’t give anything away, but
we offer great pricing and support.
If a band needs loan gear anywhere
around the world we can generally sort
that out for them.
Often, bands won’t take a backline
with them on tour, so we step in. For
example, over the last few weeks the
Foo Fighters were over and it was down
to me to organise two rigs for them.
They were doing Jools Holland one night
and the VMA awards in Berlin the next,
so they needed gear in both places.
Logistically, putting that together was all
sorts of fun and games.
We have a lot of high profile players,
people like Mark King from Level 42,
Nate Mendel from the Foo Fighters, and
Adam Clayton from U2. It’s a broad
spread, you've got everyone from rock
icons to high fidelity players, down to
young English bands like Bloc Party –
we're supporting a lot of artists.
I’ve been doing this job for the last
seven years, so I’ve built up good
relationships with a lot of people.
There’s no one else at the company that
deals with artists or marketing, so I’ve
got a lot of my plate, to say the least.
At the moment I’m working on the
photography for the Valve range coming
out at NAMM. I’ve been working on the
brochure as well as the imagery. I’ll also
be writing press releases for NAMM and
the global media that we deal with.
I’ll be working on Frankfurt after that,
so there’s really no rest. Once the big
trade shows are out of the way, I hit my
really busy period in the summer:
festival season. All the sales people tend
to have a quiet time over the summer,
but for me it’s the opposite and I’m
rushed off my feet.
I get home about six o’clock, and
relax. I play myself and I have a little
studio, so I keep myself pretty busy.
Ashdown’s Dan
Gooday reveals all
about his working
day, which can
include everything
from sorting out
gear for the biggest
bands to preparing
new products for
the biggest trade
shows...
Artist relations and marketing manager
DAN GOODAY
32 miPRO JANUARY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
”I’m writing press
releases for
NAMM and I’ll be
working on
Frankfurt after
that, so there’s no
rest.Dan Gooday, Ashdown
FEEL EVERY BEAT From PA systems to mic stands, spotlights to flight cases,
the PULSE series of sound & lighting equipment delivers power,
portability, versatility and quality for all your requirements.
To see how the Pulse range can improve your sales and profitability call Dave Swindlehurst. Tel 01772 664873 email: [email protected], Faraday Drive, Fulwood, Preston, PR2 9PP. Coming Soon - www.pulse-audio.co.uk & www.pulse-light.co.uk
GREAT
DEALS
HUGE MARGINS!UNBEATABLE TRADE PRICES!
Rackmount MP3 player Ref: MP3 MasterAccepts SD cards or USB drives. Balanced microphone input completes the
unit making this ideal for entertainers of all kinds.
Studio Monitor Headphones Ref: Studio CansMade for the studio these headphones
provide a well balanced frequency
reponse, tough build quality and are
retail packed ready for instore display
Speakon Leads Ref: PLS00159
Speaker cables featuring Genuine Neutrik
Speakon connectors and tough,
flexible 2.5mm cable
Ultra-portable PA System Ref: PA-40
Packing an impressive 40Wrms output this
unit outperforms most similar size units.
Supplied complete with a 16CH UHF radio
microphone
XLR multicores Ref: PLS00035
Handy cable reels ideal for gigging musicians.
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JANUARY 2010 35
As a breed, guitarists are constantly
looking for the new sound,
whether it's the harshest overdrive
or the wildest delay. It's a constant search
that, for many players, never quite ends –
there's always something else out there
that can be added to the pedal board,
always another update or innovation.
To cope with this, the effects pedal
market is crowded to say the least. Huge
multi-national companies compete with
the smallest of boutique manufacturers
for the attentions of fickle effects
hunters, so there's plenty of variety to
suit pretty much any taste.
Long the first choice of players after
something that offers a large range of
effects as well as essential value for
money is Zoom, a company that has
been turning out extremely popular multi
effects units for quite some time now.
The most recent addition to its range is
G1 X Next, which follows the familiar
dual pedal layout and packs a staggering
amount of variety into what is essentially
a very small box. State of the art
modelling technology combines with
familiar Zoom ease of use, a clutch of
artist presets and a range of effects
including everything from modulations
through to eqs, 20 odd overdrives and a
huge number of delays and reverbs. The
G1 X Next includes an expression pedal
in order squeeze a bit more usage out of
the box, but be in no doubt this is a
highly effective, incredibly flexible pedal
that will have a huge number of Zoom
fanatics reaching for their wallets.
Peavey's main competitor in the
effects market is the Budda Wah, a pedal
that has been favoured by the likes of
Dave Navarro and Steve Vai for a good
reason. Tonally bright without being too
piercing, it features a hard-wire bypass so
that the effect is kept out of the circuit
when it is not in use, keeping the signal
path as uncluttered as possible. A custom
coil inductor, essentially an update on the
technology that was central to the 60's
Cry Baby, is also central to the vocal
effect that the pedal produces.
Another major player in the effects
world is Line 6, a company that has
exposed many players to their first
encounter with effects. The DL4, a delay
modeler that packs the sounds of a huge
range of classic and modern delays into
“Huge multi-
nationals
compete with
boutique
manufacturers for
the attentions of
fickle guitarists
CONTACT DETAILSZOOM01462 791100PEAVEY 01536 424664STRINGS & THINGS (DUNLOP) 01691 668310ARIA UK01483 238720SOURCE (EVENTIDE/MOOG)020 8962 5080WESTSIDE (MORLEY/0141 248 4812CHORD0845 270 2411 HEADSTOCK (IBANEZ)0121 508 6666GODLYKE (GUYATONE)+1 973 777 7477JHS (MXR/DUNLOP)0113 286 5381ROLAND (BOSS)01792 702701HOTROX UK0115 987 3163SOUND TECH (DIGITECH)01462 480000MARSHALL01908 375411
Line 6 M9RRP: £329
Boasting over 80 stomp box models
within its read-for-the-road frame, there
are enough effects in this box to keep
any guitarist happy for months. Easy to
use and with a looper and many of the
effects from the popular DL4 included,
this is quite a package.
The guitar effects market has a vast array of products within it – an amount that belies the cabinet space it affords in
most shops. Rob Power walks through the minefield of über tone to discover some explosive (and profitable) sounds...
The FX effect
Zoom G2RRP: 89.99
Designed for both studio and live use,
there is a staggering amount packed
into what is quite a tiny box, including
16 classic amp and FX models, preset
patches and a drum machine.
T-Rex Tonebug ReverbRRP: £72
With an ingenious dual mode feature
that allowes players to switch between
Modern (contemporart reverbs) and
Spring (classic vintage reverbs) this is a
versatile and great sounding addition to
the expanding ranks of T-Rex pedals.
GUITAR FX SECTOR SPOTLIGHT
SECTOR SPOTLIGHT GUITAR FX
36 miPRO JANUARY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
an eye catching green box, has become a
classic in its own right, and is a
consistently strong seller. A new product
on the market for Line 6 is the M9, an
update on the M13 stompbox modeller
which scales down of the size of the M13
but packs just as much of a punch.
A new line of affordable pedals from
Aria has hit the market in the form of
Series 10. Housed in durable cases in
striking colours with chicken head knobs,
effects in the line include DT10 distortion
and the FL10 flanger, amongst many
others, with prices ranging from £44.95
to £64.95.
Eventide, at home with Source
Distribution – as is Moog – has plenty
of gear to entice guitarists in with. The
newest of the Eventide stompboxes is the
Pitch Factor harmonizer (£459), which
joins the Time Factor delay and Mod
Factor modulation pedals. A highly
anticipated pedal, it follows in the
harmonising tradition that Eventide built
its reputation on.
New from Moog is the MF-105M MIDI
Murf 110V, a beautiful looking wood
bound pedal that has bundles of retro
allure in both looks and sounds thanks to
its extremely resonant, 100 per cent
analog mid and bass filter bands.
Westside has plenty to offer the
effects laden guitarist, with everything
from the mighty Morley wahs to the
cutting edge designs of T-Rex under it's
wing. Westside is also home to the
mighty Ebow, one of the most instantly
recognised effects on the market that has
the ability to revolutionise the way a
player approaches the guitar.
A new brand, Chord looks set to make a
name for itself in 2010 with it's
distinctive range of cost effective stomp
boxes. From the likes of the OD-50
overdrive which delivers a sweet classic
rock tone to the PH-50 phaser, there's
enough variety on offer to pique the
interest of any passing guitarist.
Ibanez has its place in effects pedal
heaven guaranteed thanks to the Tube
Screamer, but there are plenty of other
Ibanez pedals that do just as good as job,
from the warm sounding AD9 analog
delay through to the CS9 stereo chorus.
Of particular interest to the shredders
among us is the Ibanez Jemini, the
signature distortion pedal of Steve Vai,
which with its double pedal layout and
crazy colour scheme makes for an
interesting addition to any effects rig.
The Guyatone Mighty Micro range is
the latest from Godlyke, which is based
on the well received Micro series and
aims to offer professional-grade features
and exceptional sound quality in an
ultra-compact, lightweight chassis that is
33 per cent smaller and 50 per cent
lighter than the average stompbox.
To date, the range includes the Hgm 5
Hot Drive, Mdm 5 Micro digital delay (an
upgrade on the best selling MD-2), Mrm
5 Wah Rocker, and finally the Vtm 5 Veri-
Trem, with each coming with a three
year warranty, aluminium 'stomp guard'
to protect the controls and top mounted
jacks. Really worth a look.
Chord PH-50 phaserRRP: £32.99
This fully analog phase shifter aims to
recreate classic rock and pop phasing,
while the versatile controls allow
variations from slow comb filtering all
the way up to high speed vibrato effects.
Ibanez Tube KingRRP: £149
Thanks to the 12AX7 at it's heart, the
Tube King has the enviable ability of
being able to make a solid state amp
sound like a filthy tube driven monster.
Perfect for players with a budget that
doesn't quite stretch to a tube amp...
Moogerfooger MF-102RRP: £279
On the electric side there is the A
beautiful looking ring modulator
designed by none other than Bob Moog
himself, the pedal features an analog
Ring Modulator with a built in Carrier
Oscillator and LFO. A top notch high
end pedal.
Digitech TimebenderRRP: £315
Featuring 10 delay types including, the
TimeBender goes beyond normal delays to
create custom repeat rhythms and has endless
scope for rhythmic variety, whilst up tp to 6
taps can be set to quickly create delays that
would normally take a rack of effects and
hours of programming.
Zoom UK, 15 Weston Barns,
Hitchin Road, Weston, Hertfordshire,
SG4 7AX, UNITED KINGDOM
Zoom Corporation, 2F, ITOHPIA Iwamotocho
2-chome Bldg., 2-11-2 Iwamoto-cho,
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0032, JAPAN
TEL: +44-1462-791100 www.zoom.co.jp FAX: +44-1462-791117
G1M MICHAEL AMOTT SIGNATURE
G1K KIKO LOUREIRO SIGNATURE
G1J JOHN 5 SIGNATURE
G2G GEORGE LYNCH SIGNATUREG2R RICHIE KOTZEN SIGNATURE
THE NEXT STANDARD
38 miPRO JANUARY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
GodlykeRRP: $POA
Selectable waveforms and rugged
construction are all part of the
package here. The Veri-Trem creates
warm vintage tremelo tones and
allows players to sculpt the sound
to their own liking.
With an awful lot of effects brands
under its wing, JHS has plenty to shout
about in this department. First up is the
MXR Black Label chorus, a new addition to
the much lauded MXR range. A Zakk
Wylde signature pedal used to thicken up
his wall of distortion, the pedal features
vintage-style tones and a heavy-duty
housing for a lifetime on the road. Also at
JHS is the ever popular Danelectro Cool
Cat range. Distinctive designs, genuinely
great sounding pedals and prices that
aren't terrifying to guitarists still on
pocket money, Danelectro has made an
impressive name for itself with its effects
and continues to do so.
Hot Rox has a few interesting names
on its books, not least the mighty Electro
Harmonix, a brand that, thanks to it's
flawless 60s heritage, remains hugely
popular and sought after. The Big Muff is
still a strong seller, but there is a hell of a
lot more to the brand, such as the
Memory Man analog delay or the Holy
Stain multi effects unit which includes
reverb, a tremelo and pitch shifting
amongst other tricks.
Roland, with its Boss brand of course,
is still very much the first port of call for
many players searching for effects. While
there are some evergreen pedals that
seem to find their way onto every pedal
board – the DS-2 or DD-5 for example –
some of the more recent additions have
also made a splace. Check out the
absolutely bonkers Slicer for example, a
harmonic, arpeggiator-type pedal than
frankly needs to be heard to be believed.
Still a big name in effects, Digitech
continues to unleash its mindbending
products on the market thanks to Sound
Technology. The RP1000 integrates into
set ups, switching stomp boxes in and out
of the signal path like a pro rig, and allows
players to integrate loops into their sound.
Also better known for its amplifiers,
Marshall has made impressive inroads
into the effects market in recent years. Its
current range includes the crunchy
Guv'nor and Bluesbreaker II distortion
pedals, alongside the likes of the
Regenerator, which includes a phaser,
flanger and chorus all in one small unit.
Value for money, sturdy design and, as you
might expect from Marshall, professional
level sounds that should slot into any set
up with ease.
”Of particular
interest to the
shredders among
us is the
Ibanez Jemini
Boss Space EchoRRP: £189
Reproducing the sound of the classic
piece of outboard studio wizardry, this
dual pedal opens up a whole new world
of sounds to guitarists looking for
something that will send their sound
into the stratosphere. Excellent retro
sounds and style.
Dunlop Kirk Hammett RRP: £249
Designed to capture the tone of the
Metallica icon, and developed in
conjunction with the man himself, this is
an absolute must have for fans of the
band or players looking to emulate
Hammett's way with the wah.
Electro Harmonix CathedralRRP: £179
A stereo reverb capable of allowing
players to transcend this world and
sound heavenly, Electro Harmonix have
once again created something that is
able to not only help alter a guitarist's
sound but also help open up the
floodgates to creativity.
SECTOR SPOTLIGHT GUITAR FX
0845 270 2411 0845 270 2433 www.chordmusicuk.com
OD-50 OverdriveRef: 174.204UK
HM-50 Heavy MetalRef: 174.207UK
MT-50 Metal DriverRef: 174.210UK
SD-50 Super DistortionRef: 174.213UK
CM-50 CompressorRef: 174.216UK
GE-50 Graphic EQRef: 174.219UK
PH-50 PhaserRef: 174.222UK
FL-50 FlangerRef: 174.225UK
CH-50 ChorusRef: 174.228UK
DL-50 DelayRef: 174.231UK
BOD-50 Bass OverdriveRef: 174.234UK
BEQ-50 Bass Graphic EQRef: 174.237UK
BCH-50 Bass ChorusRef: 174.240UK
TU-50 Pedal TunerRef: 174.243UK
DS-50 DistortionRef: 174.201UK
These authentically styled ‘Chord’ pedals all come housed in a heavy duty die-cast case to withstand stage abuse and stay put underfoot.
They have a pure analogue signal chain combined with up-to-date features to satisfy the demands of today’s guitarists, without the exclusive price tag.
... with our NEW range of eff ects pedals! Audio clips online
Find the perfect stomp pedal for your needs by listening to the sounds and eff ects that can be created at www.chordmusicuk.com
40 miPRO JANUARY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
Ibanez GSA 60RRP: £195
With less aggressive lines than
the classic Ibanez rock guitars,
namely the RG series, the GSA
60 is one helluva cool starting
point for players wanting to get
their first taste of an electric. A
quality maple neck on an
agathis body and looks to die
for, the GSA 60 has two single
coil pickups and a bridge
humbucker for that extra kick to
compensate the bite. A paltry
£195 will buy your customers
this baby.
Picking one mid-priced guitar from the
plethora is very much down to the sales
patter of the shop staff. Once you get over
£200, it is the components and the finishes that
begin to change. The use of quality machineheads
and string retainers on the headstock, the bridge
(whether trem loaded or not), the control pots
and switches. All of these start to make a
difference to the sale and, because the wood
begins to be selected with something
approaching concern, translucent finishes can be
applied to bring out the best of those lovely
mahogany, ash and maple bodies.
With the standard of these lower (but
not lowest) priced axes reaching ever-
improving quality, it is worth pointing out
to the punter that the right choice has
become pretty vital, as this could be a
guitar that remains with the player for ages.
For the dealer, the queue of reps
growing at the door is the result of there
being so much to choose from, so there
should be no problem finding the brands
and models you are comfortable with.
Happy hunting and successful sales…
When talking ‘guitar’ you have to talk
Fender – and when adding the word
budget, the conversation easily swings to
Squier. Fender GBI is making much at the
moment of the new Squier Biffy Clyro
signature models – the Simon Neil
Stratocaster and James Johnston Jazz bass.
The Stratocaster is colour-matched to
Neil’s 60s Custom Shop guitar and features
a custom set of pickups.
Away from the main lines, so to speak,
Fender GBI also has the Hamer XT series,
which at sub £500 represents top value.
With the company’s runaway success in
the sphere of acoustics, it is easy to forget
that Tanglewood has an impressive line up
of electrics to offer. As well as the TSB 58
L-types (above) there is the TSB 67 SG-
type, for those after a touch more classic
cut and the TJD 700, a more modern take
on the double cutaway. The 700 features a
basswood body and a maple neck with
die-cast chrome tuners and nickel
hardware and a couple of humbuckers to
feed the appetite of the heavier rockers.
Barnes & Mullins has a couple of
electric brands on their books and I’m
certain the company wouldn’t mind my
saying that the headliner of these is Lag.
The classic Roxane design (the original Lag
shape) comes in for as little as £419 for
the R200ST. The double cutaway design,
“It’s worth pointing
out to the punter
that the right
choice has
become pretty
vital, as this could
be a guitar that
remains with the
player for ages.
CONTACT DETAILS
FENDER (SQUIER/HAMER)01342 331700TANGLEWOOD 01937 841122BARNES & MULLINS(LAG/GOULD) 01691 652449JHS (FRET KING/VINTAGE/ITALIA/DANELECTRO) 0113 286 5381EMD (STAGG) 01293 862612MUSIC FORCE(ASHTON/SPARROW)01780 781630ARIA 01483 238725INTERMUSIC (SHINE) 01202 696963WESTSIDE (SCHECTER/AXL)0141 248 4812HEADSTOCK (IBANEZ) 0121 508 6666PEAVEY 01536 461234YAMAHA01908 366700
Fret King Eclat 2RRP: £549
At the upper end of this price
bracket is the Fret King Eclat 2,
which features the classic format
for this style of set-neck
construction. With a two-piece flat
front centre-jointed mahogany
body and single-piece mahogany
neck with rosewood fingerboard,
this guitar also features a unique
forearm chamfer, rear comfort
scoop and enhanced upper fret
access. A Wilkinson intonatable
GTB200 combined bridge/tailpiece
and custom designed Fret King
P90s complements this axe.
There is no bigger market for guitars than the £150 to £500 sector of electric models. Thousands of new models appear
each year in much the same way mushrooms do, but the dilemma for player and retailer alike is simply where to start.
Andy Barrett gets up close and personal with a few new additions…
Pre-budget statement
Stagg G ForceRRP: £295
While Stagg is synonymous with
good quality, value-for-money
familiarly styled entry level
electrics, there also exist uniquely
styled models somewhere
between the upper echelons of
entry level to mid price. The
impressive G Force is designed to
get the younger rock players
salivating with its almost
industrial take on the V-style
guitar. A solid alder body fitted
with high output humbuckers, a
fixed bridge and a slim neck
profile for speed playing.
SECTOR SPOTLIGHT ELECTRIC GUITARS
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JANUARY 2010 41
beautifully flamed maple tops and solid
mahogany bodies are equipped with
tonally broad EMG pickups. Like the Arkane
(above), the Roxane has a Matt Design
version too: R200MD. The matt black or
pearl white finishes, brushed chrome
hardware and string-thru body design
create a more contemporary appearance.
B&M’s other brand is Gould, which has
proved a successful starting point for many
an aspiring rocker. The GST100 is an S-type
and available in a choice of finishes (and
leftie versions). This and the L-type GLP100
come in a full colour display box.
JHS’ Vintage brand offers a
comprehensive range of many of the best
known styles of electric guitar directly
available in this price category. These
include Vintage Reissued, Vintage Advance
and the fabulous pre-aged Vintage Icon
instruments, a range which has already
achieved international success.
Furthermore, Fret King Blue Label
guitars are produced in a low volume,
luthier-built environment, bringing the Fret
King designs to a wider audience while
using the same quality of imported
tonewoods associated with the upper-end
Green Label guitars. Blue Label utilises
custom-wound Fret-King pickups and
circuitry with premium hardware by
Wilkinson and Gotoh and authentic
vintage construction.
As JHS becomes, in guitar terms, the
home of Trevor Wilkinson, the Garforth
company also has the Italia range of
guitars – something of a favourite of
Wilkinson’s. In a world of what seems like
homogenised guitar design dominated by
established shapes, it's often left up to the
more radical alternatives to provide some
light relief. Taking inspiration from the
individual guitar designs of the 50s and
60s, Italia takes the concept of 'modern
retro' as its left-field starting point.
JHS also has the hip Danelectro guitar
range. Of note is the reissue of the Hornet
Dead On 67 guitars. Available in a selection
of retro finishes, the Hornets have zero
gloss nickel hardware, double action truss
rods that offer easy adjustment at the
headstock end and 25-inch scale length.
EMD’s Stagg has some uniquely styled
models, positioned somewhere between
the upper echelons of entry level to mid
price in all sorts of shapes and sizes. The
Z600QM (£350) has a solid alder body
with a quilted maple top, high output
humbuckers, fixed bridge and slim neck
profile for speed. This is not unlike the
Nitro T-type (£379) with the same
chequered pattern as the G Force (above).
There is also the funky Tribal model (£189),
an S-type model with two single coils and
a humbucker at the bridge.
Peavey has recently launched the PXD
series, a new breed of ‘extreme’ electric
guitars that captures the aggression and
attitude of modern metal players. With
active pickups anchored to slabs of
mahogany, the PXDs offer full-on
aggression in any of the four models: the
Tomb, Twenty-Three, Tragic and Void.
Features include Kahler tremolos and Tune-
o-matic bridges with all models shipping in
Coffin Case cases or gig bags. They all have
high-output EMG or Peavey VFL active
pickups and they retail from £236 to £354.
Music Force wades in with both
Sparrow guitars (above) and, of course,
Ashton. The latter has a few surprises up
its sleeve with three models in the shape
of the Rocker, a basswood-bodied double
cutaway and the similarly shaped Classic
LagRRP: £459
Lag’s Arkane A200ST (£459) features a Flamed Maple top
on a solid basswood body; a Bolt-On neck; 3 x EMG
Pickups and a Floyd Rose trem system. A200STs are
available in Black Shadow (left handed, too), Honey
Shadow and Royal Blue Shadow. There is also a Matt
design version A200MD (£369) which features a fixed
bridge, string-thru design which is only available in Black
(of course). The famous Roxane design is also available at
the lower end in the shape of the R200ST models (£419).
Aria TA 50 QMRRP: £349
The TA series has been around since 1967.
The new TA 50 QM offers a top, back and
sides that are all quilted maple with a
natural amber finish, combined with the
cream body bindings, chrome hardware
and black scratch plate. A pair of high
output HB-103 humbuckers with ceramic
coils, based on the SH-6 Duncan
Distortion units make for a powerful
signal, but they clean up beautifully. The
guitar has Aria's own SPT bridge and
patented type QH tailpiece.
Axl Badwater AT-820RRP: £159
Axl’s Badwater range has the look and
feel of ancient artefacts, with even the
headstock and backplate sporting
vintage distressing. The Badwater guitars
are built around an alder body with a
bolt-on maple neck and rosewood
fingerboard. The guitars are equipped
with EMG-designed pickups and the AT-
820 (T-style) is available in worn brown
and worn white (£154) and crackle
brown blue or black (£159).
Tanglewood TSB58RRP: £349
Tanglewood’s TSB58 is well suited for
anyone looking to upgrade, or have a
quality second guitar, maintaining the Big
T’s reputation from its acoustics, with a
quality constructed and finished guitar. A
solid mahogany body with a flame maple
veneer top, mahogany set neck, rosewood
fingerboard, Kluson style machineheads
and a couple of Entwistle Alnico HV58
humbuckers make for an attractive
package for just £349.95.
ELECTRIC GUITARS SECTOR SPOTLIGHT
SECTOR SPOTLIGHT ELECTRIC GUITARS
42 miPRO JANUARY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
Peavey RockinghamRRP: £473
Designed by Peavey endorser, Darrel Higham of
Imelda May, the Rockingham is bigger than a
Gretsch 6120, but smaller than a Gibson L5, thus
eliminating feedback, but maintaining strength
of construction. Featureing a Bigsby B6 tailpiece
and some funky looking knobs, the Rockingham
bridges the gulf between jazz and rock. The word
from Higham and Peavey is simple: ‘Give on of
these a try – you’ll be impressed’.
both excellent starters. A little more unusual
is the Fidelity, which comes in at £159, has
an elm body, no less, cut in the classic T
shape and looks considerably cooler than its
price tag might suggest. Wilkinson pickups,
a maple neck and a choice of maple or
rosewood fingerboards round off the deal.
Aria’s Diamond series of solid bodied
guitars and basses are inspired by the
guitars of the 60s, and are back as an
affordable, alternative guitar choice. The
Diamond DM380 guitars have cool, reversed
body shapes, topped with a neat, white-
pearloid scratchplate and contrasting black
control knobs. The diamond studded
headstock plate is also included.
The DM380 sports a pair of APS-9 single
coil pickups on alder bodies, with bolt-on
maple necks and rosewood fingerboards.
The guitars remain articulate in crunch
mode, with that little extra bite in reserve
when used with overdrive, for lead work.
Intermusic’s Shine guitars – made by
the Saein company in Korea – are superbly
made, have the widest range of product of
any supplier and are at a very competitive
price to give the retailer a good margin,
which is why, Intermusic tells us, more are
turning away from famous names, to Shine.
There is little to separate Shine from
others in this bracket (quality woods, Grover
tuners, sturdy hardware), the range has
some of the best-looking guitars.
As well as Axl, Westside brings in the
Schecter range of electrics, which start at
the entry level Omen Range (£249) and the
C-1 shaped basswood body, bolt-on maple
neck and two Schecter Diamond Plus
humbuckers. There are options for a licensed
Floyd Rose trem (£299) and a seven-string
model (£279). A step up from here is the
Active Range – a new series of guitars made
by Schecter for export only (so none in the
US). Built in China the guitars come in a
variety of shapes including Schecter’s take
on the L-types with the Solo-6 (£359) and
V-type (£329) as well as its standard C-1
(£329). Body construction is mahogany with
a bolt-on maple neck, gothic cross inlays and
black hardware. These guitars feature
Seymour Duncan’s HB-105 active pickups.
Ibanez has an absolute mass of the very
best in mid-priced guitars and it won’t take
much travelling around the local pub scene
to come across an Ibanez guitar or bass. The
Japanese brand, sold in the UK through
Headstock, is now coming back to the fore
with the latest swing back to ‘shredding’
and guitars such as the GSA 60 (above)
retailing at such low price points, that trend
is likely to continue. Aside from that, there
is the GAX30 with an agathis double-
cutaway body, maple neck, fixed bridge and
dual humbuckers at a mere £149, and the
GRG170DX, an Ibanez RG shaped model
with a synchronised tremolo system and
three pickups set on a basswood body with
a maple neck. This comes in at the same
£195 price point as the GSA 60. As does the
GRGR121EX, a twin humbucker model.
Yamaha, like Squier, is a must-see brand
when looking for a quality, sub-500 quid
guitar. Obviously the Pacifica (above) could
be all that is needed, but there is a lot more.
The RGX121Z, for example, has the looks
and sounds for today’s heavier rockers. A
modern design and progressive curves make
this a smooth, sleek player with a variety of
powerful tones.
Coming in at around the £300 mark, the
RGX A2 features Yamaha’s proprietary
Alternative Internal Resonance technology
in the body construction, LED lit cylindrical
diecast knobs, diecast cylindrical tuners and
Yamaha Alnico soapbar pickups. All of this
goes together to make this a high tech
vehicle, with the expected playability and
considerable value for money.
Yamaha PacificaRRP: £129
Take a solid American alder body, a maple neck
with a rosewood fingerboard, teamed up with
custom designed pickups, a vintage trem and
solid chrome machineheads. Then give it to
Yamaha to put it all together and you have
possibly the most successful budget electric ever.
The Pacifica changed the way people looked at
cheap guitars and began the sort of ‘quality wars’
still going on today. The latest version, the 112 V,
launched in 2007 took the Pacifica another step
forward.
Vintage Icon Thomas Blug V6RRP: £399
Guitars like the new-to-the-range
Vintage V6 Thomas Blug Signature
Icon offer authentic feel, aged
Wilkinson tuners, hardware and
pickups, and look as though they’ve
been played for decades with all the
marks of wear and tear to prove it.
Blug himself pronounced the end
result as ‘breathtaking’, which,
combined with the £399 price tag,
means one helluva big bang for the
buck for budget axemen.
Billy Bones’ success with Sparrow is
an excellent lesson to anyone
looking for a way into the guitar
market. The Korean-made, Canadian
finished models are beautifully
appointed, as shown here with the
Twangmaster. An ash body, maple
neck and fingerboard, Grover tuners,
Kent Armstrong humbuckers and
custom finish makes this (at a quid
inside this price bracket) one of the
best on the market.
Sparrow TwangmasterRRP: £499
R
Did you miss some of these?
We think you will like what we have
COMING IN 2010!Visit us at Winter NAMM in Booth #3304
MB20682BCD MB20871BCD MB22000 MB21883BCD MB21279
MB21068BCD MB21539BCD MB21088 MB21511BCD MB21830BCD
MB20870BCD MB21662BCD MB99583BCD MB21991DVD MB21123BCD
Office 512, Fortis House | 160 London Road | Barking, Essex IG11 8BB
UK SALES FREEPHONE NO: 0800 432 0486TELEPHONE NO: +44 (0)20 8214 1222
FAX NUMBER: +44 (0)20 8214 1328 Web: www.melbay.com | E-mail: [email protected]
Mel BayM U S I C , L T D .
Excellence in Music
MEL BAY distributes to the World!
Something for EVERYONE!Excellence in Music R
Offi ce 512, Fortis House • 160 London Road • Barking, Essex IG11 8BB
Telephone No: +44 (0)20 8214 1222 • Fax Number: +44 (0)20 8214 1328
UK Sales Freephone: 0800 432 0486E-mail: [email protected]
1. DENIS WICK
ULTRA U3 EUPHONIUM
MOUTHPIECE £57They say: Has such a powerful high
register – the loudest top B that you will
ever have played.
For: Euphonium players
Range: Denis Wick mouthpieces
Spec: Silver-plated, heavier outer shape,
more rounded cup, sharper inner edge to
rim. Available in two sizes: SM3U and
SM4U). Further euphonium and baritone
models to follow. (Gold-plated version
£80.20.)
From: Denis Wick 01202 665100
2. STAGG
SGEPB/4 PEDAL BAG £36They say: Quality deluxe bag for safe
transportation and use of stomp boxes.
For: Guitarists, bassists
Range: Stagg accessories
Spec: Deluxe padded gigbag, holds four
Boss or similar sized pedals. Interior
dimensions: 280mm high x 460mm wide x
70mm deep (11" x 18.1" x 2.75").
From: EMD 01293 862612
6. ROCKCASE
ABS CASES FROM £109They say: We've extended our Premium
Line cases to include special designs for
oversized guitars with extreme shapes.
For: Guitarists
Range: Rockcase cases
Spec: ABS cases for Explorer, BC Rich &
Dean-type guitars, plush covered EPS
foam inner, through-bolted ergonomic
handle, large, lidded interior
compartment, aluminum extrusions. Five
models available.
From: Warwick +49 3742 2555 3110
4. LOGJAM MUSIC
LOGARHYTHM MKII £49.95They say: A totally analog, natural self-
accompaniment, which is unique to each
player.
For: Musicians
Range: Logarhythm foot stompers
Spec: African sapele tonewood block,
cushioned internal dynamic microphone,
standard guitar lead connection to amp,
PA or recording desk, mark II with optional
heel & toe ‘groove board’ control (£68.26).
From: Logjam 01544 388433
5. FISHMAN
AURA SPECTRUM DI
PREAMP £469They say: Restores the pristine sound of a
studio-miked instrument to undersaddle
and soundhole pickups.
For: Acoustic guitarists
Range: Fishman pickups
Spec: 128 pre-loaded acoustic images
(upgradable), three-band eq, built-in
chromatic tuner with bypass/mute, one-
knob compressor, volume, blend and
image controls, automatic feedback
suppression (three notches), effects loop,
XLR DI.
From: JHS 0113 286 5381
3. KORG
CA-1 & GA-1 TUNERS £13.79
& £11.49They say: Excellent features with a new,
enhanced design – all at an even better
price.
For: Guitar, bass, general
Range: Korg tuners
Spec: Replace GA-30 and CA-30 models.
GA-1 dual mode bass & guitar tuner,
wide detection (7B through 1E in guitar
mode, and low B to high C in bass mode).
CA-1 general instrument tuner, detects
C1 to C8.
From: Korg 01908 857100
ACCESSORIES SPOTLIGHT
HIMA
CARBON FIBRE VIOLIN
CASES FROM £265They say: Nothing combines strength
and lightness as carbon fibre does.
These full-size cases offer all the
protection you could need and are
very easy to carry.
For: Violinists and cellists
Range: Hima cases
Spec: Three new strong and
lightweight carbon fibre cases from
Hima, providing strength and
protection for orchestral strings, all
with foam suspension interior and
‘practical’ carrying straps. Available in
black, silver, red and blue. Full-size
versions only available.
1380: Hima carbon fibre violin
hardcase,foam suspension interior,
two bow holders, removable
accessory compartment and interior
music pocket. Two padded carrying
straps, 1.8kg. £265.
1381: As above but for viola. £285.
1382: Cello case, foam suspension
interior, metal fittings, made in
Germany, two padded back straps, 3kg
approx weight. £620.
From: Stentor 01737 240226
“All the protection
you could ever
need – with the
lightness of
carbon fibre
1
3
4 56
2
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK JANUARY 2009 miPRO 47
ACCESSORIES NEW PRODUCTS
“This amp is a real mother******”Simon Neil, Biffy Clyro
Discover the MoFo at www.haydenamps.com
BACKLINE SPOTLIGHT
BACKLINE NEW PRODUCTS
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JANUARY 2010 51
4. TOTALLY WYCKED AUDIO
LD-01 LITTLE DIPPER VOCAL
FORMANT FILTER $POAThey say: A holy grail effect brought into
the future.
For: Guitarists
Range: Totally Wycked effects
Spec: Envelope-controlled vocal
formant filter based on 70s circuit, dual
filters bend and morph guitar signal,
qulaity component and hard-wearing
metal construciton.
From: Godlyke +1 973 777 7477
5. VOX
AMPLUG ACOUSTIC £45They say: Now you can enjoy sweet
acoustic tones from your electric guitar,
anytime, anyplace.
For: Guitarists
Range: Vox Amplug
Spec: Headphone amp and acoustic
modeller, quarter-inch jack plug,
headphone socket, ‘fat/bright’ switch,
blend control, 27-hour battery life,
aux input.
From: Korg 01908 857100
6. WAY HUGE
ANGRY TROLL LINEAR BOOST
£169They say: Now teamed with Dunlop, Way
Huge pedals still offer legendary tones and
still under the control of Jeorge Tripps.
For: Guitarists
Range: Way Huge pedals
Spec: Boost pedal with 50dB controllable
gain via six-position ‘Anger knob’, master
volume control, quiet relay-based true
bypass, metal construciton.
From: JHS 0113 286 5381
Strings & Things 01273 440442
ITALIA
RETRO AMPS FROM £59.99They say: A reflection of the 'modern
retro' flair and vibe of the Wilkinson-
designed Italia catalogue.
For: Guitarists
Range: New Italia product
Spec: Taking inspiration from some of
the more colourful amplifier liveries of
the 1950s and 60s, the cream and red
combination colour scheme of Italia
Retro amps certainly makes them
stand out in style.
The amps also feature grey check
grille cloth and chrome plated corner
protectors, and the 'chicken head'
rotary controls certainly add to the
retro looks.
Italia amps are perfect for anyone
who needs a practice/rehearsal unit
that's as attractive to look at as it it is
to play through.
Using solid state circuitry, the
Italia Retros are available in ten, 15
and 25-Watt versions, with the latter
featuring a short pan spring reverb.
All are twin channel units with
switchable clean and overdrive
settings. ITR10 10W combo: £59.99.
ITR15 15-Watt: £79.99. ITR25R 25-
Watt with reverb: £119.99.
From: JHS 0113 286 5381
4
1 23
1.DANELECTRO
COOL CAT FUZZ V2 UPGRADE
£54.99They say: The same as the original Cool
Cat Fuzz unit, with not so much a bright
or fizzy fuzz, but more of an articulate,
liquid sound.
For: Guitarists
Range: Dano effects
Spec: Fuzz pedal, input sensitivity control,
distortion ‘smoothness’ control, headroom
control, output clipping.
From: JHS 0113 286 5381
2. DANELECTRO
COOL CAT OVERDRIVE V2
UPGRADES £44.99They say: Has many added features
eagerly anticipated by pedalheads.
For: Guitarists
Range: Dano effects
Spec: Overdrive pedal with input
sensitivity trimpot, single coil or
humbucker output levels optimumisation,
‘lo fi’ DIP switch for second frequency
range, drive control.
From: JHS 0113 286 5381
3. ROLAND
BA-330 PORTABLE STEREO AMP
£499They say: Whether battery powered or
plugged in, the BA-330 delivers high-
performance sound that defies its size.
For: Live performance
Range: Roland compact PA
Spec: All-in-one portable four-channel
digital PA system, stereo, four custom-
designed 6.5" speakers, two tweeters, AC
or eight AA battery powered, built-in
effects and eq, anti-feedback function,
speaker-stand adaptor.
From: Roland 01792 702701
6
5
NEW PRODUCTS BASS AND GUITAR
52 miPRO JANUARY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
BASS & GUITAR SPOTLIGHT
GUYATONE
TA 50 SF THINLINE SEMI-
ACOUSTIC £389They say: The TA series continues to
innovate with alternative styles on the
original 50s design.
For: Guitarists
Range: Aria TA series guitars
Spec: These seriously affordable, big-
bodied semis are offered in a stunning
array of finishes and body tonewoods. As
part of the TA Custom series, the TA 50
SF Scottish Flag, has all the qualities of
the standard TA 50, featuring the same
symmetrical body shape with maple top,
back and sides, mahogany set neck and
a bound rosewood 22-fret fingerboard
with inlaid parallel position markers.
The TA50 SF also features a pair of
high output, Duncan-designed HB-103
humbuckers with ceramic coils wired to
individual volume and tone controls and
selector switch. These pickups are based
on the powerful SH-6 Seymour Duncan
Distortion set.
Aria’s SPT bridge and unique patent
type QH tailpiece are also included.
From: Aria 01483 238720
4. MARINER
LX-6N SUPER JUMBO
ACOUSTIC £495They say: The most elegant super
jumbo acoustic guitar.
For: Guitarists
Range: Mariner Masthead series
Spec: Solid mahogany back and sides,
solid sitka spruce top, maple and
rosewood bindings and detailing,
abalone inlays, Grover Sta-Tite
tuners. Available in natural or jet
black finishes.
From: Music Force 01780 781630
5. MARINER
ESO SERIES FROM £599They say: Beauty and tone,
extraordinary clarity and natural
reproduction.
For: Guitarists
Range: Mariner electros
Spec: Venetian cutaway body on
dreadnought, auditorium and super
jumbo models, Fishman Matrix-
Infinity system, rosewood back &
sides. Left-handers available.
From: Music Force 01780 781630
6. WARWICK
CORVETTE ASH SPECIAL
FRETLESS £1,359They say: The last of the four
planned Warwick Special Editions for
this year.
For: Bassists
Range: Warwick custom
Spec: Based on Corvette STD, bolt-on
neck, Warwick Just A Nut III,
tigerstripe ebony fingerboard,
ovangkol neck, black hardware,
passive MEC pickups, Warwick two-
piece bridge.
From: Warwick +49 0374 225550
1
2
3
4
5
6
“The TA series
continues to
innovate with
alternative styles
on original
designs
1. ADAM BLACK
LIBERTY UK GUITARS £399They say: A unique and excellent
sounding guitar with superb playability.
For: Guitarists
Range: Adam Black guitars
Spec: Rock maple bolt-on neck, US ash
body, two high-output, ceramic-magnet
humbuckers, gun-metal nickel hardware,
carbon fibre effect scratchplates, natural
or scar red finishes, branded gigbag.
From: Rosetti 01376 550033
2. HOKADA
3343 & 4 STEEL STRING
ACOUSTICS £99They say: Hokada guitars have a strong
reputation for quality and affordability,
meaning playability and great value.
For: Guitarsists
Range: Hokada acoustics
Spec: 3343: Dreadnought shape body,
natural gloss finish, individual chrome
machine heads, bound rosewood
fingerboard. Scale length: 640mm. 3347:
Mini steel string acoustic guitar with
cutaway, rounded pressed back, natural
matt finish. Scale length: 580mm.
From: Stentor 01737 240226
3. ARIA
ZZ2 £359They say: Generates deep
sustaining qualities, a perfect
marriage to the gnarly edged
attack of the mids and soaring
highs.
For: Guitarists
Range: Aria ZZ electrics
Spec: Alder body, bolt-on maple neck,
two Seymour Duncan designed, active
HB-105N humbuckers, through-body
stringing, Aria solid STP bridge,
black hardware. E-type guitar,
black finish.
From: Aria 01483 238720
DRUMS SPOTLIGHT
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JANUARY 2010 55
5. SABIAN
VAULT ARTISAN TRADITIONAL
SUSPENDED CYMBAL. They say: Premium ‘Old World’ sounds
that are tonally deep, dark and rich, with a
robust vintage musicality.
For: Orchestral percussion
Range: Sabian traditional
Spec: Available in 15" through 20",
medium-thin, high-density traditional
hand hammering, HHX tone projection
dimpling, natural finish (brilliant finish
optional), B20 bronze.
From: Westside 0141 248 4812
5. KICKPORT
KICKPORT KICK DRUM SOUND
HOLE £41.99They say: Enhances the sound of your
kick drum.
For: Drummers
Range: New Product
Spec: Condenses and directs low
frequencies, dampens head, tunable,
plastic construction.
From: Pearl +31 77 366 9349 (fax)
6. TECHTONIC
DD502J ELECTRONIC KIT £429They say: If you are in the market for an
entry level electronic kit, read on as this is
aimed at you.
For: Drummers
Range: New Soar Valley product
Spec: standard five-piece set up, kick,
snare, three toms, two cymbals and hi hat,
215 drum, percussion and cymbal
samples, 20 preset kits, ten user-assignable
kits. Ships with maple 5B sticks.
From: Soar Valley 0116 230 4926
YAMAHA
DTX MULTI 12 PERCUSSION
MODULE £685They say: Delivers dynamic, versatile
and affordable pro percussion power.
For: Drummers, producers, DJs
Range: Yamaha DTX
Spec: Self-contained module with 12
on-board percussion pads, 1,200
drum, percussion and keyboard
sounds, many drawn from Yamaha's
Motif synthesizer range and many
completely new.
Up to 200 custom set ups can be
created and stored with ease to suit
any musical context using all internal
sounds and 42 types of effects.
Additional sounds can be loaded
and stored into the onboard 64MB
memory and allocated to any pad.
For established drummers it will
bring a new sound set and
performance capability to current set-
ups and compliment any musical
setting. The unit is designed to
integrate into an existing acoustic set
up or act as a stand alone unit.
The Multi 12 will also prove
invaluable to composers thanks to
the included Cubase AI 5" software
which facilitates quick and easy
computer connectivity.
From: Yamaha 01908 366700
”Will prove
invaluable to to
musicians and
composers thanks
to Cubase
software
included.
THIS PAGE IS SPONSORED BY MIKEDOLBEAR.COM, THE LEADING ONLINE RESOURCE FOR EVERYTHING DRUMS.
VISIT WWW.MIKEDOLBEAR.COM FOR MORE DETAILS.
DRUMS NEW PRODUCTS
1. EVANS
EC2 HEAD £POAThey say: Upgraded and enhanced
through sound shaping construction
technique.
For: Drummers
Range: Evans drum heads
Spec: Sound Shaping Technology ring
under two plies of 7mm film, each head
size has different thinkness and densities
on ring, ring isolates and damps higher
overtones, enhancing low-end and attack,
and enabling a broader tuning range.
From: Summerfield 0191 414 9000
2. MEINL
MARCHING & SYMPHONIC
CYMBALS £POAThey say: Suitable for use in musical
situations ranging from very low to
extremely loud volumes.
For: Orchestral & marching percussion
Range: Meinl cymbals
Spec: Nine cymbal pairs, three weights
(thin, medium and heavy), 18", 20" and
22" in each category. Five suspended
cymbals (14", 16", 17", 18", and 20"). B20
bronze, hand-hammered in Turkey.
From: Active Music 020 8693 5678
3. LUDWIG
BUN E CARLOS KIT £POAThey say: A companion shell set to the
Bun E Carlos snare.
For: Drummers
Range: Ludwig kits
Spec: 14x24" bass drum, 9x13" rack tom,
and 16x16" floor tom, new Citrus Glass
Glitter finish, Bun E's personal badge,
Ludwig 100th anniversary badge, signed
and numbered on inner shell label.
From: Active Music 020 8693 5678
3
4 6
21
5
LIVE SPOTLIGHT
4. ECLER
AUDEO SERIES SPEAKERS £POAThey say: Strikes the perfect balance
between the intelligibility and sound
reproduction quality.
For: Installation
Range: Ecler speakers
Spec: Three in series: Audeo 103, 106 and
108. Full range, two-way acoustic
speakers, ABS casing, 8Ω, 100V lineoperating switch, IP 54 class for outside
install. Available in black or white, ships
with mounting accessories.
From: Miltec 01622 873378
5. PROEL
FLASH 12HA ACTIVE
ENCLOSURE £599 EACHThey say: Despite the massive increase in
power, the weight of the Flash12HA is
just 19kg.
For: Live applications
Range: Proel Flash
Spec: 500-Watt polypropylene-housed
active speaker, custom designed Celestion
neodymium speakers (12-inch woofer and
one-inch compression driver), bi-amped
continuous 400 Watt + 100 Watt output,
1,600Hz crossover, 128dB max SPL.
From: Proel 020 8761 9911
6. RSS BY ROLAND
M380 MIXER £4,799They say: All the features and benefits of
the award-winning M-400, but in a
compact rack-mount unit.
For: Live applications
Range: Roland V-Mixers
Spec: Rapid recall of setups, touch
sensitive faders, dedicated multi-function
knobs for eq, pan, gain and dynamics
control, 48-channel mixing, digital patch-
bays with Roland FX, 16 aux/mon sends,
eight matrices, eight DCAs, eight mute
groups and built-in stereo recording.
From: RSS 01792 702701
LD SYSTEMS
STINGER SERIES SPEAKERS
£POAThey say: Powerful performances,
easy handling and high pressure levels
for all types of full-range applications.
For: Live applications
Range: LD Systems
Spec: Speaker series ‘powered by
Eminence’, BMS compression drivers.
Passive & active models. Active with
Bang & Olufsen Ice power amp, line
I/O, mic in, volume control, ground
lift, two-band eq, birch ply box with
black textured finish.
LDEB82 passive: Multi functional
high quality loudspeaker with eight-
inch custom made speaker and BMS
one-inch compression driver. 18mm
plywood cabinet structure, highly
durable textured lacquer finish,
integrated speaker stand receptacle.
The versatile Stinger eight-inch is
virtually unbeatable in terms of price-
performance ratio.
LDEB82A active: As above with
B&O amp and Speakon passive
output allowing the connection of a
passive speaker.
This speaker also features the new
Volex power plug.
From: Adam Hall 01702 613922
”Powerful
performances,
easy handling and
high pressure
levels from a
highly durable
enclosure. The
versatile Stinger
eight-inch is
virtually
unbeatable in
terms of price-
performance ratio.
4
1
3
6
5
56 miPRO JANUARY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
2
1.ALTO
APM 200 POWERED MIXER
£785They say: Ultra low noise discrete mic
preamps and extremely high headroom,
giving users greater dynamic range.
For: Musicians, engineers
Range: Alto APM seeries
Spec: 20-Channel 2 + 2-bus format
powered mixer, 16 mic/ line inputs, two
stereo line inputs, low cut filters per
channel, two pre-post faders switchable
for monitoring, four-band fixed eq.
From: Proel 020 8761 9911
3. BLUE
ENCORE LIVE MICS £POAThey say: Brings Blue’s heritage of high-
quality studio microphones to the stage.
For: Live applications
Range: Blue Encore
Spec: Three models in range: 100, 200 &
300, all with Aria capsule, cast-zinc bodies,
200 with Active Dynamic circuitry and
output transformer, 300 with Aria
condenser capsule, matched pre-amp and
phantom circuit, tuned enclosure.
From: TC Electronic +45 8742 7000
2. SR TECHNOLOGY
MX1620A POWERED MIXER
£1,449 They say: Designed for the live performer
who requires fully professional audio
quality and exceptional power output.
For: Musicians, engineers
Range: SR Tech MX series
Spec: 700W RMS or 1,200W RMS per side
at 4Ω, 12-channel powered mixer, seven-band master graphic eq, four-band
parametric eq per channel, line/instr/mic
input per channel.
From: Big Cat Audio 01406 365291
NEW PRODUCTS LIVE
www.ashdownmusic.comPhotography: Dan Gooday
HI TECH SPOTLIGHT
RECORDING & HI TECH NEW PRODUCTS
5. SE ELECTRONICS
X1 CONDENSER £99They say: One of the coolest, sexiest new
mics for the MI market in years.
For: Studios
Range: SE mics
Spec: Large diaphragm condenser, 10dB
pad, bass cut, hand-made in Shanghai.
From: Sonic 0845 500 2500
4. SE ELECTRONICS
PROJECT STUDIO REFLEXION
FILTER £99They say: One of the most exciting roll-
outs in the MI sector this decade.
For: Project studios
Range: SE RF series
Spec: Single layer polyester acoustic
board, high density crystal foam lining
with curved ridge, based on the successful
pro version.
From: Sonic 0845 500 2500
M AUDIO
OXYGEN SERIES MIDI
CONTROLLER FROM £73They say: Giving musicians intuitive
hands-on control over a session right
from the keyboard.
For: Computer musicians
Range: M-Audio controllers
Spec: The first USB MIDI keyboard
controller to feature DirectLink, a
hassle-free control mode that instantly
maps the Oxygen's controls to a digital
audio workstation (DAW), giving
musicians intuitive hands-on control
over a session right from the keyboard.
Redesigned with a fresh look for stage
and studio use and available in 25, 49
and 61-key models(£73, £92 and £121),
the Oxygen keyboards are ideal for
laptop production, live performance and
professional studio applications.
The Oxygen series controllers feature
full-size velocity-sensitive keys along
with a complement of sliders, knobs and
buttons for tweaking and performing
with software instruments. With
DirectLink, these same controls
instantly map to a DAW’s mixer, pan,
and transport functions, providing real
time control with a variety of DAWs
including Pro Tools, Cubase, Reason, Live,
Logic and Garageband.
From: Avid 01753 655999
4
1
23
5
6
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JANUARY 2010 59
3. SPECTRASONICS
TRILIAN £209They say: Brings many different types of
Bass together into one extraordinary-
sounding virtual instrument..
For: Computer musicians, producers
Range: Spectrasonics virtual instruments
Spec: 34GB core library incl acoustic,
electric & synth bass samples, built on 64-
bit native ‘steam’ engine, full integration
with Omnisphere synth.
From: Time+Space 01837 55200
4. KURZWEIL
PC3 LE £1,045They say: Includes the widely acclaimed
sound set from the PC3, in addition to
many of the PC3's most popular features.
For: Keyboard players
Range: Kurzweil PC3 series
Spec: Auto control use display, 64-voice
polyphony, ten insert effects, sounds
include orchastral strings, vintage keys,
drums, basses, guitars, voices and horns,
USB thumb-drive, 16 arpeggiators, 61-
note keyboard.
From: Sound Technology 01462 480000
1.FOSTEX
D2424 MK II FROM £1,703They say: A perfect successor to the
D2424, with a great new solution for
transferring to computer.
For: Home recording
Range: Fostex recorders
Spec: Simultaenous 24-track recording, 24
TRS balanced jacks I/Os, 32 virtual tracks,
six foramts (up to 24/96), ADAT I/O, twin
drive bays (second with CF card slot),
80Gb hard drive. 160Gb version: £1,761.
From: SCV London 020 8418 1470
2. LEXICON
PMC 92 REVERB/EFFECTS
PROCESSOR £TBCThey say: The finest collection of
classic Lexicon algorithms to offer the
ultimate processor.
For: Studio, live
Range: Lexicon processors
Spec: 28 mono and stereo reverbs, delays,
and modulation effects, flexible routing
configurations, infinite switch, reflection
pattern selection, scaling and eq’ing, two
channels balanced XLR, two channels XLR
AES/EBU digital I/O.
From: Sound Technology 01462 480000
BOOK OF THE MONTH
AUTHOR: LINDA THOMAS
GETTING INTO HAMMERED
DULCIMERTarget: Dulcimer
Comment: Could the dulcimer be the new
ukulele? It’s always a hard call to predict
the next big thing, but dulcimers are
certainly making something of a
comeback as recent news and arts
broadcasts seem to indicate. In this tome,
Thomas takes the aspirant through the
basics of layout and technique, then
quickly gets going with some tunes. After
a few of these, more lessons and tips are
introduced, so the learner can progress
and play simultaneously.
MEL BAY: 020 8214 1222
ARTIST: MICHAEL JACKSON
THE COMPLETE MICHAEL
JACKSON
Target: Guitar, vocal
Comment: The prime purpose of this
monthly print review section is to alert
retailers of the latest music books on the
market and, more particularly, to those
that are likely to offer at least a good
return on investment.
Well, with the Jackomania resulting
from the artist’s unfortunate demise,
this one will sell by the bucket load.
The book is a reissue of the 1997
publication that contains a full
catalogue of Jackson’s work up to 1996
with vocals (melody notation and lyrics)
and guitar chord boxes, combined with a
brief biography and full discography.
That Jackson long held the crown as
the most famous man in the world is
beyond doubt, his moniker as the ‘King
of Pop’ will most likely be as permanent
as Elvis Presley’s title. Wherever history
consigns HIStory, Jackson is a brand that
will sell be for some considerable time.
With numbers ranging from the
early juvenalia of the Jackson 5, Ben
and Rockin’ Robin, right through to
his final recordings, taking in, of
course, the massive hits of Thriller
and Bad, this comprehensive
collection will be snapped up by fans
and repertoire hungry giggers (not to
mention secretive bedroom players)
alike.
Stock up now, it’s going to fly out
the door (official MI Pro prediction) –
you know you won’t regret it.
FABER: 01279 828989
EDUCATION
AUTHOR: DOMINIC PALMER
DISCOVERING ROCK BASS
Series: Schott ‘Discovering’ series
Target: Bass guitar
Comment: A quite superb collection of
lessons, history and personalities that have
gone to make the bass guitar the
indispensable instrument it is in rock
music today. Palmer covers the major
styles of electric bass playing and throws
in a healthy portion of anecdotes, as well
as taking the learner through some quite
sophisticated playing. Worthwhile for any
interested player to have a look at.
SCHOTT: 020 7534 0744
Target: Ukulele
Comment: And still the uke books keep
coming. This C-tuning edition begins at the
very beginning, with a brief history and
explanation of the instrument and then goes
into, lesson by lesson, the rudiments of
playing, building up to (60-odd pages later)
quite complex work. This serves as an
excellent introduction.
ALFRED (FABER): 01279 828989
AUTHOR: KIRK TATNALL
POWER CHORDSSeries: Hal Leonard Guitar method
Target: Guitar
Comment: Ah, the beauty of the (rock)
classic 5th chord – and here’s a book full
of them. Taking in popular rock songs from
Hendrix through to Weezer, this book
shows the beginner what to do with a
root, a fifth and an octave. It’s the staple
of the young rock guitarist, and here is a
formulated work-through of how to get
the most out of it.
HAL LEONARD (MUSIC SALES):
01284 702600
TRADITIONAL
ARTIST: VARIOUS (JOE CARR, ED)
ANTHOLOGY OF CONTEST
FIDDLE TUNESTarget: Fiddle
Comment: Carr has selected and notated a
collection of ‘Texas Style’ tunes, targeting
the Southern States contest styles of
breakdown, waltz and tune of choice and
drawn from performances of top contest
fiddlers. The book begins with brief notes on
bowing, a noter on chord names and then a
couple of pages of explanatory notes on
each tune – of which there are 56. The book
comes with an accompanying CD.
MEL BAY: 020 8214 1222
AUTHOR: D’JALMA GARNIER III
LOUISIANA CREOLE FIDDLE
METHODTarget: Fiddle, guitar
Comment: As much an education book as
a Creole-style repertoire collection,
although the extensive guide and notes is
really no more than an extended
introduction into the second half of the
book, which is sheet music of a quite
challenging standard. The guitar parts in
Creole (apparently) function more as a
bass line accompaniment, but there are
some tricky chord sequences to go
through, too.
MEL BAY: 020 8214 1222
AUTHOR: MORTY & RON
MANUS
TEACH YOURSELF TO PLAY
UKULELE
PRINT NEW PRODUCTS
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JANUARY 2010 61
NEW PRODUCTS PRINT
62 miPRO JANUARY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
ARTIST: KYLE DATESMAN
RENAISSANCE ELIZABETHAN
MUSIC FOR BANJOTarget: Banjo
Comment: An obscure an approach to the
banjo as you are likely to find (this
reviewer conjectures), but a fascinating
one, nonetheless. Datesman takes a
selection of British Elizabethan tunes and
then as many again from the (earlier)
continental renaissance and precedes each
piece with notes playing style and
technique. A whole new perspective for
the ambitious banjo picker.
MEL BAY: 020 8214 1222
ARTIST: JS BACH (ARR INGRAM)
JAZZ BACH FOR FINGERSTYLE
GUITARTarget: Guitar
Comment: JS Bach has been one of the
most influential composers upon modern
jazz players and now Adrian Ingram takes
the Jacques Loussier concept a step
further by introducing the beauty of Bach
to guitarists. Despite the fingerstyle
appellation, the style is definitely jazzy.
There are challenges a-plenty for any
guitarist, but as a result, a lot of
satisfaction to be garnered.
MEL BAY: 020 8214 1222
AUTHOR: JANET DAVIS
BANJO PICKING PATTERN
CHART
Series: Mel Bay charts
Target: Banjo
Comment: Mel Bay’s excellent, low-cost,
comprehensive wall charts (or instrument
case charts?) that cover chords and other
instrument fundamentals continues with
this indispensible folder for banjo players.
It’s almost like dozens of lessons on three
pages, with the added benefit of having
free demonstration audio available online.
Banjo pickers rejoice.
MEL BAY: 020 8214 1222
ARTIST: GREEN DAY
21ST CENTURY BREAKDOWNTarget: PVG
Comment: Billy Joe Armstrong spent
nearly three years perfecting this album –
and after the phenomenal success of
American Idiot, you can hardly blame him.
The result is something of a re-hash of the
predecessor, but none the less dramatic
and powerful for all that. The number of
big hits from Breakdown has come
nowhere near the half dozen or so that
came from Idiot, but then again, kids
wanting to get hold of the authentic
music for Do You Know the Enemy could
well keep sales figures up.
FABER: 01279 828989
POPULAR
ARTIST: VARIOUS
THE REALLY EASY UKE BOOK
Series: Faber Chord Songbook
Target: Ukulele
Comment: The surge of ukulele popularity
continues and is illustrated here as clearly
as you could hope for. Almost 40 songs
with chords and lyrics, covering everything
form All Along the Watchtower to Yankee
Doodle (via Amarillo), this book shows not
only how versatile the uke is, but also how
varied the tastes of those taking up the
instrument and maintaining this most
surprising of trends.
FABER: 01279 828989
ARTIST: ARCTIC MONKEYS
HUMBUGTarget: Guitar
Comment: The guitar tab edition of the
Monkey’s latest album, this is touted as a
band-approved, deluxe edition – and it
does the label proud. Quality snaps from
the band’s energetic live shows are
liberally peppered throughout the precise
tab and vocal folios. Such features make
these books as tempting to the non-
playing fans as to the guitarists who want
to learn the licks, which means, with the
right placement, more people coming into
the shop and more sales.
FABER: 01279 828989
ARTIST: O’KEEFE & BENJAMIN
LEGALLY BLONDETarget: PVG
Comment: Vocal selections from the
musical of the film and that has now hit
London’s West End, this collection will
doubtless become something of a hit
among schools, choirs and drama societies,
as well as with the gigging muso as these
songs become ever more heard. It is always
something of a hit and miss as to which
Broadway/West End musicals make the big
time, but with rave reviews following this
one around, it could well be a laster.
HAL LEONARD (MUSIC SALES):
01284 702600
ARTIST: JAMIE CULLUM
THE PURSUITTarget: PVG
Comment: Another artist-approved
edition from Faber, with the spectacular
cover of Cullum’s latest album. It is tribute
to Cullum that, while essentially being a
jazz player, he slots perfectly into the pop
genre, thus bringing jazz to a whole new
audience. The Pursuit takes what is
becoming the artist’s regular format – a
selection of co-written numbers, carefully
mixed with pop hits and jazz standards
and makes for a diverting collection of
sheet music.
FABER: 01279 828989
Every band has the same problem: rehearsing is too loud for most locations and studio space is expensive. But now you can play anywhere, anytime virtually silent to the outside world: quietly enough for your bedroom, at Uni, in your apartment or hotel room. JamHub® was created to let you play more, and the experience rocks. Just pick a color section and plug in your
instruments, mics and headphones. Then control your own individual mixes with new clarity, and no volume wars. You’ll hear yourself like never before, and improve faster. JamHub is also portable and affordable. And whether you’re a garage band or
touring professionals, there’s a JamHub model designed for you. So start jamming more without disturbing the peace.
the silent rehearsal studio
Introducing
Play anywhere, anytime.
Neighbours can’t hear it. Parents can’t hear it. Cops can’t hear it.But you won’t believe what the band can hear.
Distributed in the UK by SCV London. Call 020 8418 1470 for your nearest dealer. www.scvlondon.co.uk©2009 BreezSong LLC.www.JamHub.com
GreenRoomUp to 7 Musicians
24-bit Digital EffectsUSB Recording Output
BedRoomUp to 5 Musicians
24-bit Digital EffectsAnalogue Recording Output
TourBusUp to 7 Musicians
24-bit Digital EffectsWith Built In RAM Card
Recorder & USB Recording Output
®
GRO
UP
FIELD SALES MANAGERS3 posts - North, South and South West EnglandAVSL Group Ltd., based in Manchester, is looking for three dynamic and enthusiastic individuals to join their rapidly growing sales & marketing team.
Established in 1998, AVSL has grown to become a substantial, well respected manufacturer, importer and distributor of products under our wholly owned brands:
Adastra, AV:Link, Chord, Citronic, Mercury, QTX (Sound, Light & Eff ects)
Our current product portfolio runs to just over 4,000 lines and whilst diverse in content has its roots fi rmly entrenched in the MI, Pro Audio, Eff ect Lighting and Public Address sectors.
Suitable candidates will possess:
skills with a proven track record of
work both alone and as part of a team
sector would be an advantage but not essential
attractive remuneration package.
To apply, please send a full CV and accompanying covering letter to:
Th e Sales Director AVSL Group Limited Containerbase, Barton Dock Road Manchester M41 7BQ alternatively please email your application to: [email protected]
Yamaha Music UK Ltd. is currently seeking a motivated
and professional individual to join their Electronic
Keyboard Division.
Reporting to the Sales Manager, you will be responsible for the sales andbusiness development of our portable keyboard and digital piano rangesutilising resources in order to achieve set sales targets and long-termobjectives. Specific geographic region will depend on the location of thesuccessful candidate.
To be considered for this role you must have a relevant sales backgroundand be able to communicate effectively at all levels in a confident andknowledgeable manner. You will also need to have a flexible attitude asregular UK travel is a requirement of this role.
An up-to-date knowledge of the UK musical instrument retail market,together with experience in field sales and relevant product knowledge is essential. You should also have a good working knowledge of Microsoft Office.
In return, the successful candidate will receive acompetitive salary, company car and the usualcompany benefits.
If you feel you meet the criteria, please
apply by e-mailing your CV and covering
letter demonstrating your suitability,
including your salary expectations by
Thursday 31 December 2009 (quoting
reference RMEKB/1209/TIL) to: Helen Bates,
Human Resources Assistant at:
Regional Manager Electronic Keyboard Division
NO AGENCIES PLEASE
Yamaha Music UK Ltd. is currently seeking a motivated
and professional individual based in the South of
England, to sell our market-leading acoustic pianos.
Yamaha is the world’s leading musical instrument manufacturer and ourAcoustic Division markets acoustic pianos to retailers throughout the UK.
Whilst not necessarily from within the "music industry", the successfulapplicant must have some knowledge of the piano as an instrument aswell as the ability to play to a basic level. More importantly they will beable to demonstrate their sales skills through a proven sales record andpossess the drive, enthusiasm and confidence to expand sales within anestablished territory.
The need to establish trust within the dealer base is essential, we thereforeseek experienced and disciplined communicators, with advanced inter-personal skills, who enjoy being part of a successful team. Computerliteracy and a driving licence are essential.
This is an excellent opportunity for the right candidate to expand anddevelop our piano business through our new multi-brand strategy.
We offer a competitive salary and a car plus all the usualbenefits associated with working for a large, forwardthinking company.
If you feel you meet the criteria, please apply by
e-mailing your CV and covering letter demonstrating
your suitability, including your salary
expectations, by Thursday 31 December 2009
(quoting reference RMACO/1209/TIL) to:
Helen Bates, Human Resources Assistant at:
Regional Manager Acoustic Division
NO AGENCIES PLEASE
The Insolvency Act and Rules 1986KEMBLE & COMPANY LIMITED
(In members’ voluntary liquidation)
Notice is hereby given that written resolutions were passed bythe members of the Company on 9 December 2009 placing the
company into members’ voluntary liquidation (solvent liquidation)and appointing Jeremy Simon Spratt and Finbarr Thomas
O’Connell of KPMG as joint liquidators.
Notice is also hereby given, pursuant to Rule 4.182A of theInsolvency Rules 1986, that the joint liquidators of the Company
intend to make a final distribution to creditors. Creditors arerequired to prove their debts on or before 26 January 2010 by
sending full details of their claims to the joint liquidators atKPMG Restructuring, 8 Salisbury Square, London, EC4Y 8BB.
Creditors must also, if so requested by the joint liquidators, provide such further details and documentary evidence to supporttheir claims as the joint liquidators deem necessary. The intended
distribution is a final distribution and may be made withoutregard to any claims not proved by 26 January 2010. Any creditor
who has not proved his debt by that date, or who increasesthe claim in his proof after that date, will not be entitled to disturb
the intended final distribution. The joint liquidators intendthat, after paying or providing for a final distribution in respect
of creditors who have proved their claims, all funds remaining inthe joint liquidators’ hands following the final distribution to
creditors shall be distributed to the shareholders of the Companyabsolutely.
The Company is able to pay all its known liabilities in full.Dated: 9 December 2009
Jeremy Simon Spratt, Joint Liquidator
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JANUARY 2010 65
RETAILNEWS, OPINION, DATA
SHUNNING THE traditional recording
studio, UK band Georgia Wonder has
turned to its local music retailer, Nevada
Music, and will record its next album on
the shop floor.
Like many bands, Georgia Wonder was
struggling to fund its next studio album.
Although the duo had done much of its
previous work at home on the first two
EPs Hello Stranger and Destroy, the pair
felt that, given the right resources, they
could take things much further creatively.
And it wasn’t just studio time that the
band needed – it was also short on world-
class instruments such as the guitars,
basses and keyboards that all contribute
to making a great album.
“It dawned on us that our local music
shop has everything we need to record
our music,” explained Stephanie Grant
(vocals). “If we could get the keys, we’d be
half way there.”
The band emailed its local store,
Nevada Music and asked if they could use
the shop to record their next album.
To their surprise, Mike Devereux,
founder of Nevada, loved the idea and
went a step further by setting up the
Made In Nevada project.
“It’s always nice to see bands thinking
out of the box,” commented Devereux.
“It’s a great concept and we’ve given them
free reign to do anything they like in our
shop for six months. We’re as excited as
anyone to see what Georgia Wonder come
up with.”
The band is making a video blog of the
process that will be posted on Muzu.tv
and the Made In Nevada Youtube page.
“We’re going to be a bit like a couple of
kids in a candy store,” said Georgia
Wonder’s Julian Moore. “So it would be a
shame if we didn’t show people what we
were up to. We can take this opportunity
to experiment and share the results. There
are so many instruments for us to chose
from, we have no idea where to start. If
only all music stroes were like this.”
NEVADA MUSIC: 023 9220 5100
Made in Nevada launchedUK band Georgia Wonder moves on to local store’s shop floor to record their latest album
NEWSWorld
Guitars’ PRS
giveaway,
Cheshire’s
Homeworld,
Shadows’
Strat
snatched
MUSIC FOR YOUTH
How MI
retail can
help the
world’s
largest music
education
charity –
and itself
LOCATION REPORT
I love the
smell of
Portsmouth
in the
morning –
smells of...
Victory
INDIE PROFILEBerkshire’s
own drum
specialist,
Drumwright
also puts the
world to
rights
ALL INSIDE THIS MONTH
BEHIND THE COUNTER
The horror of
the in-store
hangover
gives way to
musings on
what’s next
for MI trends
Georgia Wonder: making waves in Portsmouth and beyond
Marcia and Mike Devereux (centre left and right)receiving their MIA award at 2009’s ceremony
DAWSONS MUSIC Chester opened the
region’s first Yamaha Homeworld in
November, immediately followed by a
public opening, where visitors to the store
had the opportunity to see, hear, and play
the latest Yamaha products aimed at the
home user and speak to product experts.
“We are absolutely delighted to have
been selected to become the first Yamaha
Homeworld in Cheshire,” said Dawsons’
managing director David Briggs. “The key
to our success has always been the very
personal service we offer and the high
degree of expertise of our staff. As a
Yamaha Homeworld the store now offers
the ultimate musical shopping experience
and promotes the benefits of learning to
play to people at all skill levels in relaxed
and luxurious surroundings.”
“We congratulate Dawsons Music on
the opening of the new Homeworld in
Chester,” added Yamaha’s EKB director,
Robert Webster. “Dawsons has been one
of Yamaha’s major home keyboard and
digital piano dealers for many years. The
key reason for this is the quality of
personal service extended to all its
customers. We are thrilled that the chain
has embraced the Homeworld concept.”
With nine stores throughout the UK,
Dawsons Music is one of the largest
musical instrument retailers in the
country. The company, established in 1899
in Warrington, came to Chester in 1972
and moved to its current Pepper Street
location in 1994.
DAWSONS CHESTER: 01244 348606
RETAIL NEWS
66 miPRO JANUARY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
Dawsons makes news for EKB in Chester’s standout store
Cheshire’s first Homeworld
A Lifetime of SatisfactionIn 2007, we introduced a unique Lifetime Warranty* across our 40 Series studio microphonesand in 2009 we are going a step further and extending this offer to include both our Artist Eliteand Artist Series ranges of wired microphones.
Unsurpassed in the market, our Lifetime Warranty offers genuine added value to every sale andreinforces our commitment to unbeatable customer service.
Call us today on 0113 277 1441 – and experience more.
*Terms and conditions apply. Visit www.audio-technica.com/warranty for full details.
HAMPSHIRE RETAILER Oasis Music has
reported the theft of a Shadows 50th
Anniversary Stratocaster.
The special collector’s outfit,
numbered 16, was stolen while in the
possession of FedEx. The package had
been misrouted to Birmingham instead
of going to Brighton and by the time it
reached Brighton on Saturday morning,
all that was delivered was a sealed
empty box.
Oasis Music would like to ask all
industry professionals and customers to
keep an eye and ear out for any
information that might lead to the
return of the guitar.
Anyone who comes across the guitar
or has any information can contact
Howard Gillespie at Oasis Music by
email on [email protected] or
on the phone number below.
The company hopes by ‘turning up
the heat’ the package will miraculously
re-appear once the thief realises that
it's too ‘hot’ to sell easily.
This is not the first incident involving
the guitars. Another, bound for Ireland
via UPS, was over a week late arriving,
but was eventually found behind other
packages in a depot in Cologne.
OASIS MUSIC: 01425 478135
Exclusive guitar stolen from Oasis Music in transit
Strat snatched from Shadows
WORLD GUITARS has announced plans
to celebrate its first anniversary by
giving away a Paul Reed Smith Private
Stock guitar with a price tag
approaching £10,000.
Based in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire,
World Guitars is the largest PRS dealer
in the country and carries more Private
Stock models than any other in Europe.
In order to enter the competition,
participants must visit World Guitars at
The Old Magistrates Court, High Street,
Stonehouse, Gloucestershire and fill in
an entry form.
The form contains a PRS Private
Stock spec sheet, from which entrants
must guess the options included on the
unique competition prize. The £10,000
Private Stock prize will be awarded to
the entry that gets closest to guessing
the spec of the guitar itself.
The competition will be open to
entries until January 31st.
WORLD GUITARS: 01453 824306
UK’s largest PRS dealer celebrates first anniversary
World Guitars giveaway
FRESHMAN HAS introduced a long-
awaited range of acoustic amps, as well as
the latest Apollo 3 series guitars.
The new amp range starts with the
£69.95, 10-Watt Junior, aimed at the
beginner with two inputs, phaser, treble,
bass and volume controls. At £149.95, the
Freshman Senior is a compact 30-Watt,
twin-speaker amp designed for the
rehearsal/studio environment and offering
chorus, delay, eq and effects send/return.
Top of the range is the £249.95, 60-Watt
Master (pictured), which adds two
channels, five-band graphic eq and reverb.
Meanwhile, following the success of the
Freshman Apollo 1 and 2 ranges, which
sold out three times in 2009, the firm has
introduced the Apollo 3 series.
The new series comprises two models –
a dreadnought cutaway and OOO
cutaway, which, according to Freshman,
‘pack a punch tonally, well above their
weight’. They feature quality timbers, a
neat eq section and dual pick-ups.
ACCESS ALL AREAS: 01355 228028
Brand new product line debuted alongside Apollo 3 series
Freshman broadens throughlaunch of acoustic amp range
Blueridge have taken America by storm withtheir authentic vintage style guitars, and nowwe have made them available in the UK. Thisrange, renowned for spectacular value formoney, continues to receive excellent reviewsin all the best known guitar press, includingGuitar & Bass, Guitarist, Guitar Buyer, AcousticMagazine...
The leading brand of resonator guitars, with along US heritage, available in the UK exclu-sively from Gremlin Music. Saga Music, haveapplied the same dedication to quality to theseguitars as they have to the Gitane andBlueridge guitars, and the results are spectacular.
SK120 Rated ‘Exceptional’ in AcousticMagazine. “A wonderful little amp designedby people who understand what musiciansneed”. Also Guitar & Bass have awarded the
SK60 a massive 82%.We distribute these ShireKing Acoustic Ampsalong with Headway’s very popular pickupsfor acoustic instruments, including the Snake3 and SA1 pickups, and the ‘Band’ violin andcello pickups.
The best selling aluminium whistles inthe UK. Renowned for their clear sound,they appeal to whistle players of all stan-dards. Though ideal for beginners, theyare professional instruments and areused on stage by many leading players.
For the Gypsy in your soul!These beautiful guitars pay
homage to the Selmer andMaccaferri guitars of the early
20th century. They have solid tops,are a joy to play, and look andsound like the real thing, right
down to the excellent reproduction of the orig-inal tailpiece. More to the point, they are veryaffordably priced.
The Kentucky mandolins are the pinnacleof affordable bluegrass instruments, andoffer exceptional quality at excellentprices. These mandolins are a very wel-come addition to our growing section ofgreat quality bluegrass instruments,which includes mandolins, banjos,dobros, guitars and more.
A professional quality range of AcousticGuitars, Mandolins, Banjos & Fiddles, Basses,cases, electrics and more. This is the largestrange of mandolin family instruments, banjosand ukuleles in the UK, and the Ashburyname is associated with high quality andexcellent value.
A competitively priced range of stu-dent squeezeboxes, including PianoAccordions from 12 to 120 Bass,B/C, D/G and Cajun one-rowmelodeons, and Anglo and Englishconcertinas, all ideal for beginners.
As well as being the first point of call for all the hard to find traditional musical instruments your customers are askingyou for, Gremlin Music is a one stop shop for any musical instrument retailer. We can supply a massive range of acousticmusical instruments, spares, accessories, strings, books and DVDs. Become a Gremlin Dealer and give your customersa better choice! We pride ourselves on the personal touch - you can always reach us by phone during work-ing hours, and we’ll always send your order as fast as possible, no matter what the size. If you’re a dealer,you can browse our website for prices (retail and wholesale), contact us by email, and place orders online! We’ve beenin the business for over 25 years, and can offer you an experienced, friendly and professional service.
www.gremlinmusic.co.uk [email protected]
Just a few of our Leading Brands...
Tel: +44 (0) 1903 203044 (9.30 - 5.30 Mon - Fri) | Unit A, Easting Close, Worthing, West Sussex, BN14 8HQ
Aman of considerable repute, who
has earned (among a few of his
fans) the title of ‘wise’, often says:
‘distrust anyone who wants to teach you
something’. This aphorism will doubtless
produce wails of approval from the
average school pupil, who will take it as
justification to ignore his or her teachers
whenever it suits them. What the proverb
means, of course, is that it is the student
that should seek learning and not the
teacher soliciting teaching.
Music for Youth is the world’s biggest
music education charity, yet, when you
boil it down, it doesn’t actually, actively
teach anything at all. What it does, quite
often, is change the lives of young
musicians and ignite the spark in them to
begin or further or complete their musical
education and ultimately enter the world
of ‘the player’.
2010 marks the charity’s 40th
anniversary, so what better time to take
an indepth look at what the charity is
doing, what it hopes to do and – most
importantly – how you, the MI retailer,
can get involved in what is arguably the
single most important inspiration for
nurturing young musicians in the UK?
Lincoln Abbotts is MfY’s CEO and only
the second man to head up the
organisation after Larry Westland, the man
who, in 1970, set this particular snowball
rolling until he stood down in the
beginning of 2008. (Westland is now the
honorary life president.) I sat down with
Abbotts to find out more about MfY’s year
ahead and how the MI trade can help.
Some of his answers are surprising, yet
no less inspiring for that… But first, he
outlines how Music for Youth works.
“You can boil down MfY activities into
three categories,” begins Abbotts, as
energetic in speech as he is with a baton
in his hand. “The first thing is
performance. Music for Youth gives young
players a bigger stage, whether that is at
one of the regional festivals, at the
National Festival or the Schools Prom. We
make it possible for them to feel the thrill
of a professional performing experience.”
The regional festivals (of which there
are now 73) cover the entire country from
Belfast and Glasgow to Truro and
Tenterden and everything in between,
meaning that wherever you live, there will
be one nearby. As long as the performers
are under 21, admission is open, whether
from a school, a community group, a
private project and whether covering
orchestras, pop and rock or folk music. As
Abbotts puts it: nothing is typical.
“There is still something of a perception
that it is classical music by school
orchestras, but that simply isn’t the case,”
he explains. “And this isn’t a competition,
either. The experts (we prefer to call them
mentors) who view everything at the
festivals will never say one performance is
good and another bad; they are there to
give advice as to how each can improve.
There is a real ‘festival atmosphere’ at
RETAIL MUSIC FOR YOUTH
68 miPRO JANUARY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
”We are painfully
aware that not
every child has
the opportunity
to play.Lincoln AbbottsCEO, Music for Youth
Music for Youth will celebrate 40 years of its existence in 2010. The charity’s CEO, Lincoln Abbots, tells Andy Barrett how dealers
The hub of the
these events and we find that the
performers learn from each other as well,
just from watching.”
Once the regional festivals are over, the
mentors make recommendations as to
which acts will best benefit from
appearing at the National Festival in
Birmingham – a full week of performance,
essentially taking over the whole city, with
performances at the Symphony Hall, the
O2 and all the others, as well as some
concerts outdoors, again giving the
musicians the chance to step up on to a
bigger stage. Some 12,000 children and
youths take part and from here over 3,000
are selected to appear at the Schools
Prom at the Albert Hall in London.
The mentors are all active musicians –
people making a living from playing or
recording music and who have an
awareness of music education and how to
express themselves to young musicians.
There are currently about 50 of them
giving up their time to help at the
festivals. In 2009, members of the pop
group Divine Comedy looked over a lot of
the pop and rock acts, while Peter Stark
worked with the orchestras – to give you
an idea of the calibre of these people.
“The second element of MfY is
inspiration,” continues Abbotts. “We are
painfully aware that not every child has
the opportunity to play, so this year we
are putting on five free concerts
where youngsters can come and
see other youngsters on stage.”
This idea stems from
Abbotts’ time with the
BBC, where he
initiated a roadshow
that aimed to get
kids inspired to
play. “The
difference with
this,” he says, “is that
there is a big contrast
between seeing a 30-
year-old on stage and
seeing a 14-year-old. Seeing a teenager
playing tells the primary school kid that he
can do this, too – and from there ‘pester
power’ comes in as the child presses the
parents to get him an instrument.”
The third element is ‘engagement’. This
means getting children – and particularly
schools – involved in music making. MfY is
currently using the official ‘Year of Music’,
which runs through to the end of the
2010 school year and incorporates all of
the activities going on around the country,
from Howard Goodall’s Sing Up project to
the opportunities of Government funding
for musical instruments, and alerting
schools to them.
“We are making a noise so that
entrepreneurial teachers can hear about
what is going on and say ‘I want music in
this school’ and know that instruments are
available to help make that happen.
Wherever you look, people are making
music. It is our job to take advantage of
and support all of these initiatives.”
The crux of this article – and the main
reason MI Pro wanted to find out more
about Music for Youth is that, as the hub
of the local musical communities, the MI
retailer really should be getting involved
(if it isn’t already). Abbotts’ explanation of
what they should do was surprising.
“The crucial element for us is the
regional festivals,” he begins. “The first
thing to do is pick up the phone and call
us. Ask for details about the festival
nearest to you and what you can do.
Basically, all you need to do is pitch up at
the festival and say ‘hello, I’m Mr Bedford
Music Shop’ and bring some of your flyers
or cards. If you have a guy free who can
man a stand in the hall where the
activities are taking place, even better. We
can’t guarantee you sales, but we can
promise contacts and potentials.”
Hang on, this sounds more like what
can MfY do for dealers. “Yes, but it’s about
relationships and creating networks,”
enthuses Abbotts. “Of course, we could ask
for money, but
that only goes so far. It’s far more
important to have everyone involved.”
Beyond this, there is a lot dealers can do
for MfY in terms of putting themselves
out a bit.
“Retailers can identify potential
mentors for the festivals. We are always
on the hunt for inspirational people in
each of the geographic locations. If dealers
can put people forward, this would be a
great help. Once they know where and
when the local festival is, they can
encourage the young musicians that come
into their shops to attend. Then, of course,
if Mr Bedford Music Shop has a spare
room out back, we could organise getting
some kids down to try out some gear.
Money is always useful, but never our first
element for discussion. Local sponsorship
of a festival can be as little as £200 and
for that we can tailor the deal to the
festival and the sponsor, including
branding, a stand at the event and so on.
But I have to say, money is not the driving
force here. If you are motivated, please
give us a call.”
In the same way that MI Pro gets tarred
with the rock n roll ‘brush’, so MfY gets
smeared with the classical counterpart,
but in both cases, the labelling is vastly
inaccurate. “Whatever you do, wherever
you do it, under whatever umbrella, if the
performers are under 21, we want to hear
from them. We have just got new
sponsorship from Rock School and this
year there will be more rock and pop than
ever before. The great thing about getting
in as many styles as possible, is that the
genres become blurred and when these
youngsters get together, ensembles are
created that defy definition. It’s a
wonderful thing.”
Wonderful indeed. And with some
50,000 kids passing through the festivals
each year – and the alumni numbering in
the millions, that is a wonder that just
keeps growing.
The ‘wise man’ who told us to distrust
teachers and altruists was essentially
advising that we check out these people
before believing them. Well, this is the
third or fourth time I’ve
checked Music for Youth out
and each time I’ve done so,
it has been clear that the
charity does nothing but
good. I heartily advise any
dealer that hasn’t had a look
to do so right away. The
same wise man said ‘don’t
be helpful – be available’. I
think Lincoln Abbotts would
agree with that.
MFY: 020 8870 9624
MUSIC FOR YOUTH RETAIL
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
can be central to what it does…
matter
70 miPRO JANUARY 2009 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
RETAIL LOCTION REPORT
England expects that every MI store does its duty – and
they certainly try their best. Ross Mulkern takes a swing
by downtown Portsmouth to check out the stores there
and finds a few very healthy examples…
Portsmouth
PJ’S GUITAR CENTRE
PJ’s Guitar Centre stands as something of
a guitar emporium, offering a huge range
of guitars and equipment, covering the
spectrum of products available on the
market today.
From the obligatory Gibsons and
Fenders to expensive signature models –
even a particularly ostentatious six-
necked example assuming pride of place
in the window – every guitar-playing
demographic seemed well provided for.
The staff were both helpful and
knowledgeable, with a good understanding
of the industry as well as the products on
display, which made trying out a guitar a
comfortable and informative experience.
The sheer range of equipment on offer,
however, means that despite its relatively
large size, everything is very densely
packed, which creates a situation where
the sheer mass of guitars can somewhat
overwhelm you and make it hard to find a
specific instrument unaided, and some
great instruments may go unnoticed to
the casual observer. The presence of
attentive staff makes this a minor flaw.
The shop has a high-end sheen, but not
at the expense of personality, with various
Kiss masks and other memorabilia on
display, giving the shop a fun feel, which is
a nice change from the intimidating
atmosphere found in many larger guitar
shops such as this, especially for a less
experienced musician.
PJ’s is located just out of the Albert
Road area, taking it slightly away from the
hoards of local shoppers. That said, with a
prosperous Portsmouth music scene,
centred around the nearby Wedgewood
Rooms, its reputation is enough to ensure
a steady stream of custom.
VENN PIANOS
Venn Pianos shares something of the
workshop feel of its close neighbour,
Street Level. A large proportion of its
business is dedicated to repairs and
maintenance, with manager Stephen Venn
working as a professional tuner when not
in the shop.
The shop offers used and new
instruments for both sale and rental,
including short-term hire. From various
upright examples, such as a particularly
distinctive 1937 Challen, complete with
art deco motif, to full-size grands, the
shop floor plays host to a great variety of
pianos, including more recent Far Eastern
examples for those in search of something
a little more basic. In addition, the
company, due to its affiliation with
Roberts of Oxford, offers a piano removal
and advice service between the
Hampshire and Oxford areas.
As mentioned, the shop itself has a
professional yet informal feel, in keeping
with the specialist nature of the business,
with a friendly and helpful service.
STREET LEVEL
Located at the heart of Portsmouth’s
bohemian epicentre, the Albert Road (a
street so renowned among the local
populace that it even plays host to its own
yearly appreciation festival), Street Level is a
retailer ideally situated to attract local
musicians and tourists alike.
The shop itself appears somewhat on the
smaller side when compared to the MI
supermarkets that are more and more
frequently springing up in big cities these
days, but the space available is maximised
to its full potential, with every wall and
shelf lined with a myriad of equipment and
accessories. Included in this is a rather
comprehensive selection of pickups and
after-market electronics of an abundance
that one would struggle to find in many
larger stores. With regards to such products,
the shop offers a full fitting service, as well
as set-ups, maintenance and general repairs,
such as re-fretting in a dedicated workshop
toward the rear of the unit.
As for the instruments themselves, the
selection available, while less than
extensive, is well considered, comprising
guitars and basses ranging from budget
models to several more expensive or
unusual examples, such as a Dan
Armstrong-style ‘see-through’ model.
Although primarily a guitar shop, Street
Level caters for other sections of the MI-
buying public by stocking woodwind,
percussion and stringed instruments.
From the outside, the shop appears
colourful and its attention-grabbing facade
stands out from surrounding businesses, and
the staff were extremely informed and glad
to answer my queries.
RETAIL
72 miPRO JANUARY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
Chris Wright of percussion
specialist Drumwright talks
to Rob Hughes about
Christmas pricing mayhem...
How is business compared to this time
last year?
Year on year about the same, happily. We
are experiencing a bigger Christmas surge
than last year.
How do you market the shop?
Via direct mail-outs, a comprehensive
website, strong links with excellent drum
teachers and ad campaigns in Rhythm
magazine.
How do you compete with the online
competition?
Online is now a major part of our business
too, but the price-match feeding frenzy this
Christmas is scary. It bodes ill for the future
of specialist drum stores, unless they have
the cash and capacity to price for volume
sales. There is no choice with the level of
transparency afforded by Google Shopper
and so on. We get high levels of repeat
business from loyal customers, but they
expect us to price-match the box shifters.
What are your main strengths?
Our knowledgeable staff, range and depth
of stock, strong marketing capability and a
healthy balance sheet.
How do you ensure a good level of
customer service?
Through constant monitoring of shop floor,
customer surveys and by maintaining a high
number of customer compliments and a
refreshingly low number of complaints.
What is the one product you couldn’t
live without?
That’s a difficult one to answer but, if I were
pushed, I’d have to say Zildjian cymbals.
How can the industry do more to
support retail?
Two things: first, by recognising the
investment ‘bricks and mortar’ retailers
make in stock, premises, display and
rewarding us. Many suppliers do this in a
range of imaginative ways, for example,
marketing support, rebates on in-store sales
and so on. There needs to be more of this if
retailers are to survive and thrive.
Second, by monitoring dealer prices more
closely. And before they shout ‘competition
law – we can’t’, yes they can.
Much more of the price mayhem is
caused by cock-up than conspiracy. Too
many retail bosses leave junior staff, who
don’t know a margin from a mark up, to fix
prices. Most of the more ridiculous prices I
have seen recently on investigation by
suppliers have proved to be the result of
errors, not strategic thinking. Supplier
‘health checks’ on retailers are not anti-
competitive – they are just common sense
and vital to the survival of this industry.
INDIE PROFILE
FACT BOX
Address: 4 Loddon Vale Centre,
Hurricane Way, Woodley, Berks, RG5 4UL
Phone: 0118 9441418
Owners: Brooke and Chris Wright
Established: 1996
Employers: 7 full-time and 5 part-time
Bestselling lines: Mapex, Pearl and
Tama acoustic kits, Yamaha and Roland
electronic drums, Zildjian, Sabian and
Paiste cymbals.
L to R: Drumwright’s Brooke and Chris Wright pose as winners of a 2009 MIA Award
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JANUARY 2010 73
RETAIL
A NEW YEAR, NEW MUSIC AND NEW GEAR TO SELL
This month, MI Pro’s undercover retailer says store staff need to keep an eye on the year’s upcoming trends...
Now that the crushing New
Year’s hangover is beginning to
clear, it’s time once more to
welcome in a new decade. What will
the 2010s bring us, one can’t help but
wonder? Surely we’re due some sort of
musical revolution, some rebirth of
invention that’s going to have all the
kids excited and the grown ups scared.
While that’s only a nice thought, it has
the benefit of making the dismal
January weather easier to deal with.
Realistically, this year looks set to
carry on much in the same vein as the
last. In the face of ever-impending
economic meltdown, a pick and mix
selection of largely unwinnable wars
and the all-powerful Simon Cowell’s X
Factor chart domination, the Great
British public are well aware that the
musical future lies with them. This is
rather handy for music shops, which
have traditionally weathered social and
economic disasters relatively well.
I guess it’s easier to write songs
when you’ve got the blues. Howlin’
Wolf would have been a lot less
interesting if he’d had a £30k-a-year
job and a house in Shropshire.
2009 was certainly a strange time
for music. An uneasy mix of boys with
guitars and girls with huge voices and
wild imaginations. It’s hard to judge
what’s coming next.
Maybe DJ Hero on the Xbox will lead
to a fresh surge in the dance charts,
rendering our years of carefully
cultivated guitar knowledge useless as
we try to get to grips with decks. Or
perhaps the legions of marginal
shredders will unite, coming
together like a mammoth, über-fast
playing mega-transformer that will
smash us all to tiny pieces with
1,000,000 note-per-second attacks.
Probably not, though, eh?
One thing for sure is that if retail is
to prosper, it must be ready and willing
to adapt to the market at the drop of a
hat. Music trends come and go so fast
now that it would be easy to miss out
on a rash of Tenori On sales simply
because in the six months they were
popular you managed to miss it.
Keeping a close eye on what’s
going on outside the pop charts
will be increasingly vital, as musicians
search for new ways to get themselves
heard and to stand out from the crowd.
So be vigilant, fellow shop-front folk,
and let’s make 2010 a good one.
“Howlin’ Wolf
would have been
a lot less
interesting with a
£30k-a-year job
BEHIND THE COUNTER
HAPPY N
EW YEAR
74 miPRO JANUARY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
CLASSIFIEDS: MINIMUM 12 MONTHS - ONE ANNUAL CHARGE QUARTER PAGE £1,295
MARKETPLACE INDEX
SU
PP
LIE
R S
PO
TLI
GH
T440 DISTRIBUTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0113 258 9599
AALLPARTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0870 442 3336
BBILL LEWINGTON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01268 413366
CCOVERNOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0121 327 1977
FFOCUS MERCHANDISE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8245 9035FCN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01892 603730FUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0113 320 0304
GGHANA GOODS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0117 955 8668GUITARRAS DE ESPAÑA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0117 973 3214
HHC DISTRIBUTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00 353 5991 34268HERGA MUSIC SERVICES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8861 1590HOT ROX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0115 987 3163
JJAM PERCUSSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0151 494 1492
LLEED REPRESENTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01243 378050LEISURETEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01525 850085
MMARSHALL AMPLIFICATION. . . . . WWW.MARSHALLAMPS.COMMCELLAND/GREMLIN MUSIC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01273 491333MEL BAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8382 8010MUSIC SHIPPING CO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01562 827666
OOCARINA WORKSHOP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01536 485963
RRICH ART . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WWW.RICH-ART.CO.UKROBERT MORLEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8318 5838ROTHWELL AUDIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01204 366133
SSAXOPHONE UK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01892 662 533 SOAR VALLEY MUSIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0116 230 4926STEVE CLINKSCALE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01573 225 885
TTEAC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01923 438 880
VVARSITY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0131 557 4310
WWIND PLUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0116 243 1698
TO ADVERTISE CALL DARRELL CARTER OR ROSIE MCKEOWN ON 01992 535647
dB TechnologiesAn acoustic specialist with 25-years of experience
DB TECHNOLOGIES has made quite
a name for itself in the past few
years. Its boxes can now be found at
sizeable gigs and prestige
installations. A growing reputation
among the pro community was
cemented three years ago with the
DVA (digital vertical array) series,
while the upper echelons of the
passive Arena range continues to be
a mainstay for pro mobile
applications and fixed installations.
RCF’s influence? UK retailers are also
stocking its smaller boxes for the
pub and club markets.
The current president, Arturo
Vicari, who founded the parent
company, AEB (Acoustic Engineering
Bureau) back in the 1970s, bought
RCF in 2004, from Mackie. While this
might seem to place dB and RCF
head to head in the market, in
practice, they tend to focus on
different areas and, in fact, both
benefit from the other’s technical
expertise – AEB having a strong
background in electronics and RCF in
speaker design.
“We started with one or two
models and now have expanded the
range with a lot of very professional
products – and that’s where the
synergy with RCF lies,” notes
international sales manager Harald
von Falkenstein. “With us having a
very good R&D department for
electronics and amplification and
with RCF acknowledged as one of
the world’s best speaker chassis
manufacturers, we have synergies
where we supply all the electronics
for its active systems and in our
more professional products, like the
DVA range or the DVX range, we use
RCF chassis speakers. Obviously, this
gives us a good advantage over
some of our competitors as it means
we are doing everything in-house.”
The DVA system has become dB’s
most successful ever product, as it has
brought the line array concept down
to an affordable level for many who
would otherwise have been confined
to point source systems. It does this
by using plastic housings with 420W
of digital amplification on board,
coupled to RCF neodymium speakers.
The DVA system opened the door for
smaller rental companies to be able
to offer a usable line array system at
an affordable price.
DBTECHNOLOGIES.COM
THE PLACE FOR BUSINESS
MIMARKETPLACE
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JANUARY 2010 75
MI MARKETPLACEACOUSTIC DISTRIBUTION
IRELAND & N.IWalter Hennessy087 2596183
SCOTLAND &NORTH EAST
Steve Clinkscale07958 351712
NORTHERNENGLANDChris Hind
07958 830072
SOUTH WESTCENTRAL ENGLAND
& WALESSteve Preston
07554 454054
LONDON &SOUTH EASTIan Collins
07836 237337
For full dealership details contact yourlocal area representative
HC MUSIC DISTRIBUTION LTD
00353 5991 34268sales@hcdistribution.comwww.cort-guitars.co.ukwww.myspace.com/cortguitars
ACCESSORIES AND GIFTWARE
ABROAD REPRESENTATION
To find out more about the JVM Series and other Marshall products contact: Marshall Amplification plc Denbigh Road, Bletchley, Milton Keynes MK11DQ www.marshallamps.com
AMPLIFICATION
76 miPRO JANUARY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
DISTRIBUTION
0845 270 2411
0845 270 2433
www.avslgroup.com
A leading distributor within the Audio Visual, Sound & Light, Public Address and MI trades.
GRO
UP
Order online
Friendly sales team
Over 4000 products in stock
DESIGNCLASSICAL GUITARS
DISTRIBUTION
MI MARKETPLACE
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JANUARY 2010 77
MI MARKETPLACEDISTRIBUTION
DISTRIBUTION
…more than just a gig bag!
Saxy!Visit us online at www.fusion-bags.com
Distributed by+ 44 (0)1483 238720
DISTRIBUTION
DISTRIBUTION
78 miPRO JANUARY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
Your Box
Ready to Snatch01525 850085 www.leisuretec.co.uk
Sound • Lighting • Special Effects - Established 1990 - Distribution Power Squared
DISTRIBUTION
MI MARKETPLACE
DISTRIBUTION
...bridges, necks, bodies,
electronics, frets, inlay dots, pickups, knobs,
switches, pickguards, tools scratchplates, strings, screws,
nuts, saddles, tailpieces ...and much more!!!
The UK’s Premier Guitar & Bass Parts Supplier
Pick a partABM, Badass, Bartolini, Bigsby, CRL, CTS,
Danelectro, Earvana, Electrosocket, Fender,
Gotoh, Graphtech, Hipshot, Hofner, Jim
Dunlop, Lace, Leo Quan, Moses, Razor,
Schaller, Sperzel, Sprague, Switchcraft
& Wilkinson.
To order call 0870 442 3336Low call rate 0845 345 5951
Order online or find a local dealer @:
www.allparts.uk.comor email us: [email protected]
GUITAR PARTS
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JANUARY 2010 79
MI MARKETPLACEDISTRIBUTIONDISTRIBUTION
Call Tom Harrison on 01132 589599 or email - [email protected]
DISTRIBUTION ETHNIC AND FOLK
GHANA GOODSWEST AFRICAN PERCUSSION
WHOLESALE AND RETAIL
PO Box 95, Fishponds
Bristol, BS16 1AG
Tel: 0117 9354132
www.ghanagoods.com
80 miPRO JANUARY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
INSURANCE AND BUSINESS
MUSIC PUBLISHERS
MI MARKETPLACE
GUITAR AND ACCESSORIES
Rothwell effects pedals are trulyhand-made here in the uk and built to thehighest standards. The cases are handpolished and the electronics carefullyassembled by skilled uk workers. The circuit designis innovative and original (we don't do clones, repros ormods) and the sound is the sound of classic rock guitar - pure tone.Our pedals are quickly gaining a reputation for superb quality and are being played on some of theworld's biggest stages. The Hellbender (overdrive) and Switchblade (distortion) are currently beingheard by thousands of fans on Justin Timberlake's world tour, played by Mike Scott (also Prince'smain guitarist), who says "you make truly great, great pedals".
Why not join our growing list of uk and international dealers and stock Britain's finest boutiqueeffects pedals.
BRITAIN'S FINEST BOUTIQUE EFFECTS
WWW.ROTHWELLAUDIOPRODUCTS.CO.UK01204 366133
OCARINAS
Making Music in SchoolsSince 1983
UK made rainbow ocarinas fromOcarina Workshop are easy to playand great fun to teach with.
These pocket-sized instrumentsare popular with kids & well-tuned.Together with 'Play your Ocarina'music books, they are the key tosuccessful music-making in manyschools around the country.
Make sure school ocarinas are onyour counter-top and availablewhen customers request them!
Quote ‘MI Pro’ when you order12 Ocarinas & 12 Books and beamazed at the ocarina’s potential...
Trade orders are sent by return:free delivery & no minimum order
www.ocarina.co.uk
tel: 01536 485 963fax: 01536 485 051
email: [email protected]
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JANUARY 2010 81
MI MARKETPLACEPERCUSSION
PERCUSSION
PERCUSSION AND DRUMS
PERCUSSION
82 miPRO JANUARY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
WIND INSTRUMENT
REPAIRSPROMOTIONAL
MI MARKETPLACE
WIND INSTRUMENT
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JANUARY 2010 83
MI MARKETPLACE
CONTACT
DARRELL CARTER +44 (0)1992 535647
MI MARKETPLACE
GREAT ADVERTISINGOPPORTUNITIES
DATES FOR YOUR
2010 DIARY
The full year of unmissable MI shows at
a glance...
JANUARYNAMM 201014th to 17th, Anaheim
Convention Center,
California
MARCHMUSIKMESSE24th to 27th, Frankfurt
Messe, Germany
APRILPLASA FOCUS27th to 28th, Leeds
Royal Armouries,
Yorkshire
JUNEJHS Event13th to 16th, JHS Head
Office, Garforth,
Yorkshire
JULYSUMMER NAMM17th to 19th, Nashville
Convention Centre,
Nashville, Tennessee
SEPTEMBERPLASA 1012th to 15th,
Earls Court, London
OCTOBERMUSIC CHINA12th to 15th, New
Shanghai Exhibition
Centre, Shanghai
NOVEMBERMUSIC LIVE5th to 7th, National
Exhibition Centre,
Birmingham, UK
DATES ARE BELIEVED
TO BE CORRECT
Please contact the
organiser before
booking any travel or
accomodation
MI PLANNER
JANUARY 2000
Cover Stars: Clive Morton talks about how Mad
About Guitars grew into the Music Live show and
how the move was seen as stepping up to
heavyweight champion status
News: Trace Elliot halves its workforce, Musical
Connection retail chain closes, Bob Doyle replaces
Davis Merrey as MD of Klark Teknik, Akai sells MI
division to AMIC
Features: AV at Prolight+Sound, 25 years of
Schools Proms, Rotosound, Red Sound, Business
budgeting by Alan Townsend, Soft synths, Rosetti,
Marantz mass product launch
Products: Cornford MKJ50H, Fender Jazzmaster
reissue, Danelectro Hodad, HK Audio Elias,
Sennheiser MKW-2 Gold, Shure Beta 91 &
98Tascam DA-78 HR, Yamaha GA-1 grand
Number one singles: Westlife, I Have a
Dream/Seasons in the Sun – Manic Street
Preachers, The Masses Against the Classes – Britney
Spears, Born to Make You Happy
Number one albums: Travis, The Man Who
RETRO
MI Pro prides itself on bringing you hard-hitting news and analysis, but, we reckon you’d also enjoy seeing your peers in
their more ‘off duty’ moments. So, we’ve expanded CODA to include a permanent pictorial spread of the month’s social
highlights. If you have any snaps from an event you’d like us to include, please send them to [email protected]...
84 miPRO JANUARY 2010 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
THE LAST WORD IN MI PRO
MARSHALL’S CHILDLINE AMPDECEMBER 10TH saw Dr. Jim
Marshall presenting the NSPCC with
a cheque for £25,000. The Guv'nor,
who is well known for his
contributions, having given literally
millions throughout the years to
charity, got the opportunity to meet
Esther Rantzen CBE, who has been a
trustee for the NSPCC since February
2006, and donate this generous
amount from Marshall.
The money was raised through
the sale of Marshall’s limited edition
Lead & Bass Fifty combo, which was
custom built in collaboration with
Paul ‘The Modfather’ Weller to
celebrate his 50th birthday last year.
Only 50 of these eye-catching amps
were ever manufactured and all
profits gained from the sale of these
units were donated to Childline, a
service provided by NSPCC.
A big thank you goes out from
Marshall to all those who bought
one of these fantastic amps, with
your help the amp maker was able
to give such a worthwhile charity
the money it needs to continue
helping thousands of children.
PIC OF THE MONTH – THE PIKASSO
In our efforts to bring every aspect of
the musical instrument business to
every musical instrument retailer, MI
Pro will go to any lengths to dig out
potential money spinners…
This little beast, however, is unlikely
to be a mega-seller, unfortunately.
The Pikasso guitar has four necks,
two sound holes, 42 strings and two
access doors: one on the player's side
and the other at the tail block. It is
the work of master luthier, Linda
Manzer, who made it for Pat Metheny
(should have guessed, really). It took a
year and four month’s in total to build
(around 1,000 hours) and when the 42
strings are strung up to high tension,
the Pikasso is under approximately
1,000 lbs pressure.
There isn’t anything even remotely
usual about this axe. The body is
tapered (thinner at the top than the
bottom) to give the player a better
‘view’ as the instrument leans
backwards (although this effect is
nothing new to Ovation players). It
has a custom piezo pickup system
fitted as well as a hex pickup.
Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide
to the Galaxy series had one entry
concerning Slartibartfast’s desire to
take up the octiventral heebie-phone.
“A delightfully futile task, he knew, as
he had the wrong number of mouths.”
And then, fiction became fact…
WWW.MANZER.COM
LATEST NEWSSTRAIGHT TO YOUR MOBILE
Bookmark us in your phone:
MOBILE.MI-PRO.CO.UK
SEND YOUR PICTURES TO [email protected]
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK miPRO JANUARY 2010 85
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
Amainstay of US folk and
bluegrass since well before rock
n roll was even dreamt of, the
autoharp is an intriguing instrument
that has found its way in the hands of
some of the biggest US country stars
and has more than earned its place
among our list of MI Icons.
While there is some conjecture
about the origins of the strange
looking 36 stringer, what is known for
certain is that it first came to
prominence in the latter part of the
19th century and by the roaring 20s
was becoming a regular fixture in the
hands of folk and bluegrass enthusiasts
across the US.
Often seen in the hands of Grand
Ole Opry star Cecil Null, it was widely
popularised by the Carter family (of
June Carter-Cash fame), the singing
sensations of the country scene at the
time and who were widely known and
respected throughout America.
While something of a rarity in the
public eye nowadays, there is a
strangely alluring quality about the
instrument. Strung with anything from
36 to 46 strings, it is essentially a
chorded zither that can be used as
either as a rhythmic or melodic
instrument. With its ease of playing
and ringing sound, the autoharp
certainly has enough history and
prestigious players to sit comfortably
among the rest of our MI Icons.
MI ICON Autoharp
1966 to 74The 1956 Martin D-28 that Mitchell
bought from a marine captain had
accompanied the officer to Vietnam. The
guitar was in a tent showered by
shrapnel and was the only thing to
survive the blast. Mitchell always felt
this event affected the guitar’s sound.
She mourned its loss in 74 (an awful
‘lost luggage incident) like that of a
friend. “I’ve never found an acoustic that
could compare with it,” she said.
1975 to 85As Mitchell began to explore jazzier
sounds, she turned to electric guitars
and no less than five George Benson
model Ibanez guitars, set up by Joel
Bernstein and Larry Cragg and each
with different string gauges and tunings.
She claimed that the Roland Jazz
Chorus amp she used was invented to
replicate her Hejira sound in
performance.
1985 to 92Mitchell switched back to acoustic and
Martin, using a D-45 and a new D-28,
which were used on a couple of albums
that many saw as Mitchell back at her
best, the Grammy-winning Chalk Mark
in a Rainstorm and Night Ride Home.
1992 to 96She adopted two Collings guitars – a
D2H dreadnought and the 3/4-size Baby
She referred to the latter as “the best
acoustic guitars I've found since I lost
my dear one.” (Referring to the 56
Martin D-28.) Despite this, it was the
full-sized guitar that featured on the
Turbulent Indigo album, with the Baby
used for songwriting duties.
96 to 2000Mitchell was one of few top artists to
embrace guitar synthesis and for some
years almost exclusively played an
electric guitar made by Fred Walecki of
Westwood Music in Los Angeles, which
she used with the Roland VG-8. The
guitar was a lightweight German spruce
model, although information on this
instrument is flakey, to say the least.
2000 to presentTaking the synth and effects route a step
further (and her desire for ever lighter
guitars), Mitchell switched to a hex
equipped Parker Fly and Roland VG-88.
Although her album output has been
negligible in the past ten years, her
occasional live performances see her
looking very comfortable with her
trusty Parker.
THE STARS AND THEIR GUITARSJONI MITCHELLNot your average guitar hero, but not your average singer/songwriter, either, Mitchell is a unique artist, who has carved a
niche all her own, never seeking commercial success over artistic advancement. Here are her weapons of choice…
1966/74 1992/96
1975/85 1996/2000
1985/92 2000+
Current holders of the 'biggest
band in the world' tag, U2 fills
out stadiums with ease, and
having just been confirmed for
Glastonbury 2010, is sure to be
everywhere this year. Here's the
kit the members make their
noises with...
SOUNDALIKESU2
NEXTMONTHThe fullest NAMM report you could hope
for and in-depth looks at the wireless
microphone market and all the latest on the
budget acoustic guitar scene.
EDITORIAL: ANDY BARRETT
ADVERTISING: DARRELL CARTER
The Rushworth name, of course, will
forever be associated with the famous
Liverpool shop where David’s father,
James Rushworth, then chairman of the
family firm, regularly sold to the Fab Four.
Once, he even had a shipment of Gibson
145 guitars flown in from Chicago
especially for them.
Company/job title:
Director/Intermusic
Years in the industry?
It's been 47 years
First single bought?
That would have been Travelling Light by
Cliff Richard
Favourite album?
I think I'll say... Abba, Best Of – To sing
along (very loudly) in the car on the M62
Currently listening to?
Faure Requiem (very therapeutic)
Favourite musician?
I'm going to go for Paul McCartney on
that one
Which instruments do you play?
I play the piano
Are you currently in a band?
Yes, I am part of a choral singing group
David Rushworth
MI SPACE
© Intent Media 2009 No part of this publication may be
reproduced in any form or by any means without prior permission
of the copyright owners. Printed by The Manson Group, AL3 6PZ
Enquiries to Mi Pro, Intent Media, Saxon House 6a St.
Andrew Street, Hertford SG14 1JA.
Tel: 01992 535646 (Editorial)
Tel: 01992 535647 (Advertising)
Fax: 01992 535648
miPRO is a memberof the PPA
ISSN 1750-4198
Bono: vocals – lucky late 70's mic stand,
various microphones
The Edge: guitar – Gibson Explorer, various
Fender, Gibson, Fernandes, and Rickenbacker
guitars (up to 20 per night), Vox AC30,
Fender Deluxe Tweed, Fender Blues Jr,
Roland JC120, Boss FV-300L volume pedal,
Dunlop Cry Baby, Digitech Whammy WH-1,
Skrydstrup SC-1, Lovetone Meatball,
Lovetone Doppelganger, Electro-Harmonix
Big Muff PI, Ampeg Scrambler, Ibanez TB-9
Tube Screamer, Boss GE-7 Graphic Equalizer,
Boss CS-2 Compressor/Sustainer, Boss PW-2
Power Driver, Boss FA-1 FET Amplifier,
Skrydstrup Bufferooster, Sobbat DB-1 Drive
Breaker, Kay Fuzz.
Adam Clayton: bass – Various Fender
Precision and Jazz basses, Lakland Darryl
Jones signature bass, Ashdown BM C410H-
500 combo, Ashdown ABM 900.
Larry Mullen Jnr: drums – Yamaha Birch
Custom Absolute Nouveau kit - 14x10" rack
tom, two 16” x16" floor toms, 14” x7"
Brady Sheoak Block snare, 24” x16" kick
drum. Pro-mark 5A Japanese oak
drumsticks. Paiste Signature cymbals - 16"
power crash, 17" power crash, 18" power
crash, 18" full crash, 22" power ride, 14"
heavy hi-hat.
MI PRO Magazine. Saxon House, 6a St. Andrew Street.
Hertford, Hertfordshire. SG14 1JA
ISSN: 1750-41980 Copyright 2009
Printed by The Manson Group, AL3 6PZ
the international monthlymagazine for musicinstrument professional andeveryone in the MI business
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
MI Pro has a monthly circulation of well
over 6,000. It is distributed to all MI
retailers and industry professionals plus
carefully selected pro audio executives
and resellers.
UK: £50 Europe: £60 Rest of World: £90
SUBSCRIPTIONEnquiries, please email: [email protected]
Telephone: 01580 883 848
Charges cover XX issues and 1st class postage
or airmail dispatch for overseas subscribers.
MI PRO is published XX times a year, reaching well over
6,000 readers throughout the UK and international market.
Managing EditorAndy Barrett
Editor at LargeGary Cooper
Associate EditorRob Power
Deputy EditorRob Hughes
Advertising ManagerDarrell Carter
DesignerClaire Brocklesby
Editorial ProductionManagerHelen French
Production ExecutiveRosie McKeown
CirculationPaul Little
Sub-EditorGemma Messina
PublisherDave Roberts
Managing DirectorStuart Dinsey
86 miPRO JANUARY 2010