SHADOW ELECTRONICS BRAND PROFILE
for music, there were no specialist pickup manufacturers anywhere in the world. That was until 1971, when the German firm Shadow Electronics, founded by Joe Marinic, who is still in charge today, became the first company to do just that. The manufacturer wasted no time in beginning its remarkable sequence of inventing entirely new products, starting with the Shadow 1 in 1972, the world’s first undersaddle pickup for acoustic guitars. It produced its first violin pickup in that year as well. Shadow actually used to make its own actual guitar line as well, as its director of marketing and distribution, Dominic Wagner, reveals: “We used to make acoustic and classical guitars here, but the factory closed in the 90s and now we focus entirely on our pickups and preamps.” Wagner feels the company’s time making guitars allowed them to learn a lot about the instruments. “We gained a lot of experience. We are also a very technical company and we make big investments every year in the R&D department.”
This side of the business has clearly been a major priority throughout Shadow’s lifetime, due to the huge number of ‘firsts’ it
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Chasing Shadows F
or modern guitarists, it’s strange to think that up to the end of the 1960s, a period that many believe to be one of the best
has brought to market: The dual and triple pickup system, the active humbucker with built in eq and the endpin jack were all pioneered by Shadow, which is a huge achievement. It wasn’t until the mid 1980s that the
Dominic Wagner has the enviable job of selling innovations
company started getting real recognition in the industry and some of the major brands started fitting their instruments with Shadow pickups. The first noticeable case of this was the partnership with Takamine in 1984. This was followed by a deal with Gibson ten years later. The exclusive UK distributor for the brand, Barnes & Mullins was another major MI company to recognise its immense potential and now Shadow pickups are used in Lag, Höfner and Faith guitars, which are all supplied by B&M. Of course, representatives of these companies will always have nothing but immense praise for the products they deal with, but Barnes & Mullins’ marketing manager Alex Mew can prove his claims, instead of simply expecting customers to take his word for it. “We don’t blindly use Shadow just because
of our relationship. Last year we undertook a blind test of the three leading pickup makers,” says Mew. “We fitted three identical guitars with three different pickup and preamp systems. Brian Cleary (Barnes & Mullins’ joint managing director), Patrick Eggle and I then played these guitars in a blind test. We were delighted – and, to be honest, a little surprised – that the undisputed winner to our ears was in fact the Shadow system that we already used.”
With Shadow Electronics approaching its 40th birthday, it seemed only right to look over what the company has achieved in this time and Adam Savage discovers that it is quite a list indeed…
STILL GOING STRONG Shadow is now approaching its 40th year and the company still carries on the tradition of being first with a number of fresh products currently in the pipeline. The introduction of its Nanoflex pickup system is a prime example. “Pickups usually react to the vibrations of just the strings, but the Nanoflex takes the vibration of the strings and the wood of the guitar,” explains Wagner. “Every cable works like an antenna and creates hum, but these are 100 per cent hum free.” And this is not the only unique Shadow
gadget to emerge recently. The Shadow SH E- Tuner HB for electric guitar is a sign that the brand is continuing its original designs. This tuner can be fitted on to any standard humbucker electric guitar, transforming it into an instrument with precise onboard tuning. Installation is straightforward and the instrument’s sound remains unaffected. Tuning can be completed quickly as well, due
to its chromatic function, all conceivable alternate tunings are covered and the battery will last for around 2,000 tunings. In the 40 years of Shadow’s existence, you would have expected this company’s pioneering status to decline, especially as a number of competitors have emerged to try and take their share of the market. However, the launch of products such as these, on such a regular basis shows that this company’s innovation has never wavered. BARNES & MULLINS: 01691 652449
miPRO DECEMBER 2010 29
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