ISSUE 130 MARCH 2011
COVER STORY 23 KEEPING IT TOGETHER
Rosetti’s co-chairmen Barry Warner and Doug Ellis explain the effectiveness of their partnership, how the distributor has coped during tough times – such as the loss of guitar giant Gibson – and the success it is enjoying with some of its existing brands.
NEWS
ORANGE DISTRIBUTES TUBESYNC, HENLEY REVIEW, THE MUSIC SHOW, PATRICK EGGLE GUITARS
EVENTS 4
MUSIKMESSE 18 Cordelia von Gymnich promises more international visitors and interactive apps at this year’s show.
FEATURES AMPEG 30
How this iconic bass amp company is aiming to maintain its leading reputation in this field.
FENDER 33 How to balance a much-loved brand of gear with the latest trend-setting innovations.
30
GREG BENNETT 36 A look at the brand you might not have heard of, but that Intermusic has high hopes for.
WAYNE BLANCHARD 40 The retail guru is back to tackle another subject he feels is worthy of discussion – new product.
SECTOR SPOTLIGHTS
ELECTRONIC DRUMS 57 Why these once-overlooked instruments are causing more drummers to get with the times.
36
ELECTRIC GUITARS 63 Exploring unquestionably the most desirable sector of the lot – the high end electric guitar market.
RETAIL
OCTAVE MUSIC 74 Celebrating 25 years in business with this Dunstable- based general retailer.
74
SECRET SHOPPER 76 MI Pro’s mystery man pokes his nose into a trio of unsuspecting Ipswich stores.
REGULARS: DISTIE PROFILE 10 I WOKE UP 43 RETAIL NEWS 72 SECRET SHOPPER 76 PRODUCTS 45-55 CODA 88 EDITORIAL COMMENT
So, why am I constantly surprised when I come across people full of
enthusiasm and passion?
which you will be able to read more in next month’s issue). It’s a nice place and the product is undoubtedly a real trend
I
setter, catching the eye of people in industries far beyond MI. For me, though, the highlight of the visit was bumping into
Cliff Cooper again. We have met many times, of course, usually at trade shows and the like, but it never fails to amaze me how much enthusiasm and, dare I say, boyish passion he has for his company and its products. He is capable of sweeping you up and carrying you along on a positive wave of all things Orange. It’s an impressive thing to behold. A few days later, I was talking to Zane Williams, the product
manager for Ampeg (see page 30). A guitarist and engineer, this is another guy who lives and breathes his brand and its products, he is totally immersed in developing the equipment he touts – and he loves it. Again, the enthusiasm is highly infectious and you find yourself caught up in the emotions. I’m not sure if it’s an ‘amp thing’, but Gary Cooper interviewed Fender’s senior product manager for guitar amplifiers, Shane Nicholas (page 33). Our Editor at Large’s description of the conversation he had sounded immediately familar – and the article, once again, draws a picture of a man deeply involved in his work and loving every minute of it. Then I started looking around the magazine and I noticed
that from Musikmesse’s Cordelia von Gymnich (page 18), through Freshman’s Sean Kelly (page 25), to our latest columnist and resident marketing guru, Wayne Blanchard (page 40) we are, in fact, an industry inundated with people that simply love what they are doing. In that, I feel, we are probably very lucky. Music is an awfully
tricky business to get involved in and however much we love playing our weapon of choice, there are very, very few (I am guessing here) reading this magazine that can earn a living playing music, but to be in and around the music-making ‘community’ (I would also guess) is crucially important to just about every one of us. So why am I constantly surprised when I come across people full of passion and enthusiasm? I think I haven’t been playing my guitar enough...
Andy Barrett Managing Editor
went to the new Orange head office and warehouse facility a couple of weeks ago, charged with the task of looking into the latest developments in the OPC computer/amp (of
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