Music Trades articles from April 2002

Music Trades archives from April 2002

The rise of the Chinese music industry. (Letters).
April 1, 2002... I agree with your editorial on the rise of China in the March issue of Music Trades. Certainly, the quality of Chinese product in all areas has improved dramatically in a few short years. To their credit, the Chinese manufacturing concerns are...

The industry scorecard. (Editorial).
April 1, 2002... With the Music Industry Census, beginning on page 66, and the Top 125 Supplier ranking, beginning on page 106, we offer a numerical analysis of the size and scope of the music products industry. The data is comprehensive: dollar and unit volume...

Positive economic data.
April 1, 2002... Last week, improving consumer sentiment and industrial production provided more proof that the economy is well on the way to a recovery. The Producer Price Index for February, which tracks wholesale prices, signaled that inflation remains in...

Karaoke on steroids!
April 1, 2002... MusicPlayground describes its new PC Software as "karaoke on steroids." Using the a "V-Pick" virtual guitar pick or "V-Stix" virtual drum kit and a microphone plugged directly into the back of a PC running the MusicPlayground software, an...

Fender & Gibson contemplate stock offerings.
April 1, 2002... Bill Schultz, CEO of Fender Musical Instruments and Henry Juszkiewicz, CEO of Gibson told a Reuters reporter that they were considering taking their companies public within the next five years. "Our goal is to be public at some point, you know,...

Baseball fans search for Babe Ruth's piano.
April 1, 2002... The Boston Red Sox haven't won a World Series since 1918. That same year, slugger Babe Ruth, after a long night of singing and drinking, allegedly pushed his piano down a fifteen foot incline into the depth of Willis Pond in Sudbury,...

Matching the right words and sounds.
April 1, 2002... The vocabulary we use to describe tone quality varies so much from person to person, that it's of little use. One man's "boomy" can be another's "brilliant." No the California Institute of Technology is attempting to inject a new truly...

NARAS honors synth Pioneer Moog.
April 1, 2002... Robert Moog, who ushered in the era of electronic music with the creation of the Moog Synthesizer in 1965, was given a "Technical Grammy" by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences prior to the 44th annual Grammy Awards Show....

Congress grants $500,000 for music-brain research. (Industry Forefront).
April 1, 2002... THE INSTITUTE FOR MUSIC and Neurologic Function (IMNF) will receive $500,000 from the U.S. Congress in 2002 to advance its work in music-brain research and to develop new clinical applications to benefit patients challenged by aging,...

China to host international music products trade fair. (Industry Forefront).
April 1, 2002... AN UNPRECEDENTED joint venture between INTEX Shanghai and Messe Frankfurt will result in China's first major international trade fair for musical instruments. Music China enjoys the support of the nation's leading trade association, the China...

Britney tours with Yamaha GranTouch. (Industry Forefront).
April 1, 2002... ON HER CURRENT nationwide tour, pop sensation Britney Spears is using a DGT7 Disklavier GranTouch Digital Grand Piano furnished by Yamaha to anchor "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" and other show highlights. Spears's production manager...

D'Addario supports New York Guitar Festival. (Industry Forefront).
April 1, 2002... THE NEW YORK Guitar Festival, which took place January 14-20 in Manhattan, showcased a dazzling array of the world's most talented and interesting guitarists, and gave free guitars, strings, and lessons to the city's public school children....

Ludwig Publishing sold to Chris Donze. (Industry Forefront).
April 1, 2002... THE ASSETS OF LUDWIG Music Publishing Co., Inc., have been sold to Donze Enterprises, headed by Chris Donze. The sale was announced by Elizabeth Ludwig Fennell, longtime head of Ludwig Publishing, who assumes the title of publisher emerita at...

All-star surprises at Korg USA's winter sales meeting. (Industry Forefront).
April 1, 2002... KORG USA CONTINUALLY looks for innovative new ways to motivate its sales force and dealers. This year an all-star lineup of artists was deployed at its winter sales meeting to unveil and demonstrate new products from Korg, Marshall, ToneWorks,...

Guitar world circulation up. (Industry Forefront).
April 1, 2002... Guitar World magazine has filed a strong circulation increase with the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) for the second half of 2001. With a total paid circulation of 200,307--single copy sales of 128,425 and subscriptions of 71,882--Guitar...

MBT celebrates 15 years in Taiwan.
April 1, 2002... MBT INTERNATIONAL celebrated the 15th anniversary of its Taiwan sourcing and sales office with cake and a traditional American birthday at Winter NAMM in Anaheim. Susan Guey, vice-president of Far East operations, who manages all importing from...

Club Roland training session in Orlando. (Industry Forefront).
April 1, 2002... DEMONSTRATING ITS commitment to the home keyboard market, Roland Contemporary Keyboards recently hosted a two-and-a-half-day National Club Roland dealer and director training seminar in Orlando, Florida, for 46 retailers. Club Roland's success...

Allen Organ sales down in 2001. (Corporate Earnings Digest).
April 1, 2002... ALLEN ORGAN COMPANY reported that consolidated sales for the year ended December 31, 2001, were $60,490,513 compared with $72,516,208 for the same period of 2000. The consolidated net loss was $4,083,810 as compared to net income of $3,954,896...

Mackie Designs reports fourth quarter loss. (Corporate Earnings Digest).
April 1, 2002... MACKIE DESIGNS INC. has announced a net loss for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2001, of $660,000. This compares to net income of $636,000 for the fourth quarter of 2000. Revenue for the fourth quarter of 2001 was $46,855,000 compared to...

Steinway beats earnings projections. (Corporate Earnings Digest).
April 1, 2002... STEINWAY MUSICAL Instruments' net sales decreased seven percent to $84.5 million from $90.4 million for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2001. Net income totaled $3.9 million for the period, compared to $4.4 million a year ago. For...

HHI announces sales force award winners. (Industry Forefront).
April 1, 2002... HANSER HOLDINGS International (HHI), parent corporation of B.C. Rich, Kustom, OLP, and Davitt & Hanser Distribution, has announced the winners of its 2001 HHI Salesperson Awards. The coveted awards were presented during a special dinner...

Samson revamps website. (Industry Forefront).
April 1, 2002... IN AN EFFORT to further improve customer service and support, Samson Technologies has launched an all-new consumer website, www.Samsontech.com. The comprehensive site features product information on all Samson wireless and audio products...

Larry Volland relaunches rep firm. (Industry Forefront).
April 1, 2002... VETERAN SALES and marketing musical instrument executive Larry G. Volland has re-established Volland Pro West, a professional rep organization he originally founded 20 years ago. After holding executive positions at various companies...

DW drums featured at olympics. (Industry Forefront).
April 1, 2002... NEARLY A DOZEN Drum Workshop drumsets were used at music and festival stages during the recent 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, Provided by DW in conjunction with local authorized DW dealer Backbeats Music, the winter-themed White...

Guitar One magazine honors Jim Marshall. (Industry Forefront).
April 1, 2002... Guitar One magazine presented its first "1 Award" to Jim Marshall, founder of Marshall Amplification, in recognition of his immeasurable contributions to the musical instrument industry and--most importantly--rock'n'roll. The presentation was...

QRS to develop self-tuning piano system. (Industry Forefront).
April 1, 2002... QRS MUSIC Technologies, Inc., announced on February 25 that it has acquired the exclusive worldwide rights to manufacture, sublicense, and sell a Self-Tuning Piano System. (The system does not have a trade name at present.) Richard A....

Ernie Ball teams up with U.K.'s Cornford. (Industry Forefront).
April 1, 2002... Ernie Ball/Music Man recently signed a marketing partnership agreement with British amp maker Cornford Amplification, a Kent-based manufacturer of high-end, hand-made tube amplifiers. Cornford Amplification is run by guitarists who are...

"Missing" video camera returned at NAMM. (Industry Forefront).
April 1, 2002... STEVE WILSON OF Music Sales Publishing Group brought his video camera to the NAMM Winter Show in Anaheim. The camera still contained a tape of his nine-month-old daughter, Cydney, at her first New Year's, plus other recent family celebrations....

Audio-Technica opens Technica House/astro studio in Tokyo. (Industry Forefront).
April 1, 2002... AUDIO-TECHNICA RECENTLY opened Technica House/AstroStudio, the company's newest office complex located in Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo. The eight-story facility's architecture suggests a giant transducer, symbolizing that A-T is listening and...

Greenhill gets larger territory for Duncan. (Industry Forefront).
April 1, 2002... JIM GREENHILL Sales has been selling Seymour Duncan and Basslines Pickups for almost 25 years in Alabama, Tennessee, and part of Georgia. The company, named Seymour Duncan's Rep of the Year for 2000 and for 2001, has now been awarded a larger...

BBE Sound CEO addresses University. (Industry Forefront).
April 1, 2002... IN LATE JANUARY, John McLaren, CEO of BBE Sound, was the featured guest speaker at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), Graduate School of Management. The topic of McLaren's lecture was the Harvard Business School case study of the...

Throckmorton sales wins Sennheiser award. (Industry Forefront).
April 1, 2002... SENNHEISER ELECTRONIC Corporation recently presented the 2001 Rep Award for Most Improved Territory to Throckmorton Sales, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Covering the states of Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, and southern Illinois, RJ...

ESP guitars spotlights new endorsers.
April 1, 2002... ESP GUITARS RECENTLY announced a number of new endorsers from the international music scene as well as some hot and upcoming U.S. bands. Guitarist Dan Rayner recently joined industrial punk British band Pitchshifter. In addition to his...

Historic Polish Theater equipped with JBL. (Industry Forefront).
April 1, 2002... THE NEW EVO SPEAKER system from JBL Professional has been installed at the high profile Teatr Komedia in Warsaw. The theatre, built in the 19th century, is one of the busiest bee outfitted with a JBL EVO and most successful in Poland, primarily...

Fiddler Kenny Baker marks 25 years with Super-Sensitive. (Industry Forefront).
April 1, 2002... BLUEGRASS LEGEND Kenny Baker was first introduced to Super-Sensitive's Old Fiddler Line strings 25 years ago and has been using the company's strings ever since. Today the master fiddler and recent inductee into the International Bluegrass...

Award for Chandler's PedalTrain. (Industry Forefront).
April 1, 2002... THE J. CHANDLER COMPANY'S PedalTrain pedal board system has received Guitar Player's "Editors Pick" award. A feature article in the March issue of the magazine "bench tests" the PedalTrain system alongside its closest competitors from three...

Electro-voice's $100,000 promo. (Industry Forefront).
April 1, 2002... ELECTRO-VOICE had announced its biggest sales promotion ever, called Demonstrate to Success. For the very first time in EV's 75-year history, the company is giving away $100,000 worth of great EV products to its dealers and salespeople. To...

MBT lighting & sound distributes Numark. (Industry Forefront).
April 1, 2002... MBT Lighting and Sound is now distributing Numark d.j. products to retailers nationwide. The products by Numark include d.j. mixers, CD players, turntables, and accessories. David Holtz, president of MBT International, said, "MBT Lighting...

Guitar center sales up 19%, full year net income drops. (Retailer Update).
April 1, 2002... GUITAR CENTER, INC., reported net income of $6.6 million for the fourth quarter of 2001, after taking a $3.5 million charge to write off a minority interest in an unconsolidated subsidiary and a $592,000 charge to extend its line of credit. For...

Zeswitz music merges with Brook Mays. (Retailer Update).
April 1, 2002... ZESWITZ MUSIC in Reading, Pennsylvania, is the latest retail operation to merge with the Brook Mays Music Group. The merger became official on February 8. "Zeswitz is strategically located at the intersection of a dynamic market of...

Kidder Music hosts Clarinet Fest.
April 1, 2002... KIDDER MUSIC IN Peoria, Illinois, hosted a Clarinet Festival on February 16. Approximately 50 clarinetists as well as teachers and parents attended the all-day event. Ranging in age from ten to 16, Fest participants enjoyed a day devoted to...

Reiske and Raby join Sweetwater. (Retailer Update).
April 1, 2002... SWEETWATER, ONE OF the nation's leading retailers of professional music technology equipment, has hired Arend Raby and Jim Reiske as sales engineers. Raby joins Sweetwater with a wide variety of music experience. He has been a recording...

Progressive Percussion expands. (Retailer Update).
April 1, 2002... PROGRESSIVE PERCUSSION Drum Studios, Inc. has completed its move to a new, larger facility at 5207-A Oak Park Rd. in Raleigh, North Carolina. The new studio facility offers larger teaching rooms for drumset and hand drum classes, as well as two...

Guitar Center promotes Wanamaker, Nelson. (Retailer Update).
April 1, 2002... AT GUITAR CENTER, Jay Wanamaker has been promoted to senior vice-president of merchandising of the M.I. Division and Mark Nelson has been promoted to vice-president of sales. The promotions were announced by David Angress, executive...

Outkast visits Bill's Music House. (Retailer Update).
April 1, 2002... BILL'S MUSIC House in Baltimore rolled out the red carpet last summer for the duo Outkast--"Dre" (Andre Benjamin) and "Big Boi" (Anthony Patton). This nationally acclaimed hiphop duo had five nominations for the Source Awards and won in two...

Gonzales named VP at Cooper Music. (Retailer Update).
April 1, 2002... ELLEN GONZALES has been named vice-president of the newly formed Music and Wellness Division at Cooper Music, one of Georgia's largest and oldest piano dealers. M. Blake Cooper, president of Cooper Music Co., said that Gonzales will oversee all...

Digibid teams with eBay to create Pro Outlet Center. (Retailer Update).
April 1, 2002... DIGIBID, an Internet-based auction company, has teamed with eBay to create the online Pro Outlet Center for entertainment technology equipment. The agreement will enable manufacturers, dealers and distributors of products, such as musical...

The second best year in history. (The Music Industry Census).
April 1, 2002... It finally happened. After twelve years of unbroken sales growth, the U.S. music products industry posted a sales decline in 2001. Aggregate revenues of the 55 product categories tracked in the following report declined 3.9% to $6.88 billion,...

The top 125: America's leading music products suppliers.
April 1, 2002... The challenging economic climate in 2001 was amply reflected in the sales results of the industry's 125 largest suppliers. A slumping stock market, jittery consumers, and the terrorist attack of September 11th collectively resulted in a 3%...

Paul Reed Smith guitars: combining passion for the guitar with ever increasing expertise, PRS posted a 50 percent sales gain in 2001. (Company of the Year).
April 1, 2002... Electric guitarists like to cultivate their image as risk takers always on the cutting edge. When it comes to buying guitars, however, it's hard to imagine a more conservative, go-with-the-status-quo group. This helps explain why the world's...

Made in China: the newest low-cost manufacturing site has realigned U.S. manufacturing and dramatically altered price points. (Product of the Year).
April 1, 2002... In selecting product of the year, we typically look for a distinctive combination of value, design, and innovation that has an effect on the market that transcends mere sales. In the search for a product with impact this year, we instead...

Henry Juszkiewicz: Gibson guitar's controversial CEO takes aim at the piano market, acquring Baldwin piano. (Man of the Year).
April 1, 2002... Trying for a home run is not without its risks. The bigger the swing, the higher the probability of striking out. Babe Ruth knew this well. While he's best known for his 714 home runs, he also amassed a league-leading 1,330 strikeouts during...

Top growth stories of 2001: the economy was Lackluster last year, but that didn't stop a few hard chargers from racking up big sales gains. Here's a look at 10 companies that outperformed the market and how they did it. (U.S. Music Products Suppliers).
April 1, 2002... Midiman, Inc. 68.8% Arcadia, California-based Midiman tops The Music Trades Top Growth Stories list for the second straight year. Growth in previous years resulted from developing, manufacturing, marketing, and selling its computer sound...

Where to find them: a directory of the top 125 music products suppliers. (U.S. Music Products Suppliers).
April 1, 2002... Akai Musical Instrument Corp. 4710 Mercantile Drive Fort Worth, TX 76137 Tel: (817) 831-9203 Fax: (817) 222-1490 www.akaipro.com Alesis Studio Electronics 12509 Beatrice Street Los Angeles, CA 90066 Tel: (310) 301-9563 Fax:...

Creating more music makers worldwide: industry leaders explore health care initiatives, technology, and global collaboration in an effort to increase the market for music products. (Global Summit Report).
April 1, 2002... What impact will an aging population have on an industry that has traditionally counted teenagers as its core customer base? Will better inventory and supply management free up additional profit dollars for more aggressive marketing programs?...

Supply chain management: Guitar Center's Marty Albertson explains how better logistics will revolutionize the music industry. (Global Summit Report).
April 1, 2002... Over the past decade, manufacturers have squeezed incredible efficiencies out of the production process, dramatically enhancing product value. Retailers, for their part, have become increasingly cost conscious, learning to operate successfully...

Bechstein honors Bach to Rock for Stellar sales year.
April 1, 2002... THE SECOND ANNUAL Bechstein dealer dinner was held during the NAMM show at the Hungry Dealer Steakhouse. The affair was hosted by Karl Schulze, CEO of C. Bechstein Pianofortefabrik, and Jim Nicoll, president of Premier Piano Company, the North...

Asset or liability -- what is the phone to you? The person answering the phone is quarterbacking the business ... most buying decisions are based on how you were treated on the phone! (Bob Popyk on Selling).
April 1, 2002... For years I've talked about how much business you could gain--or lose--from incoming calls. The person who's answering your phone is quarterbacking your business. You might spend a ton of money on advertising, but those interested customers are...

Ambrose new Samick sales VP. (People).
April 1, 2002... KEN AMBROSE HAS joined the Piano Division of Samick as vice-president of sales. The piano industry veteran has experience in both retail and wholesale. Most recently he was vice-president of sales and marketing at Baldwin Piano and Organ Co....

Grant & Jahnke new Hal Leonard VPs. (People).
April 1, 2002... HAL LEONARD CORPORATION has promoted two key employees to newly created positions within its sales department. Sally Grant is now vice-president international sales administration and David Jahnke is the vice-president national sales. ...

Pete Moe heads Samson marketing. (People).
April 1, 2002... PETE MOE HAS BEEN appointed director of marketing at Samson Technologies. He will be responsible for all aspects of marketing for Samson as well as the Hartke and Zoom brands, which Samson distributes. Moe has a comprehensive background in...

Fyock to direct Alesis trade shows. (People).
April 1, 2002... STEPHAN FYOCK has joined Alesis Distribution's marketing department as trade show manager. He will be responsible for creating and implementing the trade show efforts of both Alesis and Numark. For the past four years he has held various...

O'Keefe tapped for AKG sales post. (People).
April 1, 2002... AKG ACOUSTICS U.S. announced that audio industry veteran Tony O'Keefe has joined the company as its Eastern regional sales manager, bringing with him 20 years of sales and marketing experience in professional and consumer audio. O'Keefe will be...

Pearl promotes Ito and Miller. (People).
April 1, 2002... PEARL CORPORATION USA recently announced the promotion of two top executives. Andy Ito, president and CEO of Pearl Corporation USA since 1996, has been promoted to a newly created position to direct and implement Pearl's growth strategies on a...

Miranda joins Brian Moore Guitars. (People).
April 1, 2002... INDUSTRY VETERAN Martin Miranda has been appointed sales manager at Brian Moore Guitars. He has over 28 years of experience as a successful sales executive and international sales consultant in the music industry. Miranda commented, "I'm...

Kustom promotes Fred Conrad. (People).
April 1, 2002... KUSTOM, A DIVISION of Hanser Holdings International, has promoted Fred Conrad to the position of special projects coordinator. In this capacity, Conrad will be responsible for managing the progression of specific projects and moving new...

Saxophonist Harman joins Runyon. (People).
April 1, 2002... SAXOPHONIST Donovan Harmon has been named advertising executive and mouthpiece design tester at Runyon Products in Opelousas, Louisiana. His two titles were formerly held by his mentor, company founder Santy Runyon. Harmon studied saxophone for...

Rice & Schwartz promoted at Mackie. (People).
April 1, 2002... MACKIE DESIGNS, Inc., has named Paul Rice its executive vice-president for sales, and Ivan Schwartz its corporate director for global sound reinforcement product and market development. Rice will report directly to Jamie Engen, president...

Frank Fry joins Ron Tunks Sales. (People).
April 1, 2002... INDUSTRY VETERAN Frank Fry has joined the outside sales force of Ron Tunks Sales, Inc., an independent rep firm covering the Southeast U.S. and Puerto Rico. His territory will include all accounts in Alabama and Mississippi. "Having two reps...

Carlson heads ACE products sales. (People).
April 1, 2002... Rick Carlson has been promoted to vice-president of sales at Ace Products Group. He will oversee sales for Ace's product divisions--Kaces, Camber, Camber Avanti, AP Audio, and Reverend Musical Instruments--as well as for the company's expanding...

Weber unveils three new pianos. (Product News).
April 1, 2002... IN HONOR OF ITS 150TH Anniversary, the Weber Piano Company unveiled a limited-edition grand piano and two new entry-level digital pianos at the NAMM Winter Show. "The WSG60 6'1" acoustic grand piano is uniquely designed for our 150th,"...

Godin's "Flat Five" guitars. (Product News).
April 1, 2002... GODIN HAS INTRODUCED the "Flat Five" and "Flat Five X" guitars. "Before you even plug in the Flat Five, the first chord tells you that you're in for something special," a spokesman commented. "The fact that the Flat Five is a hollow-body...

Conn's unique "Dent Eraser". (Products News).
April 1, 2002... THE C.G. CONN DENT Eraser (patent pending) is a fast and easy way to remove dents from tubas, sousaphones, euphoniums, saxophones, and other large instruments. This innovative new repair tool will provide repair technicians, brass players,...

Sonor's giant step pedal series. (Product News).
April 1, 2002... SONOR HAS EXPANDED bass drum playing possibilities with its new Giant Step Pedal Series. With many unique state-of-the-art features, each Giant Step has. been engineered to meet the expectations of each individual drummer. Currently, two models...

Community MVP loudspeakers now shipping. (Product News).
April 1, 2002... COMBINING THE HIGH-output intensity of raw acoustic power with unrivaled sonic clarity, the MVP Series loudspeakers from Community are ideally suited for DJs, bands, and virtually any other live performance application. Featuring...

New packaging from on-stage stands. (Product News).
April 1, 2002... ON-STAGE STANDS, a leader in musical equipment support stands, has unveiled innovative new product packaging. Designed with both the retailer and the end-user in mind, the packaging now being used on a select number of On-Stage Stands products...

Seymour Duncan Dimebag Darrell pickup. (Product News).
April 1, 2002... SEYMOUR DUNCAN has collaborated with Dimebag Darrell, guitarist for veteran heavy metal band Pantera, to create a pickup that will re-create the rocker's distinctive guitar tone. The new SH-13 Dimebucker's small amount of metal mass in the core...

Grotrian introduces Duo Grand Piano. (Product News).
April 1, 2002... GROTRIAN, the German piano manufacturer located in Braunschweig, has introduced the unique Duo Grand Piano. Two grands are connected with removable rim parts and supplied with one common lid. A special soundboard fills the space between the...

Zildjian adds a custom hi-hats. (Product News).
April 1, 2002... ZILDJIAN HAS INTRODUCED the 12" A Custom Mastersound Hi-Hats as part of the tenth anniversary celebration of the A Custom cymbal range. The newest A Customs are the first 12" hi-hats to feature the extremely popular Mastersound hammering...

May the force be with Fernandes. (Products News).
April 1, 2002... OFFERING TO "take your music to a galaxy far, far away," North Hollywood-based Fernandes Guitars International Inc., is introducing a special Star Wars collector's series line of guitars and guitar accessories this spring. In association with...

D'Addario expands exp coated strings line. (Products News).
April 1, 2002... D'ADDARIO HAS ANNOUNCED several new developments in its EXP Coated Strings line. "EXP" stands for "extended play." The first EXP Coated Strings were released in January 2001; in July the line was expanded to include EXP Coated Mandolin Strings...

Dod intros Yngwie Malmsteen stompbox. (Products News).
April 1, 2002... DOD, A DIVISION of Harman International, has unveiled its new YJM308 overdrive pedal, which was developed to meet the exacting sound requirements of artist Yngwie Malmsteen. The new pedal debuted at the Winter NAMM show. Malmsteen, a...

Samson dB500 powered speakers. (Product News).
April 1, 2002... SAMSON'S NEW DB500 monitor system is a versatile powered p.a. speaker. Available in both active and passive versions, the unit provides studio-quality audio performance for live sound applications. A two-way system, the dB500 features a...

Yamaha GC1 5'3" grand piano. (Product News).
April 1, 2002... HOME GRAND PIANO buyers have a beautiful, cost-effective new option in Yamaha Corporation's GC1 5'3" Classic Collection Grand Piano, which was introduced at the NAMM show in Anaheim. By combining the scale and rich tonal quality of the Yamaha C...