Music Trades articles from March 2003

Music Trades archives from March 2003

Remembering Chuck Levin. (Letters).
March 1, 2003... I was moved by your sensitive and insightful editorial on Chuck Levin and family. You captured the true essence of the man and his business. As a friend and associate of Chuck's for 30 some years, I can attest to the family's tireless...

The international top 225. (Letters).
March 1, 2003... I have just finished reading the December 2002 Music Trades article on "The Global 225" and wanted to congratulate you for putting together such a comprehensive summary. Your annual article is an excellent source for anyone working in the music...

International Drum Month. (Letters).
March 1, 2003... The end of November marked the end of the ninth annual International Drum Month (IDM), sponsored by the music industry's Percussion Marketing Council (PMC). It has been the most successful IDM to date, and I want to thank you for the...

Elvis's piano sells for $7,800 a key. (Industry Briefings).
March 1, 2003... The King once jammed with the Killer (Jerry Lee Lewis) for more than an hour on the white Knabe grand piano room in the music room at Graceland. In January, Memphis guitarist and music producer Robert Johnson sold the piano to a Tampa Music...

China's growth.... miracle or mirage? (Industry Briefings).
March 1, 2003... The presence of Chinese music products industry continues to expand, prompting some to speculate that Chinese manufacturers will eventually control the entire market. While China's economic growth has unquestionably been impressive, there are...

Swedes turn from piano to guitar. (Industry Briefings).
March 1, 2003... A survey of public music schools in Sweden shows that students are turning away from trumpets and clarinets to pump the wah-wah pedals of electric guitars, lay down a backbeat on the drums, or wail on the saxophone like Clarence Clemons on...

Recorded music sales drop for fourth year. (Industry Briefings).
March 1, 2003... Global recorded music sales are set to fall for the fourth straight year in 2003 thanks to piracy and the economic downturn, and its bosses are desperate for solutions. The bruised industry needs a new formula as fans increasingly spend their...

When old habits collide with self preservation. (Editorial).
March 1, 2003... One of the more important stories to emerge from the NAMM show involved something that didn't happen: Retailers didn't get excited about lower prices. To understand why this is such a significant story, keep in mind that retailers are...

Thank you Yamaha. (Editorial).
March 1, 2003... IN THE MIDST OF EVERYDAY business struggles, it's easy to overlook the fact our industry is engaged in an exalted cause: We serve an art form that has few equals when it comes to enriching the human condition. In bringing together an...

Quarterly retail sales data. (Market Intelligence).
March 1, 2003... Plummeting consumer confidence, the prospect for war in Iraq, and a $50+ million dollar inventory liquidation at 43 MARS locations set the stage for what most thought would be a dismal fourth-quarter retail selling season at music stores...

Sun Capital agrees to take control of Mackie Designs: LBO firm will pay $10 million for 65% interest and invest another $6.0 million if bank debt can be renegotiated. (Industry Forefront).
March 1, 2003... SUN CAPITAL PARTNERS, a leveraged buyout firm, has agreed to purchase 65 percent of Mackie Designs common stock for approximately $10 million in cash. The transaction includes purchasing 7.4 million Mackie shares from Greg Mackie, company...

Yamaha band relocates to California headquarters: Grand Rapids factory to remain, but sales function will be integrated in "One Yamaha" concept. (Industry Forefront).
March 1, 2003... IN A MOVE THAT WILL ENHANCE integration, strategic cooperation, and the concept of a unified "One Yamaha," Yamaha Corporation of America will relocate its Band & Orchestral Division from Grand Rapids, Michigan, to its corporate headquarters in...

Roland U.S. sues to stop gray marketing by "Synth Planet": suit charges Belgian retailer with copyright infringement. (Industry Forefront).
March 1, 2003... ROLAND CORPORATION U.S. has taken strong action to curtail grey marketing of its products in the U.S., obtaining a preliminary injunction in the United States District Court against A Pip's Music N.V., a Belgian company that operates the...

Steinway consolidates Conn-Selmer office staff. (Industry Forefront).
March 1, 2003... STEINWAY MUSICAL Instruments has announced the consolidation of its band instrument office staff. John Stoner, president of Conn-Selmer, stated, "Over the past two months we have gone through the process of evaluating our needs as one...

Pro-Mark completes expanded factory. (Industry Forefront).
March 1, 2003... PRO-MARK CORPORATION has moved into a brand-new state-of-the-art office and factory complex in Houston, Texas. The new facility covers over 30,000 square feet, more than doubling the space of the previous building. In addition, sufficient land...

Young Chang dealers tour plant in Korea & China. (Industry Forefront).
March 1, 2003... YOUNG CHANG HONORED its top North American dealers by taking them on a tour of the China and Korea piano factories in July 2002. Over 60 people representing 30 dealers spent three days in Beijing and Tianjin, China. The tour of the Tianjin...

Tacoma Guitars wins "Marco Polo" Award. (Industry Forefront).
March 1, 2003... THE TACOMA GUITAR Company has been named the 2003 recipient of the prestigious Marco Polo Award. This award, which was presented at the Annual Globe and Marco Polo Awards Dinner, recognizes a small or medium-sized business for first-time...

Korg to distribute Vestax DJ gear. (Industry Forefront).
March 1, 2003... KORG USA HAS been appointed the exclusive U.S. distributor for the full line of Vestax products, commencing January 16, 2003. The announcement was made by Korg USA President Mike Kovins, and Vestax Senior Managing Director Matt Shiomi. ...

Meridian names "Hartley Peavey Drive" honoring Peavey Electronics founder. (Industry Forefront).
March 1, 2003... THE CITY OF MERIDIAN, Mississippi, has renamed a portion of State Highway 493 in honor of Hartley Peavey, founder and CEO of Peavey Electronics. The new Hartley Peavey Drive runs in front of Peavey International headquarters, stretching from...

QRS & Young Chang pact. (Industry Forefront).
March 1, 2003... QRS MUSIC Technologies, Inc., has entered into a two-year agreement with Young Chang America, Inc., under which QRS will be the exclusive supplier of piano reproducing systems for instruments made by the Korean manufacturer. The QRS...

Washburn "Makes An Impression" on youth through music. (Industry Forefront).
March 1, 2003... SINCE 1883 WASHBURN HAS been making top-quality, highly respected guitars. But more recently the Mundelein, Illinois-based company began making a meaningful difference in the nation's awareness and interest in playing the guitar--and in the...

Music China fair returns to Shanghai in October: with expanded exhibit space, show welcomes companies from Japan, India, Switzerland, and USA. (Industry Forefront).
March 1, 2003... FOLLOWING A SUCCESSFUL show in Shanghai, China, last October, the Frankfurt Messe has announced a second show, scheduled for October 15-18, 2003. To date over 120 companies have been confirmed as exhibitors or have made serious expressions of...

QRS acquires Gulbransen: plans new types of reproducing technologies. (Industry Forefront).
March 1, 2003... QRS MUSIC TECHNOLOGIES, Inc., has acquired Gulbransen, Inc., bringing together two of the oldest and most respected names in the keyboard industry. Founded in 1901, QRS is a leading maker of piano reproducing systems, as well as player pianos...

Schimmel launches Vogel brand from new Polish factory: with two grand models, Vogel priced 30 percent lower than German-made Schimmel instruments. (Industry Forefront).
March 1, 2003... DEALERS AT NAMM WERE introduced to Vogel pianos, a new brand of pianos manufactured by a Schimmel-owned factory in Kalisz, Poland. The modern factory, which was acquired by Schimmel on January 1, 2003, will initially produce a 179cm grand for...

Lace Music forms alliance with Pick-Up the World. (Industry Forefront).
March 1, 2003... LACE MUSIC PRODUCTS has formally aligned itself with Pick-Up The World, an acoustic pickup company located in La Veta, Colorado. The alliance will benefit both companies. Pick-Up The World (PUTW) pickups will be mass produced in the Lace...

On the Road garners four sales awards. (Industry Forefront).
March 1, 2003... ON THE ROAD MARKETING, a manufacturers' rep firm based in New Jersey, was honored at the Anaheim NAMM show with four sales awards, including "Rep of the Year" from Schecter Guitars. The company was also recognized for "exemplary representation...

Sabian sets global agenda at marketing summits. (Industry Forefront).
March 1, 2003... IN RECENT MONTHS Sabian has hosted two sales and marketing summits at its Meductic headquarters in rural Eastern Canada. These gatherings, which brought together the cymbal company's international team of managers from Europe, Asia, and North...

Steinway searches for oldest Steinway to commemorate 150th anniversary. (Industry Forefront).
March 1, 2003... STEINWAY & SONS IS kicking off a year of sesquicentennial celebrations by searching the country to locate the oldest Steinway grand and upright. The company has produced over 563,000 Steinway pianos since its founding, in comparison to some...

Hal Leonard enlists FBI to stop online piracy. (Industry Forefront).
March 1, 2003... WITH ASSISTANCE FROM THE Federal Bureau of Investigation, Milwaukee-based Hal Leonard Corporation has settled its legal action against Eddie Nemouitz, who, via his website www.musicshopusa.com, was infringing on the publisher's copyrights by...

Schilke Music has new owners. (Industry Forefront).
March 1, 2003... SCHILKE MUSIC PRODUCTS, the renowned trumpet manufacturing firm, has been sold by the Schilke family to Andrew and Julie Naumann. The transaction was completed on October 31, 2002. Terms of the sale of the Chicago-based company were not...

Thunderbolt wins Stanton drawing. (Industry Forefront).
March 1, 2003... IN AN EFFORT TO CAPITALIZE on the synergy of The Stanton Group (Coemar, Cerwin-Vega, KRK, and Stanton DJ Equipment), Stanton developed the "See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Spin No Evil" promotion for NAMM 2003. Participating NAMM attendees visited...

Cell phone ringer chips boost Yamaha net, music profits also up. (Corporate Earnings Digest).
March 1, 2003... DESPITE AN ONGOING recession in Japan and sluggish music sales in much of the rest of the world, Yamaha Corporation is poised to post strong results for the year ended March 31, 2003. Analysts are expecting pre-tax income to surge 230 percent...

QRS reports first quarter. (Corporate Earnings Digest).
March 1, 2003... QRS MUSIC TECHNOLOGIES, Inc., announced sales and net income for the first quarter ended September 30, 2002. Sales were $2,661,802 with net income of $77,861, or $.01 per share fully diluted. Comparable amounts for the year-ago period sales of...

NAMM reports financial results. (Industry Forefront).
March 1, 2003... NAMM, THE INTERNATIONAL Music Products Association, closed out 2002 with record operating results. Revenues from trade shows and membership advanced 2.5 percent to $14,952,000 for the year ended September 30, 2002, compared with $14,576,000 a...

Record fourth quarter for Super-Sensitive. (Industry Forefront).
March 1, 2003... SUPER-SENSITIVE MUSICAL String Co. has reported a record increase of 51 percent in fourth quarter 2002 sales. This is one of the biggest jumps in the company's history. Super-Sensitive attributes much of the increase to new marketing, new...

Dampp-Chaser renamed "Piano Life Saver". (Industry Forefront).
March 1, 2003... DAMPP-CHASER CORPORATION has introduced a new name and logo for its unique piano climate control system: the Piano Life Saver System. Dampp-Chaser President Gayle Mair explained the name change: "While the brand Dampp-Chaser enjoys exceptional...

Guitar Center becomes industry's first billion dollar company: 15.4% fourth-quarter sales gain pushes full-year revenue to $1.1 billion. (Retailer Update).
March 1, 2003... ON THE STRENGTH of a 15.4% sales gain the fourth quarter, Guitar Center, Inc. became the first company in U.S. music industry history to vault past the $1 billion sales market. For the year ended December 31, the company posted sales of $1.1...

George's Music buys MARS location in West Palm Beach. (Retailer Update).
March 1, 2003... GEORGE'S MUSIC, WHICH operates ten stores in Pennsylvania and Florida, has acquired the former MARS location in West Palm Beach, Florida. In an impressive feat of planning and hard work, George's Music took control of the 20,000-square-foot...

Sam Ash music picks up four MARS locations: stores in Miami, Orlando, complement existing locations; stores in Las Vegas and Charlotte present new markets. (Retailer Update).
March 1, 2003... SAM ASH MUSIC HAS negotiated the acquisition of former MARS locations in Charlotte, North Carolina; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Miami and Orlando, Florida. According to Sam Ash, vice-president of the Hicksville, New York-based chain, "We bought...

Retail pioneer Winkler honored by NAMM. (Retailer Update).
March 1, 2003... HAROLD WINKLER, DIRECTOR of the Harlu Music Group, and a pioneer in the school music business, was honored by NAMM's Museum of Making Music at the recent trade show in Anaheim. At a Harlu meeting during the NAMM show, representatives from the...

Strings & Things Top E-V mic dealer. (Retailer Update).
March 1, 2003... STRINGS & THINGS, an m.i. retailer in Memphis, Tennessee, was honored with the Top Independent Microphone retailer award from Electro-Voice. Joel Johnson, E-V microphone product manager, said that Strings & Things distinguished itself with the...

A-T dealers enjoy Hawaiian junket. (Retailer Update).
March 1, 2003... TOP M.I. DEALERS spent a week enjoying the lush Hawaiian island of Maui, thanks to an incentive trip offered by microphone maker Audio-Technica. This exotic destination afforded an opportunity for A-T's family of resellers, manufacturer's reps,...

GC honors Hancock, Zawinul, and Katoh. (Retailer Update).
March 1, 2003... JAZZ/FUSION KEYBOARDISTS Joe Zawinul and Herbie Hancock, along with Korg founder and chairman Tsutomu Katoh, were recently inducted into Guitar Center's Hollywood Rockwalk. At a ceremony at the chain's Hollywood store, Zawinul, Hancock, and...

Boston Piano named top Schimmel dealer. (Retailer Update).
March 1, 2003... BOSTON PIANO & ORGAN, which operates two locations in the greater Boston area, has been honored as the largest Schimmel Piano dealer in the world. The honor is particularly significant, given that Schimmel Pianos are sold throughout Asia and...

Outside sales events need more than a big checkbook; success depends on planning, advance appointments, and hard work. (Bob Popyk On Selling).
March 1, 2003... Our seminar/panel on "The Secrets To Selling Pianos at Outside Events" at NAMM was a real eye-opener--at least for me. I had no idea what to expect in terms of attendance or what questions would be asked. We ended up with more people than the...

Despite the threat of war, and economic problems too numerous to list, retailers posted a strong fourth quarter and turned out in force, making NAMM a super show! Read on to find out how popular software, low-cost imports, and changing business practices are creating new challenges and opportunities. (The NAMM Show Report).
March 1, 2003... Industry suppliers anxiously held their breath in the weeks leading up to the NAMM show. With news of disappointing holiday retail sales on the front page of every business section, they were justifiably concerned that lackluster December...

Harman promotes Goodwin & Larson. (People).
March 1, 2003... BUZZ GOODWIN HAS been promoted to vice-president of worldwide sales and Noel Larson has been promoted to director of marketing and communications at Harman Music Group (HMG), a Harman International Company. Goodwin will be instrumental in...

Rich joins Sejung as v.p. of sales. (People).
March 1, 2003... ALFRED RICH HAS JOINED America Sejung Corporation (ASC) to direct sales at the company's rapidly growing piano division. Peter Hong, president, stated, "Al brings 42 years of industry experience to his new position as vice-president of...

Egnater heads Washburn engineering. (People).
March 1, 2003... BRUCE EGNATER HAS BEEN appointed chief engineer at Washburn International. He will head all design and engineering duties at Washburn, which includes Randall amplifiers and SoundTech professional audio. He will also oversee the technical repair...

Young Chang names Ken Byers vp. (People).
March 1, 2003... A N D MUSIC CORP, the new name of Young Chang America, Inc., the North American distributor of Young Chang and Kurzweil products, has promoted Ken Byers to vice-president for acoustic pianos and home products. Byers will continue to...

Frazer directs Yamaha event marketing. (People).
March 1, 2003... LORI FRAZER HAS BEEN named manager of event marketing at Yamaha's Piano Division. She will work across all product categories to help Yamaha retailers develop and execute special promotional events in order to expand their businesses. ...

Pro-Mark adds to support staff. (People).
March 1, 2003... PRO-MARK CORPORATION has promoted Kevin Radomski to director of artist relations. He has worked in the company's Artist Relations Department for four years. He is an active drummer and is a member of the NBA Houston Rockets percussion ensemble....

Leal joins Stanton sales team. (People).
March 1, 2003... Stanton has appointed Tony Leal as Western regional sales manager. He will report to Henri Cohen, director of sales. Previously a sound engineer for Ultrasound Company, he was responsible for managing the sales and installations of custom pro...

Van Den Broek resigns, Deeb new Behringer CEO. (People).
March 1, 2003... BEHRINGER HOLDINGS announced on January 22 that effective immediately Arie van den Broek had resigned from his post as Behringer CEO and that Michael Deeb has been named CEO of the Behringer group of companies. Based in Singapore, Deeb will...

David Magagna joins PRS Guitars. (People).
March 1, 2003... INDUSTRY VETERAN David Magagna has joined the international sales and marketing team at PRS Guitars. In nearly four decades in the music industry Magagna has been president and CEO of Guild Guitars; vice-president and director of export sales...

Levy's Shewtchenko named NACM v.p. (People).
March 1, 2003... LEVY'S LEATHERS has announced the election of Gladys Shewtchenko, the company's credit manager, as vice chairman of NACM Chicago Midwest National Music Instrument Credit Group. Shewtchenko has been Levy's credit manager for two years and...

Fortney joins Black Diamond sales. (People).
March 1, 2003... BLACK DIAMOND STRINGS has added Jenifer Fortney to its growing team of sales professionals. Fortney has played the flute for many years and spent the past ten years in the sales and customer service field in Cleveland, Ohio. She relocated to...

Ken Berger to head marketing at Mackie. (People).
March 1, 2003... KEN BERGER HAS JOINED Mackie Designs as senior vice-president of marketing. He will have global responsibility for marketing initiatives across all Mackie brands, including EAW and RCF. Berger has more than 25 years of marketing and...

Kawai unveils first ensemble pianos with CD-R. (Product News).
March 1, 2003... KAWAI AMERICA CORPORATION unveiled the industry's first ensemble digital pianos with CD-R technology at the 2003 winter NAMM show. The CP205 Ensemble Grand Piano and the CP175 Ensemble Piano are the first instruments of their kind able to...

Hohner introduces first new type of harmonica since 1920s. (Product News).
March 1, 2003... HOHNER, THE WORLD'S largest harmonica manufacturer since 1857, introduced an entirely new type of harmonica at the 2003 NAMM show in Anaheim. The last harmonica innovation of this magnitude was the chromatic harmonica back in the 1920s....

Garrison debuts all-mahogany guitar. (Product News).
March 1, 2003... NEWFOUNDLAND, Canada-based Garrison Guitars, known for its innovative patented bracing and blocking systems, has introduced an exciting new series of guitars. The G-41 series features a high-gloss solid mahogany top, a satin-finish solid...

Audio2000's intros new karaoke audio gear. (Product News).
March 1, 2003... AUDIO2000'S HAS announced an exciting selection of new products scheduled to be released in March 2003. They include the high-performance Efficiency Series active speakers, a digital karaoke mixer, and a versatile new karaoke player. The...

Epiphone unveils "Elite" series high-end guitars. (Product News).
March 1, 2003... EPIPHONE HAS INTRODUCED the new Epiphone Elite line of premium quality instruments. Designed for the discriminating musician, the line combines over 125 years of instrument-building experience and expertise with the finest materials and...

HHI reintroduces Dawn p.a. system. (Product News).
March 1, 2003... THE REVOLUTIONARY DAWN p.a. system, known for its unique 180-degree sound dispersion pattern, has returned to the sound reinforcement scene. Reintroduced at Winter NAMM by Hanser Holdings International (HHI), the new Dawn system is portable,...

Universal offers Wuhan "S" box set. (Product News).
March 1, 2003... UNIVERSAL PERCUSSION has ingenuously packaged three very popular models of its Wuhan Shining "S" Series cymbals into an attractive box designed to catch the consumer's eye. The box set includes one pair of 14" matched hi-hats, a 16" crash,...

Ultimate forecasts Thunder and Lightning! (Product News).
March 1, 2003... FOR 25 YEARS ULTIMATE Support Systems, Inc. has set the standard for the design and manufacture of innovative, high quality, solution-oriented stands for musical instruments and gear. Now Ultimate Support Systems has applied these principles to...

DigiTech unveils RPx400 modeling guitar processor. (Product News).
March 1, 2003... THE DIGITECH DIVISION of Harman Music Group has introduced the RPx400 modeling guitar processor with USB computer interface. It is designed for live performance and computer recording applications. In addition to providing a broad palette of...

Black Diamond's new coated bass strings. (Product News).
March 1, 2003... BLACK DIAMOND GUITAR Strings has added Black Coated bass strings to its family of premium Black Coated guitar strings. The top layer of the new bass strings is wound with black poly-coated nickel-plated steel from the ball end to the end of the...

EMG offers HZ pickup line. (Product News).
March 1, 2003... EMG HAS UNVEILED ITS NEW line of HZ pickups. All models in the line are traditional in design and hum canceling, including single-coil units. While the dual-coil models come in classically wound or over-wound options, both are available in...

Dean unveils Backwoods 6 banjo. (Product News).
March 1, 2003... DEAN GUITARS HAS introduced its version of the six-string banjo. Tuned like a guitar, the Backwoods 6 now makes it easy for any guitar prayer to play banjo. With a suggested retail price of only $349, Dean Guitars ads another a niche instrument...

Rodgers offers velocity-sensitive keyboard. (Product News).
March 1, 2003... RODGERS INSTRUMENTS and Fatar s.r.l. of Italy have concluded a joint research and development project with the announcement of new velocity-sensitive wood keyboards for Rodgers Trillium digital organs and pipe/digital organs made in Hillsboro,...

Jupiter intros Tribune XO trumpets. (Product News).
March 1, 2003... Jupiter Band Instruments unveiled its all-new 1600 series Tribune XO model trumpets at the NAMM show. A spokesman stated, "Dealers know what it takes to get professional-quality instruments into professional-quality hands, so to help make...

TopHat unveils new foot pedal & amps. (Product News).
March 1, 2003... TOPHAT AMPLIFICATION has unveiled a new overdrive/clean boost foot pedal and new amplifier models. The all-new "Wonderboy" NOD-1 natural overdrive pedal has two modes: a separate MOSFET overdrive mode and a clean FET boost model. The two modes...

Ritter's new brass & woodwind bags. (Product News).
March 1, 2003... RAISING THE STAKES IN THE increasingly competitive gig bag market, Ritter has introduced the stylish Ritter Classic RCB700 series of brass and woodwind bags. Designed from scratch, these bags utilize 20mm soft foam padding and durable...

Lace Music unveils Mooneyes M 10 amp. (Product News).
March 1, 2003... LACE MUSIC PRODUCTS has introduced its second official Mooneyes product, the ME 10 ten-watt practice amp. The solid-state ME 10 uses high-quality components with all the necessary functions for an excellent practice amp. Highlighting this amp...

Peavey expands Triple XXX amp line. (Product News).
March 1, 2003... PEAVEY ELECTRONICS Corporation has added models to its popular Triple XXX Series: the Triple XXX 112, Triple XXX Super 40 and Triple XXX Super 40 EFX. The new Triple XXX combos are all-tube, high-gain amplifiers. Underneath the stylish...

Zildjian expands K Custom range with Fast Crashes. (Product News).
March 1, 2003... THE AVEDIS ZILDJIAN COMPANY has released the new K Custom Fast Crashes. Available in sizes 14", 15", 16", 17" and 18", the new crashes add breadth and variety to this classically dark and unique range. Inspired by the strong response to...

Super-Sensitive unveils Spector Mute. (Product News).
March 1, 2003... SUPER-SENSITIVE Musical String Co. has unveiled a new mute designed by Fred Specter, violinist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for more than 45 years. The Spector Mute is made of a synthetic dampening material and remains conveniently...

Music sales expands catalog. (Product News).
March 1, 2003... MUSIC SALES ADDED to its catalog with a wide variety of new products at the recent NAMM show. Additions were made to the best-selling Absolute Beginners and Step One Teach Yourself Series with for additional instruments, DVD value packs,...

Walker Labs' freedom cordless series for keyboardists. (Product News).
March 1, 2003... SO THAT KEYBOARDISTS NO longer have to be left out of the remote gig or the outdoor jamming that guitarists enjoy with the Sound Trek Junior guitar amp/PA system, Walker Labs has developed the Sound Trek Junior Plus--the plus being AC power to...

Samson AirLine wireless bass system. (Product News).
March 1, 2003... SAMSON'S NEW AIRLINE Bass Guitar System is a wireless system created especially for bass guitarists. The new system not only benefits from the latest miniaturized technology but also takes advantage of a special circuit designed specifically...

Boss ships new TU-15 Chromatic Tuner. (Product News).
March 1, 2003... BOSS IS NOW SHIPPING the new TU-15 Chromatic Tuner. This powerful and accurate tuner boasts smooth needle tuning and an easy-to-read LCD, plus several tuning modes including open and flat tunings and Drop D. With the TU-15's innovative...

AKG adds closed-back studio headphones. (Product News).
March 1, 2003... FOLLOWING UP ON THE sensational success of its K 141 Studio and K 240 Studio headphones, the first headphones with the new XXL speakers and patented Varimotion diaphragms, AKG has added two new closed-back headphones to the line. The company's...

Fernandes readies Yoda Retrorocket guitar. (Product News).
March 1, 2003... YODA BECOMES the latest Star Wars character to receive his own limited edition Fernandes Retrorocket Model. Fernandes Guitars International, Inc., in association with Lucas Licensing Ltd., a division of Lucasfilm Ltd., has released the Yoda...