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Canton store owner visits Cali music show
Brings new instruments, gadgets back home
The 2016 winter NAMM show took place from Jan. 21 through Jan. 24 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California. It attracted 1,726 exhibiting companies that represented over 6,000 brands. Brian Robinson, president of The Music Farm in Canton, was among the many music store owners searching for new instruments and products to sell to customers. (Photo by Sherry Karabin/Legal News).
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: March 8, 2016
Ever since it opened in 2004, The Music Farm in Canton has had one single mission--to offer customers “the best possible experience.”
That’s why The Music Farm President Brian Robinson said he makes it a point to attend the winter National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) show each year.
“I truly believe my customers want instruments and gadgets that are unique,” said Robinson, who met with numerous exhibitors at the 2016 show, which took place in January at the Anaheim Convention Center in California. “I look for things that are truly innovative. Many companies continue to reproduce the same items, perhaps changing the colors. I search for limited-edition instruments and items that sport a lot of creativity.”
This year’s NAMM show attracted 1,726 exhibiting companies that represented over 6,000 brands, providing Robinson with a lot to choose from.
Some of his top buys included a new Dave Mustaine signature USA Holy Grail VMNT guitar made by Dean Guitars.
“Only 33 of these one-of-a-kind, hand-laid 24k gold leaf guitars were produced,” said Robinson. “They have a blood red finish and each one looks a little different. The guitar comes with a special hard shell case, certificate of authenticity and an engraved chalice commemorating the iconography that inspired this guitar. It will sell for $6,900.”
Robinson also obtained a Dean USA ML custom airbrushed electric guitar with a hard shell case. “The guitar has red and white skulls and it’s a one-of-a-kind piece. It will sell for close to $4,900.”
Other big finds, a Gretsch G6120 Derby Racer Heavy Relic “Hammerhead” electric guitar with hard shell case, priced at $12,999. “It is a one-of-a-kind instrument custom painted by the artist Sara Ray,” Robinson said.
He also picked up a custom 1-off Martin acoustic orchestra model. The 14-fret solid Fiddleback mahogany guitar with solid maple binding is priced at $5,999.
One of his most prized finds, he said, a custom Martin Grand Concert 14-fret solid-quilted mahogany acoustic guitar with Birdseye Maple fretboard.
“Out of all my years of doing this, I have never seen a Martin acoustic with a maple fretboard,” said Robinson. “That is what drew me to this guitar, which has a price tag of $8,899.”
Robinson said Gotham’s modular guitar stands also caught his eye. “The guitar stand grasps the body of the guitar like fingers as you set it down and when you lift it the ‘fingers’ release it.
“I also found a product that will enable us to customize each guitar we sell to the customer’s specs,” he said. “If a customer wants a certain image on the guitar we can do that.
“I truly feel we’re in the ‘selfie’ generation when it comes to music and a lot of what has been selling are limited-edition guitars because our great customer base wants an instrument that shows how unique they are,” said Robinson.
Organizers say there were over 100,000 registrants at the 2016 winter NAMM show, including almost 16,000 people who traveled to Anaheim from abroad.
“As we look at the record number of exhibiting brands, influx of new entrepreneurial spirit and attendance from 125 countries, the industry seems poised for vital growth and breakthroughs,” NAMM President and Chief Executive Officer Joe Lamond said in a statement. “The NAMM show is a reflection of our industry, not only where it is now, but even more importantly where it is heading next.”
While stores often seek new products, many musicians turn out to find items to improve their sounds and keep up with current trends.
Peter, a musician from Westfield, New Jersey, visits the show annually. He said the industry seems to be focusing on creating affordable analog synthesizers.
“In the past, the trend has been to create affordable digital options that include various sampling, modeling and/or digitally controlled oscillator (DCO) synthesizers,” said Peter. “Now it seems that the trend is to redesign true analog oscillators using modern components to provide more stability in the tuning that was lacking in the machines of the past.
“The Korg Minilogue four-voice analog synthesizer seems to be one of the more popular examples of this,” he said. “The unit has a lot of features for just $499.”
Peter said this year’s show also featured multiple booths with “roll-your-own, do-it-yourself” modular synthesizer systems.
“Even the originator company Moog had their booth filled with racks of their semi-modular Mother-32 unit,” said Peter. “Whereas most designs for analog synthesizers are based on a dual oscillator system, Moog products have typically given you an option for one, two or three oscillator designs. The Mother-32 ships with a single oscillator can be patched with others to create a system of whatever design you want.
“These modular systems are all made compatible using the Eurorack standard. Most synthesizer companies are now looking at the Eurorack standard as a possible outlet for some of their designs.”
Kenmore attorney Rik Williger also pointed to the return of a different type of analog synthesizer. Williger, who plays several instruments and sings background vocals for the Bruce Springsteen tribute band “Jersey,” checked out many of the show’s products online.
“They (analog synths) are coming back in small, small packages and many with mini keys,” said Williger. “Two examples are the Arturia KeyStep controller and sequencer, with mini keys and about two octaves and the Roland compact A-01 octave mini, with internal synth and many outboard connectors on the back.”
Other synthesizers that caught Williger’s eye are the “non-traditional” keyboards like the Keith McMillen K-Board Pro 4 that he said has “four octaves of pressure-controlled zones that appear to roughly correlate with keys on a keyboard.” He said the ROLI Seaboard RISE 49 controller “does not have traditional keys but ‘regions’ and you can play a note/chord frontwards, backwards and sideways with all types of effects.”
Williger plans to head to the store to learn more about Yamaha’s new Montage 6. “This is their new flagship synth/workstation. It has performance controls for real-time performance use and great sounds. The polyphony seems pretty unlimited (120 notes) and combines a MOTIF engine with an older FM engine.”
He also gave the thumbs up to the Electro-Harmonix Lester K stereo rotary speaker pedal, which he said is like “a Leslie effect from a foot pedal.” Also worth taking a closer look at, he said, are Ernie Ball Music Man guitars and basses and the Boss VO-1 Vocoder pedal, which he said lets guitarists and bassists “make the notes sound like voices.”
Stow-based Audio-Technica U.S., Inc. unveiled its new Artist Elite AE2300 cardioid instrument microphone at NAMM, which Williger said features great separation/minimal bleed. “It has a built-in low-pass filter to roll off annoying higher frequencies.”
He also checked out the Remidi T8, a sensor-loaded glove and a MIDI wrist controller that allows people to use their hand as a musical device.
Williger said DigiTech has beefed up the TRIO to the TRIO+, which has sparked his interest. “The old TRIO took the input from your guitar and added drums and bass, which was cool for practicing. However the old model did not let you put a rhythm instrument behind it.
“The new model has a looping feature, which allows you to add the rhythm instrument behind it, so it becomes much cooler and frankly a lot more usable. It has different genres built in, which also adds to its appeal,” said Williger.
For those who missed winter NAMM, there are two other shows this year, including one in Nashville, which takes place from June 23 to 25 and NAMM Russia in Moscow, which runs from Sept. 15 through Sept. 18.