FEATURES
-Here We Come to Save the Day!!We provide a plethora of accessories that manufacturers assure you will provide excellent margins.
-For Those Who Make Lesser Publicized Instruments, We Salute You!!For the first time, we pay tribute to instruments and products that get little press coverage. We provide a well-deserved spotlight for these products!
-And the Bombs Keep Coming!Another big lawsuit is filed
against the industry.
This time, there are many
more defendants.
-Drumming to Their Own BeatHow well is the drum industry holding up during these difficult times? We call on three industry experts.
-Guitar Center, Fender, and NAMM Sued
-The Health of the Independent Dealer M&SR’s fourth annual independent retailer roundtable features a new twist. For the first time, manufacturers, hand-selected by the retailers, contribute to the story.
-Born In the USA! We feature manufacturers who produce a majority of their products in the United States. Why do they make products in the USA as opposed to Asian countries? Find out.
-…And the Show Did Go On! The economy took a big bite of Summer NAMM in Nashville, but there were still bright moments.
-Jockeying For Position How is the DJ business holding up during these tough times? What’s the next hot technology? We asked the experts.
-What A Gig! Find out about plenty of manufacturer employees who still get out to play gigs. Our second annual edition is another fun read.

-Tarina Dunwoodie got to see the moment Graph Tech was born and has served the company since she was 17. She has moved up the ladder quite a bit since then.
-Stacey Montgomery-Clark Find out how SABIAN’s Stacey Montgomery-Clark juggles two young boys at home and a huge job as vice president of marketing. She loves interactive programs at the company, most notably the Vault Tour.
-Cathy Duncan Seymour Duncan’s co-founder and chairman, received a ton of on-the-job training. But she has excelled. Creativity is one of the company’s hallmarks. Find out much more about her.
-Bee Bantug Yes, the Internet CAN be your friend as a retailer. Bee Bantug, who has provided several NAMM University sessions, can help. That’s why she co-founded Retail Up! in 2002.
-Dale Krevens For Tech 21’s Dale Krevens, being vice president is not a job. It’s an adventure. Find out why.
-Melanie Ripley Grundorf Corp. Vice President Susan Grund handles a plethora of duties at her job, but she also has jammed with the Beach Boys and makes sure the bond with the company’s employees remain strong. Learn how she juggles everything at one time and changes she’s witnessed in MI.
-Susan Grund Grundorf Corp. Vice President Susan Grund handles a plethora of duties at her job, but she also has jammed with the Beach Boys and makes sure the bond with the company’s employees remain strong. Learn how she juggles everything at one time and changes she’s witnessed in MI.
-Toby Nady graduated from college with a degree in clinical psychology. What does that have to do with music? Nothing. It’s been a long, strange trip for her. But a very good and successful trip.
-• Shawna von Behren.
-• Berenice Chauvet
-• Sue Kincade
-• Tish Ciravolo
-• Vikki Hayward
-• Roxana Ramirez
-• Susan Lipp

M&SR: When did you pick up your first instrument?
Flansburgh: I took piano lessons but I didn't really connect with the piano. Later in high school, a friend gave me his first guitar as a gift. It was a shockingly cheap Japanese Telecaster copy. Even the most budget-minded instrument today is a thousand times more playable than that guitar was. It was really a bear. I was pretty much self-taught for a couple of years. I bought a four-track TEAC tape recorder. I started writing songs and learned how to play guitar by writing those songs. I was such a home recording enthusiast and spent about a million to a billion hours on it.

M&SR: What were some of your favorite music instrument stores growing up, and now?
Flansburgh: Throughout the '80s and '90s, there was a great guitar shop in New York City called Mojo Guitar that was often compared to Floyd's Barber Shop on the old Andy Griffith Show. It was a really interesting spot to hang out where people gathered to talk about instruments...people who would never be in a band together just hanging out and talking about gear. There were a lot of purists in that room, and it was a very inspiring place. There's a great place in Brooklyn now called Main Drag that's kind of become my go-to place. They're like an old-fashioned music store with new stuff and old stuff, repairs, and a do-it-all retail store. I really enjoy (and need) the service being that I'm so involved in music making.

M&SR: Being left-handed, was it hard early on in the '80s to find guitars you liked?
Flansburgh: It was difficult, but I'm really grateful for being left-handed. If I were right-handed, I'd be completely broke spending money on vintage guitars. I'm appreciative that Gibson, Fender, and others make the small amount of left-handed guitars they make. In recent years, I've had some custom instruments made. That was really expensive and not the path I would have taken if I were right-handed. On tour, I've been able to find some really good instruments I could play. There's something very disorienting about playing a right-handed instrument. We can't all be Jimi Hendrix...it just feels wrong, like playing in reverse. I'm happy in a way to not have had a million choices with lefty instruments. There are more now than ever before, and makers seem to acknowledge that there are left-handed players on the market.

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