“These bows offer superior performance,” says Jim Eaton, vice president Knilling and Orchestral Sales. “When held you immediately can tell they are the products of refined craftsmanship and will be an excellent choice for beginners and advancing players.”

These bows are inspired by those created by the Pecatte family in the early 19^th Century, and are purposely crafted to reflect the elegant design associated with refined instruments. Well-balanced and exceedingly playable, they feature nickel silver mounted, fully-lined ebony frogs, with select mother of pearl slide and three-part button, leather thumb grip and elegant contoured faux whalebone winding.

These J. Rémy Deluxe Fiberglass Bows are available for the quartet of string instruments: List $59.95 (violin, 4/4-1/8); $79.95 (viola, 4/4); $79.95 (cello, 4/4-1/4); and $249.95 (French or German model bass, 3/4-1/4).

“These bows are the best of both old and new worlds,” Eaton adds. “And offer tone and confidence for any player wanting a better sound from their string instrument.”

For more information on placing an order or becoming a J. Rémy dealer, please email info@usbandsupplies.com or call 1-800-727-4512.

Dixon K Series Throne Stand

Dixon presents the latest addition to its popular hardware line up, K-Series. K-Series offers a full array of premium drum hardware built for drummers who demand the ultimate in features and stability. Designed to match the style and function of Dixon’s top line Artisan drums, the K-Series line up includes cymbal, tom, hi-hat, and snare stands along single pedals, double bass drum pedals and a variety of thrones.

“Dixon has been known for its quality and value for years,” says Dixon product manager Jim Uding of St. Louis Music. “Its simple, functional designs have made it a reliable favorite for drummers worldwide. From retro to modern, lightweight to heavy duty, Dixon offers a wide range of stands, pedals, and thrones for all situations. We’re excited to expand our offering with the introduction of K-Series.”

The stands feature rotating toothless tilter for one-step adjustments; A-frame joint castings with precision memory locks and nylon tube inserts for rattle-free performance; and a road-ready design that features heavy-gauge, sturdy double-braced bass and double chrome plating.

“Dealers have been asking Dixon to apply its winning combination of simplicity and value to a premium hardware series since upgrading their distribution,” Uding says. “Retailers can now cover all their drum department needs with one popular and profitable brand: Dixon.”

For more information on placing an order or becoming a Dixon dealer, please contact jimuding@stlouismusic.com or call 1-800-727-4512 x 250.

Knilling is now offering two new Franz Sander master violins, the Symphony Model and the Concerto Model. Both are handcrafted in Nauheim, Germany, and offer emerging talent a professional-quality instrument at an affordable price.

“These master violins from Franz Sander are heralded for their characteristic performance and open resonance,” declares Jim Eaton, vice president Knilling and Orchestral Sales. “It is exciting for us to offer our dealers yet another choice in string instruments so they can better serve their advancing players.”

The Symphony Model features select, even grain European spruce tops and beautifully flamed European maple back and ribs, with hand-rubbed spirit varnish. Choice trim includes a polished ebony tailpiece with gold diamond inlay with matching pegs and ebony Hill-style Guarneri chinrest. The #46F – 4/4 violin lists at $1,895.

The Concerto model displays a sonorous, even response and also features even grain European spruce tops and flamed European maple back and ribs with hand-rubbed spirit varnish. The trim on this violin includes polished ebony tailpiece with Parisian eye inlay with matching pegs, ebony Hill-style Guarneri chinrest. The #45 – 4/4 Violin lists at $1,595.

Both feature Dominant strings with black and gold Hill-style E-string adjuster.

“These instruments come from one of the most famous music families in Europe, expert craftsmen and women who have been creating high quality instruments since 1924,” Eaton adds. “That tradition continues with these two violins and they have already been well-received by our dealers to whom quality is important.”

For more information on placing an order or becoming a Franz Sandner dealer, please email info@usbandsupplies.com or call 1-800-727-4512.

St. Louis Music is a division of U.S. Band and Orchestra Supplies Inc. and the corporate owner of Knilling® Stringed Instruments, Perfection® Pegs, Austin Guitars, and Zonda Reeds. SLM is the exclusive international distributor of Alvarez Guitars and the exclusive North American distributor for P. Mauriat Brass and Woodwind Instruments, as well as Dixon Drums, Suzuki Violins and Alvarez-Yairi Guitars.

“We got a lot of requests from left-handed players wanting a better choice, and we wanted to accommodate them,” says Chris Meikle, Alvarez brand manager and senior v.p. at SLM. “We wanted guitars for everyone, and we won’t charge more for left handed models because that just doesn’t seem right.”

That’s right – the left-handed guitars are the same price as the right handed ones. And like all Alvarez Artist series guitars, these features solid, A-grade Sitka spruce and cedar tops; hand sanded, quarter-sawn braces; dovetail neck joints; bi-level rosewood bridges; real bone saddles and nuts; premium die cast tuners; mother of pearl and abalone inlays with rosewood appointments; and a superior high gloss finish that “is not only durable, but looks fantastic.”

For more information on placing an order or becoming an Alvarez dealer, please email info@usbandsupplies.com or call 1-800-727-4512.

Allen Haynes and his new Alvarez Yairi are flanked by SLM CEO Mark Ragin and Kevin Cranley, president of Willis Music/Chairman of NAMM.

Not bad, eh?

St. Louis Music dealer Allen Haynes of The Music Shop is the winner of SLM’s special NAMM show contest. The owner of the Murfreesboro, Tenn. retail operation won the drawing for a new Alvarez Yairi WY1T worth $2,199.00 that was held in the SLM booth Saturday.

Any SLM dealer who spent $100 at the booth at NAMM was eligible for the drawing. The guitar is a TS model favored by the likes of Joe Bonamassa, Bob Weir, and Ani DiFranco among many others. It featured a vintage tobacco sunburst finish, unique AY Direct coupled bridge, and is decorated with abalone purflings.

The Sigma SF CE-A

“St. Louis Music has always enjoyed a great relationship with independent music store owners and our friendship with the people of iMSO has continued to grow,” says CEO Mark Ragin. Ragin began his career behind the counter of an independent music instrument store, and he’s been dedicated to independent owners ever since, so “we’re looking forward to offering a quality instrument just for iMSO members. It’s going to be a great partnership.”

These acoustic guitars will MAP between $300 and $600, filling an important niche: beginning and advancing players looking for a quality guitar that they can grow into.

“I can not think of another company I’d rather enter into a partnership like this than with St. Louis Music,” says iMSO’s Gordy Wilcher, co-owner of Owensboro’s Music. “And we’re already getting a lot of interest from our 400-plus members. These guitars are well made and at that popular mid-level price point. And Sigma’s fits perfectly between SLM’s Austin and Alvarez lines. Frankly, those three combined are going to allow me to take some other guitars off my wall that frankly I just can’t compete with on price with the Internet. They are great guitars and good for an independent music store’s bottom line. Sigma will give us a much needed edge!”

For more information on placing an order or becoming an Alvarez or Austin dealer, please email info@stlouismusic.com or call 1-800-727-4512. For more information on the Independent Music Store Owner’s group, go to musicstoreowners.com.

Zonda Brass and Woodwinds are here.

Asked for the reasons why SLM is now moving into student band products, Zonda brand director Craig Denny is blunt: “It’s a question of why St. Louis Music does anything. We have a goal to provide more value to our customers in every facet of our business. Specifically, the student line is great product with exceptional pricing and terms that make sense for everyone.”

Zonda instruments are making their debut at the NAMM show, and they come with their own Zonda molded ABS cases, and will offer a remarkable guarantee to retailers: Limited lifetime warranty plus free parts for the first three years.

“These are first-rate, quality instruments – not something simply purchased off the shelf,” Denny continues. “Nearly two years in the making, this is a new line that will be profitable for dealers to include in their rental program, and more importantly, stand up to the riggers and treatment that instruments get from young beginning players.”

Denny and the SLM team behind Zonda were committed to make each instrument of the line a stand-out. “There are countless lines out there that have an Achilles heel, something that holds it back … maybe they have great trumpets and trombones, but the clarinets leave much to be desired,” Denny explains. “Their woodwinds might be exceptional but the brass is very weak. With Zonda, every instrument is something a band director will be pleased their kids are playing.”

The Missing Piece

SLM CEO Mark Ragin is especially pleased to be offering Zonda student instruments to his 3,000-plus network of dealers. “I’ll be honest, this has long been the missing piece in our inventory,” he states “I started in the business behind the retail counter and know how important a dependable, profitable line of student instruments is to a retailer. Several times over the last decade we’ve worked to plug this hole, but it needed to be right combination of factors. The line had to be something of quality that sells at a price point which makes sense for a rental program.”

Ragin says that there are many important factors the dealer will find of interest in the new Zonda line. “There’s no sense having rental instruments that can’t be repaired easily in the dealers’ shop,” he says. To back it up Zonda Brass and Woodwinds offer a lifetime limited warranty and for a first time ever in the band industry, free parts for three years.

While these six instruments will be shipping beginning in mid-April, other harmony instruments will follow over the coming years. To learn more about Zonda Brass and Woodwinds, please contact St. Louis Music at info@stlouismusic.com or call 800-727-4512.

The new Alvarez Yairi guitars debuted at NAMM — and were a big hit!

Meikle, Alvarez Brand Director and Senior VP of St. Louis Music, assures that the instruments will still be handmade by the same skilled artisans in Japan as they always have been, and that long time devotees of the Alvarez-Yairi will in fact have more to look forward to with these new models. “We’re building on the greatness of the instrument, and the main change will bring out stronger mids and bass for a fuller, richer overall sound.”

A new hand carved bracing system called FST2 and other construction tweaks will allow for a wider tonal spectrum, and even greater response. There are also some minor cosmic changes, but the new line will stick to its understated, sophisticated appearance. Meikle adds: “Tastes evolve, player’s demands change, and we are meeting those demands, but doing so in accordance to how we’ve always crafted these very intimate guitars.”

For more information on placing an order or becoming an Alvarez dealer, please email info@stlouismusic.com or call 1-800-727-4512. For international

“Home recording, broadcasting, practicing, and playing with the desktop computer continues to gain popularity with players at all levels,” says Hamilton Stand president William Carpenter. “Yet players have been increasingly frustrated with microphone set ups. The new KB816 Off-Set Adapter provides much needed stability to desktop mic stands, and is perfect for mounting studio quality mics on small stands on the computer desk.”

A must have for the home studio!

The KB816 adapter allows customized placement of any microphone, including recording-quality mics preferred by professional musicians, which are typically larger and heavier. The adapter fits any standard threaded post mic stand and comes with a mounting plate, knob, and moveable mic clip adapter. The musician can quickly, easily, and safely position the mic away from the mounting post of the stand, shifting the center of gravity of the mic of the center tube allowing for a more stable platform on the desktop. The patent-pending design already received a “Best In Show” award at the 2012 Summer NAMM, and can be seen at the 2013 Winter NAMM at the St. Louis Music booth (Hall C – 4000).

The KB816 Offset Adapter has a MSRP of $8.99, and is available in a KB815 Combo Pack that includes Hamilton Nu Era Desktop Stand (KB810), Offset Adapter, Mic Clip, and Carrying Bag for an MSRP of $22.99.

For more information on placing an order or becoming a Hamilton dealer, please email info@usbandsupplies.com or call 1-800-727-4512.

“We’re excited about Patrick returning to St. Louis Music,” says CEO Mark Ragin. “We’re experiencing tremendous growth now not only in new products, but new lines like Zonda brass, Dixon drums, Sigma guitars, and so much more. His experience and talent will continue to build on and expand the service we provide our dealers.”

“SLM is enjoying a period of exciting opportunity,” Stevenson says. “The sales team is efficient, trusted, and well-respected, and we believe that this is a very important part of our value to the industry, which is just one of the reasons I’m thrilled to be joining the team.”

A St. Louis native and avid bass player and collector, Stevenson worked in the Alvarez guitar shop in 1976 until he left for college. He then gained experience working in finance, sales, and marketing positions outside the MI industry. In 1989, he returned to St. Louis Music serving as the product manager for Crate Amplifiers and Audio products until 2005. During those years he was involved in global sales support, sound seminars, product and brand development, and financial management. “Executives at SLM always made it a point to travel at least one week per month with a St. Louis Music sales rep to music stores and listen to what dealers had to say,” he says. “We plan on keeping that as a priority.”

During his 16 years with the company Crate won over 40 industry awards for product innovation and sales success as well as recognition for advertising and marketing excellence.

Since 2005, he was a director of product and brand management at Guitar Center; an executive vice president of Hanser Music Group; and most recently worked on special projects for Fender/KMC.

“It is exciting to see that the spirit of SLM is alive and well after 90 years of providing outstanding customer service, powerful products and brands, and profitable programs that facilitate a partnership bond and value for our dealers,” he says. “St. Louis Music operates from a great premise: Big enough to effectively support your business, yet small enough to care.

“I look forward to coming home to St. Louis Music and working with everyone in the organization and our customers to help assure mutual success in any way possible,” he adds. Patrick can be reached at 1-800-727-4512 x 265 or patrick@stlouismusic.com.