The SLM gang is back from a wildly successful Summer NAMM show, which includes bringing home a “Best In Show” award for their Austin Guitar line.
Gordy Wilcher, a NAMM board member and co-owner of Owensboro Music, put the line of guitars and basses in the “Gotta Stock It” defined as “a product that retailers need to stock right now if they aren’t already doing so.”
Austin Guitars: Gotta-Stock-'Em
“We’ve had really good success with Austin instruments,” he says. “We had been looking for a guitar in that price point, and we thought Austins were a huge step up in quality. But what really attracted me is the quality control. As a retailer who has to wear as many hats, it makes a huge difference that I can take them out of the box, tune them up, and put on the wall. It’s great to not spend 30 minutes on the neck, because time is money. In fact, I think we’re going to go deeper with the Austin line and replace a couple of other lines.”
Since the acquisition of SLM by U.S. Band & Orchestra Supplies in November 2008, Austin has been revamped, rebranded, and revitalized.
Wilcher also sends kudos to the staff at SLM: “These are great guys to work with, and they bend over backwards to make us happy.” He adds that his customers have really responded to them because they are nice looking guitars that seem like they should cost more than they do.
The Summer NAMM show is a trade-only music instrument convention that happens every June in Nashville. The Best in Show honors are sponsored by Music Inc., one of the leading trade journals, and features a six panellist who represent single-store operations, small- to mid-sized chains, all calling out exceptional music products.
St. Louis Music, a division of U.S. Band & Orchestra Supplies Inc., is a leading distributor of musical instruments and accessories and the corporate owner of Knilling® String Instruments, Perfection® Pegs, Austin® Guitars, and Zonda™ Reeds. SLM is the exclusive U.S. distributor of Alvarez® Guitars and also distributes over 15,000 products from 150 of the music industry’s leading brands and manufacturers.
