St. Louis Music is now the exclusive distributor for Curt Mangan Strings. To start the partnership off right, Curt flew into St. Louis where he was picked up from the airport, and before the day was over, found himself at a folk school jamming with local players. Rumor has it that a beer might have been involved.
Monday came around where the work began – Curt was shown around the SLM HQ where he got to meet the sales staff and talk about his strings. Visits to local St. Louis retailers followed that.
Mangan, who worked for Ernie Ball for 18 years, set up his own company in 2004 and has quickly carved out a reputation as a premium quality U.S. string manufacturer. The addition of the SLM channel will instantly add to the1000 dealers already selling Curt Mangan Strings throughout the U.S.
“We contacted Curt because of repeated requests from Dealers to carry them,” says SLM vice president Rich Dumstorff. “We then brought in a load of samples and play tested them on all types of guitars and we were very impressed. Curt’s commitment to quality and knowledge of how to wind strings was instantly apparent.”
Mangan says that he’s built his company on being an independent-friendly business. “We don’t sell to [big box retailers],” he says. It’s not just a philosophy, it’s a good business strategy, as he believes independent dealers are capable of selling whatever kind of strings they choose to sell – so why not sell a better string with better margins?
“I’ve been watching St. Louis Music, and they too value the independent retailer,” he adds. This is a good fit and will allow Mangan’s dealers already doing business with SLM to enjoy the benefits that being a “one stop shop” offers.
Curt Mangan Strings includes 140 standard packages of string sets for acoustic, electric, classical, bass, and resonator guitars, plus products for banjos, mandolins, and ukuleles.
Just as great as his strings is Curt’s story.
“I grew up in Colorado, listening to the cowboy music of Roy Rogers,” says Curt Mangan. “My father was in agriculture, and my dream was to go camping, pull out a guitar, and have everybody singing. I know it sounds pretty corny, but I thought that idea was great.”
Mangan started playing guitar when he was 10 and was playing professionally shortly after that. “I ended up playing professionally by the time I was in 7th grade, and I never looked back.”
At 19 he got a job at Longmont Music in Longmont, Colo., and eventually owned his own store. His experiences on the front lines of retailing still influence him today. At the store, he launched the combo shop and gained more valuable experience. Meanwhile, he was an active songwriter and performer who had several recording contracts over the years.
At the age of 33, he found himself getting hired by Ernie Ball in San Luis Obispo, California. “The first time I met Ernie, he just looked me and said, ‘good luck!’” he laughs. But he didn’t need any luck: In his first month of working for Ball, he opened up 60 new dealers. “I was done with my work by 11, and then I was bored stiff,” he recalls. “They had an extensive file of stores they called ‘inactives’ and I went to work on those.” He quickly rose in the organization and became director of sales and marketing.
But in 2004, he felt the urge to go out on his own. He founded his own string company, wanting to make better strings but frankly not knowing exactly how to go about that. For all his time with Ernie Ball, Mangan had little to no manufacturing experience – something he considers a plus. “I had seen the string machines and loved watching them, but when it came to the nuts and bolts of making them, I didn’t know anything, and for that I’m thankful. When I put my manufacturing team together, I had a lot of questions.” He says the clean-slate approach led to a better company making better products.
Today he oversees a 7,000-square-foot factory on 16 acres near Cortez, Colorado, which has a view of the Mesa Verde National Park. (Not that he gets to enjoy it as he works so much, but he does enjoy hearing about his neighbor’s fishing successes.”)
Now with St. Louis Music handling distribution, Mangan can continue to focus on creating great strings. “I wanted to build a set of strings that I liked, and I hope others like them too.” Thousands of guitar players, including 800 artists who endorse his strings, believe he’s succeeded. Dedicated to quality, he still goes at string making with a player’s perspective, and even today he often personally tests strings himself.
