Visit
our mobile site

News

Business

Investing

Sports

Life

+ Show all sections

Help

Login

Register

News

Quote

Web

Local

People

News SearchNews

by Google

Search Stock QuotesQuote

Search The WebSearch

by Google

Search People at canpages.caPeople

by Canpages.ca

Search Businesses at canpages.caBusiness

by Canpages.ca

News

National

Politics

World

Opinion

Arts

Tech

Business

Industry
News

Your
Business

Commentary

Managing

Magazine

Investing

My
Watchlist

Markets

Funds
& ETFs

Commodities

Investing
Ideas

Personal
Finance

Sports

Hockey

Baseball

Basketball

Football

Golf

Soccer

More
Sports

Commentary

Life

Food &
Wine

Family
& Relationships

Health &
Fitness

Holiday
Guide

Style

Travel

Work &
Money

Features

Advisor

Globe
Drive

Blogs

Books

Deaths

Documentaries

Education

Globe Investor Gold

Podcasts

Real
Estate

Special
Reports

Video

Weather

Services

Careers

Globe
Plus

Personals

Get the Globe

Alerts

e-Edition

Mobile

Newsletters

Paper
Subscription

RSS

Globe Recognition

Customer Care Centre

Contact Us
(web)

Contact Us
(print)

Staff

Vacation Stops

Marketplace

Appointment
Notices

Classifieds

Newspaper
Ads

Advertise with us

Newspaper

Magazine

Online

Location

Industry
News

Energy
& Resources

The
Law Page

Marketing

Economy

Your
Business

Start

Grow

Exit

Business
Categories

Commentary

Managing

Appointment
Notices

Career
Advice

Jobs
By Industry

Career
Advice Archive

Magazine

Investing

Featured:

Start

Grow

Exit

Travel

HR

Customer
Experience

Sustainability

Biz
Tech

Leadership

The
Toolbox

New
HR series on employee engagement

Your Business: Rock

Meet the Canadian companies making noise in music

There’s a lot of talk about the death of the recording
industry, so these equipment and gear makers found their success on
tour

Share
with friends

Close

Email

Please
enter a valid e-mail address

Please enter a comma delimited list of valid e-mail
addresses

Other ways of sharing:

Tweet
this on Twitter

Share
on Facebook

Add
to Delicious

Submit
post to Digg.com

Seed
this post at Newsvine

Print
or License

Close

Print
this page

License
this story

What’s
this?

By clicking "Recommend",
you can recommend this story and share it with your Facebook friends
Read More… Don’t
show this again

See also:

Your Business: Slideshow: Photos that make you want to rock
out

Your Business Magazine: Introducing the biggest outdoor
water park in Canada

Your Business Magazine: The end of the office

Article

Audio
slideshow

Comments

David Fielding and Brad Wheeler

Globe and Mail Update Published on
Monday, Aug. 23, 2010 8:51AM EDT Last updated on
Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010 2:19AM EDT

It’s only rock ’n’ roll. (But we like it.)

Let the suits moan over the death of the recording industry. The Canadian
companies that manufacture music equipment and gear know that great tunes are
meant to be played live (and loud). For them, success means always being on
tour.

LOS CABOS DRUMSTICKS

Fredericton

Five years ago, when Larry Guay and his wife Gillian were drumming up support
for their fledgling drumstick company, they loaded up the family van and hit the
open road. They drove across the Maritimes, Quebec and Ontario, visiting every
music store they could find (flying to those further west), and politely asked
if the retailers would consider stocking their line of super-durable hickory and
maple drumsticks. The gambit paid off. Los Cabos has since outgrown two
manufacturing facilities, settling into a 6,000-square-foot facility near
Fredericton that’s capable of spinning out 1,800 drumsticks a day—not a lot for
Colonel Sanders, but a decent run for three back-knife lathes and five
employees. That’s enough for the company to turn an eye toward international
expansion, but the former furniture maker says he’ll always have a soft spot for
his home market. “Canadian music retailers really support Canadian
manufacturers,” says Larry Guay. “It’s like a breath of fresh air coming from
furniture.”

LEVY’S LEATHERS

Winnipeg

Levy’s may be the only company looking to endear itself to the
bullet-shooting balladeers of the world. Founded in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, in
1973, the company manufactures everything from rifle slings and knife sheathes
to instrument bags and guitar straps. But it’s the latter product line for which
Levy’s has become world-famous. “We view ourselves as the largest and the best
manufacturer of leather guitar gear,” says Harvey Levy, who has worked at the
company his brother Denis founded for more than 30 years. Back then, the Levys
operated a small storefront, punching out handcrafted leather belts, hats,
watchbands and purses. Today, with a 16,000-square-foot facility in Winnipeg (a
giant, musically themed mural wraps three sides of the building), and another in
Antigonish, 150 employees produce 350 styles of guitar straps—and not just
leather ones—shipping them to 75 countries worldwide. From classic tooled
leather slings to neon green faux fur, Levy’s built its business hoisting axes.

RADIAL ENGINEERING

Vancouver

The techs behind rock ’n’ roll’s biggest acts know it takes more than a
flannel shirt and a vintage Telecaster to blow the roof off a stadium. You also
need some very big amps. And co-ordinating all that power requires an arsenal of
audio switches, direct boxes, signal splitters and pedals—all of which Radial
Engineering builds and ships worldwide. This is why Peter Janis’s phone is
always ringing (these days, it’s Herbie Hancock, Tom Petty, Joe Cocker and even
Slayer) with requests for more gear. “Ten years ago, I’d have jumped up and down
if Herbie Hancock had phoned me up,” says the 52-year-old founder. “Today, I
have to put him on hold.” A former product director for Fender guitars, Janis
founded Radial in 1992, producing guitar-effects pedals (those of you who own a
Metallica album may recognize the company’s Tonebone distortion). But it’s the
unsung direct input box, a device that minimizes distortion and signal noise
when connecting to PA systems and recording equipment, that made Radial what it
is today—a company coming dangerously close to $10 million in annual sales. Even
so, Janis still gets his biggest thrill talking about the music. “We all have
aspirations to be rock stars,” he says.

Get the
Flash Player to see this player.

GODIN GUITARS

Princeville, Quebec

“We’re one of the only companies that still cuts logs,” says Robert Godin,
explaining why the Eastern Townships of Quebec have been such an ideal place to
build guitars. Of the 125-plus models of electric and acoustic guitars the
company manufactures—they’re sold under seven different brands—many will begin
in the forests of cedar and spruce that carpet the province. Not that
Princeville houses Godin’s only factory. The company has nearly 600 employees
spread over five facilities in Quebec and one in New Hampshire. Godin, who built
his first guitar in 1972, says smaller factories provide a more intimate
setting. But perhaps just as important, it allows the company to tightly monitor
costs. “Some guitars, we barely make $10,” admits the 62-year-old luthier. And
while the elder Godin still designs the majority of the guitars, most of the
day-to-day operations now fall to his two sons, Simon and Patrick (for whom he
named a line of acoustics). Under their guidance, the company has grown to
nearly $40 million in annual sales. “I have little function these days,” admits
Godin, “except that I’m everywhere.”

SABIAN CYMBALS

Meductic, New Brunswick

Before this cymbal can be smashed at the climax of a blistering drum solo,
Charlie Brown will hammer it upward of 2,500 times. Wherever the mallet
connects, the bronze compresses, becoming thinner, denser and harder. It’s what
gives Sabian cymbals their unmatchable depth. The company has been producing
cymbals this way since 1981, but the history goes back much further. Founder
Robert Zildjian is a scion of the great Zildjian family, which began crafting
cymbals in Istanbul during the Ottoman Empire. A legal dispute led him to set up
Sabian (named for his children, Sally, Bill and Andy) in New Brunswick. “We
quickly realized there are no other cymbal makers in Canada,” says Nort
Hargrove, Sabian’s VP of manufacturing. Sabian currently ships more than 900,000
high-hats, crashes, rides and other cymbals around the world each year. Rush’s
Neil Peart consults on designs. But even he isn’t granted access to the room
where Sabian’s signature B20 bronze is forged. For all the firm’s success, its
process for making cymbals remains secretive and complex. “If it were easy,”
says Hargrove, “there would be more cymbal makers.”

YORKVILLE SOUND

Toronto

In the early days of rock ’n’ roll, bass amplifiers were harder to find than
the hair on Bill Haley’s head. Taking advantage of the scarcity, Yorkville
Sound—in particular, a repairman by the name of Pete Traynor—began assembling
amps out of the back room of Toronto’s Long & McQuade music shop in 1963.
From that original run of four, the Traynor line of guitar amps was born. In
their day, everyone from Chuck Berry to John Lennon plugged into one of
Traynor’s amps. Today, Yorkville Sound pumps out the jams from a custom-designed
150,000-square-foot plant just east of Toronto. Its specialty: retro-inspired
custom valve amps that provide the warm, clean tones that only a set of vacuum
tubes can deliver. Touring acts like Blue Rodeo and Hedley appreciate the sound
but also the fact that the amps have been built to last. “The graveyard is
filled with all of our competitors,” says Doug Davies, Yorkville’s VP of sales.
“There’s nobody who has out-survived us as an independent company.”

DADDY MOJO

Montreal

In 2006, when Lenny Piroth-Robert began selling the cigar box guitars he had
been building for friends, he would pick up the tobacco boxes (which form the
resonating chamber of the instrument) from local smoke shops. These days, he has
the mahogany and cedar boxes custom-made in the Dominican Republic. It’s a
testament to his success that what could easily be tossed off as a curiosity—the
traditionally four-stringed strummers were once a staple of 19th-century jug
bands—has become a favourite of such cult rock heroes as Wilco’s Nels Cline and
Broken Social Scene’s Andrew Whiteman (pictured left). With the help of three
part-time craftspeople, Piroth-Robert builds a few hundred of the bluesy little
instruments each year, selling two-thirds of them internationally. The guitars
vary in sophistication and price (from $285 to $1,400), more so now that Daddy
Mojo has moved into custom work. “The high-end models are a lot more fun to
make,” says Piroth-Robert, noting the Moroccan-inspired guitar he recently
designed for Whiteman. Presumably, they’re equally fun to play.

Originally published in the September, 2010 issue of Your Business
magazine.

Share
with friends

Close

Email

Please
enter a valid e-mail address

Please enter a comma delimited list of valid e-mail
addresses

Other ways of sharing:

Tweet
this on Twitter

Add
to Delicious

Submit
post to Digg.com

Seed
this post at Newsvine

Print
or License

Close

Print
this page

License
this story

What’s
this?

By clicking "Recommend",
you can recommend this story and share it with your Facebook friends
Read More… Don’t
show this again

Join the Discussion:

Sorted by: Oldest
first

Newest to Oldest

Oldest to Newest

Most
thumbs-up

Related Information

Your Business: Slideshow: Photos that make you want to rock
out Monday, Aug. 23, 2010 08:55AM
EDT

Your Business Magazine: Introducing the biggest outdoor
water park in Canada Thursday, Jun. 10, 2010 08:48AM
EDT

Your Business Magazine: The end of the office Thursday, Jun. 17, 2010 08:32AM EDT

Food: Couple trades corporate life for bakery Thursday, Mar. 18, 2010 08:06PM
EDT

Latest Comments

Connect with us and other readers

Linkedin

Professional networking through the Globe

Twitter

Be informed of new Your Business stories

Facebook

View and comment on the Globe's top stories

Your
Business

Start

Grow

Exit

Business
Categories

Your
Business: Slideshow

Photos
that make you want to rock out

A look at Canadian music manufacturers and a glimpse inside the Sabian and
Godin Guitars factories. Narrated by photographer Troy Moth

View
interactive

More
stories for entrepreneurs

Financing

Obama
pushes for small-business bill

Advice

How
to stop theft and motivate a talented slacker

Guest Column: Dave Wilkin

Gen-Y
Why Factor helps get support network on board

Case Study

Company
installs temporary art galleries in offices

Get more
out of Your Business

Most
popular from Your Business

Business Travel

Film
fest chief doesn’t do in-flight movies

Human Resources

Instilling
corporate culture: Where to start?

Earlier Discussion

How
to build a small-business empire

Leadership: Anthony Longo

Grocer's
approach to business: Solid values

Week two

Employee
engagement starts at the top

Get more
out of Your Business

Most Popular in The Globe and
Mail

Most
Viewed

Most
E-mailed

Most
Discussed

1

Toyota
recalls 1 million Corollas, Matrixes

2

RIM
seeks industry, government talks on security

3

Canadian
home prices continue to rise

4

Williams
unrepentant as taxpayers on hook for NAFTA deal with Abitibi

5

Ford
plans big push into India

6

U.S.
steps up Corolla probe

7

Sinofert
'closely watching' BHP bid for Potash

8

Dubai
World eyes sale of prized assets

9

Ontario
to overhaul pension fund

10

Bestseller
accuses Goldman Sachs of trying to ‘kill China’

More popular news
items

1

Toyota
recalls 1 million Corollas, Matrixes

2

Employer
maternity leave top-ups rare

More popular news
items

More popular news
items

Home

› Report On
Business

› Your
Business

› Start

› Location

› Meet the Canadian companies making noise in music

Back
to top

Globe2Go

e-Edition

Mobile

Newsletters

Newspaper

RSS

Globe
Plus

Globe Recognition

Advertise

Advertise with
us

Newspaper

Magazine

Online

Marketing Solutions
Group

Media
Central

Classifieds

Online

Help

Contact Us

Newspaper

Customer Care

Contact
Us

Staff

Press Room

Corrections

Subscribe

Vacation
Stops

Change
Address

Privacy
Policy

Terms
& Conditions

Disclaimer

© Copyright 2010 CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The Globe and Mail is a division of CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc., 444 Front St. W., Toronto, ON  Canada M5V 2S9
Phillip Crawley,
Publisher

Alert us to this comment

Please let us know if this reader’s comment breaks the editor’s rules and is
obscene, abusive, threatening, unlawful, harassing, defamatory, profane or
racially offensive by selecting the appropriate option to describe the
problem.

Comment is
inflammatory

Comment is offensive

Comment is
advertising/spam

Other

Close