Guitars
Jon Gold grew up playing in area bands and hanging out in local stores. He soon was able to answer customer's questions about guitars hanging on the walls and found he was offered a job. He later worked for the Fender Sound House in London and his love for the industry grew as did his knowledge...
Stu Goldberg established Marina Music in San Francisco at the beginning of the guitar boom. The folk music craze was in full swing and the Beatles just hit the USA and within a few months Stu opened his own music store. His small store had a very big impact on the music industry and soon became a...
Art Wiggs has always admired the Gretsch brand of guitars. He grew up in a musical family, as his parents played in church and on the radio together. As a kid he played the guitar with a classmate and the duo even had a running gig at Disneyland. He gave up playing to focus on his young family...
Sam Wangler ran a music store in Bismarck, North Dakoda for 35 years before his retirement. He taught himself guitar after hearing "Walk Don't Run" by the Ventures as a kid. He later played in several bands in and around the area, and the passion he had for playing transferred into music...
Fred Decker formed the retail store Music Villa in Boseman, Montana, which is now run by his son. Fred's passion for the music business became an inspiration for several members of the music industry including reps and other retailers. His love of people and the products makes for a very...
George Miletich Jr. and his brother run Music One Workshop in Kalispell, Montana. As they continued to play gigs in and around town, they also provided repairs for their bandmates as well as lessons for members of their audiences over the years. The store, which originally included their father,...
Larry Miletich along with his father and brother began playing music together as a group when they moved to Kalispell, Montana. As they continued to play gigs in and around town, they kept seeing a need for a store that provided lessons and repairs. In 1981, the three decided they would open a...
Bill Piburn wrote four method books for the Mel Bay Publishing Company on the art of guitar playing. His writing was well received by many who praised him for his unique and easy to understand style. Finger Style Guitar magazine had printed only its first issue and was looking for a writer when...
Meredith Hamlin is the general manager of the Kyser Music Product Company in Canton, Texas. She is proud of the company her uncle formed in 1975, and the fact that all of their products are made in the United States. Her uncle, Milton Kyser, designed the company’s quick change capo, its first...
Milton Kyser was raised in a small, poor farming family in East, Texas. He grew up during the Great Depression and in fact as a boy told himself if he ever had a business of his own he would have all the work done by local employees so they could provide for their own families. After years as a...