Music Retail
Larry Gosch is the owner of Encore Music in Auburn, California, and a long-time recording engineer. In fact, he has been recording bands and singers for nearly as long as he has been playing the guitar. As owner of Encore, Larry understands the importance of grabbing the attention of motorists...
Frank Ford was beginning to build guitars and mandolins when he met Richard Johnston. The two guitar lovers decided to open a repair shop in Palo Alto, California called Gryphon Stringed Instruments. Before long he had a need to expand and the shop became an important retail store for the emerging...
Michael Simmons is a co-founder of the Fretboard Journal and the author of several articles and books about vintage guitars and other fretted instruments. He began his career at Gryphon Guitars in Palo Alto, where he caught the bug for the history of the instruments. Over the years he has...
Nedra Pedersen grew up playing French horn and studying all areas of music. She landed a job in the publishing side of Disney and worked with Hal Leonard on several projects including The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. In the year 2000, she began working full time with her husband in...
Ted Kraut loves teaching guitar! It's in his blood and very evident to anyone who talks to Ted for over a minute. His passion has inspired thousands of students over the years, first when he taught at Canoga Music and in more recent years when he bought the business and focused on forming its...
John Pedersen, the founder of Pedersen's Band & Orchestra in Burbank, California, began his career with a small instrument repair shop. The store, which began in the early 1970s, continued to grow even during the 17 years he spent working for the Los Angeles Unified School District repairing...
Ray Scherr was hired by Wayne Mitchell, the founder of Guitar Center, to help strengthen and develop the small store. Ray added the culture and helped drive the growth of the company from the one location to the largest music store chain in the world. His passion for the music industry began when...
Jimmy Gravity was setting up a newly made electric guitar as he talked with several of his customers gathered around his work bench. Holding court comes easy to Jimmy because he views his customers and co-workers as friends coming over to hang out. The topics range from baseball to politics and...
Michael Sagun, while attending the University of Portland, began working for a couple of local music stores. He worked as a part time shipping clerk at Barker Lynns Sheet Music Service of Portland, which he would later purchase and run until his retirement from the industry several decades later...
Mike Newman adds a special approach to repair and guitar set-ups at Jimmy Gravity Guitars in St. Louis, Missouri. Having been a professional musician since he was a teenager and member of touring bands, Mike knows the needs of stage musicians and applies that knowledge to each guitar he repairs...