Design, Innovation and the Musical Heritage of the Shetland Isles are at the Heart of a New British Company Making Unique Musical Instruments and Accessories

LONDON, March 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Pure Acoustic Ltd. is a new electro-acoustic instrument manufacturing company. Based in the northernmost reaches of the United Kingdom, the company blends the region's traditional instrument making skills with innovative and patented design, and the use of the latest materials and manufacturing technologies.

The newly formed company, based in Lerwick in the Shetland Islands, is a joint venture between three directors, two of whom hail from the islands. All themselves skilled musicians, they represent a formidable ensemble of luthiery, design and business management skills, coupled with long-term experience in the musical instrument and electronics industry at an international level. Kenny Johnson has a track record of invention and innovation in instrument design with his patented Skyinbow range of electric violins, which he has manufactured and sold from his workshop in Vidlin, Shetland. These have been internationally successful and used extensively on stage shows such as Riverdance and Lord of the Dance. Robert Thomas has a distinguished career in business and financial management in the musical instrument and electronics industries, and as a past president of the UK Musical Industries Association he has extensive global contacts. Richard Gleave is a highly successful geophysicist and a founder of ARK Geophysics, a company that has provided services to the international oil exploration industry, and organisations such as the British Antarctic Survey. He has pursued a parallel career as a guitarist and semi-professional performing musician, which continues to this day.

Pure Acoustic has attracted financial support from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and has its research and development, design and principal manufacturing base in Shetland's capital Lerwick. Sales, administration and finance are located in Leighton Buzzard in the south east of England. Larger scale manufacturing facilities are deployed in the UK and in eastern Europe.

The company will focus initially on three product ranges: the Skyinbow electric violin series, which it will relaunch and further develop and market internationally; a range of unique, natural sounding electronic pickups and miniature pre-amplifier systems for all manner of stringed acoustic instruments; the new patented Linnd violin shoulder rest which not only resolves the age-old problem of 'splaying' rests, that plagues players of all types of violin music, but also improves the sound of the instrument. In coming to the market with an existing product line in Skyinbow, Pure Acoustic not only benefits from an established market but plans to rapidly develop an expanded range of instruments, including lower cost models employing high quality industrial manufacturing techniques, to complement the top range handmade models. The Skyinbow Pure Acoustic pickup systems are already in initial production. The Linnd violin/viola shoulder rest has been in development for the last two years, with Thomas working with Johnson on his revolutionary design. Currently the subject of a pending international patent, the Linnd is scheduled to be launched next month at the Frankfurt Musikmesse; a range of variants of adjustable, fixed and custom design are being manufactured.

Pure Acoustic is employing a diverse range of distribution channels to bring its products to market, including online and e-commerce, and traditional retail and distribution channels. It is also developing an alternative sales channel for the Skyinbow Pure Acoustic pickups, with the combined marketing of the products online and via a network of luthiers (traditional acoustic instrument makers) and instrument repairers. The company is conservatively projecting a rapidly rising turnover producing sales of almost GBP2m within three years. While much of this expansion will be generated by volume mass manufacturing, elsewhere in the UK and in Europe, the company envisages creating design, skilled craftsman and administrative employment opportunities at its Shetland base.

Commenting on the launch, design and development director Kenny Johnson stated: "Having spent so much of my working life running a business in Shetland, establishing a company on this scale based here is a tremendous opportunity and the support from HIE has been critical in enabling us to do this. Craft and tradition lie at the heart of this business but it is our ability to exploit modern design and engineering techniques in pursuit of that craft that makes this venture unique."

Editors' notes & image: http://www.linnd.co.uk/press/editorsnotes

   
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