Finely tuned

With the launch of the 1,350-sq ft Musician’s Mall, the market for guitars in the city will be getting a lot groovier.

Music Distribution Company (MDC), one of the two big distributors and importers of guitar equipment in Mumbai, is all set to take a big bite of the increasing guitar-market pie with the launch of its new retail store on Monday. Musician’s Mall, sprawled across 1,350 sq ft, promises to be a haven for a wide range of guitar models manufactured by brands like Fender and Ibanez.

“There has been a growth of more than 50 per cent in this year alone. From 4,000 acoustic guitars last year, we have already sold 15,000 in the current one,” says Mukesh Bhargava of MDC, which has made about Rs 4 crore in electric guitars sales in 2006.

The increase in sales is due to the entry of Chinese and Indonesian-made guitars by these brands. With more brands getting interested in Mumbai, the market for guitars in the city just got a little groovier.

Till a few years ago, there was a dearth of quality guitars in the market. The ones that got imported were out of bounds for most of buyers, due to their high prices.

Then, gradually, the market started opening up with international brands realising the need to introduce low-end, but quality, Chinese and Indonesian makes.

Many enthusiasts like Arvind Iyer, who has grown up idolising guitar heroes Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix, found Chinese counterparts of guitars used by these legends available for cheap. He bought a “Chinese” Stratocaster made and designed by Fender (one of the leading brands used by Blues guitarists across the globe)for just Rs 13,000.

“These Chinese Strats are good. Cheap, and probably not in the same league as the ones made in the US, but still have the same feel and quality,” says Iyer.

Growing market : With international brands like Yamaha bringing California-based George Lynch for an official launch of its high-end acoustic guitars; Fender officials flying down to acknowledge the presence of the growing Indian market; the influx of signature series guitars by Ibanez; and the fact that D’Addario (makers of strings) suppliers were here to look into business matters, the market is set to get more competitive.

“So much quality equipment means more and more music enthusiasts will now be able to buy and start playing the guitar. It happened with computers.

More people will buy guitars, even if they are not serious musicians,” says Ravi Iyer, who owns a US-made Fender Strat worth Rs 45,000, and a PRS SE worth Rs 36,000.

Furtados, another big player, launched the Paul Reed Smith (PRS) series of guitars on Friday. Launching guitars by inviting local bands like Old Monk, Groove Lab and musicians like Ravi Iyer, Furtados is going the other route in promoting and creating brand awareness.

Famous guitarists like Trent Reznor and Carlos Santana are known for using PRS guitars. The series will be available for Rs 34,000 and more.

“Even though the market is miniscule, a lot of initiatives are being taken by us. Awareness of brands is what is needed in the Indian market,” says Joseph Gomes, partner at Furtados. The store recently announced zero per cent installment schemes to strengthen its market presence.

Brand monopoly: Despite the availability of more brands, fierce competition is slowly leading towards brand monopoly. Both MDC and Furtados are distributors with a serious interest in retail business. And while both distributors have big brands to their credit, each can be seen guarding their own share of the cake.

Which means that brands available with Musician’s Mall will not be seen at Furtados, and vice versa. “Yes, because of this, an unsuspecting customer will not get to learn of all the brands available to him under one roof. Many might even end up buying brands that don’t suit their style. The main differentiating factor should be after-sales service and not which brands are available. Ideally, all the brands should be available under one roof,” says Iyer.

While MDC looks after the official distribution of big brands like Fender and Ibanez for guitars; Line 6 series of processors; drum brands like TAMA and Sonor, and accessories by leaders like Sabian, Paiste and Vic Firth, Furtados has just added PRS to its long list of brands that include Yamaha and Kramer.

According to sources, Furtados may even start dealing in ESP and BC Rich guitars — a move aimed at eating into MDC’s Ibanez business. Joseph, however, refuses to confirm any of this.

The two distributors are clearly divided on brands — especially at the retail level — breeding unhealthy competition. The brand monopoly may soon cost musicians serious bargaining power.

This means the next time you want to buy a guitar, you will have to check out both places before choosing what you want, at whatever price it is available at. No one can argue that it has never been as exciting a market as it is likely to become soon.