GEAR 23_COVER - JHS

This family-owned business has been
involved the production of precision
metronomes for well over a century.
Looking around at the present turbulent economic climate,
it’s not hard to understand how hard it is for companies,
particularly specialist manufacturers, to remain a
competitive force in an undulating market. Imagine then,
the trials and tribulations which will have been faced by a
company which is well over 100 years old...two shattering
world wars, ongoing generational family management
changes, not to mention the influx of cheap competition
from the Far East in particular over recent years.
PRECISION MANUFACTURE
Thus it is for Wittner, legendary German manufacturers of precision
metronomes and additional musical accessories. Founded in 1895 in
the Black Forest region of Southern Germany by Gustav Wittner, the
Wittner factory today employs over 100 people, including a number
of craftsmen and designers eagerly ensuring that Wittner’s reputation
for precision manufacture remains as intact today as it always has
been. Gustav Wittner began the company by capitalising on his
experience of making clocks which he applied to the equally
fastidious manufacturing principles of metronomes.
An export market soon began to grow at the turn of the 20th
century, to Russia in particular, and after World War 1 Gustav’s son
Rudolf assumed control of the Wittner concern, which he gradually
expanded to a medium-sized industrial plant with much greater
production potential. Rudolf’s expansion plans proved timely, as the
fledgling music industry really began to take off in the late 20’s /
early 30’s, with a mass consumer movement towards listening to
– and playing – music.
TAKTELL
As Wittner’s reputation grew, in addition to their Maelzel Metronomes,
Wittner started producing the ‘Taktell’ metronome. Under its registered
trademark, the ‘Taktell’ became such a term of quality that, in many
countries, the word ‘metronome’ was almost replaced by the word ‘Taktell’.
Though Wittner metronomes by and large remain true to the classic
looks and operation of a mechanical pendulum style unit, the company
has always been proud of its continued investment in state-of-the-art
production technology, cited as ‘..an extreme necessity in order to
maintain superior production quality and competitive all-round pricing’.
Besides metronomes, Wittner also manufactures other high quality
musical accessories such as violin strings, adjusters, violin tailpieces,
etc. Though Wittner’s current range includes a digital credit-card size
metronome, the main business of the company still emanates from
the traditional Maelzel Pyramid Metronome units, in both wind-up
mechanical and quartz-based formats, alongside the evergreen Taktell
Classic, of course.
Recent Wittner innovations have seen the introduction of the Taktell
Piccolo metronome – definitely a more ‘tactile Taktell’ this time, with
a variety of pastel shades available colouring the company’s ‘Soft Feel
Leather Look’ covering, with the traditional Taktell wind-up mechanism
and swinging pendulum again ensuring first class tempo management.
Also available in more compact pocket-size format are the Wittner
Taktell Piccolino and Taktell Super Mini metronomes. And now...
WITTNER INTRODUCES TAKTELL ANIMAL PENDULUM METRONOMES
Okay, so what's the best way to get children and young music
students (and adults...!) more interested in the benefits of using a
metronome with their music making? Answer – make it fun! And
that's exactly what these superb Taktell Animal Metronomes from
German metronome specialists, Wittner have to offer.
With well over a century of experience of manufacturing precision
metronomes, the new animal metronomes offer all the features and
facilities found on conventional mechanical pendulum style metronomes,
as expected from a specialised musical artefact bearing the Wittner name.
The fun, attractive design of these new Animal Metronomes is aimed
at increasing the time students will want to spend being involved
with metronome practice. Wittner Animal Metronomes are mechanical
pendulum units with a traditional wind-up mechanism precisionengineered
for reliable, accurate performance.
Animal Metronomes
• Traditional metronome that
produces loud clicking sound
• Pendulum motion provides
visual sensing of tempo
• Tempo range
40-208 bpm
• Wind-Up
Mechanism
• £76.99rrp ea.
Model Numbers
Cat: 839021
Owl: 839031
Penguin: 839011
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