laTeST - Music & Sound Retailer

FIVE MINUTES WITH...
Jason How Chairman, Rotosound
By Brian Berk
Rotosound is making a big
push to have a greater influence
in the United States. That is
evidenced by not only its NAMM
presence, but also its contest
when the British-based company,
officially founded in 1958, just
sent two lucky dealers to visit its
headquarters.
Also visiting Rotosound’s factory
in the British county of Kent
was the Music & Sound Retailer.
We visited the company’s factory
and offices and enjoyed plenty
of British food with Rotosound
chairman Jason How and his wife,
Kathy. Yes, we even consumed
a few British libations. Our visit
included an interview with How.
Also joining us were his brother,
Martyn (who happens to be
a huge British NFL fan), and
David Phillips, who runs A&R
Marketing, which handles all of
Rotosound’s public relations.
How not only runs the business,
but he also designs many of
the machines his employees use.
It’s safe to say we covered a lot
of ground in the interview. Let’s
begin.
The Music & Sound Retailer:
Please tell us about the
history of Rotosound. How
did it start? Can you tell us
about your business?
Jason How: The company
started out when my father James
inquired about making guitar
strings in 1953. That’s the earliest
documentation we have of the
company. My dad was looking
for materials because he went
to see a film in 1951 called “The
Third Man,” which was a spy
thriller starring Orson Welles.
There was zither music. A zither
is an Austrian instrument so
big it has 50 strings on it. It has
what’s similar to a fretboard on a
guitar. You make the chords with
your left hand and pick with your
thumb. The accompaniment is
done with your forefingers. It’s
quite tricky to play. When my
father saw the movie and heard
the music, he was captivated by
it. He played the violin. After the
movie, he made it a point to learn
how to play a zither. He found
an instrument, bought it and it
probably had half the strings on
it. He eventually decided to make
strings for this instrument so he
could learn how to play. Right at
the start, my dad and his brother
Ron were going to make instruments.
My dad was an engineer.
He figured he’d make instruments,
make the strings for them,
and he could make some money.
That was in the mid-’50s. But my
dad learned that making strings
would be easier and perhaps
more profitable than making
instruments. So he bought a lot
of zithers and fitted them up with
strings. He started selling them.
That’s how the business got
started.
M&SR: How and when did
you get involved in the business?
How: In the mid-’70s, I was
being dragged out to the trade
shows. Frankfurt in particular. I
never really went to the American
shows. I was about 18 or 19. I
was always around the factory.
I was close to the business
from an early age. It’s a natural
part of what you do. I didn’t get
involved in a major way until
the mid-’90s. I went to college
for engineering and worked for
a couple of other companies. I
came back here in 1992.
M&SR: So you wanted to
experience some other jobs
before ultimately committing
to Rotosound?
How: Yes. I just didn’t feel
like I wanted to just work for
Rotosound and that was it. I
knew I could work for someone
else. I just wanted to have the
experience of working for an
instrument maker. When I say
instruments, I mean compasses
that went to the army. I worked
in instrument making for three
years. I learned that business
and came back in the early
’90s. At that time, my dad was
developing machinery. He said
to me, “If you come back, you
can help to finish building some
of these machines.” He did all
of the drawings. He said, “Here
From left to right: David Phillips,
Martyn How and Jason How.
are the drawings. Make me 10 of
those.” I would go into the workshop,
make some bits and give
them to my dad. He would tell me
to make more bits. We needed
better machines. The design
he came up with in the mid-’80s
was a brilliant design for string
making. Subsequently, I have
redesigned a lot of machinery
and brought it up to date.
M&SR: What do you make
strings for?
How: Seventy percent of our
production is guitar strings.
Electric and acoustic. Thirty
percent is bass strings. Although,
our company started out making
violin, viola and cello strings. In
the early ’60s, when all of the pop
music became popular, my dad
produced a string that changed
the sound of the bass. That was
the Round Wound bass string.
Every company has now copied
that. It was a pioneering sound
used by The Who, Yes, Rush, The
Police and many others. It gave
bass guitars a unique tone. We
were famous in America in the
’60s because of our bass strings.
30 April 2010