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Case
Study
January
12th 2005
When
is a case not a case... or a gigbag?
The
founders of Tribal Planet have come up against some hard knocks
but, like the products they design, they’ve kept things well
intact. David Wright and Philip Sutcliffe are the principal
partners of a company that’s moving things along in the somewhat
static universe of gig bags and instrument cases.
Defying
the convention that 2- choices — flexible gig bag or rigid case
— are sufficient, their innovation is drawing praise from musicians
who are weary of either lugging heavy cases around or entrusting
their precious cargo to flimsy bags.
The
aim was to devise musical instrument protection that transcended
‘raincoats or glorified knock preventers’. ‘Cases are generally
expensive and heavy,’ said Mr Sutcliffe, Tribal Planet’s director
of international marketing. ‘Yet they offer substantial protection.
We wanted to incorporate the best qualities of the case in a
product as portable as a gig bag.’
‘We
wanted something that could be thrown on the back seat of a
car without having hinges and catches and metal corners that
catch on upholstery,’ said Mr Wright, who directs international
sales. ‘It had to be comfortable to carry and offer great protection.’
‘It’
is Tribal Planet’s core product: the GX series of multi-layered
hybrid instrument carriers. It combines what its creators believe
are the best qualities of both types of traditional carries.
Described in terms ranging from futuristic to funky, the GX
products enjoy an enthusiastic fan base worldwide. ‘We think
it’s very beautiful as well,’ said Mr Sutcliffe, ‘and we get
a lot of confirmation that we’ve hit the right style note.’
The GX series ranges from about $50 to $110 (£29 to £65) for
the top of the range GX40.
While
Mr Wright handles company business from the company’s northern
England location in County Durham, Mr Sutcliffe lives and works
in Spain, conducting ongoing design and administration from
an office in Alicante.
‘We
supply countries that do 85 percent of the world’s business
in music,’ Mr Wright said. ‘We’re in most of the major countries
now. There are some smaller countries where we need distribution
and we have plans for some of them, which we will announce soon.’
The
partners dedicate most of their energies to design, administration
and marketing, and have so far left distribution matters to
the distributors, who are supplied directly from China. Mr Sutcliffe
hinted at imminent news on this topic, but apparently was not
yet ready to elaborate.
For
Messrs Wright and Sutcliffe, who had already been colleagues
during their years at Hohner UK, the decision to start Tribal
Planet was coincidental with global events that made the day
indelible. ‘It was September 11, 2001’, said Mr Sutcliffe, ‘so
it was a very easy day to remember. It was actually a day for
people to show wonderful spirit, so we can remember the good
as well. I certainly do. And one good thing was that we decided
to start the company.’
According
to Mr Sutcliffe, bringing their vision to life was, of course,
much easier discussed than performed. ‘They say the devil is
in the details, and we certainly found that out. We got down
to visual design and utility and worked 18 or 20 hours a day
for several months. It was an enormous challenge.’ But not as
challenging as what came next. ‘When we had it down to the very
last dot on the page,’ sighed Mr Sutcliffe, ‘we discovered a
completely new world. Production.’
The
pair traversed China, and other countries, looking for an ideal
production partner. ‘We thought we’d done it, but our problems
started all over again because we now had to link design and
utility to the demands of production. It really was a very tough
time for the company. We certainly learned a lot about communication.
The two cultures have different references, and we found a completely
different value system, and a different notion of acceptable
quality. It took a long time to bring all these elements together
into a product that we’re very proud of today.’
Tribal
Planet now has two of its own personnel in China, providing
translation and quality control.
As
the GX range launches further forays into the world market,
the company also offers its TPG series of gig bags, more ‘traditional’
but distinctly Tribal. Anticipating a lag in the trade’s appreciation
of the newest products, the TPG is itself a hit among buyers.
‘It’s
a most enjoyable process,’ insisted Mr Sutcliffe. ‘And we get
constant communication from customers reinforcing our belief.
We have the joy of opening emails almost daily that say, “You
guys did a good job”
For
more information about Tribal Planet, log on to www.tribal-planet.com.
Media
Contact: Gayle Tomlinson Communications gayle.tomlinson@blueyonder.co.uk
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Funky
Bag Sets Off Floral Note
Wednesday,
April 23, 2008 This fun and funky bag from Tribal Planet is
a must have accessory for fashion conscious teens following
this summer’s floral theme.
Tribal
Planet Sign Deal with Barnes and Mullins
Tribal
Planet, based in County Durham, has signed a distribution
deal with the Shropshire firm.
Lightweight
Tuner Packs One Heavyweight Punch
January
17, 2008 GIG bag experts Tribal Planet have launched what
must be the easiest to use guitar tuner on the market.
Innovative
New Harmonica Launched at NAMM
January
17, 2008 AN innovative new harmonica has been launchedtoday
which promises to provide a more rounded sound and impress
even the most experienced harp players
New
Harmonica is Success in the Shops
January
17, 2008 MUSIC specialist Tribal Planet will be showing a
whole range of innovative new products at the NAMM Show 2008
in Anaheim
Little
and Large Harmonicas Launched by Tribal Planet
Wednesday,
October 17, 2007 Harmonica experts Tribal Planet have introduced
two new harps to its successful Planetone range.
New
Hard Bag Designed Just for Luthiers
GIG
bag designers and manufacturers Tribal Planet has unveiled
its strongest bag yet, specially designed for high-priced
instruments.
New
design is instrumental to success
6
September 2007 A NEW harmonica designed in the North East
is taking the musical world by storm
New
Harmonica is Success in the Shops
25th
July 2007 A NEW range of harmonicas is now available to buy
in shops around the world after its creators signed distribution
deals in several different countries.
New
Guitar Bag for Musicians on a Budget
25th
July 2007 GIG bag experts Tribal Planet have launched a new
guitar bag to provide unrivalled protection for musicians
on a budget.
Tribal
Planet Signs New UK Distributor
30th
April 2007 Music industry experts Tribal Planet have signed
a new distributor as part of an ongoing expansion.
Media
Invite
20th
March 2007 MUSIC specialist Tribal Planet is inviting journalists
to view its latest innovations at the International Musikmesse
in Frankfurt.
Tribal
Planet Signed By Fender!
18th
January 2007 Gig bag experts Tribal Planet are pleased to
announce their range of guitar gig bag cases has become even
more accessible.
New
Range Spells Elegance for Tribal Planet
18th
January 2007 GIG bag experts Tribal Planet are bringing a
touch of elegance to their range with their best guitar bag
yet.
Tribal
Planet Make New Tunes with Harmonica Business
August
2007 MUSIC accessories experts, Tribal Planet, have today
announced plans to begin selling harmonicas to the world-wide
market.
Partners
in tune with instrument
June
2007 A new-style harmonica designed and marketed by a North-East
company is set to breathe fresh life into the historic instrument.
Former
Hohner Men Launch New Harmonica Company
9th
February 2007 A NEW brand of harmonica is being launched to
fill a gap in the market for a high quality range at attainable
prices.
Fender
Distributes Tribal Planet Gigbags in the USA
31st
January 2006 Tribal Planet has appointed Fender’s new FMI
Wholesale Division as Sole US Distributor of Tribal Planet’s
unique range of reinforced super strong and super lightweight
Guitar cases and Gigbags.
Case
study
12th
January 2005 The founders of Tribal Planet have come up against
some hard knocks but, like the products they design, they’ve
kept things well intact.
Tribal
Planet: Carrying Design to the limit, and beyond
1st
November 2004 This great little story began not long after
David Wright’s departure from Martin Petermichl’s company,
Ritt
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