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Carrying
design to the limit
November
1st 2004
Tribal
Planet: Carrying Design to the limit, and beyond. This great
little story began not long after David Wright’s departure from
Martin Petermichl’s company, Ritter Bags. A call between David
and old friend and compatriot, Philip Sutcliffe, set the wheels
in motion.
Tribal
Planet founders and Wright and Sutcliffe (colleagues for many
years in Hohner UK) decided to explore the idea of creating
a superior range of Music and Travel related accessories.
Commented
David: “We were of the opinion that certainly the instrument
bag and case market had not really advanced at all over the
years, in terms of providing real safety, design elegance and
functionality.”
Sutcliffe
Design, Wright where it counts. Sutcliffe, for many years MD
of Hohner UK, is well known in the International Distribution,
product sourcing and design world.
Drawing
on several successful major product design projects in the music
and Computer software systems industries, Sutcliffe combined
his skills with Wright’s substantial skills and experience in
National and International distribution management.
Together
they have turned great ideas into a very substantial reality
Flashy
and cute given the boot “We wanted to avoid flashy and cute
designs on the old theme. It just doesn’t cut it with consumers
when that’s all they are getting for their money.” said David.
They
also dismissed uninspired jazzed up run-of-the-mill bags because,
as Philip put it ”Consumers, when given the choice, want a great
design to be matched with great utility, at an affordable price.”
Bagging the Holy Grail So they set to work creating the revolutionary
and competitively priced new musical instrument Gigbag Case,
super-light, super-strong, highly protective, elegant, portable
and comfortable to carry, together with storage, and plenty
of it, for Tuners, pedals, Strings and music etc.
A
limiting case David: “Cases offer crush protection and defence
from knocks and minor contact blows, but not much protection
to vital areas of the instrument when dropped.” “They are heavy
and have little storage room.” he added
More
bag than gig Philip commented: “Gigbags tend to offer zero to
modest protection but absolutely no crush protection or any
rigid defence to punishing knocks and blows."
“But
they are lighter, cheaper and easier to carry around, have more
storage space and more carrying options. And they do keep the
instrument dry.”
“The
answer was obvious to us: Create an original and revolutionary
hybrid of the best qualities of both the traditional case and
the gigbag. And that’s what we did” said Philip
Innovation
in style and Function Departing completely from traditional
Gigbag and case concepts, Sutcliffe and Wright designed a great
looking body / shell for all types of Guitars and Drums, then
added, from the inside out, a super soft fabric layer, with
thick soft foam protection layer, leading to multicellular super
light plastic floating walls on all sides, and with a high density
shock layer covered by a waterproof, tough and durable Polyester
outer surface.
Pocket
the difference Then on the outer front, two integrally designed
semi-rigid moulded storage pockets add a further layer of protection
as well as offering great storage for music and accessories
of all kinds.
This unique configuration of shock deflective, shock absorbent
and surface protection materials, provides unparalleled defence
from all kinds of crush and impact knocks and blows in the most
demanding travel situations.
In
tune with comfort Temperature and humidity stability in the
GX Gigbag cases is astounding. One happy user contacted Tribal
Planet after flying from Korea to the United States with the
Gigbag case as hold luggage, delighted to tell staff that the
guitar was perfectly in tune on arrival back home in California.
On
the road The Tribal Planet Gigbag Case and soft high density
ranges were a great success right from the start and consumer
research showed exceptionally high levels of satisfaction. At
their first International trade show, (Frankfurt Messe 2002)
the product range was exhibited for the first time to Distributors
from around the world with great success.
Tribal
Planet now has distribution in 85% of the world market and continues
to enjoy significant growth.
Latest
Designs The new and even stronger and lighter GX range of high
protection Gigbag cases have been introduced on the world market.
Included is a superlight version weighing 2.5kg and retailing
for around $56
David:
“The latest range features modern super-light materials and
there are models specifically designed to withstand the rigours
of international Air hold storage and heavy duty pro travel”.
“These
are now becoming available in most countries around the world.”
He added
A
model to suit all needs There are four models created from the
same formula, for each type of guitar in the range, the first
(GX9) is a superlight super strong version great for light duty
travel situations, depending on the model, weighing around 2.3kg).
The great Tribal Planet Signature design but without moulded
pockets and with double adjustable straps makes a great looking,
and above all, safe carrying GigBag Case.
The GX15 incorporates greater protection, has the famous moulded
pockets and is ideal for more demanding circumstances.
The
GX40 is the flagship of the range, offering well over an inch
of cleverly organised protection layers. This product was built
specifically for flight hold storage and international and heavy-duty
travel situations. Complete with an inbuilt stand, this product
is clearly the greatest storage and travel protection device
ever.
A
model for all types All types of Guitar are catered for in all
models. Dreadnought, Super jumbo, Classic ½ to full size, Electric,
Electric Xtra for Explorer and oversized /wacky electrics, Acoustic
Bass, Electric Bass, Mandolin, Bouzouki, Mandola, G Banjo and
Tenor Banjo.
David
Wright and Philip Sutcliffe play a highly active ongoing role
in Tribal Planet and several new products are in the pipeline
for release shortly. Good news for Keyboard and Percussion musicians…
everywhere.
For
more information about Tribal Planet, log on to www.tribalplanet.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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