News
Achard storms back with Mariner Guitars
Gary Cooper Sep 30 2008, 2:42pm
Former Peavey and Ashton UK boss launches new acoustic brand.
Ken Achard, the man who introduced both Ernie Ball and Peavey to the UK, then returned from retirement to successfully launch Ashton, is making another return to the MI industry - this time with his own Mariner acoustic guitar range.
Achard, well known as a leading writer, collector and authority on American guitar history, says the Mariner range will represent something very different in the crowded acoustic guitar market.
“I am proud of having introduced profitable and successful brands into Europe over the years, from Ernie Ball and Peavey in the Seventies to Ashton more recently. I started out in the Sixties as a retailer and still look for opportunities with a retailer’s eye,” he says. “I believe Mariner will continue that course, offering outstanding instruments for discerning musicians through specialist dealers.”
MI Pro understands that the Mariner range is being handbuilt in a ‘boutique’ Korean factory, by a team led by a master luthier with 48 years experience making top-end instruments.
The guitars, which will feature a unique ‘locktail’ neck joint, will come in three distinct series: the Archive range of ‘open arch’ (swell back) construction, the traditionally inspired Masthead series and the top of the line professional class Eso models. Achard says only the finest quality solid tonewoods are being used throughout the Mariner range.
Interestingly, Mariner is being pitched at one of the few noticeable gaps in the acoustic market, with SRPs expected to be from around £675 to £1,295, including a hard shell case.
More details in the November issue of MI Pro including an interview with Ken Achard in which he explain his return to the industry and the genesis of the Mariner project.
www.marinerguitars.com
