Yamaha owns numerous subsidiaries and affiliates in overseas markets in addition to a number of related companies in Japan.

Additionally, Yamaha owns and runs its unique resort facilities throughout Japan so as to enhance our customers' leisure and cultural activities. Also, Yamaha provides a place for studying music, sets opportunities for presenting one's own compositions, and creates an environment for the enjoyment of a variety of musical endeavors.

Russia
1901-1916
Michail Toomas Paiste, a composer and musician, whose father had come from Estonia to serve in the Tsarist Guard, founds a publishing business and music store in St. Petersburg. The operation, which also includes modest instrument manufacturing and repair facilities, flourishes for many years until the upheavals of the Russian Revolution force its closing.

Estonia
1917-1939
Michail Toomas returns to his native country, and re-opens his business in the city of Tallinn. It is here that he begins to design and manufacture cymbals for concert and marching bands together with his son, Michail M. Paiste, who quickly becomes the driving force and eventually takes over the business. Seeking to meet the rapidly evolving demands of “modern music” and the emerging drum set, the son begins to develop his own special concept for Turkish style cymbals, which he prefers over the Chinese style as a starting point. It is during this time that he also develops the first gongs. The resulting instruments receive awards and international recognition as they begin to be exported to Europe, the USA and overseas.

Poland
1940-1944
The events of World War II force Michail M. to leave Estonia for Poland, where he re-establishes the family business. The company struggles with a wartime shortage of raw materials and difficulty in maintaining international relations, but manages to survive.

Germany
1945-
Towards the end of the war, Michail M. and his family escaped Poland as refugees, bringing him to Northern Germany where, for the third time, he begins to produce cymbals and gongs. The instruments’ superior reputation help revive business relationships and ensure development of a robust export business throughout the Fifties.

Switzerland
1957-
Michael M. establishes a manufacture in Switzerland, also bringing a third generation, sons Robert and Toomas, into what becomes the companies base for future development. A new era begins as Robert and Toomas make Paiste Switzerland the hub of its international business activities. Since 2003, the company is headed by Toomas’ son, Erik.

USA
1981-
The company gains a firm foothold in the world’s largest musical instrument market with the establishment of Paiste America in the U.S.A..

Estonia & Spain
1995-2005
In 1995 Paiste literally goes home again, re-establishing a company in Estonia after an absence of more than fifty years. The same year, a firm is founded in Spain.

Upon moving to St. Louis, Mel took up the tenor banjo and became a highly sought after musician and teacher. He began writing guitar methods in 1947. His method books grew in popularity worldwide and laid the foundation for most of today's guitar pedagogy. Guitar Player magazine referred to him as "the George Washington of the guitar." It is difficult to find a guitarist worldwide who has not, at some point, studied one of Mel's method books. Sales of his Modern Guitar Method series are estimated to be well in excess of 20 million copies.

Mr. Bay received many awards during his career which include the "Lifetime Achievement Award" from the Guitar Foundation of America, "Lifetime Achievement Award" from the Retail Print Music Dealers Association, the "Owen Miller Lifetime Achievement Award" from the American Federation of Musicians, "Certificate of Merit" from the St. Louis Music Educators Association, a resolution from the Missouri House of Representatives honoring his achievements, a proclamation by mayor Freeman Bosley Jr. making October 25, 1996 "Mel Bay Day" in the city of St. Louis and a letter of commendation from President Clinton.

Mel Bay established the structure for modern guitar education and by so doing, laid the foundation for the continued growth and advancement of the instrument.

Albe has made his career by working almost solely behind the scenes for mostly independent artists including Susan's Room, A Band Called Moses, Ritt Henn and Lisa Johnson.
He had recorded for more than 50 independent artists, performed for television on the former ABC sit com "Ellen", played for the stage productions of "Sisterella" and "Tap: Caution Men at Work" and on live radio for Los Angeles TheatreWorks, "The Colored Museum". You can hear Albe playing this winter in the 20th Century Fox film, "First Daughter".

Albe has also recorded with such studio legends as Desmond Child ("Livin' La Vida Loca") and Diane Warren ("How Do I Live", "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing"). Jack Segal ("When Sunny Gets Blue") Jack Palance, David Graheme ("To Be With You"). Albe plays live in many different genres from jazz to original rock and pop, country to percussion accompaniment.

Albe has held clinics for Musician's Friend Music Stores, the Nashville Percussion Institute, the Pacific Crest Drum Corps and the Hollywood Custom and Vintage Drum show In his clinics Albe covers various topics including technique, styles, reading, soloing, and feel. As a full-time working drummer much of his discussion contains business tips and advice on how to "make it" as a working musician.

During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the company was forced to merge with the C.G. Conn Company. William F. Ludwig, who disliked his lack of involvement with the design and manufacture of the instruments after the merger, left the company in 1936. He opened his own company, the W.F.L. Drum Company, in 1937. The first product of W.F.L. was the Speed King pedal, a product still manufactured by Ludwig to this date. In 1955, the Ludwig division was purchased back from Conn and renamed the Ludwig Drum Company. In 1966, Ludwig purchased the Musser Marimba Company, which produced mallet percussion, including vibes, marimbas, bells, chimes and xylophones.

In 1973, William F. Ludwig, Sr. died, to be succeeded by his son William F. Ludwig Bradfield, Jr. Ludwig Industries was acquired by the Selmer Company in 1981. Today, Ludwig drums and timpani are manufactured in Monroe, North Carolina, with timpani and mallet instruments produced in LaGrange Park, Illinois. Certain lines of Ludwig Drums, marketed as the Accent, Accent CS, Accent CS Custom, and Accent CS Custom Elite Series, are manufactured for Ludwig in Asia and imported into the North American market.

Dream Cymbals & Gongs are all made exclusively in a family-owned gong factory in the famed Wuhan region of China. For generations, this factory has forged the finest gongs in the world. In fact, bronze bell technology is very old in China, possibly dating back as far as 2000 B.C. or earlier. There are even some that speculate that the Chinese exported their cymbals and gongs along the silk road to Turkey ... where they designed their own versions.

Today, Dream cymbals are distributed in over 14 countries and growing. Our exceptional old-world craftsmanship, unparalleled sound and affordable pricing make these cymbals a "must-have".

We are committed to supporting local development and dealers as well as producing our products in a responsible and sustainable manner. Most importantly, we are committed to providing exceptional musical products to musicians of all types.

Everyone deserves the best. Everyone deserves their Dream.

If there’s one secret to our enduring brand and the passion it ignites in musicians, producers and engineers, it’s that we deliver these experiences, rather than merely a collection of products and services. We’re dedicated to inspiring musical creativity and developing musical experiences for all of our stakeholders – customers, employees, partners, suppliers, and the musical community at large. That’s what sets Alesis apart from the crowd and why our brand continues to be on the leading edge of professional audio and music technology.

While our products range from keyboards, synthesizers, hard disk recorders, iPod recording and playback devices, electronic drums, mixers, signal processors, effects units, amplifiers and speakers one thing remains consistent; our passion for inspiring musical creativity and innovation through new technology.

After much experimenting, Joe perfected the idea. A drumstick with a nylon tip that stayed on, didn't shatter and produced a sound pleasing to the ear. In fact, the sound was so pleasing it helped define the musical styles of the day with its signature clarity on the drumheads and ride cymbals. His contribution to the percussion industry was recognized by the Percussive Arts Society when the organization inducted Joe into the Hall of Fame in 2001.

Joe Calato's invention signaled a revolution in percussion manufacturing and design that continues today. Joe took it as his mission to upgrade the lowly drumstick, beginning with the quality of the wood; the drying of the wood; the famous Regal Tip finish; inspection for straightness of grain; weight, knots, warp; and finally the matching and pairing of sticks. To this day the drum world credits Joe Calato with establishing modern standards in drumstick design and crafting.

The creativeness and innovation of Regal Tip continues today. At the PAS convention in 2003, Regal Tip introduced Joe's revolutionary new nylon tip drumstick, the "E-Series". For years Joe had been determined to invent a nylon tip stick which would offer a darker, warmer sound on a cymbal, a wood tip sound. Just as the original nylon tip drumstick was the significant drumstick development in the 20th century, our new "E-Series" just may prove the same for the 21st century.

Regal was the first of today's major drumstick companies to have always manufactured its own products. All manufacturing takes place on our premises in Niagara Falls. This allows us to control quality, innovate new products in our state-of-the-art machine shop, and design and build machinery to ensure consistency.

This is but the beginning of a long history of innovation. The company has secured numerous patents and, as we speak, there are patents pending and numerous new ideas on the drafting table. The Regal Tip line has grown over the last 50 years to include the world's most popular line of drum brushes, timpani mallets, practice pads and the most impressive line of specialty sticks on the market today.

Most recently Regal Tip was honored with m.i.p.a.'s "Best Drumsticks" award for its X-Series sticks. This international recognition was the decision of 55 magazines from 40 countries around the world.

“It’s remarkable that in our 31st year, the excitement level of coming to work is every bit as much now as when we started,” DW Founder and President Don Lombardi says.

It all began in 1972 when Don, at age 26, opened a small teaching studio in Santa Monica, Calif. He called the studio Drum Workshop, offering both private lessons and monthly workshops.

“My fascination with drums started at 12 with a neighborhood teacher at a local music store,” Don recalls. “Over the years, I had such great experiences with renowned teachers that as my love for playing drums grew, so did my love for learning and teaching about drums. The day I got my driver’s license, I started driving to teach at a local music store where I had taken lessons.”

Seeing an ad for Drum Workshop in the Yellow Pages, John Good, now DW’s Vice President, signed up for lessons at age 17 to improve his drumming and reverse what he refers to as “bad drumming habits.”

“After three months of lessons, Don approached me and said, ‘You know, I’ve had lots of successful students. I don’t think you’re going to be one of them’,” John says laughing. “So I said, ‘Great…now what are we going to do?’”

Realizing that overhead was eating up his profits, Don brought in investors and additional teachers and began selling sticks, books and drums to help subsidize the expenses. Hiring John as a part-time sales manager, the two spent hours discussing different ways to improve the art of drumming through improving drum products.

“That’s how the spark and enthusiasm got started,” John recalls. “We would talk for hours about our ideas for creating better products. Before we knew it, we were working together.”

Out of these brainstorms came the first DW product: Don’s new design for a height-adjustable trap-case seat. Selling about a dozen seats a month, John quit his day job and went to work full-time for Don.

“After teaching all day, we would move the drum sets to the side and bring out the tables to make the seats,” Don remembers. “Then I’d usually leave for my playing job, and John would stay into the night to build the seats and fill the orders. I even bought a sewing machine to sew on the top of the seats, but John put his foot down and said, ‘No sewing: I don’t sew.’”

When DW received a purchase order for 100 seats from Camco Drum Co., Don and John realized that they had an innovative product that would sell. Thirty years later, DW is now offering a new version of the trap-case adjustable seat, made out of a lighter weight material, called the 6100 Adjustable Trap-Case Seat.

“I always dreamed about creating a lighter weight seat, but we didn’t have the money to do it back then,” Don says. “I’m as confident about this new seat as I was when we made our first design.”

However, when DW created the original trap case seat, they had the capacity and personnel to create only a dozen seats a month, not 100. Don was still teaching and playing a nightly gig while John built the products. Shortly thereafter, Camco Drum Co. owner Tom Beckman approached Don in 1977 with an offer to sell him Camco’s machinery, dies and molds, everything it took to make Camco drums and hardware—everything except the Camco name itself. This gave Don the opportunity to expand his capacity for creating the seats and to expand his product line. At that point, Don made the decision to accept the offer and change the direction of Drum Workshop from teaching and selling to manufacturing.

“The idea of failing never really occurred to me,” Don remarks. “Based on our mini-success with the seat, we had learned that if we could offer drummers products that would improve their drumming, we could be successful. Of course, having a desire to go into manufacturing and having the money to do so are two different things.”

Borrowing most of the money from his parents and some from outside investors, Don purchased Camco’s tooling and reintroduced the Camco 5000 nylon strap bass drum pedal under the DW name. The pedal was refined to improve consistency, quietness, smoothness and adjustability of its mechanical operation. As the pedal was rapidly becoming “the drummer’s choice,” Don continued to search for ways to further improve it.

The addition of the Chain & Sprocket drive system in 1980 not only vastly improved the DW pedal, but also helped set it apart from others on the market. Three years later, DW introduced a double bass drum pedal that incorporated a unique linkage with universal joints. DW’s 5002 Double Pedal not only filled a need and solidified DW’s position in the market as innovators, it ushered in a whole new era in drumming since, for the first time, single bass drum players could now use both feet to create new rhythms and increase speed. Throughout the ‘80s, DW created other innovative DW hardware, such as the rotating two-leg 5500T and the remote (cable) 5502LB hi-hat stands, to meet the needs of DW Pedal endorsers like Travis Barker, Abe Laboriel Jr., Vinnie Colaiuta, Gary Novak and Carter Beauford.