For boutique companies, the NAMM show presents an opportunity to get on the industry’s radar without relying on huge advertising budgets. Take, for example, Pick-Up The World (pick-uptheworld.com), a manufacturer of custom pickups for unique and unusual—as well as traditional—instruments that has thrived for almost 20 years on word of mouth alone. The company’s Owner, Ani Jenkins, takes pride in being one of the little guys. “We love being small. We have lots of folks from India and Asia who call us up and ask us to do systems for their instruments that no other large manufacturer can help them with.” Of course, relying on word of mouth won’t get you anywhere if your products aren’t up to snuff. Fortunately, that isn’t a problem for Pick-Up The World. “We offer soundboard pickups, under-saddle pickups and compression pickups, all made out of a piezo polymer film,” explained Jenkins. “It’s very accurate, and very different than the traditional ceramic-based piezo chips that are found in most pickup systems. So you get a very, very wide frequency response, and the pickups are true to the instrument’s natural tone.”
The company decided to exhibit at this year’s show for the first time in large part to announce its new partnership with MiSi Electronics Design. “They offer battery-free preamps that are absolutely awesome,” explained Jenkins. “Most musicians don’t like to have batteries onboard, so they offer a very cool option—a tiny preamp that can install in a typical jack—so you can totally get away from conventional batteries. And they’re great for the environment, which we love.” In fact, Pick-Up The World makes green manufacturing one of its top priorities. “We use soy-based toners for all of our labels, and biodegradable, non-GMO packaging. And all of our products are manufactured in the USA using sustainable energy,” said Jenkins. And speaking of green, Jenkins considered her first NAMM show to be a sound investment. “It’s so great to meet everybody and see all of the cool new products and fun things going on. We’ll definitely be back.”