Saga Music and manufacturing in China

Richard Keldsen of Saga MusicIf you’ve taken a look at student model and mid-range musical instruments of late, chances are you have seen some of the many instruments distributed by Saga Music.

Their brands include the Kentucky, Rover and Trinity College mandolins, Blue Ridge and Regal guitars, Gold Star, Rover and Saga banjos and the Cremona violins and basses. They also distribute popular instrument accessories by Shubb, Golden gate, National and Anton Breton, all familiar to bluegrass pickers.

Saga founder Richard Keldsen has been doing business with Chinese companies for more than 25 years, and is among the most successful importers of Chinese-made musical instruments in the US.

Keldsen is interviewed in a recent video segment for BNET.com where he discusses the challenges of outsourcing to China. The piece doesn’t have any specifically bluegrass content, but should be of interest to anyone who owns one of their instruments.

Watch the full 8 minute interview on BNET.com.

0 Comments
Leave a comment
Comments are open and unmoderated for our registered users, only your first comment will require approval before publication. Comments do not necessarily reflect the views of The Bluegrass Blog. Obscene, abusive, silly, or annoying remarks may be deleted, but the fact that particular comments remain on the site in no way constitutes an endorsement of their content by The Bluegrass Blog.

TrackBack URI

You must

  • Register
  • and Log in in to leave comments.

    New Guitar For James Alan Shelton

    James Alan Shelton, longtime lead guitarist for Ralph Stanley's Clinch Mountain Boys, was presented with a Carter Stanley Memorial Blue Ridge Guitar at Stanley's Memorial Weekend Festival on Saturday May 23rd. The guitar was given to him on stage in appreciation for fifteen years...

    How to Grow A Band – free instrument contest

    The folks at Sugar Hill Records and Elderly Instruments, along with Saga, Deering and Michael Kelly, are sponsoring a contest in conjunction with Chris Thile's new CD to help you grow your own band. The CD is, as has been mentioned here many time, How To Grow A Woman From The Ground, and the band...

    Fleck/Washburn banjos from China on YouTube

    We posted last week about some of the press coverage from China of the current Sparrow Quartet tour. The band features Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn on picked and non-picked banjo respectively, with Casey Driessen on fiddle and Ben Sollee on cello. There is a fascinating video up on YouTube that...

    Banjos in China

    I found an interesting piece on Xinhua online, an English language version of ChinaView.cn about a set of performances this weekend by Sparrow Quartet in Bejing. The group includes Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn on banjos, with Casey Driessen on fiddle and Ben Sollee on cello. Washburn, who plays...

    Larry Sparks signature guitar

    Blueridge Guitars is set to introduce a limited edition, signature model guitar for Larry Sparks, honoring a true trend-setter among bluegrass flatpickers. It will be designated as the Blueridge BR-3060, and styled after Larry's legendary early 1950's D-28, including the distinctive double pickguard. Specifications...

    Washburn celebrates 125 years

    The folks at Washburn Guitars are celebrating 2007 as their 125th year making and marketing musical instruments. The company was founded in 1887 by George Washburn Lyon, and located in a small factory in Chicago, IL. An early focus of Washburn Guitars was the burgeoning delta blues music scene that...

    Banjo NewsLetter 35th Anniversary issue

    The November issue of Banjo NewsLetter marks the 35th Anniversary of continuous publication for this cherished 5-string monthly. And how appropriate that it follows founder Hub Nitchie's posthumous receipt of an IBMA Distinguished Achievement Award in October 2008. This issue contains a number of...

    No deal – Gibson calls off merger

    The proposed merger between Gibson Guitar and TC Group which was announced in January '08 has been shelved. The two companies issued a joint press release late last week. Gibson Guitar, the world's premier musical instrument manufacturer and leader in music technology and TC Group, an international...

    Operation Happy Note

    Operation Happy Note was started after music store owners Steve and Barb Baker saw their son deployed to Iraq. They sent him a guitar and soon a buddy of his wanted one as well. Steve and Barb decided to find a way to send more instruments to the boys in uniform. Operation Happy Note was born. That...

    New magazine for acoustic instument lovers

    Fretboard Journal is a new quarterly magazine for acoustic instrument players, builders and collectors. The inaugural issue includes an interview with David Grisman, a history of Santa Cruz Guitars and a profile on "the Millionth Martin." Fretboard Journal is published and edited by folks with many...

    Kel Kroydon banjos debut at SPBGMA

    Serious collectors and students of pre war banjos, guitars and mandolins know this odd name - Kel Kroydon. It was the brand used by the Gibson company in the early 1930s for their wooden toy division, later used as a brand for less expensive instruments as well. The Great Depression in the US was not...

    Gibson acquires vintage Epiphone collection

    2007 marks the 50th anniversary of the Gibson Company acquiring the Epiphone brand, which they have continued to operate as a separate product line. Though it now largely consists of less expensive replicas of popular Gibson models, Epiphone was once a prime competitor in the high end market. They...