D'Addario
D' Addario is a manufacturer of strings (mainly guitar strings ). The current company is based in Farmingdale, Long Iceland, New York. The family, one of the largest string manufacturers in the world, but not only some strings series under their own brand names here, but also produces OEM strings for other instrument manufacturers. In addition, manufactures and sells the company with its subsidiaries Planet Waves guitar cable, strap, polishing agents and others, Evans drumheads, and Rico Reeds for woodwinds.
History
The string maker D'Addario family comes from the small town of Salle in the province of Pescara in Italy. A baptismal certificate from 1680 calls a Cordaro (Italian string -maker ) Donato D' Addario. In other historical records says that the first inhabitants of the town were farmers and string makers. At this time, strings were made laboriously from sheep's or pig's intestine.
After 1905, an earthquake devastated the city, walked two brother- Rocco and Carmine D' Addario (which is his first name later changed to Charles ) to Astoria in Queens, New York, in order to expand the market for their products. They imported and sold the strings produced by her family in Salle. In 1918, Rocco went back Salle and Carmine ( Charles) began manufacturing his own strings in a small business. Since natural gut still was processed, all family members were involved in the production.
The guitar was the beginning of the 20th century and increasingly popular in the thirties the family D'Addario strings for this instrument began to manufacture. She produced the strings on order of individual musicians or for luthiers.
The development of nylon during the Second World War meant a big change for the family. When she first 1947 samples received, the D' Addarios immediately began to experiment with this new material. The development of nylon strings was under constant consultation and coordination with many regular customers.
During the late forties and early fifties ( especially after the birth of rock 'n ' roll ), the nylon strings were overtaken on the " classical guitar " in their popularity through the related steel-string guitars. Some younger family members wanted to extend the range of products on steel strings, but Charles D'Addario hesitated. He thought it was risky to extend the business to a market segment that he considered unsafe. In 1956 a new company, Archaic Musical String Mfg Co. started to produce steel strings. Was out the new company by John D' Addario Sr., the son of Charles. The company produced steel strings for several well-known luthier this time forth, among other things, Gretsch, D' Angelico, Martin Guitars and Guild. In 1962, the two companies were merged under the name of Darco.
The guitar had become the most popular instrument in the United States of America, and the company Darco developed many innovations in the manufacture of guitar strings, as the first automated system to pull strings and the first wound strings for bass guitar.
End of the sixties Darco received from Martin Guitars a merger proposal to pool resources and development efforts. Although the partnership was beneficial for both companies, the family D'Addario strings decided in 1974 under her own name to market and founded the firm of J. D' Addario & Company. Darco is still a brand name used by the company Martin Guitars.
With increasing business scope the premises in Lynbrook, New York became too small and in 1994 the company moved to the current location at Farmingdale. The company is still owned and run by the D'Addario family. Today, thirteen family members are among the total of 900 employees of the company.