“The future standard to which all others will aspire”
At the height of the rock ‘n’ roll music revolution, Joe Marinic - engineer and professional musician - was snapped up by Framus Guitars, at that time Europe’s largest and probably the world’s most advanced guitar manufacturer. Joe was soon promoted to managing production as the company pioneered automated production techniques and applied a scientific approach to guitar consistency and quality.
Joe adopted the same approach when he left in 1971 to found the Shadow company in Erlangen, Germany. Shadow soon announced the world’s first under saddle guitar pickup which was closely followed by the invention of the endpin output jack, dual under saddle and magnetic bridge pickup system, piezo electric guitar bridge and an active humbucker with built-in equaliser.
Shadow’s reputation for quality and innovation quickly made it a leading OEM pickup supplier working with many of the industry’s biggest guitar factories and servicing customers in 48 countries.
In 1987, Shadow began producing high quality guitars in Germany utilising cutting edge production and manufacturing techniques that allowed Shadow to individually match their systems to each guitar for the most complimentary sound. More recently, Shadow developed the revolutionary Nanoflex transducer, NanoMAG magnetic pickup for acoustic guitars, PanaFlex dual pickup system and NanoFlex 6 hexaphonic system.
In late 2012, Joe announced that construction had commenced on what was to become, arguably the world’s most technologically advanced, “state of the art”, all solid acoustic guitar production facility, located near Xiamen in Southern China. Fully air conditioned and humidity controlled throughout, every aspect of this purpose built facility has been painstakingly planned, designed, adjusted and improved. Most production processes are fully automated with the most advanced machinery either designed by, or modified to Joe’s exacting specifications and requirements in order to achieve production techniques and tolerances never before believed possible in a guitar factory.
Joe had raised the bar for other guitar makers, guaranteeing all musicians affordable all solid acoustic guitars with the best available tonal range, balance and playability. This was quickly recognised by some of the leading American acoustic guitar Brands, for whom Joe is now manufacturing a very large quantity of guitars – whilst still making a small but very impressive range of models under his Shadow brand, which we are very proud to distribute in Australia.
