Ivor David Arbiter (31 December 1929 – 26 July 2005) was an English drum designer, manufacturer, instrument salesman, and entrepreneur. In his early career, he was the owner and operator of a specialty drum shop in the West End of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Later, Arbiter founded or co-founded several instrument companies, including Arbiter–Western, Dallas–Arbiter,

Hayman drums Hayman drums was an English musical instruments manufacturer established in 1968. The idea was to come up with a drum kit series to compete with the success of the large American companies of the time. The shells were thin walled with rings, an ...

and CBS–Arbiter. He is credited with designing

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

' original drop-t logo, and bringing

karaoke Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music is ...

to the UK.

Early career

Born in

Balham Balham () is an area in south London, England, mostly within the London Borough of Wandsworth with small parts within the neighbouring London Borough of Lambeth. The area has been settled since Saxon times and appears in the Domesday Book as B ...

, south London in 1929, Arbiter grew up in the city's West End. He began his career by opening Drum City, a drum speciality shop, on

Shaftesbury Avenue Shaftesbury Avenue is a major road in the West End of London, named after The 7th Earl of Shaftesbury. It runs north-easterly from Piccadilly Circus to New Oxford Street, crossing Charing Cross Road at Cambridge Circus. From Piccadilly Cir ...

in London. In the late 1950s, his shop quickly became a regular hangout for jazz drummers. Soon after, Arbiter became the UK franchise for Fender guitars and introduced the first Fender

Stratocaster The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of electric guitar designed from 1952 into 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has continuously ...

to Britain.

Beatles logo

In the early 1960s, Arbiter secured exclusive rights to sell Ludwig drums.

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

, interested in a Black Oyster Pearl drum kit, then only available through Ludwig, approached Arbiter in early 1963. Starr insisted that a large Ludwig logo be printed on the bass drum head, which was not available.

Brian Epstein Brian Samuel Epstein (; 19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was a British music entrepreneur who managed the Beatles from 1962 until his death in 1967. Epstein was born into a family of successful retailers in Liverpool, who put him i ...

suggested that the drum head also include a Beatles logo, and Arbiter decided on a design including a large Beatles logo with enough room to fit a Ludwig logo on the top. He sketched a logo mockup on the back of a cigarette package and paid a local signmaker, Eddie Stokes, five pounds to paint the logo on the drum head.

Other ventures

Arbiter continued to find success in the music market, selling equipment to musicians including

Brian Bennett Brian Laurence Bennett, (born 9 February 1940) is an English drummer, pianist, composer and producer of popular music. He is best known as the drummer of the UK rock and roll group the Shadows. He is the father of musician and Shadows band me ...

Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a focus ...

, and

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

. In 1966, Arbiter established a new guitar company, Arbiter–Western, which was sold to Dallas in 1969. Arbiter became the company's deputy chairman and the company was renamed Dallas–Arbiter. While there, Arbiter's work included launching a new line of Hayman drums, considered the loudest on the market In 1974, Arbiter left Dallas–Arbiter and began a new venture, CBS–Arbiter. Arbiter introduced Autotune in 1975, which allowed drums to be quickly replaced and retensioned. In the late 1980s, while visiting

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, Arbiter discovered

and began importing and manufacturing karaoke machines. In 2001, Arbiter received a lifetime achievement award from the Music Industries Association. Arbiter retired in 2003 and died in

in 2005 after a battle with cancer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arbiter, Ivor 1929 births 2005 deaths 20th-century English businesspeople 21st-century English businesspeople Deaths from cancer in England English musical instrument makers People from Balham