Sabatur Pro Audio is back!

Well, there have been a lot of changes with Sabatur Pro Audio in the past 10 years. There has been change in ownership, change in locations, changes in products, and changes in the customer experience.

As of January 1st 2020, the original owner/ creator of Sabatur Records and Sabatur Pro Audio has regained 100% of the company once again. His goal? To get SPA back to the original business model he started... focus on customer service and get the customer the best price possible.

As some may know, Sabatur Pro Audio was created by a musician and engineer. Originally started as Recording Studio (Sabatur Records) mainly to record and independently release his bands (Sabatur) cd's. Soon after the start of Sabatur Records, it became clear that there was a need to help local bands record their music and help them distribute them. Dick Turcotte spent numerous hours helping local bands (including young teenage members) record their music and teach them how to promote and distribute it.

These same musicians that came in to record, would use equipment in the studio and then ask where they could get one. At this time, we had to keep referring them to other big box stores and such which became a hassle. So, the new goal of Dick Turcotte became reality. He researched and pursued manufacturers and distributors to gain the full dealership access to those same lines he used in and out of the studio.

Sabatur Pro Audio was born! In May of 2005, the original version of Sabatur Pro Audio went live and we continued to add products over the years. Names such as Yairi, Alvarez, Taye, Schecter, Dean, etc...

In 2014,  Sabatur Pro Audio was sold to a business in Nashville which was, at the time, supposed to boost SPA further. Unfortunately, the original model was not carried and SPA went south.

In 2017, Dick Turcotte bought shares of SPA and began the rebuild process. Finally, late 2019, Dick regained 100% ownership and is presently at the head.

So what's coming for SPA? Well, it is still a work in progress to recapture those original products we had. But we are started with some new lines from Hagstrom, Washburn, Natal, Warwick, etc...

We hope to get some of those otjer lines back such as Alvarez Yairi and Taye Drums soon.

Most people in a situation like this would rush to revamp the website and get products on as soon as possible. Sabatur Pro Audio does not, and never has, worked that way. We sell products we believe in, Products we have used, products we have demo'd, products we trust. Our goal is to give the best honest opinion on the lines we promote. We are not going to offer lines that we think is not in the best interest of our customer... and by that we mean, we are going to find those products that give you the best bang for the buck!

So, keep checking Sabatur Pro Audio for some great deals, and keep checking back for the new products coming. I truly thank all my customers, new and returning. You are my focus...

Dick Turcotte
Sabatur Pro Audio
Sabatur Records

Hear Taye Drums StudioMaple

We at Sabatur Pro Audio have had the honor to personally try the Taye Studio Birch out and I have to say, I personally was sold on them the first day it came out of the box! From the moment I took the Natural Maple kick out of the box I was stunned at the beautiful finish.

From there, there was no turning back! Once I got it all set up for the demo and starting hitting them, I was completely sold and I personally use them for my gigs still today!

Rich tones, superb attack, beautiful finish, and a price that is unbelievable makes this an absolute favorite of mine personally and Sabatur Pro Audio.

If you haven't yet, check out the Taye Studio Maple series for yourself.. you will be pleasantly amazed!

Dick Turcotte
Sabatur Pro Audio

Danny Carey Signature Snare From Sonor Drums

I recently got to visit Sonor Drum in Virginia and I had a chance to check out the new Danny Carey Signature Series Snare.

As I approached this thing, not only was I amazed by the Bronze shell that just popped at me, but the size was perfect! 14X8!! This thing is a monster and has a sound to back it up.

I personally have always preferred wood snares... but after tuning this thing and hitting it quite a few times, I am absolutely sold on this! I went through numerous tuning and tensioning steps to check the tuning range of this thing. I was amazed with the variations I got off this thing.. from a DEEP tone to a high cracking pop.

Not too mention it is one of the best looking snares I have seen with all the engravings and the engraved Danny Carey signature.

Can't wait to get one of these back to the studio and test some different heads on it!!

Sabatur Pro Audio visists Sonor Drums

Dick Turcotte from Sabatur Pro Audio recently visited Sonor Drums in Virginia for Sonor Certification. While there, Dick was able to check out the new Phil Rudd Signature Series kit. So let's see what Dick had to say about this rig:

Dick Turcotte:

"First glance at this kit made me think... Oh my god! Look at the size of those toms! A 13X12.5 rack tom, 16X16 & 18X16 Floor tom. This thing brought me back to the "80's big drums" and I was in heaven!

Now, after reconfiguring it for me (left handed) I sat down and started banging away and immediately I was absolutely impressed. The sound of the toms were like cannons. Unbelievable power! And for Basswood shells, I was extremely impressed with the sound and it had stock heads!!

So, needless to say, I will be ordering one these for myself and I am planning on doing a demo video on it!"

So there you have it.. heavy toms and cannon sounding toms make this a favorite here!!

Krank Dirty Valve 200 Bass Rig

Yes, you heard it right... Krank Amps will be releasing a new Bass Rig called the "Dirty Valve". The first version is a 200-Watt all Tube Bass Head and a matching "Basszilla" cabinet that sports 2-12's and 4-10's which can be configured completely separate but yet in one cabinet!!

When will these be available you say? Insiders are telling me mid-April they will begin shipping to dealers!

All I can say is... LOOK OUT! This thing is awesome!!

Crate Amps- Where are they all?

Well, I have to say I am a little disappointed that there are no new Crate Amps out this year. In fact, it is a real bummer that the V-Series amps are now discontinued!

Those are my personal thoughts on what's going on right now with Crate... now, on the other side of the coin, it is a tough economy out there right now and the competition is fierce. I can understand completely that Crate (Loud) is "scaling" down for the time being in order to whether the storm.

Fortunately, Crate also has Blackheart in order to give us those great affordable all tube amps that we have been looking for. Not too mention, the BV120H Blue VooDoo is still available! And for all you Solid State users, the FlexWave Series are a great bargain!

So, as an Authorized Dealer for Crate/Blackheart, and also a user... I am looking forward to when the economy turns and I have high expectations that Crate will release some great NEW products.!

Taye Drums Studio Birch Series

So Taye Drums has released a new series.. the Studio Birch series. Unfortunately I was unable to make it to the NAMM show to see it in person but from what I heard, the new series got quite the looks at the show! Especially the Double bass setup they had in a Natural Black burst color.

As you can see by the picture, this is a beautiful color and as always from Taye, a great looking kit!

Only 3 Studio Birch kits were on display at NAMM but I think it was enough to show that Taye is moving even further into the right direction. Although some may say this series is a step down from the Studio Maple series, I myself consider it merely as a replacement to the Studio Maple for those of us that like the sound of the Birch shells.

At this time, there are only 3 Studio Birch kits in the US as they will be shipping to us dealers mid-late March so some of are accepting pre-orders since the intial inventory will be moving fast! In fact, we (Sabatur Pro Audio) are actually receiving one of the 3 kits that was displayed at NAMM. We will be receiving the Galaxy White Model which we will be testing and creating another video for this series.


At the time of this post, this series is only available in 3 colors:

• Natural Black Burst
• Galaxy Ice
• Autumn Red

I am sure, as production moves forward and everyone wants more of this series, that Taye will be adding more color options but these colors are a great start!

For now, we are looking forward to receiving the NAMM kit and testing it out. From there, we will repost our findings and direct you to the demo video as well.

If you are interested in pre-ordering the Studio Birch series, click the link below to take you to them!

Taye Studio Birch Series

More configuration options will be available soon and Shell packs are available for pre-order now.