St. Louis, MO – August 1st, 2025 – St. Louis Music (SLM), is proud to announce that it has acquired the exclusive global distribution rights for the Recording King and The Loar brands, covering guitars, banjos and mandolins.
This strategic acquisition marks a significant expansion of SLM’s presence in the fretted instrument category and reinforces its position as one of the world’s leading full-line musical instrument distributors.
“Recording King and The Loar are two of the most respected brands in traditional and vintage-inspired instruments,” said Chris Meikle, EVP & COO of St. Louis Music. “This is a great fit for SLM and our dealers and distributors around the world and we look forward to taking these brands from strength to strength.”
Recording King is known for its expertly crafted guitars and banjos that capture classic American designs, while The Loar is renowned for its meticulously built archtop guitars and mandolins inspired by the golden age of acoustic instruments. With this agreement, SLM will take over all global distribution activities, including sales, marketing and product development, ensuring seamless availability for dealers and distributors worldwide.
“Our mission has always been to offer the best instruments to players at every level, and this partnership aligns perfectly with that vision,” added Meikle. “We’re looking forward to working closely with our dealers to expand the reach of these iconic brands.”
For dealer inquiries or more information, please contact your SLM District Sales Manager or email [email protected].
St. Louis Music is one of the leading general distributors of musical instruments and accessories in North America. SLM is the owner of Alvarez Guitars, Knilling String Instruments & Blessing Brass. The company is also the exclusive USA distributor of Dixon Drums and Hardware and P. Mauriat Brass and Woodwinds. SLM distributes over 250 brands of accessories to music stores across the USA.
