Guitammer Wins Innovations Award

 

CES BOOTH #23857, South Hall LVCCTHE GUITAMMER COMPANY INC. RECEIVES 2002 INNOVATIONS HONORS FOR THE BUTTKICKER® 2

Unique Shaker Kicks a Little You-Know-What In the Audio Category

LAS VEGAS (Jan. 8, 2002) - The Guitammer Company Inc., is pleased to announce that the ButtKicker® 2 has received 2002 Innovations Award honors in the Audio category. The prestigious competition, which the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) holds annually at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), determines product excellence in design and engineering and recognizes the most innovative products in several consumer electronics categories. As an honoree, the ButtKicker will be on display with other award-winning products in the Innovations booth (#30733, Las Vegas Hilton) at the 2002 CES.

"The Guitammer Company is honored that the ButtKicker was recognized by such a prestigious group as one of the most innovative products of the year," said Mark Luden, president and chief executive officer, The Guitammer Company Inc. "We feel the ButtKicker is a unique product that meets a specific market need and plays an integral role in any home theater or audio system, and we are thrilled that the Consumer Electronics Association and its panel of experts agree."

Called a tactile transducer or shaker, the ButtKicker creates a shaking sensation that heightens a sound experience to recreate the feel of a movie theater or live concert without turning up the subwoofer volume. Designed with home theater in mind, the ButtKicker allows the low-end sound, such as thunderstorms, rocket launches and explosions, to be felt without increasing the system's volume to heart-pounding levels. The easy-to-install, American-made ButtKicker is also unobtrusive. Weighing in at a mere 11 pounds, the softball-sized device easily hides inside a chair, a family room couch or underneath a suspended wood floor.

Designed by musicians and studio engineers, the ButtKicker is musically accurate with a tight, "on-the-beat" response that is not just for movies and special effects, but is equally enjoyable with all types of music. It works with any sound system, from CD players to home theaters to car stereos.

In addition to the Innovations booth, the ButtKicker will be on display at The Guitammer Company's booth (#23857, South Hall) at CES.

The ButtKicker retails for $499 and has a street price of $399. For more information, please visit the company's Web site, www.thebuttkicker.com.

About The Guitammer Company

Located in Westerville , Ohio , The Guitammer Company is the leader in low frequency sound products for the home theater, Pro Audio, music, amusement and theater industries. The ButtKicker® Shaker is used by industry leaders such as, Universal Studies, Warner Bros., the Backstreet Boys, Creed and Fuel, in addition to home theater professionals and enthusiasts in more than 25 countries. For more information on The Guitammer Company, please call 888-676-2828 or visit www.thebuttkicker.com. ButtKicker® is a registered trademark of The Guitammer Company.

- THE GUITAMMER COMPANY -

Eminence Speaker
For Immediate Release
May 7, 2001
Westerville, Ohio
Eminence, Kentucky

The Guitammer Company and Eminence Speaker Corporation Expand Relationship for ButtKicker® Products

Westerville, OH / Eminence, KY:

The Guitammer Company and Eminence Speaker Corporation announced today that they will expand their existing OEM relationship to include product development and global sourcing for both the professional, and consumer ButtKicker® family of products.

According to Mark Luden, President/CEO of Guitammer, "We are very pleased that our relationship with Eminence has been expanded from an OEM relationship to a partnership, dedicated to developing and manufacturing the full range of our ButtKicker® product set." Under the agreement Eminence, the world's leading loudspeaker manufacturer, will work with Guitammer to develop Version 2.0 of the ButtKicker® Shaker. This new version, scheduled for release at the upcoming CEDIA trade show in September 01', will be as powerful as the existing ButtKicker® Shaker but smaller and more efficient. It is targeted for the home theater, Pro Audio/music industry, amusement and theater markets. Version 2.0 will also offer better value for Guitammer distributors, dealers and end users. Eminence and Guitammer will also now begin developing additional ButtKicker® products for the consumer home theater and PC gaming markets as well as work with Guitammer on further development of the AirPump subwoofer.

Eminence will also oversee and assist with all of Guitammer's manufacturing efforts to meet the retail price points and margins needed for the consumer products and markets.

According to Rob Gault, President of Eminence, "Working with Guitammer, and watching the outstanding market acceptance and worldwide media they have garnered these past eighteen months, have shown us that the markets they have targeted for their products are both substantial and growing; and these are markets that we know and understand. Therefore, as we continue to grow our business, we are convinced that the ButtKicker® products will be a significant part of our future success." Gault adds, "From a global sourcing perspective, as the leader in loudspeaker manufacturing, we are ideally positioned to help take Guitammer's products to market at the best possible combination of speed, quality and cost."

About The Guitammer Company:
Located in Westerville, Ohio, The Guitammer Company is the leader in low frequency sound products for the home theater, ProSound, amusement and theater industries. The ButtKicker® Shaker is used by industry leaders such as, Universal Studies, Warner Bros., the Backstreet Boys, Creed, and Fuel, and by home theater professionals and enthusiasts in over 25 countries. For more information contact Ken McCaw, Dir. of Product Development, 888-676-2828, ken@guitammer.com or visit their web site at www.thebuttkicker.com. ButtKicker® is a registered trademark of The Guitammer Company.

About Eminence Speaker Corporation:
Eminence Speaker Corporation was founded in 1966 in Eminence, Kentucky. The company, owned by the Gault family, has grown to be the world's Number One loudspeaker manufacturer, currently building over 2 million loudspeakers a year for industry leaders such as Yamaha, Peavey, and Marshall. For more information contact Chris Rose at 502-845-5622 or visit their web site at www.eminence.com.

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COSI Press Release
Click here to download a copy of this press release in .pdf format
For Immediate Release - November 1999

The Guitammer Company Inc. Announces the World Premier Installation of ButtKicker Products in the new Center of Science and Industry (COSI)

Westerville, OH, USA - The Guitammer Company, leaders in low frequency sound, announced the World Premier installation of their innovative ButtKicker products in the Dome Theater, Ocean and Gadget Learning Worlds in the new $125 million Center of Science and Industry (COSI) in Columbus, Ohio http://www.cosi.org/.

Fitting right in with the new COSI's "fascination destination" theme, the ButtKicker products are both fun and scientifically significant. Invented by Marvin Clamme, Director of Research for the Company, the ButtKicker products use a newly patented electromagnetic low-frequency transducer (pictured above) that produces true infrasonic - below audible - shaking and sound reproduction.

In fact, this transducer is a new type of linear motor that has potential applications far beyond the entertainment industry with diverse users that include active vibration cancellation, oil exploration, structural analysis and, miniaturized, as a device to cure certain types of hearing impairments.

Different from other shakers or tactile transducers that use older voice coil technology, the ButtKicker products with their 9 Hz resonant frequency and range of 5 - 200 Hz are more powerful, more linear (musical) and offer true infrasonic or below audible response. Powered directly from each venue's sound track, the ButtKicker Shaker is used for moving seats, bleachers, or any type of substrate. The ButtKicker AirPump, a new type of sub-subwoofer, moves air but at below audible ranges.

Both enable the audience to not only hear but "feel" natural and man-made sounds, such as earthquakes, rocket launches, explosions and all types of music and sound effects. This added realism makes the audience active rather than passive participants in their entertainment experience and will forever change the way people watch movies and listen to music.

Powerful enough to shake 2 - 3 theater seats; 86 ButtKicker T Shakers move and vibrate all 227 seats in the Dome Theater. Additionally, 2 AirPumps are installed behind the Dome and add increased low frequency sound reproduction.

In the Ocean and Gadget Learning Worlds the Shakers are used to recreate an undersea earthquake and reproduce industrial vibrations.

Other users include The Backstreet Boys, custom home theater installers, sound contractors and speaker manufacturers. Additionally, the ButtKicker Shaker was recently featured on HGTV's "Designing for the Sexes" home theater episode. A smaller consumer version for personal home theater and computer gaming is slated for release the Spring of '00.

For more information please visit www.thebuttkicker.com or contact:
Ken McCaw, Director of Product Development
The Guitammer Company

ken@guitammer.com
1-888-676-2828

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European Press Release
Click here to download a copy of this press release in .pdf format
For Immediate Release - September 2000

The Guitammer Company Inc. announces the European Premier of the ButtKicker

The Guitammer Company Inc, of Westerville, Ohio, USA is pleased to announce the European release of the ButtKicker at Live 2000. ButtKickers are featured at the Warner "DVD Experience" Theater (link to Amusements/Installation pg)at Live 2000 in London, 21 -24 September 2000.

The ButtKicker Shaker is designed for theaters, home theaters, recording studios, amusement parks, computer and video games as well as for musicians.

The use of low frequency sound, via large sound systems, and shaking/tactile devices, is increasing currently at an accelerated pace. Along with seeing and hearing, low frequency sound adds a third sense.... it enables people to feel the action... and to bridge the gap more fully into the world of virtual reality. Taking advantage of this trend, The Guitammer Company has developed the patented ButtKicker Shaker, a unique low-frequency transducer which produces true infrasonic, or tactile sound reproduction.

The ButtKicker provides outstanding effects through seats, platforms, and any type of floor structure.... accurately reproducing the feeling range of many natural and man-made sounds - earthquakes, thunderstorms, rocket launches, waves, explosions, tornadoes, volcanoes, dinosaurs, sound effects and all styles of music.

ButtKicker technology is based on a suspended magnetic system which is much more powerful and musically responsive (linear) than other loudspeakers, bass shakers or tactile devices. The ButtKicker also offers true low frequency response and clarity, with a range of 5 - 200 Hz, which reaches far lower, and more evenly, than existing low frequency systems. Furthermore, the ButtKicker is virtually indestructible and maintenance free.

The Backstreet Boys, Creed, the Neville Brothers and Barbara Streisand have recently used ButtKicker Shakers for stage monitoring, during their 1999-2000 tours, in conjunction with personal monitoring systems.

ButtKicker's have been installed in a 227 seat theater at the Center of Science and Industry(link to Amusements/Installation pg) in Columbus, Ohio and will soon be installed in the "Mission Space" theater in Orlando, Florida. Custom home theaters professionals, amusement parks and many others have purchased and our enjoying the ButtKicker in over 16 countries around the world since its introduction in the 4th quarter of 1999.

The ButtKicker is available through dealers and distributors worldwide as well as via the internet at www.thebuttkicker.com

For more information please visit www.thebuttkicker.com or contact:
Ken McCaw, Director of Product Development
The Guitammer Company

ken@guitammer.com 1-888-676-2828

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Ham on Rye
Click here to download a copy of this press release in .pdf format

News Release
For more information contact:
Ham On Rye Technologies, Inc
Ms. Susan M. Sprout
636-458-3232 x100
susan@hamonrye.com

VR Performance Theater Generates Strong Revenues In Market Tests In Preparation For Its IAAPA 2000 Debut

October 11, 2000 - Ham On Rye executives today announced the VR Performance Theater has concluded its third major market test milestone with revenues that surpassed leading competitors in the Major Indoor Attractions category (products priced between $50,000 and $300,000).

In head to head comparisons at a major U.S. theme park, the soon-to-be-released VR Performance Theater was consistently the top-grossing paid attraction at the park in its category. The Beta test theater outperformed all competitors, including the current leader in virtual reality entertainment, a top laser tag supplier, and other attractions, in some cases by as much as 4 to 1 on a revenue basis and by over 7 to 1 on a revenue-per-cost basis. With actual daily pre-tax revenues averaging well above $1,500 and sometimes exceeding $3,000, the buyer payback period calculates to less than 125 days.

"We have been developing our technologies with the goal of offering buyers a reliable, high-capacity attraction at under $10,000 per seat, with strong enough entertainment value to achieve payback for most customers in less than six months", stated Ham On Rye President Randy Sprout. "We have been developing the patented VR Performance Theater technology for over two years, and anticipate strong sales in the six months following our IAAPA launch in November."

The VR Performance Theater will be introduced in booth 8508, where confirming evidence of revenue results will be available for inspection.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION - LIVE PERFORMANCE MEETS VIRTUAL REALITY

The product is an extremely unique combination of very successful elements in entertainment. It offers high capacity, high throughput of 20 seats in a collaborative group experience. Games are directed by a behind-the-scenes performer. The theater uses immersive VR glasses to deliver state-of-the-art graphics and 3D audio to each participant. Every seat has an intense rumble effect delivered via the powerful ButtKicker shaker from Guitammer. Players work as teams or compete, depending on the software title, and interact with the performer and each other through the use of microphones and hand-held devices. The product has proven entertainment value, as evidenced by an overwhelming 90+% positive response from exit surveys during Alpha and Beta testing. Four software titles are currently available, with four additional titles to be announced at IAAPA for Spring release.

HAM ON RYET - TEN YEARS OF FOCUS ON VIRTUAL REALITY TECHNOLOGY

The memorably-named Ham On Rye Technologies, Inc. is the direct successor to Horizon Entertainment, Inc., created as a division of Fortune 500 Edison Brothers Stores in 1990 to bring VR products to the entertainment industry. Horizon was the original exclusive distributor of the Virtuality VR game systems from the United Kingdom. In 1995, Horizon executives negotiated a management buyout of the division and renamed the company Ham On Rye Technologies, changing focus to the then-most profitable usage of VR technology: corporate marketing and trade shows. This innovative company is managed by the business and technology leader Randy Sprout, Harvard MBA and Cornell Masters of Electrical Engineering, and is driven by carefully selected professionals in engineering, content creation, and marketing. Mr. Sprout states "We hope to earn the respect of the electronic entertainment industry by offering a series of quality products with unprecedented buyer payback performance and high entertainment value over the course of the next decade and beyond."

UNIQUELY ENTERTAINING - POSITIVE SURVEY RESULTS FROM A WIDE DEMOGRAPHIC

Exit surveys will be made available for inspection at Ham On Rye's IAAPA booth. They show an over 90% positive exit survey response by consumers who paid $5 per game. Every person who tries the VR Performance Theater has a completely unique experience, unlike any other in electronic entertainment. All demographic groups responded favorably (male-female 5 to 65) and group dynamics such as grandparents and grandchildren, groups of friends, couples, and families equally enjoyed the experience. The launch of the VR Performance Theater will achieve a number of industry firsts:

• -First ever high-throughput VR entertainment attraction
• -First ever use of live performance in an electronic medium
• -First ever high-capacity product that incorporates meaningful player interactivity
• -Only attraction where shows are significantly different each time because of the live performer, audience interactions, and interactive branching
• -Widest demographic appeal of any competing high-tech attraction
• -First ever attraction that is fully and instantly customizable for birthdays, corporate groups, and other uses
• Lowest price per seat ($7,500) of any other high-tech attraction

Ham On Rye Technologies, Inc. has been providing virtual reality products and technologies since 1990, starting as Horizon Entertainment. The company currently sells the Interactive Marketing Theater and the VR Presentation Theater to the corporate marketing and trade show industry, and now launches its proven technologies into the entertainment industry as the VR Performance Theater®.

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Toronto Star

Monday, January 10, 2000
Electronics show-stopper kicks butt - Other products get smaller, flatter and more powerful
By Scott Simmie
Toronto Star Feature Writer

LAS VEGAS - Announcing: The ButtKicker.

It's one of the more memorable products that were displayed at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, the largest international exhibition of its kind. The show wrapped yesterday, but the vibrations of the ButtKicker rumble on.

Those readers who remember the movie Earthquake, complete with its low-frequency soundtrack designed to shake your booty, will appreciate this product and its close relatives. It's a device designed to bolt to your floor, preferably right below your bum. When an explosion occurs during your favorite home movie, anyone sitting on the couch will feel it. All the way up their spines.

``This is the ButtKicker Shaker,'' beamed company president Mark Luden. He says that while theme parks and bands have been a target market, this jiggy little baby (which does not use a traditional speaker and is virtually indestructible) could soon be under a butt near you.

``We're selling it all over the world for the home market.''
And how'd they come up with that kick ass name?

``Because it does.''

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