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Location: Flahdaw | and they're gonna go out of business.
I was in Samash this morning, just poking around, looking at acoustics. Well, there was some doofus in there just wailing on an electric...bunch of distortion and delay. The guy SUCKED! Really. I can appreciate a good electric player as much as a good acoustic player, but this guy SUCKED, and he was too loud. (don't people know when they suck?) So I couldn't take it anymore and went to leave the store. I said to the guy at the counter, which is right at the exit, that I was leaving because YOU are letting that guy on the electric ruin everyone's shopping experience.
The guy says...."oh well"... the equivalant of "we don't really care if you, the guy with money to buy stuff, leaves because we don't want to tell this untalented hack to stop playing or to play with headphones." Some businesses deserve to go under.
There, that's off my chest! So, do I sound like a cranky old man, or what? |
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Location: Cicero, NY | Yep. :D |
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Location: Location Location Location | People don't know when they suck. If they did, they'd stop sucking or stop playing. I always hated Sam Ash. I hope they do go out of business. |
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| Nothin like a call to corporate, and let them know you were in the market for a high quality acoustic purchase. The Kid don't care he's making minimum wage and if he's on commission those guy's loose anything over a certain amount. Not sure exactly how they work it but it is corporate robbery and it is legal. It's like telling a waitress "hey I see you had a good night and your tips are more than you would have made on minimum wage so were keeping anything above your normal 40 hour weekly wage" So that kid just don't care, and the other kids probably his lead guitarist and is sucking up free guitar and amp practice time on the stores dime.
Yes they will go out, problem is they will kill all the mom and pop stores before they go. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | Ever been to GC when they were having one of their "drum offs"? Obviously, being able to hear is not one of their concerns. I walked out.
They had a guy playing a cheap Ovation right in front of an electric amp and was getting horrendous feedback. One of the salesguys turned the amp down, but the guy turned it right back up.
Another time a kid was playing in the acoustic room with a big amp turned about half way up. I left at the same time as a woman who was looking for a guitar for her kid. The salesman asked us on the way out if he could help us(probably thinking she was my wife). I told him I was going to buy the $2500 Martin, but couldn't hear it over the noise. |
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Location: Scotland | And of course, not only has he driven a serious customer out of the store, he'll go home and buy the gear he was trying from an online dealer at the cheapest possible price. It's a sad state of affairs, but brick and mortar stores, including the "good" ones, are becoming free showrooms for online box-shifters. |
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Location: Flahdaw | Originally posted by Paul Templeman:
And of course, not only has he driven a serious customer out of the store, he'll go home and buy the gear he was trying from an online dealer at the cheapest possible price. It's a sad state of affairs, but brick and mortar stores, including the "good" ones, are becoming free showrooms for online box-shifters. uh oh....something tells me that one's not gonna set well....someone start a new topic fast! |
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Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | I don't let that go on here. But I did have a similar experience at a GC in Denver. I had just moved here and didn't bring an amp with me. I wanted a small tube amp. The salesman said he had three in the size I was looking for, a Marshall, a Crate, and a Fender. They didn't have a soundroom free, and I couldn't hear a thing because of all the "jammers" who were in there at the time. The salesman took me to one of the OFICES so I could have some quiet. The guy who was sitting at the computer in the ofice was angry and insulted that the salesman asked him to let us in for a few minutes, and at first he refused. Finally the salesman insisted that I was a paying customer and that's why the store was in business, so he told the guy to leave. I was very impressed with the salesman, and I took my time deciding. (I wound up buying the Fender, which I have since traded in for a solid state Crate.) |
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| Sam Ash has been a crappy place to buy stuff since the seventies. Their White Plains NY store honked me off for the last time around 1978. Since then I have have spent many thousands of dollars on gear. Not one penny to Sam Ash. |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | "Box-Shifters ... I like it ... that's just one letter off from box-shi_ters! Appropriate if you think about. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Ya know how most places have "the acoustic room", well my local does it just the opposite. Not an amp in sight. If you want to plug in, you go into one of the amp rooms and go at it. |
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Location: Flahdaw | Originally posted by Gallerinski:
Ya know how most places have "the acoustic room", well my local does it just the opposite. Not an amp in sight. If you want to plug in, you go into one of the amp rooms and go at it. That IS cool! But why don't the stores require headphones for the electric players. In all my years, I've heard about 10 electric wailers that were good enough to stop and listen to. The rest were schmucks trying to impress someone. |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | That "amp room" makes much more sense...
Me? I'm shy... The two times that I was in a GC I wouldn't plug anything in and prove that I can't play.
Unfortunately, dozens of other folks didn't feel the same way! |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | I like that idea. The local GC has a tiny acoustic room, but no "high end" or separate "quiet room" like I've seen in some. The acoustic room has 4 humidifiers running constantly. When I asked the formerformerformerformer manager to shut them off so I could AB some guitars, he thought I was nuts and said they'd never been off before.
On the other hand, the drum room is pretty good sized and the keyboard/mic/cable etc room is really big and open to the rest of the store. |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Fortunately, as the paying customer, you have the ultimate say in what and where you buy. Value your freedom and choose wisely. |
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Location: Copenhagen Denmark | Very understable , all of the above...and how is one to determine which amp./speaker combo sounds like using headphones ?
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Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Originally posted by darkbarguitar:
I was in Samash this mornin... So, do I sound like a cranky old man, or what? Bob. that's got to be the one by the airport! Those working there that 'play', play the same crap as their young customers. If they don't play, it doesn't matter...
Cranky? Nopper, discriminating! |
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Location: Eaton, Indiana | I had driven 80 some miles to a store where I had heard there was a good line of acoustics.
When I arrived there was this kid with his pants half off sitting on a amp with a elctric guitar playing that old song...jit jit jit jit jit jit jit over and over again on the same two strings.
After 15 minutes of that I was ready to leave. The store owner did not seem to care about me or the kid. In my frustration I went over to the kid as I was leaving and said, "you are really going to be happy when you learn your second chord...
Getting old I guess
Scott B C (before computers) |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | Arthur, the GC down by Washington Square has at least one quiet room and a high end room. You might have to wait a bit, but I got in and tried out some nice classical guitars in the quiet room. |
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Location: Utah | I went to the local GC on Monday morning, presuming that I would be the only one testing amps. Took my good guitar with me to A/B several amps. Sure enough, no other guitarists blaring away on the half-stacks.
But there was a drummer who wanted to jam. He had his headphones on and was banging away until he saw me set up. Then he took off his headphones and started bashing away as soon as I started playing. When I stopped to move to another amp, he put his headphones back on and started banging to that. He made it impossible to really test the amps. |
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Location: Flahdaw | I'm guessing the B&M's are so scared of losing any potential customer, they'll let anyone bang away at anything at any volume if it means a potential sale. In retrospect, I wasn't gonna buy anything anyway....maybe they could see that in my eyes. I'm smart enough to know that, with this economy, there are great, GREAT deals on used items out there. My next peice will come from ebay or craigslist. Samash is for strings and capos. Try to stay in business selling those.
Now when g8r opens his acoustic store in G'ville, that's a different story. |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Well I think the "Topic" and "TagLine" should be reversed, and it starts to make sence.
The Music Store are gonna go out of business... and they don't care anymore.
Except in a few pockets, music stores either cater to the very young or the parents of very young who are starting out. Kid wants a guitar, the parents take them someplace like GC so they can see all the popular brands that all their heroes are playing. That's fine, but really, that's about it.
After the above, there are the "Service" music stores. They provide lessons, music instrument rentals to schools and venues, etc.. Sure they "carry" instruments and accessories, but they really sell mostly "services."
While "caring" may be the right thing to do, is it really going to affect their bottom line? Are they going to be able to afford to pay "musical instrument sales people" rather than minimum wage help? I doubt it.
To make things a bit worse, there was a time when kids that worked in music stores did so because they were interested in music. They wanted to buy strings or sticks or whatever at a store discount, and be surrounded by instruments. Now, many people working in music stores are there because it's a job. Nothing more, nothing less.
On top of all this... unless the store is either blowing stuff out cause they're tired of looking it, or are just "convenient" which is a very individual thing, it's hard to beat ordering online.
I realize it's not music related, but so far this week I've received packages from Office Depot and from JC Penny at my house. I drive past Office Depot going and coming from work, Lisa passes JC Penney AND the Office Depot every day going to her work. Shipping is free, you get an extra discount for buying online, and as silly as it may sound... it makes just turning into their parking lot not worth it, let alone walking into the store to NOT find as large a selection as is online. And that does relate to music stores at almost every level. Just by their nature, the overall variety is limited..
So anyway.. It's a bit sad to say the least.. but I really believe...
Music stores are being slowly phased out as we know them, and really... there's not much they can do about it... so they don't care. |
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Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Originally posted by darkbarguitar:
Samash is for strings and capos. Not when they didn't have one set of 12ers in the store!
Oh well... |
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Location: Flahdaw | Originally posted by 2ifbyC:
Originally posted by darkbarguitar:
Samash is for strings and capos. Not when they didn't have one set of 12ers in the store!
Oh well...
Good post, Miles, although it's hard to fathom. How do you try out a guitar. Here's a possible future.... company owned stores. Say there's a giant merger of Ovation, Takamine, Alvarez, Seagull, Dean, Washburn, etc. They open stores in key markets, offer great pricing, warrantys, service. BUT, they don't care if you buy from them in the store, they'll also sell direct on line...they got you coming or going. I don't know...the future is an weird unknown. |
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Location: Sydney, Australia | I think the market is changing, thanks to the internet. Years ago country people purchased stuff through catalogues, because it was a two day ride to the nearest store. Now people can buy stuff on the internet much easier and cheaper.
The cycle reinforces itself. I stumbled on to Amazon.com because I couldn't find a book I needed from my local bookstores (all of them) and would have had to wait some indeterminate time for them to order them in. Bought it from Amazon, cheaper and there in two weeks (right across the globe). Pretty soon, I'm not even bothering looking in the local stores. In response, they stop stocking specialist books totally, so I just keep buying from Amazon, while the local bookstores are full of John Grisham.
The same thing is happening with instruments and other products. While it would be nice to 'try before you buy' Amazon allow you a virtual flick through the pages. Groups such as this fan club where other buyers (members of the club) let you play their guitar which they've already purchased, may be the replacement for guitars in stores.
This still leaves a market for entry level guitars in stores where Mom and Dad will buy a cheapo guitar for little Johnny from what's on the floor. |
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Location: Flahdaw | Originally posted by TAFKAR:
Groups such as this fan club where other buyers (members of the club) let you play their guitar which they've already purchased, may be the replacement for guitars in stores. Yeah, you're right. I tried g8r's 2008 Adamis at the Seadog Seranade here in Bradenton, hosted by Iffy....now I can't get it out of my head. If Ovation was smart, they'd host these things....buy drinks, food, bring a bunch of guitars. what a marketing concept. |
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Location: Michigan | alot of the posts sound like you guys pick up a certain model # of a guitar and play it in a g.c. store or sam ash that you assume or expect that the one you order online will exactly reproduce the same sound and feel of the model that you played in the g.c. or sam ash store.i personally believe that is bad thinking. i may be wrong but i still say that no two guitars are the same.one that you played and felt that sounds great for you might not be the same one that you buy online.
alpep you should have some comments on this.are all guitars created equal because they are the same model # or do they vary in sound and feel by each one.im so glad we have a strong mom & pop store in my area. GWB |
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Location: Scotland | Originally posted by guitarwannabee:
a lot of the posts sound like you guys pick up a certain model # of a guitar and play it in a g.c. store or sam ash that you assume or expect that the one you order online will exactly reproduce the same sound and feel of the model that you played in the g.c. or sam ash store. Errrrrm, no. None of the posts even vaguely alluded to that. In fact they stated exactly the opposite. A bunch of morons will go into a store and try some gear, then buy it online at the cheapest possible price. We all agree that this is shafting the good guys, but nobody has suggested in any way, shape or form that it is a good way to purchase a musical instrument.
I am an online music retailer and that income makes up a significant part of my living (and I make an OK living for something that doesn't seem like "working" ) I do not sell guitars or amps or anything mainstream and do not want to. My business model is simply this: I stock all of the weird crap that the majority of stores think is too specialist to carry. I do not have to compete on price because my customers can't find the same products anywhere else. Niche. That's the key, that and geeky esoteric product knowledge. |
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Location: Copenhagen Denmark | v |
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Location: Copenhagen Denmark | I thought that the USA was all about good service , overhere we are blessed with a real good music store , divided over three adresses , next to each other , 1" Percussion - 2" Keyboards /Studio - 3" Guitars / P A .
They sell on line too , where they have a GREAT Forum , yet , most of the items are in the shop ( Huge selection in everything ) , uptodate knowledgeable staff , of whome are part time performing musicians , the P A people are part time sound engineers / lightmen , they have allways time for a chat , in depth demonstrations , free coffee even , why , the other day I thought that this must be like in America , so this thread is like a cold shower , surely the experiences described above must be isolated experiences ?
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Location: Flahdaw | Ah, no. Haven't seen anything like that in America since........never. I think I want to retire and move to Denmark. |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | PT hit the nail on the head.
FlicKreno aka Solid Top, the closest thing to what you describe used to be found in a couple of cities. New York and LA, maybe a couple of others. That's it. Most of the "MA PA" music stores are gone or going, or have been replaced with Guitar Center. The ones that are still around, usually have some niche as PT mentioned, be it rentals, or lessons or whatever.
As far as the brand guitars I prefer.. Well they aren't in stores in any volume (more than a couple if any) most anywhere. That's been discussed to death. You want to see a few Adamas guitars in the same room, you better call Alpep. That's it. It seems a few more of the other USA models are showing up in stores, but just a few. |
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Location: Scotland | In the last several of years or so I have been to very big and very small music stores in the USA Finland, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Den Haag, Amsterdam, Northern Ireland, ROI and of course the UK. The big ones are pretty much the same. Lot's of generic product and staffed by the same minimum-wage air-heads killing time while they wait for their big record deal. Most of the small ones were useless too. But just about everywhere you can find a real gem if you look hard enough. Owned and run by passionate knowledgeble people who are driven by doing the job right rather than the "bottom line" These places, brick and mortar or online, need to be treasured. Use 'em or lose 'em. It's not all down to price. |
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Location: Flahdaw | I don't know the musical instrument industry and may be way off-base, but don't most big time manufacturers require you to buy a minimum inventory...thus blowing out the small shops. You can't pick just a few Martins, Adamis, Taks, Gibsons, etc....you have to commit to a miminum buy, and small shops, which would be more prone to better service, just can't afford to do that. Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about, tho. |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | America is not like what you see in the movies, but overall, it's a nice place, and it's pretty big and if you look, you'll find some stores like those in denmark ...
I have to say, that in NYC and in the lower hudson valley we are pretty well blessed with good music stores ... at least the last time I looked ... who knows with this economy when the next shoe will drop. |
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Location: Scotland | Originally posted by darkbarguitar:
I don't know the musical instrument industry and may be way off-base, but don't most big time manufacturers require you to buy a minimum inventory...thus blowing out the small shops. You can't pick just a few Martins, Adamis, Taks, Gibsons, etc....you have to commit to a miminum buy, and small shops, which would be more prone to better service, just can't afford to do that. Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about, tho. Dead right. Of Course there are situations like this. Not all distributors have a minimum buy, but it's take a couple of pieces and pay full wholesale, take a bunch and get a better deal. So then the guy who can afford bigger purchases can discount further. Become a main dealer and commit to carrying constant inventory get another price break. But that happens in every retail sector, not just MI. That's just the way it is. And it's why service can count over price. |
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Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | Darkbar, you are right about the big manufacturers requiring a store to stock what they tell you to stock. That's why I carry Morgan Monroes. After the initial buy-in, I can carry as many or as few as I want. BUT, what helps me is the used guitars. I have had vintage Gibsons, Ovations, and tomorrow I am getting in an early 60'd Martin D-35. It's true that I also carry inexpensive starter guitars, but I don't carry junk. To me, it is even more important to carry decent starters so the kids don't get discouraged with junk that is unplayable. So I have Celebrities, Jasmines, Ibanez, Yamahas, and the like. I go through everything on the wall to make sure it is in good shape, playable and decent sounding. If they take good care of their starters, I will let them trade up when the time comes, so their initial investment isn't wasted. As I've said before, service is what keeps people coming back to my shop. Buy strings from me, and I will put them on for free. My prices on repairs are very low. People remember that stuff, and they are loyal to me.
Oh, and the coffe pot is always on. |
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Location: Copenhagen Denmark | Originally posted by darkbarguitar:
Ah, no. Haven't seen anything like that in America since........never. I think I want to retire and move to Denmark. Haha , wanna swap adresses ?..I`ve allways wanted to live in Florida , palmtrees , sunlit beaches , why , you live in paradise , while I live in a snowscape ,it is spring , and today it was snowing like mad.
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Location: Flahdaw | Come visit in august....you can help me put up my hurricane shutters when it's 95 degrees and 95% humidity. You lose weight going out to get the mail. |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | I've heard the same thing from several music stores, especially rural ones. By time they get the "required" Fender, Gibson, Martin and Taylor, which essentially they have to carry or don't even bother opening the doors, they can't really afford anything else. I have also heard there's the you-can-only-carry-xx-and-yy-model of this brand because our other store in the area is bigger and they already carry ZZ-and-QQ-model and we don't allow our stores to compete in the same market area.
This is one reason I think Fender distribution taking over KMC might be a good thing in the long run. Ovations are now "Fender" products and I assume are part of the you-gotta-have-its to carry the Fender Product line. I'm hoping we see more and more Ovations in stores, because of it, and that actually seems to be the case already. |
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Location: East Tennessee | Originally posted by 2ifbyC:
Originally posted by darkbarguitar:
I was in Samash this mornin... So, do I sound like a cranky old man, or what? Bob. that's got to be the one by the airport! Those working there that 'play', play the same crap as their young customers. If they don't play, it doesn't matter...
Cranky? Nopper, discriminating!
I've been in that one. I wasn't impressed. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | I'm going to miss Old Boise Guitar. They sold a couple Taylors that they were having trouble unloading, but it looks like they're in shutdown mode. Anyone want to buy a guitar store? I would if I had any money left in the retirement account. |
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Location: Michigan | Originally posted by darkbarguitar:
Come visit in august....you can help me put up my hurricane shutters when it's 95 degrees and 95% humidity. You lose weight going out to get the mail. I lived in Sarasota for 3 years in the early 80's
Couldn't take the summers, especially when you take a shower and put on new clothes & walk out the door only to start sweating again :mad:
The only thing I did like was Lido beach when it was still topless. :D
As far as music stores with excellent customer service, selection, quality, odd items & online sales. I guess I am spoiled with one a half hour away, guess thats why they are the top Martin seller. They have an acoustic/electric room with only all their acoustic amps and their acoustic electrics in one little room. Never had anything but a positive thing come out of a employee's mouth(all knowledeable & players themselves). Heck last time I was in there a couple had scheduled thier honeymoon so they could stop in to this store. Places like this will never go out of biz.
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Location: Flahdaw | Originally posted by birddog:
I lived in Sarasota for 3 years in the early 80's
Couldn't take the summers, especially when you take a shower and put on new clothes & walk out the door only to start sweating again :mad:
The only thing I did like was Lido beach when it was still topless. :D
Places like this will never go out of biz.
Wally Never say never, for your sake I hope not.
Weather wise, when it gets down to 50 degrees here, I freeze my ass off. Ask Weaser. He comes down for a visit from N.Y. last month and wears shorts! We're all dressed in layers and trying to warm our hands up so we can play guitar. |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | There's a few very small shops remaining here in town that are worth visiting, one because of the owner and the other because of the selection. The latter is a pawn shop that deals almost exclusively in guitars and related gear. I walked in one day looking for a Les Paul knock-off to jam with some colleagues and the manager brought out about a half dozen real Les Pauls, including one that he said was a prototype but knew nothing else about it. I played all of them for about three hours and was ready to make an offer. He then said he had another dozen or so downstairs if I wanted to try a few more. I declined and after about 15 minutes of negotiating (that's the fun part), I walked out with the prototype and later confirmed its history with the factory. The manager could very well be the owner, but refers to himself as the manager. He caters to older customers and has buyers out looking for gear. He even invited my son and I to go down to his basement drum room and crawl through piles of cymbal stands (there had to be hundreds of stands) looking for some drum stuff (we bought three plus a stool). We passed by more rooms with hundreds of old guitar cases, presumably containing guitars. The only downside is that the place is totally cluttered with gear, to the point of a resembling a junk shop, but the manager knows where the good stuff is and is willing to bring it out for you to try. If you're looking for a clean pristine showroom with lots of space, go elsewhere. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | There's good places out there. The problem is that we are our own worst enemy. When was the last time you bought a guitar from your local B&M store? Me, 1997. Everything else has been out of town (Elderly, Cotton), ebay, craigs list, private sales or Al. So the locals take it in the wallet.
My local in Mesa AZ (The Music Store) does a ton of business in sheet music and books. That's really their focus. They have a small but great repair shop, and a selection of about 30 guitars - Hamer, Takamine, Martin and Ibanez. And a fair percentage of Ukes, Banjos and Mandos for such a small place. I enjoy going there.
Another good one is Milano Music (the owner owns an original Slothead). They make their money on band instruments and rentals. I don't think they care if they sell guitars or not, not have a good selection of acouctics and electrics and do stock USA ovation and adamas models. The sales staff are all middle aged or better, and have that "school music teacher" look to them. Nice place, although could use a good dusting.
Coolest place is here in Tempe AZ, called "Acoustic Vibes". High end wood box dealer who doesn't seem to have regular hours. sort of by appointment only, or take your chances. Can't quite figure out their business model. It's located in an office park, not a shopping district so also kind of wierd. But they have got an amazing inventory of expensive shit and don't mind at all if you just show up for half a day and play to your hearts content.
Last but not least, The Mandolin Store in Wickenburg AZ. I have not been there (45 miles away) but want to badly. Check out their website. Looks like an amazing place to waste an afternoon.
Guitar Center? Yeah, we got 4 of them scattered around town. It's the WalMart of music stores. Why in the hell would you go there in the first place. Yes, you can save 40 cents on a package of strings. |
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Location: Flahdaw | Originally posted by ProfessorBB:
There's a few very small shops remaining here in town that are worth visiting, one because of the owner and the other because of the selection. The latter is a pawn shop that deals almost exclusively in guitars and related gear. I walked in one day looking for a Les Paul knock-off to jam with some colleagues and the manager brought out about a half dozen real Les Pauls, including one that he said was a prototype but knew nothing else about it. I played all of them for about three hours and was ready to make an offer. He then said he had another dozen or so downstairs if I wanted to try a few more. I declined and after about 15 minutes of negotiating (that's the fun part), I walked out with the prototype and later confirmed its history with the factory. The manager could very well be the owner, but refers to himself as the manager. He caters to older customers and has buyers out looking for gear. He even invited my son and I to go down to his basement drum room and crawl through piles of cymbal stands (there had to be hundreds of stands) looking for some drum stuff (we bought three plus a stool). We passed by more rooms with hundreds of old guitar cases, presumably containing guitars. The only downside is that the place is totally cluttered with gear, to the point of a resembling a junk shop, but the manager knows where the good stuff is and is willing to bring it out for you to try. If you're looking for a clean pristine showroom with lots of space, go elsewhere. wow, I'd love to plunder around that shop for a day, week, month |
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November 2006
Posts: 3969
| Originally posted by Gallerinski:
Coolest place is here in Tempe AZ, called "Acoustic Vibes". High end wood box dealer who doesn't seem to have regular hours. sort of by appointment only, or take your chances. I found a place like that in my old hometown of Hollywood FL (a suburb of Fort Lauderdale) last year - Glades Guitars. It's in a 40-year-old mini-strip mall upstairs from a chiropractor's office. The main room is wide open with a fair-sized stage and sound system and the walls are lined with Godins, Bourgeois, Collings, Santa Cruz and Martins. Three small rooms where you can play to your heart's content. No strings or sheet music, just a few amps and other accessories for sale along with the high-end wood boxes. The owner's super knowledgeable and laid back, and people just hang out. Very cool place. Several nights a week they hold jams, and they also do instruction. It's what gave me the idea to try something like it here (except add vintage instruments and do trades/consignment, and not focus just on high-end new) when I take full retirement in 3 years. |
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March 2006
Posts: 1634
Location: Chehalis, Washington | Originally posted by Gallerinski:
Ya know how most places have "the acoustic room", well my local does it just the opposite. Not an amp in sight. If you want to plug in, you go into one of the amp rooms and go at it. The local shop here does the same thing. They have a nice high-end acoustic room, and 4 practice rooms for electric gear. There's amps on the main floor, but no power, so you have to go into the insulated rooms to try it out. I will go there first for anything I need rather than going into the GC (which is 20 minutes farther away). |
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May 2008
Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | WHAT? Full retirement in 3 years?
You're just a young punk, how are you pulling THAT one off. I'm guessing it's not dependent on a 401k.
Toby |
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Joined:
November 2006
Posts: 3969
| In 3 years I'll have 30 years continuous employment with the State of Florida - get 60% of my 5-year highest average salary for the rest of my life. Won't touch my retirement investments (such as they are now) for another 20 years, let 'em keep growing tax-deferred. I'll use short-term investments (such as they are now) for start-up, and with the retirement coming in I won't have to worry too much about income from my little project. |
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March 2006
Posts: 1634
Location: Chehalis, Washington | Originally posted by Paul Templeman:
I am an online music retailer and that income makes up a significant part of my living (and I make an OK living for something that doesn't seem like "working" ) I do not sell guitars or amps or anything mainstream and do not want to. My business model is simply this: I stock all of the weird crap that the majority of stores think is too specialist to carry. I do not have to compete on price because my customers can't find the same products anywhere else. Niche. That's the key, that and geeky esoteric product knowledge. Anymore, finding a niche for a small business is critical in any industry. There's always a monster super-commercial version of whatever you do that can do it cheaper, larger quantities, and in more areas than you can. The trick is to find what you do better and do that.
We do a lot of specialty breads, like you can buy anywhere else, but we do them in 93 different flavors. No one else does that, therefore we have our 'niche,' and it's worked for us for 15 years now. We started a line of seasoning blends, which lots of people do, but we did ours all natural, organic, gluten free...you get the idea.
I think we're going to see the big music stores dying out, and more service-oriented specialty stores being the only ones surviving. Music 6000 here in Olympia is one great example. They have a great service department, excellent variety of gear (though few Ovations), and a staff that is experienced and actually helpful...musicians, not just people wasting time. Plus, I don't get brain damage or get accosted walking in the front door. |
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October 2005
Posts: 4028
Location: Utah | We do have a relatively new "Pop" store, The Acoustic Musician, which has been in business for a couple of years. He is moving this month to bigger quarters and has a small concert venue. In his current digs he has a bluegrass open jam and a rock open jam each week.
His thing is quality mid to upper priced guitars and mandolins, though he does carry some decent entry level stuff in the $200-$300 range that is affordable but not crappy.
His real forte is service. Great customer service in fact. Free setups on new guitars, and free adjustments on anything you buy there.
His instrument prices are OK. His accessory prices are just about full retail, but he carries good stuff and unusual stuff that the big box stores don't have in stock.
I think this guy has a good recipe for success and his new location will be a big improvement. |
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Joined:
May 2008
Posts: 194
Location: Las Vegas, NV | Originally posted by ProfessorBB:
There's a few very small shops remaining here in town that are worth visiting, one because of the owner and the other because of the selection. The latter is a pawn shop that deals almost exclusively in guitars and related gear. I walked in one day looking for a Les Paul knock-off to jam with some colleagues and the manager brought out about a half dozen real Les Pauls, including one that he said was a prototype but knew nothing else about it. I played all of them for about three hours and was ready to make an offer. He then said he had another dozen or so downstairs if I wanted to try a few more. I declined and after about 15 minutes of negotiating (that's the fun part), I walked out with the prototype and later confirmed its history with the factory. The manager could very well be the owner, but refers to himself as the manager. He caters to older customers and has buyers out looking for gear. He even invited my son and I to go down to his basement drum room and crawl through piles of cymbal stands (there had to be hundreds of stands) looking for some drum stuff (we bought three plus a stool). We passed by more rooms with hundreds of old guitar cases, presumably containing guitars. The only downside is that the place is totally cluttered with gear, to the point of a resembling a junk shop, but the manager knows where the good stuff is and is willing to bring it out for you to try. If you're looking for a clean pristine showroom with lots of space, go elsewhere. I got a little excited just reading this. What a cool place this would be to visit monthly (or weekly, or daily)... |
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February 2009
Posts: 335
Location: Reisterstown, Maryland | Originally posted by CanterburyStrings:
Darkbar, you are right about the big manufacturers requiring a store to stock what they tell you to stock. That's why I carry Morgan Monroes. After the initial buy-in, I can carry as many or as few as I want. BUT, what helps me is the used guitars. I have had vintage Gibsons, Ovations, and tomorrow I am getting in an early 60'd Martin D-35. It's true that I also carry inexpensive starter guitars, but I don't carry junk. To me, it is even more important to carry decent starters so the kids don't get discouraged with junk that is unplayable. So I have Celebrities, Jasmines, Ibanez, Yamahas, and the like. I go through everything on the wall to make sure it is in good shape, playable and decent sounding. If they take good care of their starters, I will let them trade up when the time comes, so their initial investment isn't wasted. As I've said before, service is what keeps people coming back to my shop. Buy strings from me, and I will put them on for free. My prices on repairs are very low. People remember that stuff, and they are loyal to me.
Oh, and the coffe pot is always on. I would to be able to visit your store! Sounds like the one I used to go to when I was Teenager and still played before life got in the way. (Its great to be playing again)
Anita |
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January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Check 'em out here. There are others who feel the same way . . .
Wedgles Music and Pawn |
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The music stores don't care anymore...