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What is your Music Store?

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telecrater  
28 Mar 2010 15:48 | Quote
Joined: 13 Jan 2008
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What is your music store? Growing up in the Midwest there were a few little mom and pop music stores, and even chain stores that I always went to for years. I wanted to see if ya'll have the same stores you like and where they are.

Why you ask? Well people move, go on vacation, get kicked off tour in the middle of nowhere. So give your favorite music store props and tell us why you like it.
telecrater  
28 Mar 2010 15:56 | Quote
Joined: 13 Jan 2008
United States
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I now live in San Antonio, Texas and I don't have a music store yet that I can call home but there are a lot of big music stores. I have to say that I really like the Sam Ash here. Very friendly and seem to be knowledgeable. There is a guitar center across the high way not that impressed they always have a bunch of 14 year old kids playing the drums right in the midle of the store (no offense intended to the 14 year old drummers out there)
deadman2k666  
28 Mar 2010 16:44 | Quote
Joined: 21 Sep 2009
Canada
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Well, generally I avoid the big music stores here in Halifax. But if I must hit up the big one it be Long and Mcquade Dartmouth. Only one i've been in where the staff haven't been **ing idiots. But normally I deal with a small shop not far from my house called Sticks N Strings. He is straight with me about products, he's not an arsewipe, and he goes the extra mile for his customers.
Domigan_Lefty  
28 Mar 2010 17:44 | Quote
Joined: 20 Sep 2009
United States
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Please noone say ebay...

I usually go to a place called Jammers out in "historic downtown Kissimmee" If i want a new guitar im stuck with either their 1 lefty guitar, or one of Guitar Centers 5 lefties. or just go hendrix style on one of over 700 righthanded ones
BodomBeachTerror  
28 Mar 2010 17:47 | Quote
Joined: 27 May 2008
Canada
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Ive got a Long and Mcquade and a Music Center Canada (i think thats what its called) around here
deadman2k666  
28 Mar 2010 18:46 | Quote
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Canada
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i hate long and mcquade, they are the biggest piles of crap
Phip  
28 Mar 2010 19:16 | Quote
Joined: 23 Dec 2007
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Charlies Music, Hyannis, Ma. We don't have any big "box stores" nearby. But I gotta say I'm still not as comfortable there as I'd like to be. I always feel like I'm interupting their day. It's a shame. They can be a bit snobish. Also I think they fight over commissions like starving wolves over a kill. I found one nice guy there and I wait for him and if he isn't there i leave.
Phip
btimm  
28 Mar 2010 21:30 | Quote
Joined: 14 Dec 2009
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Guitar Center
BodomBeachTerror  
28 Mar 2010 22:51 | Quote
Joined: 27 May 2008
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deadman2k666 says:
i hate long and mcquade, they are the biggest piles of crap

why do you hate Long and Mcquade? just wondering
deefa  
29 Mar 2010 06:07 | Quote
Joined: 22 Dec 2007
United Kingdom
Karma: 8
We only have two music shops where I live, both are over expensive and very limited in stock. I generally take a trip to either Leeds or York if there's anything I need to 'try before I buy', then I go on the net to see who's doing the best deals.

@phip
That 'snobbishness' in music shops is just the same over here. The sales people seem to be there purely to practice their own guitarmanship and intimidate newbies with their cleverness.
Phip  
29 Mar 2010 06:22 | Quote
Joined: 23 Dec 2007
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@deefa,
Yeah, I suspected the snob factor was universal. I was in there one day playing my version of a Neil Young tune and one of the sales guys tore into his version (admittedly amazing) and made me look like a fool. If I had been younger I might have been intimidated but i'm no kid. I gave him "the look" and he walked away knowing he was the better player (for now) and me knowing he'd never get a freaking penny out of me EVER! LOL
Phip
vincejonesiii  
29 Mar 2010 07:55 | Quote
Joined: 16 Sep 2008
United States
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i has a music one and a robert m sides
gx1327  
29 Mar 2010 09:14 | Quote
Joined: 20 Sep 2009
United States
Karma: 9
i use guitar center more just because of their easy website (for ordering strings and such i can't believe they don't keep fender bullets in stock), but i really dig this local shop called J. Gravity Strings in downtown st louis. it's walking distance from my apartment, it's this ratty old building with a metal cage in the windows and a big graffiti mural on the side of it. it's the kind of place that just reeks with cred. when i was taking lessons i was taking them there but i kind of stopped...

but when i think of "music store" i think of record store, and there is only one --- vintage vinyl in the delmar loop of st louis
Ozzfan486  
29 Mar 2010 14:52 | Quote
Joined: 01 Oct 2008
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I don't really have one. My favorite isn't local. It's a little north in Altoona, PA. I think it's Music Emporium. Not much stuff I'm interested in besides some of the Fenders, but they're really cool about demoing, and very knowledgeable. For strings, I go to a shop called Moe'z Art in the next town over.

Ozz
telecrater  
29 Mar 2010 19:54 | Quote
Joined: 13 Jan 2008
United States
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There used to be a music store in Ames Iowa called Mail street music. The owner was pretty stuck up when I was a punk little grunge geek but as i got older the staff got cooler. They had this policy that if you were thinking about buying something you could wright them a check and they would sit on it for 7 days, if you didn't like it bring it back and you'd get your check back. if you liked it just give them a call. You don't see that kind of service any more.

I know Sam Ash is one of those big box stores but the staff when ever I go in there for strings are really helpful, and friendly and not so much stuck up like. The guitar center across the highway is a different story.
case211  
29 Mar 2010 20:47 | Quote
Joined: 26 Feb 2009
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Here in Omaha, NE there's really only 2 legit places to do any sort of shopping... aside from a pawn shop or two...
Dietze Music(great prices, not much product)
Russo's Guitar Center(terrible prices, not much product different from Dietze)

I went to both today looking for a Marshall Guvnor Plus pedal to buy, and neither of them carried it, but the guys at Dietze actually were pretty cool and really helped in trying to help me find something similar... alas being a broke teen doesn't get you much in the price of a decent pedal...
Russo's didn't carry much either... it sucks having those two only here, since Lincoln is too far for a guitar pedal... :P
Guitarslinger124  
30 Mar 2010 06:54 | Quote
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Georges Music, Sam Ash and musiciansfriend.
gmack  
31 Mar 2010 13:44 | Quote
Joined: 30 Mar 2010
Canada
Karma
Walmart
gmack  
31 Mar 2010 13:49 | Quote
Joined: 30 Mar 2010
Canada
Karma
Kidding...I go to a place in Barrie Ontario called Gilbert Guitars...I found them to be very stand-offish until I flashed some cash...seriously...

I hate the "look" I get when I walk into a shop and start admiring their wares...they make me feel like I am to low caste to plug one in and give it a good whirl...

I remember one time a salesman was playing and he looked at me with that "I bet you suck" look...I stepped up and made him cry...

I want my own shop...with built in studio and giant hookah...

BodomBeachTerror  
31 Mar 2010 13:55 | Quote
Joined: 27 May 2008
Canada
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gmack says:
I want my own shop...with built in studio and giant hookah...


Id come by
gx1327  
1 Apr 2010 08:39 | Quote
Joined: 20 Sep 2009
United States
Karma: 9
gmack says:
I hate the "look" I get when I walk into a shop and start admiring their wares...they make me feel like I am to low caste to plug one in and give it a good whirl...

I remember one time a salesman was playing and he looked at me with that "I bet you suck" look...I stepped up and made him cry...


i actually really hate guitar shops. first of all, i do kind of suck. but i don't need some prick salesman showing me up. you walk into GC and all the employees just get off on themselves and how good they are at guitar. occasionally you will find one who is "cool" (the guy who sold me my first squier, he was a cool guy, laid back and encouraging), but for every cool one there are 5 of them standing around trying to out play each other.

but the same thing goes for other hobbies, too. my other hobby is photography. have you ever walked into a camera store? if you know about cameras and walk into a camera store you will get very offended very quickly. employees lie and talk down to customers pretty regularly. if you don't know your gear and if you are uneasy on what you want, they will try to get you to buy what they want you to buy. i don't even like going in to camera stores anymore. even though i know my stuff i don't need a salesman talking down to me while i test out a new lens.

and guitar stores are quickly getting on my nerves like that, too.
Mici  
1 Apr 2010 09:35 | Quote
Joined: way back
Kosovo
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You have no idea how much better I feel now that I know so many of you get THAT FEELING when the salesguys start to show off.
There's only three music stores in my town.
One of them's quite big for where I'm living but MOST OF their guitars are low end guitars and not so expensive. They also have some pedals but only a few and more choices than the other two on strings. The guy there is apparently a multi-instrumentalist but he doesn't seem to play guitar, at least not good enough to show off anything.
Then there's this other tiny one and the guy there is an effin **. You can ask for any guitar and he'll waste 5 minutes of you life just "showing off" although he truly sucks. I once went there with a friend to check out the Yamaha Pacifica 112 (or was it 012? I'm not sure) we wanted to buy and he said to us "Why are you making me stand up and get it for you? It's not like you're gonna buy one of those anyway." but then he did get it for us he was still being a **.
The guy at the third store will usually make you feel quite comfortable in his store and there's also many guitars you can chose from and pedals, too. I've only bought strings there, once or twice but then I found out they cost only 5.5 Euros in the other shop so I stopped buying them there since he was selling the same one for 8 Euros.
I've bought my guitar in a city two hours away from home. I found two shops there and the guy at the one where I bought my guitar seemed to be very good at guitar but he made me feel very comfortable there. He played for about half a minute (which is OK) and then he tuned the guitar for me (without making me feel guilty about it), brought his picks' box to let me pick one I would use while testing the guitar and let me play through a nice amp and any pedal I wanted. I wish all guitar stores would have a guy like that around. :S
By the way, the guy at the other store in that town was also the typical prick. Made me wanna walk out immediately.
telecrater  
3 Apr 2010 11:23 | Quote
Joined: 13 Jan 2008
United States
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I feel that the more you spend with a store the the snobbness will go away. if you buy picks once a year then they not be all that friendly. If you use one store to get your picks, strings, and a few pedals they will start to remember you and treat you nicer, unless your one the east coast....some of those guy's and intense (sorry east coast guys)
macandkanga  
5 Apr 2010 18:27 | Quote
Joined: 03 Oct 2008
United States
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Thats true what telecrater said. I have a Guitar Center down the street from me. I used to work even closer and would go there at lunch and play all kinds of guitars and amps. There was a guy named Tune Dog that would pull guitars that just came in for me to try even though he knew I wouldnt buy. He just wanted to know what I thought.
gx1327  
6 Apr 2010 10:12 | Quote
Joined: 20 Sep 2009
United States
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Tune Dog? that can't be his real name...
Heather  
6 Apr 2010 10:27 | Quote
Joined: 21 Aug 2008
United Kingdom
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There's only one music shop in my town. 'Middlesbrough Music Store.' So yeah - none of you will also have been buying from there.
btimm  
6 Apr 2010 13:34 | Quote
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Domigan_Lefty says:
Please noone say ebay...


Why not? When companies decide to stop having executives making insane profits at the expense of customers and employees' wages, then maybe things will change. Until then, why would I pay double at a store for the same piece of equipment?

I am all for helping local stores out as much as I can. There is a baseball card shop 30 miles away from me I use for cards when I buy them and am near the area somewhat and I do the same thing for music equipment and I willing to pay more than I would on eBay at both of these places to help business. But I won't pay double, that just isn't logical.

My epiphone I bought would have cost me about $800 at the store and I got it for $450 including shipping on eBay. What was my incentive to pay $350 more?!? I'll use the local shop for almost everything else, I bought all accessories and my amp at the local Guitar Center and paid a higher price in doing so, but I am not paying double for the same guitar.
BodomBeachTerror  
6 Apr 2010 13:40 | Quote
Joined: 27 May 2008
Canada
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i bought my guitar on ebay. new they went for $1,100 i think, i got it for less than $600.
ccm596  
6 Apr 2010 16:58 | Quote
Joined: 01 Apr 2010
United States
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I use a combination of musiciansfriend, a local store called Music & More (my personal favorite, probably just because I've been there more; and the guy that works there's a real cool guy. They also have financing, which is great if you're on a tight budget, which, at $30 a month, I am) and I'm not sure what the other one's called, but I think it's a big chain. They have a big selection. I've only been once, tho; cuz I didn't really see what I was currently looking for and I haven't gotten around to going back.
Mici  
7 Apr 2010 05:21 | Quote
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Kosovo
Karma: 9
btimm says:
My epiphone I bought would have cost me about $800 at the store and I got it for $450 including shipping on eBay.


You mean the Les Paul, right? I thought it would cost much cheaper up there. Here it costs about 300 Euros (sorry, can't get the symbol right) which can't be more than $400. Or is it some special kind of it?
btimm  
7 Apr 2010 05:45 | Quote
Joined: 14 Dec 2009
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It's this guitar here:

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Epiphone-Limited-Edition-Les-Paul-Custom-104065958-i1168180.gc

Factor in tax and it is close to $800.
gx1327  
7 Apr 2010 14:23 | Quote
Joined: 20 Sep 2009
United States
Karma: 9
did you get it used or new from ebay?

i think the main problem with ebay is that you can, possibly, get ripped off. the risk is higher when buying a used item. i buy tons of stuff from ebay. but for big-ticket items (anything over $200) i prefer craigslist for the face-to-face, cash transaction. the two guitars i presently own are both second hand purchased from CL.
btimm  
7 Apr 2010 15:54 | Quote
Joined: 14 Dec 2009
United States
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new
BodomBeachTerror  
7 Apr 2010 16:26 | Quote
Joined: 27 May 2008
Canada
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i got mine used


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