Your opinions please on the topic of GUITAR SHOPS

[endofanera]

2) Staff assuming you don't know what you want when actually you know exactly what you want, it's just that what you want is a bit odd (seems to go double when serving women)

This. A thousand times this. It is infuriating to get bro'd like this when my lovely and talented gf and I go into a music store together. She is more talented and knows more about music and sound than any of those pierced clownbags, but... man. It's just infuriating to think about. Fuck most music stores.

Atomic Music! This is another reason you rule. No bros!

[elisha wiesner]

I love guitar stores. If I'm in a city with time to kill I'll try to go the the good local used music store. I like getting to try out new things and just play guitars that I have never played before, both are things that the internet will never allow me to do. You might be able to find a better deal on ebay or whatever but paying a little more to actually play a guitar first is well worth it.

[chris jury]

Like tallchris I only buy strings/accessories at my local shop, and even that is becoming less often. I pretty much just use them for repairs. I love places like Tommy's, but they rarely have a screaming deal on anything, and I have all the equipment i could ever need.

In memphis we stopped by a pretty good guitar shop -but what made it genious was that they had a vending machine outside the shop with strings, picks, etc. 24-7/365 access to those sorts of things is such a great idea. My 2 closest guitar shops close early and aren't open sundays- total bullshit.

[Crazyharry77]

Your idea certainly sounds idyllic and wonderful. I feel kind of bad for guitar shops, because even when I find one that has decent inventory, half the time, I'm trying their gear out just to inform my EBay/craigslist/musiciansfriend purchase.

I went to Guitar Center once for Memorial Day deals and it was the most awful shopping experience ever. First of all, there was some sort of BBQ going on outside with Hooters girls, with super loud Hyped-Bass blasted alt-rock radio station going... then inside, the music, was just as loud and I couldn't hear anything I played.... It's like, seriously I'm here, I have like 600 dollars I'm willing to spend for a guitar, but I'm going to have to hear it first. I don't know. Obviously that's not the only reason I avoid Guitar Center, but bleh.

Ive only ever been to a guitar centre once when i was in the states - truly horrible place - went in planning on spending a reasonable amount on either pedals or a guitar not available/cheaper than in the UK , finally convinced the bloke behind the counter that a) yes he could trust me to try out (the completely knackered and worth a couple of hundred) jag (for about $2500) they had locked away, b) i did know what i was talking about/wanted and c) that my idea of trying an instrument is not him playing bad nu metal riffs at me whilst telling me how his band were the next big thing.

Lasted about 10 mins in there....

still on the plus side i didnt give them the plectrum i borrowed back

[Crazyharry77]

A second hand equipment shop attached to a studio is a genious idea. Used an old 70's mustang in a studio once and if that had been for sale would have bitten their hand off...

plus if yr selling cake and tea then ill be over like a shot

[pwalshj]

These places were a staple of my youth yet I will sadlly admit that I don't bother with them lately aside from strings, capos and picks.

There are no deals out there anymore. Any pawn shop will google a guitar, read niche-folk raving about them and wildly overprice shit. The last three purchases that I can rightfully brag about were all from GC and that was only because they wanted to get old shit off the floor.

As much as I miss hanging with the dudes in the shops it's pretty much over. Commercial overhead is ridiculous and the quality of the instruments doesn't accurately reflect the inflated prices. Cest la vie.

That said, I would gladly patronize Honey's shop. (Sorry, shoppe) I wish there were more folks out there who could pull it off like he's described.

[FuzzBob]

It's a piece of my youth, and I can't begrudge 15 year olds their moment in Gear Fantasy Camp where they can plug into every Rectumfrier and 5150 they want.

However, I can't walk into a Guitarget without getting SRV'd. I was just there over a lunch break the other day picking up a preamp and had a perfectly pleasant SRV- free shopping experience until the moment the Door Juggalette stamped my receipt on the way out. Then some fuckface plays "Cold Shot" loud as fuck. I wanted to walk back and strangle that dude.

[MrWarandieBoy]

The model is essentially Tym Guitars in Brisbane who seem to go from strength to strength just by offering people who play music gear that works and does what they ask of it.

it warms my heart when i hear people from overseas talking about tym guitars. it's fantastic to know that one of the best guitar/amp/pedal stores in the world is a 5min drive from where i live. i just bought some stuff from there today (some leads and a new pedal case), and i just dropped off my big muff reissue pedal with tim yesterday to have it modded to 70s ram's head specs.

they also have a great selection of vinyl, and do lots of great things for the local music scene (instores, consignment record sales). tim even made a signature pedal for my friends' band, no anchor!

[honeyisfunny]

The model is essentially Tym Guitars in Brisbane who seem to go from strength to strength just by offering people who play music gear that works and does what they ask of it.

it warms my heart when i hear people from overseas talking about tym guitars. it's fantastic to know that one of the best guitar/amp/pedal stores in the world is a 5min drive from where i live. i just bought some stuff from there today (some leads and a new pedal case), and i just dropped off my big muff reissue pedal with tim yesterday to have it modded to 70s ram's head specs.

they also have a great selection of vinyl, and do lots of great things for the local music scene (instores, consignment record sales). tim even made a signature pedal for my friends' band, no anchor!

A few years ago Tym helped me restore a Mosrite copy I got cheap. Gave me a lot of info, sold me some parts at reasonable price and it stuck with me (unlike the Mosrite unfortunately). I like that they have a website that is fun to visit even if you're not looking to buy anything and I like that he has what is essentially a no nonsense punk rock taste in music and it's reflected in the guitars the shop deals in and places value on. In short - I'd trust the guy to get me a good sound if I had any budget for a guitar and amp from a hundred dollars to a hundred thousand.

Had a meeting about this yesterday and we still have some hurdles to get over plus there are issues with when we can be open reasonably, in terms of it being appointment-only with a couple of set shop time opening days. But we're moving towards it. We'll be looking to sell mics and some simple recording gear too, that's less my side of things and more the studio's.
But if anyone is thinking of offloading any equipment in the next month or two then let me know as we need stock and can buy for cash or do a good % deal for selling it for you.

We need a name too if anyone wants to seriously suggest something that expresses the essential niceness of our attitude better than The Nice Guitar Shop.

Thanks everyone!

[tarandfeathers]

We need a name too if anyone wants to seriously suggest something that expresses the essential niceness of our attitude better than The Nice Guitar Shop.

"Fucking Guitars"

[holmes]

Rock tastics.

[circle_ruler]

The Affable Axe Emporium

(no cock-rockers, no widdling on the shopfloor)

as for how i feel about guitar shops (with the exception of my little local shop), Dudley nailed it. horrible places full of metallic youths. if they were dark with soundproofed booths i could probably handle it better.

[bishopdante]

I'd prefer a café crossbred with a studio complex crossbred with a luthier's workshop. Oh yea, that's what Denmark Street used to be.

[holmes]

shred and your dead.

[turnbullac]

guit-arse

[matthew]

Excellent guitar/record/skateboard store not too far from where I live. Local business unlike the behemoth retailers, no ponytails, and lots of great stuff at great prices.

[benadrian]

When I lived in Oakland, I was lucky enough to be near one of the best shops ever; Starving Musician Berkeley. Yes, the drummer for one of my bands worked there, and yes, I knew the staff pretty well due to playing music in the bay area for so long. Still, it was a great new/used shop.

If I was going to buy something, I'd happily buy it there AND pay a bit more. I'm fine with that when I know it helps the livelihood of my friends.

Local shops changed when mail order started taking over in the 90s. A lot of the local shops in small to mid sized markets started getting defensive and angry. For years these small shops had been the local oracles of gear. They were respected tradesmen. Then, everyone started getting AMS and Musician's Friend catalogs, reading reviews, and believing that they were informed. It's frustrating for an expert when they feel like their knowledge is being rejected, and it's frustrating to have your shop being used for mail-order demos. To me, it seems like the nice shops survived, and the bitter shops died. There are exceptions to this rule, definitely, but overall, this is how it felt to me.

Before I got my job, my plan was this; open a store that was a combination music store, repair shop, my own botique gear show-room, and mastering house. Essentially, I'd be able to do everything, but I'd not have to make my full living at any single one of these things.

[SecondEdition]

I live 10-15 minutes away from Elderly Instruments at the moment, so there's no need to go anywhere else.

[subprime]

Nowhere great locally. The good locally run business is mainly acoustic instruments for blues/folk types. The long and mcquade here is fine, but its long and mcquade so everything is twice the price that im willing to pay.

[tallchris]

Before I got my job, my plan was this; open a store that was a combination music store, repair shop, my own botique gear show-room, and mastering house. Essentially, I'd be able to do everything, but I'd not have to make my full living at any single one of these things.

Move to Seattle and lets start this together!