From New Zealand to the States!

DubnBass · #1 10-03-2011, 04:34 AM

I'm coming over on a trip to the U.S. these Christmas holidays and am planning on visiting a few music shops, seeing as gear is a lot cheaper over there than it is here (even with the exchange rate)! Couple of questions...
Are there any music stores to steer clear of?
Also, do they have stock sitting new-in-the-box out back? Or do you have to buy the shop display model one like you do here in NZ?

Thanks

DubnBass · #2 10-06-2011, 04:57 AM

Anyone out there?

renniw · #3 10-06-2011, 05:13 AM

USA is a big country.

Without some information on wich part of the country you'll visit, it is very hard to point you in any direction....

DubnBass · #4 10-06-2011, 05:41 AM

Sorry I didn't specify. I'll be in the Los Angeles area. Torrance to be exact. Was under the impression that most U.S. music stores were franchises and area didn't make a difference

geoff_in_nc · #5 10-06-2011, 05:49 AM

Possibly most by quantity, but I'd say the best are the independents (there's some poor independents too of course). Nevertheless... you ought to go into a big Sam Ash or Guitar Center at least once... its fun to see the chaos of a "big box" store on a Saturday.... once.... Just for the experience.

GrooveWarrior · #6 10-06-2011, 06:34 AM

The chains are usually the worst stores you will find. Not in terms of selection, but because they do such a poor job of keeping instruments set up that you are often disappointed. You could find a bass you've always wanted to play, and when you grab it, the action is so high that you can't get a good feel for it.

Smaller shops do a much better job of maintaining their instruments. I understand it is a numbers issue, but it still rings true.

I'm not qualified to comment on California shops, but I'm sure someone will chime in.

AnchorHoy · #7 10-06-2011, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DubnBass

do they have stock sitting new-in-the-box out back? Or do you have to buy the shop display model one like you do here in NZ?

??? Not sure if I'm interpreting this correctly, but stores in the US are not obligated to only sell what is on display out front

As a general rule, the BigBox stores will have quite a bit of stock stored in the back and can certainly sell you something from that stock if you wish. One useful thing about the big chains is that they have easy access to the inventory lists of nearby stores, so even if that particular store doesn't have exactly what you're looking for they can find out if it is available nearby

Mom & Pop stores are somewhat more likely to have just about everything they have on display, but you never know. I've been in more than one small music store that had the real "treasures" hidden away out of sight, due to lack of space more than anything else. Ask them, and you might be surprised what they actually do have

DubnBass · #8 10-06-2011, 08:39 PM

Thanks for the replies! As far a new-in-the-box gear goes, yes AnchorHoy, you interpreted it correctly

. In New Zealand we get the best of both worlds... Shop display model purchases & horribly set-up instruments! Oh and did I mention the price?!

As far as set-ups go I don't think it'll be much of a problem though, as I intend to only buy an amp (Ampeg SVT7 Pro most likely). Hopefully I'll be able to get it onboard the plane back to NZ as carry-on!

Anyone else with experiences/opinions please chime in!