Support your local mom and pop guitar shop

pica · #1 12-02-2009, 08:37 PM

Dear Fellow Bassists

In these trying economic times, especially here in Michigan, I ask all of you to please support your local mom and pop guitar store instead of giving your hard earned money to a multi-million dollar corporation such as GC. In my experience stores like that are out to make as much money as possible and could care less about the customer. (but that's just my opinion.)

SpamBot · #2 12-02-2009, 08:41 PM

I won't. My local mom and pop's are horrible, with bad service, unknowledgeable staff and hideous price gouging on consumables. GC, Sam Ash and online for me.

Please note I am not generalizing all mom and pop stores, just the ones in my neck of the woods.

ADbassman · #3 12-02-2009, 08:44 PM

I'll shop wherever has the best value.

WalterBush · #4 12-02-2009, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpamBot

I won't. My local mom and pop's are horrible, with bad service, unknowledgeable staff and hideous price gouging on consumables. GC, Sam Ash and online for me.

Please note I am not generalizing all mom and pop stores, just the ones in my neck of the woods.

Unfortunately, +1 on this. There's one store locally that tries a little harder, but when I ask for something that doesn't say "Schecter" on the headstock, they order it from the same website I'd use, and add a markup. No, thanks.

A lot of small town music stores thrive on maintaining the local schools' band instruments and keeping the DJ wannabes in cheap PA gear. Guitarists and bassists get thrown to the wind frequently here in the desert southwest.

pica · #5 12-02-2009, 08:46 PM

Spambot - It does help when they have knowledgeable staff who know what their talking about. Please don't get me wrong, there are many bad mom and pop shops too. Before buying anything............do your homework.

M0ses · #6 12-02-2009, 08:47 PM

Indeed. I would, but the closest one is a 20 minute drive away and has pretty bad prices, because there's not a big market here. They have done some good repairs for me, though.

WookieeForLife · #7 12-02-2009, 08:50 PM

Mine went under.

p0werslav3 · #8 12-02-2009, 08:52 PM

I'd go the mom & pop route if I could find one worth it in my area.

Guitar Center started off as a "mom & pop" type store

I go with the best deals and service, be it the small guy or the giant.

Pilgrim · #9 12-02-2009, 08:54 PM

I just did, to the tune of $1100. We have a great shop in Fort Collins (CO) called Spotlight music - and they made me a heck of a deal on a Genz-Benz Shuttle 6.0 and two T12 speakers. It's a pleasure to do biz with them.

SixString · #10 12-02-2009, 08:57 PM

I agree with the way this thread is going. All the mom and pop shops I've been in have terrible pricing. I say support ebay/CL maybe you'll be buying from someone who really needs the money.

djero44 · #11 12-03-2009, 09:28 AM

I'm super lucky, although I live in rural western CO, there is a shop in Cedaredge called Starr's Guitars that not only has a great selection of equipment, from Squires to PRS's (and a fair bass selection too, with one 5-string USA Spector I really like...), they will match any online price. No idea how they pull that off, but I make the drive up there as much as possible.

Supporting local businesses is ideal, if possible, but I know how it is dealing with junky music shops. Personally i'd go online in that situation, too. But if you have some good people around with a small business, it's your support that keeps them afloat.

**Eric Perry** · #12 12-03-2009, 09:31 AM

All my purchases come from a small privately owned music store in my area. GC opened around here about 4 years ago. I was there once. Bought nothing.

Philbiker · #13 12-03-2009, 09:50 AM

Yes. I've bought many a bass and mucho gear from my locak mom & pop shops. Luckily in the DC area we have many very good small independent shops, including, but not limited to:

Jive Sound
Melodee Music
Classic Axe Guitar Gallery
Chuck Levins Washington Music Center

Crockettnj · #14 12-03-2009, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpamBot

I won't. My local mom and pop's are horrible, with bad service, unknowledgeable staff and hideous price gouging on consumables. GC, Sam Ash and online for me.

Please note I am not generalizing all mom and pop stores, just the ones in my neck of the woods.

+1. We had a bunch in the area, one good one. They are mostly gone now. By and large I'd +1 on this though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ADbassman

I'll shop wherever has the best value.

+1

Quote:

Originally Posted by SixString

I agree with the way this thread is going. All the mom and pop shops I've been in have terrible pricing. I say support ebay/CL maybe you'll be buying from someone who really needs the money.

+1

(my first multiple quote thread!)

calebbarton · #15 12-03-2009, 09:58 AM

we have several good shops here in portland. my favorite is 5star guitars. its nice when the staff knows you by name and when you say you need strings they knew exactly which ones to pull off the wall.

FeuerFrei · #16 12-03-2009, 09:58 AM

I am in the habit of looking around online, finding the price I can buy it for, then I'll call my local stores, and I use this line.

"I know you can't match the price, but what Can you do?"

A lot of the time, they bring the price down enough that I can justify going to them and dropping the extra scratch vs buying it online. But when I hear "we can order it for you" no thanks, the reason I called or came in is I wanted it now, if I want to wait I'll order it myself and not pay markup.

James Hart · #17 12-03-2009, 10:00 AM

I have not bought anything 'local' in a decade. I buy direct from builders / manufacturers... or from internet dealers that ARE the true 'Mom & Pop' shops of the day like www.thelowend.net or www.bassnw.com or www.theperfectbass.com

oerk · #18 12-03-2009, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WookieeForLife

Mine went under.

This.

Gord_oh · #19 12-03-2009, 10:01 AM

Michigan is tough right now....
:/

Rick_no7 · #20 12-03-2009, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpamBot

I won't. My local mom and pop's are horrible, with bad service, unknowledgeable staff and hideous price gouging on consumables. GC, Sam Ash and online for me.

Please note I am not generalizing all mom and pop stores, just the ones in my neck of the woods.

My local shop price gouged the local populace for years, charging American made prices for junk made over seas. Some of their stuff still approaches that kind of pricing. They buy used gear from pawn shops, spray some windex on it, and try to sell it for like 5% less than what something new sells for. They used to post the MSRP on instruments, if you wanted it down you had to call them on it, otherwise you payed completely crazy prices.

They have a lucrative connection(family wink and nods) to the local schools, so they make bank and really could not care less about anything else. I was once told "Have fun driving down to Atlanta" when I said I'd rather go somewhere with realistic prices.

So no. Mom and Pop should've been better to musicians here when they were the only ones in town.

So I agree with James Hart's post above. The real Mom and Pops are on the net now.