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Mom & Pop Shops

#61
The prices are just way too high in the brick & mortar stores here (especially with the used gear) to even consider. I'm talking marked up above "retail" with the used/abused stuff coming in not too far from online "new" prices. They make all their money off the school kids' parents buying/renting their instruments from them.

Nothing but horror stories with a smattering of "wut?"
 
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#63
JackANSI said:
The prices are just way too high in the brick & mortar stores here (especially with the used gear) to even consider. I'm talking marked up above "retail" with the used/abused stuff coming in not too far from online "new" prices. They make all their money off the school kids' parents buying/renting their instruments from them.

Nothing but horror stories with a smattering of "wut?"
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Yep mind are more concerned with leasing a flute to some buck toothed tween than carrying even a name brand bass string.
 
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#64
beobass said:
Hey All I recently have had some of the best shopping experiences at my local music stores and wanted to share some thoughts. I began my search at GC where I found dudes mostly not interested in helping but very interested in selling. There are no longer any negotiations on used instruments or amps. Only coupons on new stuff. Wait was I at the grocery store? Coupons? Just give the discount... anyways I found a great bass at a small shop on main street and the price was perfect. A Sterling Ray34CAFL. I could not be more stoked. Same thing on strings at another small shop a town over. I was looking for a specific sound. The owner helped me dial in that sound and put me on Mangan Strings. Couldn't be happier! It's nice knowing that GC is NOT the only option. So here's a plug to support the little guys instead of the share holders.
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In 1998, i scored a 1981 Rickenbacker 4001S (yes, i said 4001S) for $375 from a little Mom And Pop Shop.
:)
 
#66
^ That's about what mine cost me, including the new pickguard:

IMG_20151014_115543911-TB.jpg
 
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#67
Gilmourisgod said:
I found that GC's vary wildly from store to store. The downtown Boston GC sucks, a bunch of 19 year old Berklee School of Music dropout rockstar wannabees, and the turnover is so constant you never see the same face twice. .
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...on the other hand, that store is near Berklee etc and sometimes some very nice used basses show up and they have lots of used effects. That neighborhood (Fenway) is where I first lived in Boston and it's unrecognizable now...there used to be 2 rehearsal complexes on Boylston, now it's Huge condos for rich foreign students going to BU or Leslee. The 24hr grill on the corner of Brighton Av used to serve musicians after Kenmore squ gigs. No such divine sleeze is left.
Lets not forget on Harvard Av Allston, Mr Music. Them two brothers have many more years to go, and the bass area is packed with product, sometimes great stuff. Their effect area is Very complete too.
(and another, Cambridge Music mentioned above, I loved that store since owner Wendel and his Pedzing band.)
 
#68
Mr Music is great! They have a lot of nice vintage stuff too, one of the few mom and pops left downtown. I worked a job for a while where I drive by there once a week, always went in to see what they had. I haven't been there in years, glad to hear they are stil in business. I used to make a circuit every time I went to Boston, Wurlitzer, Daddy's Junky Music, Mr Music, a couple others long gone.
 
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#69
TripleDouble said:
Also, L&M here in Canada is like a GC, except the staff aren't vultures and seem to know their stuff at least at the 3 I've been to, even the busy one in the nearest big city. I don't think they work on commission.
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They don't work on commission, but they do have sales quotas.

I'm buddies with the manager of one, and their policy of only hiring musicians means he is always struggling with finding folks who show up on time, show up at all, are helpful with customers, and aren't taking off on tour for a month at a time. That said, it means the people who work there actually use what they sell, and are generally pretty enthusiastic about it.
 
#70
sharkbait130 said:
Guess I'm an odd ball here. 63 years old and I have never set foot in a GC. The only thing I have ever purchased online is a couple of sets of bass strings from Bass Strings Online. Most of my current gear was purchased used. The recent new stuff was bought at one of the two local mom and pops. Years ago I bought a few new guitars from a mom and pop in Wheaton Md. That mom and pop was Chuck Levins' Music Center and is probably bigger than any GC I have ever heard of. Incredible selection , fantastic repair shop , and the most helpful people working there you could ever want to meet , except for Chuck himself who is the epitome of a crotchety old fart , but he sure runs a tight ship. It's a 90 mile trip for me these days and I don't need anything , but if I ever need a new big ticket item , that's where I'm going.
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I came here just to name check Chuck Levin's. I went there many a time when I lived in the DMV. When I moved there I found out about them via their ubiquitous "I LOVE MUSIC" bumperstickers... was amazed by their pawn shop-esque cashiering system when I finally went... I remember often seeing dudes trying out timbales and congas for go-go...
 
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#71
beobass said:
Hey All I recently have had some of the best shopping experiences at my local music stores and wanted to share some thoughts. I began my search at GC where I found dudes mostly not interested in helping but very interested in selling. There are no longer any negotiations on used instruments or amps. Only coupons on new stuff. Wait was I at the grocery store? Coupons? Just give the discount... anyways I found a great bass at a small shop on main street and the price was perfect. A Sterling Ray34CAFL. I could not be more stoked. Same thing on strings at another small shop a town over. I was looking for a specific sound. The owner helped me dial in that sound and put me on Mangan Strings. Couldn't be happier! It's nice knowing that GC is NOT the only option. So here's a plug to support the little guys instead of the share holders.
Click to expand...


Who and where in CT? If I'm close I'll give the dude some biz.
 
#73
My local mom and pop wants 47.99 plus tax for a pack of dr strings and 18.99 for a six inch patch cable... So I mostly stick to the internet.

Oh and them 47.99 dr strings. He had to order them and it took 2 days shy of 4 weeks for them to come in.

He coulda ordered them off amazon, selected the free shipping, still made 20 bucks and had em to me at least two weeks earlier
 
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#74
If there were any smaller shops around me worth looking at, I would be happy to give them my business.
I bought my first 44-02 and one of my GK 112NEO cabs from Bass Exchange/Amp Shop. I buy my strings from BassStringsOnline.com, which is just 30 minutes from my home. The last thing I think I purchased from GC was an Ampeg BA115HP about 4 years ago. I bought my LTD TA-600 and a Les Paul Studio from Sam Ash. Everything else comes from Ebay, Reverb, or TB.
True Tone Music has a nice selection of pedals, but doesn't have squat when it comes to basses. The Carvin Shop in Hollywood is gone. The Mesa Boogie shop across from the Hollywood GC carries Sadowsky, but I'm not interested in those. Any of the other Mom and Pop shops I can think of really only carry low quality "kiddie" instruments, or just guitars.
 
#75
There are only a couple of mom & pop shops in my area and they are terrible. Low inventory and poor customer service. They act like they are doing you a favor by letting you in the store. I visit GC once in a while just to see if they have anything decent in the used area but I buy most of my gear from private sellers. I have only purchased one new bass in the last 15 years.
 
#76
If you're in the San Diego area and need something, check out Moze Guitars, in La Mesa, about 12 minutes East of downtown SD, 5 minutes away from the local GC.
It's a repair shop with some cool used gear. (They have 3 Ric Basses in there right now.)
I've dealt with them for 37+ years. Great guys.

And, if you're in Seattle, and need a repair, or want to check out some cool Vintage gear, at realistic prices, it's
Mike and Mikes Guitar Bar. (Check out their website.) Great guys, as well. Especially Mike.
Cheers.
 
#77
My area has a good local scene for music and bands. We also have a number of independent music stores. That's where I shop. I do my best to avoid buying online and never shop at GC. Want a good local store and good support after you buy, keep it local
 
#79
Lownote38 said:
I only go to the Guitar Center in Nashville if I need a laugh, or to check and see if they've pulled in any more of my stolen basses (I found 2 out the 5 I had stolen there, and they HAD the serial numbers and pictures I had given them when the theft took place, yet they purchased them anyway!). I feel VERY lucky to live here in Nashville because we have a number of locally owned shops that I always go to when I'm purchasing something. Corner Music and Rock Block come to mind. Both will beat, or at worst, match a GC price, and the repair people actually know how to repair things.
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Corner was and is my place still! When I lived there Zilla took care of me and always treated me like a friend. And Rock Block is where I bought my first guitar pedal in 1991. Even when I go back to visit I always make it to Corner just to go.
 
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#80
Lownote38 said:
After I called the police and had an officer come out there. I always carry the police report from the original theft with me as well as all of the serial numbers and descriptions. The 19 year old GC manager pushed hard to not let me have my 1968 Precision Bass to the point that he nearly got arrested for lying about details of the bass. It turned out that he was the one that purchased the basses there, and the 68 was already on layaway for another customer. The officer asked me about the details of the bass (which I know like the back of my hand) after he asked the GC dude about the details. After questioning me, he gave that kid a talking to for lying about those details. An hour after discovering my basses were there, I had my 68 and a highly customized MIJ Fender MB-5 back in my hands.
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Wow. I wonder if he kept his job after that?
Maybe this is just me, but I do believe there is some really bad Bass Guitar-ma (Karma) awaiting anyone who would even think of doing something that is both that unethical and illegal. Wow...
 

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