Are real guitar shops the future

AllthegearNoidea

I end been buying and selling recently. At coda music who have been fantastic on trade in price and purchase price. They've coped with the fact I can't play and change my mind a lot. Price on Gumtree and eBay are stupidly unrealistic. I've also bought from Mark at guitars4you in the past few months and he's also been great.

I'm not affiliated to these shops but it was so easy. I might have saved a few quid if I'd done differently with my px guitars but shouldn't great service., the chance to try new gear etc be worth it? 

rico

All the trade in values I have had from the big retailers have been almost insulting. I would never trade or part ex an item I know I could get more for privately. 

AllthegearNoidea

rico said:

All the trade in values I have had from the big retailers have been almost insulting. I would never trade or part ex an item I know I could get more for privately. 

slacker

Coda are good on price and service. I've traded gear with them since 96. Chris, Doug, Mark and Ryan are awesome.

I think trades are the way to keep real shops going.

underdog

The answer is probably no, unless you live in or near a major city then any guitar shop you can get to easily will be stocked with budget guitars, that's if you have a local guitar store at all.

ToneControl

If I win the lottery, I will open the best guitar shop you have ever seen, and make a loss on a permanent basis

Dave_Mc

AllthegearNoidea said:

I'm not affiliated to these shops but it was so easy. I might have saved a few quid if I'd done differently with my px guitars but shouldn't great service., the chance to try new gear etc be worth it? 

If you genuinely get that great service, yes it probably is.

Problem is a lot of the shops I've been to charge the higher price but don't bother with the great service. And then wonder why the internet is "stealing their customers"... it's not so much stealing as those customers finally having another option. The last time I went out trying guitars (which was the first time in several years, and I was seriously considering buying something), I went home with the feeling that maybe the internet isn't so bad, lol. That can't be right.

(I know Coda has a good rep but I've never been... bought  a few things online from them and they did seem very good, though. I know Mark has a good rep too but again never been.)

Whitecat

I think the small specialist ones that trade in both low and high-end will be around for a while yet. 

The big chains/box shifters could actually be the first to go when the penny drops... they have to turnover a lot of inventory to survive in the first place and they don’t have the same level of knowledge that the smaller, more passionate guys do. 

Strat54

I live in hope that the box shifters with their glass palaces go under. I truly hate the places. Usually avoid them wherever possible. Went a local one last month because someone had bought me a gift voucher from there. Spent £90 on tiny Boss Katana. Does it have a power supply? Err no. Can I buy one then? Err no. Why not? Oh haven't remembered to order any in, but don't buy a cheap one off ebay....its not recommended sir. Useless.The place was ghostly quiet, guitars displayed so high you'd need binoculars to see what was up there. Stock everywhere, expensive guitars in glass cabinets, no sign of used guitars. The phones kept ringing though from online customers expecting emails and products to arrive. In the back I could here the sound of parcel tape being liberally applied. I hope it stays fine for them, I doubt it will. God I miss places like Chandlers and its peg board walls. 

guitars4you

ToneControl said:

If I win the lottery, I will open the best guitar shop you have ever seen, and make a loss on a permanent basis

Yes - how do you acquire a £1,000,000 guitar business ? - Have a £2,000,000 guitar business and wait

To be fair - I make a living and enjoy it  but I'm in the autumn of my career - I would not want to start of fresh today with such a business (at least I don't think I would - but then again I know nothing else)

Jack_

Yeah, I think this internet thing is just a fad, bricks and mortar is the future.

WezV

My local shop celebrated 25 years in business this year.   They recently moved into new premises about 6 times the size of the old shop, 2 doors closer to the town centre. 

guitars4you

WezV said:

My local shop celebrated 25 years in business this year.   They recently moved into new premises about 6 times the size of the old shop, 2 doors closer to the town centre. 

Pete's done okay hasn't he - I first knew him as a customer of mine in Derby, then he worked for Foulds, before opening his own shop - hard to believe it is 25 years - A good player as well

NelsonP

I sincerely hope so. A proper guitar shop is one of the most evocative places in the world, isn't it?

I've only ever bought a guitar from a real shop and hopefully always will. 

prowla

The problem for me is that a lot of guitar shops only sell new stuff and don't stock parts.

 Apart from a Chinese cheapie I put a low bid on and nobody else bid) the last time I bought a new guitar was an Aria SB700 in the 1970s.

I go into shops looking for parts and they tell me to use the Internet.

thomasross20

I mostly buy from real shops.

guitars4you

prowla said:

I go into shops looking for parts and they tell me to use the Internet.

It is an issue now that with so many parts available and so many internet companies doing such a good job that it is a case for most dealers now that caring a good selection of spares is no longer economical - Maybe not so bad for a workshop based business as you are servicing such guitars all the time, especially in a busy store in a busy location ie Charlie Chandlers GUitar Experience

Take machine heads as an example - do you stock the chrome, nickel, black or gold of 3 a side for a Gibson style - do you stock the ones with Grover style kidney buttons or 'snot green' tulip buttons, or indeed metal tulip buttons - What about the snot green tulip buttons with hexagonal nuts or vintage style push in ferules -  some want mini versions of 3 a side

Now similar for Fender 6 aside - vintage style or modern enclosed - locking or non-locking - Then what about Sperzel options

I could easily have 20-30 different types of machine heads in stock and still have not got the right ones for you

A few years ago I had a similar conversation with BK pick-ups and they asked me to be a dealer - I said no as they are doing such a good job themselves that I could not compete with them on  delivery times especially on none stock items - again as an example for a 59 style pick-up - Do I stock vintage wiring or 4 conductor -  zebra bobbins, cream or black, with nickel covers or gold covers - with different wiring options that alone is 10 sets of pick ups to cover all options for both neck/bridge and that is only 1 type of pick-up - I could end up with 50 humbuckers in stock and not have the right ones and as such a special order is required - BK can often deliver next day on stock or custom ordered

I like spares - I nearly opened my shop as a workshop/spares based business with only a few tasty used guitars available - But unless you do it properly you end up with a selection of parts yet always never the right ones - Some parts like a 3 or 5 way Switchcraft Strat switch is an easy option to carry and most/all shops should have them - But even pots now with log/lin, short shaft/long shaft, 250K/300K/500K and you end up with stock sat there for ages and just not economical for many

Sorry but as an overview today web stores do it better - they will probably have hundreds of hits a week across the UK for say a type of switch, knob or pot - I've not sold a 300K long shaft pot in the whole of 2017 or been asked for one so waste of time stocking them (I assume I still have some in a box) - and most of the big 'box shifting stores' just are not interested as you've probably found out

mattdavis

Strat54 said:

I live in hope that the box shifters with their glass palaces go under. I truly hate the places. Usually avoid them wherever possible. Went a local one last month because someone had bought me a gift voucher from there. Spent £90 on tiny Boss Katana. Does it have a power supply? Err no. Can I buy one then? Err no. Why not? Oh haven't remembered to order any in, but don't buy a cheap one off ebay....its not recommended sir. Useless.The place was ghostly quiet, guitars displayed so high you'd need binoculars to see what was up there. Stock everywhere, expensive guitars in glass cabinets, no sign of used guitars. The phones kept ringing though from online customers expecting emails and products to arrive. In the back I could here the sound of parcel tape being liberally applied. I hope it stays fine for them, I doubt it will. God I miss places like Chandlers and its peg board walls. 

I miss Chandlers for its character but not its prices.....

WezV

guitars4you said:

WezV said:

My local shop celebrated 25 years in business this year.   They recently moved into new premises about 6 times the size of the old shop, 2 doors closer to the town centre. 

Pete's done okay hasn't he - I first knew him as a customer of mine in Derby, then he worked for Foulds, before opening his own shop - hard to believe it is 25 years - A good player as well

He's been my go to guy since I was 14, although I really don't go in enough these days, despite passing the shop everyday.

he has the internet side of things now, but still has unusual and interesting second hand stock.  he has managed to avoid the small town trap of only doing a small range of cheap guitars.

WezV

.... everyone needs to come to burton to visit Pete Oakley's Guitar Superstore.  

guitars4you

WezV said:

.... everyone needs to come to burton to visit Pete Oakley's Guitar Superstore.  

say hi to him from me - next time you see him