Does Your Town Still Have A Guitar Shop ????

guitars4you

Following on from recent OPS regarding the recent closure of more local guitar shops - Does your town, city, suburb still have a guitar shop ?

I know we can blame Brexit, the internet, the economy, the general decline of the high street with related issues like parking and business rates - Along with other factors like the quality of staff etc

However one big factor now is the level of funding required to set-up, open, run a store - Along with the appropriate required dealerships - It is almost a case now that if you don't have the Gibson/Epiphone account, the Fender account, the Marshall account, either Martin and/or Taylor, then you will be already fighting something of a losing battle 

Brands like Yamaha, Schecter, PRS, Blackstar, Mesa Boogie, Laney, Musicman etc will add credibility to your store, but a mixture of these on their own, without Gibson/Fender/Marshall will already put your business plan on the back foot

Second hand/vintage alone and your biggest competitor is instantly Reverb, E-bay, even FB, Gumtree, Facebook etc - This will include what is available for you to buy and sell on, at sensible/profitable prices, as many sellers will try and get a better prices on the appropriate used sites

The above is a general statement as there are still guitar stores who specialise in certain areas that survive - But when I look at many towns now in the UK, that are just about devoid of any local music store, it is obvious that the MI Trade is now more polarised than ever before - I'm not defending, questioning, or attacking such activities - I'm not even questioning those who will say I only shop on-line now  - It is just an observation that does your local town still have a guitar based shop, that allows you to buy a set of Ernie Ball strings, Boss pedal, a guitar stand, a gig bag, or  a tuner ?

Maybe better to reply/comment along the lines of I live in XYZ and no longer have a store in my town - Or I live in ABC and have a local store called ERTY  - I had a chat today, with a retired colleague from the trade and we mentioned many towns that he would visit in the past, that had a guitar shop, but they all appear to have now closed down

markj

 A few years ago we had a branch of Dawson’s which has long gone. Now have to  travel to Manchester or Liverpool for any good guitar shop.  In saying that the last guitar purchase was from Peach guitars that where superb.

TimmyO

I live in Swindon and there are 2 independent music shops and both have been around for a very long time. Another one opened and then closed again a few years ago.

Kempster & Son is a small, old school shop still run by Mr Kempster and iirc briefly featured on a TPS short when Dan needed to buy something. Back in the day Simon "SVL Guitars" Law worked in there and was the resident tech. 

Holmes Music is a larger shop, does a bit of everything and also runs lessons for most instruments out of teaching rooms upstairs. The titular owner also is pretty well plugged in to various charity and local good causes and it's common to see them donate the use of drum kits/PA to charity gigs and suchlike in the area. 

Both are salt-of-the-earth type places that you'd dearly like to spend your music-making money in, but the usual constraints of the limited ranges and stick they can hold mean that choice is quite limited. 

poopot

Yep... we have a local store run by a nice chap called Dainty...

https://treeoflifeguitars.co.uk/

Pop in, say hello, spend some money!...

VimFuego

hmmm, there are several music shops in Exeter (including 2 specialist guitar shops) and I guess that's what counts as local for me. There is a general music shop in Barnstaple, but I've never been there, and a guitar maker in Bideford, that's about as large as towns get round here, everywhere else wouldn't even be classed a village in more populated regions.  

Musicwolf

markj said:

 A few years ago we had a branch of Dawson’s which has long gone. Now have to  travel to Manchester or Liverpool for any good guitar shop.  In saying that the last guitar purchase was from Peach guitars that where superb.

I'm living in St Helens these days, although I'm originally from neighbouring Warrington.  Neither town has a guitar shop any more.  Warrington was home to the original branch of Dawsons which closed this year.  Back Alley Music came and went, there was at least one other guitar shop in the 70s that has long since gone.  The nearest shop for me is the excellent Sound Affects Premier in Ormskirk (close to where I work).  Sounds Great in Cheadle was also an option but it seems less well stocked these days.

Next week I'll be working in Woking (got to be a song title in there) so I'm hoping to make my first trip to Andertons in Guilford.

Revolting1

We've got Hey Judes in Newport shrops, Guitars,Strings and the odd amp'

  Jude also sells a lot of  Records and cds -helps keep it running she Started as a Record stall.

    Not exactly Andertons, but if she hasn't got something shes happy to put people in touch with someone who does.

  Great community spirit in there.

        long may it continue.       

abw1989

I live in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. There is one music shop in town but it is much more catered towards classical instruments, pianos, woodwind and the like along with music books and sheet music. It used to have a reasonable selection of electric guitars a couple of years ago but I've visibly watched it dwindle over time to the point where I've stopped popping in to have a look on visits to town. Their acoustic range seems to have remained or even increased though.

One town over in Warwick there is another guitar shop that seems to never be open and when it is open, the hours are very irregular. The range in there is quite ecclectic with a few second hand pieces that are nice but seem very ambitiously priced. I have to admit though I've never been in and only seen through the window due to the opening hours.

If I ever want to go and have a 'gear fix' these days, I make a day of it and head into Birmingham to spend a few hours looking around GuitarGuitar and PMT.

That said, most of my recents purchases have been from off the Classifieds here, eBay or Gumtree.

Philly_Q

I live in Streatham, South London and as far as I know the only guitars for sale are in Cash Converters.

There used to be a guitar shop within walking distance, Gigsounds between Streatham and Tooting, but it closed at some point, I have no idea when.  I only went there once to buy some strings, I think that was in pre-internet days - or at least in the days when online music stores were useless places which listed loads of things which weren't actually in stock.

The next nearest place would be Croydon, home of Feline Guitars.  I think there were one or two music shops in Croydon but I suspect they've also gone.

Fuengi

I'm in Horndean which has three pubs, four take aways and a doctor's surgery! However, nearby...

Havant has a tiny guitar shop that used to completely shun the internet but I see how has a website: http://www.havantmusicmart.co.uk/

PMT Portsmouth (which is actually in Farlington) is 10 mins away. 

Chichester has one used / vintage shop run by a guy who played guitar all his life and will not use the internet.
Also had Guitar Sounds which sadly closed after Christmas.

DiscoStu

Our local shop is still alive and well. They sell instruments, CDs/Vinyl, t-shirts, posters etc.
I haven't been in in a few years tbh, I simply haven't needed anything.
I drove past yesterday and had one of those lovely new Fender Meteoras in LPB hanging in the window and I definitely don't need that. Nope.

lovestrat74

Philly_Q said:

I live in Streatham, South London and as far as I know the only guitars for sale are in Cash Converters.

There used to be a guitar shop within walking distance, Gigsounds between Streatham and Tooting, but it closed at some point, I have no idea when.  I only went there once to buy some strings, I think that was in pre-internet days - or at least in the days when online music stores were useless places which listed loads of things which weren't actually in stock.

The next nearest place would be Croydon, home of Feline Guitars.  I think there were one or two music shops in Croydon but I suspect they've also gone.

Guitar Classics is not far from you

merlin

I live in Brighton and there is a plethora (but never enough) music instruments shops here...

GAK
Brighton Guitars
Mudpie Music
Badlands Guitars
Hobgoblin
The Acoustic Music Co

to name a few ....  

thegummy

My nearest town is about 20 minutes away from the biggest city in the country so I was very surprised that there is a guitar shop there.

I just think with a big purchase like that, who's going to be too lazy to travel to Glasgow that one time?

I've bought strings there and they were very expensive.

Whitecat

I’m in the middle of the A3/A30 Guitar Shop Tour... Guitarguitar at the northernmost, then Ripley Guitars, Anderton’s and Guitar Village at the other end. Nothing in my own town, but loads of stuff 30 min drive or less...

crunchman

In Chiswick, West London.  Nothing nearby.

A long list of those that have closed that were reasonably local

Chandlers

Peter Cooks

Unplugged

Flying Pig

ABC Music

Digital Village Acton branch

One in Hammersmith I can't remember the name of

One in Chiswick - but it was rubbish and not missed.  That one went well before the internet.

Those were all within 4 miles of me.  There were probably one or two more that I' forgotten.

I do have repairers within reach.  Richmond Guitar Workshop and Monty's Guitars are both local.

lovestrat74

There is one 2 mins walk from my house. Bought my first guitar there some 30 years ago and also my sons first bass

https://www.langleyguitarcentre.co.uk/

Johnnyseven

Philly_Q said:

The next nearest place would be Croydon, home of Feline Guitars.  I think there were one or two music shops in Croydon but I suspect they've also gone.

I live in Croydon. There's Rock Bottom near West Croydon station and another round the corner from Feline on South End, although I think it's more of a music shop that sells guitars.

blobb

Yup. MidWalesMusic, it's great.

BahHumbug

I live in the sticks between Swindon and Cirencester and support @TimmyO ‘s comments regarding the two shops in Swindon.  To add a little.....

i havent been in Kempsters for a little while, but it has generally had a small but good stock of Fenders, amongst a few other brands.  I think I’ve seen Rickenbackers in there too.  About 12 years ago I bought a MIM Tele there, my first Fender, followed a year later by a Highway 1 Strat, my first American Fender.   I think they also still sell drums and they have a good stock of classicals.

Holmes have tended towards the lower price brackets in recent years, they probably still have Squiers in.
A few years ago they diversified into vinyl records.

There was a guitar shop in Cirencester, but that disappeared a few years ago.
About 45 mins drive away is World Guitars in Stonehouse.  Proper high end electric gear.  Unfortunately they stopped doing acoustics.  The nearest place for quality acoustics is now Vintage and Rare in Bath, about an hour away.

Philly_Q

lovestrat74 said:

Philly_Q said:

I live in Streatham, South London and as far as I know the only guitars for sale are in Cash Converters.

There used to be a guitar shop within walking distance, Gigsounds between Streatham and Tooting, but it closed at some point, I have no idea when.  I only went there once to buy some strings, I think that was in pre-internet days - or at least in the days when online music stores were useless places which listed loads of things which weren't actually in stock.

The next nearest place would be Croydon, home of Feline Guitars.  I think there were one or two music shops in Croydon but I suspect they've also gone.

Guitar Classics is not far from you

Well there you go, thanks, I didn't know that.  I just looked at their site, 20 years it's been there and it's completely passed me by.