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notehead
Supporter
Username: Notehead
Post Number: 2163
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, March 17, 2005 - 3:04 pm: |     |
Okay, musicians, what's the 411 on your favorite places to buy gear: guitars, keyboards, cables, blank media, a spare sousaphone, software, egg shakers, reeds, digideroos, etc.?
I am not too pleased with the Guitar Center on 22, or the Sam Ash across the street, for that matter. I'm not impressed if I know more about the products than the staff, and my schedule doesn't give me much time to linger in stores, anyway, so I do most of my shopping online.
I have gotten consistently good service from Sweetwater Sound - www.sweetwater.com - and my rep there, Dan VanAmerongen, is top-notch. Their prices and stock are very good, and they usually upgrade shipping to 2nd/3rd day for free.
For exotic instruments from all over the world, I really like a place called Lark In The Morning - larkinthemorning.com - that has a huge variety, and for band & orchestra stuff I've found Woodwind & Brasswind - wwbw.com - to be pretty good.
Where do you find the good deals and good service? |
musicme
Citizen
Username: Musicme
Post Number: 1016
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, March 17, 2005 - 3:16 pm: | |
Alto Music
(845)692-6922
180 Carpenter Ave Middletown, NY
Mark is my rep |
notehead
Supporter
Username: Notehead
Post Number: 2165
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, March 17, 2005 - 3:38 pm: | |
My engineer loves that place. I think they have replaced National Sound as his favorite shop. I will have to give them a try sometime. |
composerjohn
Citizen
Username: Composerjohn
Post Number: 179
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, March 17, 2005 - 4:03 pm: | |
I have to agree with you both.
First choice is Sweetwater Sound. My sales rep is Alex Arnold - he is terrific. Amazing service, both pre and post purchase.
Second choice is Alto Music. I ordered some mics from them a few months ago and was impressed with the service and prices.
I agree about Sam Ash and Guitar Center on Route 22. Yuck. Here's an example of Sam Ash's mediocrity: I had a fairly basic question about Gigastudio 3.0. The guy in the computer area could not answer it. He tried asking some keyboard guys. He tried asking some guitar guys. No one in the store knew the answer. After a few minutes of waiting, I gave up. I ended figuring out the answer after about five minutes of research on the web. And now that I own GigaStudio and work with it daily, I am shocked that they couldn't answer this question. Yikes. |
Ben
Citizen
Username: Ros
Post Number: 207
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, March 17, 2005 - 6:01 pm: | |
for brass- Dillon Music in Woodbridge
www.dillonmusic.com
Although sometimes not well staffed, they have best used and new selection for brass instruments anywhere. They also repair as well, not the absolute best , but fairly consistent. |
Chasm
Citizen
Username: Chasm
Post Number: 262
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Friday, March 18, 2005 - 3:50 pm: | |
I agree with youi all about Sam Ash and Guitar Center. I view those places like a Best Buy or Circuit City. If you know what you want and need it now, you buy it there.
I've never purchased a guitar online - I always have to feel the instrument first. Any have any experiences to share? |
buhinc
Citizen
Username: Buhinc
Post Number: 66
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Friday, March 18, 2005 - 4:08 pm: | |
I got my Taylor at Guitar Bar in Hoboken - I just checked out all the Taylors I could find at Sam Ash - which took forever since they didn't always have the model I looked for. I ordered the guitar through Guitar Bar and they were very helpful and honest. That is the only time I've dealt with them, so you can take my rec with a grain of salt. Mandolin Bros is fun to check out guitars, but I have not bought anything there. They set up they did for my guitar was great and I will probably continue to get set up there.
I also just ordered some supplies from a place I found online called Greg Boyd's House of Instruments. They had some neat guitars and accessories and the shipping was fast and the prices seemed reasonable.
But as far as buying a guitar, I would always want to hold and play it first. Athough I did eventually buy mine through a dealer (technically sight unseen since it was a brand new one), I knew what model I wanted (614ce), I had played one already and Taylor is pretty exact with their specs. It's always tough because I have a emotional attachment to all my guitars and I am very careful in picking out a new family member! |
Ukealalio
Citizen
Username: Ukealalio
Post Number: 1881
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, March 19, 2005 - 4:09 pm: | |
Mandolin Bros. in Staten Island-Mecca for Stringed instrument players.
Bernunzio Instruments in Rochester-Almost as good as above, check their web-site.
Elderly Instruments-In Mid-West, great web site, great stock of vintage and new instruments. |
Ukealalio
Citizen
Username: Ukealalio
Post Number: 1882
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, March 19, 2005 - 4:12 pm: | |
P.S. Mandolin Bros. lets you play (as long as you like) any of their instruments under $10,000. I bought my Lowden acoustic guitar there after demoing (all day) all sorts of Martins, Taylors Gibson and Larivee's. |
JazzMe
Citizen
Username: Jazzme
Post Number: 31
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Monday, April 4, 2005 - 8:51 am: | |
Actually - and THAT was really a shock to me - I had some good experience at Sam Ash recently: I needed a bass drumhead on an emergency basis, and
much to my surprize, these guys carried not one but three different types of 18" bass drum heads! These are Jazzer's drumhead and NO ONE except Jazz-specialist drum stores carry jazz drum equipment. Major Kudos to Sam Ash on that one, very smart, I'll be back.
Notehead,
Are you looking for local or national? Are looking for any type of instruments?
As for my specialty, the only cool and pro-quality local drums & percussions stores are Glenn Weber Studio in West Orange and, to a lesser extent, Professional Music in Nutley. Of course, NYC has fabulous drumstores (Drummer's World, Manhattan Drum Shop, and Nodar's store being the classics - for world and unusual percussions, drummer's World is champion). |
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