Second Set of Ears

Before I get going on music gear and techniques, where you get your gear should be taken into account.  This site is not affiliated with any stores or other businesses.  So this post is not pushing any one way of attaining your gear.  But not all of these ways are created equal.  You can go to online stores, walk in to a music store, go to a pawn shop, hit up ebay, or know a “guy.”  What do I mean by knowing a “guy?’  I mean two things, you either know someone personally who owns what you want and is willing to sell it to you, or you know someone who can get what you want for you.  Let’s take a look at all of the means of getting your gear and the benefits of each.

Stores

Be it online or in person, stores are a very conventional and traditional way of getting music gear.  In-person stores range from Guitar Center to locally owned and ran stores specific to your area.  Most in person stores differ from location to location, even with chain gear stores.  The benefit to either of these is that you have the security of dealing with someone in person and get to play the gear firsthand.  You also have a physical location to return and complain to, or return to if you were satisfied.  the disadvantage to shopping with these stores as apposed to online is that you must drive to and from stores and this can be both troublesome and costly if you are shopping around.

Online

Online has many benefits to it.  Its extremely convenient and shopping around is simplified greatly.  You also have a great deal of selection at your fingertips as online stores have HUGE warehouses full of gear.  Most online stores also send out catalogs displaying available gear on hand.  The many different online stores available have different pros and cons.  Let’s compare 3, shall we.

Music123.com is an online store that has a crucial selling point, a lowest price guarantee.  This means if you find a lower price at any other online store, they have to beat it.  If your main purchasing incentive is a low price, a site like this is a pretty good place to check out.  They also have a decent selection.

Musiciansfriend.com is one of the most popular online stores for music gear.  It has a massive selection and they often have competitive prices as well.  The main issue with this site and many others is customer service.  Superstores often lack in customer service and knowledgeable staff.  This of course doesn’t apply to all circumstances, and its up to you whether you have a pleasing experience with an online store’s service because that kinda judgment call is subjective.  Selection seems to outweigh service as a priority at musiciansfriend.

Sweetwater.com is another highly popular online music gear store.  Sweetwater has an advantage over most other music gear services due to its customer service style.  Even though a pleasurable experience is subjective, their service at sweetwater is set apart by many factors.  They have expert sales staff who help guide you through the buying process and can give you firsthand advice on how to get the sound you are looking for.  They also send out “gear encyclopedias” which differ from the normal catalog in that it shows practically everything they have available rather than just the profitable selection.  Sweetwater also assigns you a sales engineer to follow up with you on your purchase to make sure it went well and help you with future purchases.  This helps compete with in person stores as well.  Sweetwater doesn’t have a low price guarantee and they don’t always have the best prices available and if you like to purchase gear quickly and not be bothered then you may not prefer having someone talk to you or follow up with you.  While they do have a broad selection, they don’t carry some brands (for example with guitars they carry high end Gibson and Fender guitars, but they don’t carry ESP or G&L guitars).

Each store has they own style.  Though I’ve spoken seemingly more in depth about sweetwater than the others, this is due partly to the fact that the buying experience at sweetwater has a little bit more to it than the others.  Some may prefer to keep to themselves while others prefer more involvement from the store as well as reinforcement for their purchase. These are situations you find in both online and in-person stores.

Pawn Shops, Ebay, and knowing a “guy”

These means of attaining gear are competitive due to the price point factor.  Each of these is unique but function differently from an online or in-person store.

Pawn Shops can be a treasure hunt for musical gear.  Sometime you can find amazing gear, sometimes just typical garbage.  Pawn Shops are competitive though in their prices.  Pawn Shop prices can beat the hell out of in-person and online stores.  There’s no telling what you might find and for what price.  The down side to pawn shops is lack of quality control on the products as well as customer service and knowledgeable staff. Their prices are sometimes based of of the price on ebay.  If you are selling gear, pawn shops are a last ditch effort if you are in need of cash.  They will not be able to pay you competitively or at all comparably to the products actual value.

Ebay is like an online version of a pawn shop.  You will be able to get gear at fair prices because it functions like an auction.  As long as you out-buy the gearhead below you, you in the clear.  Buy-it-now prices are usually much better than retail as well.  Ebay also can give you a much better payoff if you are selling gear as well, especially compared to a pawn shop.  The downside to ebay is that you don’t always know what you are buying until it is too late.  Even detailed photographs can’t replicate how a product functions and sellers don’t always have the best service either.

Knowing a “guy” is the secret weapon of gear.  You may know a relative or a friend who has gear they are selling and they may give you a great price for what you want.  This beats the pawn shops because you have someone to turn to if you are dissatisfied.  What’s more is if the “guy” you know has an inside advantage.  This could mean that your “guy” deals with distributors directly or has an employee discount at a store to get gear at-cost.  If you in with one of these guys, you can get the best price (aside from used prices) and highest quality possible.  The only issue is if your “guy” is shady or has reliability.

These are just a few ways to get your gear and the disadvantages and advantages to each.  Hopefully this let’s you purchase your gear knowledgeably and suited to your tastes and situation.  What are your thoughts, suggestions, tips on how to get the best gear at the best price or best service?

Thanks,

Ian