One thing we've been seeing a lot of is our peers going to the big box music shops over going to the corner guitar shops. When asked why, many players give different reasons, and seem to cut short the advantages of going to the small shops.
One former bandmate would only go to Guitar Barn, and refused to go anywhere else when I first met him... of course this was until I talked him into going to a local shop where he found his now #1 guitar; a Fender Esquire GT Custom that had been a short run Fender did around the same time they were doing the Blink 182 guitars. I'd mention a shop and he'd say "They suck! They're always mean to me!"
With smaller shops that have been open any length of time, the better ones are run by techs, and not salesmen. One of the local shops I go to has 2 individuals working there who are anything but personable. They aren't mean, they're just tech-y. They are great at doing setups, doing mods, and some of my go-to guys for anything technically related to guitar. They're also a great source for parts; often carrying parts unavailable at our poorly stocked Guitar Barn (3 feet of glass case with a half dozen pickups?). This same corner shop; Rock Haus in Milwaukee, WI, also has a spectacular array of boutique pedals. Their guitar selection is limited to what comes in used, but occasionally they have some great finds. Wade's Guitar Shop on Milwaukee's East Side is the only place Aaron trusts to do adjustments on his SG Supreme, and they usually have at least 4 or 5 guitars to drool over, and are a RIC dealer.
We have one local shop that has become a go-to for vintage and boutique gear called Cream City Music in Wauwatosa, WI. They're showroom is larger than most corner shops and it is in the suburbs, but it was started in a smaller location which is now a photography studio, and was recently bought out by its employees. The store has been a big player in selling Gibson which is saying a lot in this market where Gibson sends whatever guitars they want to their dealers, and said dealers have little say as to what they're going to stock. Their selection on Gibson is actually more impressive than the Guitar Barn down the road, in that they have some Gibson guitars (like the Dave Grohl signature) that aren't "safe" stocking items, and would never be hanging on the walls at Brookfield, WI Guitar Center. It's been our theory that guitars at Guitar Barn are shipped around, and what are received in our area are the items with an easy sale rate, and nothing outside of the status quo, or just the left over crap. The other thing to keep in mind is that the big box stores are getting away from haggling, and running with standardize pricing. At the aforementioned local shops, I get a discount price from sticker without asking. Guitar Barn lowers their prices only when I show them an ad from a competitor. Cream City Music also has a room with just Gretsch guitars high end (vintage and boutique) amps. They carry amps like Matchless, Carr, Dr Z, Victoria, and a few other boutique amps, as well as Marshall, Vox, Mesa, and Fender.
What About Service? Isn't the Customer Always Right?
Some of the smaller guitar shops seem to ignore customers. This is due to the fact that a lot of the guys working at them are also working on guitars, dealing with customers, or are oblivious to people in general because they've been hearing local kids banging out the butchered versions of their favorite songs all day. This is particularly true in the summer months. One local store (though now an online retailer) is Cascio Interstate Music. In the summer, the guitar department manager and I would call it "Camp Cascio", due to the fact that during summer months, it seemed like parents would drop their kids off as free daycare.
As stated, the smaller shops are run more so by techs. Big box stores have salesmen... more than likely trying to get commission. Our local Guitar Barn has maybe 2 guys who know a bit about gear. The rest of their saleguys (and one of their "MASTER LUTHIERS") are younger kids who are great if you need a buddy to confirm you're gettin' a bitchin' axe for your wannabe Kings of Leon band, but they are useless when you've been around and just want to know what tone wood the damn guitar is made of. They seemingly only know as much about the product as what is printed on the tag. They will however kiss your ass. A lot. It's kinda like being in a strip bar actually... minus the nakedness. I had one kid there argue with me that Gretsch was owned by Fender. Gretsch is DISTIBUTED BY and their R&D is done by Fender, but the company is owner by Fred Gretsch of the original Gretsch family.
A lot of times they go with common myth, and misinformation to get the sale, or to produce an up-sell. I notice this when purchasing lower end Gibson or Epiphone. I've had salesguys tell me the Les Paul Studios are maple veneer rather than a full maple cap, which was a theory had heard before, but a false one.
The key with the sales model for the big box stores is ego-stroking. They know how to stroke the fragile egos most musicians have. Also they offer bullshit "coverage", and "professional setups" on guitars they sell which in we've experienced guitars that have needed neck adjustments after getting said "professional setups". Those of us who know a thing or two about guitars can either do our own setups, or have techs we trust; not some guy off the street who's done a couple neck adjustments that was given a nametag that says "MASTER LUTHIER".
So You're Just Against Big Box Stores?
No. In fact for every great corner shop, we find a multitude of terrible ones. There's a reason I don't refer to the small shops as "Ma and Pa" music stores. We have experienced shops where we've been turned off by opinionated attitudes of the people who run them. There's also a know-it-all factor of shop owners living off of antiquated ideas... even more so than ours. Let us not forget the scam factor. Generally, you can tell fairly quickly what kind of shop you're dealing with. If the people running it seem to know what they're talking about, are doing work on guitars, and have their store stocked with guitars that are reasonably priced, and are brands you've heard of, you're in the right place. If there's a lot of off brands, and the people there don't know what they're talking about, Guitar Barn might actually be a better bet.
We have seen some stores where the owners hearts were in the right place, but they just don;t know how to order. One shop in my old home town would wtock only one gauge of every brand of string, ie they had a set of D'Addario in 10's only, a set of Ernie Ball in 9's only... I recommended they stock Ernie Ball 10's and not charge full retail if they wanted people to buy local. In situations where the local guitar shop is the only game in town, I definitely recommend either ordering online, or better yet, find shops in the closest large town through networking with fellow musicians. In my old home town, we would network with musicians that were 1 1/2 hour away for music gear, as well as setting up shows. It pays to be social.
