5 Tips on What To Do In a Music Shop
1. Take Your Time.
Take your time. Take all the time you need. You are investing your limited financial resources into a piece of equipment which will eventually pay for itself and even help you profit if you’re a working musician.
Never let scare tactics like “This is the last model!” or “I’ll only offer you this price once” scare you. Even if it’s true,
unless whatever you want to buy is really rare and going for a really cheap price, never rush a purchase.
Most of the time even if it is the last model a new shipment will come soon and/or whatever it is you want to buy is readily available somewhere else.
That being said, do your homework so you know what’s rare or cheap and what isn’t.
2. Feel Free to Ask For a Discount.
Try your luck. Ask for a discount. Especially if you’re just starting out and are low on cash.
Often times if the instrument or piece of equipment you are testing has a few dings or looks/feels less than pristine, you may ask for a discount as not every customer may be as willing to overlook cosmetic damages,
even if it doesn’t affect that piece of equipments performance.
Buying multiple items from a shop will also help higher your chances of getting a discount.
If you’re buying an electric guitar you might as well buy your amplifier,cables and pedals while you’re at it if you can and get a discount if you’re main priority is to save money.
That being said bear in mind point #1 and Take Your Time.
If you’re planning to buy a dream rig or was saving up for a select few pieces of equipment getting them all at one place will probably save you more money
not to mention give you an opportunity to test all your equipment together if they’re meant to be used together in the case of a scenario like you buying your dream rig.
3. Appearances are Deceiving.
First of all ask yourself : “I might love/use/need to have it, but do I really?”
A lot of times gear looks really good in stores or on racks but it’s important that you really think about what you need and what you don’t.
That way when the time comes and you really need something you can actually get it right away.
Secondly, I’ve mentioned in 6 Tips For Buying Electric Guitars, equipment you buy at a store may not always sound the same at home.
In the case of electric guitar this is due to many factors such as what amplifiers or pedals you are using with the guitar. If possible it is always best that you know what you are getting into.
Often times a piece of equipments ability to perform consistently will vary depending on the number of years you use it and how you use it.
Acoustic guitars mature as they are used but most microphones stay exactly the same throughout the years,
the trick is understanding the piece of equipment you are getting beforehand so you know what you’re getting into
4. Wait For a Sale
Patience is a virtue. Often times whenever you’re eyeing a new piece of gear and want nothing more than to splurge and get it a festive season or holiday is just around the corner.
With these often seasons often comes — yep you’ve guessed it. Sales.
During festive season most businesses will be selling their goods at discount prices.
So the next time you’ve set your sights on a new addition to your rig or collection but would like to save as much money possible,
remember that waiting a few weeks or months will not kill you and will ultimately save you more money and get you the same piece of equipment at a cheaper price
5. Get the Best You Can Afford
We’ve all fallen into the “I’m not good enough to deserve to use that” or “That person isn’t good enough to deserve to use that” mindset every once in a while especially early on.
That being said it is very important that you never sell yourself short.
Getting the best gear you can afford is a good idea for a number of reasons.
1.Having good gear inspires you to play and practice. Although it is true that any guitar in the hands
of a master would sound awesome.
But give the master his fair pick and he’d pick his 100,000 dollar rig anyway because the honest
truth is
that it’s easier to play a good quality rig (which tends to cost a fair bit more than a cheap one)
2.Having good quality equipment will also last longer, saving you more money in the long run because
you don’t have to deal with paying for upgrades or repairs.
3.No excuses. Having good equipment gives you no excuses. No it’s not your guitar that can’t stay in
tune, or your amplifier or your cables.
Having good equipment minimises the chances of anything going wrong at any of your shows.
On the flip side, if you have top quality equipment but you play is not top quality music the only one you should be looking at is yourself.
And that’s it for 5 Tips on What To Do In a Music Shop! What are your common practices in music shops and how have they helped you throughout the years?
Comment below and let me know!