How to choose – and buy – an instrument: local, mail-order, or eBay? (Part 2 of 5)

This is part two in a five-part series on choosing and buying an instrument. In this installment, we’ll look at buying from your local music store or instrument shop. (Article below)

Violin

Let me first say that there is quite a spectrum to consider regarding the local experience. If you’re shopping for full-size, handmade orchestral string instruments (violins, violas, celli, and double basses), you may deal with a craftsman in a small, private shop. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a beginner guitar “pack” (instrument, case, picks, and an amplifier if applicable), your local store may be part of a big box chain. Each serves a different market, and in most cases, each does it well. It would be impossible to cover everything in a short installment, so I’ll paint with broad strokes and try to give a decent overview from my perspective. It may not be completely accurate, but it’s served me well over the years…and I’m willing to reconsider any notions I have if someone tells me I’m wrong. Don’t be shy; it’s happened before.

Anyway, here is my take on the locals.

If you’re unfamiliar with the instrument you’re buying, a local shop is a great first stop. Everyone working at a local shop isn’t an expert, but they should be able to give you some introductory knowledge about the instruments they have available. Sometimes, the people there are incredibly knowledgeable; usually, these same folks are very happy to help educate you as a future musician. Sometimes, the people at your local shop aren’t very knowledgeable or helpful. If you have a good shop nearby, get to know the people there; you’ll probably be visiting it frequently. If your shop is only interested in pushing cheap instruments, run out the door as quickly as you can.

If you’re an advanced musician, you’ll have a much more polarizing experience when you step into a local shop. Your standards are much higher, and if you’re going to deal locally, you expect more expertise. Typically, the local store carries higher prices on comparable instruments…but also provides greater knowledge and assistance that is more accessible. If your local salespeople aren’t more knowledgeable, they’re only more expensive. I don’t mind paying for knowledge and service, but I do mind paying extra for nothing.

Sometimes, local shops will let you take one or more instruments home “on evaluation” to try them in your typical playing environment. This is nearly always the case with fine string instruments, for example. This is a valuable service that costs the shop itself some money (stocking instruments, bearing the risk while they’re out, etc.), and while some mail-order places let you do something similar, it is much easier to accomplish from your local shop. If you try twenty (violins, trumpets, flutes, etc.) in the shop, you can narrow it to your top three or four and take them home for a week. You can then consider only the few you liked best. At the end of the evaluation, you may purchase one…or none. Professional shops expect these outcomes, and a good shop won’t pressure you over it if you return them all. But that is the topic of another article…

Our experiences with local establishments have been quite varied. I bought a Fender classical guitar from a local shop, and it is a dream to play. I played several different classical guitars in different stores, and this one had the best sound and feel of any of them. It was also one of the least expensive. I bought it during an inventory reduction sale (prior to the store’s end-of-fiscal year inventory), and it was so good my wife told me to buy it on the spot. How could I not?

My worst experience was with a local violin shop. For those who haven’t bought a fine string instrument before (yet?), violins don’t roll out of factories like many other instruments do. Even those that come from large workshops require final setup and adjustments of the bridge, soundpost, and more in order to optimize the sound produced. And each instrument responds differently to different bridges, strings, etc. A good violin technician (luthier, in industry terms) can do a lot with an instrument. But an unscrupulous one can be frustrating at best, expensive at worst. This one in particular tried to pass off an inexpensive workshop violin with a confined sound as a much nicer instrument. We’ve never been back.

In short, local shops seem to offer the best and worst of worlds, with a great deal of variation. Start there on your search for a new instrument, but don’t stop there without knowing your other options. Next time, we’ll discuss the ups and downs of mail-order. In the meantime, drop us a comment if you have one…and keep playing!

Mark

How to choose – and buy – an instrument: local, mail-order, or eBay? (Part 1 of 5)

How to choose – and buy – an instrument: local, mail-order, or eBay? (Part 3 of 5)

How to choose – and buy – an instrument: local, mail-order, or eBay? (Part 4 of 5)

How to choose – and buy – an instrument: local, mail-order, or eBay? (Summary)