Local music store's closing down....

real shame to hear another small trader closing down.....guess we can't really blame the supermarkets this time for once...dont see many fender strats in my local tesco :roll:

I only have one shop within reasonable driving distance. If that thing shuts down i'll have to mail order everything. :o

Not really a small trader - part of the Dawson's chain - I suppose I could go to Warrington, 5 miles away, but it's a pain in the proverbials to get to on the bus.....

There's only one other music shop in St Helens, but he never seems to have the strings I want - and it's no good forking out for bus fares, plus time wasted, only to go home empty-handed.....

Ah well - I'll just have to take advantage of the offers whle I can....closes end of February....

:D :D :D

Vic

link to their stores page....

http://www.dawsons.co.uk/Articles/Stores

the one in Liverpool is easy enough to get to, only 5 minutes walk from the Station....and it's an excuse to call in the Cavern Pub for a pint or several, and drool over the memorabilia.....trouble is, the train fare's about the same as the price of a packet of strings.....

:D :D :D

Vic

good hunting vic......plenty of strings on ebay....guess if you bulk buy its only one postage charge so prob work out economically....

if they're selling talent i'll have a load off them lol :lol: :lol:

There's only one other music shop in St Helens, but he never seems to have the strings I want - and it's no good forking out for bus fares, plus time wasted, only to go home empty-handed...
Vic

Vic, won't the shop order the strings for you?
Denny

Juststrings.com for me.

The local GC: they rarely have the selection of MF (their sister compnay) and for something like the 12-string version of a Shubb capo or particular picks or Rotosounds, the salesman usually says they can order it for me.

Which I can do myself, so...GC gets my money for Fingerease and Fender 351 shape picks, but little else.

Juststrings has always had what I wanted though, as far as strings go.

Sad about the local shop Vic. :(

Hard to keep a small shop going these days. A friend of mine has a small guitar shop a couple of miles from here and I think it only stays afloat because they also have another business, which his wife runs, which does very well.

He sells mainly guitars, amps, strings etc. plus does a few lessons. He did try to branch out into strings and brass. It was tough going though, because he didn't know enough about them, and couldn't keep a big enough range, to really attract the brass/string enthusiasts. I managed to grab a cheap sax off him before he stopped stocking them though. :)

Local shops also now find that some of their clients will come in, try out all the stock, ask all the questions, and then go and find the item slightly cheaper online and buy it that way. Or make the trip into the city in the hope of getting a somewhat better deal from a big chain that can buy at a better wholesale price.

I guess I'd be happy buying strings online, although for an instrument I only feel comfortable playing the actual one I'm going to buy first. Currently I buy everything I can from the local shop just to try and keep him there a bit longer.

Cheers,

Chris

You'd think in a town the size of Newton-le-Willows - population approx 25,000 and growing - there'd be one shop that stocked guitar strings wouldn't you.....

:twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

Vic

thats sad Vic

But even 70% won't make the journey from Oz to Endland any cheaper for me the wife said :lol:

that sucks vic :(

Well - I went shopping. What a let-down.....nothing I liked was reduced by much, I'll have another look later in the month but I'm not optimistic.....

Strings were a bit cheaper than usual - so I stocked up. Got new strings and spares for each guitar, a couple of plecs and that was it. Only thing that caught my eye guitar-wise was a Squier affinity tele, going for £99 - but it had been bashed about a bit in the store, there's a few dents in it, and it's one that must have been tried and tested a few times - severe case of belt-buckle rash.....

I was also looking for a 5W cube micro amp - none in stock. There was a 20W cube, but it didn't seem reduced in price at all, so I didn't bother with it.

Anyway, called in a second-hand shop, just to see if they had anything nice in - came out with a slightly battered 10W Park practise amp, I tried it with a second-hand Strat, and wow does it pack a kick! The gain is fabulous - got a really sweet bluesy tone and a nice chunky rocking tone out of it, so I asked the price.....£15. Pity they didn't have two!!!

So not a totally wasted day after all......

OK - now I've got three guitars ready for re-stringing.....better get on with it....

:D :D :D

Vic