Do you feel compelled to buy locally?

[Vibroluxman]

I too shop at parkway (p.s. they'll do web orders). They've got great gear, great staff and a lot of it. Some of their prices on gear is hundreds less than Musicians friend. Saratoga Guitar is another shop I go to. Less merch, but they're always willing to deal and they have good service.

[DarthElvis]

I buy the actual guitars locally, only way to try before you buy. The chance of getting a dud when buying from a pretty picture on the net is too great. Electronics, etc., no problem with online.

[Sunshine86]

Not particularly. The only decent guitar shop here (that I'm aware of) is in Silver Spring

[this is paul]

I have no problem buying a lot of things online. With guitars though....I have to try before I buy. I'm very picky about what I'll buy. I don't necessarily look for specifics, but just rather that one that speaks to me.

 

The fact that I can play 4 of the same model in store, and feel completely different about all of them, makes it hard for me to buy online and hope for the best.

[les_paul]

Kinda mixed. I try to buy local but if the local dealer doesn't sell what I'm after I'll get it where I can. Don't get me wrong; I'll try new stuff but if it doesn't measure up to what I want I'm not going to settle.

[crashclc]

I don't feel compelled to shop locally but I do try to share the love. If there's a product I want and I know it is available at the local M&P I am fairly likely to buy it from the locals even if it is a few bucks more. But if there's a big discount on offer, I am more than willing to be a slut and shop the box stores.

[Elessar [Sly]]

There is F-all around here. Central London or Brighton are the closest places with decent music shops. There is a brilliant guitar workshop down in Croydon called Feline guitars, but other than that there isn't much in terms of actual music shops.

[Howard VA]

I've been dealing with Alto Music in Wappingers Falls, NY since '94, and have bought quite a few guitars there. Their customer service is the best, they have a great selection of guitars and their prices are always lower than the big online places, like Musician's Friend, American Musical Supply, etc. To me, it's the best of both worlds. I asked the manager (nice guy, too) how they can always have lower prices than the big online stores, and he told me that's how they can compete with them. Works for me! I would never buy a guitar or amp from anybody but my local guitar store at Alto Music.

[BydoEmpire]

I prefer to buy locally for a variety of reasons (support the local economy, being able to try things first, it's simply fun for me to browse music stores); but for "commodity" type items like picks and strings I do often buy online for price and convenience. I don't see myself buying many guitars or amps online as I want to play it first. Maybe a cheapie or if it's exactly the right thing at the right price on ebay.

 

I bought my Suhr from a dealer in Tallahasse (about 4 hours away) but I wasn't particularly happy with their service post-sale, so if I ever order another one it will likely go through an out-of-state dealer. Price and convenience have nothing to do with it in this case. If the service isn't outstanding for an expensive item like that, I'm going to another store. Period.

[bluesnapper]

I only buy strings online. I'm not paying

[kit_strong]

Not particularly. We have a big shop right up the street ( I walk by it daily) but they rarely have anything I want in stock, don't carry many of the brands I like (TCE and Apogee for starters) and don't make very good deals. I have bought quite a few things from the Towson Guitar Center and Washington Music Center, both about 25 miles away.

[Elessar [Sly]]

The price of cables at the moment is ridiculous... so much cheaper to buy online. And as mentioned above, local stores rarely stock anything really interesting. Mostly starter gear or top of the range, and mostly just stock Boss and EHX pedals.

[Help!I'maRock!]

depends on what it is.

 

my guitars are a mix of local stores (Rudy's), GC, high profile internet retailers (Willcutt, Pick of the Ricks), and CL/forumite purchases.

 

of my three amps, one was bought from my guitar teacher 20 years ago, another was bought from Sam Ash, and the last was bought direct from the builder. i also had a slew of Fenders purchased from forumites that i made a killing on when i sold them locally.

 

the overwhelming majority of my pedals have been bought either direct from the builder, or from my friends' storefronts. i was a regular ToneFactor supporter when Brad owned it, and also buy from Scott at Axe and You Shall Receive. for my next purchase, i'm actually buying from two friends, as I have a Catalinbread Echorec on hold at Axe.

 

lastly, i do teach part time at a music school and we do have a limited amount of gear. most of my accessories come from the store.

[reverberlayed]

My local shop that I go to stocks mostly budget guitars. Crafter, SX, and some I've never heard of. I was talking to him once and he used to carry Squier and Fender but he just doesn't sell guitars to maintain the huge amount of stock. He only makes any money on accessories and believe me, his accessories are priced on the high end. I do like to support local business when I can but my latest guitar purchases have been used CL or GC purchases.

 

That being said, he recently became a G&L dealer and there's a nice Tribute ASAT Bluesboy I hope to pick up this week.

[3volved]

To answer the original post in a single word: No. I feel compelled to get the best possible deal despite the location.

[Angry Tele]

nope