And People Wonder Why Guitar Shops Are Closing.....

[phil.c60]

I have broken another Fender instrument lead. No big deal, except I'm quite careful with my gear, and it's the second one in months. It's a tweedy one, which I like, and it's broken at the jack plug entry as the shrinky tube they use is not very stiff and does not support the lead terribly well. That's also what happened to the last one.
"Aha" says my guitarist mate "you need some of those Whirlwind ones. They're not cheap but they are the mutt's nut's".
I look online, I ring a local -ish (25 minute drive) guitar shop who advertises them and ask: "Do you have these, I want two 8' ones and an 18' one, all tweedy, all with sliver stripe" "yes" says man "I've got a whole wall of them, come on down".
Sunday morning, guitar friend and I pop off down there for a look see and to spend some money. Uninterested spotty youth says "they are all there, that's all we've got, there's non anywhere else" and points to a smallish rack with a lot of Fender leads, and some Whirlwind leads but not the ones I want. "Are you sure" I ask "as I rang and someone said you'd got loads of them" "That's all we've got, there's no more anywhere else....." like a stuck record. I express my displeasure at having our time wasted: spotty youth doesn't really give a s*** makes no effort to offer to order them, can't wait to get back to whatever he was doing before we ruined his Sunday morning by wanting to buy something. I won't go there again. Ever. Even though it's the nearest one to where I live. I don't suppose my mate will go there again either. Will I miss it if it goes? Not really.I'll just order them online from Nevada or Anderton's like I should have done in the first place (but I did want to see one this time so I could make my mind up that they were worth the money)
What part of "Service" don't these places get?
Oh - and in case you're interested, it's "Guitar Sound" in Chichester. I don't normally "Name & Shame" but on this occasion I'm so pi**ed off I will.

Edited February 8, 2016 by phil.c60

[Hobbayne]

Name and shame so we can give this place the wide berth it deserves.

[phil.c60]

Sorry Hobbayne: I just edited it to do just that.

[discreet]

A sad tale indeed, but for top-quality leads and cables one need look no further than our own obbm of this parish.

[url="http://www.rock-wire.uk.com/"]http://www.rock-wire.uk.com/[/url]

All of my many leads and cables are from obbm and over the years I have had NOT ONE single problem with them.

Yes, I am doing this. It's happening.

PS: Thanks for naming the shop, by the way. Unlikely ever to go there, but definitely not now.

Edited February 8, 2016 by discreet

[stuckinthepod]

It's the human link that either makes it or breaks the experience isn't it. I have frequented two national chain music stores one with staff that are frosty at best, the other where you can have a good chat and they'll offer advice. I now only go to one of them.

Went back to a store this weekend where I've previously not had the best service (after a good few years break) and was well taken care of. Staff and their attitude can really make or break a music business, especially when its usually cheaper online- A store has to offer more than just products to survive.

I'll happy say that two stores I frequent who have got it right in the Manchester area are Great British Bass Lounge and Marvel Guitars. Top advice, banter and great service.

[ambient]

I think Andertons are a real shop, albeit one that has a good and reliable internet presence too.

I like the planet waves ones. They're a good price and very reliable.

[chris_b]

Order your leads online from Dave. . . OBBM.

My OBBM instrument lead is 5 years old and gets used about 2 times a week.

[phil.c60]

Yes, both Anderton's and Nevada are real shops. I've been to both a few times but they are a bit of a trot from where I live which is why I order online from them. I just fancied "going local" for a change. I've always had quite good service in both when I've been there and also price matching, especially in Nevada.

[phil.c60]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1454942468' post='2974417']
Order your leads online from Dave. . . OBBM.

My OBBM instrument lead is 5 years old and gets used about 2 times a week.
[/quote]

I will. Right now. If he does the tweedy thing.

[chris_b]

Ask. I'm sure he will.

Unfortunately it's not a new situation. . . . . we used to get arrogant, inept and "heads right up their arses" staff in music shops back in the 60's.

There are good guys working in shops.You've just got to find them.

[4stringslow]

If I can't decide which item to choose online I just buy them both (or more), wait until they arrive, check them out, decide on the one I want to keep and then send the others back. Time it right in the credit card billing cycle and the returned items are credited back before the credit card bill has to be paid. It must be very tough to run a shop these days but times change and trying to keep costs down by paying uninterested youngsters minimum wage isn't going to cut it.

[phil.c60]

Have just emailed obbm - for once I'm doing as I'm told.

[Lw.]

Are guitar shops closing? I've not really noticed it myself.

As above; it's the human element that can make or brake physical shops. It's great dealing with someone that knows what they're talking about & has a happy demeanor but there could be a million different reasons that person could be having a bad day and so is not as positive as you may have liked, thus giving you bad service & you then sharing the story.

Not sure whether a fact the the store person has acne really brings much to the situation but I'd have more of a problem with the other person you spoke to on the phone (who essentially lied to you) over the weekend boy telling you how it is.

BTW - I use a whirlwind cable, it's very good. I would probably go OBBM now but I bought it before I joined the forum so hadn't heard of him.

Edited February 8, 2016 by Lw.

[leftybassman392]

I've always done my own - that way I know them literally inside out!

Sommer cable and Neutrik plugs, and if I do say so myself I've never, ever arrived at a gig to find any of them non-functional.

As one-offs it does take a little time but if you use quality components and trust yourself with a soldering iron it really isn't rocket science. Wired my entire (24-track) recording studio (not to mention my available-for-hire PA rig) with my own cables too (except for the Adat optical cables that is) and never had to replace any of them. In fact when I sold it all off I quite often gave people cables to go with the gear I sold them: I like to hope and believe that they're all still working today (along with the many leads I made and sold to my students over the years).

Not for everybody though, so OBBM of this 'ere parish does indeed come with a flawless reputation if you're buying ready made.

Edited February 9, 2016 by leftybassman392

[Lozz196]

I`ve had similar experiences in music shops, usually manned by non-musicians (or at least it`s seemed that). Enter shop, ask if they have any Rotosound bass strings, reply being we have Ernie Ball, they`re very good. So you`ve no Rotosounds then, we`ve lots of Ernie Ball, people like them. Can you get Rotosounds in, we can get as many Ernie Ball sets in as you like, they`re very popular.

The shop closed down within 6 months of being open. Obvioulsy not as popular as Ernie Ball bass strings.

[Japhet]

You should really contact the owner of the shop to let him/her know how crap the staff have been. People often work extremely hard to build up a business but the staff they employ really couldn't give a toss.

[phil.c60]

Were it just ordinary instrument cable I'd happily do them myself, but I've never had a lot of joy repairing the cloth braided tweedy ones and keeping the cloth covering neat and tidy.

[Dood]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1454940122' post='2974385']
A sad tale indeed, but for top-quality leads and cables one need look no further than our own obbm of this parish.

[url="http://www.rock-wire.uk.com/"]http://www.rock-wire.uk.com/[/url]

All of my many leads and cables are from obbm and over the years I have had NOT ONE single problem with them.

Yes, I am doing this. It's happening.

PS: Thanks for naming the shop, by the way. Unlikely ever to go there, but definitely not now.
[/quote]

Expect a close up review of OBBM's cables soon! I have the camera set to macro!

[timmo]

I bought a Fender lead, and I had the same problem. As it has never left the house, I was disappointed when it started to crack at the shiny bit. I bought a lead from OBBM, and, although it cost double what i paid for the Fender, the quality is far higher, and I will probably never need to buy another, unless I need a different length

[Dropzone]

Sad news, the chap running owner Guitar Junction is a really nice chap and is struggling to keep the shop alive in a town with rent as high as Chichester. I would recommend trying GB music in Bognor. Dave is a top bloke and assists greatly in the local music scene.

[Staggering on]

I agree with Japhet,tell the owner what happened so he can change things(maybe).It might be a bad store or just a bad day or bad timing.You will feel better than if you just vent to BC and you might get a break at the store or at least an explanation.The owners of businesses want to know what happens in their stores-good and bad.

[TheGreek]

I try to buy locally if I can...after all what happens when you need something quickly. Unfortunately my nearest shop, Welwyn Garden City is owned/managed by a fella who had one minor hit back in the 70s, thinks that makes him "somebody" and is a serious contender for most arrogant and horrible bastard alive. If you want anything other than what he has in stock (virtually nothing for the bass player) you're a problem customer and he talks to you like you're dirt..

He can't seem to understand why he has no local custom.

[mingsta]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1454940122' post='2974385']
A sad tale indeed, but for top-quality leads and cables one need look no further than our own obbm of this parish.

[url="http://www.rock-wire.uk.com/"]http://www.rock-wire.uk.com/[/url]

All of my many leads and cables are from obbm and over the years I have had NOT ONE single problem with them.

Yes, I am doing this. It's happening.

PS: Thanks for naming the shop, by the way. Unlikely ever to go there, but definitely not now.
[/quote]

This. If everyone bought their cables from rock-wire.com, the cable industry would die overnight as you'd only need to do it once.

[Niki]

Some big companies are withdrawing from smaller independent shops who can't afford to carry the required stock quotas... this is why they just don't have the range of choice we would like.

Two music shops closed in Cheltenham last year and the best one Aroundabout Sound will probably be gone this time next year after 30+ years. It is a bit sad, the end of an era really.

I bought several Fender cables that all failed so will definitely not be buying any more.

[Mykesbass]

Another happy user of OBBM cables, and having seen the Whirlwind prices quoted from the Chichester shop, I think you will be very pleasantly surprised!