Joe NeirynckAud 335Blog 511-3-14Music Stores Today The Internet has changed everything in our world, and how we go about buying instruments, amps, strings, and other musical gear does not remain exempt from this revolution. Though Independent stores still exist, finding them may not be as easy as it was once before. There are many websites like sweetwater.com, musicansfriend.com, and guitarcenter.com where you can get new gear the minute it is out, at list price. All the while never handling with anyone in a physical setting. It is good and bad, the personal experience, and the act of playing and than picking your gear is non-existent through an online mail order. The pros and cons can be evened out though as many independent stores may have higher price, and much less of a selection. Like so much today, you can take the digital or analog route; it is up to your preference. You can acquire a custom shop Fender Jazz Bass without even having to leave your couch in 2014. With websites like guitar center you can easily order more items than your car could even take home from a music shop, with immediate shipping readily available. You can choose any number of items from thousands of pages online today, as easy as you can buy shoes from Zappos. Typically you can get these items at a very reasonable marked price. Although these websites cannot give you a personal experience like a store can. You cannot get the chance to play your instrument or try out a few different styles of the item you want to find what is perfect for you. You are going in blind in a sense, and when investing lots of money, it could be thousands of dollars, that can be something many musicians find an impossible task. Some websites have “online exclusives” but many music stores have built relationships to instrument makers and will only send them their finest quality guitars or etc. It goes down to convenience, or quality. Personally, I have always enjoyed the experience of going to a music store. I have spent thousands of dollars at Huber and Breese, and so has the rest of the group of guys I play with. I own an American Deluxe Fender Custom Shop Precision Bass that I bought on my 18th birthday their, and they still do the tune ups on it today. My David Eden Traveler 400, which is quite a rare amp, I got at a bargain price from there too. I got to try both out and fall in love before I bought them, as well as price as well as haggle a reasonable price for a young lad with the owner on both items. It may have cost me a hundred or two hundred dollars more but I got a model of a bass that I haven’t seen online often, and guitar center didn’t stock. My finish is also of a higher quality than many other basses of the same line which is an ascetic plus that make it even easier to love. My synthesizer though is from guitar center and Huber and Breese didn’t stock it. I enjoyed the convenience as well as the two year unlimited warranty but it was a very impersonal experience. I also have bought a Sparkle drum machine from Arturia and from there and it was a very impersonal experience even within the store. So the price of convenience is quality, and the price of quality is money it seems.