The age of the internet has turned shopping into a quite a different experience than it was in the past. Just a few decades ago, you had to get into your car and drive all the way into town or to the mall to pick up anything you needed.
Now most of our shopping can be done in front of our computers or even from our smartphones. In some places, you can even get your groceries delivered after a few clicks on a website. Talk about convenience!
However, convenience often comes at the loss of a few key aspects of the shopping experience. When buying instruments or other musical equipment, it is still in your best interest to go to directly to the store rather than browsing online. When you buy or browse in-store, you get these benefits:
The Personal Touch
One of the best and most helpful aspects of going to a music store can be interacting with the staff. Most of the time, the people who work at a music store are very knowledgeable in their field.
These people have a passion for the products they sell, and if the store specializes in one type of product or instrument, such as pianos or drums, that means their knowledge is specifically related to those products.
Most people who work in a music store are musicians themselves in some capacity, whether casual songwriters or retired professionals or somewhere in between.
A lot of stores offer music lessons in the instruments they sell, and more often than not the person selling you that guitar can also teach you how to play it.
By visiting an actual brick-and-mortar location, you get a personalized shopping experience. One example of a store staffed by musicians is the Drum Center of Portsmouth, where you can visit their store and receive an improved and personalized experience as opposed to just ordering products online.
Guidance for First Time Buyers
Going to the store as opposed to shopping online is especially important if you are purchasing instruments for the first time and do not know much about the product.
Some websites will show customer reviews for their products, but a paragraph or two written by a disgruntled customer simply does not match the feedback you can get from talking to a professional.
Music store associates can guide you to the right products based on your individual skill level or experience. They can offer their personal experiences with the instruments you’re looking for.
They can tell you the difference between an eight piece and a six piece drumset. Or maybe they’ll share with you how they bought that guitar last year and the whammy bar broke within a month. They can show you how to tune, care for, and maintain your new instruments.
Sure, it can be nice to order a new banjo while sitting at your desk at home, but you won’t know anything about the product until it gets to you, and by then it can be too late.
If you take the time to go to a store and discuss your needs with a professional, you can walk out with your new equipment, knowing you got exactly what you were looking for.
You Can’t Try Out Instruments Online
Anyone who has purchased musical instruments already knows how fun it can be to go into a music store and try out all the instruments on display. Ever heard of the phrase “happier than a kid in a candy shop?” That kid has nothing on a musician in a music shop.
If certain guitar or drum set catches your eye online, the best you can do is look at a few pictures, or maybe you can watch a few videos of other people playing it.
If you walk into the store, you can feel the instrument in your hands before you purchase it. You can experience the sound for yourself. This can be essential in figuring out which one is best for you.
