Jack's Drum Shop

[Heretic]

Rest In Peace. The scene in Boston March 5, 2008.

[Andy@MIT]

I thought Jack packed up and moved to another part of town?

[fourstringdrums]

Yeah I'm confused as well. I was talking to someone yesterday from Cape Cod who goes to Jack's on a regular basis. To my knowledge it is still there.

[CtrStDrumSchool]

Jacks had 2 locations. One in Boston and one in Hyannis (the original, which still exists) The Boston space was purchased by Berklee from what I heard.

[Garvin]

Huh... I bought a cool little Premier 4 piece from that place in 2000. Nice folks as I remember.

[spleen]

Ah, I remember walking by there daily and stopping in frequently when I was at Berklee. Thanks for sharing the picture.

spleen

[Jeremy Bender]

How sad, I remember going there when I was a student at B.U. in 1982. I hope the large-chain stores don't do this to all the private drum shops across the country.

[Freddie Freeloader]

i always thought there were a couple of people at jack's who weren't very nice. i never really bought much there... i'd always rather go to adrums or to daddy's.
but yeah, it sucks that they closed down.
berklee's taking over the whole neighborhood.

[benadrian]

I was in there this past summer on tour. Nice guys. This tour was for the band when I play drums, but the drummer for the band and the manager or owner actually spent the whole time talking baseball.

You know what I miss about Boston. The sheer volume of Dunkin' Donuts. None of those out here in the Bay Area. Also, the people there liked us.

Ben

[Selacious Crumb]

I know I'm real late on this but I Just talked to them in CAPE COD!!!! I can't believe it! What a bummer! I haven't talked to them in a year or so...I had no idea! I was trying to get up with them via 411 but there was no listing so I went online to see what the deal was and sure enough....the Cape. WOW! Is there a lot of "Drum Business" in Cape Cod? I mean my grandparents live there so I know there are a lot of summer music festivals and whatnot but.....damn....Boston to Cape Cod????? Better scenery that's for sure and no doubt they'll be like the only qualified Drum shop for miles but it's still a shame....Holla!

[dale w miller]

I just wanted to share this.........

1993 was the year I was living in Boston at the time. I had a fire at my college house but fortunately I was covered on my parents' home owners insurance. My parents' insurance company didn't have a representative in Mass so I was told to have someone from a music store come out to my house to access the damages and Allstate would pay them.

I went to Jack's Drum Shop and made them the offer. They simply said they would take my word and they would tell Allstate they went out there. I gave them an honest list of what I lost and Jack's said they would charge me $75 to do the estimate. They then said that if I came back and bought the gear with them they refund that amount. I come back and too my surprise they listed everything to a total of $8979 or something like that. Now I know I lost 2 kits, cases and a wealth of cymbals & hardware as well as a vocal PA but I had no idea it was worth that much. You see I had brand new replaceable insurance, not wear-n-tear so everything was priced as brand new.

Allstate **** a brick and told me they were going write the check out to me and Jack's as I guess they didn't want me buying a kit and car. I guess they didn't believe I lost that much stuff and/or Jack's prices but here they were rewarding them by making me purchase my gear there. I would have anyway considering my $75 investment, but as well they were helpful until this point.

Well, they got me. Every single thing I purchased with them was priced out as if I was simply buying them individually. Now you know and I know if I came in some store and said I was going to give nearly $9000 I would get that $4000 kit for $3799, but they didn't have to give me a fair price being they HAD the sale. I even bought $50 worth of there crappy store brand sticks at the regular price because after my purchase of kit,cases and cymbals etc. there was still money left and they wouldn't give it to me.

Now the kit I ordered was a custom 7 piece GMS kit. I got one big custom kit to replace my two smaller kits and all the PA gear I had. Ironically now it is back to being 2 kits as I converted the tom to a small kit but I'm going on a tangent. Anyway, it had black hardware which at the time was really rare. They had the send out the hardware etc so it took awhile to make. overtime I would get calls saying my cases were in or cymbals etc.

17 weeks pass and I finally get a call saying my kit was in. It looked fantastic, so good people were asking to buy it on the spot. I show up and come to find out my hi-hat cymbals and one stand was not in. Now I'm sorry, but 17 weeks for a stand? He just didn't place my order.

I told the owner no problem, refund me the money and I'll go around the corner and buy them at one of the other 2 shops. He considered it for a second, then looked at my receipt and his jaw dropped on how much he would have to give me. He then said no but offered me a fair price on those two items.

I get a call one more week later letting me know those things were in. I come in to pick them up and tell him I want new heads for the balance of credit I would have now that he has a fair price. He first denies saying that but then concurs giving them to me begrudgingly.

I then tell him that I shouldn't have to fight with him over this as he knows if the check wasn't written out to him as well and just to me I would have these fair prices on everything I bought. I said to him that for someone who just spent nearly $9000 at his store I would be treated a bit better.

That is when he turns around at me and says" I make nearly $1,000,000 a year in sales. Do you really think your $9000 means anything to me?"

You have to wonder how a guy like this stays in business but he is right next to the Berklee College of Music so every year there are new students/customers/suckers who have no idea of his history.

[The Colonel]

Isn't it strange that they'd get their name on your insurance check? or is that how that stuff works? (I have no idea) I mean, I guess they had you by the balls in that sense so they didn't have to be nice...Curious which guy it was...Do you remember the name? I can think of one guy who might've done all that...

I bought many things from Jack's: My kit, a ton of cymbals, and anything else that caught my fancy when I was in the area. They always gave me really good prices (I got a 22" K Constantinople there in '01 for $280) but maybe that's because I'd been going there since I was 13 and when they saw me and my mom they knew they'd make a sale.

I haven't really needed to go in a drum store in over 5 years (with exception of sticks/heads - which I get cheaper at Guitar Center) so while I would think I'd be bummed about this, I'm totally okay.

[Vipercussionist]

i always thought there were a couple of people at jack's who weren't very nice. i never really bought much there... i'd always rather go to adrums or to daddy's.
but yeah, it sucks that they closed down.
berklee's taking over the whole neighborhood. Agreed, I was checking out a kit of '60's round badge Gretsch in the Boston store years back when I was shopping for a drum kit and the guy who was working there was hassling me not to touch stuff. I was like "Dude, do you expect me to drop that kind of money and not touch it first?" He accused me of having NO intention of buying anything.

I really WAS shopping for a kit and happened to have $3000+ cash on me and I took it out and showed him how much money he WASN'T going to be making that day.

I ended up buying a brand new set of Gretsch from a store in my own back yard.

I thought it pretty presumptuous of the sales douche to assume ANY customer isn't going to buy. You never know what weirdo will have king cash!!
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Most respect the badge, but all fear the drum.