Have you ever ben told to stop hiting things at a drum shop?

MrPockets

Gold Member
I have not, of course I touch everything very gently.

I am sure there are some people who hit whatever they see as hard as they can in a store. Are you one of those people?
 
I have seen several, "gear crimes" being committed in the drum depts of big chain music stores where someone should have stopped it but no one did. Mostly by kids that were not with their parents.
The dedicated drum shops that I frequent seem to have a much higher level of clientele.
Most people there are respectful of the gear. They know how to play and they are there to sample and buy. I can also set up a time to come in shortly before or after hours to sample higher end gear in private if I desire.

No, I have never been asked to not sample a percussion product in any music store.
 
Never, and I can usually conduct my business without making noise or touching any gear at all. However, there have been times I've told 'customers' to stop playing, when the clerk wouldn't. They always stop, too... I guess I don't look very friendly. :)

Bermuda
 
Go to the Newcastle Drum Ctr, a real drum shop. They actively encourage you to hit cymbals and play the kits. Stand for a few minutes looking at the cymbals and one of the staff will offer you a pair of sticks and encourage you to hit things. Its a drum shop, drums are made to be hit, its there reason d'etre.
If the phone goes they may ask you to stop, but that is obvious. If you are abusing an instrument they would probably ask you to stop, but I have not seen any problems during my, frequent, visits.

On the other hand, I was in a big music shop in Leeds, with a big drum department, and the whole shop was plastered with "Do not touch" signs. What sort of message is that to send out to a budding drummer? It was so quiet and un music like in there I left without buying the sticks I had decided I needed and waited til I was back in Newcastle to spend my money.
 
One of the things that annoyed the hell out of me when I lived in the USA was going to GC, Sam Ash etc at a weekend or holiday and not being able to conduct business because some kid was thrashing away on a shop floor kit. Luckily, my local GC soon realised that I'd regularily be dumping a few hundred dollars a month on stuff, so made some concessions.

I don't believe any store should allow people to just play equipment without either a member of staff supervising, or doing as I do, a prior appointment. Any drum shop will accommodate you if you make an appointment.

Another pet gripe regarding this is the people who were taught only to read books: The number of times I'd see 'Do Not Touch' signs on drumstick racks, cymbal trees etc with someone happily taking brand new sticks to use (Theft?) or thrashing splash cymbals with Ahead sticks (Sheer stupidity) annoyed me no end.


Soapbox away.
 
Never, and I can usually conduct my business without making noise or touching any gear at all. However, there have been times I've told 'customers' to stop playing, when the clerk wouldn't. They always stop, too... I guess I don't look very friendly. :)

Bermuda

Or maybe its just that I'm a professional and trying to do business. I bet if you told them that though you couldn't get them away from you. At the guitar center here though all of the cymbals are put on racks where you can't even listen to them. You can just barely hit them to hear the cymbal. They only usually let people ay the electric sets too. They don't like noise much, but it is nice when you want to buy something and it isn't super loud. The electric guitar area is a totally different story...
 
Its a drum shop, drums are made to be hit, its there reason d'etre. If the phone goes they may ask you to stop, but that is obvious. If you are abusing an instrument they would probably ask you to stop, but I have not seen any problems during my, frequent, visits.

Agreed that a certain amount of playing is necessary to enable sales, and the independent shops are more likely to have dedicated drummers as their clientele.
Whereas...

On the other hand, I was in a big music shop in Leeds, with a big drum department, and the whole shop was plastered with "Do not touch" signs. What sort of message is that to send out to a budding drummer?

Those signs exist because people come in and just thrash away at gear. They're not usually budding drummers, and they're not customers, they're just making noise and causing wear & tear on gear that they're not going to buy. It's a chronic problem in the box stores in the states (Guitar Center and to a slightly lesser degree, Sam Ash.) I think "do not touch" signs are a smart idea in those kind of stores. There's no reeason whatsoever that people should be playing drums in a store if they're not trying them for purchase.

But I blame the department people for permitting it. If the people beating on drums say they'll never "shop" there again, sales wouldn't be affected anyway.

Bermuda
 
Those signs exist because people come in and just thrash away at gear. They're not usually budding drummers, and they're not customers, they're just making noise and causing wear & tear on gear that they're not going to buy...

There's no reeason whatsoever that people should be playing drums in a store if they're not trying them for purchase.

Bermuda

Thrashing on drums in a store is analogous to taking a car for a test drive, going off-road, and bringing it back dirty and beat up. And of course, there is usually never an intention to buy them.

Jeff
 
never seen anyone deal with it better than the cat upstairs at the GC on Sunset in LA

he stands up on the counter slamming on a cowbell yelling ..."AUDITIONS OVER!!!!!"

hilarious every time
 
Thrashing on drums in a store is analogous to taking a car for a test drive, going off-road, and bringing it back dirty and beat up.

Agreed, they're just taking advantage of the drum shops' good nature. Sadly, I don't have to put up with noisy bashers in shops any more because all of my local drum shops have closed down.

"Auditions over" is great. It reminds me of a bar manager at closing time who used to say, "Nice to see you, nice to see you go" and "If you can't drink 'em, leave 'em. If you can't leave 'em, drink 'em".
 
I've been asked to stop before, but not for the reason I think everyone is referring to.

I used to hang out a long time ago in the West Palm Beach Guitar Center. During the day, it was a cool place to hang and every once in a while a famous drummer would come in.

The guys would ask people to stop when they had to take a phone call.

No big deal. If someone was a gear basher, they only did it once. The guys that worked there would always shut them down.
 
I once asked for a stick to hit a Ludwig snare in a small local chain store. I was told "not unless you buy it". I turned around and walked out. I went to another shop and saw the EXACT same drum. I asked for a stick,tried it out, and bought it. The first shop was on my way home.So, I stopped back in. I walked in with the drum and receipt in hand, said "I just wanted to show you guys this!" and walked out.




That being said I have no idea how the Sam Ash deal with all the noise.
 
At my local Long and McQuade, there is a segregated and noise proofed cymbal room, designed for one to try out as many cymbals as you feel necessary. As for drums, only electric kits are kept on the floor to use; the acoustic ones are all shelved and only brought down if requested. So yeah, I like to try a few cymbals here and there or pump out a beat or two on an electric kit.

With that being said, there are always employees in the drum section of the store keeping an eye on customers.
 
What I find in the UK is that some music shops can be incredibly snobbish. They don't like anyone to play their kits "Because it marks the heads". So what? Are we supposed to value virgin kits just because they are without a mark on the head? Didn't know that.
I have made the point to them before, that people can hardly be expected to part with large wads of money on a kit they haven't even tried but I have been told that I have to buy the kit before I can try it! What brilliant sales technique. In fact there are very few music shops left round here and it's not that much of a surprise.

I discovered a pro drum shop in Bristol, some distance off but I was on a day trip there and wandered into this shop.
I was thinking off getting a DW 5000 pedal and as I was looking at one an assistant came over and asked if I wanted to try it. Now that's what I call salesmanship. Next time I go up there I'm going to make time for another visit.
 
A friend of mine just left her job running the Long & McQuade drum department, some of the things that people do to gear is just wrong.

Sticks through djembe/bodhran skins is a popular one, usually from kids.
 
I have never been told not to but I do wish there were some people who would be told that. Walking into our local GC is like walking into a cattle call audition hall...so fricking noisy and most of it really bad.

However, it doesn't bother me that people try out the equipment. What is annoying though is when you get those people, especially in either the guitar or drum section who think the rest of us in the store want to hear a whole concert by them...and it's usually heavy metal, non melodic crap and they usually suck at it. I think some people come to the store because they aren't allowed to play at home and sit and play for an hour or two taking over the whole place. I really don't understand why the store employees don't stop that. Try it out, play for a few minutes and move on. None of the rest of care if you can play Inagodadavida and we certainly don't want to hear it played badly 3 times over.

Okay, rant over. :)
 
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