Missing the Old Tyme Drum Shops

[jazzerooty]

I read these stories by some of you who bought kits from the big online dealers. Getting a used kit that was supposed to be new. Getting the wrong sizes. Quality control issues. If I ever buy another new kit--which probably wont happen--I'll order it from a local shop. That way, you can deal with problems before you pay; or let the dealer straighten it out with the manufacturer. My last set was sent directly to me from Canopus. And they were perfect. Their QC is off the hook, with each drum shell holding a sticker inside that was signed off by four of the builders.
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[Steve30907]

The shops where I'm at struggle to sell drum stuff so only carry bare minimum of inventory.

 

[MrInsanePolack]

I have only purchased one new kit, my current Midtown. I ordered it through GC in store. When it came in, I had the employee stand there while I went through the entire set and checked over everything. If there had been a problem, I would have addressed it before I even left the store.

 

[Darth Vater]

I'll buy stuff online but I stay away from big box stores like GC, MF etc. I've found small stores with an online presence that still give top of the range customer service. There is a good list of these types of stores here on the forum somewhere. Check it out.

 

[MrInsanePolack]

I'll buy stuff online but I stay away from big box stores like GC, MF etc. I've found small stores with an online presence that still give top of the range customer service. There is a good list of these types of stores here on the forum somewhere. Check it out.

I imagine y'all big city folks have an advantage there. Once GC moved in, our small handful of shops went away.

If I buy used, my in person options are vast. New, it's just GC or internet.

 

[Darth Vater]

I imagine y'all big city folks have an advantage there. Once GC moved in, our small handful of shops went away.

If I buy used, my in person options are vast. New, it's just GC or internet.

You have CL and Facebook eh? People can knock those two outlets all they want but with the new tax rules on payment apps that's where a lot peeps will be heading. A small shop doesn't have to be local to you.

Big city Peeps LOL........ I live in Pittsburgh. I think the Atlanta airport is bigger than Pittsburgh. First shop I call for new drums and accessories is in Houston Tx. It's still a smaller, local type joint. C'mon Mr IP, do I have to teach you how to shop?

 

[MrInsanePolack]

You have CL and Facebook eh? People can knock those two outlets all they want but with the new tax rules on payment apps that's where a lot peeps will be heading. A small shop doesn't have to be local to you.

Big city Peeps LOL........ I live in Pittsburgh. I think the Atlanta airport is bigger than Pittsburgh. First shop I call for new drums and accessories is in Houston Tx. It's still a smaller, local type joint. C'mon Mr IP, do I have to teach you how to shop?

Fortunately I think my shopping days are few and far between. I'm pretty content with gear.

We have CL (it's just okay for gear) and FB (I'm not on it), as well as pawn shops. Tons of them. Lots of flea markets too, but I've yet to find drum gear in one.

I just looked, and the ATL airport is twice as big as the town I live in as far as acreage goes. It also employs ~55,000 people. We have a population of 5,845 as of 2019.

 

[bermuda]

I read these stories by some of you who bought kits from the big online dealers. Getting a used kit that was supposed to be new. Getting the wrong sizes. Quality control issues. If I ever buy another new kit--which probably wont happen--I'll order it from a local shop. That way, you can deal with problems before you pay; or let the dealer straighten it out with the manufacturer.

There should never be an occasion where the customer has to deal with the manufacturer after buying something at a shop or online. The seller is part of the dealer network, and they have the relationship with the companies. It's like having a problem with your new car, and trying to take it up with the manufacturer. You don't. You go back to the dealer.

Only in the case of a problem that the dealer can't/won't resolve should the customer seek help from the manufacturer.

 

[MG1127]

there are so many great drum shops

Hawthorne Drum Shop
Bentleys Drum Shop
Maxwell Drum Shop
Weather and Wood
Drugans
Nelson Drum Shop
Pro Drum Shop
Drum Center of Portsmouth
Revival Drum Shop
Memphis Drum Shop
DiCenso Drum Shop
Badges Drum Shop
etc etc etc...

buy from them people ... stop giving your money to these pile of shit places like Guitar Center and Sam Ash etc.

 

[Darth Vater]

there are so many great drum shops

Hawthorne Drum Shop
Bentleys Drum Shop
Maxwell Drum Shop
Weather and Wood
Drugans
Nelson Drum Shop
Pro Drum Shop
Drum Center of Portsmouth
Revival Drum Shop
Memphis Drum Shop
DiCenso Drum Shop
Badges Drum Shop
etc etc etc...

buy from them people ... stop giving your money to these pile of shit places like Guitar Center and Sam Ash etc.

I'll add Fork's drum closet and cymbalfusion.com to that list too.

 

[Ransan]

There should never be an occasion where the customer has to deal with the manufacturer after buying something at a shop or online. The seller is part of the dealer network, and they have the relationship with the companies. It's like having a problem with your new car, and trying to take it up with the manufacturer. You don't. You go back to the dealer.

Only in the case of a problem that the dealer can't/won't resolve should the customer seek help from the manufacturer.

Exactly I alluded to store and vendor rep relationships in one of my posts in another thread.

We had a great rep relationship with Chad from Premier.
Building his trust we were able to have very gracious and flexible support requests handled with ease.

However Gretsch, Yamaha (competitor was their bread and butter), were much harder to deal with.
In kind we heavily pushed Premier due to tried and true service.

 

[dwsabianguy]

There should never be an occasion where the customer has to deal with the manufacturer after buying something at a shop or online. The seller is part of the dealer network, and they have the relationship with the companies. It's like having a problem with your new car, and trying to take it up with the manufacturer. You don't. You go back to the dealer.

Only in the case of a problem that the dealer can't/won't resolve should the customer seek help from the manufacturer.

Well kinda, but not really. A Toyota dealer is just that: they only sell (new) Toyota cars. A musical instrument store, on the other hand, buys and sells equipment from tens or hundreds of companies, and a lot of the time those products don't come directly from the manufacturer. The Toyota dealer is in direct contact with the manufacturer, and is licensed to effectively be an arm of the company. The local music store isn't necessarily working so closely with the manufacturer, who in the end is offering the warranty.

If something breaks on something that someone bought from 2112, we will fix it to the best of our ability. If someone breaks a cymbal, we can't even really help them until they get in direct contact with the manufacturer, with whom the warranty is processed. However, if a drum comes in, and it's busted, we will call the manufacturer/distributor and work it out so the customer gets what they ordered.

Unfortunately it's a multifaceted problem/solution network.

 

[Xstr8edgtnrdrmrX]

I am very lucky to still have Columbus Pro Percussion here in town. I was one of the original customers back when Jim and Bob opened it up in 1980...they used to kick my friend and I out for whacking on everything in the place back then.

Pretty much everything i own personally, and all of our equipment at school has come through that shop.

The only place I will go other than CPP is Sweetwater, and that is more for PA and bass guitar stuff

 

[Over50drumguy]

I'll add Fork's drum closet and cymbalfusion.com to that list too.

Yep! Bought my mint used tama bb from forks . Hassle free and knowledgeable staff

 

[WallyY]

I read these stories by some of you who bought kits from the big online dealers. Getting a used kit that was supposed to be new. Getting the wrong sizes. Quality control issues. If I ever buy another new kit--which probably wont happen--I'll order it from a local shop. That way, you can deal with problems before you pay; or let the dealer straighten it out with the manufacturer. My last set was sent directly to me from Canopus. And they were perfect. Their QC is off the hook, with each drum shell holding a sticker inside that was signed off by four of the builders.
''

Sorry, I've never heard of any of the online dealers selling used kits as new or selling the wrong sizes from what was ordered.

 

[yammyfan]

I'm lucky and grateful to have a bricks and mortar specialty drum shop in my area. I've bought three new kits from them and received prompt support when I needed it.

The exchange rate and cost of international shipping makes buying anything from outside of Canada prohibitively expensive and we don't have many, if any big online music retailers here. I would be in trouble if I had to rely on online stores.

 

[PorkPieGuy]

I love buying from mom and pops as much as I can, and I do. With that said, when I bought my Ludwig BB 14 x 8 at Guitar Center, it was the salesman who sold it, not company. I know GC got my money, but watching how much care he took removing it from the glass case with such care and talking to me about his BB’s helped me pull the trigger. It was an experience I’ll never forget. He treated that drum with so much dignity and respect…unlike so many who just throw stuff around there. When he saw how much I wanted it, he told me he would give me the friends and family discount…so much so that I couldn’t have bought a used one for that price. No this was not a B-stock, and the shell is flawless.

With that said, I love following small drum shops on Instagram and Facebook, and I usually buy from those folks along with local places as much as I can.

 

[bermuda]

With that said, when I bought my Ludwig BB 14 x 8 at Guitar Center, it was the salesman who sold it, not company. I know GC got my money, but watching how much care he took removing it from the glass case with such care and talking to me about his BB’s helped me pull the trigger. It was an experience I’ll never forget. He treated that drum with so much dignity and respect…unlike so many who just throw stuff around there. When he saw how much I wanted it, he told me he would give me the friends and family discount…

It's always about the people, not the store. It's easy to say that GC doesn't usually attract the most dedicated, passionate, experienced employees, but there are exceptions. And they're refreshing when you find them.