Thinking of opening a guitar business - suggestions?

[dave_mc]

from posting around the various forums on the net, the vast majority of (at least casual) guitar players seem to be willing to buy like 20 guitars, but only want one amp. I dunno, it's like the guitars are more glamorous....

You're absolutely right, and I fit into that category.  I don't know if guitars are more glamorous exactly, but there's a (kind of) magic ( :roll: )about them that makes them more than just the sum of their parts.  That's what hobbies (for want of a better word) are all about.  It's exactly the way people feel about antiques, or stamps, or those horrible collectible plates in the Sunday supplements.  I don't get the same buzz out of amps, but obviously other people do.

Of course there are people who see guitars purely as tools, and I wish I was one of them.  I'd play more and spend less...

In purely practical terms, you can enjoy playing guitar at home but most amps are basically useless if you don't actually play in a band.  And they take up a hell of a lot of space.  If I owned a 4x12 I could never use it - it'd be a sideboard.  I really only "need" one little low-power amp (I don't "need" the 20-odd guitars either, but let's not go there  :| ).  

Plus (I'll stop rambling in a minute), you can go in a shop and tell within a couple of minutes if you're going to like a guitar or not - feel is every bit as important as sound.  To properly evaluate an amp, you need to spend loads of time experimenting, playing it under the conditions you actually plan to use it - which brings me back to my point about soundproof rooms.

Plus you can still sell people their "one" amp...

Agreed - and even stay-at-homes may be prepared to pay very good money for that "one" amp, if it's the right one.

exactly (sorry it took me a while to reply, i was in edinburgh!)!

:drink:

[JDC]

I haven't read all 5 pages of posts, and a lot of things depend on location and local demand, but hears my opinions anyway

a majority of your customers are probably going to be beginners, so obviously they are who you aim at them first, so I'd get in some starter all in one packs (probably ones that'll sell from the brand name ie Fender, Marshall, etc) and also some cheap BC rich guitars and maybe some Jackson Vs for the posers

as for pro gear, if you can't complete on price with the internet you'll need a really good sales pitch to give someone a reason why to buy from you, you don't want bar-stewards like me who go in shops, try stuff, then buy online for the cheapest price possible (when I save myself £100 on a Jackson RR3 I'm not that bothered about random bloke who works in a shop)

if you can compete and you have the demand I'd get an ENGL fireball half stack setup ;) (ENGL don't have brand awareness of Marshall and Peavey though, so maybe 5150/6505 instead)

it is bloody hard to find shops that sell Jazz III picks and none Earnie Ball string though, but I wouldn't know how much demand there was for these things besides me obviously

oh and I've never found a 7 stringer in a shop to try out, if you get the Ibanez 8 string Meshuggah guitar that might generate a lot of interest for you

only other thing I can think of right now is if it was my shop I'd have some Marshall MGs for the tone deaf beginners who buy by brand next to some good cheap solidstate amps (Roland Cubes maybe, I got told they sound good but don't quote me on that)

have a nice display in the window and fancy signs to woo people into your shop, weasel word the cr@p out of the signs too ie "fantastic new items and prices" etc, and have some brand name stickers in the window too

basically anything that gets people into your shop is a good thing, especially if you can build up rapport with them so they favour you over your competition

oh ye, have a board so people can advertise gigs or find bands members, etc

ok I think that's everything, sorry if it's a bit messy, I kept thinking of new things as I wrote it

[CaffeineJunkie]

ooo, a small thought [that's all my mind can produce outside of the maths/computer region] ... get in a couple of those epi valve juniors... i've not yet been to a shop where they sell them, only seen them on the internet, and it's small enough that they can crank it a bit more than usual in a shop without killing small children in the region :D

[apmaman]

the coffee shop thing is the best idea there. The kids would flock there and spend there some of the hard end money they got from mugging the old woman.


On a serious note. It is the best. I would love a place to sit, chill out and speak to other guitarists/musicians. If people didnt get into the whole guitar idea you could easily change it to a stand alone coffee shop nae bather

[Colin Johnston]

I'm a partner in a music shop.  Some quick thoughts I have after scanning the 5 pages...


Location, location, location - high street with good frontage essential.

You'll have many, many more customers starting guitar than looking for a pro instrument.

Coffee shops are hard work to be very profitable afaik.  How much profit is there in a £1.50 cappucino?  Would the space taken up by the table that one person is sitting at sipping their coffee at be better filled with product to sell?  I'd want solid market research to see if the coffee shop market in the location was saturated and that it would increase sales in the music shop.  Plus you'll need at least one member of staff is you're doing coffees.

You'll have trouble matching Thomann, but you can compete with GAK & Coda if you choose your battles and buy well.  People won't mind paying a small premium for convenience and your great customer service.

Second-hand may not be quite dead but it sure smells funny.

JMHO

[lepersmeesa]

I think the coffee idea is pretty cool. In someways I would love to go to a place like that. If you had clinic etc, like people have said, I think you would be on to a winning formula.

I think the thing to think about coffee shop, is people love coffee, and it is why you have a Starbucks at every corner. If you had good coffee, people would go in, and more then likely get a pack of strings or other tidbits when they go in. More people would go in, if it was known as a guitar hang out. I think having a venue would work as well, but the problem with a venue is, that alcohol is the main money maker there. But I suppose you could *raffle* off bottled beer. Always a winner.

Good luck with what you are going to do!

[nfe]

the coffee shop thing is the best idea there. The kids would flock there and spend there some of the hard end money they got from mugging the old woman.


On a serious note. It is the best. I would love a place to sit, chill out and speak to other guitarists/musicians. If people didnt get into the whole guitar idea you could easily change it to a stand alone coffee shop nae bather

Problem is, tons of people would like a place to hang out and talk guitars, but how many of them would actually spend money?

I work in a music shop and the VAST majority of people who treat it as a hang out, many of whom are our friends or are at least punters who have shopped with us for years and years, decades in some cases, buy their larger purchases online and shop with us for strings etc.

I have to say that while a guitar shop cum coffee house would probably be pretty busy fairly often, have great rapport with punters, be a place people WANTED to go hang out and shop, I don't think it'd make a great deal of money.

[noodleplugerine]

the coffee shop thing is the best idea there. The kids would flock there and spend there some of the hard end money they got from mugging the old woman.


On a serious note. It is the best. I would love a place to sit, chill out and speak to other guitarists/musicians. If people didnt get into the whole guitar idea you could easily change it to a stand alone coffee shop nae bather

Problem is, tons of people would like a place to hang out and talk guitars, but how many of them would actually spend money?

I work in a music shop and the VAST majority of people who treat it as a hang out, many of whom are our friends or are at least punters who have shopped with us for years and years, decades in some cases, buy their larger purchases online and shop with us for strings etc.

I have to say that while a guitar shop cum coffee house would probably be pretty busy fairly often, have great rapport with punters, be a place people WANTED to go hang out and shop, I don't think it'd make a great deal of money.

Possibly - But remember.

Step 1 - Get the punters.

Step 2 - Make the sale.


Once you have a cafe full of people - You'll be in a much better position, shops are desperate to get people into their store - Irrelevent of whether they buy anything.

[nfe]

the coffee shop thing is the best idea there. The kids would flock there and spend there some of the hard end money they got from mugging the old woman.


On a serious note. It is the best. I would love a place to sit, chill out and speak to other guitarists/musicians. If people didnt get into the whole guitar idea you could easily change it to a stand alone coffee shop nae bather

Problem is, tons of people would like a place to hang out and talk guitars, but how many of them would actually spend money?

I work in a music shop and the VAST majority of people who treat it as a hang out, many of whom are our friends or are at least punters who have shopped with us for years and years, decades in some cases, buy their larger purchases online and shop with us for strings etc.

I have to say that while a guitar shop cum coffee house would probably be pretty busy fairly often, have great rapport with punters, be a place people WANTED to go hang out and shop, I don't think it'd make a great deal of money.

Possibly - But remember.

Step 1 - Get the punters.

Step 2 - Make the sale.


Once you have a cafe full of people - You'll be in a much better position, shops are desperate to get people into their store - Irrelevent of whether they buy anything.

Except that you now have a cafe full of people distracting you from being able to spend any time at all with the one or two who MIGHT be looking for anything.

The days of going into you're local shop, having a cup of tea, a biscuit, having a chat and getting to spend all day pissing about with gear seem to be sadly long gone, in my experience, 'cause few punters want that kind of service any more. It's a hell of a shame, but I reckon it's why so many smaller music stores are closing, not because they can't compete with the online stores and big chains, but because the majority of punters don't even want them too.

[maverickf1jockey]

This has probably been said before but it might be a good idea to do rentals on electronics like amps and pedals (not guitars as some customers would take advantage of the situation).
They pay a deposit which they are reimbursed for at the safe return of the gear.
They get the gear for a week or so so that they can get a proper feel for how the gear would work for them.
Of course to run this sensibly their would need to be a charge on top of the deposit to make it profitable.

[JDC]

I don't wanna put you off but my local dawson's shutdown a few months ago, and that was the main guitar shop round here

all that's left is the rubbish in cash converters and a small out the way shop that is a mess and sells never heard of brands (has a 2nd hand hot rodded jcm800 that needs new tubes though, oh so tempting!!!)

[ailean]

I haven't read the 5 pages I'm affraid, but I'll throw in my 2p.

My local music shop (mostly guitar gear) has been there for 20 years or so. I know the owner is part of a buying consortium and that allows him to compete with online prices and price match other stores. The shop is located a few yards off the main high street.

The appearance of the shop is quite cluttered but I like that, and it means I have to move round the whole shop to see what he's got, rather than be able to scan everything from the door. I've been in other shops (sound control) that have loads more space and look really nice, and yet somehow I'd rather spend my money in my local shop.

Also a neat little trick he uses is to slightly inflate his ticket price, then he can always knock some off without hurting his profit, this means the customer ends up paying the same price, but feels better because he's got a discount. It also give the dealer a better bargaining position if the customer suddenly says he wants to part exchange.

I don't think there is a winning formula, luck plays a big part at the start of such an enterprise, once you have a good rep it can be enough to see you through.

[Twinfan]

Thanks for all the recent replies guys - I'm still watching the thread and deciding what to do.

Cheers!   :drink:

[Morgray]

First off, I live in the US so I don't really know what you guys havei n guitar stores in the UK, I guess the inventory is different because someone (i cant find it now) in this thread said they cant find stores that sell Jazz III picks or Ernie Ball strings, and in the US its hard NOT to find them

anyways, here goes

1. Stock brands that you cant really get anywhere else, i.e. there is 1 retailer for Caparison in the US, and I desperately want to try one, but I cant. Same thing with ENGL. Most of the stores here stock like Crate, Fender, Marshall, Line6, Vox, and thats it. I think you would make some real money if you were the only retailer of brands like Tagima and LAG around. My favorite guitars tore of the area doesnt exactly stock uncommon brands, but they do stock higher end guitars, and they stock a lot of amps you cant get elsewhere (Laneys, Peaveys, Mesas, and a lot of other brands)

2. Stock beginner stuff, and high end stuff, forget the middle of the line. Here there are only really 2 big guitar chains, Guitar Center, and Sam Ash. 90% of guitar centers guitars cost 500 dollars and it really pisses me off. I think it would be nice to go to a guitar store that stocks real ESPs (not LTDs), USA Select series Jacksons like the sl1 soloists,

3. Make sure the guitars are set up good. I went into a guitar shop once, and one of the sales managers handed me this RG Prestige 2550, I wasnt even looking to buy a guitar, but it felt so nice and has such a good setup that I bought it on the spot. (it was used by the way)

4. One thing I hate is when I go into a guitar store and the staff is really pushy. Most stores here you walk in and like 3 guys follow you around asking you what you are looking to buy, it gets irritating.

But I don't know anything about business :P those are just a few things that would keep me going back to the same store

[ToneMonkey]

4. One thing I hate is when I go into a guitar store and the staff is really pushy. Most stores here you walk in and like 3 guys follow you around asking you what you are looking to buy, it gets irritating.

I went into Sound Control in Birmingham wearing my suit the other week (looking prety pucka  :lol: ) and I've never been asked so many times if I wanted any help.  They certainly weren't pushy, but it must have looked like I had money........if only they'd seen the car I pulled up in  :lol:  :lol:

I know you're far from getting the shop, but please make sure there's somewhere nearby to park cheep.  Cost me £1.50 to park outside of Sound Control for less than an hour