Phoenix is the country fifth most-populous city. You’d never know it, though, from its absolutely putrid selection of music stores (the kind that sell instruments, not CDs). The last time I bought an amp, I had to go to Tucson – 120 miles away!- to get it. The last time I bought a guitar? I called Carvin, because I couldn’t find jack here that could compete, dollar for dollar.
This is one of those posts that will call people out and name names. If you’re on the list and take issue with what I say, then pick up your game and prove me wrong.
Guitar Center
Obviously, a musical evil empire designed to suck as much dough out of the pockets of suburban parents as possible. You can pick up cut-rate gear from Line6 and B-52 or an overpriced Mesa Triple Rectifier, but I defy you to find a good all-tube 35-watt head (that isn’t a freakin’ Fender) and a decent cabinet here. You may even find a lovely Soldano SLO100 here – but you’ll never crank it into its volume sweet spot in the local venues. Bah!
Bizarre Guitar
This is a “pro shop” for bankers and lawyers who want to rock. It’s all the icons: Gibson, Marshall and Fender. They have a fine, beautiful collection of Charvel and Jackson guitars here. And with the economy the way it is, you could probably get it for a song (get it? hah!). However, this snooty place doesn’t make me want to through my clams down. You can buy a collector’s Marshall JCM-800 stack in purple Tolex here, but again – not so much on working stiff tools.
Musicians Electronic Exchange
Wow, this place is full of musical Millenium Falcons. There wasn’t a single decent amplifier in the place, and not a single guitar I could pluck off the wall and trust at a gig. Some items had potential – a rough-looking JCM-800 head could probably get new life with a cap job and some other TLC. But otherwise? Blah!
The Music Store
A nice little place with a few decent items – some nice Mesa amps were the highlight. But still mostly Dual and Triple Rectifiers. Is there some sort of ban on the Solo 50? Jeez! On the plus side, they have a very friendly staff.
There are a few places I haven’t visited in awhile, and I can’t imagine they’ve gotten much better. I certainly haven’t heard anything to that effect from my grapevine.
It would just be wonderful to walk into a music store where I could see stuff from THD, Engl, Soldano, Dr. Z, Phat Tone and the like. Heck, even some of the upper-end Ibanez S Series guitars (which are absolutely wonderful instruments – I came very close to buying one instead of my Carvin) would be great. But no – all anyone has en masse here are the boring RG Series.
This is giving me a strong urge to take a weekend flyer to Hollywood. The array of music stores is astounding. For a guitarist, there’s nothing like haunting the shops there and seeing all the awesome stuff!
On the plus side, we have a first-rate repair center in Guitar Electronics. They absolutely rule. The turnaround times can be long, but their work is worth it. Outstanding, consistent, reasonably priced. They’re better working on Floyd Rose-equipped guitars that anyone else around. Bronson Guitar Works is also pretty good. We could use a few more like these two.
