Fall Of The House of Sam Ash | What It Means for the Music Instrument Industry
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- Опубликовано: 26 июн 2024
- In a shock to many Sam Ash has announced that it is closing all of its stores and going out of business. After 100 years in business to see this once massive family business fold is surprising! What does it mean for the broader musical instrument sales industry and the economy at large?
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Sam Ash NYC was an amazing place in the 80s-90s. The entire block was a Disneyland for musicians. I cut school in 8th Grade and hung out there all day, it was worth getting caught.
It only hit me this morning after having watched this video yesterday. You all have become the local music store of the internet. A place where a person can drop in, learn about equipment, hear A/B comparisons, come as close as possible to holding a guitar, and get advice and good guidance.
I think that's how Alamo will never get driven out by internet based platforms. Good old fashioned honest work. You put the sweat equity into it and I think we all appreciate it more than you can know.
Thanks Chris and Cooper!
I agree with everything you said. It all happed here in Northern New England. Only guitar center is left. Also what grinds my gears is our education system. (This is just one problem.) Many, many schools have killed the music budgets or eliminated music programs. I am in the my mid 50's I played Trumpet in the school band until 9th grade. There is NO QUESTION that sparked me with music. So we have 2 generations that didn't experience music education in school. It kills me... It was important! Now we see a generation that only know the internet and blindly buys from the internet based on reviews. They didn't even get to pick up the guitar or play the drums. This sucks!
Except for the band that plays at stupid football games it's the same here, schools have become indoctrination prisons.
You are so right!
I played drums in the school band...
That sparked my curiosity, so I tried other instruments too.
Today, kids get an iPad or iPhone and then they disappear. SAD.
When I was growing up,we started " formal" music education in 5th Grade . I was a "Band Kid" and got laughed at by all the athletes. My biggest influence was a man named Dr. George Weiss,who was a Doctor of Music. He taught us SO much about music,site reading,marching,theory the whole nine. The most important lesson we learned was " how to be a better Human Being"! So many life lessons that have stuck with me for over 50 years!!! Thank You Dr. Weiss and Mr. Pierpont!! I love you and miss both of you!!
The ironic this is that Guitar Center was the one that everyone thought was going to close down.
“The day the music, dies” “Bye bye Ms. American Pie. Drove my Chevy to the levy…..”
Feels like this would have been a perfect opportunity to record an episode of The Fretboard Confessional which we’ve all been eagerly awaiting! ❤
We will probably cover it further when the Coop Deville is back from vacation.
@@AlamoMusic ❤️😂
Nothing will ever replace being able to go into a location and physically play the instruments. Nothing
I miss the days when the Guitar Center on San Pedro was Hermes Music😢
im from nyc...lived and still do my entire life here.Sam ash was huge!! right after "covid" they made poor decisions and stopped ordering entirely any high quality instruments...was very strange..no custom shops boutique nothing! I knew they were closing 4 years ago...sad,,,,,this was the store of my youth!!
Guitar Center did the same thing,and they are suffering the consequences. This is Big Box Music Retail in America. That's why I have been shopping at Sweetwater since 2006! They treat people with dignity and it only costs them a bag of candy! A BAG OF CANDY! That AKL it takes to gain people "s respect,plus it's a sweet treat!!! Sweetwater Rules. All you Retailers get a freaking clue!
I grew up near their original store in Brooklyn, and I bought my first three guitars there. Later I worked for the NYC store for 5 years, and back then I could see the things that would eventually bring the company to this point. The pandemic hit them hard too, as all their NY stores as well as others were closed during that period, as so many other businesses. The NYC area has lost dozens of businesses that have been opened for many years at an unprecedented rate.
I'm from Hoboken New Jersey and I'd come across a 1959... Pink fender jazzmaster which my guitar teacher thought was a mustang, I brought it into that store wrapped in a blanket put it on the counter, the guy opened it up and looked at me and said and I quote... Whoa man... What do you want for this... I had no idea what I had... But I straight traded it for a brand new P Bass... This is painful...
I worked on 6th and 45th for 20 years. I used to go over to 48th street on my lunch and walk through Manny's and Sam Ash many many many times...Bought my first guitar at Sam Ash in Westbury and then my first GOOD amplifier from Manny's...I felt like a rock star instead of some kid from Queens...now living in ...San Antonio! Love me Alamo Music!
Right, Guitar Center, online sales, and their own lousy customer service did it. I went to one of the last stores in NY, and they still treated customers with a 'hurry-up-and-buy' attitude.
very sad!
The reason Alamo stays open is that the employees actually care about the customer and give personal attention and build a relationship.
My wife and I owned and operated a small printing company for 10 years. That was nearly 30 years ago. Operating any business is extraordinarily difficult. Some types of businesses more than others. And that was all before the internet came to be! I can’t imagine having any type of business in todays online competitive environment. We were very happy when we sold the business and went back to work in our previous professions.
Sam Ash was my favorite to trade with and visit in San Antonio. I started late, horse traded through numerous G.A.S. attacks, and the folks there helped it be enjoyable. I visit the VA hospital too often but now I know where your store is and hope to visit soon. Thanks for your passion, insights and time.
Purchased a guitar from Alamo a year ago after extensive homework; your experience, integrity and knowledge were second to none in my decision. Thank you!
We have two Sam Ash and Guitar Centers here in the Richmond, VA. area, but these guys easily won me over. I purchased 4 guitars from Alamo over the past 2 years (Martin 0000 Custom Shop; Taylor GT K21e; Taylor 814CEBLK Builders Edition; Taylor GS Mini e-R). Customer service is awesome. Great guys, very personable. Made my trip to San Antonio to visit family that much more special. Look forward to returning in another year.
Been to both, bought a 1982 princeton reverb ii from the the guitar center on hull street. Sold it back to them 10 yes later on a martin d 18. No regrets.
So sad. I bought my first Taylor dreadnought at Sam Ash 48th St. in 1995. Howard Emerson, Billy Joel's lead guitarist on his first three albums, ran the custom shop for Sam. He was incredibly helpful to me and has remained a friend to this day.
He's also one heck of a great guitar player, an amazing finger picker!
He nailed it.
Sweetwater is genuinely fantastic for someone like me who lives in a rural area.
Guitar center is horrible to be in, and is doomed.
But whenever I visit a city, I find a local shop as a special experience.
Love my GC, not horrible at all and unlike local stores they give me plenty of time to know whether a guitar is right for me. Local shops often have a no return policy and that is a deal breaker for me in every way. Also the mom and pops are generally more expensive.
Inflation and lack of employment combined is killing off people's ability to buy anything.
Unemployment is only like 3%. Stop listening to that B.S. right wing radio.
It's lack of FOCUS! Everyone is a crook,they try to maximize every opportunity to take more money than they should,and they forgot why they are in business.
It’s not just lack of employment but lack of employment that pays a living wage as well.
@@rokkimason4199So they did not start the business to make money? I thought that is what a business was for.
Lack of employment? You’ve got to be kidding??!! There are job shortages everywhere but people choose not to work
Bought my first good amp (1968 Super Reverb for $100 used) in Hempstead NY store in 1981, custom shop Stratocaster, Gibson acoustic, Strat Plus with lace sensors, Japanese Shell Pink Strat and Marshall JCM800 4104 and too many accessories to remember through the years.Met Greg Koch from Fender clinic at the NY store and many other great musicians. Thanks Irv, Chuck,Charlie and all the other staff who helped me through my career. Sad as hell to see Ash disappear.
I live in California and bought a used Guild F-512 from a music store on the east coast. Did my research, even got the serial number of the guitar before purchase to be sure it was not a Corona-built guitar, and finally pulled the trigger to the tune of just over $3000. UPS then delivered just over $3000 worth of toothpicks to my house. I almost cried when I saw what they did to my guitar. The music store said no problem, we will deal with the insurance claim and we just happen to have another F-512 you can have for the same price. The second guitar made it safely to my house. I opened the box and discovered a Corona-built F-512. I felt violated for a second time. I threw up my hands and said "bleep it" in disgust. I still have it, it sounds good, but I researched and paid for a non-Corona guitar. To this day I still wonder if the first one actually sounded better. I have NEVER ordered a guitar online since. Despite "never say never" I probably will never buy another guitar online sight unseen. I will only patronize local guitar stores, which sometimes means driving long distances to get my sweaty little hands on what I think I want to buy. I like Music Villa, I like Alamo Music, but sorry guys, unless I happen to be in the neighborhood chances are I won't be a customer. I will buy from Guitar Center because there is one locally.
Chris - love your videos, would love to be a customer, but I just won't take the chance.
Excellent and informative. I remember in the sixties going with a friend to what was called music row in New York City where Sam Ash, Manny’s Music and other music stores were on the same block. Famous musicians would drop in to buy their gear.
all the way till early 2000s Im from nyc I lived on that street 6 or 7 great stores there!
I purchased my first Gibson SG at Mannies back around 1978. I saved every penny I earned shoveling snow and whatever else I could do back then, it was a very cool place to go to because they had so many beautiful instruments.
Also Terminal music store , those were the days !!
I used to love musicians row! My friends and I would make a day out of it. We would start on the west end and work our way east, stopping for lunch at one of the restaurants there. We would go in each store and see what they had. Bought my MTD bass on one of those trips. Really fond memories.
You are a kind and thoughtful Human Being Chris McKee, thanks for this thoughtful analysis and industry overview. A loss of music jobs is sad, i wish all the folks well and hope they find a good landing. I was fortunate to come to your stores in San Antonio in October, played some guitars, bought an amp, and y'all had sold me a Taylor online previously - so am one of your customers. Looking forward to the next visit. Y'all take care.
Congratulations on 95 years in business.
Amazon is HOT garbage when it comes to music gear. They cant even list the guitars correctly. Sometimes they put 12 models on the same page, sometimes 1. And anything warehouse deals or 3rd party, you are probably getting scammed. If Amazon ever doubled down and treated music gear like they do their flatscreen tvs with scheduled delivery dates and drivers to open it up the box, it would keep the scams down.
I can’t agree with you more. If you buy a guitar from Amazon you’d be lucky if you get the one pictured or anything if you think about it.
Well-said, Chris. I always wondered how huge chains keep the lights on, long before this happened. Our shop is just my wife & I now, as we try to find our own buyer (we're retiring from retail so I can do podcasts & RUclips content). For the longest time, we had 1 full time employee and 1 part-timer to help with "the books", and we could never imagine adding staff or opening a 2nd store. We did buy a bigger building in the hopes of expansion but a) whenever we had the extra funds, the contractors were busy - and b) that plan was just a luxury... our online sales sustain us and we never NEEDED a larger brick & mortar footprint. Thank God we didn't move in to that large space. I agree, niche smaller brick & mortar stores aren't really at any risk.
Spot on. I was one of the managers at the Sam Ash drum shop in Hollywood. I could see it coming but thought it was 3-5 years down the road. Never thought I’d be one of the people left holding the bag. You are right on all counts re: GC as well. Pure conjecture here but I think They’ll keep the flagship in Hollywood bc it’s a tourist stop. It will become a museum where you can see EVH gear, buy a coffee and a t-shirt.
I have a lot of fond memories of Sam Ash. Grew up in NYC and would visit musicians row all the time, stopping at the store there to see what they had. When I moved to NJ in high school, I went to the Paramus location on Rt 4. As a kid starting out as a session bass player, I worked seven days a week for a year to save up for a really nice bass, and spent a day there playing everything they had before walking out with a new Modulus. It's a shame they're going out of business, but I'll always have those memories.
This is excellent reporting. Thank you.
Hope this means that mom and pop shops start opening again! Honestly it’s such a better experience imo. Going to GC can be a nightmare, they just never have enough staff no matter what! Don’t think I’ve ever had a smooth check-out experience where the employee didn’t have to walk away to grab a guitar or something. And their systems are still DOS! It’s crazy, they haven’t adapted at all to the modern era.
I went into the Brooklyn location yesterday, felt like i went back in time to the mid 80’s early 90’s. Store was so outdated. And only 5% off……
Really..?? Some of it’s up to 70% off in Los Angeles!
Richmond, VA is 5% off as well on guitars, amps, the good stuff and up to 70% off the rinky dink gadgets and stuff. Was very sad to walk in there the other day, but 5% off a Martin, Gibson or Taylor is not motivational at all.
Yeah, I'm not sure what the Ash family's plan is, but 5% doesn't get anyone excited.
As for drummers, we will be forced to buy whatever someone like Sweetwater sends us. Zildjian cymbals are a perfect example. Many years ago, like back in the 1970's, you could order a new Zildjian cymbal if your local store didn't have it in stock and it was almost guaranteed to sound great. Today, companies like Zildjian just send you a trash can lid for hundreds of dollars. The same goes for drums. You're forced to pay many thousands of dollars to buy a drum set without even trying it. You're also forced to buy drum sizes you might not want, 18 inch wide bass drums for example. So we're left buying everything sight unseen for really high prices, how long do you think that's going to last? Because of this nonsense I now only buy lower priced drums, and used cymbals if I can find them. I'm not paying thousands and thousands of dollars for equipment that may sound like garbage that I'm now stuck with. I can't even try out new drum sticks. And at almost $20 for a pair of drums sticks, I may just stop playing altogether. And I've been playing for 50 years. I've about had enough.
WORKED FOR THE ASHES BACK IN THE NEW YORK IN THE 70'S SOME OF THE BEST TIMES OF MY LIFE 48TH STREET RULED THE MUSIC WORLD! THANK YOU RITCHIE.
Sam Ash was my childhood music store. I would sit there and play instruments while my mom would buy books for her piano students. I bought my first and second guitar there. I’ll definitely miss them.
Former GC employee from 2006-2013 when they were at their peak. Sweetwater took tons of great talent from them and have thrived, while GC has taken a dump.
Very good insight into the struggles of Music stores. All the very best to you and your store.
I remember seeing their small ad's in Guitar Magazines towards back, way back in the day. wow
Three decades after shopping at Alamo Music, I'm feeling flooded with some good memories.
The first big purchase I ever made was a black Ferrington black, acoustic/electric bass.
All these years later and I play back the brief encounter and think, dang, that guy was a good salesman... it was a fantastic plywood instrument. I must've traded it for something at Krazy Kat. I used to try and hide the actual largest bass guitar case possible. I think I was about 19.
I think the Alamo Music might've had a location in Windsor Park Mall but it might've been a few stores. Great memories there, too.
One of the most common end to a family business is the main person dying and it's inheritors just wanting the money rather than the business. Sounds like this is probably what happened here.
I like watching your channel. Always good information. 👍
You do a excellent job in explaining your wares with a calm and thoughtful demeanour and just with the right information do make a decision with a purchase of instruments that suit the buyer ,thanks I and enjoy your channel
It's not just the internet taking customers from brick and mortar stores that are closing, it's also video games and the internet itself that takes future musicians from taking up playing at all. I am a child of the 60s when all we had was the transistor radio and what was coming out of it. Those days are long gone.
Completely agree. There’s a level of customer service available at a small store. I just ordered a strat from Alamo and Blake was really on top of it. You guys have definitely gained a customer
The problem for me are the no return policies or the very short ones like Alamo(15 days) unfortunately it takes me a lot longer to really bond or not with a guitar. Also those stores tend to hassle about the return whereas GC and Sweetwater etc are no hassle returns.
My father grew up going to the sam ash in Hempstead Long Island. When I was getting into guitar he brought me there and still remember what it looked like. How alive it was. Seeing all the gear and the Marshall stacks in person. Bought my first real guitar from that store. While it closed many years ago, they had two others on LI that I would go to. So sad that retail is continuing to die out. We have ourselves to partly blame. We don’t patronize our local businesses as much anymore. With music stores though I think they were also hit by the obliteration of the music industry thanks to Sean Fanning and Napster. Illegal music downloading had a lasting ripple effect and decimated so many industries. When there’s no money to be made businesses go out of business. Ah what can you do. Thanks Sam Ash for all you did for music.
Good take on this ...Nicely done !!!
The reason I never shopped at Sam Ash was because they didn't have the 1 year free interest to pay for an item. I bought all of my instruments and equipment thru Zzounds, American Musical Supply and Sweetwater, they had that option.
Man, I have mixed feelings about this! Early in my musical journey, it was a highlight of my weekend to spend an afternoon trying gear I eventually bought from Sam Ash. Also, I made great friends among the staff, too! However, these days, I could walk through EVERY department of the store and NO ONE bothers to stop to ask if they can help me find anything! I could stop by any day of the week and I could walk through the whole store without being engaged! Customer Service is STILL key in today's challenging environment! If salesstaff aren't ringing-up a customer's purchases, they MUST drop what they are doing and engage people when they walk through the door! 🤔🤔🤔
Excellent insight. I always learn something from you guys!
The problem with e-commerce is it made people become lazy. Back in the 70's-80's there was no internet and if you wanted something you physically had to go out and buy it. Unless you were getting something from a catalogue but you still had to go out to the store and pick it up when it came in. I know there are a TON of people who are not going to like what i am about to say but here it is. The internet and online shopping is what has shut down all of the mom and pop shops and the big box stores. You can argue that until the end of time but its the truth.
Doesn't hurt at all. If Mom and Pop shops charge too much people don't want to get ripped off. They'll just buy it online. Who cares. That truth doesn't hurt at all.
I don't think anyone is going to argue with you that online shopping has smacked the hell out of bricks and mortar stores, because it's blindingly obvious. Not sure I agree with the problem is that it has made people lazy. Surely the aggregation of power in the hands of a few online retailers is the problem. Amazon achieved its position of power as a general retailer via discounted prices and efficient, reliable service. The closer it comes to being a monopoly, the more those discounts have disappeared.
I have literally had a Sam Ash across the street from me for around 30 years, I play several instruments and it was very convenient to be able to shop for a new instrument or trade on in , take lessons, buy music books, reeds ,strings ect and have a guitar tech when I had something that needed adjusting or fixing and for a while they even had a "open mic " so people had the chance to play in public who didn't have much experience
and meet other musicians
because of all of those things I will miss having the location, but truthfully I was not surprised that the location was going to close in recent years There was a attitude shift many of the employees didn't seem to care that much the urinal in the bathroom was out of order for a year and never got fixed and I remember walking up to the guitar technician with my bass guitar and he was having a conversation with a guy didn't say hello can I help you I waited for more than 2 minutes then I interrupted to get some service to me
not acknowledging I was there was disrespectful, sometimes people there were friendly but you never knew what to expect so I will miss the convenience but customer service was often poor
thanks for excellent video
I didn't realize the Mars was such a short lived brand. I got my first electric guitar from them in 2002. I do also remember that where Guitar Center is now was originally Hermes Music, who just recently re-opened a smaller shop nearby.
I've been shopping at the San Diego california store for years and will miss them dearly
I hope y’all are good. I came to you from Sam Ash suggesting to visit y’all , and have bought some 8 guitars and a keyboard the last 4 years from ya.
Love my new fsr am pro 2 telecaster btw!!
I have been going to Sam ash White Plains since the early 70s. Tons of memories. In the 70s and 80s the salesman for guitars were snobs their attitudes were we are rock stars and you are mere mortals. As a young boy it was an intimidating place afraid to ask questions and try instruments. It got much better in the early 2000s sad to see them going
100
I also agree with what you said Chris, but I would like to add a few more ideas.
I’ve been a musician for 55 years, I started originally with mom and pop stores and it look like we’re headed back that way (I’m glad for that).
Here's a huge point not covered about Sam Ash, ATTITUDE. Unlike Guitar Center and mom and pop stores you felt welcome to be there, you were greeted at the door. Why? You were there to spend money, try equipment, ask questions, take lessons or possibly need repair work. I can never remember a time feeling welcome when walking into a Sam Ash store. Example: I worked outdoors in South Florida, it’s brutally hot and your clothing reflects that.
With $3000.00 dollars cash (it was the 90’s) I went there to buy a PA and because of the way I was dressed not one salesmen approached me, even after going to the help desk. One free up salesman passed me buy to sell a pack of strings, that’s when I got the manager involved, but by then I was no longer a customer. This is not a singular story about Sam Ash, speaking with other musicians they would recount similar story’s.
At Sam Ash stores try and go in and play their guitars without a salesperson hovering over you. Just try and play one of their higher end guitars position 25 feet over head where the salesperson needed a rolling ladder, if you could find a salesperson.
Do we even want to talk about how Sam Ask (not Sammy) crushed the competition on 48th street (Music Row) then took over the former music stores. I got an earful one day speaking to owner Rudy from Rudy’s Music how the Sam Ash corporation did everything possible to close or buy his store.
Yup, Guitar Center also is headed down that path. Before the Pandemic GC always had a greeter to direct you to their inventory, but that’s no longer, not after the latest reorganisation and after the pandemic. Another failing point for Guitar Center, where at one time they had musicians working in the store that is no longer than norm. They now hire employees who know nothing about product, don’t play music and this is only a temporary job.
So long ago, I began going back to mom and pop stores, I may pay a little bit more, but I like the one on one. When my band was touring and playing in San Antonio we made a point of stopping at Alamo Music and we weren’t disappointed. Here in South Florida luckily we have M.A.E. (Music Music Arts Enterprises) in Fort Lauderdale, a Mom and Store that’s been around for almost 70 years catering to local musicians.
The reason Alamo Music, M.A. E., Broward Band and other mom and pop stores are still here is they know how to help the customer, be honest and serve the community.
Thank Guys next time we’re through San Antonio will stopping again and introduce ourselves.
I concur. The customer service at Sam Ash was horrible and their attitude sucked. The irony irony is in my area they took over Mars Music and nobody liked Sam Ash because it went to downhill. I am not the least bit sad at that company.
Very well said my friend. One thing you left out is the millennial customer doesn't seem to care or see the value in the brick and mortar business anymore. They come in the shop to find the product, then turn around and buy it online. In the end this opportunity to interface with the music community will be lost, and that's sad.
People are too smart to get to ripped off.
Let’s make general statements about “generations” of people
I like how you describe things. Subscribed and liked.
Guitar Center had amazing sales
I hope you boys at Alamo hang in there. I've always appreciated your performances, Chris. If I needed any more instruments or equipment I'd be in contact.
All my music uploaded here on RUclips the equipment came from Sam Ash in Orlando (except my Guarneri copy violin & my grandmother's 100 year old Kimball parlor grand).
All I have are fond memories. Their prices were always flexible, and their salesmen were excellent. Back in the 90's it took a few years to build my studio. I'm retired now and getting old, but still compose and record.
Your video is spot on.
Totally agree with your premise regarding Sam Ash and Guitar Center. Personal experience….my wife was excited about getting a new guitar for her growing collection. In an attempt to buy “local” we went Sam Ash then across the parking lot to Guitar Center seeking said instrument. In both cases, we were hardly approached by sales associates. When we did finally get someone’s attention, the approach was disinterested, at best, but bordered on arrogantly rude. Discouraged, the next day, we drove 100 miles to Sweetwater in Ft. Wayne and after the personal cheerfully spent quite a while with us, we left with a beautiful Fender Tele. We were motivated customers with money to spend, yet we couldn’t get big chain personnel to give us the time of day.
I truly feel bad for any business having to close its doors, but when expertise is important, the Sweetwater model can closely monitor sales staff.
I had a Sam Ash close to me growing up and I used to frequent them. There was another music store called Accent Music where I bought most of my equipment. I just went to Accent, today, for their closing sale and bought my daughter her first guitar. Got an awesome price, but I’ll miss that shop.
My problem with these stores is that as I grew in playing and salary they didn’t keep up .. been playing for 30 years and I don’t want to go into a music store just to look at beginner guitars .. no shop carries custom shop or vintage quality instruments .. I don’t need a squire
I came of age in a time in area where there were no so-called big box music stores. The largest music stores were usually located in shopping malls and dealt mainly with organs and pianos. They might have five models of acoustic guitar hanging on a wall, 10 electrics at various price points, and three or four used instruments. So at that time, usually the place with the largest selection of electric guitars was pawn shops. As I got more serious about music and started performing, I grew fond of the Ibanez RG series guitars, and my first RG, was a korea-made RG470 in Jewel blue ordered from a family-owned, independent music store. I still remember negotiating a deal and having to wait about 2 weeks for my guitar to come in. The nice thing about that particular shop was that they individually set up every guitar that arrived from their wholesaler or distributor. If Mom and Pop brick and mortar stores can provide that level of service and attentiveness, there is hope.
I’m from Ireland 🇮🇪 I lived in New York in the 90sand remember taking the subway from the bronx to buy 3 guitars two takimines Japan model s and a acoustic bass to bring back to Ireland 🇮🇪 where I live now .. and still have the guitar s here in Ireland..good video
I have had one near and I’ve had good and not so good experiences there. Some nice, first name basis, folks that will be gone to the wind. Keep up the great work!
I went to the Guitar Center in Fred Va. a Tube Screamer was $188 in store. Reverb had it new $119 w/ free shipping. Brick and mortar means expensive experience and very expensive.
Great commentary, great insights, and very informative. I used to work at Sam Ash and can add that management had its own issues but your analysis was pretty on-the-mark. Thank you for this excellent video and analysis.
Ma & Pa here we come. Learned so much from this video. Regards Jim Terry Music. "Helping Florida Sound Better" for 40 years, Lets talk
I grew up on LI. In the 70s I worked for a sheet music distributor based in West Babylon. We delivered sheet music , method, books, and popular music portfolio books to all the music and record stores in the Northeast. Everyone from Sam Goody, Sam Ash and every small independent record shop or music store. I can’t imagine what fraction of those music stores are around anymore. I moved from New York in 1979 and had no idea Sam Ash expanded to this degree.
I loved the store in Charlotte (used to be MARS) I bought a Dobro from the Sam Ash in Vegas as well.
I've been thinking how GC and mom and pop's can reinvent themselves. One idea is to have slightly smaller stores, less inventory, mainly for demoing and more in store online ordering of guitars and product. Guitars hanging on the wall for a long time tend to get banged up. Demo in store and order new product online.
That means convenient customer computer stations with big computer screens where you can order what you want and fast shipping to home or the store, where the product can be evaluated. This would also be a great way of ordering custom shop guitars. GC doesn't have this right now. Ordering in store is through a sales guy on their probably not state of the art computers.
I have two GCs in town and the upscale one has a more obvious lesson center with a guy in front doing calling, not sure if it's cold calling, follow up, appointment scheduling or all of the above. There are quite a few people coming in for lessons, a lot of kids with parents.
The strong points of my GCs is many sales guys are great guitar players and can help with and demo what your looking at. They also have a great live pedal station to demo pedals, they also have a drum practice room that is often in session. Lots of amps and guitars to demo. And they have on duty guitar techs, your mileage may vary on that.
I don't know what the future successful brick and mortar model is but just some ideas.This idea would combine that best of brick and mortar with the best of online. It might also help to streamline brick and mortar costs and make them more efficient. Think having live music once a week would fuel the stoke as well. Maybe have advertised demo performances by great employee guitar players to bring customers in. Live music is a draw. Haven't seen that. But what do I know. Any others with ideas?
Guitar stores seem to behind the times and a little in the stone age and need to get a little more Las Vegas. Also maybe get you demoing a guitar with a backing track. Schedule that. Think out of the box.
I liked the presentation! No choppy, crappy editing.... I don't know how any music store makes it these days especially. I used to play in the 70's-2005 Last round 2011 and bought some stuff for recording in 2017. Sweetwater, local Guitar Center and Zzounds. - as well as private. Good luck to all of you,
Your first Sam Ash story reminded me of something that happened to me back in 2006. I was about to buy a 24-fret double cutaway Les Paul and I noticed that the last note on the high E string was out of tune. It was a minor thing, but the salesman at Sam Ash just blew me off. He said, "How often are you gonna use that note?" That's not the point! lol.. It's been my experience (well, for the most part), that GC employees have always been cooler/nicer and more "customer friendly" than Sam Ash employees. 🤷♀
"How often are you gonna use that note?" Hahahaha, classic.
I wonder how much of this is also due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control. Just the general landscape of the music industry and our culture. More and more electronic music on the radio means less folks influenced by musicians which makes for declining numbers of folks learning to play instruments which means a smaller market. I hate this for the industry. Not a fan of big box music stores at all but it’s sad to see. Love what you guys do. Keep up the good work.
Plus, the guitar market is flooded. Unless it guitar gets destroyed, It will last forever.. Plus it's like a used car. Who the hell buys new cars or new guitars?? Stupid I don't know why anybody would buy a new guitar. Plus the proliferation of reverb people can score an awesome guitar for a fraction of the price of a new one you'd have to be an idiot to buy a new guitar.
Kids that I know are all into video games. They don’t care about music or being in bands at all. They just want to stare at a screen and lose themselves which seems to satisfy them. I think the industry has been feeding mostly off older people that got the music/band bug early in their lives and continue to buy gear. Lots of gear. Multiple guitars, amps, keyboards, drums, etc.
The Acoustic Shoppe in Missouri is connecting with customers via it's channel similarly and is growing strong. Consumers are gaining trust in the dealer brand through youtube engagement. They've learned to put a quality control program together with focused driven ecommerce, shipping, and receiving.
I think I bought some studio monitors from a local Sam Ash a long time ago, but otherwise never went in there as it's a bit of a drive. I do remember Mars with fondness, though, as I bought my first Martin there not long before they went out of business. That was the first guitar I actually enjoyed playing, and it marked where I started to learn things beyond the basic chords. I tell people to this day not to cheap out on an instrument because the quality will affect your enjoyment, and that can play a strong role in whether you stick with it.
We still have Guitar Centers around here, and I sometimes sell guitars to them because I hate dealing with selling things. But I pretty much never buy from them because as you mentioned in the video, they just never stock anything I want. I've gone to their website so many times looking for either a specific guitar or accessory and they never have any of it. Eventually I gave up entirely on shopping there.
Won’t be missing them. The one near me always had the RUDEST employees.
On top of that, I begrudgingly visited the store since it was having a “blowout” sale. Only things that were 30% off were some old t shirts and some song books. All the guitar merchandise was 5-10% off..
there were items that literally had yellowing packages. Won’t be missed!
Surprisingly, the guitar center 15 minutes away from this Sam ash location has decent customer service and way better prices.
Yep. I went to the Carle Place store last week looking to buy a new amp. I asked the man, what happened to 30% off? He said, “it’s UP to 30% off.” He begrudgingly took $50 off a $1000 amp. Needless to say, I walked out.
I was ignored or treated rudely at every Ash I ever walked into. 48th Street, Cherry Hill, Franklin Mills, etc, etc……Good Riddance.
I loved the Houston store. Great service folks and merchandise…I’ll miss them
...I might add, it seems the hefty regional players like Alamo, Casino, Chicago x-change, Andertons (UK), etc. are holding on and rolling with the punches--and producing great content here on the U-toob. Shout out to all
Great video.. wish you would do more of this insight into the music industry, together with Cooper!
The past few years Sam Ash had no standards for quality or organization on the sales floor. They mainly sold beginner equipment stacked on pallets scattered throughout dimly lit stores. Experienced musicians weren’t interested in sorting through it for the one or two things they might be interested in and the general public had no tolerance for that mess. Guitar Center is miles ahead of their store experience.
I stopped traveling 50 miles to shop at Sam Ash when I stopped receiving the sales catalogs in the mail that inspired me to purchase equipment and instruments I would not have purchased without the sales catalogs.
There was a story back in the 70’s about Jerry Jeff Walker, who went to Rolls Royce dealership with $100,000 cash read to buy and was rudely ignored. I think he showed them the cash and then went elsewhere. I think he usually dressed very Texas casually, so the stuffed shirt salesman treated him like a no count’. Goes to show ya.
Worked at Sam Ash for about 3 years and it was an awesome 3 years. Even went to Fender out in Corona California with the Ash Family and some of the higher ups. Very sad that they are closing their doors.
Couldn’t agree more Chris - definitely an opportunity for smaller independents to take the space left by big box stores
My favorite local music store was Thorobred Music In Clearwater, Florida. It became a Sam Ash. I moved almost two hours away from that store but still went in there occasionally. I’m going to miss it.
That was my local store too. The Kapok Tree. I bought all my firsts there. First real Marshall amp, first Les Paul, and first Strat. Shout out to Danny R. He was the guy that earned most of my larger purchases.
@@sjohnson4985 I hope something good happens to the old Kapok Tree. It made a really cool music store
Very good explanation with valid insights. I spent a decade as Editor of one of the primary MI trade magazines in the industry. Very sad news about Sam Ash, since it is where I bought my first pro amp as a kid, back when they only had 3 three NYC/LI locations.
I actually bought 4 guitars from Sam Ash in San Antonio over the last 5 years (including the one I bought after the closing announcement). I always thought it was a musician friendly space much like Alamo Music & I’m sorry to see them go.
When Mexican Strats hit $1000, that did me in from ever buying a new guitar again.
Employees were not paid hourly; instead, their pay was based on sales made through the cash register. This system implies that if sales are low, the employees are held responsible, placing the entire burden on their shoulders. This practice exemplifies corporate greed and highlights why companies like Sam Ash and others may soon face a significant reckoning. Endless expansion and profits are not sustainable when built on the exploitation of workers.
Interesting! I bought my electric piano from Sam Ash on line 12 years ago, and my guitar from Sweetwater 4 years ago, so it looks like my next guitar will be from Alamonustic.😊
You have to ask yourself why rents are so high nowadays. People used to be able to rent or buy on one income. Even a teacher could do it. I think it’s AirBnB and the like. Why rent for $1000/month when you can get $700.00 for a weekend? Cities need to cap the permits for these types of properties or propose other solutions. Retailers in the city are going to get hammered so they can convert to mixed/residential uses. I live in Austin and it’s the same as NYC or Chicago. You have to live 45 minutes away in order to work here. That combined with e-commerce it’s not at all surprising that businesses are leaving or closing these major city centers.
I bought my first ever guitar at the Sam Ash in New Haven in 1999 and it was my go to for a number of years. I have since moved away, but was back in town today and stepped back into the store for the going out of business sale. The place was completely picked over, just a handful of guitars and odds and ends left. They were selling off the shelving units and cabinets. It was sad to see. Very much the end of an era.
I heard this a few days ago. Can’t remember where I heard it. Maybe Beato 🎸 This is a very informative video. GC will be calling you tomorrow 😂
Well said and respectfully delivered.
I think also fast rising interest rates and an inability to secure further funding due to tightening lending standards & their current debt being rated junk bonds which attract massive interest rate premiums, the massive drawdown in commercial property values & being stuck in long term leases & the inability to manoeuvre quickly because of their size. It’s a tough environment now & hats off to any music business owner that can navigate these challenges. Sad to see for sure.
Like you and Cooper say, buy locally. Although I buy from you, Music Villa and others, I continue to buy locally.The pandemic hit locals hard BUT did not necessarily close them: curb service was still available. But as the local store said, they needed to keep buying or ordering new guitars to keep things going. So I did, putting 50 percent down. They were special orders for them, but that kept them going, and I could play them before taking them home (well, not during the pandemic). My Dad shopped (LP records) at Sam Ash decades ago. Never went to a Guitar Center, but did not hear good things from my Cousin about them. That's why I sold him a guitar from a place where I've purchased before, based on what his wife was telling me. He worked from home the day it was to arrive, and played it all the rest of the day into the next. He was happy. I have also sold others guitars, although I am not affiliated with any brand or store. Well, one time when I was sitting in a store, trying out a few guitars, someone bought one based no my trial. That was okay, and the store owner hoped I was not upset (because he only had the one). I asked if I could get a commission applied toward the one I was going to buy, we both laughed. 😀E-commerce has burned me a few times, and those places I no longer shop. But there you go, Chris.
Problem is that when you buy locally very often there is a no return policy and that is a deal breaker for me. I need some time to bond or not with a guitar. I have bought a bunch of guitars from GC for this very reason, they never hassle and in return I buy more guitars from them.
@jhrdrake7205 Not so here, or at least not to my knowledge. The one shop also does band rental instruments and rentals for lessons. The other (90 mile away) local has a return policy. Never had to use either one.
I think we need ALL OF THE ABOVE:
1. mom 'n pop shops (they will evolve, somehow)
2. e-commerce (duh, obviously)
3. the Big Boys (I love the Guitar Center in my area, they always have affordable used gear)
Chris makes an interesting point about the 20-year-ish lifespan of guitar/music shops, historically. Btw, luv ur guitar reviews w/Cooper, I just subscribed. Always rooting for you guys.
When I was a kid, there was nothing but mom and pop music stores in my area. I would cycle myself through all of them picking up whatever instrument I was trying to learn. Now they are all gone. Except for one. We now only have Guitar Center, which we didn't have until mid 2000s. We're lucky to have Bizarre Guitar still operating.
another player is Elderly Music in Michigan, they stock in depth for both supplies and instruments and have always sent me great instruments. Once I wanted a hard case for ukulele I had, they had the same uke, so I called. The salesmen tried the uke in various cases and picked the best fit for it. Not many stores would waste time on the sale of a case but they did.
I find it hard to buy an instrument that I haven't played. Guitar necks have a certain feel and keyboards have a certain action that you won't understand until you play them. Also, hearing a sample over the internet on a computer speaker is not like hearing an instrument or amp live. Internet sales have their place, but give me a good music store any day. Thanks for the great content! RIP Sam Ash.
The Dallas store for years had terrible customer service and a bad attitude from most of their long term employees. They’d go many months at a time without a guitar tech.
Sam Ash in Raleigh also took over the Mars Music location too. GC was already across the street when Sam Ash took over
the former Mars Music in Charlotte become a Sam Ash as well. both locations are worse than a Mexican flea market. good riddance.
I think you have nailed it. Retail has always been hobbled by landlords onerous leases and cost of labour. I support our local family music shop as much as I can. They seem to be competitive, busy, successful and well stocked. It's about attention to detail. I often go to look at something on their reverb site, or pop in for strings.
Niche specialists can be vulnerable to competition driving prices right down. Think pro-audio! Their challenge is to developed solid customer relations - which more than just 3 marketing emails a week.
The big boys, Sweetwater, GC, Thomann, will dominate the mass market and can have their own lines. Competitors need to be cute. Andertons videos, or Guitar guitar taking and selling used. I love used!
Everyone may be vulnerable to direct importing. Everyone is pedaling hard to stand still.