Daring to be different

Originally posted April 2008 on the CMusicBlog at www.cmusicshop.com

Being different. We all want to be different and yet, not too different. In the end, we’re often not different at all. Take guitars. You will hear me say this a million times, there has never been a better time to be a guitar player (or a musician in general). Why? Because we have more choices than ever before, more options, more brands, more of everything. So it kind of breaks my heart to see people ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ over the same guitars that have been around since the 1950’s. Don’t get me wrong, those are great guitars and it is truly a testament to their greatness that people still like them.

But there are so many more choices. Choices that will help define your tone, your style. The giants of classic rock had so many less models to choose from but thank goodness there were some great ones to choose. However, if they were in the same mindset as many modern players they would be playing lutes! Someone has to step up and innovate.

I look at the guitars out there and think, no matter what you want, it is available from one company or another. You don’t have to compromise or limit yourself. Want a flame top, hum/sing/hum with a whammy that works – you got it! Want a semi hollow, twin single coil in baby blue with a matching headstock – sure thing! It wasn’t that long ago that you didn’t have those choices, at least not at reasonable prices.

Now you have those choices. Choose wisely.

Where is Brand X?

Originally posted on the CMusicBlog at www.cmusicshop.com on May 27, 2008

Sometimes I have to take a step back and remember that most folks don’t understand the workings of a business like ours. They might wonder why we don’t carry this brand or that. Well, I’ll try to explain some of what goes into this issue.

One thing we have to consider is what demands a brand may place on us and if we feel they are reasonable for our business. Some of the larger known brands place demands on stores that can be too much, whether it is the amount of money or actual pieces needed to carry the line. Other times that line may be overexposed in other places like Guitar Center, online or catalogs. Sometimes the line just doesn’t fit into our overall plan. Maybe we already have that type of instrument well represented with other lines or maybe there is another local business carrying that line, which would make it less sellable for both stores. Sometimes there just isn’t enough room for more products.

There is a lot to consider when choosing lines to represent. The first thing the public sometimes isn’t aware of is that we own the instruments you see. They are not given or loaned to music stores, we have to buy them. So, if we see issues with selling them, for any of the above reasons, we don’t want to get stuck with them, because in 99 cases out of 100, the brand won’t take them back.

So, when you see that a store doesn’t carry a particular brand, remember there are a lot of factors that enter into that decision.

Campbell American UK 1 guitar review

I’m hoping to post a video on YouTube of me playing and reviewing the UK 1 so I’ll keep you updated.

Meanwhile, here’s the readin’ version.

Campbell American is a true USA custom shop in New England that’s doing their own thing and doing it great! And no, they aren’t relatives of mine. We became dealers in March but because their guitars are special order, built to specs we had to wait until a couple of days ago to actually have one. Ours is a tobacco sunburst with a personally requested narrow outer band of dark finish to show off the bookmatched flame maple top. First, let that sink in….I requested the depth of the dark band of the sunburst….where else can you do that?

So, we’ve got this gorgeous flame maple top (option) on a semi hollow (option) mahogany (option) body with natural wood binding (option). Add to that a matching flame maple tobacco sunburst headstock (option) with Sperzel gears (option). We’ve got chrome covered (option) Dimarzio Bluesbuckers (option) with chrome surrounds and a coil tap (option). We’ve got audio taper, CTS high quality pots (standard) and a nice meaty 3 way pickup selector switch. The UK 1 is a small, compact body that balances nice, is comfortable and practical. Dean Campbell, the head honcho suggested a rosewood fingerboard over my indecision over maple, rosewood or ebony (option) and I’m glad I went that way. Also, Campbell American guitars feature true laquer finishes, glossy enough to shine and show off those cool woods but not so thick as to ‘candy coat’ the guitar which deadens the tone.

I leave it to the video review to tell the full story where you can hear the wide range of tones but let’s say for now that this guitar could very well be your dream guitar. You know, the one where you can pick some real options, the guitar that you’ll reach for time and time again, the ‘go to’ guitar. If you haven’t noticed, Campbell American offers real options. Want gold hardware? Vintage trem (I opted for the fixed bridge)? Ash? Basswood? Lollar pickups? Why settle for another cookie cutter guitar with whatever options the factory decides. The Campbell American plays as great as any other high quality guitar but isn’t priced where only rockstars and CEO’s can own them, but even better is that they will provide you with a great, unique guitar that fits your needs, not the needs of the accounting department of other brands.

EDIT 5/23 – I have some pics posted www.cmusicshop.com/documents/105.html in the meantime

Quickie Tips for beginning players

I love beginning players! Open to the possibilities, charged up and ready to make some music! I spend a lot of time working with starting musicians, advising them on their first instruments. Here is just a quickie tip: don’t be intimidated with all the ‘guitarspeak’. Remember, we were all in the same boat at one time or another. We didn’t just wake up knowing it all, we learned it, over time, as we went along. Don’t be worried if you don’t know the difference between a humbucker and a single coil and for that matter, why should you even care about it. Instead find a good store that will sit down and talk to you, help you learn these things. If they seem too ‘busy’ to help you, find another one that cares. Believe me, they are out there and it is in their best interest to guide you and your best interest to have them on your side. This may sound weird from a store selling on the internet but first and foremost, we’re a real music store that’s launched a whole lot of players. Now go out there and play some music!