2nd Hand Keyboard Shops

[Guido3]

Being a teenager in the 80’s, I used to love my visits to the nearest city with my Dad to visit music shops where I could try the latest and greatest keyboards and then try to work out how to raise enough pennies to get one!!! There was always a good selection of used goodies to choose from too. Obviously, due to the advent of the internet, this type of shop is left to the big boys. Very few independent retailers still exists.

Nowadays, I would say that 90% of my ‘used’ purchases come from eBay the rest coming from Preloved and SOS’s very own Readers Ads.

My question is.....

Do you think there is a market for a used independent keyboard shop on the high street? I’d love to see one in my area. How do young people nowadays ever get to play with gear and get a passion for it when there is nowhere to try it? Or has computer based music killed off hardware for good?

I would have to say it would be a brave person to open a shop nowadays as the high street is in its knees but I can’t help thinking there is a market for it.

Mods, please move this post if it in the wrong place.

[garrettendi]

Interesting enough, where I live there are at least four smaller independant second hand guitar shops, and one more major (but still independent) shop in or around the city centre. In addition, there is one folk music shop, and one orchestral shop.

However there are no second hand keyboard shops, except a meagre selection in the major guitar shop, and whatever the others get in the more rare deals.

I think you might be onto something here. Why are there so many small guitar shops that deal in the pre-owned sector, but very very few synth or piano shops?

[Sam Spoons]

It could be to do with the potential for electronics to fail and the difficulty of assessing the condition of used keys? Guitar's are relatively easy to check and guitar fx are relatively inexpensive (and the odd return of one that died probably is not too significant) but one refund on a returned keyboard workstation could eat up a months takings.........

[Hugh Robjohns]

Why are there so many small guitar shops that deal in the pre-owned sector, but very very few synth or piano shops?

Old guitars are dead easy and cheap to maintain and polish up for resale -- and if they look relic'd they may even gain value.

None of those things apply to keyboards!

Edit -- Sam beat me to it, for once!

H

[Folderol]

... and another thing.
I wouldn't think any small independent shop could afford the eye-watering rent and rates for a high street location

[mick.n]

My nearest town (since last Monday) no longer has a musical equipment shop of any kind. Any future purchases of strings & so on will have to be online......or face a lengthy journey.

Only store that has any music gear is a "Cash converters" that has a rather nice looking Yamaha Tyros 3 for sale.

[Guido3]

... and another thing.
I wouldn't think any small independent shop could afford the eye-watering rent and rates for a high street location

Which is why most shops are shutting nowadays regardless of what they’re selling. It makes you wonder how any small shop survives and makes any kind of profit.

[SecretSam]

For anyone holidaying in Cape Town, I highly recommend The Gear Junkie:

http://www.thegearjunkie.co.za/store/c1/Featured_Products.html