 |
 |
 |
1. A vintage Wurly and Rhodes joined by new synths in the keyboard showroom of Beacock Music, a short hop across the Columbia River from Portlandia. 2. Hard-to-fi nd modular and analog gear takes center stage at L.A.’s Big City Music. 3. Dave Contois leads teachers in a seminar on integrating technology and piano lessons at Contois School of Music in Vermont. |
INDEPENDENT GEAR RETAILERS FACE MORE CHALLENGES THAN EVER. ESPECIALLY
in the keyboard, recording, and pro audio sectors, which have incredibly tight margins,
not to mention informed, price-savvy customers like you. Yet many stores are thriving,
thanks to a focus on service, music education, and building community in their local
scenes. Here’s a very incomplete list of some who are at the top of their game.
ANALOGUE HAVEN | online only
Gear focus: Doepfer, Moog, Dave Smith, Nord,
Elektron, Metasonix, Vermona, and more.
Specializes in hard-to-find analog and modular
synths, as well as bigger names such as Alesis.
What’s special: Analogue Haven is the sole U.S.
distributor (though not the sole retailer) of Doepfer
modular gear. They’re often first to carry new
boutique offerings, and provide a 30-day warranty
on all products in addition to what manufacturers
offer. Analogue Haven buys and sells used synths,
modular gear, and pedals. Have a specific (read:
strange) equipment need? The staff is happy to
put feelers out to help you find it. OO
analoguehaven.com | 310-451-7744
BANANAS AT LARGE | San Rafael, CA
Gear focus: Roland, Moog, Access, Dave
Smith Instruments, Nord, Korg, Yamaha,
Alesis, and Casio, among others.
What’s special: One of the leading NorCal outlets
for keyboards and recording gear, with nearly every
major product line (and a number of boutique
ones). Bananas has instruments and audio equipment
on consignment, along with a full rental department
for sound systems, amps, keyboards, and
related gear. An authorized Apple reseller, Bananas
specializes in optimized A/V production systems,
including Pro Tools HD. You’re likely to see a staff
member patiently taking 14-year-olds through GarageBand
or a Casio Privia.
Lessons: Regular events and classes, including
jam sessions with San Francisco Bay Area pros,
and sound solution clinics for churches. RL
bananasmusic.com | 888-900-1959
 |
| Synth heaven at Nova Musik’s studio, which is often used for demos by product reps. |
B&H | New York, NY
Gear focus: This NYC institution is a destination
for photo and video pros, but also has an
extensive selection of major brands of keyboards,
recording equipment, and live sound gear.
What’s special: The merchandising displays are
impeccable. Whether you want to compare the
Jupiter, Kronos, and Motif; ultrabooks for running
soft synths; or even those high-end digital cinema
cameras you have no use for but still drool over,
you’ll find everything plugged in, well maintained,
and ready to demo. They also buy and sell used gear,
maintain an onsite library of free application howtos
and buyer’s guides they’ve created. Their huge
brick-and-mortar store is one of a kind in any dense
urban setting, and with a purchase, they validate
parking—important in New York. SF
bhphotovideo.com | 866-264-5201
BEACOCK MUSIC | Vancouver, WA
Gear focus: Synths, workstations, digital pianos,
and portables from major manufacturers such as
Yamaha, Roland, and Korg.
What’s special: Beacock is the largest indie
music store in the Portland, Oregon, area, selling
everything from keyboards and recording gear
to guitars, drums, and band instruments. They
route multiple keyboards through shared monitor
systems so you can A/B competing models.
Beacock will let you rent-to-own synths, workstations,
and digital pianos, has in-house repair, and
works with nearby
 |
| Left to right: Roger Linn, store owner Steve Taormina, and Dave Smith in front of Robotspeak in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district. |
servicer Inner Sound for more
demanding repairs. There’s also consignment for
used gear.
Lessons: Thirty-five teachers run group and private
lessons in just about every instrument and all
skill levels. Staff organizes bands that students can
sign up for and hosts in-store concerts. Students
can use the Yamaha Keyboard Lab. One-on-one
training for workstation keyboards can even extend
to house calls when the situation demands.
OO
beacockmusic.com | 800-729-7134
BIG CITY MUSIC | Los Angeles, CA
Gear focus: Korg, Moog, Fulltone, and more,
alongside boutique brands Metasonix, Jomox,
and Critter & Guitari.
What’s special: Their appointment-only
policy isn’t elitist—it’s because they want to
give as much personal attention to the novice
as they do to, say, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke
(who paid a recent visit). Want to demo hardto-
find gems like the Teenage Engineering
OP-1, Analogue Systems French Connection,
or eight-bit OTO Biscuit? Big City has them.
As the only Dewanatron distributor, Big City
is the only place you can play the unique
Swarmatron (reviewed Dec. ’11). OO
bigcitymusic.com | 818-985-0855
CHUCK LEVIN’S WASHINGTON MUSIC
CENTER | Wheaton, MD
Gear focus: Nearly all major and many boutique
brands, including Korg, Yamaha, Roland, Nord,
Kurzweil, Dave Smith Instruments, Moog, Access,
Casio, Waldorf, Arturia, Rhizome, Elektron,
Alesis, and Akai.
What’s special: This much-loved hub of the
DC music scene is extremely well stocked, with
more than $8,000,000 in inventory. The keyboard
department often has more than one of
the same model plugged in and ready to play.
The most junior salesperson has been there for
over eight years, and they’re all real musicians
with industry experience. Chuck Levin’s offers
its own tech support and has four onsite repair
shops for different instruments. The website
offers sheet music downloads and hosts free
classified ads for musicians. They also provide
P.A. and keyboard rentals.
Lessons: Manufacturer reps are in the store
daily and host free (and some ticketed) clinics on
a regular basis. OO
chucklevins.com | 301-946-8808
 |
| Group instruction at Cordogan’s Pianoland in Illinois. |
CONTOIS SCHOOL OF MUSIC |
Essex Junction, VT
Gear focus: Yamaha, Line 6.
What’s special: Family-run since they started as
a piano and organ shop in 1971, Contois became a
major source of expertise during the heyday of Yamaha’s
FM synths. In 2010, they renovated their
4,000-square-foot facility and added “school” to
their name to emphasize education. They’re one
of the few Yamaha dealers in the country that’s
authorized to do service and repair onsite.
Lessons: Seven private studios and one group
classroom complement the retail floor. All the
studios contain Sibelius, Music Ace, Pro
Tools SE, Line 6 Pods, Yamaha Clavinovas,
and more, and are networked so that students
and teachers can collaborate. Teachers are all
connected with tools such as Office365 and
Facebook for communicating with students
and parents. The school serves over 300 K-12
students weekly. SF
contoismusic.com | 877-266-8647
CORDOGAN’S PIANOLAND |
Geneva, IL
Gear focus: Cordogan’s houses five Kawai
grands in one showroom, has a separate room
dedicated to the full line of Yamaha Disklavier
pianos, and dedicates another to used and digital
pianos. They also carry acoustic and digital
pianos from Estonia, Roland, Modus, Casio, Viscount,
Story and Clark,
 |
| The extensive grand piano gallery at one of West Music’s Iowa stores. |
Suzuki, and Palatino.
What’s special: Cordogan’s has more than 400
acoustic and digital pianos on display in a 30,000
square-foot facility. They offer consignment and
rent-to-own, as well as moving, tuning, appraisal,
refinishing, and repair—anything piano-related.
Their website offers a wealth of information for
piano buyers and sellers alike.
Lessons: In Studio K, a dedicated piano teaching
center offers private as well as group lessons in a
Yamaha Keyboard Lab.
OO
chicagopianos.com |877-242-9944
FULL COMPASS | Madison, WI
Gear focus: Virtually all major and mid-sized
brands of pro keyboards and synths, plus recording,
live sound, and AV production gear.
What’s special: Huge selection. Because their
retail floor is in the same building as their
80,000-square-foot warehouse, they can offer
very quick delivery. A wide variety of keyboards
are always ready to play, and separate demo
rooms are for “testing things out that make more
noise,” in the words of CEO Jonathan Lipp. Their
onsite production facility can be a TV studio, theater,
banquet hall—whatever the occasion needs.
Here, they host and webcast seminars with top
musicians like Victor Wooten and engineers like
Leslie Ann Jones, not to mention charity events
and recitals by local students. They were also one
of the first stores in the industry to cross-train
product experts and assign them to individual
customers as opposed to product categories. SF
fullcompass.com | 800-356-5844
NOVA MUSIK | Milwaukee, WI
Gear focus: A superstore specifically for synths
and electronic music production, including all
major brands plus many you’d expect to find in
boutiques: Analogue Solutions, Doepfer, Elektron,
Future Retro, Vermona, and more.
What’s special: They’re known mainly for
mail order, but a retail showroom and studio
in downtown Milwaukee is packed to the gills
with analog goodies. They’re big enough to have
a 30-day return policy, but small enough to be
staffed by true synth geeks, which means you’ll
get your pre-sales info and support from people
who don’t also have to cover entry-level electric
guitars to make rent. SF
novamusik.com | 877-290-6682
ROBOTSPEAK | San Francisco, CA
Gear focus: Analog and boutique, including
Moog, Dave Smith, Teenage Engineering, Doepfer,
Elektron, and Pittsburgh Modular.
What’s special: It’s cred central for the San
Francisco Bay area’s electronic music scene—
the go-to store for everyone from aspiring
Skrillexes to DIY’ers whose main instrument is
a soldering iron.
Lessons: Recurring courses include Ableton
Live, Pro Tools, Logic, Reason, Max/MSP, modular
synth design, recording, and circuit-bending—
and are very affordable. SF
robotspeak.com | 415-554-1977
SEALE KEYWORKS | Franklin, TN
Gear focus: Vintage electric pianos (Rhodes and
Wurlitzer) and Hammond organs, Leslie speakers,
and new Nords and Rolands. Acoustic and
digital pianos.
What’s special: A team of piano technicians
is on call for tuning and repairs. The store
also rents out vintage electric pianos, organs,
synths, and backline. Other piano services
include moving and storage; Jonathan Cain
of Journey recently had Seale move and store
his Fazioli grand while his new studio was
constructed. Seale also offers music software
as well as repairs on vintage and modern keyboards,
and is an Apple reseller.
Lessons: Clinics and user group meetings for
DAWs, including Logic, Avid Pro Tools, and
PreSonus Studio One. TB
615-370-8800 | sealekeyworks.com
SWEETWATER | Fort Wayne, IN
Gear focus: Virtually every major brand of keyboards,
synths, computer audio, software, live
sound, and DJ gear.
What’s special: The culture. Sweetwater’s
“sales engineers” have some of the most thorough
and rigorous product training in the business,
and founder Chuck Surack (who majorly
helped put Kurzweil on the map) is deadly
serious about investing in and retaining good
people. Their yearly GearFest is
like a NAMM show for the public. Their huge
campus includes a café with WiFi and a free
retro video arcade.
Lessons: The Sweetwater Academy of Music offers
personal instruction for all ages and skill levels in
keyboard, guitar, drums, bass, and singing. A gorgeous
new theater hosts student recitals. SF
sweetwater.com | 800-222-4700
SWITCHED-ON | Austin, TX
Gear focus: Includes Moog, Korg, Sequential
Circuits, and ARP, as well as boutique makers
such as Malekko, Bubblesound, and 4ms.
What’s special: Austin’s headquarters for vintage
analog synths, drum machines, sequencers, stompboxes,
new and vintage modular gear, software, and
controllers also features an in-house repair department
that refurbishes all used gear sold; warranty
coverage on vintage pieces; a custom modification
service; and rentals. Switched-On also builds powered
Eurorack modular cases under the Sound Modular
name. You can also bring your laptop, MPC, or
other sampling device and for $25 per hour, sample
any of the cool stuff that’s in stock.
Lessons: Group classes in everything from live
sound basics to hardware hacking. A certifi ed
Ableton Live expert leads training sessions. OO
switchedonaustin.com | 512-782-8806
WEST MUSIC | multiple locations in
IA and IL
Gear focus: Steinway, Boston, Essex, Yamaha, Cable
Nelson, Henry F. Miller, Roland, Kurzweil, Casio.
What’s special: West Music focuses on customer
education and service, and has six retail
locations, more than 170 associates, and a professional
audio installation service. They sell everything
from drums and guitars to school band
instruments, but there’s special focus on pianos
and keyboards; one store (West Des Moines) is primarily
for this. Showrooms display upright and digital
pianos surrounded by floor lamps and rugs for a homey
feel. The repair department handles warranty work,
and it offers one-, three-, and five-year trade-ups on
all keyboards: They apply your original purchase price
toward up to half of the price of a new instrument.
Lessons: Conservatory with more than 3,000
students (close to 600 for piano alone) and 27
teachers. Programs range from early childhood
Kindermusic and the all-ages Weekend Warrior
rock band course to summer music camp. During
the holidays, the store offers four free lessons
when you buy an instrument. There’s even a music
therapy program, which employs only boardcertified therapists and serves preschools, rehabilitation
centers, group homes, and correctional
facilities throughout Iowa. OO
westmusic.com | 800-397-9378
WEST L.A. MUSIC | Los Angeles, CA
Gear focus: Synths, workstations, arrangers,
digital pianos, controllers, portables, and recording
gear from most major brands. Korg and Roland
recently installed custom demo stations.
What’s special: Location, location, location—the
epicenter of the film, TV, and record industries. Because
of West L.A.’s high-profile customers, they’re
often first to receive new gear. For example, they
recently helped Interscope and Lady Gaga get two
of the first production Waldorf Zarenbourg electric
pianos. They also do studio design and contracting,
from home studios to ground-up builds.
Lessons: Manufacturer product specialists run
weekly clinics. Most are free to anyone who
RSVPs. Top-call musicians regularly host events
as well; recent ones included a drum clinic by
Terry Bozzio and bass with Carol Kaye. OO
westlamusic.com | 310-477-1945
Gilt for Gear
Taking its cue from flash-sale
websites like Gilt and Woot, Hello
Music offers deep discounts on a
small stock that refreshes every
48 hours. How does it work? By
putting a free membership wall
between the public and their
deals, and by disallowing price
results in search engines, Hello
can sell new gear as far below
MAP (minimum advertised price)
as they like. They get the majority
from manufacturers and the
rest of from stores with overstock.
They offer a 365-day return
period, and additional deals
on services like mastering and
music distribution—Delta in-flight
play is a frequent option. Visit
hellomusic.com. OO
Big Bad
Good Boxes?
Why mention large chains in a story about independents?
Because they too are realizing that it’s
essential to create a space where musicians want
to be. At a recent Guitar Center grand opening in
Emeryville, California, we saw a new software demo
station GC is rolling out company-wide: multiple
controllers connected to an iMac loaded with software
and plug-ins (pictured). “We worked long and
hard to make it solid and crash-proof,” says VP of
Merchandising Bill Wrightson. Also, spacious rehearsal rooms at some locations
(see gcstudios.com) each have a full backline, P.A., and Internet, and let you
record in stereo. These rent for just $13 per hour, and other rooms host oneon-
one instrument and DAW instruction. Likewise, industry stalwart Sam Ash is
now offering lessons, songwriter circles, open mics, and seminars in everything
from synths to DAWs to crowdfunding to DJing at many locations. More info is
at samashmusic.com/lessons and samashmusic.com/events. SF