Hey Friend,

Can you believe the Holidays are almost here? We’re literally a week from Thanksgiving and the madness that is Black Friday.

I know, I probably shouldn’t even mention it here - I’m sure you’re already going crazy with the Christmas ads!

There’s no way to escape it - from my years working in retail, I know this is crunch time for businesses large and small. 

Most of the brick and mortars operate in the red all year, building up to the holiday season to make up for losses and build a war chest of cash so they can do it all over next year.

Music stores are no different. 

Even the big guys like Sweetwater, Guitar Center and Sam Ash need to do well so they can stay open. 

For small, local shops, this season is critical. 

They don’t have the huge advertising budgets of the big guys, so you’re not going to see TV commercials or a big web presence. They operate on a shoe string and passion for music. 

If you’re lucky enough to have a local music store, at least stop in to see what they have. 

Back in the day before the big box stores, I used to go to Sodja’s Music, Mayfield Music and Academy Music on the east side of Cleveland. Sodja’s and Mayfield were the go-to shops for guitars and amps. 

Academy dealt in band and orchestra instruments, but I had a friend that worked there and he got me a killer deal on a Vantage six string (try finding one of these today!).

These shops (and others like them) were the lifeblood of the local music scene, and the places where dreams were realized. 

Sadly, looks like the only one that has survived is Academy Music, and that’s probably because they service the school bands and orchestras.

Back then, you could get used Les Pauls and Strats for a few hundred dollars. Of course, we were all broke kids back then and could barely afford them. We had to save every penny from part-time jobs and paper routes to buy guitars.

These same instruments today are considered vintage and sell for $1000s. Still can't afford them, LOL!

Case in point: The lead guitarist in my first band found a late 70s cherry sunburst Les Paul custom with gold hardware for $350 (kinda like this one).

I got my first BC Rich (late 70s hand-made like this) for $550. That’s another hard-to-find guitar, unless you’ve got about $3-5000 burning a hole in your pocket!

I’m not saying you can’t find deals today at the chain stores, but those incredible prices are long gone. Had we only known...

Point is, stopping in a shop to see what’s hanging on the wall is good for you, and it’s good for them, too. Knowing there’s new people coming into the shop keeps them going through the slow times, and you never know what treasures you might find.

So help a brother out - visit your local guitar shop this season, and maybe pick up a little somethin’-somethin’ to put a smile on your face!

Peace~

Dave