I just got a new Best Buy here about 3 miles from my store and only 1/2 block away from a new Guitar Center. The Best Buy has the new Musical Instrument Store within the store section.
Like someone here posted, it is just exactly like having another Guitar Center in Best Buy. There were all the Yamaha Motifs, Roland Fantoms, Korg M3's, Gibson, Fender, Yamaha, DW, Behringer, etc. etc. But......There was one guy working in the Dept. and I watched him and I didn't think he was any different then the typical GC sales guys. Everything was marked at MAP prices and there weren't any arranger keyboards to be found accept for a Yamaha YPG625.
As a friend of mine from Korg said today
" we've seen the growth of the chain everything stores over the past 10 years. Those little stores that didn't have a "nitch" are probably not around anymore." The feeling in the industry is that this growth of big box chain stores, selling instruments, computers, TV's, Phones, etc. etc. has probably come to a head now. People who need and desire service will still come into stores like mine. Prices are the same but service.........not even close. I pray he's correct.


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George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California
818-881-5566
www.kayesmusicscene.com