Hampton caught
Our undercover agent is looking to replace his Squier Strat with a heavier, more mid-range electric, so he decides to hit Northampton in search of instrumental inspiration…
St Giles Music
I DETECTED a friendly vibe as soon as I entered this shop and was delighted to find that I was approached almost as soon as I had reached the guitar section. Having deliberately given a slightly vague description of what I was after, it was pleasing to see this gentleman do some prying in order to found out as much as possible about the guitar’s recipient. After declaring my knowledge of
guitars as fairly limited – another little test – I was then given an excellent lesson in what made one guitar different from the next. If I was a complete instrumental newbie, this advice would have helped a great deal and my assistant seemed genuinely happy to help. Having narrowed down my choice to a couple of brands, he then pointed out a few highly reasonable deals that St Giles was running on some of its mid range Shecters, before then listing some of the accessories could be thrown in as part of the deal. St Giles works very well as a general MI
retailer – dealing in digital pianos, brass, woodwind and sheet music – but I could have done with a little bit more choice in the guitar department. Although guitars might not be seen as its main priority, it would have been nice to have a just a couple more brands and models to choose from.
4/5
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
Professional Music Technology
HAVING WON the MIA’s Best Music Retailer award five years in a row now, expectations were high before I entered this branch of the retail chain. I was certainly not disappointed while
taking my first look around. Guitarists of all levels of ability could literally spend hours in this store, scanning through the rich assortment of axes that span from the entry level right up to sublime sections dedicated to Gibson, Fender and PRS. Unfortunately, it took more than a
short while before anyone took any notice of my presence, prompting me to approach a member of staff. During my time spent twiddling my
thumbs however, I was able to listen in on another potential sale taking place. One man with no playing experience was after a high-end guitar and clearly had a fair bit of cash in his pocket. This might be every retailer’s dream, but instead of placing a Les Paul in his hand, taking £2,000 off him and saying “thank you very much,” the salesman seemed very keen for him to go away with the best deal possible. This was pleasing to see and led me to believe that I had just been unlucky during my visit and that there is, in fact, great service to be had here usually.
3/5 Buck Wylde
ALTHOUGH I was expecting to come across what used to be the joint premises of Music Market and Drum Centre, I instead stumbled upon Buck Wylde, a cosy little shop that has recently taken over from Music Market. My visit appeared to come at a bad
time, though, as a large delivery was taking place and it was also evident that this shop had not yet managed to get itself running up to speed. There may have been very little stock, but after explaining my requirements, I was given a number of catalogues to look through and I was promised that I could order in something that would be suitable. This was not ideal of course, but the
man who served me was so likeable and helpful, it made the experience a pleasant one despite the lack of choice. Buck Wylde has an unusual layout – it
gives the impression you’ve just walked into someone’s lounge – but this gives the place a nice homely feel and I can see it becoming a great location for those who just want to try out some gear before they buy, and not feel hassled. It’s impossible to give this shop a fair
appraisal due to its recent opening, but hopefully in a couple of months when things are settled, this could be an ideal store for the more laid-back shopper.
CONCLUSION
I WAS REALLY expecting PMT to sit head and shoulders above the rest here, but I would have to go with St Giles Music as my favourite Northampton store. There was very little not to like
here and it’s important to remember that a bit of enthusiasm goes a long way in retail.
On another day it would probably
have been different for the chain store, but the service has got to match up to the stock levels. It will be interesting to see how
3/5
Buck Wylde develops as a store and it’s more than worth a look. But it will have to act quick before its newcomer status runs out and more customers arrive who will be expecting those shelves to be filled.
miPRO JUNE 2011 69
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