M I SPY
WINNER’S CIRCLE
Eastside Music Supply
MI Spy Year in Review
Bluegrass Musicians Supply
It was another interesting year for MI Spy, who traveled across the country. This month, we take a special look at all of this year’s winners to see all of the great service they provided. Here’s an in-depth description of the 11 stores MI Spy visited that won the top prize.
Guitar Center
JANUARY Eastside Music Supply 2915 Gallatin Pike Nashville, TN 37216 615.480.7709
Glue Clothing Exchange Sam Ash West Music
Brothers Music National Speaker Empire Guitars
Vic’s Drum Shop Omega Music
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Eastside Music Supply opened a year or so ago in the northeast Nashville suburb of Inglewood to little fanfare, but word is getting around. When I stopped in, it was pretty busy, with a couple of rocker dudes trying out electric guitars and others looking at the store’s impressive pedal selection. I already knew that the small shop stocked a lot of new and used electric gear, and I wasn’t expecting to see much in the way of acoustics, which was indeed the case. But what they did have was a sweet selection for such a small store, including a 1952 Gibson SJ (Super Jumbo), a pre-war Gibson L-30 archtop with twin f-holes and a cool 1970s Guild. I was impressed. When I asked the 30-ish guy at the counter if I could check out the SJ, he happily told me to grab it and helped me pull up a stool. The guitar had a great sound and was impeccably set up. Though it was listed for $7,500 on the store’s website, he told me he could go down to $6,000 with the original HSC. I thought this had to be a mistake, so I actually started to consider it — until I remembered my limited MI Spy expense account. I really was looking for a cutaway though, and the Gibson didn’t have one, so I checked out a cream-colored, like-new Breedlove Concert Pursuit acoustic-electric. The counter dude first told me it retailed for $600, then said he’d go to $585 since this was one of the few guitars in the shop without a case and could maybe go even lower if I was really interested. It wasn’t a bad deal, but I demurred for the moment. Overall, with local music venue posters plastered everywhere and the three small display rooms buzzing with enthusiastic shoppers, the vibe was that it’s a musician’s store, seemingly focused on making music first and making money second.
FEBRUARY Bluegrass Musicians Supply 1370 S. High St. Columbus, OH 43207 614.443.3558
High Street is one of Columbus’ main thoroughfares. In the Merion Village section south of Interstate 70, the store occupies one row of pre-war, brick, two-story houses. Once inside, I was waited on by a 20-something-year-old salesman who also said that he plays the guitar professionally. I explained that I was shopping for a 15-year-old boy, so he showed me a used three-quarters-size Corbin Alba acoustic guitar for $139 that would exceed the needs of any beginning student. This model was less than a year old and in excellent condition; new guitars of this model go for around $175 to $200. A key feature of this model, he explained, was its pick guard. This decorative acrylic surface helps prevent damage to the guitar’s body from the hands of an inexperienced learner. “Basically, it helps keep you from scratching the top surface of the guitar when you are playing the strings with a guitar pick,” he said. “I would not get a guitar for a beginner without one.” Nonetheless, pick guards are also popular with more experienced players and can be ordered in finer materials, he added. A kit and carrying bag would add another $30 to the price tag. Nobody knows this about MI Spy, but I am short. I explained that the boy is now three inches taller DECEMBER 2018