I was at the Centralized Location for Rock-and-Roll Instruments yesterday, looking for ways to spend my birthday money.  Aside from getting plectra and a stand for my bass as planned, I decided to give the staff a brain-teaser and ask for some fixed-wire brushes.

As I had thought, my brain-teaser had worked, but only after waiting in "line" while one of the salesclerks gave a hour-long lecture on Practical Applications for the Modern Drumkit to a prospective customer.  After this, I asked another question:  What are the thinnest drumsticks you have?  If I couldn't get the right brushes for now, I figured getting a really thin pair of sticks would be a good antiacid, if you catch on.

"I was wondering," I asked the clerk, "what are the thinnest sticks you have besides timbales sticks?"

"Timbale sticks?  Yeah, we have timbale sticks.  Let's see—"

"No, I was referring to drumsticks, besides timbale sticks, that were the thinnest you carried."

Gaylord Perry never threw a more devilish spitball.  Clearly I had confused the man; I saw autopilot kick in a second after.

"Well, we have the 7A's, those are the thinnest—I think we have eight-something..."

At this point I commit a fatal error:  I ask a related question before the dials cease spinning over this massive calculation:

"Have you guys ever heard of the American Jazz series by Vic Firth?  Do you carry those sticks, do you know?"

"America--uh, no, I never---They never shipped those to us....?"

"Well, see," I continued, brazenly ignoring the limitations of analog calculations, "the stick I'm after is within this series; I think it's the AJ5.  It's apparently the thinnest stick they carry at point-four-ninety inches in diameter...."

One of the gentle-clerks was searching through the dross, as it were, for thin sticks.  The other, listening to me intently, bulged his eyes out of his head at this statement.  "Have you looked in the Vic Firth rack over there?"  I don't know what's over there."  I had had time to look during the gentleman's extemporaneous speech earlier, and saw none, but I gave a cursory glance to satisfy him.  "No, they're not over here."  I quickly fended off his offers to order a pair.

The other guy had recovered, finally, and bestowed upon me a pair of Vater 7A's.  They're nice sticks, but a tad too thick for what i wanted.

"Well, these are nice, " I said, "but I'm looking for a thinner 7A."

"Well, wait,"  the brave miner replied, "all 7A's are the same size; the taper just differs.  See, the Regal Tip starts back here"—he points to the approximate point at which it did indeed start—"where other sticks start here"—at which he gestures on the same stick an impossible fulcrum-commencement, hitherto unseen since the Ludwig 2B.

I recoiled in horror at this statement.  There were other people around; what do I do?  I chose the passive and polite route: "Well, actually, no, they're not the same, in my experience."

The Brave Miner recoiled quickly from this punch in the gut I delivered.  To foil any advancement due to bruised pride on his part, I added:

"—but I appreciate your looking nonetheless."

He then hands me a pair of Pro-Mark 7A's.  These were close, indeed.  However, I remembered in the nick of time to roll them, and I did so on the practice pad with a deft sleight-of-hand maneuver under the Brave Miner's eagle-eye stare.  It wobbled like a barroom cuestick.

It was time to admit defeat.  I still hadn't gotten what I actually came for in the other department.  I bade farewell, thanked them again, lubed their parts, and set off for the next department, wherein I wasn't disappointed.

I still hadn't forgotten such misinformation and lack of research, though, and it sticks with me to this hour.  Before, the story I had consisted of a salesman stealthly lying to a kid's parents about the volume level of a Gladstone practice pad upon a snare drum.  "He can bang on his drum with this with the door closed, and you won't hear a thing, " the salesman promised.  I chuckle at this statement everytime I use my pad and receive a request to pipe down from another family member two rooms over.  Second to that was my overhearing a salesman address a piano to a customer as such: "This is about thirty-five years old, but that's—almost nothing in the lifespan of a piano."


Before, I thought it nothing to walk in prepared with research so as to battle the salesmen.  Nowadays, the lack of varied equipment does not do justice to the passing-along of such ignorance in vain, no matter how well-armed with knowledge I am.  Mail-order is looking very, very good for my further purchases where a sensitive ear isn't required.  Failing that, I just might start returning to the "lame band instrument music store", as a member here put it yesterday afternoon.

I'd like to know of any slights, lies, deceits, or anything along these lines that you've encountered, and would wish to share.  We needn't limit it to drums-only experiences.

There's a guy in a shop near me who every time I come in ready to make a purchase, he acts like it was he who helped me reach this decision, due to non-existant conversations we had the last time I was there, that is was he who convinced me to make this purchase due to his expertise and salesmanship, when the only reason I'm even there is because of the research I did myself or because its a short notice thing and I'm crunched for time. Such a turn-off, does this actually work on people?

Also when calling around town, shopping around for prices and availability, I had a guy tell me he put in an order for me, just for asking if they had it in stock. How rude! They lose a sale everytime.

Yeah mail order whenever possible.

Buyer Beware.

I bought a compressor for my 4 track when I was in high school.  They guy there said it would make our harmonies sound better.

Once in awhile you find very knowledgable people.  They can be in a big store or in a mom and pop store.  Remember all they are interested in is selling.  The one with the higher profit margin is usually going to sound better.

i hate when salesmen look at me and think i cant afford something cuz im a kid, and then try to push some beginner crap for me. One time, I said i wanted a 16" hh medium thin crash, and he kept trying to push the xs20 version to me, and the sound was totally different, but his tone deaf ears couldnt tell

From your description, it sounds like you refer to what we in the U.S. know as "pawn shops" or less commonly, "pawnbrokers".  The same experiences apply.

During the holidays, I went to the local Plectrum Centrum to purchase a guitar for my younger son (Adam's Brother).  While looking at a Fender Stratocaster, I asked the salesman about Ibanez guitars.  This bozo says, "Oh, Fender owns them...they're buying up all of the guitar companies, ya know."  Boy, was I impressed with his product knowledge!

Adam's Dad

Every time I go this local music store to buy a few pair of drum sticks the manager insists I look at thier drum machines.

Every time I tell him on the walk over to them that chances are someone buying drum sticks would not like drum machines.

He is extremely proud to have me watch while he pokes a few preprogramed buttons.

I just smile thinking how easy amused he is then he rings up my sticks we shake hands and thats that.

  Two weeks after the new Steve Smith DVD came out I called a local music shop to have them order it for me only to have him tell me that they had stopped making them and they were permanently out of print (or POP in his words). About a month later I received a phone call telling me that the Steve Smith DVD I had ordered was in.

  Same thing happened to me when I ordered a rare CD from a music store. They kept telling me it had been back ordered and they kept reordering it for me. This went on for six months until they finally told me that they couldn't get it in. A month later I went into the store and it was sitting on the shelf.

I'm almost embarrassed to say it- the drumshop I go to is GREAT!

Waddell's, Wexford, PA

Oh, they have a website, too- http://www.waddellsdrums.com/.

And, no, I don't work there.

I actually have the opposite problem than most of you. Whenever i walk into the drum department of the local Guitar Center, the sales people (sometimes all three) are battling it out on the set displays. I usually consider myself not that bad of a drummer, but sometimes even if i walk in knowing i am going to buy something, i have to walk right back out feeling inferior.

Similar problem is when they tell you too much and talk my head in circles. I end up getting a headache and walking out empty handed.

The guys at my local GC - excuse me, the dudes - are more often than not 'differently clued'.  There's a lot of turn-over in the drum department.  I suspect many of them worked in fast food before landing the gig @ GC only so they could get the employee discount.  

When not trying to impress each other, themselves, and the customer with their "chops" (I love how some of them play on a practice pad on the counter while you're trying to talk to them), they're pontificating a blue streak, or just plain busy being nowhere to be found when I need something.  I only go to GC when I'm really in a bind.

Another thing that gets my goat about the particular store I use, is their ignorance of any equipment which they don't stock.
 They sell Sabian cymbals exclusively. I inquired last year about a drum clininc that was being organised by Zyljian and they flatly refused to impart any info about it. The only reply being "Well emmm, we don't actually sell Zyljian cymbals."
 Personally, I think that is a disgrace. IMHO, supporting the drummimg community in general is something I would expect ANY drum store to do. Drum clinics are few and far between where I live, and they NEED to be publicized and supported.
 Mind you, they were all over the Chad Smith clinic, but maybe that had something to do with the fact that they had some direct involvment.

This thread is hilarious.  

I think the most recent whopper <I'm especially susceptible to these "whoppers" because the guys think I must be totally clueless since I'm a woman> was recently when I was "inquiring" into possibly selling/trading my Premier Genista Birch kit when the guy made me a really crappy offer and I told him he had to be kidding and he told me something along the lines of, "Well, if it was a Pearl Export or a higher end kit like that..."  

Which leads me to a similar story.  Nothing 'said' as much as done.

A local shop owner and keller 'custom' builder whose name i'll disquise, we'll call him Barry Barcia, was guilty of the sexist thing.  

I went in with the missus who was a bit of a drummer at the time and wanted some new gear.  I wasn't actually drumming as much then myself.  We went in shopping and he, intentionally or not, would not actually talk to her.  She'd ask something, he'd reply to me.  She'd comment, he'd reply to me.   I said "she's the drummer here, Im just along for the ride" and he STILL wouldn't actually talk to her.  

Hey, at least he wasn't hitting on her.

If you really want to piss them off, start giving real advice to other customers.

And no matter what we think a drum store should do, a drum store, just like any other business, is trying to make money. They aren't trying to do anything for the drumming community.

i was in my local guitar center and i was talking to the clueless counter jockey about drum heads.  See, I was playing a pork pie 12x6 snare at the time, and we were talking about my snare drum and he says "really!?  a 12" snare?" i then turned around and looked at the wall where the same ones were displayed, and I said "... yeah...  what heads do you have for it?  I need both"  We found a batter head I was interested it, and I told him to just grab a remo Diplomat for the snare side.

got home..... 14" snare side head.