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Going into the showroom again...


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How are you guys feeling about getting playtime on the new models in your local shop... some are open with limit on people inside at a time, requiring mask. I'm thinking if I go, throw away gloves too. And obviously disinfectant in the car after tossing the gloves in the garbage on the way out. Anyone been in the shop lately? Is your local shop keeping Purel on the wall? Offering a glove dispenser at the entry?

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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City-wide mask mandate for indoors coming tomorrow. Almost every place of business I've visited in the past two months, music or not, has had sanitizer at the door or register and plenty of signage. Many also have plexi screens and are limiting customers inside at one time (especially smaller stores). Most music stores are asking customers to keep their visits short and purposeful, so probably not much browsing or intense evaluation of products. Get in and get out as much as possible.
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Haven't been there for a while and masks aren't enforced here (yet). I saw they provide sanitizers, enforce queues at the door on busy days and clean the instruments after each playthrough by the same person. I would go there if I wanted to, but try to go when it's quiet, on Tuesday mornings etc.
Trumpet player by trade, but fell in love with keys too.
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Yeah, this is going to vary by situation and location. I"m about 15 mins outside NYC. We"ve been in some phase of lockdown and PPE since March. So I"m missing 'normal' activities. But is it worth it, heck I don"t know. Coming up on half a year.

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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How are you guys feeling about getting playtime on the new models in your local shop...

 

Sadly, the shops in my area don't carry too many current or even old models...

 

I'd need to drive towards Boston -- NO WAY TODAY JOSE' -- to see any new boards.

 

There's a great shop 5 hours northwest of me in Montreal though...

 

Old No7

Yamaha MODX6 * Hammond SK Pro 73 * Roland Fantom-08 * Crumar Mojo Pedals * Mackie Thump 12As * Tascam DP-24SD * JBL 305 MkIIs

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I"m not scared. Car wreck, jumping out of choppers with nothing but a rope, jumping out of planes, broken ankle kicking a dude in a fight, 120"+ repels down cliffs, been shot at, had knives pulled on me twice, an attempted robbery when I was young and pissed at the whole world .... I"m old. I just can"t seem to get scared over much. I wear a mask because my wife gets mad if I don"t. That little German woman is about the only thing that scares me.

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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We have a small Guitar Center and one local music store that just changed hands and is transitioning to lessons and woodwind/brass repairs since they cannot compete with the "big dogs."

 

I have no interest, have pretty much everything I need.

 

I get that being technology based, keyboards are different.

A great guitar could easliy last a lifetime, more like a Steinway grand in that respect. Once you own it, you are good.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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I"m not scared. Car wreck, jumping out of choppers with nothing but a rope, jumping out of planes, broken ankle kicking a dude in a fight, 120"+ repels down cliffs, been shot at, had knives pulled on me twice, an attempted robbery when I was young and pissed at the whole world .... I"m old. I just can"t seem to get scared over much. I wear a mask because my wife gets mad if I don"t. That little German woman is about the only thing that scares me.

 

Those are great stories! I wouldn't be ashamed if my tombstone reaid "met his end repelling down a cliff."

 

"Thought masks were for sissies" just isn't going to echo through the ages in the same way.

 

I just posted in another thread that I went to Guitar Center San Francisco yesterday. I was concerned that if I didn't return this keyboard soon their extended return grace period would end, so this was a necessary visit.

 

I was quite comfortable with it. It's a huge store and there were about 5 customers inside at a time, by appointment. Easy to keep a broad distance from everyone. Masks required, sanitizer available. About a 1-1 ration of staff to customers so easy to get in and out. The funny thing is they had rock music blaring at twice the usual volume. The sales guy and I were yelling at each other from 6 feet away.

 

San Francisco is as serious about the virus as anywhere in the states, so the experience was what I expected. NYC is probably similar.

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

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I"d wear a mask, minimize your time inside, but I personally would skip the gloves. The mask is enough of a reminder not to touch my face. I"m extremely high risk at 65 with 2 open heart surgeries and compromised lung function. I"m told getting the virus on your hands isn"t dangerous if you don"t touch your face, as long as you wash your hands soon after touching potentially virus contaminated surfaces. I carry a small, refillable bottle of hand sanitizer with me at all times, and use it when I touch surfaces that others have been in contact with.
I would like to apologize to anyone I have not yet offended. Please be patient and I will get to you shortly.
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My daughter working in the COVID unit scares me. Today is my wife"s birthday. My daughter just texted to see if we are doing anything tonight. I asked her about work. The COVID unit is full.

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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I believe the epidemiologists' consensus right now is that you're much more likely to be infected from other people's breath and respiratory droplets than you are from touching surfaces. Certainly, hand sanitizer and/or gloves don't hurt, but I wanted to mention that in case the actual playing of the keyboards was a big concern for you. Absolutely wear a mask, and -- perhaps more importantly -- be prepared to abort the mission if other folks in there aren't wearing masks for any reason. The studies show that the cloth face coverings are much better at preventing droplets (and therefore covid) from getting out into the air than they are at keeping it out of your body once it's floating around, so it's all a numbers and risk aversion game. If everyone's masked, it appears that it's relatively safe, but one defiant person can ruin it for everyone else.

 

Alternate plan: enter Guitar Center in a hazmat suit, and safely recruit for a Devo tribute band.

Samuel B. Lupowitz

Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado.

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I had to go to part of town where there is a GC yesterday and was tempted to go and just look around (maybe for a microphone) but traffic was bad so I just ran my other errand. People I talked to who've been to the local GC since they reopened said they are more barebones than usual and the lesson students have all been converted to online. So I don't expect much but been long time now since going to something other than the grocery store. I did go to the local music store to hang a couple times, but they've turned into propaganda center for one of the candidates. I'm allergic to BS so I stopped going, I want to talk music not BS.

 

Funny being in my apartment for so long really discover the few things I actually miss. First going to the gym, especially since I blew out my knee so wish I had access to their upright bikes and treadmills. Next going to the movies. Yesterday was 105 here so that would of been a day to go to movie and sit in a air conditioned theater for a couple hours. Sometimes I miss going to a restaurant and sitting down with book of some music and having a meal. Other than that I'm fine staying home doing my music thing and going for walks.

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The music stores around me honestly have a terrible selection anyway...and half the time the gear isn't even hooked up with power or audio.

 

I have read a couple pretty alarming studies about possible long-term effects of this, even with young survivors--whether these effects to organs like the heart are permanent or not, nobody knows.

 

It isn't worth whatever I get out of going to a music store. I'd just order online at this point and send it back if I didn't like it (normally not my way of buying equipment....)

 

I certainly miss playing gigs and definitely going to the gym, but an indoor gym would be VERY high on the list of places I wouldn't go into right now. I've canceled my membership and am going to try to make some concrete weight plates--it's a thing on youtube right now!--anyone who had a weight set in the 70s might remember concrete weights with a colored plastic cover :D Thinking 1" schedule 80 pvc for handles, a couple buckets (one for a mold with a piece of the pvc in the bottom), some mesh or something to help strengthen the concrete-- and bam, weight plates. Should be a fun project!

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I've finally reached a point in life where I can honestly say -- electronic keyboards are no longer a part of my musical world. I have zero interest in them. Wouldn't even walk around the block to play one.

 

good for you. Honestly hoping to get there myself someday, was working on it in earnest yesterday.

:nopity:
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If I wanted to go I would. Positivity rate in these parts has been around 1% for quite awhile. I"d wear a mask and use hand sanitizer once back in the car.

 

Having said that, I feel no motivation to go into a music store. I don"t want for more keyboards except perhaps a Steinway. A while back a forum member asked for help choosing a piano. I played five or six Steinways that day and they"ve been calling me ever since.

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I just posted in another thread that I went to Guitar Center San Francisco yesterday.

 

Which store? The last one I was at was the Van Ness store a few years ago, and even by GC's low standards, the place seemed exceptionally shoddy. Just wondering if it's improved at all.

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Things I can check out at my local Guitar Center:

 

1. M Audio and Samson Controllers with cheap clacky keys.

2. Williams Digital Pianos - choice of Legato or Allegro models

3. Roland DS88 and the MOXF6 floor model that has been out on clearance price (of $20 off MSRP) for 2 years.

Yamaha U1 Upright, Roland Fantom 8, Nord Stage 4 HA73, Nord Wave 2, Korg Nautilus 73, Viscount Legend Live, Lots of Mainstage/VST Libraries

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I wouldn't go to a store to try a keyboard. Mostly I wouldn't need to. For weighted actions Yamaha and Kawai's best actions are my preference. I have a negative preference for anything Fatar makes that claims to emulate a piano keybed. For unweighted, I wish a Fatar TP-8S. It is their premium action. I have three synths with that action. If I can't get it, I'd rather have a module/desktop/rack. I don't mind the top end Yamaha unweighted action, but why is it narrow?

 

If I was starting out, it would be useful to play things. But I'm not, and so, it isn't.

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It"s a shame but not surprising the way the student models and cheap crap take up prime real estate in most shops - I"m lucky enough to be able to find most models by Yamaha, Roland, Korg, Sequential, Behringer. To play a Crumar, Viscount, Kurzweil, etc. I have to take a drive - 2+ hours one way in some cases or they just aren"t available in my area and I"d have to go to Sweetwater or Kraft to try it. But that"s a loooong drive.

 

Trying stuff out and chatting with you all about the pros and cons is just hobby. It has to really resonate with me to make a purchase or instigate a sell off and upgrade. There"s other hobbies - ones that get me moving my body too. Maybe healthier at the moment. ;)

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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I just posted in another thread that I went to Guitar Center San Francisco yesterday.

 

Which store? The last one I was at was the Van Ness store a few years ago, and even by GC's low standards, the place seemed exceptionally shoddy. Just wondering if it's improved at all.

 

Josh, we'd have to compare notes to really answer your question. For 15 years my office was 6 blocks from the Van Ness store, so I was in there often and it's still my go-to in SF. They always have a ton of keyboards but 60% of them are budget DPs. The last few years at least they've maintained an interesting wall of synths. You can walk in there right now and play a Moog One, Grandmother, or Matriarch. I'd say it's quite good for synths, mediocre for everything else. But there's nothing better within easy driving distance.

 

Besides, where else you gonna shop for keyboards then walk a couple blocks and buy crack?

 

Yesterday I was just doing a return so it made no difference what was in the store.

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

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At the local guitar center I have not been to in a while, I"ve been meaning to buy something from there. Maybe a Behringer synth. Think I remember seeing Behringer stuff there before. The closest one is in Old Town (Paolo and Mark, I betcha you both know this one!).
Yamaha MX49, Casio SK1/WK-7600, Korg Minilogue, Alesis SR-16, Casio CT-X3000, FL Studio, many VSTs, percussion, woodwinds, strings, and sound effects.
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At this point, the only safe option left is making a pilgrimage to Sweetwater Sound in a space suit. I'm glad I can download most of my needs, but its another side-effect of COVID-19 that in-person demoing feels like an early scene from a hundred different apocalyptic movies. Its as if every maskless person is trying to sneeze a glob of Captain Trips on my neck. "Sir, can I do a curb-side pickup for that Nord Grand?" :eek:

 "I want to be an intellectual, but I don't have the brainpower.
  The absent-mindedness, I've got that licked."
        ~ John Cleese

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Our rapper / hype man has COVID. His wife who is the lead vocalist of our Pop band tested negative but is quarantined. She and I are the two founding members left in the outfit. We were supposed to play next Saturday but we had to cancel. I can"t believe we"ve been doing this Pop/ Hippy Hop stuff for 7 years now. Like I"m an old pedal steel player. I"m Not the typical Benny Blanco fan. They are young. Hopefully everyone comes out of this okay. They are two of my favorite people. They have to be to get me to cover some of this stuff. I have to admit I have a soft spot for DJ Snake and Lady Gaga.

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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