In the 2010s, general music stores have had to face competition from online music stores, which offer a huge selection of instruments and equipment.
Electric guitars Electric guitars started appearing in the 1930s. Mainstream electric guitars stores sell well-known brands like
Gibson,
Fender and
Ibanez. Most guitar stores sell
six-string models, bass guitars,
left handed guitars and electric guitar packages for beginners, which typically include a budget-priced electric guitar, a small practice amplifier, a strap and picks.
Guitar World magazine states that since guitar stores require patrons to try out guitars and amplifiers in the premises, some guitar players are nervous about playing in front of the store staff and other patrons. A
University Press of Kentucky book on
women in music states that customers did not treat a woman who worked at a guitar store like she knew anything about guitars until she would use special guitar terms.
Acoustic guitars Acoustic guitar sections are one of the main areas in many music stores. Some stores create a separate area with a door, both to create a quieter area for customers to play the instruments and to enable humidifiers to be used. Famous
acoustic guitars include
C. F. Martin & Company,
Taylor Guitars,
Fender,
Gibson,
Guild,
Washburn and
Lowden Guitars.
Piano One common specialty store is the piano store, which typically sells a range of
upright pianos and
grand pianos. In the 2010s, some piano stores sell high-end
digital pianos, including grand pianos equipped with a digital
player piano mechanism that can play back a recorded performance by activating the hammers. Piano sales are on the decline, in part because high-quality, properly-maintained pianos can remain playable for 60 to 80 years after their original purchase. Some piano stores offer rental of new pianos; as well, some piano stores sell used pianos. In addition, digital alternatives have also become more affordable and accessible, prompting many consumers to opt for
electronic keyboards with built-in recording or MIDI capabilities. The high price of pianos is one factor that is causing the closing of piano stores: "A good grand piano from a respected name costs about as much as a luxury automobile", and as such, children (and their parents) are choosing less expensive instruments, such as electronic keyboards or stringed instruments. Though sales of acoustic pianos and quality keyboard instruments continually declines in the United States, in China "piano sales are booming", with most instruments being intended for home use. This rise in sales is in part because the costly instruments are viewed as a
status symbol in China.
Violin family Another specialty shop is the "violin shop", which, despite its name, often sells various violin family instruments (violin, viola, cello and often double bass, and the bows, strings,
rosin, chinrests, and other accessories used with these instruments). Violin shops are often operated by
luthiers (violinmakers) who make violin family instruments and bows for sale. Luthiers also do maintenance and repairs on violin family instruments and bows.
Sheet music Sheet music stores sell printed classical music for songs, instrumental solo pieces,
chamber music, and scores for major symphonies and choral works, along with instrumental method books, "etudes" (studies) and graded musical exercises. Many sheet music stores also carry printed music songs for
popular music genres such as rock, pop and musical theatre including individual songs and collections of songs grouped by artist, musical, or genre. Music for guitarists or electric bass players may be in
tabulature notation, which depicts where on the instrument the performer should play a line. In the 2010s, sheet music stores often sell legal, copyright-compliant
jazz fake books. Sheet music stores often carry some practice accessories, such as
metronomes,
music stands and
tuning forks.
Pro audio Pro audio stores sell and in many cases, rent
sound reinforcement system components,
PA systems,
microphones and other audio gear. Some stores also rent "backline" musical gear, such as
stage pianos and
bass amps.
Organ stores Prior to the widespread availability of lightweight electronic
clonewheel organs in the 1980s and 1990s that emulate the sound of a heavy, electromechanical
Hammond organ, many cities had organ stores which sold large electric and electronic
theatre organs and
spinet organs made by Hammond, Lowrey and other manufacturers. These organs were sold for use in private homes and in churches; electric and electronic organs were popular for churches, because they cost significantly less than a
pipe organ. ==Used stores==