Murch Music sold
Kent Burnside
>I finally drove out to Murch Music today - about a 50 minute drive
west of
> Toronto. Upon arrival there the first thing I learned was that they had been
> bought out by Long & McQuade - a large Canadian music and instrument
> retailer.
Sorry to hear about the buyout; Murch Music is a great store, with
terrific inventory and very knowledgeable staff (I've dealt with them
by mail, and even got to stop in last year). Does anyone know if
Glenn is getting out altogether? Or will he stay around and manage
the place for the new owners?
Kent Burnside
George Prager
When I was told of the L & McQ buy-out, my first question was: "Is this good
news or bad news?" And naturally got the answer (from another staffer - not
from Glenn) that this was "good news". This was my first visit to Murch
Music and I don't know the history but my own hunch is that being bought out
by a large corporation is seldom good news...
They certainly have an impressive array of archtops. I also ran into Gary
Benson of the Canadian Jazz Quartet. (does Gary hang out in this group??) -
but didn't connect the dots until after I left the store and then
went....AHHH! THAT Gary Benson...(sorry, Gary!)
And, oh yeah, I also sampled a gorgeous D'Aquisto New Yorker re-issue...but
nothing compared with the Wes L-5
George
"Kent Burnside" <jkb...@logan.net> wrote in message
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Michael Evans
Murch is the
best music store I've ever been to for jazz guitar (I include in that
comparison the New York stores
and other well-known stores that I've visited) at least on the equipment
side. Glenn too, being an
excellent guitarist, is a tremendous asset - someone whose opinions and
business dealings
you could trust. Even the flagship Long and McQuade store is relatively
uninteresting (good
book selection there in the band department though) and the
satellite stores are not worth a visit. They aim for the fat of the market.
For years you wouldn't
find any guitars in there that might be considered suitable for the jazz
market (ok lots
of Telecasters) and even now there might be just a few. The Twelth Fret in
Toronto
is good for the luthiers who do excellent work (a bad set-up at Long and
McQuade drove me
there).
Mike
"Kent Burnside" <jkb...@logan.net> wrote in message
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Max Leggett
<mev...@utstat.utoronto.ca> wrote:
>Well thats too bad that Murch was sold to Long and McQuade. In my opinion,
I remember Long and McQuade from the early 60s, when they had a
sawdust on the floor store at Bay and Yorkville, well before that
became a trendy address. Bob Long used to work behind the counter and
Fred Dulligle [Fearless Fred, the man we dread] was the credit
manager. We used to haunt that store playing everything in sight. I
still have a fondness for Longo's despite its current failings.
>Even the flagship Long and McQuade store is relatively
>uninteresting
Yes, and the rental department, last time I was in, is a pain in the
arse. In Vancouver the main store has one [1] 175 behind glass and a
bunch of Epis on the floor. The JP I bought was the only one, the rest
were 335 clones.
>They aim for the fat of the market.
I guess all chains have to. Tom Lee is another chan here in Vancouver
and they're much of a muchness with Longo's.
>The Twelth Fret in Toronto
Thats a great store - they sell some nice archtops, too.
There's a guy up the road here in New Westminster who runs a little
guitar store. He sells D'Aquisto copies as well as the usual stuff.
But his main income comes from teaching. He has 12 teachers working
for him and 400 students. The margins on guitars are razor thin, and
teaching, unless you can really deal in volume, is about the only way
to keep your head above water, which is why small stores like Murch
get bought out - they can't do the volume.
jeffbonny
wrote:
>On Wed, 17 Dec 2003 11:37:48 -0500, "Michael Evans"
><mev...@utstat.utoronto.ca> wrote:
>
>>They aim for the fat of the market.
>
>I guess all chains have to. Tom Lee is another chan here in Vancouver
>and they're much of a muchness with Longo's.
Troy Music in North Vancouver was a small store that always had eight
or ten Larrivees and a few selected low/med end archtops. It got
bought by L&M and the personal touch that Norm Hansen, the former
owner had given it is now gone. They have the same stuff every other
L&M has. Just like after Bill Calder sold Calder Music (also in
N. Van.) they got the same stuff every other Tom Lee Music does.
The Music stores I grew up hanging out in are gone and with them part
of my life. This is actually bringing a tear to my eye as I write.
Norm Hansen didn't really finance at Troy Music but he always gave
three months to pay. He ordered stuff from small manufacturers I
couldn't find elsewhere. He talked me out buying of stuff I didn't
need. He gave me a job teaching when I was in music school and needed
the dough. Most important though he always had time to go have a smoke
and talk about life and music and what his kids were doing and I
really miss that.
jeffbonny
vancouver.bc
Max Leggett
<jeffbonny@REMCAPSOK?shaw.ca> wrote:
>On Wed, 17 Dec 2003 16:59:51 GMT, mleg...@sprint.ca (Max Leggett)
>wrote:
>
>>On Wed, 17 Dec 2003 11:37:48 -0500, "Michael Evans"
>><mev...@utstat.utoronto.ca> wrote:
>>
>>>They aim for the fat of the market.
>>
>>I guess all chains have to. Tom Lee is another chan here in Vancouver
>>and they're much of a muchness with Longo's.
>
>Troy Music in North Vancouver was a small store that always had eight
>or ten Larrivees and a few selected low/med end archtops. It got
>bought by L&M and the personal touch that Norm Hansen, the former
>owner had given it is now gone. They have the same stuff every other
>L&M has. Just like after Bill Calder sold Calder Music (also in
>N. Van.) they got the same stuff every other Tom Lee Music does.
>The Music stores I grew up hanging out in are gone and with them part
>of my life. This is actually bringing a tear to my eye as I write.
I hear ya. Yonge St in Toronto used to be small specialist music
stores from one end to the other. Now there are a couple of chains.
Whoopee.
Greg clayton
love....archtops and related gear and would still maintain the website and
that vintage would remain his own domain. I agree there is not a better guy
for jazz guitar anywhere. Glenn rules !! I've always gotten terrific
service from him as had any of the many pros I've spoken to on the subject.
gc
--
....................................................................
visit www.GregClayton.com the website of Jazz Guitarist Greg Clayton
"jeffbonny" <jeffbonny@REMCAPSOK?shaw.ca> wrote in message
news:an51uv073a73ldcom...@4ax.com...
Glenn Murch
I really appreciate the comments that have been posted here, I want to
assure all of you that I will still be at the store and will continue
to do what I always have. My interest is in the archtop - jazz guitar
and amp business and I will continue to focus my efforts in that area.
I have been in the same location for 28 years and watched the store
grow. The last 10 years have brought me a lot of administrative work
that has kept me too busy to play my guitar (the real reason I am in
the business in the first place) and at the same thime I really needed
to take the store to the next level given the business is there to
support it. Durning the early summer, Long & McQuade had approached
me with a plan that works great for both of us. I am now playing more
guitar and still doing what I really like to do. I will continue to
support all of the great lines that we have been carrying and will try
and have the best Jazz guitars and amps available in the store at all
times.
Long & McQuade are a great Canadian company and I am very pleased to
be involved with them. They are very honest with a clear focus on
customer satisfaction (a very important point for me) and our area
(Cambrdige/Kitchener) will benefit from what they bring to the table
-- they will also find that they can learn a little from me, and
trust me, they are willing to learn !
I look forward to a long continued relationship with all of you --
Glenn Murch
Mark Guest
Congrats on the sale, and I hope that the future unfolds as you describe.
Big box stores do nothing for me, and the thought of making a trip into
Guitar Center, or similar, sets my teeth on edge. It's been years since I
had to submit to a visit to GC. I hope that small, specialty shops like
Murch find a way to carry on indefinitely.
--
Mark Guest
Mark at MarkGuest.net
www.MarkGuest.net
"Glenn Murch" <gl...@murchmusic.com> wrote in message
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