Nick Rail Music, Redlands
Music Store Takes Me By Surprise
I've been looking for some time for an instrument stand which would accommodate all of the instruments I play. I've avoided local music stores, because my previous experiences with many in this area have shown them to be limited in the items that I want and need. So, I've done my shopping for musical instruments and related accessories online.
However, this particular search wasn't going very well, even after contacting various manufacturers to find what is—admittedly—a odd product: a sax stand that also accepts a peg for my oboe. Clarinet pegs won't work, because the bore on the oboe is is conical and more narrow. Finally, though, I was able to narrow it down to two brands of stands that might work, maybe even a third with some jerry-rigging. But to be sure, I needed to have the stand in my hands.
Now, mind you, I had no intention of buying the stand from a retail store, paying full retail for something I knew I could get cheaper online. I just need to know 1) if each stand would accept an oboe peg and 2) if not, if a clarinet peg would work with an oboe.
Nick Rail Music in Redlands was the only store in the area (so I found after some phone calls) that had all three models in stock. That was surprising to me, since I knew the store wasn't very big and would likely have a narrow selection in any product category. I wasted no time in getting over there ( it's about 15 minutes from me).
It's obvious when you walk in that the store caters to school band and orchestral needs, with such instruments ringing the the sales floor. No, they haven't forgotten rhythm instruments, but those items aren't crowding the store to the exclusion of the other.
That helped in another way: I was actually able to walk around the store and find things I needed (or really, really wanted!) without feeling penned in. While doing so, I saw that my initial misgivings were unfounded. The selection of accessories—at least in the areas I was interested in—was quite good.
I found a soprano sax swab I needed and browsed five timpani method books. There doesn't seem to be such a thing as a case that will hold both a clarinet and an oboe, but I found a trombone mute bag that looks like it will hold both instrument cases and leave extra room for other accessories. An electronic upright bass in the corner caught my attention, as did a nice selection of conducting batons.
Students are a big part of the store's business. Several came in to purchase accessories while I was there; several more were involved in lessons; and a pile of local school band instruments was waiting for return.
Chris and Dave were both helpful in answering my questions and finding what I was looking for, even though they were at various times helping other customers. And they let me know that if they didn't have something I wanted, it would be easy to order it from a very large catalog—with prices discounted to put them nearly on par with what I'd find online (with shipping).
Oh, and that instrument stand? I ended up buying two of them.