Guitar, Bass, Ukulele, and Recording Lessons with Matt Morton
Music Retailers & Repair Sites
Local music retailers
Some local music retailers will match prices on deals you find online (although sometimes only from other "brick & mortar" stores). So do your homework and bring a printout. The biggest local music retailers are Guitar Center and Sam Ash Music, both of which are on Morse Rd. between I-71 and Easton.
Guitar Center - 4661 Morse Centre Rd (Morse Rd.) Columbus, OH 43229; 614-436-2600
Sam Ash Music - 1690 Morse Rd. Columbus, OH 43229; 614-436-2600
Music-Go-Round - New and used music gear. If you're careful and make sure you know what you're buying, you can find some great deals here (kind of like ebay, but they'll fix any problems within the first few days). You can search the inventories of all the Music-Go-Rounds in the whole country, and they'll ship to you. They also carry strings, picks, tuners, and most other accessories. There are two Columbus locations:
1) Columbus (Bethel Rd. near Micro Center) - 833 Bethel Rd. Columbus, OH 43214; 1-866-579-3289
2) Gahanna (Stone Ridge Plaza) - 4681 Morse Rd. Gahanna, OH 43230; 1-866-579-3289
Music & Arts - If you live in Hilliard, this is the closest music store, but they have a very limited selection. I wouldn't buy anything big here, but it's OK in a pinch if you need accessories - 4672 Cemetery Rd. Hilliard, OH 43026; 614-876-9004
German Village Music Haus - 350 S. Grant Ave. Columbus, OH 43215; 614.228.8467
Stanton's Sheet Music - This is the largest sheet music store in the city, and possibly in the state. It's a great place to look for instructional books, CDs, DVDs, and songbooks from your favorite artists. It's right around the corner from German Village Music Haus. 330 S. 4th St. Columbus, OH 43215; 614-224-4257 or 1-800-426-8742
Columbus Metropolitan Library - It's technically not a retailer, but our library system has an incredible amount of books, cds, dvds, and magazines available for musicians. You can search online and have your materials delivered to your local branch for easy pickup. or, go down to the main branch and browse the shelves. It's definitely the cheapest way to learn! The main branch downtown has the biggest collection of sheet music.
Online music retailers
Sweetwater - My favorite online music retailer - in Fort Wayne, IN (your gear will get to you quickly since it's so close).
Amazon - They have almost everything, including lots of music gear.
Reverb - Like eBay but only for music gear - you can find some great deals on used/vintage gear.
eBay - like Music-Go-Round and Reverb, if you're careful and research well, you can save a lot of money on used/vintage gear.
Musictoyz - top shelf guitar pedals, amps, and accessories
AnalogMan - great pedal modifications, handmade guitar pedals, and all-around great guitar tone. I use 2 of his modified Ibanez TS-808 pedals, his modified Boss DS-1, and his Clone Chorus pedal.
Local repair shops
Fifth Avenue Fret Shop - This is where I take my instruments - in Grandview - 1597 W. Fifth Ave. Columbus, OH 43212; 614-481-8300
J. Thomas Davis Guitar Maker - specializes in repairing and building top shelf acoustic instruments. He fixed my Les Paul when it got knocked off of a stand and the headstock snapped completely off (they did an awesome job) - in Clintonville - 3135 N. High St. Columbus, OH 43202; 614-263-0264
Abell Audio - pro audio repair (including guitar and bass amps and all electronics). This is THE repair shop in town for amps, keyboards, etc. - it's where I take mine - in Grandview: 909 King Ave., Suite 300 Columbus, OH 43212; 614-299-2383