Music school expands into music store


Paul Smith stands in front of the selection of acoustic, electric and classical guitars now available for sale at Smith Music. – Morinville News Staff Photo

By Morinville News Staff

Morinville – There have been plenty of students over the years that have walked in and out of Smith Music with a guitar. Now they can walk in without one and walk out with one. The music school and recording studio has now expanded its offerings to include the sale of guitars and accessories.

Smith Music owner Paul Smith said he recently made a deal with a Leduc-based music store to achieve greater buying power. “It gives us some advantage over most small town music stores in that we get better name brands,” Smith said. “We’re carrying Washburn, Aria and Höfner which are really good low to mid lines of guitars. We’re focusing on guitars because that’s the majority of musical instrument sales right now.”

The music teacher and musician said the advantage to buying a guitar locally over even stores in the City is the ability to hear the actual difference between a top-end guitar and others in recording conditions. “You can hear the best of the best of the best vintage guitar through the best guitar amps for recording studio because it’s world-class gear, and you can hear how entry level stuff measures up rather than relying on what a salesman says,” Smith explained.

For some time now Smith has been turning away several customers a month who are looking to buy guitars locally, but always recommends a quality place to buy entry-level instruments. With the recent addition of three lines of classical, electric and acoustic guitars from ¼ size to full size in some cases, Smith is now able to offer his expertise to guitar buyers along with a product he can stand behind. “I didn’t want to get instruments in that I couldn’t be proud of and that I didn’t feel were as good a deal as what I could recommend from out of the city,” he said. “Now I can sell instruments that I’m proud of. Good instruments that are really competitively priced with the city. You’re not going to pay more here.”

Smith said although music lessons and running the largest live room recording studio in Western Canada will continue to be Smith Music’s primary business focus, people are welcome to come and look at the guitars anytime. Those wishing to spend a good bit of time learning their options should make an appointment. In addition to selling guitars, they will also carry picks, strings, straps and even small amps.

Smith Music is open Monday through Friday from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. They are located on 100 Street in Morinville.

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