Have you seen whats happened to Chappells of Bond Street? Such a shame

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teradaterada Frets: 5113
edited February 2015 in Guitar

Chappells has always been one of my favourite music shops in London. They had charm by the bucket load and the staff were simply brilliant. Always excellent natured and genuinely friendly, always knowledgeable, and always ready to shave a bit off the price for loyal customers.

The shop was always a bit on the quirky side, but with a light and open atmosphere and with lots of stuff to amuse yourself for a while.

In late 2013 they had a massive blowout sale (in which I picked up a couple of genuine bargains) because they were changing name to Yamaha Music London and focusing more on Yamaha products. This change included a shop re-fit, and boy did they change things!

I went in there recently and was shocked by what I saw.

Firstly it now looks super modern and characterless, its darker, and the products are laid out more as a showroom under blue lighting, rather than an actual shop. The place has completely lost its soul and now feels very corporate.

It's a bit like walking into an advert for Yamaha.

And the worst part, all those excellent staff have gone, too much of a change I guess, but I don't blame them.

I've been going to that store for nearly 20 years. Such a shame that the vibe is over. I hope the new guys get their act together, but I'm not holding my breath, and if I'm completely honest, it's put me off the brand a little.

Such a shame

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Comments

  • 57Deluxe57Deluxe Frets: 7329
    Bond Street?
    <Vintage BOSS Upgrades>
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  • teradaterada Frets: 5113
    57Deluxe said:
    Bond Street?
    Indeed, it was originally on Bond street, but moved to wardour street a few years back. Now its called Yamaha Music London.
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  • boogiemanboogieman Frets: 12315
    A guy I know works in there now, big greek-looking guy called Pars, long black hair. He really knows his stuff and is a killer guitarist.
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  • teradaterada Frets: 5113
    boogieman said:
    A guy I know works in there now, big greek-looking guy called Pars, long black hair. He really knows his stuff and is a killer guitarist.

    Great! As I say, hopefully with time the store will re-find it's groove. But as of now the look and feel of the store has completely changed, and from what I understand, the sales approach that staff must now adhere to is vastly different from what it used to be.

    To be clear, I don't see this as a issue with the staff, its more that the direction laid down from above appears to have swung around. I just hope all those guys that left because of this have found a similar work environment to what they were used to at chappells, because for over 20 years those folks proved themselves.

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  • ChalkyChalky Frets: 6807
    Last time I went in there (Wardour St) was about 5 years ago and the staff were great. Walked out with a top of the range Clavinova. Well metaphorically as the thing weighs a ton. But there really was no hard sell. Sadly I think all the chain music shops now employ ex-Currys/PC World staff instead of musos :(
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  • jellyrolljellyroll Frets: 3073
    In my view the issue is more with the stock than the environment. As much as I rate Pacificas, with only Yamaha guitars to inspect, shopping there is now a pretty unexciting experience.
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  • JalapenoJalapeno Frets: 6378
    edited February 2015
    It always was a Yamaha shop, even in Bond Street.

    And the long dead Milton Keynes branch - all Yamaha gear.
    Imagine something sharp and witty here ......

    Feedback
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  • BogwhoppitBogwhoppit Frets: 2754
    edited February 2015

    I remember going in there during the 70s, loads of Pianos and men in suits. The stereotypical blind piano tuner in one corner and a few nice guitars in the other. Even though I was a sweaty smelling long haired recast hippie aged around 15 and 2 months, they always treated me with respect and called me 'Sir'.

    I once bought some sheet music during one visit to show I was a real customer - Christ I did some stupid things when I was young ;(


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  • teradaterada Frets: 5113
    Jalapeno said:
    It always was a Yamaha shop, even in Bond Street.

    And the long dead Milton Keynes branch - all Yamaha gear.

    Indeed, but not just Yamaha gear, they also used to stock Fender, Music Man, Danelectro, Mark Bass, Boss, Novation, Epiphone, Ibanez amongst others.

    Now its just Yamaha and Line 6.

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  • LoobsLoobs Frets: 3831
    Was it really ever that good? Remember going there as a junge.
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  • I remember going there in the the early 80's and being overwhelmed by the piano-esque nature of the establishment. Being a young sprog and easily deterred, I left without realising they had other stuff there.

    Oh well...hope things look up for them.
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  • WezVWezV Frets: 16547

    The stereotypical blind piano tuner in one corner and a few nice guitars in the other. 

    my Grandad's brother was a blind piano tuner.  My grandad drove him around and did the repairs.

    He went to a school for the blind, guess what single career option he was presented with!

    Its a stereotype for a reason
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  • BucketBucket Frets: 7751
    edited February 2015
    I went into the one on Wardour Street a couple of months ago, stumbled on it by accident because I didn't even know it existed. It was alright, but I don't like much Yamaha stuff (or at least not the stuff that was there, apart from the ever-tasty SA2200).
    - "I'm going to write a very stiff letter. A VERY stiff letter. On cardboard."
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  • GruGru Frets: 339
    It used to be a good shop a few years back, but it lost something when they went all yamaha. Sounds like they may have lost a little more.
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