This Week in the Shop – Noble & Cooley Arrives, Vintera III Launch, and One Incredible Night

Alright everybody — Week 10 of the “In the Shop” blog is here, and this was a big one.

As most of you know, this week was all about the acoustic guitar event, which we’ll get into in a minute. On top of that, we had some major drum arrivals and a big Fender announcement. All in all — a hectic, stressful, but incredibly fun week. I’m not gonna lie… I’m a little glad it’s behind me after all the prep that went into it.

Let’s get into it.

Drum Department – Noble & Cooley Has Arrived

A huge moment for us in Drumland this week…

We are officially a Noble & Cooley dealer.

If you don’t know the name, they are the oldest drum manufacturer in the world, and they make some of the most high-end, boutique snares out there — everything from metal shells to solid steam-bent wood.

This has been on my checklist for a while. I’ve said it before — I don’t want us to just be a music store that carries drums… I want us to be a drum shop inside a music store. Bringing in brands like Noble & Cooley is a big step in that direction.

Our first shipment landed, and it did not disappoint:

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That maple drum… is something else.

Luke from Noble & Cooley actually reached out while it was being built and sent photos from the factory because the whole team was freaking out over the wood grain. Tons of figuring, streaking — totally unique. I didn’t even hesitate… told him to send it.

It’s truly a one-of-a-kind piece.

We’ve got all of these up on the new snare rack by the Dream cymbals, and they are just… special. Whether you’re a collector or a gigging drummer, these are next-level instruments.

We’re honored to have them in the shop.

Electric Guitars – Fender Vintera III Launch

Big news on the guitar side this week — Fender officially launched the Vintera III series.

We’ve been waiting on this one for a while, and when we saw them, we knew we wanted to go all in. So we brought in at least one of almost every model:

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We’ve got about 8 of them in the shop right now, and one already sold immediately.

Fender absolutely nailed this line. It’s that vintage feel and look, but at a more approachable price point. Great specs, great colors, and they come with a Fender gig bag.

They’re all up on the new Fender wall and on the site — definitely come check them out.

The Highlight – The Acoustic Guitar Event

Alright… this was the big one.

The Search for the Coolest Acoustic Guitar in Columbia.

We’ve been talking about this thing for months — planning it, promoting it, losing a little sleep over it — and I’ll be honest… you never really know how something like this is going to turn out until the doors open. And man… you guys absolutely blew us away.

We ended up with almost 40 guitars entered, and when we had everything set up and ready to go, I just kind of stood there for a second and took it all in. The acoustic room was completely transformed. Every stand had something different, something special, something with a story.

You had everything you could imagine:

• Carbon fiber guitars
• Wild custom builds and odd shapes you’ve probably never seen before
• Vintage Martins from the ‘40s and ‘50s
• Handmade, one-of-a-kind instruments with crazy backstories

It wasn’t just a bunch of “nice guitars” — it was a room full of personality. Every single piece had a reason it was there.And that’s exactly what we were hoping for.

The Winner

At the end of the night, the winner was our buddy Jim with his 1935 Martin 0-17. And honestly… it was hard to argue with that one. The coolest part about his guitar isn’t just how it looks now — it’s the story behind it. He originally got that guitar in pieces… literally boxes of parts. It wasn’t even really a guitar at that point. And to see what it’s become now — fully restored, beautiful, and sounding incredible — that’s what this whole event was about. It wasn’t just “the nicest guitar” — it was the coolest story, the coolest journey, and a piece of history brought back to life. You all couldn’t have picked a better winner.

The Experience

We were lucky enough to have reps in the building from Taylor Guitars, Martin Guitar, and Gibson and that really took things to another level!

Taylor brought in their full Tone Show setup, including the new Gold Label and Next Gen guitars, and it was awesome watching people get hands-on with those and hear the story behind them straight from the source. That’s one of my favorite parts of events like this — we can talk about guitars all day long, but there’s something different about hearing it directly from the people who represent those brands.

Because of that visit, we actually brought in a handful of those Taylor models that are now in the shop, including:

• 712 Gold Label
• 514 Next Gen
• K24 Builder’s Edition
• Ben Harper Signature

So the impact of that night is already carrying forward into what we’ve got on the floor.

The Atmosphere

We had food, drinks, and a packed house all night. Huge thanks to WECO Bottle & Biergarten for helping us out — the Edmond’s Oast Yard Vibes disappeared faster than we expected… we literally had to go grab more mid-event.

Beyond the guitars, the brands, and the sales — the best part of the night was just watching everything happen in real time. Seeing people run into friends they hadn’t seen in years, watching customers meet for the first time and immediately connect over gear, and catching those moments where someone picks up a guitar they’ve never played before and just lights up — that’s the kind of stuff that really sticks with you. It turned into something bigger than just an event — a room full of people sharing a common passion, connecting, and enjoying the moment together — and honestly, it exceeded expectations.

Used Gear & Pedals

We had some really cool used gear come through this week, especially in the pedal world:

• Chase Bliss Audio pieces
• Hologram Microcosm
• Benson x Chase Bliss preamp (which lasted about a day)

These are the kinds of pieces we don’t see every day, and they’re always fun to have come through.

Drum Shop Notes

A couple quick things in Drumland:

• Did a custom kick drum head this week — reminder that we offer custom drumhead printing with quick turnaround
• We’re looking to build up our used drum inventory, so if you’ve got cymbals, snares, or gear sitting around — bring it in

Also, quick reminder on the Dream Cymbals recycling program:

• Bring in cracked cymbals
• Get $1 per inch in store credit

Great way to turn broken gear into something new.

Wrapping Up

All in all — an incredible, hectic, exhausting week… in the best way.

The event was the highlight, no question. We couldn’t have done it without all of you showing up, bringing guitars, hanging out, and supporting what we do.

We’ll definitely be doing more events like this — just give me a minute to recover first.

Thanks again for everything.
We’ll see you soon.

-Justin Sims