Alright — welcome back to another “This Week In the Shop” update!

This past week felt like a bit of a reset in the best way. Coming off the acoustic guitar event, things finally slowed down just enough for us to catch our breath and get back into the normal flow of the shop. Still plenty busy, still a lot of gear moving in and out — just not quite the same level of chaos as the week before. And again, quick thank you to everyone who came out to the event. We’re still talking about it!

Now… let’s get into what’s been going on.

Drum Department

This was a big week in Drumland!

We had a large Ludwig snare drum order finally land — something we’ve been waiting on for a bit — and it absolutely delivered. We’re talking a full spread: Acrolytes, Classic Maples, Universals… just a great mix across different price points and sounds. The highlight for me was definitely the new Moss Green Classic Maple finish. We brought in both 5x14 and 6.5x14 versions, and it’s one of those finishes that’s hard to describe until you see it in person. It’s technically green, but it almost leans gray depending on the light — super classy, very versatile, and it’ll work in just about any setup without being over the top. Before any of these drums hit the floor, Gage went through every single one of them and dialed them in. I think it was around ten snares total. If you’ve ever had him tune your drum, you already know — he knows what he’s doing! I was actually across the store helping a customer on the phone and could hear him cracking a Mod Orange Classic Maple… and it just sounded incredible. So if you’ve got a snare at home that just isn’t quite there — bring it in. We’ll get it dialed. And if you just want to hear what these new Ludwigs can do, they’re all out and ready.

We’ve actually hit the point now where the main Ludwig rack is completely full. We had to open up a second snare rack from Gator just to keep up — and honestly, that one’s already starting to fill up too. We are going to keep pushing the snare department as long as you keep supporting it!

British Drum Co. at Sims!

We have been bringing in some snares but now we’ve got a full kit from British Drum Co. — the Raven Series in a 22/12/16 configuration with a textured black finish. It’s got that signature British Drum Co. attention to detail, and it’s already been getting a ton of compliments from people walking in. We brought in the matching snare as well, so if someone wants the full setup, it’s ready to go.

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Between the shipment of Ludwig snares, last week’s arrival of the Noble & Cooley snares, and the British Drum Co. kit, this has been a big month for the drum department!

Used & Consignment Gear – Keep It Coming

The consignment side continues to grow, which has been really fun to watch.

We had another wave of gear come in this week, and one of the standout pieces was a pair of Ibanez George Benson models — including a flamed red version with gold hardware that is just stunning. It’s one of those guitars that immediately grabs your attention. Luke didn’t hesitate when I asked what we should highlight — it was the George Benson right away. We’ve also seen a lot of used pedals come through recently, and most of them have sold pretty quickly. So if you’ve got pedals sitting around that you’re not using, now is a great time to bring them in.

And something we’re really trying to push more now is used drum gear. We’ve had a few snares and cymbals come through and they’ve done really well. It’s been cool seeing that side start to grow. So drummers, if you’ve got cymbals and snares you are looking to part ways with, we are here to help! Come in and see Gage or me, and we can help find you a fair market value and get it listed! We will shoot pro photos and even do some social media demo videos of your gear to help get the word out!

Electric Guitars – Some Great Additions

On the electric side, we had a few key pieces come in.

We finally got a Gibson ES-335 in 60s Cherry back in the shop. We’ve had the 345 hanging around, but it’s been a little while since we’ve had a straight-up 335 in that classic finish. It’s one of those guitars that just never goes out of style. If you come in, you’ll find it hanging on the Player’s Choice wall — can’t miss it. We also had a couple of Rickenbacker 620s come through — a Jetglo and a Fireglo. The Fireglo already moved (no surprise there), but the Jetglo is still available for now. And as always with Rickenbacker… if you see one you like, don’t wait. It could be months before the next batch shows up.

Pedals & Amps – Expanding the Wall

Pedal and amp world stayed busy this week too.

We got a fresh shipment of Cosmodio Effects in — super creative boutique pedals with wild names and even wilder designs. Pet Yeti, Glitch Witch, Splinter Twin, Gravity Well. I am continuing to look for more boutique style pedal brands to add to our selection and we are honored to have these in the shop. 

Right below the Cosmodio pedals in the showcase, we’ve expanded our Marshall pedal lineup! New Marshal pedal arrivals include the:

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Between Marshall and Orange, we’re really leaning back into that classic amp experience. We know a lot of people are going direct these days, but there’s still nothing like plugging into a real amp and turning it up.

So if you haven’t done that in a while… Come crank some gear up!

And once again — the Greer Lightspeed Overdrive continues to be the number one pedal in the shop. We’re constantly trying to keep them in stock and they just fly out. While it may be the most popular pedal in the shop, we realized it had been a long time since any of us had actually played one. Sway grabbed a Les Paul and we cranked one up through a Super Reverb in The Select Room. It really is a great sounding OD pedal and it's nothing complex and super easy to dial in. More are on the way from Greer so keep an eye out on the site!

Factory Direct on the Site

One thing I’ve been quietly building out is the Factory Direct section on our website. This is basically our way of giving you access to a much wider catalog of gear — stuff we don’t always keep in-store, but can get very quickly.

We’ve added brands and products like:

• Sontronics microphones
• Hiwatt amplifiers
• Gator band/orchestra cases
• More Dream cymbals
• Additional DW and LP gear

If it’s listed there, it means it’s available with the manufacturer and we can get it fast — sometimes even drop-shipped directly to you.

Definitely worth clicking around. And if you see something you’d like us to start stocking regularly, let us know. That feedback helps us shape what we bring in.

Personal Note – Heading to D.C.

On a more personal note, I made a decision this week that I’m really excited about. I was invited by NAMM to travel to Washington, D.C. next month to advocate for music education funding. After talking it through with a few people, it became pretty clear that this is something I need to be a part of.

I’ll be representing Sims Music and Freeway Music, as well as the organization that I lead, SC SoundBites, working with others from across the country to meet with legislators and push for continued support of music programs. It’s honestly a huge honor to be included in that group, and I’m looking forward to the experience. I’ll definitely be sharing updates as that gets closer.

Wrapping It Up

Overall, just a really solid week. The drum department took a big step forward, we added some incredible new brands, the consignment section keeps growing, and there’s a lot happening both in the shop and behind the scenes.

As always — we appreciate you following along and supporting what we’re doing here.

If you need anything, have questions, or just want to come hang and play some gear, we’re here.

We’ll see you soon.

-Justin Sims