Alright — we’ve made it to Week 8 of the “In the Shop” blog. Two months straight… pretty cool. Hope everybody’s been enjoying the read. This week was a big one to close out the month. It’s been a really strong month at the shop — super busy, lots of gear coming in and going out, and just a lot of fun all around. So let’s get into it.

Guitars - New and Used!

Starting off with used gear, we had a really special piece come in this week — a beautiful 2018 Taylor 912e 12-fret! Taylor isn’t currently making this exact model right now, which is a shame, because this model is incredible. Right after we got this one in, my dad actually walked by it and asked if it had just come in from Taylor — that’s how clean it is. Luke got it set up, Will got it photographed and listed on the site, and it is now hanging in on the Taylor wall. If you haven’t played a 12 fret before, I’d highly recommend coming by and trying this one out. The smaller body and shorter scale make it super comfortable to play and the sound is something special. This guitar’s arrival timed out well too, as it will now be here for the Taylor Tone Show on April 14th (unless it sells before of course). On top of this model, we’ve also got a few other used Taylors — including a custom Built To Order model and a really nice 314ce. Obviously it isn’t normal for us to have used Taylors in the shop so this is a cool change to see! Between our new stock, used stock, and the 30+ guitars that Taylor will be bringing on April 14th…we are about to have the biggest selection ever in the shop for the event!

On the electric side of used gear, we had a customer bring in an awesome Charvel MJ DK24 with a figured walnut top, and it is basically mint. As soon as he opened the case, we knew it was something we wanted. That one is already live on the site, so definitely check it out. This beauty is ready to shred. Speaking of Charvel, the timing was perfect because we also got in a couple brand new models this week. Just as I was about to head out Tuesday, I saw Sway and Luke getting 2 new models set up to go out so I had to stop and grab a pic. Both are Pro-Mod Plus DK24 with one in Celestial Silk and one in Raven Black. Both models look amazing and the guys were pumped to see them arrive.  I threw a quick pic of these on our Instagram story but we will be doing some more glamour shots for social soon. We are pumped to see  the Charvel section start to grow.

Pedals and Effects

Over in pedal land, we’ve finally started to see some Greer Lightspeed Overdrives trickling back in. This is easily one of the top-selling pedals in the shop, and honestly, we can’t keep them in stock. Greer has been slammed lately, so they’re coming in slowly, but we’ve got more on order and are doing everything we can to keep them on the wall. A couple weeks ago, someone actually broke into their shop in Athens, Georgia and stole some gear, which is crazy — but thankfully everyone was okay, they got their gear back, and the thieves were caught. The Greer crew was quickly back at it and working hard to keep up with demand. We’ve also been kicking around the idea of doing a custom Sims-exclusive colored Lightspeed with Greer — maybe a limited run of 24 or so. If that sounds cool to you, let us know in the comments! 

As for other cool pedal brands, we got in a solid restock from Benson Amps! 

• Germanium Boost
• Germanium Preamp
• Delay
• Deep Sea Diver Fuzz

Also, we just received 2 of the new Placeholder Reverbs from Fairfield Circuitry. Fairfield fans have anxiously been waiting for them to come out with a Reverb pedal for a long time and it showed. We posted about the pedal on Instagram and the 2 that we received sold on our site on the first day! We will have more in at some point but the eta is unknown. The Fairfield stuff is tough to get and very popular! Keep an eye on our socials for the next shipment.

I’d like to give a quick shout out and thank you to Anna from MAS Distro. We used to work with Anna when she was at EarthQuaker Devices and when she moved over to MAS, we keep the relationship going! Somehow, as a drummer, I am in charge of ordering a lot of our pedals, alongside Robbie, so Anna helps me make smart decisions on what we should stock. She has really helped us bring in some great brands like Benson, Greer, Fairfield, RaingerFX and more! She and I are working on a few more new ‘boutique’ brands to bring in this month so keep an eye out!

Drum Department

Big news in Drumland this week…

We are officially Sonor dealers again! We carried them years ago but never really went all in — and now we are. We started with a customer special order of an AQ2 kit, have another AQ2 on the way for stock, and we stepped things up with a German-made Vintage Series kit in Vintage Pearl (20/12/14). This kit is absolutely stunning. Everyone who’s seen it this week has had the same reaction — total jaw drop. The offset lugs, the finish, the overall vibe… it’s just as classy as it gets!  We also brought in a few Sonor Kompressor snares (aluminum, maple, and steel) with more coming soon. And now that we’re back with Sonor, we can also help with full SQ2 custom builds, which is their top-tier German line. We are really excited to see this brand grow in the shop. And who knows…maybe this leads to us having Todd Sucherman back in the shop???

On the DW side, something we’ve been waiting on since October finally arrived — the new DW14” x 4” True-Cast snare! This beauty is limited to 100 pieces worldwide and we received Serial Number 30! This thing is unreal. The craftsmanship and detail are on another level. It comes in a custom Calzone road case with a certificate — definitely a collector’s piece. We’re keeping it tucked safely in the back, but if you want to see it while it's still here,, just ask.

Pro Audio & Shipping

We wrapped up a big project this week supplying gear for several nightclubs across Texas, Louisville, and North Carolina. That meant a full day of packing and shipping speakers, lighting, cables — all of it. Maurice (our awesome UPS driver) pulled up and we basically asked, “How much room you got?” Somehow he made it all fit and got everything on the truck. Robbie and James were hustling to help me get all of these speakers in the truck, which was extremely helpful as I am still recovering from my back troubles. It was fun to help with all this gear and we are excited to keep it going with more clubs out there! If you’re in the DJ, production, or nightclub world and need help with PA or lighting — Yamaha, Mackie, Chauvet, ADJ — we can absolutely help with that.

Community & Shop Moments

We had a couple really cool moments this week in the shop.

First, our very own Katie Gandy sang the national anthem at the rodeo at Colonial Life Arena. She absolutely crushed it — especially impressive considering there were horses going nuts right next to her while she was singing. We are super proud of her!

We also had a couple customers come to the shop to celebrate their birthdays in a big way! Our buddy Tristan came in and treated himself to a beautiful Martin HD-28 and the next day, our friend Tyler came in for this 40th and left with a Martin D-28 AND a Gibson LP Standard! Happy Birthday to both of these guys! We are honored that they chose to spend it with us!

Upcoming Event – April 14

Quick reminder — The Search for the Coolest Acoustic Guitar is coming up on April 14th.

We’ve already had some awesome submissions come in — vintage pieces, unique builds, great stories — and we’d love to see more. If you’ve got something cool, submit it on the site and we’ll take care of the rest. I’ll be touching base with anyone who submits something next week to arrange a good time for the guitars to be dropped off at the shop.

We’ll have reps from Taylor, Martin, and Gibson in the building, tons of guitars on display, food, drinks — it’s going to be a big one!

Wrapping Up

All in all, another great week. Nothing too crazy, but a ton of gear moving in and out, new brands coming in, and a lot of exciting things building.

As always, we really appreciate the support. If you’ve got questions, drop them in the comments or reach out.

And we’ll see you soon.

-Justin Sims