Alright — this is the first of what we’re hoping will become a weekly (or close to it) walk-through of what’s been going on around Sims Music. And I can already tell you… it’s been a fun one. 

The biggest thing happening right now is a full renovation of our electric guitar department. It’s been a huge project over the last few days, and while it’s exciting, there was also a bittersweet moment — the stage is officially gone. That stage has been part of the shop since 1993 and has hosted some incredible artists over the years. Hootie & the Blowfish played there, along with Peter Erskine, Aaron Spears, and so many others. There’s a lot of history in that space, but it was time for a change. Jerry Sims and the crew have been working incredibly hard pulling down the old graphics and completely reworking that part of the store. We’ve got a really cool relaunch coming soon — just a few days to maybe a week away — and I think you’re really going to love the look of it. 

On the gear side of things, our consignment program has been absolutely on fire lately. This week a customer brought in 19 different guitars for us to sell — everything from a really cool Fender D’Aquisto to late ’90s Fender Esprits, a unique Yamaha double cut, and a bunch of other fun oddball pieces. It’s exactly the kind of unique used gear we’ve been hoping to offer, as we expand the consignment program stock.. And the crazy part is… there’s already another big wave coming in from a different customer in the next week or two. Luke has been doing an incredible job running our consignment service and making the process smooth and easy for customers. If you’ve got gear you’re thinking about selling, reach out to Luke at the shop — he’d be happy to help you move it. We are currently focusing the program on guitars, pedals, snares, and cymbals but don’t hesitate to reach out about anything and we will see if we can help!

About the same time all that consignment gear dropped off, we had over 70 packages show up from UPS and FedEx — including about 30 to 40 guitars from Fender, Jackson, and Squier. That’s pretty much how it goes after NAMM every year. You get back from the show and suddenly the orders start rolling in. We also just got in a bunch of the new Gator VERTEX pedal boards and accessories that were ordered at the NAMM Show! (come by and check these out when you can!) We also started receiving a new wave of DigiTech pedals that we worked on bringing in at NAMM — including JamMan loopers, Whammy pedals, the Drop pedal, and about a dozen more models that will be arriving soon. We are really excited about expanding our representation of the Digitech lineup. Robbie has been staying incredibly busy in receiving, and Sway and Luke have been knocking it out, getting everything set up, dialed in, and playing great before hitting the floor. Between all the shipments, consignment gear, and renovations, the shop has definitely been hectic — but in the best way. 

And right in the middle of all that chaos… we had a Ukulele Jam! Monday night was our Valentine’s themed jam, and even the staff was a little surprised at how quickly we had to flip the shop around to get ready. But Jessica Sims led a great class, we had an awesome crowd, and everyone had a blast playing love songs together. We’re planning the next jam for April and will be announcing details soon via email and social media. 

On the content side, we recently filmed a full round of Slingerland drum demos. Gage compared three different snares — the Studio King, the Radio King Artist, and the new Radio King solid maple shell. We also shot an intro video where Gage and I walk through the Slingerland lineup and what makes each series special. Those will be hitting our YouTube channel soon with clips rolling out on social media over the next few days. 

In the drum department, we’ve had some really cool drum repairs and customizations come through lately. One older snare came in with a broken throw-off that couldn’t be replaced quickly, so we documented the drilling and repair process on Instagram. These repairs can be tricky sometimes but it's rewarding to bring a drum back to life. Then we helped our buddy Josh by installing a tom mount on his DW kit — which is always nerve racking when you’re drilling into a high end drum — but it turned out perfect and was ready for his gig at Savage Craft Brewery that night. It’s been fun showing people that while we work on guitars every day, we also handle drum repairs, custom hardware installs, and things like custom kick heads too. 

For new drum product, one new product that didn’t last long at all was the Tama Spartan Series hardware. We got a couple of straight stands in — super lightweight but incredibly solid. Our buddy Geoff Shackley checked them out in the shop, loved them immediately and bought what we had in stock, and then followed up after his first two gigs saying they were rock solid and didn’t move at all thanks to Tama’s new foot design. We’ve got more straight and boom stands coming in soon and can’t wait for them to arrive. 

Another huge highlight this week was a long awaited custom order finally showing up. Our buddy Lenny’s DW Collector’s Series kit arrived after months of waiting, and it is absolutely unreal — a lacquer custom finish with a custom design the DW team nailed. The kit includes 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, and 18 toms, a 22” kick, a 14” snare, plus a DW 9000 rack. It’s truly a dream setup and some photos are already up on our Instagram. 

And last but definitely not least, we received one of the most special guitars we’ve had in a long time — the Yamaha Revstar 60th Anniversary model. There are only 60 made for the entire U.S., and we were lucky enough to get one. It’s absolutely stunning and currently hanging in our Select Room. We don’t expect it to last long, so if you want to see it in person, definitely stop by soon. 

All in all, it’s been a week full of new gear, renovations, jams, repairs, deliveries, and the usual controlled chaos that comes with running a busy music shop. The store’s been buzzing and the team’s been crushing it. 

We’re planning to keep doing these weekly shop updates so you can get a behind the scenes look at what’s happening around Sims Music. And as always, if you need anything at all, we’re here for you. 

Thanks so much for the support — and we’ll see you in the shop soon.

-Justin Sims