Excellent Indie Shop: Harried Music

[OddManOut]

I just want to put in a good word for an excellent independent music shop I came across: Herreid Music in Chico, Ca. (they have a shop in Redding, too). They had a lot of Taylors, some Eastmans, and some Guilds among other things.

The reason I want to give them a shout out is that all of their guitars were properly set up, frets dialed in, etc. This shop is not a high-ender like Gryphon, etc.. They are a general music retailer. But they really cared for their guitars. Also, they were not pushy, but very helpful and pleasant. So refreshing to find a GOOD indie shop.

My top picks from my visit Thursday:

(1) Eastman AC720 CE. (EIR/Engelmann dread with cutaway and electronics). This was a great sound and playing guitar, plain and simple. Great dread tone without being bottom-heavy, lots of depth to the voice, a lot of headroom. Amazing amount of guitar for the price they are asking.

(2) Taylor 614 ce (maple/sitka). Very nice...my favorite of the Taylors they had, and I'm generally not a Taylor guy. Great balance and focus, not too tight sounding.

(3) Guild GAD M120 (solid sapele): This one is a good one. I've played so many of these at various shops which were not set up well (or at all). This one is dialed in and really has nice tone. Not a ton of bass as it is a hog-top parlor, but adequate. Again, really nice tonal depth and a LOT of guitar for the money.

Honorable Mention: 2004 Taylor 214. This is an all-solid sapele/sitka Taylor (USA made), nice tone of a mature Taylor. If you're thinking about a Taylor 11x, I'd seriously consider this one. Prolly won't last long...nice little guitar.

Thanks to the folks at Herreid Music for an enjoyable experience. Great to find a GOOD independent shop.