Blog: Guitar Shop Shame

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At the otherwise ACE gig in Leeds on Sunday i had a bit of upsetment when my lovely little travel guitar refused to work when plugged into a DI box. This meant that on Tuesday I had to go off to Croydon with my NORMAL sized guitar, which felt suddenly HUGE, like i was lugging a DOUBLE BASS around with me. There's more non-acoustical gigs to come, so I thought I'd best go and get it sorted out as soon as possible.

I checked the website of Wunjo Guitars, the DELIGHTFUL guitar shop where I'd got it from (or, rather, where The Stock In My Warehouse had bought it for me last year for my BIRFDAY) and arrived at ten past ten to find it... CLOSED! Their website said they opened at 10am, but here it was SHUT. I could see through the window a STAFF MEETINg going on, and didn't know what to do. As I stood there I could see people seeing ME, so did the I AM LOOKING AT MY WATCH thing in case anyone wanted to come and tell me they'd be open in a minute. No-one did, so what to do? I didn't really want to come back at lunchtime as i was Otherwise Engaged, but should I just stand here and wait? I decided to slope off round the corner for ten minutes to look in a BOOKSHOP, but when I got back the meeting was still going on.

But it said on the website they were open at ten! I am VERY EASILY RILED by this sort of thing, and found myself transforming... transforming into SOMEONE A BIT MIDDLE CLASS. "Well!" i thought, looking at my watch AGANE. "Goodness! I am a valued customer don't you know! MY MY MY!"

Don't make me mildy annoyed. You wouldn't like me when I'm mildly annoyed.

It probably didn't help that i ALSO needed a WEE by now, so was hopping about anyway, and ended up GLARING through the window. GLARING, i tell you! I don't feel proud of this - the guy who owns the shop had his back to me, so had no idea that there were customers LURKING outside, some AS if not MORE Mildly Irate as/than me, and we've ALL been in Those Kind Of Meetings where ALMOST everyone is thinking "OH GOD LET IT END" but SOMEONE has a point they are absolutely determined to make.

BUT eventually the meeting ended and they let us in. I went straight upstairs to the WORKSHOP (which by the way was BRILLIANT, like a proper WORKSHOP with soldering irons and CLAMPS and bits of WOOD and TOOLS and all sorts) where a very nice gentleman took a look at my guitar. "I think it's a connection to the jack plug", i explained "It'll probably just need a bit of solder." Imagine my IMMENSE JOY when that turned out to be EXACTLY what it was, and he fixed it IMMEDIATELY.

Imagine ALSO my mild SHAME when I thanked him and walked back downstairs and through the shop at the people i had GLARED so CALLOUSLY at. I HAD been a bit annoyed but now felt slightly CHURLISH for being so. It's a whole lot of fun Getting A Bit Middle Class in posh shops where the staff are GITS or even in Department Stores, but here I felt like an OAF. On the way out I was moved to APOLOGISE for the GLARING to the manager, who didn't seem TOO devastated, i am relieved to say, but still. Going in guitar shops is STRESSFUL at the best of times, i think i may have made it even MORE so!

posted 1/4/2011 by MJ Hibbett

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Comments:

Wunjo is my favourite guitar shop- Brian who runs it is an absolute gent and is always nice and chatty whenever I go in, even though it has been over a year since I bought anything from them. And their repair department is also superb!
posted 1/4/2011 by Thom

Yes, it's lovely - that's why we got my guitar from there really! Also, Emma's nephew worked there for a while!
posted 1/4/2011 by MJ Hibbett

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