You could be playing this Enrico Quarter Size Double Bass TODAY!

Here’s a shot of our Enrico ¼ size Laminated Student bass. It’s right ready to move to your home or school after having had some pre-delivery time in the String Tech workshop. 

We would like to share our thoughts on this great little bass in the hope you will understand why we stock and endorse the Enrico product. 

Firstly, the Enrico brand is aimed fair and square at the entry point student level so price is important, they are affordable. Supplied with bow [German or French frog optional] and a robust padded bag, the outfit is great value. Other noteworthy features include quality machine heads for accurate tuning and a bridge with height adjusting wheels which allow string height to be varied according to prevailing atmospheric conditions. The endpin assembly is heavy duty, deliberately fashioned to cope with those careless moments young players experience too often. But that’s not all…. 

Decades of experience at the importer level have seen Enrico basses evolve from very humble beginnings to the robust instruments we now use. How has this happened? 

Year by year, the product has been refined, re-working features which have proved unsuitable. Material thickness, so important for tonal projection, have been modified relevant to model size. A Solid Spruce Top version has been added. Varnish treatment has been updated after market feedback. Factory string selection has been reviewed and updated. Finally, and all importantly, packaging and freight handling have been re-worked to minimize damage during shipping. Losses due to careless freight treatment are now rare. 

With four models of violins/violas, two models of cellos and basses, Enrico has become the most accessible, affordable student stringed instrument range currently available in Australia. At The Music Spot, we support the best product in it’s class, That’s ENRICO…

This week at The Music Spot: First in Australia to bring you Tasman Guitars!

What an honour! This week we became the FIRST retail store in Australia to bring you the amazing new Tasman Guitars.

Andy from Australis proudly handing over to Marian our new range of Tasman Guitars

They are so new, their website is still on it's way!

But we have eight of these beauties right here in our Browns Plains superstore, just waiting for you to come and try them out.

Tasman Guitars in store now at The Music Spot

From the Admiral series we have the TA300-E, which features solid Mahogany back and layered Mahogany sides, producing balanced warm tones, strong volume and good treble response.

The Captain series guitars are made with Rosewood back and sides for louder volume and bass response - the perfect range for acoustic performers. We have several to choose from, including the TA200GS-CE, the TA200O-E and the TA200-E.

But Tasman also produce a genuine workhorse range, the Seeker series, built for performance and dependability. Featuring Sapele back and sides for a rich and warm sound and clear treble tones, we have the TA100, TA100-CE and two Parlour size guitars, the TA100P and TA100P-E.

Did we mention that all Tasman guitars come with a premium hard case to protect your new guitar?

The Tasman Guitar Co. is dedicated to the pursuit of innovation and excellence in guitar making, for serious and pro players who want a unique voice through a unique guitar. The instruments they produce reflect this dedication and innovation, and they are determined to provide our customers with the best experience, from the first moment they decide to look for a new guitar.

Tasman Guitars. The journey begins now.

From their Facebook page to their Instagram, these guitars are about to hit Australia in a big way, and guitar playing will never be the same again. You can follow this exciting journey by following The Music Spot on Facebook or Instagram, or visiting us instore to try them for yourself.

129 Browns Plains Rd, Browns Plains QLD

We gave the Drummer the Key to the Door, and other stories

What a week it's been at The Music Spot!

First up on Monday we celebrated Chris turning 21, and YES there was cake!

Happy Birthday Chris!

We had (as always!) a few floor layout reshuffles, and redesigned our Acoustic area. I personally think it looks great - check out our multi-layered approach: 









Three levels of Acoustic Guitars - lots to choose from! 











In other departments, Johnny was excited to report that we now have the Yamaha PSRS970 back in stock - this is a special instrument so be sure to come have a play for yourself.

A few more things came in, a few more things went out, and life goes on. If you haven't been to our superstore in Browns Plains, Queensland then you are definitely missing out!

Drum Department Reborn

The boys have been busy rebirthing the Drum Department into something - we think - fabulous!

The newest addition to the Music Spot family, Chris has brought with him a touch of showmanship and organised the department into an easy-to-navigate, organised, and great-looking shopping experience.

Chris surveying his kingdom

Chris says "We were aiming to show the best quality products in the best possible way" of the new design. As well as easily accomplishing that, there are some great deals to be had too, so we suggest that you head down to Browns Plains to check out these little gems for yourself!

Check out some more of Chris's artistic masterpieces on his Instagram account here. And of course you can always shop online at musicspot.com.au!

How To Restring An Acoustic Guitar

Acoustic guitar uses removable bridge pins to hold the strings in place at the bridge. Bridge pins require a little more fiddling to get them to secure correctly to the string in place at the bridge.  Remove and replace every string individually, or simply to unstring everything and then restring it all at once. The choice is yours as to which method to use. After you remove the old strings and pull out the bridge pins, follow this process to restring your acoustic guitar:

1. Drop the ball end of the new string in the bridge hole and replace the pin.

2. Pull the new string until you feel the ball end come up against the bottom of the bridge pin.

Tug on the string to make sure the pin doesn't pop out, but make sure not to crease the string as you grip it for tugging.

3. Insert the string end through the appropriate tuning-post hole.

4. Crease (or kink) the string at the top of the tuning-post hole toward the inside of the guitar (away from the tuning key).

For the three lower (in pitch) strings, kink the string to the right as you face the guitar; for the three higher strings, kink to the left.

5. Turn the tuning key so the string wraps around the post.

For the three lower strings, turn the tuning key so the posts rotate counterclockwise; for the three higher strings, the posts should rotate clockwise. Following this procedure ensures that the strings wrap from the middle of the neck over the top of the post and to the outside of the guitar (toward the tuning key).

6. As you turn the key and wind the string around the post, make sure that the string coils from the top of the post downward toward the headstock surface.

The string may want to flop around as you start to coil the string, so use your other hand to control it.

      TIP: If you have too much string, you'll run out of room on the post before the string is tightened up to pitch. If that happens, simply loosen the string, pull a little more string through the post hole, re-kink the string, and  begin the winding process again.

7. Keep turning the tuning key.

 As you do this, the coils around the post tighten, the slack in the string disappears, and the string begins to     produce a recognizable musical pitch.

      TIP: Be sure that the string is inside the appropriate nut slot before the string becomes too taut to manipulate it further.

8. Bring the string up to the proper pitch by turning the tuning key slowly.

9. Clip away the excess string sticking out of the tuning post.

Cut the wire as close to the tuning post as your wire cutters will reach so the point doesn't jab you in the finger! If you don't have wire cutters available, loop the excess string into a circle or break the string by repeatedly bending the string back and forth across the crease.

      TIP: New strings will continue to stretch (causing them to go flat) even after you tune them up to pitch. To help get the stretchiness out of the string, pull on the string gently but firmly, bringing it directly above the fingerboard, and then tune the string up to pitch by turning the key. After each pull, the string will be flat (under pitch), so repeat the process of pulling the string with your fingers and tuning up until the string no longer goes flat after you pull it. You may have to do this three or four times, but the whole procedure shouldn't take more than a couple minutes.

Tuning Guide: Ukuleles

Ukuleles are a great choice for getting into playing music. Relatively easy to learn and simple to play ukes are a popular instrument of choice for the budding junior musician just starting out on their musical adventures through to a seasoned player looking to enhance their creative endeavours. Did I mention that they look cute too?

Ukuleles come in four basic sizes: Soprano, Concert, Tenor and Baritone.

The three smaller size ukes - Soprano, Concert and Tenor - are all tuned to the same four notes: G4-C4-E4-A4. These four notes relate to each string from low to high, or from the string closest to you when held in its playing position, through to the string closest to the floor. Referred to as High-G tuning the G note is tuned higher in pitch to the C note on the next string down. This method has become the standard for ukulele tuning. Most new uke students will have learnt the little tuning song, 'My Dog Has Fleas' to aid in the tuning process to get the strings tuned to their correct pitch.

Some Tenor uke players will tune to a Low-G tuning. Here the low G string is tuned an octave lower in pitch compared to high G. The tuning range is: G3-C4-E4-A4.

Baritone ukes are tuned differently to accommodate their longer scale length. Standard tuning for a baritone uke from low to high is D3-G3-B3-E3. These are the same notes as the four highest strings on an acoustic guitar.

The easiest and most accurate way of tuning your ukulele is by using a clip on tuner. Clip on tuners work on sensing the vibration of each note and displaying the pitch or note name of each string. It's always best practice to tune up to a note rather than tune down.  This helps with tuning stability and accuracy. Clip on tuners can used to tune any stringed instrument too. So if you've got a uke, or a guitar, or even a violin player in the house, a good quality clip on tuner will service the tuning needs of all of those instruments.

If you're having trouble tuning your uke, or keeping it in tune, you might need some new strings. New strings are a quick fix in addressing any tuning related issues your uke may be experiencing as well as improve the overall sound and tone of your instrument.

Keeping your uke in tune will improve your playing and overall sound and keep everyone happy.

Happy strumming!

Buying In-Store vs Online: The Sound

We have been talking about the benefits of buying in-store vs. buying online. The previous article was on the topic of the experience, and how a local music shop offers you an experience that you can't get online. You can read it here if you've haven't already.

Today's conversation revolves around the topic of the sound.

Sound is subjective. That means what sounds great to one person, doesn't ring the bell for someone else. It's something that make us unique as people. Someone will love the sound of a Strat plugged into a lightly driven tube amp, while another will love and prefer the sound of a dropped tuned Ibanez RG with gobs of gain engaged. It would be a pretty bland existence if we all sounded the same right?

It's one thing to read or watch the plethora of highly compressed video clips of new gear reviews through your iPhone earbuds, your tiny laptop or smartphone speakers, or your desktop speakers. But it's a completely different thing to actually play and listen to that guitar, amp or pedal you've seen online in the real world. There is nothing like sitting in a room with a great Strat plugged into a tube amp where you can actually hear and review the guitar and its tone with YOUR own ears.

You can sit on a drum kit and play it listening to the differing tones of maple vs. birch shells. You can come in and hear the sizzle and the decay of the cymbals you're considering to buy. The same can be said in hearing and discerning the sonic differences and subtleties of a solid top mahogany acoustic guitar vs a solid top spruce model. There is no comparison in the sound of physical air being moved and a highly compressed video clip.

Not only do you get to hear it properly, but you get to feel it too. You can feel the body of the guitar resonating against your body. You get to feel the profile of the neck. You get to feel the actual frequency response of the amp and the sensation of the air being moved in the room. You experience the 'thwack' of that snare drum, the 'doof' of that kick drum or the sizzle of those hi-hats. You get to test that pedal you've been checking out, with your OWN guitar, in a place where you can turn it up and get a real playing and sonic experience of the gear you've been considering buying. 

No matter how good the video production might be in the review sites you watch, it's no substitute for YOU testing it out with YOUR hands and YOUR ears to discover its sound in the real world.

Your local music shop provides the benefit of hearing the real sound of the gear you've been checking out on-line. You'll be better informed and better equipped to part with your hard earned in order to translate the sound you hear in your head because you've heard what it really sounds like when YOU play it.

Until next time, keep on picking!