So, why start a guitar shop?

Lets go back a bit…

I started playing guitar about 20 or so years ago. Not coming from a musical family, or having any friends, friends siblings, friends parents basically anyone else nearby who were musically inclined or played any sort of instrument, I found it very lonely being a “guitarist.” If I was looking for advice, things I needed to buy, or just wanted to talk guitar, I had to take the wise words of my guitar teacher (who was great) and my local guitar shops (who weren’t.) Besides that I had MTV, Kerrang and a couple of Cd’s to try and help.

What started with a broken classical guitar aged 12, and then getting fake Stratocaster Copy a year later (and a very very old amp 6 months after that) to then progressing to digital amps, and then to more recognizable brands of guitars, to buying my first pedals, to then performing gigs, and rehearsing in bands to then teaching guitar, to even bigger gigs and a lot of playing i’ve found my instrument of choice very hard to put down. However, throughout my playing career I’ve found many of the Guitar shops i’ve set foot in to be stuffy, snooty, and not a whole lot of fun. compare that to the music that the instrument produces; radical, welcoming and a whole lot of fun. I think it can be done better. I’ve always seen guitar shops to be more like Libraries rather than Rock ‘n roll. The experience should be like the instrument. Fun!

And that’s before we get to being lied to, cheated out of money, laughed at and finding that the guitar you want to play always being out of reach. I hope to change that for everyone else who has experienced or felt the same.

So here’s to my shop, Ohms. I hope you find it open, welcoming, fun and it makes you excited to play your guitar, or pick one up if you’ve never tried it.

if you have any further questions, feel free to email me; brad@ohmsmusic.ca and i’ll try and help in any way shape or form.

Thanks,

Brad (owner of Ohms Music Store)