Posted on October 23, 2019 by Rocktown Music — Leave a comment

Guitars we would never sell

We had 2 guitars come in today, we would never sell-the cost of repair would far exceed value and still be bad. Easy to miss these…

Guitar 1: broken braces inside (change of neck angle)-so now the strings are so high you can put your finger under them at 10 fret.

Guitar 2: Poor Plywood (common in many brands)in this Strat leads to a broken tremolo.

We have nice new guitars now for $74 with 10 10-year warranty today.

Share the knowledge.

Posted on November 9, 2018, by Rocktown Music — Leave a comment

Solid Tops Explained

Why should I buy a solid top anyway?

We answer this question frequently and would like to give you a brief explanation on why we favor a solid top over laminates.

It’s About the Tone.

A solid top offers a more dynamic range of richness and clarity in your instrument’s tone, which will mature with age.

Why?

In a laminate top, there can be 2 to 3 pieces of wood from different cuts glued together, causing inconsistency in vibrations. Essentially, a solid top is to steak as a laminate top is to ground beef.

How to spot a good, solid top:

Pay attention to the grain pattern. You’ll be looking at straight, grainy, evenly spaced patterns. It’s about finding a piece of wood that will handle vibrations consistently.

The exception:

If you plan on playing outside very frequently or live in an extremely humid environment, a laminate top offers a slight advantage – it's less likely to warp in extreme conditions.

Posted on November 27, 2017 by Rocktown Music — Leave a comment

Rocktown Pro DJ Services Serving Minnesota

Are you nervous about the DJ you hired and don’t know if he/she will be a great fit and have working gear they know how to use? Why pay $1000 for a DJ to play music at your wedding with zero experience or no how? Are you confused about which company will be great for your office party? At Rocktown Music, we will cater to your every need. Our personal DJ, Amanda Bechtold, will cater to you and make sure your party runs smoothly, and guests will leave with a memory that will never be forgotten.

Amanda has a book full of musical experience. She has graduated from college, Minnesota State University Moorhead, with a Bachelor of Music. Learning orchestration, composition, business, and recording, she has it all. She even plays ten instruments, bringing you the musical inspiration, whether from rocking out on the guitar to gracefully playing the piano.

Stepping into the DJ world was a path that hadn’t been discovered until she started working at a top DJ company. She has impressed many people by playing music guests want to hear (all country, all pop, all rock and roll, and even a great mix from the oldies to today's pop). She also caters to the crowd by playing all the requests, checking in with people if they need help, and making sure the night becomes the night of their lives. Still not impressed, check out these reviews.

“Amanda was our wedding DJ, and she did an amazing job! The DJ was the biggest thing we were nervous about for our wedding, as we wanted to keep people dancing. We had nothing to worry about – Amanda played a great mix of music to get people on the dance floor. We talked the week before the wedding about any specific requests we had of her and about our vision for the night, and she nailed it. She also did our ceremony music, and it went perfectly. Thanks, Amanda!” Google Review

“We had uplighting and a DJ for the ceremony and reception. Our DJ (Amanda) was fabulous! She checked in with us on several occasions throughout the night and played our song choices! She was having a great time, even if our guests weren’t always dancing. She played music that got people back out on the dance floor (we didn’t have a very dance happy crowd). She even accommodated us wanting to end 45 minutes early because we were tired and not many people were dancing. We got fabulous reviews on the DJ and uplighting!” The Knot

“Amanda Bechtold was the best DJ we could have asked for! The ceremony and reception went perfectly and so smoothly. Amanda was extremely friendly and made sure everything went as planned. She played all the music we wanted and kept the dance floor packed all night!” Wedding Wire

If you have any questions or want to schedule your party

Call Rocktown Music at (320) 257-7676

Email us at rocktownmusic@gmail.com

Posted on March 4, 2017 by Rocktown Music — Leave a comment

Why Rocktown?

Looking for a new guitar? Here’s why you should come see us.

• Music is what we do, and we love it. Sharing knowledge with beginners is always free of rockstar attitudes, because we believe that music of any genre is to be enjoyed by everyone.
• We take our time to listen to what your needs and goals are with music – to ensure that you’re given an instrument and resources to help you grow as a musician.
• Our goal is to start off new and aspiring musicians off on the right foot. As musicians, we carry quality instruments at a fair price with the player in mind.
• Your new instrument was set-up to play by professionals, free of charge – to ensure a properly playing experience.
• Our staff regularly gigs and attends mucical events in St. Cloud, Sauk Rapids, Waite Park, & Central Minnesota regularly. We want to hear your stuff!

Don’t be shy to give our friendly staff a call with questions, or to stop in and chat with us!

Category: Rocktown Perks
Tags: Guitar shop, Local Store, Music Store, St Cloud

Posted on November 3, 2016 by Rocktown Music — Leave a comment

What is a luthier?

The degree:

A luthier is a craftsman who specializes in the construction and repair of stringed instruments. Housing a great number of banjos, cellos, violins, mandolins, guitars, basses, ukuleles, and other stringed instruments, Rocktown keeps them busy. The game has become more diverse in recent years, and to adapt, luthiers must learn more advanced repair techniques than before.

Whether you’re looking to properly set up a 7-string for extended range tuning or play confidently knowing your mandolin’s bridge has been placed correctly, our luthiers are happy to assist you with their knowledge.

Their Training:

Rocktown Music is proud to have not one, but two state-certified Redwing Graduates on staff. Other shops will claim they have certified techs, but our techs have certification from a state-funded trade school, not your crash course on instrument repair done in-store.

There are only 80 listed guitar repair and construction programs in the world, and during their time in school, Redwing was the only state-accredited program in the country. At Rocktown, you’re not just dealing with the ordinary guitar tech; you’re getting assistance from knowledgeable and certified professionals.

Their role:

Our house technicians ensure that every instrument sold in the store and online is set up. We firmly believe that a good set-up is a launching pad for an aspiring musician's success, as it provides the player with a much more comfortable and rewarding playing experience.

Being able to make an instrument play properly is just a part of what a luthier is capable of, however. Repairing and modifying instruments is also an important part of the trade. A good luthier can almost seamlessly repair a crack in an acoustic guitar’s top, replace or re-glue bracing, remake cracked acoustic bracing, replace, resolder, and install pickups, recommend an instrument based on the tonality of wood, and recommend instruments based on construction principles.

Aside from all of that great jazz, a luthier also must be able to cut custom nuts and saddles for acoustic instruments, know basic finish and varnish touch-up procedures, defeat the evil Floyd Rose bridge, and reset the neck of vintage high-end acoustics.

That being said,

Luthiers are part guitar tech, and part magic.

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Categories: Industry Knowledge, Player's Guide
Tags: guitar tech, lutheir

Posted on November 3, 2016 by Rocktown Music — Leave a comment

What is a Set-Up?

A set-up is necessary for all stringed instruments for the best possible playability. It makes for a much more comfortable and accurate playing experience compared to instruments without.

They typically cost $30 – $60 and should only be attempted by experienced professionals. (Luthiers)

A set-up includes:

• Inspection of strings, moving parts, and loose parts.
• Cleaning of the factory debris off of the frets and fretboards (No gunk left behind)
• Conditioning of the fret board (It won’t feel dry)
• Straightening of the neck (The strings don’t buzz)
• Lowering of the action (The strings aren’t hard to push down)
• Intonation check (It’s actually in tune with itself)
• Polishing of the body and headstock

We examine and set-up every stringed instrument that we sell online. We do this to make sure you’ll have a better playing instrument than most retailers.

Category: Industry Knowledge

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Rocktown Music — Leave a comment

More About Us

Our storefront is home hundreds of musical instruments, not junk shipped from some warehouse that is not ready to be played. We are authorized dealers for hundreds of incredible brands. We are staffed by certified by state certified repairmen and experienced musicians. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, give us a call or email. We are direct dealers for nearly a hundred brands. Let us get you the right product and the best price.

We do not offer all of our brands on line, simply because we do not feel confident in them arriving to you at our standards . In the world of musical instruments, they’re many inconsistencies when it comes to manufacturing. Not all guitars are created equal. In fact, quality can even vary between between instruments of the same make and model. The instruments we carry in store are the instruments we feel good about. We don’t sell junk here, our goal is to help you find an instrument that plays great, stays in tune, and sounds good.

Category: Uncategorized

Posted on June 23, 2016 by Rocktown Music — Leave a comment

Why We’re Top Rated

Here’s a little bit about what sets us apart from other music stores.

Since 2009, we have maintained a staff of experienced and state-certified luthiers and repair technicians. Not to mention our friendly sales team of experienced professionals that will guide you to the right gear. Shop at Rocktown Music and you’ll get instruments that stay in tune, feel right, and are free of defects. We strive for customer satisfaction, and we are very proud to maintain a 100% positive eBay rating, a 4.9 Google review (currently the highest in the state), and an incredibly respectable reputation among our peers and community. We shop the world for the best value for your dollar so you don’t have to guess. We at Rocktown want to give you the savings and service that make you want to come back. Our credo is new gear at used prices, used gear at stupid prices.

Category: Uncategorized

Posted on June 21, 2016 by Rocktown Music — Leave a comment

Welcome to our New Online Store!

Hello Rocktown Music Customers,

In the last few months we have been working diligently on expanding our business. We are proud to announce the launch of our new online store! Like our brick and mortar store, the online selection will be constantly growing and evolving. We are very excited to bring our services to an online audience. And we look forward to working with new and old customers!

-Rocktown Music Staff

Category: Uncategorized