Today my wife and I brought our college bound son up for a meeting at his future school in Milwaukee. We got off track a bit on the way home and passed Faust Music, I had to stop! I had read that you have to make an appointment but I thought I would give it a shot(the sign said open). Well some guy came to the door and then Mr. Faust came himself and when I explained my story, and added that I couldn't pass the famous Faust music without trying to get in he let us stay. I was able to get in the drum room, I think only because when he asked me what kind of drums I played I told him I had a couple Slingerland kits. He said he thought they were the best drums made! He had some real cool stuff, Rogers, Gretsch, Ludwig, Slingerland and Sonor to name a few. Lots of snares and cymbals. A Ludwig kit caught my eye, it looked like a copper lacquer, but I dared not ask about it because I wasn't ready to buy, and that is the whole premise about the appointment. This guy does not want to waste his time with lookers! You make an appointment when you are ready to buy. Well after being scolded a few times I said my thanks and goodbyes, and I will be back in about a month, only this time I will have cash in hand and an appointment!
Faust Music Last viewed: 1 hour ago
I'm not trying to be a smart ass but this store sounds like a great place to pay way more than you need to for a set of drums...
Quite the contrary, he has done his homework so he knows what everything is worth, but if you go ready to buy I think there are deals to be had.
I had read that you have to make an appointment but I thought I would give it a shot(the sign said open). Well some guy came to the door and then Mr. Faust came himself and when I explained my story, and added that I couldn't pass the famous Faust music without trying to get in he let us stay. This guy does not want to waste his time with lookers! You make an appointment when you are ready to buy. Well after being scolded a few times I said my thanks and goodbyes, and I will be back in about a month, only this time I will have cash in hand and an appointment!
I HATE stores like that! You're in the retail business when you have a store front. If the sign said open, there should have been no issues with coming in to browse, whether you have cash in hand or not. How else are you supposed to know what he has and if it interests you if you can't look without an appointment? DOH Ok, yes I can understand the uneducated coming in to buy a drumkit for their 8 year old who wants to learn how to bash away and how that could get annoying to someone who specializes in vintage drums, but thats why I would call it Faust's Vintage Drums, not Faust music.......see the difference?
And the fact that you were scolded a couple of times because you dropped in and weren't ready to buy.....that really bugs me.
Sorry, but that gives me even more reason to not buy from someone like that. A drum shop is just that. A shop. A place to hang out, buy gear, exchange ideas.....Faust's just makes me annoyed and sad now. Maybe the guy should go sell furniture instead. Obviously to this guy its either a hobby and doesn't take the business seriously, a way to sell off his own private collection, or just a way to be elitist about vintage drums.
Where's the Facebook dislike button when you need it? DOH
Mr. Faust is 80 years old. You would think,"what an a$$hole" but I came away from it with some head scratching, really made me think about a few things.
Quite the contrary, he has done his homework so he knows what everything is worth, but if you go ready to buy I think there are deals to be had.
Shouldn't the buyer be the one doing his homework?? Something is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Just because this dude says it's worth $xxxx.xx, doesn't mean it is. Just my :2Cents:
It's obviously a marketing style to create demand. some people like the elitest, by appt only, exclusiveness of his type store, and there is nothing wrong with that. Personnaly, I agree with L-D. I want to look around, do some homework. I hate that feeling that the owner/clerks are thinking "is this guy gonna buy something or what!" Most of the time I just want to see, lay my hands on it and hold it. Doing research or just curious about a certain item. It doesn't mean I have the $$$$ to buy. . . .James
when i first read this thread, ideas were popping in my mind filled with practical jokes and appointments and false identities and such. then i got to thinking about how much a hands on demonstration would influence my buying decision on a kit that i would have never before considered. i've purchased many kits from the hip. in other words, i went in to check out one thing and walked away with some other kits. but, vintage drums are rather costly ... or rather, can be costly. i'm not going to feel all warm and squishy if i'm expected to make a purchasing decision with one scheduled visit...or even two. heck, i would most likely purchase several kits if i was allowed to "live with them" a bit by hanging around and taking my time to really look them over and find their nuances.
so, whether i'm considering the naughty path or the honest potential buyer, i don't like his setup.
If you were to call him up and make an appointment I think you could hang out as long as you wanted. I called him back to check on one of the kits he had and he was pleasant as could be. I really think his crotchety nature had to do with barging in without him expecting me. Remember this dude is 80 years old and very set in his ways. He started the business in 1948 and he owns everything in there. One of his comments was "if you want to just look go to the music stores at the mall". Maybe I painted a bad picture of this man, I like him. I will go back and when I do I will let you all know what he has and his prices.
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