Musician's Warehouse
Musician’s Warehouse has long been a supporter of the music community in Dubai and have provided the back-line for many an underground gig, so we felt it was time to go and find out what the gentlemen in the store were up to these days (and see if we could get the low-down on any specials you musician’s might be interested in!).
So we had a little chat with the Musician’s Warehouse PR and Marketing manager Mohammed and got all those juicy details just for you!
Tell us a bit about what Musician’s Warehouse has been up to recently, what is new with you?
Musician’s Warehouse Dubai has been growing arguably faster than any other music equipment store in the region. In just the last two years, we’ve become distributors of some of the biggest brands in the industry, including PRS guitars, ESP guitars, Ernie Ball products, Blackstar Amps, Marshall Amps, and a lot more.
So what exciting gear do you have in store now?
Right now, we’re all excited about our new shipment of ESP guitars (high-end Made-In-Japan models). Other than that we’re proud to get our first shipment of Dunlop products, including tons of MXR pedals and CryBaby Wah pedals. Oh, we’re now official distributors of Dunlop, too.
Do you have any new brands or models coming to Musician’s Warehouse soon?
Apart from what I’ve already mentioned, we’re getting new shipments of Ernie Ball Music Man guitars and basses. Yes, yes, Sting Rays and Sterlings for all the bass players out there, and all the Petrucci and Luke stuff for our Dubai shredders. We’re also bringing in more Seymour Duncan pickups, adding to the collection we already have in store. For the drummers, we’re getting some more Ludwig kits and Remo heads!
What promotions have you got going on?
Right now we’ve got half-off on some B.C. Rich guitars, great discount prices on all the discontinued PRS SE models, which are brand new and going way cheaper than they are anywhere else in the world. We’ve got discount prices on some of our LTD guitars and basses, and a lot of pre-owned, mint-condition stuff going away for a steal!
We do have a sale going on PRS 25th Anniversary guitars. These are American-made guitars from PRS, a company that’s celebrating their 25th year as a guitar manufacturer. We’re giving 25% off on the last stock of 25th Anni PRS guitars, and the sale is going on only while stocks last, and we only have 10 left!
What do you think of the local music industry?
Dubai’s an interesting place. The music scene used to be riddled with a lot of monotony, but nowadays we’re actually starting to see a lot of great bands come around playing so many diverse genres. The live music scene is growing at a huge rate, which is great for our backline and production department, too. It’s always a breath of fresh air to see different bands playing at different places, as opposed to the monotonous house/cover band formula Dubai used to cling on to. Our friends at Metal Asylum and Rock Nation are doing an awesome job at promoting more and more shows, and the crowd for live music just keeps growing.
If you were in a position to change anything about the music industry here as it is, what would that be and how would you change it?
Honestly, the only thing it’s lacking right now is a little bit of leniency when it comes to playing shows. The bureaucracy at the moment is just too tedious, and it’s slowed down many a potentially good gig. So yeah, less bureaucracy, more bands, and more diverse styles wouldn’t hurt either. We’ve pretty much got one of the best metal scenes in the region, now let’s work on growing our blues, jazz, and rock ‘n’ roll scenes! I’m confident that Dubai can become a hub for live music in the region in no time.
Tell us a little about yourself and your background in music.
Well, I’m Mohammed and I do marketing and PR for Musician’s Warehouse Dubai. I’ve been in the country for about 5 years and I’m originally Saudi. I’ve been playing the electric guitar for roughly 8-9 years, and I play mostly heavy blues and hard rock. I’m a nut for guitar gear, and I’m just obsessed with music equipment, so it just makes sense to work in what, to me, is a grown man’s candy store.
Do you have any favourite local bands at the moment?
I always liked Sun King, and I’m real bummed out that they’ve been out of the scene for the last year or two. Damn, could they put on a show better than anyone. Out of the guys jamming now, I really like I.E.D., I think they’ve got one of the rawest sounds and definitely have tenfold the energy anyone else has on a Dubai stage.
Do you, or any other member of Musician’s Warehouse own a teddy bear?
I own a teddy bear that was a birth gift, yes you read right birth-gift, not birthday gift. I don’t know about the guys, they just gave me weird looks when I asked, like “Dude? Seriously?” Mine’s back in Saudi now, so a picture can’t really work right now. Sorry!
So there you have it! Check out all the deals and yummy instruments on the Musicians Warehouse website at http://musicianswarehousedubai.com
Radio Metality UAE