Musicians 101: Where to Find Musical Instruments in the Metro

 

When in Manila, dreaming of becoming a musician someday? Or planning to serenade a special girl? Why not? Go ahead and give it a try. But first: prepare the things you will need to reach that goal. As a musician, I have always my trusted buddy, my guitar. Without it, I can’t play and I can’t share my music with others. Musical instruments are a musician’s best friend. With it, we inspire others and share our passion for music. It also represents who we are as a person and what we do. It is an essential part for every beginner or pro to have your own instrument because that is the start of your journey to your dreams.

Don’t have a musical instrument or don’t know where to buy one? Well, here at When in Manila, we’ll share some stores with you that you can check out for the guitar, violin, drum or any instrument you’ve always wanted:

 

1. RJ Guitar

RJ Guitar started as a small guitar repair shop. Founded by Ramon “RJ” Jacinto in the 1980’s, RJ Guitar Center is now one of the top guitar stores in the Metro with 14 branches scattered all over the Philippines. Selling mostly guitars and other stringed instruments, they also offer drums, percussions, keyboards, and guitar equipment.

From basic manufactured guitars for the beginners to classical and professional guitars, you can choose from a wide variety of colors and designs that will suit your style. They offer low prices and you can even get your choices at a discounted price in some of their branches. Acoustic guitar prices start from as low as P899 to P16, 990. Electric guitars are also up for grabs in all branches, price ranging from P1, 499 to P19, 990. 

The other day I went to their branch at SM City North EDSA. Other than their good quality guitars, they were also offering a whole band set-up package from the instruments to the speakers. And also I came across to their Taylor guitar line, high-quality guitars with a reasonable price. I tested the cheapest guitar in that line, which is the “Taylor Baby Acoustic Guitar”. (And I can say that it was the best guitar I have ever tried. :))

For newbies and aspiring professional musicians, RJ Guitar Center also offers music lessons via RJ Academy of Music. They teach from guitar, keyboard, voice or drums. Please visit your nearest RJ Guitar Center for more info.

Speaking of music schools, here is a school that teaches you to mix tracks, match beats, and make music magic: https://www.wheninmanila.com/beat-project-manila-professional-djs-school-us-on-mixing-tracks-matching-beats-and-making-magic/

 

2. JB Music 

JB Music sells quality musical instruments and equipment at a reasonable price. With 19 branches across the Philippine archipelago (mostly located in malls) and with a friendly staff, no wonder they’re one of the top competitors when it comes to this business and having numerous distributers selling a number of brands. 

They offer a wide range of musical items, such as guitars (acoustic, electrical, and bass), drums, band equipment & instruments, audio equipment, guitar effects, amps, recorders, and many more; with that many items to offer, they just might have the instrument you’ve always dreamt of playing. 

If your musical items are broken or defective in a short span of time, not to worry because JB Music also gives repairs to the brands they carry. Just bring it to a JB Music branch near you and they’ll bring it to their service center.

 

3. Perfect Pitch

 

No questions asked about how good the sound quality of their instruments is. No doubt, they offer some of the best in the market. They offer good quality service and state-of-the-art musical equipment. Some might find it a little pricey compared to the other stores, but I can understand because its quality is amazing and I guarantee their products will last for a long time. 

They sell mostly guitars and band equipment, but they also have keyboards, guitar accessories, and more. A 12-stringed guitar on sale also caught my attention. Perfect for acoustic sessions with friends and simple strummed songs because of its melodious tone as I tested the guitar out (I already wanted to buy it at that time. haha).

 

There are about 8 branches out there; most of them are in SM malls nationwide. But the branch I went to was at the Lower Ground Level of SM North City EDSA. There are also branches in SM Megamall, SM Cebu, SM Ilo-Ilo, SM Cagayan De Oro, SM Davao, etc.

 

4. Lazer Music

In their SM North City EDSA branch, they offer many percussion and band instruments such as guitars, drum sets, amplifiers, speakers, etc. and other instruments like ukeleles, violins, saxophone, clarinet, pipe chimes. Their instruments are affordable and in good shape. There are also high quality and expensive ones, but you can opt to pay for some of them on a 12-month instalment basis.

 

Lazer Music can be found in many malls as they have about 21 branches nationwide.

 

5. Sound Essentials

“Big things come in small packages”, as they say. Sound Essentials is a small chain of small music stores but with big passion in providing service to their customers. They provide many international branded items of good quality. And offer musical items that are hard to find and not available in leading music stores. What I love the most about this store are the hard working people behind it who put such passion in what they do.

Sound Essentials sell mostly ukuleles (P2, 500 – P20, 000) and guitar accessories. As I was browsing they’re accessories, I was surprised to see that they even sell pencils, pins, watches, lighters, key chains, etc. designed for musicians and music lovers. They also offer music materials such as booklets, DVD’s, musical scores, instructional materials.  

All stores featured in this article can be found at SM North EDSA among many other branches. Please do visit them and support the music industry when in Manila.

 

 

Musicians 101: Where to Find Musical Instruments in the Metro