Whether you’re looking to buy a premium digital keyboard such as Yamaha or Kawai, or are searching for a budget-friendly starter option, or anything in between (with a range of second-hand options too), the cornucopian website Gear4music has all that you need. Warwick Thompson dives in.
Have you ever seen the BBC Sherlock episode ‘His Last Vow’? If you haven’t, do. Because the clever story will, if you’re anything like me, make you think with even greater awe than you do already of the amazingly diverse instrument retail site Gear4music. The plot concerns a character called Magnussen who has gathered acres of compromising information. Sherlock believes the information is contained in a vaulted archive, and tries to gain access. He’s wrong, however. There is an archive, yes: but it’s all contained in Magnussen’s head, in what he calls his ‘mind palace.’
A mind palace! Don’t you love it? The idea of masses and masses and masses of incredible information being held – tempting and inviting – in one vital spot, ready to be plucked, or a trail followed, whenever it’s needed.
And now you see the point of my simile. Gear4music is truly a mind-palace for musicians. Maybe you want to get a cheerful starter piano for your child? Or you’d like to buy a portable keyboard to take on stage? A synthesizer to create new sound-worlds? It’s all here.
Do you need a new piano stool, headphones, keyboard stand, electronic pedals? Maybe you’d like to start podcasting? Record performances of your friends? I haven’t even scratched the surface of what’s on offer.
Is your budget limited to second-hand deals, or are you in the mood for a trade-in?
Welcome to Gear4music. It’s all here in one place – or should I say, in one online palace?
20 plus years of experience
Gear4music was founded in the UK in 2003, and now has around a million and half active customers. You can find pretty much anything to do with music or audio on the site, with a number of in-house brands to cater for different budgets such as Gear4music & G4M. And no need to worry about long waiting times: in every territory in which the site operates (England, Germany, Spain, Sweden and Ireland), the number of distribution centres is increasing all the time.
However, a retailer will not thrive, or even just survive, on having a great range and good logistics. It’s about the after-care as well, and this is why Gear4music has an ‘Excellent’ rating, weighted from over 130,000 reviews, on Trustpilot.
Client Alan Ryall, for example, had problems with an item made by Bose, which the manufacturers annoyingly failed to deal with. ‘So Gear4music gave me a brand-new upgraded item at no cost to me. Thanks guys.’
A user called Dundee wrote: ‘I’ve ordered many times from Gear4music and have never been let down.’ There are thousands more reviews of a similar nature for you to check out too, if you want to see how highly the company is regarded.
The sounds of Sonori
Gear4music offers well over 65,000 items of all sorts – from instruments, to recording equipment, to audio and lighting for professional stage use. The range of manufacturers is enormous, and the company is hugely proud of its own products as well as the slightly higher price-point G4M range of instruments with their more premium features. The Sonori is one of them, and it’s an excellent premium collection of digital pianos.
Sonori pianos are available in three sizes – a low-top upright (slightly smaller than a classic upright), a high-top upright (standard size), and classic baby-grand size (pictured, main image). The first comes in a very attractive satin black finish, and the others are in polished ebony.
The feel of all of them is designed to be as natural as can be, and as close as possible to an acoustic stringed instrument. The keyboard of each is fully weighted (many comparably-priced keyboards offer only semi-weighted keys, which can feel rather limiting) and designed around a carefully engineered spring mechanism. The key sensitivity is even adjustable, so that you can find the touch which suits you best. The pedals are reassuringly realistic, as well.
Each instrument in the Sonori range also has a user-friendly touchscreen, so that you can switch between keyboard sounds, alter key weighting, or adjust volume with instant ease.
Another new and extremely enticing range of pianos offered byGear4music, is called Keynote. Here there is an appealing emphasis on the aesthetic impact, and each of the instruments has a sleek stripped-back look, reminiscent of mid-century Scandinavian design. Starting from the very wallet-friendly Keynote Junior with just five octaves, aimed at young beginners, to the striking full-size Keynote Contemporary in Light Oak, the whole range is powered by the advanced ‘Dream’ sound system. This system, which is also used by the Sonori range, offers 40 distinct voices, from piano to organ to open strings – available at the touch of a keypad.
Keynote Junior
Something else positive that’s worth noting: you can often make a ‘custom bundle’ when purchasing most keyboards, by adding an adjustable stool and/or headphones to the package. Buying them together creates a discount.
Keynote Contemporary in Light Oak
And it’s not just the newest instruments or the latest technological advances which are on offer. If you’re looking to sell your existing instrument, Gear4music has a scheme through which they will consider buying for either cash or credit. They then stock a huge number of second-hand products, which are all carefully graded for wear and tear. Naturally, each item is carefully inspected, and comes with a reassuring 12-month warranty as standard. The listings show photos of the exact product you’ll receive, with full details of its condition: the admonition ‘buyer beware’ should really be replaced with ‘buyer, have fun’ when you’re scrolling here. You can find details at gear4music.com/secondhand.
Are you now tempted to enter the musical mind palace that is Gear4music? Good for you. But be careful: you might never want to leave.
