Cranes Music

Cranes Music Cardiff have helpful sales people & are happy to do a deal. I purchaesd over the internet/​mail order…
Instrument arrived damaged in single layer cardboard packaging. Accesories box did not arrive. Staff confirmed that despatches are not checked.
UK Mail, 4 lines of enquiry produced 4 different answers — customer services best explanation was ‘corrupt agency drivers’
Cranes music after sales service was at best hard work & at times unpleasant. Finally received a refund, tho this was subject to charges.

What a selection! As someone who grew up playing and attempting to play just about every musical instrument in the book, this was a real treat for me. The store is huge and has enough floor space to make sure the collection is impressive.
Let’s start with guitars. As the main thrust of the store, the hundreds of guitars are eye catching and clearly the passion of the owners. Anyone looking to start their music career is going to be in heaven choosing their first weapon here and won’t be stuck with a limited choice.
There are a range of piano’s, electric and acoustic which are all heavily laden with ‘do not play’ signs. I understand that these shops don’t want children smacking their way over the instruments, but I’m not sure if silent instruments sell so well.
It might be best to split up this shop a bit and make several smaller rooms, which allow more freedom to play, otherwise it may put people off who want to genuinely hear the instruments.

This is one of my favourite places in the whole of the city, that’s because I love looking at guitars I could never afford. For the past few guitars I have bought over the past many years Cranes is the place I always come to, that’s because their range and knowledge is fantastic. They have acoustics, electrics as well as other instruments like woodwinds, violins, and even pianos. There’s sheet music, accessories (like strings, capos, and tuning pegs) and their expertise is second to none.
I find the staff to always be really friendly, and even though you have to ask them if you can try some of the guitars out they tend to just agree and leave you to it. I love to have a jam on some stupidly expensive guitars and pretend I might be able to buy them if I like them enough, like in Wayne’s World. Except not as funny or cool.

Cranes always confuses me. I’m never quite sure what to expect. I think this is very much a ‘jack of all trades’ type shop.
I am a musician and I can safely say that this probably isn’t the shop for the specialist. However, for the enthusiast, the student and the improver this is a great place. They have everything. Loads of student orchestral instruments, a wide range of pianos and keyboards, a good range if popular instruments and some more unusual, niche instruments.
They also have a good range of sheet music, but more on the songs from the shows sort of front than the well tempered klavier.
As a general sort of music shop the staff tend to have a general sort of knowledge. They are always friendly and happy to help, but not necessarily as knowledgeable as other more specialist shops. But then, this is a bit more of a general shop so that is fine.
I often pop in for strings, plectrums and a bit of a look, but I’ll tend to head to the specialist shops for more than that.

If you’re visiting Cardiff for the first time and you are interested in any way, shape or form in musical instruments, you are highly likely to see Cranes before you see anywhere else. It has a prime location on St Mary Street at the Castle end and it boasts a large window display. I’ve only ever purchased a recorder and a violin in this store. I haven’t even bought plectrums here (and that is saying something for me, trust). This is the place I come to if I’m investigating a new purchase. For instance, when I was considering buying a Gibson a few years ago, I came here. I told them money was not a problem and that I wanted to see a specific model. They were only too happy to help me out and before I knew it I was test driving said guitar on an Orange amp stack. Did I buy the guitar here though? No! Simply because, although money was not a problem, it was a factor and I was simply not willing to pay the price they wanted for the guitar I desired to buy.
They know their stuff here, they have the best names, but I always feel as though the motivation in this shop is the sale. I know, you might be saying to yourself right now, «surely all shops are motivated by the sale», and I wouldn’t disagree. What makes the difference for me is how important the sale is to the person you are speaking to. I like to be made to feel as though the person selling me the product is not trying to sell it to me; they are trying to help me as they are more passionate about helping someone find what is right for them rather than just boosting profit or than meeting a target. I really don’t like feeling like I am just another number or a timewaster simply because I am asking a lot of questions and not flashing any cash. I always get the feeling that my sale isn’t as important to them as the guy who has just been signed and wants to wave his record company’s credit card around in front of their faces.
If you walk into Cranes and treat it as any other music shop then you are on the road to success, it’s not easy to remain unimpressed by the impressive display of classic named instruments. I know they are the biggest store in the centre of Cardiff, I know they offer the best, I know that the staff are going to be very helpful and that they are quite likely to know much more than me when it comes to the kind of questions I ask. That is why I walked through the door. But if you are overwhelmed by the demure of this shop then you won’t get the service you require. I encourage you to ask a lot of questions and challenge any information you are offered but do not understand. This is the fat cat and they should put the effort in to get you to part with your money as you are most likely to be paying over the odds or not getting what you really want.
I really don’t mean to sound negative towards this store as there are reasons as to why they are still the biggest musical store in Cardiff. I just find my own preference is not to come here with the intention to buy anything unless I already know exactly what I want. And then, if I know exactly what I want then why spend my money here when I could head on up the road and get a better deal for my hard-​earned pounds safe in the knowledge that Cranes will do just fine without my sale.

I walked into Cranes earlier today looking to buy some strings for my acoustic guitar and came out with a ukulele — and absolute steal at £19.99. The range of guitars and musical instruments for that matter is phenomenal and what’s cool is there’s enough room for you to sit down and try out the axe you’ve been dreaming about for the past 3 years but know unless you win the lottery or have a bit of self discipline with your savings you’ll never own it. What I also love about Cranes is the amount of books they have so you can get all the music scores for your favourite bands.
Cranes is not the cheapest place I’ve bought supplies for especially for your essentials as a guitar player such as plectrums and strings but the shop as a whole is impressive in terms of stock and you can certainly spend a lot of time in this store just browsing.

Cranes is a music shop located at the top end of High Street just opposite Cardiff Castle. Whether you’re a beginner looking for you’re first six string or a pro looking to pick up a new FX pedal, there’s a good chance you’ll find what you are looking for at Cranes.
The selection on offer is very impressive, ranging from inexpensive basic items for learners and beginners, right up to the more pricey and specialist items for those who love to play and know exactly what they are looking for.
With a number of music shops in and around the city, the people at Cranes have their work cut out for them as far as competition goes. But with such a varied and extensive selection of instruments, books and accessories, as well as on hands advice from the knowledgeable staff who work there, Cranes is easily one of the best music shops around.

The thing that upsets me about Cranes, is that it has a nice range of guitars, brass, woodwind and all the other instruments in a variety of colours, and then plain, ordinary pianos. I appreciate that there isn’t a great deal of room in there for a large range of grand pianos but I did expected something a bit more exciting that a boring black Yamaha from a shop that has a rainbow display of trumpets and a pink cello in its window.
Despite this, I do quite like Cranes. It’s a smaller shop, giving it a more intimate feel than some music shops that are the impersonal, showroom, DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING kinds of establishment. Although, you’re still not allowed to play the pianos. Not that I’m in any way bitter about that or anything…
However, its music book section is really disappointing. Catering to so many different instruments means that there isn’t much choice for anyone, beyond ABRSM exam syllabus and beginners books. Not somewhere to go if you’re looking for something new and exciting to play, or even something old and exciting. The staff leave a lot to be desired too. They do their job well enough, but they do make you feel a little bit like you’re not quite good enough to shop there, and any questions you have just prove how unworthy you are.
Still, while Cranes is not the best music shop I’ve ever been to, it’s by no means the worst and most musicians will enjoy taking a look around.
And of course, you never know when you’re going to wake up and realise that all that’s been missing from your life is a purple saxophone.

As an avid musician (guitar mainly) I should love Crane’s. The display of guitars on the wall should ignite my passions and leave me salivating at the Vintage guitar on offer. Instead, I live directly opposite it (I can see it as I type this) but in the last year, I have gone in maybe 2 or 3 times. And one of those was to ask for a cardboard guitar box as I’d sold one on Ebay.
The main reason it leaves me so cold are the prices. To be honest I’ve never really seen a good deal in here. I once bought an amplifier for £450 that was about £700 in Cranes. Same with the guitars. I could understand one or two places being cheaper but there’s an adundance of better deals to be had elsewhere.
I’ve heard from others that the staff can be overly pretentious and a little rude. I’ve never had this and the staff always seem to converse with you and offer their help. I can only comment on the guitar/​amplifier prices in here as I have no idea what the going rate for a decent oboe is.
There is an undeniable sense of history with Cranes as it’s one of the oldest music shops in the UK, dating back to 1851. It was also one of the first importers of Custom Gibson guitars into the UK. That’s all well and good but as a musician myself, I nevertheless find myself venturing less and less into Cranes as time goes by.

For the first timer in the city, you’ll notice there’s a spot of a monopoly going on for music shops in Cardiff. It looks like Gamlin’s and Crane’s have firmly ensconced themselves in the public consciousness as the sole two purveyors of musical equipment available to the populace.
And, given the size and quality of the stores, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Crane’s has a massive selection of instruments that adorn the floors, the walls and sometimes the ceilings. At times it seems like Crane’s is a tiny music shop blown to massive proportions, with all the interesting nooks and crannies that implies. And if you can’t find what you’re looking for in Crane’s, chances are you can hunt it down in Gamlin’s.
I’m not such a fan though. There’s an air of pretension that haunts the staff of this place, unfortunately. I hate to say it, but whilst Crane’s is excellent if they have what you want, they seem to be more in the business of selling music, rather than enjoying music.

Cranes is well known amongst Cardiff’s musicians as the city’s main music shop. They started out way back in 1851 selling and repairing pianos, but have since grown into a fully-​fledged music shop selling instruments and accessories pretty much spanning the musical spectrum, from pianos, guitars, brass and woodwind to percussion and amplification.
It’s crammed with stock but fairly well laid out so you can browse their wide-​ranging stock. To make things easy for customers, they even put together special ‘packages’ which are ideal as starter kits if you’re learning a new instrument. An electronic guitar package, for example, might include the guitar itself, an amplifier, a DVD tuition guide, a digital guitar tuner, a guitar gig bag, a guitar lead, spare strings and plectrums — basically everything you need to get started. The staff are all musical, playing one instrument or another (often several), so can advise on their special areas.
Although Cranes remain one of the top quality guitar dealers in Europe (in fact they were the first UK dealer to import Gibson Custom Shop guitars), they now have some stiff competition in the form of Cardiff Guitars — a fantastic shop down at the Bay with a phenomenal range of new and second hand instruments and amplifiers. They are still managing, however, to hold on to many loyal guitar (and other) customers — including some pretty famous members of Wales’s leading bands.

When I was growing up, I was the kind of teenager that came in here for new violin strings and rosin, rather than to swoon over the electric guitars and boys on the drum kits. But I could have done, had I wanted!
This shop is great for its range. They have just as good a selection of trumpets and french horns, violins, viola and pianos as they do amps. Although the workers often show slightly less enthusiasm while discussing spit valves than they might about plectrums, at least the range is available.
In terms of sheet music, they have everything you’ll need if you’re doing music exams on any instrument, but apart from that they’re a little limited to The Beatles, Eric Clapton and Disney. The usual, then, basically.
Although this music store has a wide range of instruments and accessories available, the store itself is hard to navigate. It’s full to bursting!

I love visiting Cranes, so when Mrs Jones wants to visit the in-​laws in Llandaff I never waste an opportunity to do so. I’ve bought all my gear from them and have done over the past 20 odd years. Great staff, great atmosphere and they always do me a deal. If you’re ever in Cardiff and want to treat yourself, go and see the Cranes boys and girls. Great coffee too!

Guitar shops are a great place for comedy. There are walking cliches lurking in every corner. From ‘I sound checked for (insert random semi-​famous band) staff who are generally disdainful to us mere mortals intruding their valuable time. And then the 15 year old playing Blink Spring 52 badly in front of a gaggling of giggling girls and then finally from the sound room the screaming torturous sound of a man who is playing the fastest his ego will let him.
As for the store itself it is that of a bottle of wine. In the Bottle neck part you have your more civilized instruments such as brass, pianos and other such things that won’t get you the girls. At the back is where it’s at. A huuuuge array of guitars decorate the walls. They cater well for both the poor starter to the rich pro. You also find your amps here, louder the better and all that if your buying one kids.
Jokes aside, Cranes is probably the best instruments shop in Cardiff easily.

Cranes is a city centre musical instrument store and they also have an extensive online store, and you can even find them on ebay as well!
They are very light on drumkits and accessories though but strong on keyboards, guitars, and other strings.
A good selection of sheet music and books but is in my view a good all round store rather than a sepcialist in any specific area. If you’re in a band or a serious drummer I suspect you will be looking eleswhere for your needs, but if you’re a family with kids learning, this is the place to go.

What a fantastic range of guitars from budget models right up to the most expensive Gibsons and all the accessories you could ever want. This store is vast and offers some great deals along with professional advice and friendly service. Always worth a look around even if not after anything in particular as there is so much to see.

Great selection, helpful staff, good prices. Buy, sell and fix instruments. Thumbs up.

Although Cranes Music in Cardiff has a big stock and offers good prices and a mail order service, it is totally let down by the attitude of the staff. Whether actually in the store or on the telephone, they have been patronising and rude in the extreme. Buy your guitars somewhere else where they can bother to speak to you as a fellow musician.