Pandemic Has Caused An Instrument Shortage

The pandemic has kept people at home, and many have chosen to learn to play an instrument but some instruments are becoming harder to find.

I have played guitar for a lifetime and it most definitely brings me a lot of joy. Unfortunately for me, I have been so busy during the pandemic that I have not played as much as I used to since the pandemic put the kibosh on the band that I am in.

While others have had a lot of free time and always wanting to learn to play an instrument, a pandemic couldn't have been a better time to pick one up.

According to WOOD, most music stores in West Michigan have found that with the increase of instrument purchases it has been hard to keep instruments and equipment on the racks and shelves of their stores.

In many cases when it comes to name brand guitars like Gibson, Fender, Paul Reed Smith, Martin, Taylor and others, you may have to order the guitar, instrument or other piece of equipment you may be looking for.

I know a lot of local bands have put together their own digital workstations in order to record their music since they are not gigging and home recording gives an outlet for their creativity plus will save them money in long run on not having to buy studio time.

Another problem with some music equipment and recording software is, it is made overseas and the pandemic has caused many companies to slow around the globe for one reason or another making a lot of gear hard to come by and once it does come in, it is gone just as quick.

The real good news is, more people are now turning to music and it is really a great way to deal with stress. Learning chords, songs or solos can take your mind away from some of the things going on in today's world and give you an escape right from your house or apartment. With more people turning to music, that means in time there will be more musicians that will be available to form bands down the road, and that's a good thing.

Most every instrument is affected by the pandemic with some drums and acoustic guitars that are backordered for a year. That kind of sucks when now you have the time to learn but have to wait for your gear to arrive.

Not only has sales gone up for music stores, but the repair business has went up to in trying to keep older gear in working order.

If you are looking to get started on learning an instrument or upgrading what you already own, it never hurts to hit the pawn shops, Craigslist, eBay, Reverb.com and of course your area music store.