Vintage Strings Competitors

We exist so music can persist. Our family of brands has put more instruments into the hands of more people than anyone on the planet. Meet the family or, as we call them, The Guitar Center Company. Guitar Center. But there's more to us than guitars and basses. We carry all kinds of musical instruments, plus essentials like amplifiers, recording equipment, lighting, live sound, DJ gear, with services like lessons, rentals and repairs. How do we do it all? With the most talented group of music-loving Associates in the world. Guitar Center Professional is a network of account managers and engineers with direct access to the world’s best manufacturers. From personal studios to concert venues, we design and install custom audiovisual systems that exceed your expectations. Audio Visual Design Group (AVDG) meticulously designs, engineers, and installs next-gen audio, video, and lighting systems for homes and businesses around the globe. Their world-class technical staff brings the most incredible personal musical experience to everyone on the planet. Music & Arts believes deeply in the transformative power of music. Their collaboration with students, parents, and teachers includes providing lessons, rentals, repairs, plus all levels of band and orchestra sales and service. ------------- Please Be Advised - Recruitment Scams: we will only reach out to interview, make an offer of employment or conduct onboarding activities for candidates who have applied through our careers site. If you find a job posting on a third-party job site, such as LinkedIn, please know that a legitimate posting will direct you to our careers site to apply. When interviewing for a position, the candidate experience will include live interaction, such as a video conference or phone call, with a Recruiter and/or company employee(s). Be aware of suspicious recruitment activity. If you think you are a victim of an employment scam, please visit the Federal Trade Commission.

Jack Long was a professional trumpet player who, in 1956, thought that maybe he could sell instruments to some of his friends in the musical community. He set up a small store on Carleton Street in Toronto on the second floor of an old house and became a dealer for King Band Instruments. The floor was divided up into music studios so Jack was also able to teach trumpet lessons on the side. About 6 months later, Jack rented out a room to a local drummer named Jack McQuade which he used for drum lessons. In 1957, the Jacks decided to open up a small retail store on Yonge Street and named it Long & McQuade Musical Instruments. Many existing customer service policies sprang from these early days. The rental program began when the partners decided to start charging their friends for all the instruments they were “borrowing”. The financing program began when a customer asked if he could purchase a drum set but not pay for it all at once. Jack & Jack continued as partners until 1965 when Jack McQuade decided to pursue drumming full time and sold his portion of the company to Jack Long. Long & McQuade began expanding in 1968 and hasn’t stopped since. Currently there are over 70 Long & McQuade stores across Canada as well as an online store that opened in 2008. The company employs over 1,300 musicians and contracts around 1,000 music teachers across Canada. To this day, the entire company is still 100% owned by the Long family.

Gear4music is one of Europe’s leading online retailers of musical instruments and music equipment. Founded in the UK, we’ve grown from a specialist startup into an international, multi-brand business serving millions of customers globally. We offer a wide range of instruments, studio equipment, live sound gear, lighting, and software for musicians of all levels — from beginners and hobbyists to advanced and professional musicians. Alongside products from world-leading third-party names, we also design and develop our own exclusive Gear4music brands, offering high-quality instruments and equipment at exceptional value. Our steady growth means we now operate dedicated localised websites across multiple European markets, supported by distribution centres in the UK, Sweden, Germany, Ireland and Spain. This international infrastructure allows us to deliver quickly and reliably while continuing to scale sustainably. Innovation is central to the way we work. As a digital-first business, we invest heavily in technology, data, and customer experience, from intuitive e-commerce platforms to advanced logistics and in-house product development. Our teams work together to continually improve how musicians discover, purchase, and receive their gear. We’re also committed to responsible growth. Through sustainable initiatives, our second-hand and trade-in platforms, and ongoing work to reduce our environmental impact, we aim to support the future of music as well as the planet. Above all, though, our business is powered by people who are passionate about music. Our diverse teams across Europe bring creativity and expertise to everything we do, united by a shared mission: to make music accessible to everyone.