The Knowhere Guide

Making Music in Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh*

Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh Guitars and Instruments, Recording Studios, Rehearsal Rooms, PA Hire

Musical Instrument Shops and DJ Gear

• Tornada! A Great woodwind shop in the centre of town.
• Just to update old info. Soundcontrol is now in the Grass Market.
• Guitar Guitar on corstorphine road, best guitar shop in town
• powells, shop street, galway
• www.backtracksmusic.co.uk at 17, Brougham Street Tollcross, Edinburgh 0131-228-4898 or 07889-363686
• Sound Control definately gets the award for the rudest staff, Scales Music about the best staff.
• Sound Control is good in St Mary's Street. Always get a good deal.
• www.backtrsacksmusic.co.uk
• sound control
• Theres a Sound Control on st mary's street. (just off the royal mile)
• Live Music in Tollcross is good with sound guys who give decent advice. Good technician for guitar set-up too. Otherwise Sound Control is very good to on St Mary's St and have a great technician who works sort of free-lance with them called Joe. Does a great job of de-fretting a bass!
• scayles on clerk st is pretty good for guitars and drums, all kinds of stuff, and often has sales. anyone want to buy a metallic blue accordion?
• Theres Mrev Taylors and Stringers wheich ive kind of forgotten where they are. But Scayles on Clerk Street is so relaxed and fun . And also Rea MacIntosh has a wide selection, West End.
• the only one i really know of is soundcontrol which is near the botto of the royal mile(the little road which takes you to the holyrood tavern)or there is scayles which is on Clerk street
• not that great a selection, although drum central down south clerk street has a load of cool percussion knick knacks round the back, plus the friendly staff there know their stuff and have a sense of humour
• ricks at the foot of leith walk
• -Varcity Music on clerk st
• Hmmmm, I would probably say Gordons if that still exists, just off Melville Street (by St. Mary's Cathedral) from what I remember. But to be honest, Edinburgh isn't that hot on musical instrument shops. Sure it's got a Sound control in St. Mary's Street for all of you guitarists out there, but for the aspiring recorder player looking for a good quality ebony Von Heune I'm afraid you'll have to go to the Early Music Shop in Bradford for that.
• Rennie Macintosh,West End (end of Princes Street). Supplies music for almost all instruments
• Avalanche Lady Lawson Street - has great potential, but the staff win the grumpiest bastards in Edinburgh Award. It's not kool, it's a pain in the arse.
• Scayles, East Cross Causeway: Masses of new and 2nd hand equipment. Guitars, basses, keyboards, brass, strings, woodwind the lot. Also does small PA I think.
• Bandparts again. Strings and things dead cheap.

Recording Studios, Rehearsal Rooms, PA Hire

• Windmill Sound Recording Studio is just outside town in Newtongrange, very personal staff, and cheap rates - daniel@windmillsound.com
• Please update Windmill Sound just outside town in Newtongrange, very personal staff, and cheap rates - daniel@windmillsound.fsnet.co.uk to Windmill Sound just outside town in Newtongrange, very personal staff, and cheap rates - www.windmillsound.com or email info@windmillsound.com
• Verden Studios. www.verdenstudios.co.uk A great facility in Portobello, top quality equipment, plenty of space, friendly staff, now offering half price off peak (£5 an hour daytime mon-fri) so cheap it's worth making the time. Clean and comfortable, an excellent experience for recording or rehearsing.
• The Lighthouse in Granton have the biggest rooms and the best gear selection. Lots of parking too.
• Amazing Full 1970's Orange PA Hire at www.kipstar.co.uk based in Edinburgh
• Brever Studios Edinburgh for affordable CD Mastering, Mobile Digital Recording and Multimedia Services. Visit the website: www.breverstudios.com
• Windmill Sound just outside town in Newtongrange, very personal staff, and cheap rates - daniel@windmillsound.fsnet.co.uk
• Wandering Fish Rehearsal Rooms, 1 Jane Street, Edinbuegh (above Rikki's Music Store on Leith Walk) Great room,very garage feel, storage facilities so you can use your own gear. Really cheap and good atmosphere!Check it out wanderingfishuk@yahoo.co.uk or call Jonny on 07720 708 256
• My band and my last band practise at Groove Tunnel in Loanhead which is like Banana Row but more friendly and with a car park. Used to practise at Colorsound but it's nae use. In the Litehouse you can hear the other bands practising which kind of puts you off. Chanber is good for recording but did our last EP at Groove Tunnel in the new studio with the various rooms off the drum room. Excellent, quick and cheap. The Big Byte is great too but much more expensive.
• Check out bananna row! Down a wee road opposite Broughton rd. [near tesco] They moved a few years ago and its quite swanky. Forget coloursound. -pish.
• i now some good places like banana row (on eire place),colour sound (next door to what was fat sams),theres a place out at inglesten & a place in lieth called lighthouse studios. my band tend to use banana row or colour sound but itz up to you

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Last updated: 2007-07-19