As much as I love “Mary Spender Guitarist” - I wanted more of Mary Spender BBC2 “Town and Country” presenter! Giving Julia Bradbury a run for her money with that intro! #countryfileiscalling
I love you mary spender! I wish there had been someone like you around in the Bronx in 1972 when I was 12 and hungered for an electric guitar an amp and lessons. I hope you do a video about presenting the guitars to the lucky recipients. I want to see the happy faces when they unbox them. You will change their lives forever. God bless you 😊❤🙏
Hello Mary, to say I love your channel. Simply excellent. The Music Room is my nearest guitar shop. I love Hamlet, he’s so helpful and polite. I do shop at Mansons of Exeter too and have received a good service from them with Dave being my point of contact. In the 1960s and 70s I used to go to Suttons a music store based in Blue Boar Row Salisbury. From memory Pete Coombs was the manager there. My daughter is a folk singer/writer/guitarist and has supported a couple of big names on the folk scene. Her go to guitar is her Taylor GS Mini. A big sound from such a small guitar! With all good wishes.
Same :) There was also Mitchell Music at the bottom of Queen Street - Just over the junction at New Canal. The number and quality of guitars appears to have improved a lot though. I used to lust after Westones in Stanger's window...
Yes, remember Michell Music too! My first guitar was a second hand Westone Thunder 2A, which I traded in for a Fender Japan 57 reissue strat. Wish I could have also kept hold of the Westone too though🙂👍
Such a thoughtful set of gifts Mary😊. gifts given from within, that have a history behind the reasons for giving them, are the most beautiful to receive and the most rewarding to give.🌹 thank you for sharing your reasons and the process. Beautiful to see you paying it forward!!
Foster homes or foster kid therapy programs are great resources if anyone else is looking to give a similar holiday gift! I’ve been able to reach out to my local foster kid therapy center for the past 3 years and they are able to let me know which kids were learning on borrowed instruments and what kids had interest in acoustic guitar, electric, or ukulele. I let my local music shop know what I needed and my budget and they cut me some amazing deals - doing nice setups on the instruments, throwing in beginner books, and extra strings. Just let your local shop know early so they can order some extras so you don’t end up short in the holiday crush! Especially this year!
No way did you go to music room in Salisbury, that's where I go and live and bought my guitars from! Crazy seeing Salisbury in an online video like it's not real life haha
One day I hope to be able to do things like this for my local community. I just have to make it as a musician first! This is a really awesome thing for you to do, Mary, and is just one more reason for me to love you.
Amazing. Can’t wait for the next guitar pro to announce they got given a guitar by Mary Spender back in 2020. It’s even made me happy watching it and inspired to do the same.
I always enjoy taking my friends xmas or birthday shopping for their kids that finally want a guitar. It brings me so much joy that when their kid opens that 1st guitar that it's always something great. I do the set ups for them too, so they don't have to necessarily buy a thousand dollar guitar for it to play great. Christmas comming up and im always excited to hear the stories of how excited the kids get when they first see their new guitar! Take care everyone, happy holidays.
Great video Mary. Your channel is one of my favorites 🤓. Those Squier Vintage Modified Thinline Teles w/ WR humbucker pickups are amazing instruments at a great value. You can totally gig with one and get the same satisfaction as playing it’s more expensive Fender counterparts.
The donation thing is so cool we had an old guy when I was a kid that owned a music store if he thought you were good enough what ever instrument you played your first upgrade he would give it to you at cost and that was awesome for us
I heard that Line 6 spider comment :) Love mine! had it over 2 years and frankly I haven't wanted another. Thank you for the walk through your home town. It is beautiful.
To anyone here in the UK enduring second lockdown and to anyone quarantining/isolating, I hope you're all doing well and are staying safe. We will get through this
You are lucky that your home town guitar store is still there. Practically all of the places I have bought guitars and stuff from have disappeared over time. My current nearest guitar store is Andertons, long may they run.
You truly are a class act Ms. spender. I was in a bad accident back in April snd had to have my femur repaired with screws and a titanium rod from knee to hip. My wife was carrying baby girl #2 and with me not being able to work I had to sell off my guitars to make ends meet,but my family comes first. It’s a good thing you did. It makes me feel good to know that there is still good people left in the world. I miss not having guitars to play for my daughters,hopefully I’ll be able to get another acoustic soon. I’d not mind a seagull S6 show up at my door lol. Btw,I love your music,I’ve been a fan for quite sometime.
Love it Mary. That was a really nice thing to do, you are going to make some people very happy with those. And I’m glad it made you feel good doing it, there is enough misery in the world at the moment, it is good to do something that puts a smile on your face 👍👍👍👍👍
Great to see Hamlet representing the last of the Percy Priors guitar department. Fond memories of working at Percy Priors Salisbury all those years ago. Glad to see you are doing so well Mary x
Mary, thank you very much for your videos, and this one as well, very inspiring, have been learning to play the guitar since the summer and keep on discovering the whole new world for me!
I remember from my trip to Salisbury for visiting the Stonehenge that the city impressed me a lot. very charming place. And one of the pubs we visited also claimed to have the worlds coldest beer. I can't guarantee the legitimacy of their claim, but it was cold enough for me. The cathedral is stunning and worth a visit for anyone after we are finished with this plague.
You are not just a pretty face but also a beautiful person! I hope you find all the joy ,happiness and success you can handle in your life. A devoted fan!
“The shop was originally called Percy Priors” ........ interesting fact - the original Percy Prior music shop was in High Wycombe, it was run by Percy and his brother. I bought my first electric guitar there - a Futurama Sophomore, in 1966! Later, Percy sold off his business but the new owners kept the name and obviously opened up another branch in Salisbury.....
First, I like your motivation for the visit. Second, however, I bought a Squier strat that matches your first choice, including the Maple neck, in 1986!! I replaced the original bridge pickup with a diMarzio, but my Squier is otherwise a twin of your choice. 34 years later, it still sounds good and looks good, and is part of my regular guitar rotation (I have several).
Looks just like The Edge's Strat from U2's early years, only with a bridge humbucker. And I still think black-and-maple guitars and basses look pretty cool :-)
Super cool 👏👏 it's been a while since I didn't watch your channel, but it's always so great 👍👍 Also voted for you on Music Radar (after hesitating for TPS). Your sharing on goals and expectations on guitar activity was very inspiring, it help me get rid of frustration on my own playing , and move on to find much more satisfaction and progress, so thank you very much
Great video Mary. I bought a Classic Vibe Telecaster in that very shop. Used to always pop in there on visits to Salisbury. Sadly, now my in-laws have passed on, I don’t get down there so often.
I've walked past that shop so many time on my way to and from the Culver Street car park, I really must stop and pop in for a look round when normality returns. Bought my first guitar from the Freemans mail-order catalogue 40+ years ago.
Giving other something to make yourself feel good is NOT selfish at all, just being great person. What a world this would be if everone gave something just to be "selfish".
Hadn't seen anything of Salisbury since 1997, as I was stationed in Netheravon and Warminster. Good to know that the shop where I bought my strings is still there.
I can't believe I have waited so long to really check out Mary Spender. Such high quality videos, such charm, such great advice. Well, better late than never. I'm here now!
Hi Mary have watched some of your videos, like them a lot, nice to see Salisbury cathedral it's been a long time since I've seen it, used to live north in a village called Minety, if you can visit Malmesbury it has a cathedral not as good as Salisburys but that's because it's taller spire was built on weaker foundations and took a third of the building down when it collapsed a very long time ago, keep up with the good work you do.
Salisbury Cathedral! The Magna Carta! Such a beautiful area. You can feel the land relax in that part if England imo :) Last time I visited, which was a while ago, the Cathedral was covered in scaffolding. Still a beautiful site though
We have the same perspective here with Cologne Cathedral, you can see it from miles away, it feels so good! ❤️ Thank you for being so kind and generous! "Happy Lockdown!" was so English, wonderful!
Good on ya for supporting young and promising musicians, Mary :-) And coincidentally, I was watching a Uriah Heep documentary a few days ago in which it was mentioned they had an album called 'Salisbury' :-))
I used to work there in the early 90s when it was called Stangers. Great times! I now teach in your old school Mary and your name can still be seen on the honours board as you go into the Undercroft. When times allow and you are back in Salisbury, you would be most welcome to visit - I’m sure the current pupils would be fascinated to hear about your journey.
Miss Spender Thank you for your generous gift. We need more music more art . so please keep this up.your deed is not selfish to share you self with others . it is human.
Loved the video. Always great when you see someone you already admire step it up a level and make you admire them more. Is there a music program for financially strapped kids there? I'd love to donate through you to give those kids a great Christmas. I don't know if you've see the Jared Dines video of what he did for kids, but if something like that was done through you there it would be very cool. The more guitars we can get into the hands of kids the better!
A very kind & honourable shopping trip, especially as done the day before lockdown started again. Some lucky people are going to be inspired with some very decent guitars to learn on. My first guitar in 1986 was an Encore Coaster strat copy for £89 and it was truly awful to play! At least I stuck at it & finally treated myself to a PRS wood library ltd custom 2408 2 years ago, two ends of a 30+ year old long road there!😊
Welcome home.......bought my first bass from Stangers Music/Percy Priors/ Music Room or whichever they were at the time. Way before you met Little Ben there and your story started with the shop...
I had a Line6 spider 2 in the early 2000s! Used it for bar gigs in a 60s rock trio. A lot of people knock it, but I used mine for several years with no problems.
i buy for kids also. frum Milano's music in mesa az. i sent for gift certificat for a native beginer, an had some sent to reservation thru tht guitar center store. a dozen so far since started gifting.
I've had my Tanglewood TW73VS parlour guitar for six years now. Would never give it up. My only 12 fret solid cedar top guitar. It has a wonderfully warm, and tight projected tone.
It is very easy for me to relate to your choice of guitars for musicians that were just beginning and would hopefully still be playing those models when they ascended to an intermediate or advanced skill level. That was the mindset of the musical instrument retailer who sold me my first electric guitar back in August 1995. I'm sure it is still his mindset today in November 2020.
