The standup piano display at Pinnacle Music Studios. Photo by John Bronn, QNetNews
By John Bronn [1]
BELLEVILLE – Pinnacle Music Studios [2] has expanded its store in downtown Belleville thanks to another shop moving elsewhere.
“I feel downtown is the heart of the city. It has such a unique feeling to it, unlike when you set up in a mall,” said Janet Harnden, co-owner of the studio.
After 20 years of business at their current location on Front Street, Ken and Janet Harnden have expanded their already large music studio. “We found the business was growing, so when the place next door left, we just took over. We grew into it,” Janet Harnden said.
The expansion means the store now features new lines of guitars, pianos, drums and more. “We decided to consolidate the guitars to one area where we have an acoustic room,” she said.
The acoustic room has Seagull and Art & Lutheries guitars on one wall, and spread over the other walls is a selection of Breedloves, Yamahas and Washburns. Photo by John Bronn, QNetNews
Outside the acoustic room, the walls are lined with electric guitars and amplifiers, including Yamahas [3], Warwicks [4], Schecters [5], Paul Reed Smiths [6], Music Mans [7]and Godins [8].
The most recent brand of guitars added to the studio is Godin, a Canadian handmade line.
The new drum room at Pinnacle Music. Photo by John Bronn, QNetNews
Harnden says Pinnacle has “both electric and acoustic drums set up and ready to play, as well as sets stacked and ready to walk out the door. We even have gongs used in Toronto’s The Lion King [9]. There’s some really unique stuff.”
On the wall of the studio hangs a gong that was used in the Toronto stage production of The Lion King production. Photo by John Bronn, QNetNews
The room is a place for percussionists to play without interrupting other customers.
The main floor has eight grand pianos, seven standup pianos and a whole line of digital and electronic keyboards, all made by Yamaha [10].
“We are the only authorized Yamaha piano dealer in southeastern Ontario,” Janet Harnden said.
Yamaha grand piano display. Photo by John Bronn, QNetNews
Pinnacle is more than an instrument dealer. Harnden says it’s “the largest qualified music school in the area and has over a dozen professional teachers with 500 students ranging from ages four to 80.
“We have some of the highest grades in the province.” Many of their students continue on to do music majors in college or university.
In addition to the professional lessons and the store itself, Pinnacle also has a full recording studio on the main floor.
Anyone interested in lessons can look into them here [11].