Rockshop Nelson is a musical instrument store at 117 Bridge St, The Brook, Nelson, with a Google rating of 4.4.
A good musical instrument store lets you pick an instrument up and play it, since feel and sound matter as much as a specification. Tell staff about your level, your budget and the kind of music you play, and ask them to demonstrate a few options at different prices. For a beginner, a well-set-up mid-range instrument is often a better choice than the cheapest one, since poor setup makes learning harder. Ask about strings, stands, tuners, cables, cases and amplifiers, which are often needed on day one, and about servicing and repairs. Regulars ask about trade-ins, secondhand instruments and warranties, and they bring their own guitar or sticks to compare.
For musicians in Nelson and around the Tasman region, Rockshop Nelson on Bridge Street is a local place to try and buy instruments and gear.