There are several branches of El Shams around Cairo. Available in Abbassia, Nasr City and Downtown, it can now also be found in New Maadi on Lasilky Street. Though technically on this road, the entrance to the shop is at the back of the building, where one flight of stairs will lead you to its door.
El Shams has long been known to stock either locally made instruments or ones assembled in China in factories specialised to them. They even have their own brand called ‘Ash’ – short for El Shams (pronounced a-shams in correct Arabic) – and instruments that carry their logo include acoustic guitars, bass guitars, ouds as well as other string instruments.
Walking into the shop we were surprised to find it so neat and orderly. Set in a wide space, the merchandise is organised and tidy despite their quantity – unlike most other music shops, where items are stocked on top of each other and are difficult to browse through. El Shams is different in that it’s easy to spot where each type of instrument has been allocated.
Initially facing you are all the string instruments, such as guitars, mandolins, cellos and ouds; woodwind instruments are found next, and then percussion – to the left of all these lies a German grand piano in a beautiful wood finish. Last but not least, their collection of electric guitars is hung up, filling up all the walls.
This branch of El Shams, unlike the others, offers other brands of electric guitars apart from Ash. Available are Mexican Fenders (5000LE), Squire Fenders (2000LE), Gibson models and specialised ESPs such as the Sambora. While we appreciated the variety considering the continued stigma around locally made goods. A red bass guitar by their line (1600LE) caught our attention and considering its price, it sounded pretty decent. We also came across a few Humbucker microphones, which tend to make your voice clear and precise.
There was only one brand of drum sets available, which was either Chinese or Vietnamese, and the quality was below average. Costing 2700LE, the extra pieces and stands you’d need to go with it would end up costing 3400LE. We’d only recommend this set to beginners who have the cash and would rather start with a brand new set as opposed to a used one – El Shams does not supply used items whatsoever. A Premier seven piece drum set used to go for 4400LE but shot up to 8800LE in less than two years due to the current economic climate. There is also a drum kit for children, priced at 1200LE.
A few organs are also available by brands such as Roland and Korgm while a large shelf carries eastern rhythm instruments and Latin percussion pieces, as well as drum and guitar accessories. We discovered that it is possible to order any item, accessories or musical pieces through El Shams as well – which means there is never anything unavailable to your needs. This is another aspect we especially liked about this branch.
If you’re looking for any musical instrument in Cairo, we strongly suggest heading to New Maadi to check out El Shams; carrying everything from tablas and violins to xylophones and ukuleles, it’s difficult not to leave feeling satisfied.
Arts & Culture
Arts & Culture
