#16
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#17
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Sad moment. I still remember driving Manouk Papazian from his apartment to Rudy's to buy a guitar case for the 1971 Papazian I bought from him (new win 1983). That block conducted so many transactions with famous people we all recognize. Sad to say that condos have overtaken the music industry on 48 th St. NYC is/has been changing. Guess it always was.
hans
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1971 Papazian (swiss spruce/braz RW) 1987 Lowden L32p (sitka/ind RW) 1992 Froggy Bottom F (19th cent. german spruce/koa) 2000 Froggy Bottom H12c (adir/ind RW) 2016 Froggy Bottom K mod (adir/madrose; my son's) 2010 Voyage-Air VAOM-2C http://www.soundclick.com/hanstunes (recorded on Froggy H12c) |
#18
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The Death of NYC's Music Row
In 1968 my Dad took me to Mannys to buy a brand new Strat. What a thrill for a budding new musician. Over the years I've purchased many guitars on that street. It was always fun hopping from one store to the other drooling over the gear. NYC has lost an iconic musician's mecca.
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#19
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This reminds me of a restaurant that was sitting on a chunk of property being developed into a strip mall. When they announced their closing, hoards of people came in bemoaning the end. Most had come in for dinner once or twice a year.
I think the specialty high end guitar shop in affluent areas will survive nicely because most want to play before plunking down six or eight grand, the rest had better become net savvy quick. Too many who want a typical Taylor or Martin buy online, the bemoan the fact their local store closed when they want to buy strings. Can't have it both ways. It's like being a jeweler to the rich. They can be tucked in any building with no street presence. Their clients will come. I think a high end shop could be put anywhere. Look where Gryphon is. Four blocks off the secondary shopping street in Palo Alto. No way could they pay downtown rents.
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2007 Martin D 35 Custom 1970 Guild D 35 1965 Epiphone Texan 2011 Santa Cruz D P/W Pono OP 30 D parlor Pono OP12-30 Pono MT uke Goldtone Paul Beard squareneck resophonic Fluke tenor ukulele Boatload of home rolled telecasters "Shut up and play ur guitar" Frank Zappa |
#20
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I certainly had my share of fun experiences over the years on 48th St. and at Mandolin Brothers.
One of my other hobbies is collecting old Lionel Trains. Every trip to NYC included a mandatory stop at Madison Hardware store located at 101 E. 23rd St. It was mecca for Lionel Train lovers like me. But the owners got really old and sold out to Richard Kughn, then owner of Lionel Trains. With 11 fully loaded big rigs, they moved everything from the store to Mt Clemens, MI where Richard lived. He literally reassembled Madison Hardware Store in a building he owned! Some years later, Kughn fell on hard financial times and sold the company to Neil Young and Wellspring Mgmt Co. Neil still owns 22% of Lionel today. http://tcaetrain.org/2d-articles/col...ME/TIME012.jpg Great stores, great folks… all will be missed. The world just keeps on changing and it's not always for the better. Bill Last edited by 6L6; 08-02-2015 at 09:34 PM. |
#21
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#22
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Well, there's always Guitar Center in Times Square. They're the equal of all the Sam Ash stores that were on 48th St. Well not really, GC is much better, the Ash stores were very tired for a long time. I haven't been the new store on 33rd. rudy's in SOHO will be even better, now that everything is down there.
I do miss "We buy Guitars" as a place to gawk at strange and rare electrics.
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Bourgeois, Collings, R Taylor, Santa Cruz |
#23
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Does anyone remember when Electro Harmonix had the shop with all their pedals set up for customers to try?
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#24
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Time was, in the late '60s and '70s a tube into central London and Charing Cross Road, Shaftesbury Avenue, St. Giles, Denmark Street(Tin-pan Alley) and of course Mairants in Rathbone Place were regular stops for a young guy with big hopes. I moved down to the south coast in 1979, and hardly every went back into town apart from on business, and the very occasional theatre night. The likelyhood of finding anything that appeals to me locally is now pretty rare, and I have to say that I'm one of those baby boomers who has now acquired about everything I aspired to. Until about ther 2007/8 slump there were about four quality guitar shops within about 40 miles of me but there are less now. The last finial slump seems to have reduced the specialist shops now. |
#25
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My parents took me there in 1965 when I was 11 years old, to buy my first electric guitar, a Fender Mustang. I went back a few years later and bought a Rickenbacker 6-12 interchangeable Great memories. Saw Donovan there.
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at 4. No more for awhile. Moving soon. Less is better until I settle. |
#26
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How sad! Used to shop at Manny's all the time in college -- bought my Telecaster and a Fender Deluxe amp there. Got chased out one afternoon close to closing time so Jimi Hendrix could try out Stratocasters there. The "Wall of Fame" was something else -- containing autographed pictures of every famous musician who shopped there for half a century. I am sure going to miss those stores and the ambiance of 48th St.
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#27
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I would never thought instruments purchased online would kill music stores since it's a feel and hear type purchase.
I guess it's true and happens all the time if the customer has heard and felt it before. I just don't buy instruments online, guess I'm old school.
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2015 Martin Grand Performance & 2016 Breedlove Pursuit Concert MH (Mahogany). YouTube Channel - Guitars, Gear, Unboxing https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_w..._k-vCqoY7yPm1Q |
#28
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I have recently come to think that Martins and Fenders come out of the factory with pretty good setups these days. Even though each guitar will sound a little different, I am very comfortable calling Jon at MFG and ordering a Martin. If he has more than one I ask him to let me know what he thinks of each one. There are brands I would not consider buying online.
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at 4. No more for awhile. Moving soon. Less is better until I settle. |
#29
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#30
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48th street was where all the folks went. Back in the day it was not uncommon to see folks like Joey Ramon, Keith Richards, Rick Ocaske, etc, strolling down the block.
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David Webber Round-Body Furch D32-LM MJ Franks Lagacy OM Rainsong H-WS1000N2T Stonebridge OM33-SR DB Stonebridge D22-SRA Tacoma Papoose Voyage Air VAD-2 1980 Fender Strat A few Partscaster Strats MIC 60s Classic Vib Strat Last edited by Mbroady; 08-03-2015 at 03:42 PM. |