Any good guitar shops in Las Vegas

NewMartinFan · #1 02-01-2013, 09:59 AM

I'll be there next week with some time to kill. My main interests are new and vintage Martins, Santa Cruz, and Bourgeois. Thanks, in advance.

ship of fools · #2 02-01-2013, 10:32 AM

I know we have from Vegas HeartBreakers guitars on the forum.
http://www.heartbreakerguitars.com/

Tom in Vegas · #3 02-01-2013, 10:32 AM

Hey NMF, if you do find any, please let me know. Selection and variety in the valley here is pretty slim. We have two Guitar Centers on different sides of town with the usual stuff they carry. There is Cowtown Guitars which has moved downtown, but I have not been there since their relocation. Check their website, but I don't think they keep it up very well. Probably outdated. Oh and Sam Ash, of course. Heartbreaker Guitars I've never been to, and they're by "appointment only" so I've never been. I have no idea what kind of stock or presence they have. Maybe I'll check it out one day. I've never had to make an appointment to go to a retailer before....

Honestly, if you find anything good, please let me know. Boutique guitars are a rarity in this town. You mostly have to go to Los Angeles.

leatherguy · #4 02-01-2013, 10:39 AM

Isn't every pawn shop like a guitar store out there? I would have fun cruising those.

Tom in Vegas · #5 02-01-2013, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leatherguy

Isn't every pawn shop like a guitar store out there? I would have fun cruising those.

I thought that would be the case as well. Although I'm not very diligent in my cruising of pawn shops, every visit so far has been a disappointment. Maybe it's time to hit the pawn shops again.....

billgennaro · #6 02-01-2013, 11:26 AM

my brother lives in Las Vegas and complains all the time to me about the lack of guitar shops. i wonder if some guitar builders shy away from trying to sell instruments in Las Vegas due to the extreme dryness. i would think that the music stores would keep their showrooms humidified, but once the guitar leaves the building? who knows? this may be one of the reasons why there are slim pickin's there.

just a guess.

bill

Tom in Vegas · #7 02-01-2013, 11:39 AM

Bill, I will agree that it's a definite CHALLENGE to keep acoustic guitars here. I use my house as a HUGE, humidified guitar case with two whole-house humidifiers running full time. They struggle to keep it at 40-45%. In the winter (now) the heat sucks what little moisture there is out of the air, and in the summer the a/c does the same. It's a constant battle. Maybe some of the smaller shops humidify, but I doubt if Sam Ash or Guitar Center bother. They probably just try to move the inventory quickly enough that it becomes someone else's problem.

billgennaro · #8 02-01-2013, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom in Vegas

Bill, I will agree that it's a definite CHALLENGE to keep acoustic guitars here. I use my house as a HUGE, humidified guitar case with two whole-house humidifiers running full time. They struggle to keep it at 40-45%. In the winter (now) the heat sucks what little moisture there is out of the air, and in the summer the a/c does the same. It's a constant battle. Maybe some of the smaller shops humidify, but I doubt if Sam Ash or Guitar Center bother. They probably just try to move the inventory quickly enough that it becomes someone else's problem.

right, and it becoming "someone else's problem" is probably what scares the heck out of manufacturers. they don't want to see 50% of their guitars sold in LV coming back for warranty work!

bill

SalFromChatham · #9 02-01-2013, 01:21 PM

I just asked this a few weeks back. The answer is no. Your one shot is off the strip Guitare Center. Dont go to Sam Ash. Aint nowhere else. Sigh.

Brendan @ Heartbreaker Guitars · #10 02-01-2013, 01:50 PM

Hi guys, we have a beautiful selection of boutique instruments here at Heartbreaker Guitars. The way we work is this: We are not a typical retailer and don't have an actual store. We have a gorgeous office on west lake mead inside the Bank of Nevada building over looking the city. 70% of our business is on line. But for anyone local, they generally call or email us to let us know what they want to see, we show those guitars and generally 5 or 6 more just for fun. We generally kick back, play some guitar, and BS with the customer. We are low pressure and just love talkin guitars. Our customer satisfaction rate is stellar and most of our customers keep in contact with us. Call if you wanna see anything and we'd love to meet you! Cheers...

Brendan @ Heartbreaker Guitars · #11 02-01-2013, 02:00 PM

Oh, in addition to what's on the site, we are also bringing on the following guitar companies: Lowden Guitars, Cordoba, and Danelectro... These are all new from NAMM. Thanks, hope u like the site!

DanPanther · #12 02-01-2013, 02:06 PM

I know of at least one that's not good.
Dan

Tom in Vegas · #13 02-01-2013, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanPanther

I know of at least one that's not good.
Dan

Not fair, Dan! Not fair! Spill. People want to know....

Oh and Brendan, thanks for the info and the descriptive of how your business runs. I may have to check in with you one day. Thank You!!

There are a couple of smaller guitar/music shops here in the Valley that I considered checking out, but when you go online all you hear are HORROR stories of yuckey treatment and bad customer service, so..... I've never been.

NewMartinFan · #14 02-01-2013, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom in Vegas

Hey NMF, if you do find any, please let me know. Selection and variety in the valley here is pretty slim. We have two Guitar Centers on different sides of town with the usual stuff they carry. There is Cowtown Guitars which has moved downtown, but I have not been there since their relocation. Check their website, but I don't think they keep it up very well. Probably outdated. Oh and Sam Ash, of course. Heartbreaker Guitars I've never been to, and they're by "appointment only" so I've never been. I have no idea what kind of stock or presence they have. Maybe I'll check it out one day. I've never had to make an appointment to go to a retailer before....

Honestly, if you find anything good, please let me know. Boutique guitars are a rarity in this town. You mostly have to go to Los Angeles.

I did see that there is not a Bourgeois or SC dealer in town (or even the state). I did not think that was a good sign... Appreciate all the posts.

clintj · #15 02-01-2013, 03:46 PM

I visited the GC down on the south end of town when I was down there xmas of 2011. The acoustic room was better stocked than most GC's I've seen and well humidified. Found a Franklin strap for a ridiculously good price there. Other than there or Heartbreaker Guitars, don't know where else to shop.