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Joined: July 2004 Posts: 812
Location: Hicksville, NY | My apologies for the off-topic thread.
In addition to Al, and the so-called "big box" retailers, what's your favorite music shop in your local area? |
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Joined: July 2004 Posts: 812
Location: Hicksville, NY | In my 8 years as a resident of the NYC and LI area, I still have yet to visit Mandolin Brothers in Staten Island. It's about 8:30 a.m right now, and I am making plans on going there this afternoon. To OFCers who have done any business with them in the past, please share your experiences, and what to expect when I get there.
p.s.
-- yes I'm serious about buying a new guitar, and there just might be a new addition to the household by tonight if all goes well. |
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Joined: May 2004 Posts: 2850
Location: Midland, MI | There is really only one local store here, MidMichigan Music . They have three stores, one in each of Midland, Saginaw and Bay City (the Tri-Cities). There's also Herter Music Center in Bay City and Saginaw, who've been around since the flood waters subsided, but I tend not to visit them. |
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 Joined: September 2003 Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Huber-Breese Music Store
This is the store that had in stock an AD-II and a 30th for me to compare side by side. Right now they have an Adamas 6 and 12 string on display.
They also host a nice open mic night once a month. |
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Joined: March 2002 Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Mandolin Brothers
- don't expect 'em to be very OvationFriendly . . . |
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Joined: November 2005 Posts: 111
Location: Southern California | I live pretty much equidistant between Jim's Music in Irvine and Guitar Trader in San Diego. Both are a nice antidote to GC. |
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 Joined: December 2003 Posts: 13996
Location: Upper Left USA | Ted Brown in Tacoma, WA. |
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Joined: January 2006 Posts: 175
Location: Eugene, Oregon | I wish I had a favorite one. The Guitar Center here, is about it, for Ovations and they carry very little stock. All the guitars on display are heavily "used" and they sell all from the wall. I keep hoping to go in one day and find some new stock. I gave them my number to call if they ever get a new shipment.
I have to drive to PDX to be able to really shop. |
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Joined: July 2002 Posts: 1900
| Rydell Music Center, Boone NC...It's a Martin/Taylor dealer but Mr. Rydell is an excellant vocalist/musicican. He has helped me alot and knows the commerical instrument industry as well as anyone. |
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Joined: July 2003 Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | Blue Fish Music in Plymouth, MI. It's a small shop that opened this last summer. The owner, Paul Murphy, carries the lower end Hamers, but Ovation is not one of his brands. Paul's intent is to specialize in folk acoustic instruments; he currently carries a lute, bouzouki, saz, mountain dulcimer and many, many ukes. He currently has a sitar in the window.
I've been taking one of my Os with me every time I go up there lately to show/educate Paul.....he used to own a GC 12-string many years ago.
Roger |
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Joined: May 2004 Posts: 2850
Location: Midland, MI | Originally posted by Slipkid:
Huber-Breese Music Store
This is the store that had in stock an AD-II and a 30th for me to compare side by side. Right now they have an Adamas 6 and 12 string on display.
They also host a nice open mic night once a month. HB is where I bought the (long gone now) Yamaha Motif 8. They were a great bunch of people, had all sorts of stuff in stock, and good pricing. It was worth driving a little past that pit of a Guitarget out by 14 Mile, I'll tell you what. |
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Joined: July 2004 Posts: 812
Location: Hicksville, NY | Got back from Mandolin Brothers today, and it turned out to be such a pleasant surprise! While it was worth making the trip, I underestimated the amount of time and distance to get there from my home (and back) that I think I won't be going there anytime soon. The 9-dollar toll that I end up paying to cross the Verazzano Bridge was a drag too. The peeps there were so great and knowledgeable, and I was surprised that, despite my limited playing ability, they allowed me to play virtually everything in their shop. I played a lot of the high end guitars there for the very first time -- Lowden, Santa Cruz, Froggy Bottom, Collings, and even a contour bowl Elite LX and a 1968 12-string Balladeer strung with only six strings, which was really strange. Stan, the owner even brought some vintage Gibsons and Martins from his so-called vault and allowed me to play with those too.
One thing is certain, Stan was direct and blunt to the customers, with regards to bashing Taylor guitars. I'll spare the details, but he was pretty loud to inform to everyone that Taylors suck ass. While he was not talkative with regards to Ovations, the comments I heard were not negative either. |
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Joined: November 2004 Posts: 1330
Location: ms | Mandolin Brothers talk the talk about Taylors,but they ask top dollar and more for a used one!But i`ve seen a few Ovations up their at what I thought was a good deal. |
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Joined: March 2002 Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | 'Never been there in person. I dealt w/them over the phone when I was rearching the value on the SlotHead. They seemed to discount Ovation as not even "worth their while" . . . (admittedly, this WAS about 6 yrs. ago). I should take the ride over & check it out. I always wanted to see it.
Jeanette and I will have to maybe make a Sunday drive of it (they open Suns.?).
'byte:
I'll be out in your neck of the woods next weekend. I have to drive an 8-passenger van full of people (myself included) to a wedding in Baldwin next Sat. afternoon . . . .
(this oughta' be "int'resting") |
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Joined: July 2004 Posts: 812
Location: Hicksville, NY | Weddings are definitely interesting ...
Baldwin is where I hook up with my trusty accountant who prepares my taxes once a year! It's not too far away from where I live. Perhaps, if I'm free, I'd just might drop by just to say a quick "hello." |
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Joined: March 2005 Posts: 17
Location: Oakville Ontario Canada | 12th Fret/Toronto |
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Joined: June 2003 Posts: 1792
Location: Rego Park, NY, | Cliff,
If you are driving a van like my Econoline, just a word of caution. If you take the Southern State Parkway there, the road is very curvy and has alot of hills and dips. If you are not watching your speed the vehicle will sway side to side on top of handling the dips from the hills and the swaying from the curves . I only drive on the Southern State when there is no other option. |
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Joined: July 2004 Posts: 812
Location: Hicksville, NY | I strongly agree! I don't think the Southern State Parkway was initially built for cars to go over 55 MPH, let alone contend with the sharp winding curves. That's what I took last Saturday during my trip to Mandolin Bros., and I felt like I just played arm wrestling with the car's steering wheel. On the way back, I took the Brooklyn Queens Expressway instead (BQE).
Perhaps, here's the alternative?
-- Take the LIE East (495) and take exit 38 to the Northern Parkway
-- On the fork where the Northern and Meadowbrook Parkways split, remain on the Northern Parkway (left hand side)
-- Take exit 33 (Wantagh Parkway South)
-- Take the Southern Parkway West (towards NYC)
-- The Baldwin exit should be about 5 minutes from there
:confused: OFCers in this area, post your directions, as I might be wrong with mine? :rolleyes: |
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Joined: March 2005 Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | Buy a Porsche. I like those kind of roads. |
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Joined: March 2002 Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Mark;
Please tell me that your Porsche is "stick" . . . |
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 Joined: July 2005 Posts: 3410
Location: GA USA | In the Atlanta area, it's gotta be Midtown Music on N.Decatur Rd. |
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Joined: November 2004 Posts: 4413
| My car is a 6 speed stick. |
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Joined: October 2005 Posts: 5331
Location: Cicero, NY | A 6 speed? what is that? A school bus? |
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Joined: November 2004 Posts: 4413
| It has 6 gears (not including reverse), 12 speaker 6 cd stereo system, 2 completely separate aircon systems which means the left and right sides of the car can have a guaranteed 6C variation between them and it does 65 to the imperial gallon. |
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Joined: November 2004 Posts: 4413
| And I drive it to my favourite local store. Which is my only local store. And is owned by a friend of mine. |
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Joined: November 2003 Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | And is currently getting a "Butt TucK" |
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Joined: November 2004 Posts: 4413
| This is true - and the bodyshop are not answering my emails and they've had it for a week and a day now. Glad I'm not paying. |
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Joined: November 2003 Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Ehh, his car...I don't know about his friend who owns the store... |
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Joined: November 2004 Posts: 4413
| He could use one but I wouldn't mention it. I get 10% discount on everything. |
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Joined: July 2004 Posts: 474
Location: Anchorage, Alaska | Mammoth Music in Anchorage, Alaska. Great service, nice folks working there, and more Ovation and Adamas guitars on display than ALL of the other shops in the state put together! There are always at least 50 or so Ovations/Adams on the floor at any time. |
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 Joined: January 2002 Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | The only store on Amelia Island is Island Tobacco. 400 sq ft and two nice easy chairs next to the humidor and soda cooler. There's usually somebody in them. The back room is called AM&FM which is Amelia Music For Musicians and he sells strings, Taks and Ovations, some solid bodies and amps and the other related stuff. Great place to hang out and find out what's happening in town (it is right in the middle of downtown Fernandina) We were playing name that lick a few weeks ago. |
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Joined: July 2003 Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | For all you gearheads a few posts above, Lexus and Jaguar are each about to introduce cars with EIGHT-SPEED automatic transmissions....
Mercedes already has had a 7-speed for a couple of years....
Roger |
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Joined: March 2002 Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Automatic makes you a "passenger"
Stick makes you a "driver". |
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Joined: July 2004 Posts: 812
Location: Hicksville, NY | Since I started this thread ... here are my favorite local music shops:
-- In Flushing, Queens, I like Royal Music located in Northern Blvd., across from Main St. Although, it no longer has the showroom selections as they did in the past, they are an authorized Ovation and Takamine dealer, and have done a great deal of business with Dave, the owner, in the past.
-- Acoustic Outfitters in Stratham, NH. Although they don't have Ovations, they do carry Blueridge, and a bunch of high-end guitars, such as Huss and Dalton, Santa Cruz, Larrivee, and of course Taylors and Martins. It's one of my must-see places everytime I visit my sister and her husband. It's a nice place to walk-in and walk out with a new guitar, considering that there's no sales tax in NH. :)
-- Mandolin Bros., in Staten Island. Whether it be positive or negative, Stan and the folks there are pretty knowledgeable of the guitars that they sell there. Very reasonable guys to do business with too, especially if you're serious about buying. I was determined to purchase my HD-28 in NH, but Stan saved me from making the 5-hour trip with an offer that's too good to pass on ... amazingly, even the big box retailer refused to beat it (I must be dreaming) :eek: :rolleyes: |
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Joined: July 2005 Posts: 150
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada | Alto Music in Middletown, New York is a favorite. |
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 Joined: January 2002 Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | When we got Loraine's Merceless they said that the 7 speed was because BMW had 6. Must be a German one upstmanship thing??? |
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Joined: November 2003 Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Mine goes to 11. |
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