NYC guitar/bass shop
 

Are there any really awesome guitar/bass shops in NYC? I could potentially end up in NYC for a day in the near future, and was wondering if there was anywhere really cool that I should check out.

Sadowsky

Larry Hartke's bass lounge looks pretty sweet.

Ludlow Guitars is a personal favorite of mine

There are a few places in NYC but be prepared to pay 20-30% more than the bass is worth. Fun to see, but I've lived here my entire life and can't say I have bought much in any of the NYC stores. There are still remnants left of the historic 48th street music stores on 48th. It's worth a look. Matt Umanov has cool stuff in the Village. 30th street Guitars has a boat load of cool pieces. Dan's Chelsea is a great little old guitar shop that has been there forever.

Rudy's bass dept is great.
30th Street Guitars has a lot of great vintage stuff.
Mat Umanov... not bad.

Rudy's has a lot of cool stuff. Little bit of an attitude.

GC in Union Square is pretty bland, but always good service there.

Sam Ash is now at 34th and 9th. The bass department doesn't have its own wing like it did in the old location, so that's a bummer. But I went there and hung out with Larry for a little bit yesterday and bought a Squier VM5 that he only broke out an hour ago that he wanted to buy, haha. Sickest flame maple body, and set up perfectly out of the box. I like Sam Ash in general, and they are the only retailer in NYC that carries Sadowsky. They've also got a few NYC Foderas, an Emperor, and a MG hanging on the wall for $10,000. One stop if you want to try Sads and Foderas, if you're into that kind of thing.

There's another NYC dealer that carries Sadowsky. If you cross the Great Water to Brooklyn, you can buy a Sadowsky from.... Sadowsky.

He's in Queens, brah. ;) And I meant dealers, not the actual factory, heh.

Sure enough! When did he move from Dumbo to LIC? I missed that completely.

Not sure when that happened. No less than a year ago since that's when I moved here.

Here's the NYC gear spot rundown:

MIDTOWN
Rudy's on 48th street. It's the last store left on what had been "Music Row". And one of the few locations where you're going to find some really high end instruments in stock.

CHELSEA
Sam Ash on 34th street & 9th Ave. The Hartke Bass lounge is effectively Sam Ash NYC's bass department. You can expect to see some Sadowsky's and Fender Custom Shop instruments here, along with a few other high end offerings that you won't see in a run of the mill Sam Ash store.

30th Street Guitars (30th btwn 7th & 8th Ave). Great vintage/used gear, albeit a bit pricey

Dan's Chelsea Guitars (West 23rd street). More of a guitar spot, but also good for some cool vintage gear


THE VILLAGE
Guitar Center (14th street btwn 5th & 6th Ave). The best bass inventory I've ever seen at any Guitar Center, and they've got a vintage room.

Matt Umanov Guitars (Bleecker Street). Cool vintage & new stock, and awesome pizza right across the street at John's.


LOWER EAST SIDE
Rivington Street Guitars (East 4th st, NOT RIVINGTON ST). I've only ever seen these guys at some guitar shows, but I've never been in the store. They're much more about vintage than modern instruments.

Ludlow Street Guitars (Ludlow btwn Houston & Stanton St.) Effects pedal heaven. Some modern Fenders, but this store is geared more towards guitar players.


QUEENS
Sadowsky shop (Long Island City). I haven't actually paid the Sadowsky shop a visit since they were still in Midtown Manhattan in the late 90's. But Roger & crew are very accomodating, even if you're just there to get one of their awesome preamps.


BROOKLYN
Main Drag Music (Williamsburg). It's pretty much all vintage stock here, with some very cool offerings.

Southside Guitars (Williamsburg). Great vintage offerings. They also deal in some modern gear (Nash). Very cool guys to deal with.


STATEN ISLAND
Mandolin Brothers - A little out of the way, but these guys know acoustic instruments & vintage, too.

Wow, that's really helpful. Thanks!

Rudy's guitar only shop in SoHo is cool.
It is at 461 Broome Street.