East Coast Bass Shops

[sailri]

Originally Posted by jj4001

Yes, really. I stand by my take on the place. Totally worth a visit if you're into vintage gear.

Yeah - last time I was there Mike Dirnt of Green Day had just bought 5 or 6 vintage guitars - and there was lots more stuff when I got there. The 10 vintage Kustom tuck and roll cabinets alone in different colors made it worth it.

I'm thinking now they probably had 15 to 20 basses and maybe 30 guitars and they do rotate their stock.

[Malak the Mad]

Although they're not bass-centric locations, there are two places in Wilmington, DE that have a lot going for them. Accent Music (a local three-store chain) and our local Guitar Center.

1. Both places have staff that are very knowledgable and friendly. In regards to GC and some TB-ers' experience, this is more the exception than the rule, which is a shame. I can assure you, the people there are very, very cool, helpful and informative. Plus, if there's something they don't know, they're not gonna B.S. you about it.

2. They're both about 10-15 minutes off Rt. 95, so they're not out of your way.

3. (And this is a doozy…) Delaware is the Home of Tax-Free Shopping. There is no sales tax whatsoever here!

[Arnie]

Originally Posted by tomydacat

If you go to Woodstock NY try Spector www.spectorbass.com

Tobias Basses, Veillette Guitars, (steinberger was here years ago), Keith basses (Martin Keith), all in woodstock but none of these guys have a store (or give shop tours)..

Tony Levin lives here, and Charles Nicely was from here (I believe)..

[Luckydog]

Sadowsky

[MAJOR METAL]

The Sadowsky Shop, New York.

[Keith Guitars]

Originally Posted by Arnie

Tobias Basses, Veillette Guitars, (steinberger was here years ago), Keith basses (Martin Keith), all in woodstock but none of these guys have a store (or give shop tours)..

Tony Levin lives here, and Charles Nicely was from here (I believe)..

Actually, both my shop and Veillette are always open for visits by appointment.

I won't speak for any of the other guys, but it never hurts to ask! You may be pleasantly surprised.

Give a call if you're ever in the area!

Cheers,
Martin

[BIGEJ2]

Check out Roxy Guitars just Northwest of Philly.

Also second West Chester Music and NJ Guitar and Bass - they are loaded and usually have some interesting stuff.

Skip GC and Accent Music in DE unless you are looking for new lower end stuff. The GC in Plymouth Meeting, PA has a decent selection of basses (especially EBMM) and its sales staff is much less bothersome.

[sugarmagnolia97]

Originally Posted by soxhats

In the last few months, I visited the following two places for the first time and would call both essential:
-- New Jersey Guitar and Bass Center in Edison, NJ (already mentioned at least twice in this thread).
-- Action Music in Falls Church, VA. I'd never seen the place mentioned on TB. A friend took me there a few weeks ago. GREAT selection of basses, many vintage.

Definitely go to action. Really nice guys and awesome vintage basses and amps

[sj_bass]

So, I'm now back on the west coast - I'll keep this thread open, but we were on such a tight schedule I had ZERO free time. Damn, all these places look real good, too!

Hopefully the Kid(tm) gets in to Brown or Duke - I can't afford the cost of living for Columbia!

[brntrssll]

Originally Posted by tjnkoo

If you're in the Atlanta area there's the Atlanta Bass Gallery. Jim Rubio is a real nice guy who gives good prices, is real helpful, and someone in that shop could answer pretty much any question you might have.

Yes, I'll second the motion to visit Atlanta Bass Gallery. It's a serious bass shop, lots of high quality instruments to try out....nothing else like it around ATL.

[Kevin aka Kebo]

My Favorite - www.kebosbassworks.com

[Kmonk]

Originally Posted by jj4001

Yes, really. I stand by my take on the place. Totally worth a visit if you're into vintage gear.

I also stand by my take on Empire. I've been there at least 10 times and have never seen more than a few basses. It's frustrating that there aren't more stores carrying a good selection of bass gear.

[Spectrum]

Jive Sound is in Alexandria, VA and it's owned by one of TB's mods, Jive1 I think his handle is.

Regarding Accent Music in Delaware, it's along Rt. 301 on the right as you head south through Middletown.

Also, there's another shop about 3 miles north of it on the same side of the road called Middletown Music I think, so if you're heading along 301 you can hit both shops within minutes.

[sj_bass]

Well, hopefully The Kid(tm) gets into Duke. That'll give me a reason to make a few more trips back east... Thanks again for all the cool shopping tips!

[jj4001]

Originally Posted by Kmonk

I also stand by my take on Empire. I've been there at least 10 times and have never seen more than a few basses. It's frustrating that there aren't more stores carrying a good selection of bass gear.

I was there last week and I picked up and played a '62 Fender Jazz, three 70's Fender P's, one 80's and one 90's Fender P, two 70's Rickenbacker 4001's, a 60's Vox Apollo, an old Univox Moserite copy, and a Peavey T-40. That was only a small fraction of the basses they had on the floor. Not to mention the multiple Ampeg fliptops, wall of tuck-n-roll Kustoms, and the Acoustic 360 they have in the bass room. Are we talking about the same place??? You know, the shop they have right off of North Main St. Near the Providence / Pawtucket line. Weird because this actually happened. Maybe your last visit was a few years ago before they had the vintage music instument store established?