NYC stores
 

hey guys,
not sure if this is the place to place this.

I'm from Asia and I have a mate going over to NYC for a business trip.

He'll be purchasing a guitar from the stores there, so i thought i might want to ask him to get a bass for me too.

Tricky part is that I have no idea of what are the stores over at NYC and there a loads of choices there.

I'll need some recommendations on which stores to hit and if possible on what are some of the basses i can get for below $1.2K?

I'm looking for an active 4 string bass by the way.

Try Rivington Guitars, as well as Matt Umanov Guitars. Both are in Manhattan; East Village and Greenwich Village respectively.

Go to Manny's on 47th.. Oh wait :scowl: :mad:

i suppose they have the best prices there?

Your friend needs to start at the instrument retailers on West 48th Street (between Seventh Avenue & Sixth Avenue) - Rudy's Music Stop, and Sam Ash / Manny's (Manny's is actually owned by Sam Ash now, so the inventory is pretty similar). The Bass Shop at Rudy's (on the third floor) offers a range of instruments, including some high-end, boutique instruments; while Manny's & Sam Ash offer more entry-level and mid-priced instruments.

BTW, there are many active four-strings on the market, so you may wish to narrow down your purchase criteria considerably. As to the $1,200 price, bear in mind that you're unlikely to get any bargains by buying retail from a shop in New York. In fact, you're much more likely to pay full price.

A much better approach would be for you to start compiling a list of makes & models that interest you, that are at least close to being within your budget...then reach out to the NYC stores directly via email (or phone) - prior to your friend's trip - to get a sense of their availability and price.

Make more sense? :hmm:

MM

Don't know if they have the best prices, but they have a great selection.

Don't expect good prices in Manhattan.

TRUTH!

Don't even joke about that man. Not cool. :crying:

Or good customer service, or selection, or quality control of inventory, or product knowledge.....or parking if you're foolish enough to drive into manhattan.

As far as big box stores go in NYC:
Sam Ash has moved to West 34th Street. There's generally a good selection of basses.
Guitar Center on West 14th is another option. Ron in the bass department can help you. He can also place a special order for stuff he doesn't have in store.

I will just say this, some of the stores listed will typically not give their best price to a tourist. They see them as dollar signs, or Euro signs. Good luck, you will need it.

Rivington has a terrible selection of basses and very high prices. I wouldn't recommend to my worst enemy to go there.

+1

There have actually been a number of threads on this very subject within the past year. Here's a good one.

Like others have said, Sam Ash has recently moved from their West 48th Street location. They're now on West 34th between 8th & 9th avenue. But this is one of the few Sam Ash locations where you're going to find Fender Custom Shop & Sadowsky instruments in stock.

As for instrument builders, the Sadowsky & Fodera shops are in Queens & Brooklyn respectively.

Prices are not going to be cheap. This is New York, and it's one of the most expensive places to live in the United States. Those economics have an impact on instrument prices.