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BASS SAFARI in NYC?

#61
the second ave deli closed?!? when did this happen? i was there about 6 months ago! maybe they moved?

hang on...

...wow, after some research it appears it did close - 5 months ago!!!

enjoy our wonderful city! check out some jazz clubs too. what dates will you be in the city? i'm sure there will be tons of options to see some legendary music! also, let us know what bass shops you liked and didn't like.
 
#62
cosmicevan said:
also, let us know what bass shops you liked and didn't like.
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Oh, I won't be shy with my evaluations. I'm gonna take some photos on the sly. I set my digital camera to a long exposure and fast "film" speed so I dont need a flash. I'll use my sisters MAC :spit: to upload them. I'll definetly try to check some bands out, but honestly there is always somebody playing the week after I leave! And actually my tastes lean towards metal, punk, experimental, and noise.
 
#64
Went by Rivington and Ludlow yesterday. Ludlow had a few basses, nothing to get excited about except an entry level Alembic and a couple marked up TBC's(the TBCs are very nice in person) Lots of great 4 stringers, but thats not what I am looking for.
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Rivington was a tiny place. Had some great stuff but no 5ers, mostly vintage, well ALL vintage. Some Univox, EKO, Hagstrom, a Gibson RD Artist, and the de rigeur Fenders. Emphasis seems to be on wacky Italian/Japanese 60-70's axes
 
#65
Calaverasgrande said:
Went by Rivington and Ludlow yesterday. Ludlow had a few basses, bothingto get excited about except an entry level Alembic and a couple marked up TBC's(the TBCs are every nice in person) Rivington had some good stuff but no 5ers, mostly vintage, well ALL vintage. Some Univox, Hagstrom, an RD Artist, and the dr riguer Fenders.
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Is that All? :smug:

Come on, a full report please!
 
#66
well the previous post was just me from off my redeye. Hitting a few shops close to the village. Yesterday I went by 48th and caught Mannys, Sam Ash and Rudy's.
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Didnt really care for the guitar center ish vibe. They had a nice Tom Arraya Model ESP at Sam Ash. Everything else was poop.
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Heading over to Mannys
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I didnt care for the cable locks on everything over $500
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They did have a well stocked bass selection. Lots of G&Ls
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Lots of fenders
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Lots of Warwicks
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but I liked this Stingray fretless and Tobias (gibson) 5er.
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Played a KSD at rudys. Not impressed. Made my way down to 30th st guitars. Awesome! Found a killer Moses and a ray 5er, both fretless. Not my style normally, but these were setup great and priced nice. About Sam Ash and Mannys, I didnt get the impression they setup their guitars AT ALL. 30th st guitars was great except the bass room was an oven when playing away on an axe. Actually all the places have a "bass room" which was in the back, upstairs.
Well I am off to Sadowsky today. Hopefully I wont become bewitched by anything out of my price range. Pictures to come.
 
#69
If you are in kingston take the 30 minute drive to Alto music, in middletown, ny while the staff is less then my favorite. It is about 10000 Sq Ft. of guitars and amps, they are the biggest indepedent on the East Coast, and the #1 distributor of protools recording in the US.

They are dealers of gibson, fender, mtd, spector, rick...etc.... with a decent used selection, their used bass amp selection is suaully impressive, lots of trace stuff, last time i was there, they had a classic 400.

Make sure you go to the one in middletown, ny, they own two others (monsey and wapp falls), but mtown is the mother of all, it is about 5 times the size of standard guitar centers.

---

If you are in NJ, there are a bunch of places on 23 & 46, such as victors house of music.

Also in union rondo, home of the SX, but the store carries a lot more, and name brands
 
#71
cosmicevan said:
didn't you hit rudy's when going to manny's and sam ash? that's THE spot for nice (yet expensive) handmade axes in the city.
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Yeah, kinda weird though, they have the one guy sitting at the little kiosk while you try out basses. Thats where I tried the KSD 60s style 5er.The bass played allright, but the pickguard was a mess. It had jagged cutting marks where the pickguard meets the control plate, and it was visibly warped in a few places. I mean the price is cheap, but to have such an ugly jacked up pickguard on an over $500 bass is absurd.
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I also tried the Lakalnd Darryl Jones 4 and 5. I have to join the chorus on that one and say the 4 is awesome, the 5 is, well, not as awesome. It was way too tight and the neck was a 2x4. They also had a sweet SR5, blue with the ice pickguard. And some Ritters and such which I couldnt muster up the nerve to try.
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#73
those on the top rack are Pensas. Most of them usually seem to be returns or dingers though.

Thats Dean behind the counter. I like him better than some of the others that have worked there.

You didn't check out the Surf Green Bass VI they have? Or the 65, 66, and 67 Jazzes they have hanging? You can really get a look at the changes from year to year.
 
#74
heath_the_great said:
are they pensa jazz basses?

how cools that effect on the natural one, the bridge looks like its hanging off the body :D
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I was in there a few weeks ago and almost bought that bass!! You gotta try to alleva coppolo basses. I was planning on leaving with the pensa, now I trying to figure out what color alleva coppolo bass do I want.

I've own/played alot of basses and this is one of the best I have ever played... regardless of price!!
 
#75
When I was at Rudy's I pretty much just concentrated on the 5's that were in my price range. That, and I am sure this statement will not make me any friends, I just don't like fenders. Every one I have tried just doesnt do it for me. I think the headstock is ugly, and the prices are out of line with the value. They did have a great selection of basses. Next time that I have $2000-4000 i will head there. Well maybe. I might just go to Sadowsky.
 
#77
You know, Rudy also a great selection of vintage Guitars and stuff on the first floor (his collection), and most of the Fender stock there is Custom Shop, so its a great place for those weenies who play short necked little 6 string things. Also some nice Les Pauls.
 
#78
So then next I hit up 30th st guitars between 7th and 8th in manahattan If you get off at 34th and walk back its only like 3 blocks.
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This is my idea of a guitar shop. They had a bass loft in the back, a whole section of effects pedals, and teh entire downstairs is one huge wall of ancient guitars. For bay area people it just like the old Black Market Music on Howard in S.F. before the owner moved away.
Anway they had an awesome selction of old basses, newer basses and everything in between. I found an awesome fretless Stingray 5 and fretless Moses 4.
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They also had a couple (setneck) guilds from the 70's, but the all were beat and the one I liked had a headstock crack.
A ton a fenders, Ps, Js even a Mustang. They had a bunch of older Musicmans with the mute on the bridge, even one from the seventies(for way too much), and a lot of basses I am not familiar with. Prices range from damn good to no way. Most are in the $700 range. Lots of nice amps too.
 
#79
next I went to Sadowsky. I didnt bother trying to hit up brooklyn gear, because I was basically only interested in the KSD and the one I saw a rudy's was a wreck. When you stop in at Sadowsky they are in the fashionable DUMBO area. Fashionable as in lofts for sale everywhere, "cute" shops etc. They are off the beaten path a little at the end of Jay st, up on the 5th floor.
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When you walk in you are IN the workshop. Tools are all over the place. A nice young lady showed me theri showroom. I bascially fell in love with
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The finish is an amazing black sparkle up close. The neck is impossibly nice. I tried some others. The Metros are every bit as good as the NYC basses, just not available with custom options. Next time I buy a bass I will have more dough, and I will get a Sadowsky. Now that I had been to the mountain, I had to come back to Earth and get a real mortal bass.
 

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