The last time I was in Rivington they had a couple of basses (vintage P's IIRC) and one lonely, beat to hell GK 800 RB. They wanted $850 for it!!!
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NYC Gear Shopping...
- Thread starter CTC564
- Start date
The last time I was in Rivington they had a couple of basses (vintage P's IIRC) and one lonely, beat to hell GK 800 RB. They wanted $850 for it!!!
Thanks for the info...
Seems that Bass Central and Bass NW are the only big retailers left for bassists...
Where can a guy go to try out higher quality amps and instruments???
Seems that Bass Central and Bass NW are the only big retailers left for bassists...
Where can a guy go to try out higher quality amps and instruments???
LOL....THANKS Jimmy!!!! :-(
Beaver is a great guy...bought my Lakland 55-94 from him last March...
I'm very envious!!!
Beaver is a great guy...bought my Lakland 55-94 from him last March...
I'm very envious!!!
The Hartke Bass Lounge in Sam Ash on 48th St is where it's at to try out high end basses. That's the only place on the east coast I've seen about 6-8 Sadowskys in stock available to play. Also there's pretty much the whole Fender line and some wiiiild vintage stuff you won't see elsewhere.
I mean sure they've got other amps you can play through, you'll just get the hairy eyeball the whole time! And you've got Rudy's across the street, I know they have some higher end bass amps, but I can't remember what, Genz Benz maybe?
I mean sure they've got other amps you can play through, you'll just get the hairy eyeball the whole time! And you've got Rudy's across the street, I know they have some higher end bass amps, but I can't remember what, Genz Benz maybe?
I remember the golden age when W 48th St. was nothing but music stores from 6th to 7th Ave. both sides of the street. Manny's was the flagship and on any given day you had a good chance of running into some famous musician there. I spent a good portion of my adolescence hanging around that street. Now, except for Rudy's and Sam Ash, it looks like any other mid-Manhattan block. Also, there are many more choices today.
If you're coming to NYC and want to play some Sadowskys why not drive over to Long Island City where his shop is and try all the models. Roger and his crew are very friendly and accommodating. There have been some interesting amps to play through there also. Check out his website for direction to the place. Fodera is in Brooklyn and Epifani is only 2 blocks away from him.
If you're coming to NYC and want to play some Sadowskys why not drive over to Long Island City where his shop is and try all the models. Roger and his crew are very friendly and accommodating. There have been some interesting amps to play through there also. Check out his website for direction to the place. Fodera is in Brooklyn and Epifani is only 2 blocks away from him.
Thanks...I'm planning on visiting the new Sadowsky Showroom...heck, last time I was in NYC (probably around '88) I vaguely recall visiting Sadowsky then...weren't they on 48th St too???
I remember Manny's well...and Rudy's is where I bought my SWR SM400 on that trip in '88
I remember Manny's well...and Rudy's is where I bought my SWR SM400 on that trip in '88
- Apr 20, 2009
- 2,101
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- I'm the Squier of Fenderbirds
You could always check out Southside Guitars and Main Drag in Brooklyn--within a three minute walk of each other. Decent vintage stuff for sure.
The Sadowsky shop has moved. Again. They had relocated from the Manhattan shop to Brooklyn. And more recently they've moved to Long Island City in Queens.
If you're talking "top notch", it doesn't get any more top notch in NYC than Rudy's. IME, nothing else is even close.
As for Sadowsky, if you want to check out some instruments, place a call to Roger and come over to his shop. Why not just go straight to the source?
Done.
MM
Bass San Diego. Sadowsky, Fodera (with a YY Standard in stock), Lakland, F Bass, Tobias, Lull, Elrick, G&L, Turner, Alleva-Coppolo, Dingwall, Zon.
Aguilar, EA, Bergantino, DNA, Epifani, TC Electronic.
Cool guys, too. It's a laid-back San Diego vibe. Go have a burrito with George.
If you're talking "top notch", it doesn't get any more top notch in NYC than Rudy's. IME, nothing else is even close.
As for Sadowsky, if you want to check out some instruments, place a call to Roger and come over to his shop. Why not just go straight to the source?
Done.
MM
I don't think you even have to call. Their shop is super easy to get to now on the F train, in the opposite direction of their old shop.
I have bought several basses and other gear from Rudy's. It has a small selection but can get anything. Customer service could be improved; you get the distinct feeling there are 3 tiers of customers. Tire kickers, regular folks that buy and superstars.
That said, the shop in Soho is worth a trip. It only has guitars but if you are into the beauty of guitars, they have an unbelievable collection of arch tops and the guys down there are some of the friendliest in NYC.
On another note, everyone has pointed out an interesting aspect about NYC....where else can you visit a list of manufacturers like this?
Carl Thompson
Fodera
Sadowsky
Aguilar
Epifani
Tech 21
Larry Hartke
Rust Guitars/30th Street Guitars
He hasn't been mentioned...Matt Brewster at 30th Street Guitars (between 7th & 8th) is a great guy and has a BIG selection of vintage gear. I estimate 35 vintage basses.
Even in NJ and Rockland county there's quite a few spots to check out.
Odibella's in Bergenfield is my top place. they carry a lot of SWR and mesa, some bergs, aguilar, trace and some others. they were a bit low on stock more recently but they said they'll have new stock for the holiday season.
Lark street music in Teaneck is a fun store, almost entirely vintage. fun stuff and a lot of supported brands, but not a whole lot of stock. check it out for fun though
and lastly, Alto music in Rockland county is huge, with tons of stock. however, the stock isn't super high end. fun store though!
the best thing you could do though, is go down to Aguilar in NYC. Great team there, and even better gear to try out.
Odibella's in Bergenfield is my top place. they carry a lot of SWR and mesa, some bergs, aguilar, trace and some others. they were a bit low on stock more recently but they said they'll have new stock for the holiday season.
Lark street music in Teaneck is a fun store, almost entirely vintage. fun stuff and a lot of supported brands, but not a whole lot of stock. check it out for fun though
and lastly, Alto music in Rockland county is huge, with tons of stock. however, the stock isn't super high end. fun store though!
the best thing you could do though, is go down to Aguilar in NYC. Great team there, and even better gear to try out.
Jersey and Rockland definitely have their fair share of gear destinations.
Alto Music is like home for me. Literally, I've lived within a 15 minute drive of one of their stores for most of my life. And I got my first bass from them, along with most of the instruments I currently own. The Airmont store is closest to the NJ line, but the Middletown store is where it's at. It's got the best stock of any of the three stores in the chain.
I'm definitely going to need to stop by O DiBella soon if they have Bergantino cabs in stock. And Lark Street has the best vintage instrument selection outside of NYC. 50's and 60's era Fenders are nothing to sneeze at.
Let's also not forget NJ Guitar & Bass Center in Edison. That place is great! And they have a few Sadowsky's in stock.
And seeing how you're in South Jersey (and closer to Philly than me), have you checked out Link Removed in Bensalem, PA? It's just outside Philly and the stock there looks impressive.
Alto Music is like home for me. Literally, I've lived within a 15 minute drive of one of their stores for most of my life. And I got my first bass from them, along with most of the instruments I currently own. The Airmont store is closest to the NJ line, but the Middletown store is where it's at. It's got the best stock of any of the three stores in the chain.
I'm definitely going to need to stop by O DiBella soon if they have Bergantino cabs in stock. And Lark Street has the best vintage instrument selection outside of NYC. 50's and 60's era Fenders are nothing to sneeze at.
Let's also not forget NJ Guitar & Bass Center in Edison. That place is great! And they have a few Sadowsky's in stock.
And seeing how you're in South Jersey (and closer to Philly than me), have you checked out Link Removed in Bensalem, PA? It's just outside Philly and the stock there looks impressive.
Thanks...I wasn't all that impressed with Bass Specialties...at least as far as amps go
Not the selection I assumed would be there per the website...
Not the selection I assumed would be there per the website...
I have yet to go to a store that has an excellent selection of amps, and I've been to quite a few. Bass Central was probably the best, but they only seemed to carry what they liked in the store itself.
Since you're looking in NYC, I hope you're looking for small cabs...you will not find large cabs here, except for at GC...and those are just your average Ampeg 8X10.
I was kind of curious about that myself. They've got plenty of imagery on their website for instruments. But when you click on the amps, they just have links to the manufacturers they carry. And believe me, I'm interested in patronizing any dealer that carries EBS (like Bass Specialties) since I've been using an EBS NEO-112 as my main gigging cabinet for the past 2+ years. It's disappointing to hear that they may not be carrying that much.
