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Shopping in LA

Mar 14, 2003
8,127
10,484
Seattle, WA
I've got a friend on tour right now and she's looking for recommendations for shops in LA. She's interested in buying a bass, not sure what kind exactly.

If there are good musician-friendly guitar shops that you could recommend, she would appreciate it.
 
Here are a few choices:

Sam Ash, 7360 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046, (323) 850-1050
Guitar Center Hollywood, 7425 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046, (323) 874-1060
Guitar Center West LA, 10831 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064, (310) 475-0637
McCabe's in Santa Monica, 3101 Pico Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90405, www.mccabes.com, (310) 828-4497
TrueTone Music, 714 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401, www.truetonemusic.com, (310) 393-8232
 
I've got a friend on tour right now and she's looking for recommendations for shops in LA. She's interested in buying a bass, not sure what kind exactly.

If there are good musician-friendly guitar shops that you could recommend, she would appreciate it.
Future Music
future music highland park - Google Search

Imperial Vintage(two locations)
Imperial Vintage Guitars

Caveman Vintage(just east of DTLA)
https://cavemanvintage.com/

The Amp Shop/Bass Exchange(NoHo)
Amp Shop Bass Exchange – BUY REPAIR TRADE MUSIC GEAR

Then, last but not least, the granddaddy joint, Norm’s, out in the Valley(fer sure fer sure)…
Normans Rare Guitars
The Sherman Oaks GC on the way to Norms can be interesting, and the one in Pasadena(the other way)is decent.

Don’t forget to hit Amoeba Music in Hollywood; if she’s in a band of any notority, she(and her band)could be interviewed on her purchases for the “What’s In My Bag” YT series…
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In fact, if they have on-the-ball management or label and product, they might even be able to play there. After all, it was good enough for McCartney.

What dump is she playing at:D?
 
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She seems set on 5-Strings and Norm's doesn't seem to have any. I guess that's an issue with places than specialize in vintage.

The band is called "Boombox" from Ukraine. It looks like they are playing at Avalon Hollywood tomorrow night (3/5/2023)

BoomBox (UKRAINE) North American Tour 2023
Ah yes, I knew that theater as The Palace, it holds about 1500, I saw one of the loudest shows for me, My Bloody Valentine, there. Right across the street from the Capitol Tower, it was the location for the old Hollywood Palace TV show.
I can’t imagine Norm’s not having a 5, they’re more than just ‘vintage’, but it can happen. It looks like either the Amp Shop/Bass Exchange or the Sunset & Gardner GC/Sam Ash would be her best bet. From the venue to AS/BE, it’s a hop over the hill on the 101 to Lankershiem, which comes up quickly, then north a bit. To GC, a quick drop down to Sunset, and then go west past La Brea.
 
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McCabe's was my local guitar shop growing up. That's not a place to buy a bass, much less a 5-string.

$65 to see a band at the Avalon and that's the starting price. Wow times have changed.
 
McCabe's was my local guitar shop growing up. That's not a place to buy a bass, much less a 5-string.

$65 to see a band at the Avalon and that's the starting price. Wow times have changed.
I’d rather be at the Redwood downtown(btw, they are administering a fund to help with medical expenses for The Blasters’ Phil Alvin, who apparently is in bad shape), or the Cinema Bar in Culver City, a couple of my favorite rock’n’roll dives. But McCabe’s shows are special.
 
I've got a friend on tour right now and she's looking for recommendations for shops in LA. She's interested in buying a bass, not sure what kind exactly.

If there are good musician-friendly guitar shops that you could recommend, she would appreciate it.
GC hollywood

Mesa boogie is directly across the street

I think Sam Ash is also right there.
 
Oh yeah? I didn't know that. I guess it has been about 6 years or so
Other little stores on that corner have come and gone; there was another iconic shop around the corner, Voltage, that finally succumbed to time and the internet. They always had cool stuff. But one place steadfastly remains, the Sunset Grill, where the basket people still walk around and mumble.
 

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