Shopping in LA

[JeezyMcNuggles]

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.

That sucks. Those were my go to spots whenever we were playing at the whiskey. Show up a few hours early, and kill time playing around.

 

[krfoss]

I was in Norms today and there wasnt a 5 to be found anywhere other than on a banjo.

GC Hollywood is pretty good. Have a bunch of the expected stuff, plus a great selection of Fodera, Smith, Spector, depending on how deep your pockets are.

Skip The Bass Exchange. Not a very wide selection, and the owner is hardly welcoming. But, a bunch of 5's can be found.

I'm also hoping to find a good bass shop in the Los Angeles area. Great guitar stores are everywhere, but bass shops are impossible to find.

 

[Joebone]

For a five? I'm a little behind the times, but here goes...

Bass Exchange often had good inventory, but stiff on pricing and hospitality -- and I've not been in there for a long time...

The Guitar Centers in Hollywood and Sherman Oaks often had interesting stuff, new and used. And maybe the one at Westwood and Pico - rich kids ditching under-appreciated gear?

Sam Ash on Sunset, across from Guitar Center. In my limited experience, pushing on price just might work.

LA Vintage Gear is worth a look. The guy who runs it has his head screwed on straight.

And...of course...there's always the pawn shops! And likely a host of places I don't know about...but there you have it.

 

[MJ5150]

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.

Is that really a place?
I remember first hearing that song then wanting to go there for a beer and gaze out at the auburn sky.

-Mike

 

[Alper Yilmaz]

Wow, I had no idea Amoeba was still in business... When I was a grad student at UC Davis back in 1995-2000, I used to go their store (as well as another joint called "Rasputin") in Berkeley to check used CDs and stuff...

Alper

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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[MCF]

GC hollywood

Mesa boogie is directly across the street

I think Sam Ash is also right there.

Sadly, the Mesa showroom closed about three years ago. It was supposed to move, but as far as I know it has not reopened. It was a great store.

 

[Michedelic]

Wow, I had no idea Amoeba was still in business... When I was a grad student at UC Davis back in 1995-2000, I used to go their store (as well as another joint called "Rasputin") in Berkeley to check used CDs and stuff...

Alper

Why wouldn’t they be? Berkeley, SF, and LA, where I was for almost 10 years.

 

[Michedelic]

Is that really a place?
I remember first hearing that song then wanting to go there for a beer and gaze out at the auburn sky.

-Mike

Here you go…

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Then you can run down to Trejo’s Coffee & Donuts for dessert…

 

[HeavyJazz]

Norm's is definitely worth dropping into for vintage stuff. The prices are on the high end of the spectrum though. But they usually have a lot of cool stuff!

True, true. I don't think anybody has ever walked out of Norm's or Rumble Seat Music (Nashville) with a slick vintage find singing, "What a deal!" More like "Time to sell the house..."

 

[Pdaddy1978]

Back in the day, when wet nosed kids like me and my bandmates used to venture down to LA to drool on and/or purchase gear, we would hit the original GC on Sunset, and Nadines in Hollywierd.
Just found out Nadines is gone.....
Bummer.
Of course, we'd also hit Tower Records while we were there.
Also, sadly, gone...

 

[fhm555]

Beat me to it!

As a former resident of LA, I thought only those who spent time in lower Alabama knew we called it that.

 

[getBAK]

Guitar Center in West Hollywood is a vastly different experience than any other GC store I've been into. But then again that's the one that feeds all of the recording studios in the area.

If she's got a little time, Fret Nation is in Temecula is couple hours south in traffic, but the bad-ass stuff in on the shelf Bass and Guitar Strings, Amps and More from Fret Nation

Is she looking to buy an instrument just for this show? If so, I'd call up SIR and see what she could rent.

<edit> I looked at the tour dates. It appear to be all fly-gigs and scattered all over the country (frankly, kinda badly laid out). I'd just rent a pro-instrument (and amp-rig) in each locale. That way you aren't having to constantly transport an instrument on the plane, or deal wirth customs in Canada. There's a lot to be said for showing up at a gig with a tested, pro-setup instrument waiting for you. It's not like she's going to have time to search out the perfect instrument in the less than 24 hours before the first gig

 

[MJ5150]

Here you go…
View attachment 4988753
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Then you can run down to Trejo’s Coffee & Donuts for dessert…
View attachment 4988754

Rad! I totally need to visit there. I've never been, but that joint is a big part of my youth.

-Mike

 

[Cave Puppy]

I like Graysons. Good friendly people.
Grayson's Tunetown
TrueTone music is good too

I keep forgetting about Grayson’s. Cool little town, too.

 

[Cave Puppy]

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 been to Hollywood, I’ve been to the Redwood, too! Played there a bunch.

 

[Cave Puppy]

Is that really a place?
I remember first hearing that song then wanting to go there for a beer and gaze out at the auburn sky.

-Mike

Yep. I’ve eaten there a lot. It is RIGHT next door to GC Hollywood.

 

[funkinbottom]

I lived right around the corner on Sierra Bonita in the early eighties. It looked like this then.

 

[Cave Puppy]

I lived right around the corner on Sierra Bonita in the early eighties. It looked like this then.

View attachment 4989021

That’s when the food was good there!

 

[Moe Hickey]

Have not been to True Tone lately. It used to be super well stocked with lots of new and used but heard they had shrunk. Has anyone been there recently?

 

[Ellery]

The Mesa Boogie store has been gone for years, the Carvin store folded way before the brand did. Sam Ash definitely has had a presence there for decades.

That is too bad about the Mesa store, that's where I bought my Mesa Powerhouse 6x10. Those guys were so cool. The most important factor to me was if it would fit in the back seat of my little car. They actually allowed me to put it in my car... without asking for a driver's license or credit card! Needless to say, it for and I bought it.