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Visiting NYC this week...

#41
MYLOWFREQ said:
Yes, in fact no music stores on 48th st anymore.
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I discovered this fact earlier this year when I was in NYC - like a ghost town for music gear. I used to work five minutes away in the early '00's - spent many lunch hours lusting over the basses at Manny's, Sam Ash, Rudy's. And the amps were ridiculous.

Only thing I found equivalent was Denmark Street in Soho, London. Went to Wunjo Bass - absolutely packed full of basses. I was nervous to turn around. The whole street is music stores. Great place to spend way too much time (and money)!
 
#42
NYC Bass shops not what it used to be. 30 years on 48th St I saw Bob Dylan in the pawn shop where I abought a 78 jazz bass in pristine condition for $350.. I got it home laid the case on the kitchen table and pull it out to admired it and stuck the head stock into the metal ceiling fan. Almost as good as the time I finished an upright solo with a G harmonic and forgot to grab the bass again and it fell to the floor knocking the neck out. The 78 Jazz neck warped and eventually the body moved on to someone else.

Have a great trip and may you and your basses be safe.
 
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#43
Dave W said:
Neither of those exist anymore...

Mannys was bought by Sam Ash years ago, and then was moved down to 34th Street
Rudy's on 48th closed a few years back. There is a location in Soho, but it doesn't have much bass gear.
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Low84 said:
Pensa Custom appears to be a nice shop to visit... 461 Broome Street.
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Rudy's music is Rudy Pensa. They have some nice stuff although not much.

Interspace Station said:
Warwick/Franks showroom on 11th and 1st...that still there or did they close too?
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Believe that closed awhile back

RoyGBass said:
I have a collection of over 70 basses with a handful available.
Hit me up if you want to come uptown to check out some stuff.
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Can we hang out? Can you adopt me? :p (Also looking at your gear list I think I recognize some stuff for sale local)


As has been mentioned, hit up Aguilar through email and ask if they wouldn't mind a factory tour or if you can head over to the artist loft. Maybe EHX if they still give shop tours (not too far from Sadowsky)

You can skip the 14th Street Guitar Center. I was in there to buy a microphone and the bass room is practically empty. What is there isn't noteworthy. A lot of mid level production instruments that are beat to crap. What used to be one of the nicest GCs is now cringeworthingly bad.

There is the LaBella showroom in BK and some nice places out in Bay Ridge. If you are headed out to Brooklyn check out Main Drag Music, Southside Guitars (lots of vintage stuff there), and Pentatonic Music.

Honestly though, for such a large city we don't have that many music stores left, let alone stuff with a bass selection.
 
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#44
GeneralElectric said:
Rudy's music is Rudy Pensa. They have some nice stuff although not much.



Believe that closed awhile back



Can we hang out? Can you adopt me? :p (Also looking at your gear list I think I recognize some stuff for sale local)


As has been mentioned, hit up Aguilar through email and ask if they wouldn't mind a factory tour or if you can head over to the artist loft. Maybe EHX if they still give shop tours (not too far from Sadowsky)

You can skip the 14th Street Guitar Center. I was in there to buy a microphone and the bass room is practically empty. What is there isn't noteworthy. A lot of mid level production instruments that are beat to crap. What used to be one of the nicest GCs is now cringeworthingly bad.

There is the LaBella showroom in BK and some nice places out in Bay Ridge. If you are headed out to Brooklyn check out Main Drag Music, Southside Guitars (lots of vintage stuff there), and Pentatonic Music.

Honestly though, for such a large city we don't have that many music stores left, let alone stuff with a bass selection.
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Yeah man if you are local you can come by and thump some stuff anytime
 
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#50
GeneralElectric said:
You can skip the 14th Street Guitar Center. I was in there to buy a microphone and the bass room is practically empty. What is there isn't noteworthy. A lot of mid level production instruments that are beat to crap. What used to be one of the nicest GCs is now cringeworthingly bad.
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With all due respect, their vintage section is not half bad. Whether OP has any interest in that type of gear is a different matter.
 
#52

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#53
Interspace Station said:
Warwick/Franks showroom on 11th and 1st...that still there or did they close too?

Second Carmine St/Kelly Guitars. Rick is a good dude and has worked on a couple of my instruments. Right around the corner from Umanov in a great part of town. Umanov had some really spotty customer service in the past years though, not entirely surprised they're closing. Perhaps some blowout deals?
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Was there today..not too much left...especially in the Bass area..
 
#55
There's a good selection of basses at Main Drag in Brooklyn. Not far from the Williamsburg Bridge. I bought my '66 Jazz and '69 Les Paul basses there.
Nedmundo said:
Almost forgot...Ludlow Guitars is pretty good too, though I don't remember whether they had a nice bass selection when I last visited.
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Hardly any basses at Ludlow. Rivington Guitars isn't far and they've got a decent selection.
 
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#57
Jones64 said:
NYC Bass shops not what it used to be. 30 years on 48th St I saw Bob Dylan in the pawn shop where I abought a 78 jazz bass in pristine condition for $350.. I got it home laid the case on the kitchen table and pull it out to admired it and stuck the head stock into the metal ceiling fan. Almost as good as the time I finished an upright solo with a G harmonic and forgot to grab the bass again and it fell to the floor knocking the neck out. The 78 Jazz neck warped and eventually the body moved on to someone else.

Have a great trip and may you and your basses be safe.
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Sign o the times. How many musicians live In NYC nowadays? Hoboken spaces were bought out 20 years ago. Sad to see.
 
#59
Joe Nerve said:
Two Brothers pizza on 38th and 8th. $1 slices of the best pizza in Manhattan. It's no Spumoni Gardens (NYers know wtfI'mtalkinabout :))... but I love it!
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Spumoni Gardens doesn't come up on Yelp: is that one of those "knock on the 3rd door on the right, after the Angel mural, & ask for the Johnny C's slice, it's not on the menu" spots? Give us a hint - Please (PM if necessary, I can keep a secret).

How is pizza related to basses? This is a NYC post: if you didn't walk down the street with a folded slice, you just drove thru the city. Ask a New Yorker what they have done for a good slice (could be a separate post).
 

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