merseybeat1963 Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 Went shopping with a friend who wants a guitar to replace a newish China made Guild. Went to 48th Street..only Rudy's left..all other stores is gone. Now we only have faint memories. Alex's repair still there next to Rudy's upstairs. Went to Matt Uminov's to try the J45 2008 mentioned here...very light and in nice shape..but sound is not outstanding..I suspect the strings. A couple of old LG1 & 2..terrible sounding things. Yeechh! Went to Sam Ashs new Mega store 34th St. An advanced Jumbo Gibson there had THE sound you hope to find in a good guitar. A Martin D18 Authentic 1937 was impressive with such a wonderfull subsonic bass ..really special bass & the old style perfect Martin neck. All the others were just plain typical boring Martins. Lastly one of those Robert Johnson Gibsons..oh man we both loved that one. My wife as well. Sound was real nice but that old style perfect Gibson neck..and thank goodness ebony fingerboard. There was no pickguard & with nitro top was already showing lots of scratches...minor thing though..I like it as is. Id put that clear flex thin plastic one to cover that area. Three guitars I would buy right there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duluthdan Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 "The times, they are a changin'". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorrisrownSal Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 You get a chance to play any of those 1960s J50s in Umanovs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 Youre lucky to be living in NYC, there are still so many great guitar shops in the area. I bought my 69'er from Matt Umanov (overpriced) and throughly enjoyed visiting Rudy's SoHo (Gordon is a great customer service guy) and in particular I enjoyed the ferry trip to Mandolin Bros which is one of the best guitar shops Ive come across anywhere. Never made it to 48th street unfortunately. Guitar Centre was a big disappointment both in terms of stock and attitude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 48th Sreet ain't been the same since Sam Ash bought Manny's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gov Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 Was told not only is Rudy's no longer a 5 star, they will not be carrying new Gibson any longer. Mandolin brothers the same which surprised me. I care little for the business politics of anything I consider a hobby but apparently there's some there. Did not hear Gibson's side (nor will I seek it) so not repeating anything here. This may be old news to most here though.... Manny's is missed for sure. As a side note, the folks at Russo in Asbury Park are a passionate bunch with a good selection. A worthwhile stop if you are anywhere near. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichG Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 I bought my 1966 Guild in 1966 on 48th. I think it was Jimmy's music, but not sure if that was the name. +1 on Russo Music. I drove from LI to there twice to buy the AJ and the Sheryl Crow SJ. Scott is very responsive and seems to work well with the Gibson Factory. They are moving to a new, bigger location about a block away. I found them through this board. Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merseybeat1963 Posted February 11, 2013 Author Share Posted February 11, 2013 You get a chance to play any of those 1960s J50s in Umanovs? No.. Must say every Strat Tele I lifted (Custom Shop) weighted a ton. No vibration..felt like the bodys were full of water almost. Very Bad news...non resonant instruments at that price level & legend. Bothers me. Alder & ash are cheap whats the big deal using only resonant stuff for guitars $2k and up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merseybeat1963 Posted February 11, 2013 Author Share Posted February 11, 2013 48th Sreet ain't been the same since Sam Ash bought Manny's. And when every store became a Sam Ash..whats the freakin point of that.. But before that, the first downer was the pricing.. Anyone who went to 48th Street could expect a straight discount of 45% off...nearly 20 years,that place set the standard for discount that others had to match. No haggling was possible Then one day ..overnight virtually..I go in and everything is 30% off. Now its 23-27% off and have to shop or haggle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merseybeat1963 Posted February 11, 2013 Author Share Posted February 11, 2013 Was told not only is Rudy's no longer a 5 star, they will not be carrying new Gibson any longer. Mandolin brothers the same which surprised me. I care little for the business politics of anything I consider a hobby but apparently there's some there. Did not hear Gibson's side (nor will I seek it) so not repeating anything here. This may be old news to most here though.... Manny's is missed for sure. As a side note, the folks at Russo in Asbury Park are a passionate bunch with a good selection. A worthwhile stop if you are anywhere near. No Gibson's at Mandolin Brothers..? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichG Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 No Gibson's at Mandolin Brothers..? Nope, no new ones. Correction, there are a couple of new things, a mandolin, one acoustic guitar and an electric on his site. May be leftovers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gov Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 +1 on Russo Music. I drove from LI to there twice to buy the AJ and the Sheryl Crow SJ. Scott is very responsive and seems to work well with the Gibson Factory. They are moving to a new, bigger location about a block away. I found them through this board. It's also where I got my SC SJ. I got linked up with Howie when I called in and he was great throughout--great follow up and follow through. Scott is extremely passionate and willing to spend the time sharing his knowledge. Brian was great as well. I think these guys will do quite well for a long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gov Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 No Gibson's at Mandolin Brothers..? They are still listed as a dealer on Gibson's site but no longer a 5 star. I heard they are not carrying any new Gibson's and if you note on their home page, under brands, it says "(USED) Gibson's" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merseybeat1963 Posted February 11, 2013 Author Share Posted February 11, 2013 They are still listed as a dealer on Gibson's site but no longer a 5 star. I heard they are not carrying any new Gibson's and if you note on their home page, under brands, it says "(USED) Gibson's" Unbelievable considering that Stan Jay proposed the idea to Gibson of buying out Flatiron co which was Ren Ferguson/Steve Carlson...and why we have Bozeman Montana made Gibson Acoustics this good to pick from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponty Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 I was on 48th in December. More fruit and veg. than guitars! SA was getting ready for their move to 34th - opposite B&H camera. In fact they sent my guitar back to Martin for me. I haven't heard anything since. Rudys had some nice stuff, but it is a real hassle to try them. All chained up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merseybeat1963 Posted February 11, 2013 Author Share Posted February 11, 2013 I was on 48th in December. More fruit and veg. than guitars! SA was getting ready for their move to 34th - opposite B&H camera. In fact they sent my guitar back to Martin for me. I haven't heard anything since. Rudys had some nice stuff, but it is a real hassle to try them. All chained up. They're store in Soho is much nicer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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