merseybeat1963 Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Took my Martin D42 Custom & J200 Prototype in today to the 90 year old guy who has been taking care of my guitars since 1978. All of the music stores, except Rudy's & Alex Repair who is still there,..all else is barren. We found a spot to park in right away in front.Strange in itself. My wife was getting a kick sitting outside and watching guys dragging they're girlfriend along and then in shock,standing looking around stupified..where have they all gone? My little shoppe upstairs looks the same God bless them..pretty much as it did when i first walked in 1978. Our friend said at Gretsch NY where he worked.."I put on 14,000 neck e, in 5 year...I know what I am e talk e about e" "When the factory put e on e the neck e,they no realign the frete.." So Martin frets need leveling. And the J200.. dispite having just paid $100 for this same job two weeks ago,and logged 420 miles in 4 trips, needs treble side raise corrected, as only the bass side is straight. Oh my, all of the strings I could have bought with that wasted cash...(15 miles per gallon X $4 a gallon..tolls..) Oh well. When the Martin is done Im going directly to 34th St to compare it to the D18 Authentic 1937 over there. See how it fares. The j200..Im thinking while the master is still alive that I just should refret the guitar & he can plane the neck perfect.That guitar sounds so special. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 What is in the place of the old music shops? Empty, or the dreaded groovy apartment? BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Sounds like hell, MB. And I'm just talking about driving in midtown. I can set you up with a nice quiet Oneonta apt. Plenty of free parking and a crackerjack luthier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR GIBS Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 I am lucky tohave a friend master luthier 40 yers old Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Back in the day 48th Street was a Mecca for musicians. Talk about being a kid in a candy store. There was nothing else like it in the world. It just seems everything from my past is dissolving away. It is kinda sad that folks who came of musical age in a world of internet buying will not get to experience that row of music stores which seemed to stretch forever and where you could just wander from store to store and gaze in amazement at all those musical goodies sitting in racks or hanging on the wall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Back in the day 48th Street was a Mecca for musicians. Talk about being a kid in a candy store. There was nothing else like it in the world. It just seems everything from my past is dissolving away. It is kinda sad that folks who came of musical age in a world of internet buying will not get to experience that row of music stores which seemed to stretch forever and where you could just wander from store to store and gaze in amazement at all those musical goodies sitting in racks or hanging on the wall. You got that right zomboy. My father would take me into the city when he bought reeds for his old Selmer sax. Saw a guitar I liked at Manny's, and the old man peeled off a hundred bucks, buying me my first flat top. I turned out to be a slow learner, but it was still a meaningful life moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livemusic Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 What city is this thread about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merseybeat1963 Posted March 10, 2013 Author Share Posted March 10, 2013 New York City. All of the stores both sides of the street empty..hardly a sign left except for that iconic "Manny's". That was a place that was special, just like much of the city, should have never changed. (It just so unsettles me, cause I used to swear by that City.) That twisted Sam Ash guy pushed to take over every shoppe on that street & ruined its character. When you look at that barren sight ..just think that the only one that moved out, was Sam Ash. Only Rudys & a part of Alex Repair left. So true,it seems like everything from my past is desolving away. Not only our past,our generation & what we knew of the previous one that they are trying to erase. I wonder if it was the same for the generation before us. Its like a scene set from a movie. In this case Rockafeller Center who owns most of those buildings wants to expand. Alex, who's been there since before 1960, said there was a Gibson headquarters as well back then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 What city is this thread about? Back in the day there were just rows of low rise, 100 year old buildings housing stores like Mannny's, Rudy's, Alex Music. Al Wolffes, Terminal Music, Grayson's, the "We Buy Guitars" Place, even Dan Armstrong had a shop there. The list goes on and on. Manny's though was the place. Story was they used to open at midnight so Hendriz and others could come buy and shop without being bothered. Jimi bought that 1950s Epi FT-79 acoustic he used to work out all the songs for Eletric Ladyland at Mannys. They had a guitar hanging on the wall that I think Jimmy Page had dropped and broken. The store's walls were lined with autographed photos of all the famous guys from Benny Goodman to Bob Dylan who had bought instruments there. It was just an amazing place. The day Sam Ash bought them is truly the day the music died on 48th Street. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 You got that right zomboy. My father would take me into the city when he bought reeds for his old Selmer sax. Saw a guitar I liked at Manny's, and the old man peeled off a hundred bucks, buying me my first flat top. I turned out to be a slow learner, but it was still a meaningful life moment. I bought my first electric off the el cheapo sales rack at Mannys - a used Dan Electro. I think it was like $35. I later got a Hagstrom bass off the same rack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merseybeat1963 Posted March 10, 2013 Author Share Posted March 10, 2013 Back in the day there were just rows of low rise, 100 year old buildings housing stores like Mannny's, Rudy's, Alex Music. Al Wolffes, Terminal Music, Grayson's, the "We Buy Guitars" Place, even Dan Armstrong had a shop there. The list goes on and on. Manny's though was the place. Story was they used to open at midnight so Hendriz and others could come buy and shop without being bothered. Jimi bought that 1950s Epi FT-79 acoustic he used to work out all the songs for Eletric Ladyland at Mannys. They had a guitar hanging on the wall that I think Jimmy Page had dropped and broken. The store's walls were lined with autographed photos of all the famous guys from Benny Goodman to Bob Dylan who had bought instruments there. It was just an amazing place. The day Sam Ash bought them is truly the day the music died on 48th Street. And I look down that street at what you write and see it as it was. Just to think that Sammy Ash started in that narrow long shoppe , But he had that greed in him to take over everything around him..and in essence, killing the goose that laid the golden eggs. He's more responsible than anyone. I'd like to see a procession of Scots line up look into his face and and say the word Bastard..untill it sinks in. (No one says that word like a Scotsman) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 OK brother...calm down now. I'm afraid you'll drive into a tree. Sip a drink and picture Dave Van Ronk leaning against that messy front counter. At least that's how I recall it so many years ago. A Scotsman will wreck a good cursing rant anyway by inserting 'wee' somewhere in it. Right? What's this guys? A couple of guys selling out of their basement? http://mannysmusic.com/ I don't get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 All of the stires were pretty much nothing more than wide hallways that stretched all the way to the back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponty Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 I was on 48th St about 6 years ago, in December. It had been snowing and I noted a couple of guys clearing snow from Mannys awning and roof top. I went into Mannys and then crossed over the road to Sam Ash. I hadn't been in SA more than ten minutes, when I came out to complete chaos in front of Mannys. The guy on top of the roof had fallen off complete with part of a cast iron fence. The front end of the USP truck below had a horrible dent in it. Next day I tried to find out what the outcome was, but no one knew. I am pretty certain survival would have been impossible. One bad memory of 48th St. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 I was on 48th St about 6 years ago, in December. It had been snowing and I noted a couple of guys clearing snow from Mannys awning and roof top. I went into Mannys and then crossed over the road to Sam Ash. If you went into Manny's six years ago you were going into Sam Ash - they bought the place in 1999. They added it to their collection which already included Terminal Music and We Buy Guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 What city is this thread about? Good One! I was born there and wasn't sure either! Just remember, whenever you hear someone say "The City" - they are talking about NYC. Of course, we only have to look in the mirror to see that change is inevitable. There was an old Polish Pickle Shop in Brooklyn my father loved and took me to that was identical to what you described. I can't say that Hunts/Kerry bought them out - but I know it's gone. I bought my first Gibson at a Mom & Pop that only carried less expensive guitars. But it was a real music store - specialized in violins. When I was ready to upgrade after 2 years of lessons there (this is out on Long Island), they didn't have anything - so I stumbled upon Sam Ash in Hempstead and got my 2nd Gibby. So, you all might suggest I was part of the problem and not the solution. But, when I returned it a couple of months later because the top was bowing slightly - they gave me a new LG1, no questions asked. That would not have happened at the M&P. As a teenager, even though having had my lessons there - Mr. Knopf would have grabbed me by the collar and dragged me to the door. So - in spite of the nostalgic mojo type feel these old places inspire - I think the baby boomers and their children and grandchildren get more/better guitars in a big box type of retail environment. And - for those who may still resent the evolution (adaptation?) just think of what the internet is doing to the brick & mortar stores - not just music, but electronics and video games and music and even furniture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 Manny's and Ruby the Knish Guy - the stuff that dreams were made of. The point is buying a guitar at Manny's was an experience in itself. You would walk down the length of that building which must have been no more than 20 feet wide, past the elevators bringing up a Vox Super Beatle from the basement and step down into the guitar section where Manny's son Henry would be yelling to somebody to bring down this or that guitar. Off in the corner there always seemed to be somebody testing an amp with that beat to heck yellow (or at least what was left of it) Dan Electro guitar. You could walk up the stairs to the office area and touch all the photos signed by just about every musician you could think of. And you never knew who you were going to run into. I don't resent the evolution but I just can't escape the notion that everything that was once made of steel has been reproduced in plastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merseybeat1963 Posted March 11, 2013 Author Share Posted March 11, 2013 Manny's and Ruby the Knish Guy - the stuff that dreams were made of. The point is buying a guitar at Manny's was an experience in itself. You would walk down the length of that building which must have been no more than 20 feet wide, past the elevators bringing up a Vox Super Beatle from the basement and step down into the guitar section where Manny's son Henry would be yelling to somebody to bring down this or that guitar. Off in the corner there always seemed to be somebody testing an amp with that beat to heck yellow (or at least what was left of it) Dan Electro guitar. You could walk up the stairs to the office area and touch all the photos signed by just about every musician you could think of. And you never knew who you were going to run into. I don't resent the evolution but I just can't escape the notion that everything that was once made of steel has been reproduced in plastic. I really do resent it, cause its not an evolution,it's a devolution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 Yeah...sigh. I get through it all by abandoning expectations of goodness, in general. That's OK though. The late great Carlin respected entropy as the ruling force in the universe. Can't argue that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merseybeat1963 Posted March 12, 2013 Author Share Posted March 12, 2013 A man lost in time.. Just walking the dead. Where are we now, where are we now? The moment you know,you know,you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponty Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 you went into Manny's six years ago you were going into Sam Ash - they bought the place in 1999. They added it to their collection which already included Terminal Music and We Buy Guitars. Sam Ash may have owned Mannys since 1999, but up until 2009/10 the store front was very much Mannys. The vertical sign, the over door sign and the brass floor 'Mannys' name were all there. So to me it was Mannys, because thats is what the shop was called. Here is a NY Time article, 2009 .http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/01/nyregion/01mannys.html?_r=0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponty Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 If you went into Manny's six years ago you were going into Sam Ash - they bought the place in 1999. They added it to their collection which already included Terminal Music and We Buy Guitars. Sam Ash may have owned Mannys since 1999, but up until 2009/10 the store front was very much Mannys. The vertical sign, the over door sign and the brass floor 'Mannys' name were all there. So to me it was Mannys, because thats is what the shop was called. Here is a NY Time article, 2009 .http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/01/nyregion/01mannys.html?_r=0 Oh..thats better!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Sam Ash may have owned Mannys since 1999, but up until 2009/10 the store front was very much Mannys. The vertical sign, the over door sign and the brass floor 'Mannys' name were all there. So to me it was Mannys, because thats is what the shop was called. Here is a NY Time article, 2009 .http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/01/nyregion/01mannys.html?_r=0 Oh..thats better!! I kinda gather you were not hanging around 48th Street in the 1960s. A Gibson J-45 made in 1972 says Gibson right on the headstock. So does one made in 1942. But there is a world of difference between those guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merseybeat1963 Posted March 13, 2013 Author Share Posted March 13, 2013 When you walked into Mannys afterwards it all of a sudden felt different..then you realized it felt like a Sam Ash.. Same exact prices & more and more the presentation and sales philosophy(of a Sam Ash) The owner(guy with beard and winney voice projecting orders at his sons and workers)all of a sudden disappeared..though his son seemed to stay on for a little while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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