BigRedX Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 Congratulations - enjoy your trip! Maybe post some thoughts (and basses) from on the road? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIM Basses Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 (edited) Yeah Congrats Mark, have a great time in the US. I love NY, been twice and would go back tomorrow if I had the funds. Next time Im going to see Vinny and Joey at Fodera. Just to get you in the mood, view from top of Empire! Keep safe, Robbie. Edited March 26, 2008 by RIM Basses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7string Posted March 27, 2008 Author Share Posted March 27, 2008 Well I'm on my way down south, turned on the laptop to do some work and found there's free Wi-fi on the train. How cool is that !! Thanks for all your kind words. It's going to be a great trip and I'm lucky to have a partner who's as great as my wife-to-be. If I can find a bargain, there will be some bass shopping. I aim to keep a note of what I find in each shop in each stop so I can report back on the state of affairs stateside. Thanks again, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted March 27, 2008 Share Posted March 27, 2008 You'll find free WiFi all over the US but especially in New York. No excuse from not posting on the Road! ;-) Now looking forward to my NYC trip later this year... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul, the Posted March 28, 2008 Share Posted March 28, 2008 [quote name='RIM Basses' post='164161' date='Mar 26 2008, 10:56 PM'][/quote] That makes me dizzy. I'm so used to sparsely placed two-story buildings, those sky-scrapers would really freak me out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7string Posted May 13, 2008 Author Share Posted May 13, 2008 We arrived back safely in the UK as Mr & Mrs after one heck of a trip! USA musicians are just so lucky, the price of gear over there is so cheap! Not only is actual hardware cheap, all the accessories and strings are too! The only problem is that the quality of service varies not just from store to store but from person to person. But then again, we have that problem in the UK as well. Each store we saw in The Guitar Center chain was just huge, likewise Sam Ash. However, we did find Sam Ash to have the better and more knowledgable staff (except GC in Knoxville). The only problem with these stores is that that they're limited to the main protagonists Fender, Ibanez, Musicman, Warwick etc. So if you're looking for some a little more unusual, a better bet would be a specialist bass store or a trawl around the pawnbrokers. There were some great stores though... The best: Chicago Music Exchange. A big store with deep, comfy sofas so that your better half can sit and read while you go around the walls of stock. The acoustic room is seperated from the rest of the store (as it is in all the Guitar Centers) and it's as well stocked as the rest of the place. Best of all, the staff are extremely knowledgable and friendly, offering great help and advice. You never feel that you're too much trouble or in the way. Other great stores are: the small but perfectly formed Speciality Guitars in Charlottesville. Gruhn Guitars in Nashville (amazing store) and Manny's in New York. I went there a few years ago and didn't think much of the place at all. This time was totally different. Great staff and great prices (heck, we even got train info for visiting Shea Stadium that night. Definately what a guitar store should be. Came out with an solid koa Oscar Schmidt ukulele ($130), a couple of 6 string set of D'Addario strings (just $28 each) and a 4 string sets of DR's ($25). A big shout also goes to Uncle Ike's Music and Sound. Great service. Why? Well because it was the only store that had what I wanted in stock. Then sent it to our hotel in New York. What did I buy? An Ovation USA Elite T deep contoured bowl 12 string electro-acoustic guitar. I had found the mid-bowl version in Chicago Music Exchange but found that the deep bowl one was being sold for half the price. A lot of 'phone calls later, we found one. The price; $659 So for those in the UK, the USA is one big cheap music store. Fill your boots, (by post or visit) whilst the exchange rate is so good.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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