Interesting LA Music Stores

I've been in the LA area for the past few days, and got the opportunity to visit some interesting music stores. First off... when did Best Buy become a full fledged music store? I walked into one in San Bernadino to look at car stereos, and was surprise to find an entire section as big as a small Guitar Center...they had Fender, Gibson, Line6, Roland...PA's, keyboards, recording gear...even drums. The section was a separate area in the Best Buy, like Magnolia Home Theatre. Prices looked on par with Guitar Center.

Then I spend a few hours in Hollywood on Sunset Blvd. This is guitar heaven. Not only is it the biggest Guitar Center I've been in, but it inside they have a HUGE vintage room full of classic Strats, Les Pauls....even THE Eric Clapton Crossroads 335....just awesome. They had real strats from the 50's onwards. I fell in love with a 1973 335....they only want $5000 for it (I need to make a big bonus this quarter!) They also had the entire Fender line and just a huge selection of relics and custom shop stuff. I also stopped in Sam Ash across the street (which stocks a bunch of "other" brands like ESP, Larivee, etc.). Unfortunetely, I just missed the Mesa Boogie Store which had closed at 6pm (also across from super Guitar Center)....according to the some the helpful staff at Guitar Center, they carry Bill Nash Timewarps.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable trip to the Los Angeles metro area. If you're visiting, it's definetely worth the trip to Hollywood. It's not far from the Hollywood and Vine area.....driving around that area made me feel like I was on an episode of "Entourage."

I'll go to some of my haunts in San Diego today (hopefully to find the relic of my dreams or a Bill Nash instrument).

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THIS SPACE FOR RENT

Yep, it's true... I grew up in Orange County, and and as much I detested the Hollywood scene when I was a teen (all hair bands & movie stars) I was stunned when I walked into the Guitar Center there––I just remember walls & walls covered in guitars (and this was LONG before there was a Guitar Center in just about every city like there is today.)

Sounds like you're having a guitar lover's dream trip! Too bad you missed the Mesa Boogie store––they've got a pretty fine collection of Custom Zemaitis guitars as well

Have fun in San Diego, and I hope you find that dream-guitar! Can't wait to hear about it.

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egr :: guitar spoken here

I wasn't able to stop by my usual San Diego Haunts, but did stop in the La Mesa Guitar Center....where my friend, Angel, is the manager of the guitar section. I didn't really discover anything new, but I did play through one of the limited "purple" Hot Rod Deluxe Fender Amps with an EJ Strat. Very warm sounding...a good tube amp for the $700. It didn't have the "sparkle" of the Class A stuff from Badcat or Marshall, but it did have the nice tube warmth with plenty of power.

Angel says that the Mexican 50's & 60's Strats are selling like hotcakes among pros and amateurs alike. He even bought one himself and is souping it up with new pickups and some adjustments (he plays in a Van Halen tribute band). He claims with $200 for new pickups and some additional setup, you could make the 50's model sound and play like the EJ Strat. I was half tempted to get one myself, but I already have the Mexican Nashville Tele that I'm working on. I found this page on the Bill Nash site that has given me some ideas. I will probably spend some time this weekend tweaking the nut and truss rod on it. I do wish I had the wider nut width like my American Deluxe Strat....

My next guitar will be a relic (either a Fender or a Bill Nash) or a Gibson 335 (the $5000 1973 one in Hollywood was a little too rich for my blood at the moment). I also played a new ES-336 (smaller version of a 335) in Hollywood that was quite nice....but I want to do some more test driving before I commit to any new instrument. My tele is only 5 month old... I'm still breaking it in.

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THIS SPACE FOR RENT

Just came back from Mike's Music here in Cincinnati (www.mikesmusicohio.com). I dropped off two guitars for repairs, then spent an hour checking out the guitars hanging on the walls. After a thorough search I took down a 1964 sunburst Fender Duo Sonic. That guitar was INSANE. The neck was perfect, the action was incredibly low with no fret buzz, and the guitar played beautifully all the way up the neck. For $1599.00 it was a fantastic pre-CBS vintage guitar. It took everything I had to leave without it.

To make matters worse I played a 68 Gibson melody maker (SG-style body) that has some kind of sparkling burgundy/burnt orange finish on it. This guitar was just as good as the Duo Sonic, but with a neck like a baseball bat. It was HUGE. I started seriously contemplating asking what kind of discount I could get if I bought both of them...but my wife wants a new dining set, so I left empty handed.

If you're ever in the Nati you have to visit this shop. It's a guitar lover's paradise. The best part is walking up the stairs to the 2nd and 3rd floors. That's where the have all the Silvertones, Harmonys, and Teiscos on display. Very funky!