new york city musical instruments

Subject: new york city musical instruments
From: ollaimh
Date: 20 Apr 11 - 12:43 AM

i will be visiting new york this spring. are there any midcatters who have hints as to good districts , fles markets, and instrument stores and pawn shops to look for cool old musical instruments?

i look for mandolin family stuff, especially bouzoukis portuguiese guitars and other citterns. there are probably good haunts but they probably a lot of time to find , so any leads?

Subject: RE: new york city musical instruments
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 20 Apr 11 - 02:51 AM

Mandolin Brothers, 629 Forest Avenue, Staten Island. Have a look at the website.

Dave H

Subject: RE: new york city musical instruments
From: EBarnacle
Date: 20 Apr 11 - 09:26 AM

There are several, especially in Greenwich Village, but keep your hand on your wallet as many of them are not averse to charging all the traffic will bear...and then some. A lot of them treat list price as suggested starting point, not a definition. This is one situation where the advantage of being in NYC is in access, not necessarily in price.

Subject: RE: new york city musical instruments
From: fretless
Date: 20 Apr 11 - 10:57 AM

Agree with EBarnacle, you are much more likely to find quality and quantity than bargains. In the Village, Matt Umanov and the Music Inn on 4th Street, would be traditional candidates. Also the various instrument shops on W. 48th Street (east of Broadway). Mandolin Brothers has a great selection and is worth the trip out to Staten Island (and it is a nice springtime trip if you take the ferry from Manhattan). At one time jim Garber, long ago of ht eWonderbeans string band, was dealing in instruments. If he is still in teh business, it would be worth looking him up, too.

Subject: RE: new york city musical instruments
From: katlaughing
Date: 20 Apr 11 - 11:40 AM

Here's me thinking NYC's got its own indigenous instruments!*bg*

Good luck!

Subject: RE: new york city musical instruments
From: EBarnacle
Date: 20 Apr 11 - 11:46 AM

Music Inn is one of the places I was referring to. If you check with pawn shops, tho, there is more variety than there is in the hinterlands.