View Full Version : Recommended stores in western ny
Taking a week long trip through that area to celebrate an anniversary. #Any stores with a mandolin selection worth checking out?
coolwood
Sep-13-2007, 7:54am
I recently vacationed in the Finger Lakes and stopped into Ithica Guitar Works. #I bought my wife a new Rainsong guitar. #The store was small, but had a nice selection. #They had a perhaps a dozen or so mandos: Weber, #Eastman. #The owner was nice. #They have a website.
johnnymando
Sep-13-2007, 8:25am
If you're going to be near Rochester, check out Bernunzios' on East ave, downtown. Good selection of vintage mandolins,Guitars and b**jos too.
Thier website is www.bernunzios.com
JeffD
Sep-13-2007, 10:12am
I second Ithaca Guitar Works, great folks
allenhopkins
Sep-13-2007, 10:36am
I live in Rochester, where we have some great places to look for instruments. Here are a few:
Bernunzio Uptown Music, (http://bernunzio.com/) on East Avenue downtown. This weekend he's having a "Reels & Reels" banjo-oriented program –– films from the Eastman House movie archive, a Friday night jam, workshops with Bob Carlin, a concert with several local string bands.
Stutzman's Guitar Center (http://stutzmansguitarcenter.com/)on West Ridge Road about 6-7 miles out of the city. A good selection of new and vintage, excellent repair and adjustment, 40+ years in the business. Ask to see if they have a selection other than what's on display. I've bought 75% of my instruments from Dave Stutzman and his late father Eldon.*
Lehmann Stringed Instruments (http://www.lehmannstrings.com/)on Elton Street about a mile out of downtown. Bernie Lehmann is primarily a builder of guitars and lutes, though he's made a mandolin or two, but he has wonderful stuff on display in his grungy little walk-up shop. Always a few vintage things for sale, as well.
I put all the website links in so you can give a call if you're looking for anything in particular. Enjoy!
* I should mention that Stutzman's is one of the few places where you can see the entire Gibson "plectral choir" on display –– "pumpkin top" A-1 mandolin, H-1 mandola, K-1 mandocello, and J-1 mando-bass, all matching.
pasturepicker
Sep-13-2007, 9:42pm
There was a place called Rumbleseat Music that delt in used string instruments. It was on State Street in Ithaca. Used to have some decent guitars, mandolins, banjos, etc. As far as I know it is still there.
swampstomper
Sep-17-2007, 7:35am
IMHO Rumbleseat is clueless about mandos and acoustic guitars. They have a few they've picked up (including teens Gibsons and a 1999 A5L), I went in and tried them "with intent". Find their inventory on gbase. The prices are quite high compared to comprable offerings elsewhere and they can't answer any questions.
Ithaca Guitar Works is the opposite -- really knowledgeable, fair prices, willing to talk and trade. You can find their inventory on their site, most with photos. The store is right next to the world-famous Moosewood Restaurant in the DeWitt building downtown.
Thanks for the info. #Timing got me and I was only able to look in the window of Ithaca Guitar works, minutes after they closed. #They did have several mandolins on the wall. #I would have liked to have tried the resonator (metal body, perhaps a Johnson?) but it was not to be for that trip.
swampstomper
Sep-24-2007, 9:17am
It's worth a trip to IGW. They have a tremendous guitar inventory and agressive pricing. For mandos they have mid to high-range Webers, an F9 that has sat around a few years and sounds pretty good, the reso-mando you saw, a used MandoLect from Ithaca Stringed Instruments (Eric Aceto). The setup is good, they have an active in-shop service department to make sure things are right.
Of course you have to pay Gov. Spitzer's 8.5%, but that's not their fault.
scootergirl62
Jul-24-2011, 7:24am
I'll be heading up to Dansville in two week - Rochester is closest to our campground - Stony Brook, but Ithaca Guitar works is in my queue in case we get to wandering around - it would be almost a two hour drive. I'm hoping to catch a festival the second weekend there - any updated information would be appreciated.
allenhopkins
Jul-24-2011, 12:54pm
I'll be heading up to Dansville in two week - Rochester is closest to our campground - Stony Brook, but Ithaca Guitar works is in my queue in case we get to wandering around - it would be almost a two hour drive. I'm hoping to catch a festival the second weekend there - any updated information would be appreciated.
Sorry you won't be in Dansville next weekend; I'm playing Erie Canal songs at West Sparta's Old-Fashioned Day (http://www.frontiernet.net/~ebdoug/wsparta.html) on July 30. Just down the road from Dansville.
You're about 50 miles south of Rochester, so I would really recommend visits to Stutzman's and Bernunzio's (see links in Post #5 above). Two excellent dealers with real expertise regarding new and vintage instruments. If you're around August 13, there's the Brighton Canal Festival in Rochester at Meridian Park on the canal; I'll again be doing some Erie Canal stuff. Let me link you to the local Rochester folk club calendar, (http://www.goldenlink.org/calendar.html) which may give you some info.
You can PM me as the time gets nearer, to see if there's any more things of which I've become aware. I guess you'll be gone by the weekend of August 20-21, so you won't be around for the Genesee Country Village Fiddlers' Fair, (http://www.gcv.org/news/18/) in Mumford, which is always a great weekend of music.
I recently vacationed in the Finger Lakes and stopped into Ithica Guitar Works. #I bought my wife a new Rainsong guitar. #The store was small, but had a nice selection. #They had a perhaps a dozen or so mandos: Weber, #Eastman. #The owner was nice. #They have a website.
Ithaca is too far East. Western New York state is Rochester and west. I'll second the interest in WNY mando shops. Thanks for the suggestions guys.
scootergirl62
Jul-24-2011, 4:48pm
Thanks so much, Allen - I'm really sorry I'm going to miss those events, but it's good to know about Brighton!
scootergirl62
Aug-11-2011, 5:36pm
Allen, we made it to Ithaca Guitar Works - great shop, fell in love with an Eastman MD 605! But had to walk away, which was a good thing, as yesterday we headed to Rochester. First we stumbled on a place called The House Of Guitars, lots of guitars, epiphone, a few flatirons and lots of vitange gibson mando's. My husband picked up a Banjo (can i say that word here?). And we headed over to Bernunzio's. Needless to say, they made me an amazing offer on my Ephiphone and I am the very proud new owner of an Eastman MD505. A great shop! There is supposed to be a Bluegrass Fest starting this friday in Canisteo that we might head over to. Thanks again for the info!
allenhopkins
Aug-11-2011, 5:47pm
...There is supposed to be a Bluegrass Fest starting this friday in Canisteo that we might head over to...
Top Of the Hill Bluegrass Festival (http://stbany.org/) with several regional bands. If you get a chance to talk to Rebecca Colleen & The Chore Lads (http://www.rebeccacolleen.com/) say "hi" from me...
The House of Guitars is "a whole 'nother thing" in itself. I don't shop there often, since it's more of a rock 'n' roll store -- big, chaotic, with no displayed prices ("hafta ask Armand/Bruce about that"), and generally uninformed teenage "help." But you do have to admit that, while it may not be "the world's largest music store" as they claim, it's pretty mammoth.
Andy Alexander
Aug-12-2011, 10:46pm
Both Bernunzio and The Ithaca Guitar Works will be set up at Pickin' In The Pasture Bluegrass Festival in the Finger Lakes area from 8/25-8/28. Visit www.pickininthepasture.com for more details about the event.
scootergirl62
Aug-13-2011, 4:32pm
Top Of the Hill Bluegrass Festival (http://stbany.org/) with several regional bands. If you get a chance to talk to Rebecca Colleen & The Chore Lads (http://www.rebeccacolleen.com/) say "hi" from me...
The House of Guitars is "a whole 'nother thing" in itself. I don't shop there often, since it's more of a rock 'n' roll store -- big, chaotic, with no displayed prices ("hafta ask Armand/Bruce about that"), and generally uninformed teenage "help." But you do have to admit that, while it may not be "the world's largest music store" as they claim, it's pretty mammoth.
Made it to the festival, arriving as Rebecca Colleen was performing! What a great show! My husband and i were a little disturbed at being charged 10 bucks over what it states on their web site - mind you, if it had said 30 per person we don't have a problem because the entertainment
is well worth it. But i kinda wonder why we were over charged? Anyway, didn't have the opportunity to say hey for you, but we did get to meet Jason Matthews and his wife, Nicole, from Matthews Familyn tradition. The third group we saw was Remington Ryde - there were many other groups scheduled but we had to leave. I would go back again, next time verifying admission ahead of time.
allenhopkins
Aug-13-2011, 7:34pm
Be glad if you missed the "severe weather alert" thunderstorms this late afternoon and evening. Don't know if they hit Canisteo, but pretty significant rain, thunder and lightning, and wind here in Monroe County.
scootergirl62
Aug-13-2011, 7:56pm
We left at 2 ....dont know if they were hit by those storms Rochester seemed to get this afternoon...here in Steuben county its muggy, but no rain yet....heading home tomorrow in it, i'm sure!
Andy Alexander
Aug-13-2011, 8:19pm
Made it to the festival, arriving as Rebecca Colleen was performing! What a great show! My husband and i were a little disturbed at being charged 10 bucks over what it states on their web site - mind you, if it had said 30 per person we don't have a problem because the entertainment
is well worth it. But i kinda wonder why we were over charged? Anyway, didn't have the opportunity to say hey for you, but we did get to meet Jason Matthews and his wife, Nicole, from Matthews Familyn tradition. The third group we saw was Remington Ryde - there were many other groups scheduled but we had to leave. I would go back again, next time verifying admission ahead of time.$30 for a day ticket to a show not featuring some national caliber entertainment is steep around here, but I'm glad you enjoyed the show.
walt33
Aug-13-2011, 8:23pm
Trinity Guitars in Jamestown carries some Webers: http://www.trinityguitars.com/
swampstomper
Aug-14-2011, 2:13pm
What Andy is saying (between the lines, he is too nice a guy to say it himself) is ... check out the lineup and prices for Picking in the Pasture (http://www.pickininthepasture.com/), just a few counties over from Canisteo. After I read Alan H's post above I was thinking of going over to Canisteo but the prices even as stated on the website were far too high for a festival with local bands, so I didn't go.
scootergirl62
Aug-14-2011, 3:14pm
The prices stated for Canisteo were $15, 25 sat, $15 Sun. When we got there it was suddenly 30 each. We paid it a) because we've never been to a festival before and didn't know and b) we thought I mis read the information. I did check later and I didn't mis read it. I'll be emailing them about that. But after listening to great music for four hours, and having paid well over that for concerts for headliners that last maybe 90 minutes, we didn't feel badly about it. It does strike me odd and my reasong for emailing them would be to post accurate prices in the future - even if some of you think that's steep, it was a nice few hours listening to music we wouldn't have otherwise heard. Unfortunately, we came home today, or we would have most certainly been at Picking in the Pasture, too!