I've googled already. But if anybody can recommend one or more acoustic music shops in the Oakland/Alameda/Berkeley area, where I'll be in a few days, thanks in advance!
I've googled already. But if anybody can recommend one or more acoustic music shops in the Oakland/Alameda/Berkeley area, where I'll be in a few days, thanks in advance!
Check out Mighty Fine Guitars in Lafayette:
http://mightyfineguitars.com/
Not sure about area size but there is https://www.gryphonstrings.com/ probably a 30-40 minute drive from Oakland
Given traffic in the Bay Area it would be a bit out of your way but Gryphon Strings in Palo Alto is probably the nicest shop in the SF area. AThere's an amazing guitar collection and lots of mandolins and other things.
https://www.gryphonstrings.com
Billy
billypackardmandolin.com
Billy Packard
Gilchrist A3, 1993
Weber Fern, 2007
Stiver Fern, 1990
Gibson 1923 A2
Gibson 1921 H1 Mandola
Numerous wonderful guitars
My favorite guitar/mandolin store in the bay area is Schoenberg in Tiberon.
It is a beautiful store, in a beautiful town, with a lovely owner, and an insanely beautiful inventory of great instruments.
They have a great selection of old Gibson mandolins, F and A, and always have really cool examples from other makers.
Definitely worth the drive over the Richmond bridge.
It is stunning area for a day trip for lunch and Schoenberg.
You wont be disappointed.
Mandolins: Northfield 5-Bar Artist Model "Old Dog", J Bovier F5 Special, Gibson A-00 (1940)
Fiddles: 1920s Strad copy, 1930s Strad copy, Liu Xi T20, Liu Xi T19+ Dark.
Guitars: Taylor 514c (1995), Gibson Southern Jumbo (1940s), Gibson L-48 (1940s), Les Paul Custom (1978), Fender Strat (Black/RWFB) (1984), Fender Strat (Candy Apple Red/MFB) (1985).
Sitars: Hiren Roy KP (1980s), Naskar (1970s), Naskar (1960s).
Misc: 8 Course Lute (L.K.Brown)
Mighty Fine is the bomb for luthier built acoustics. The Bay Area mando hot spots are Schoenberg and Gryphon, both a bit out of your way.
Silverangel A
Arches F style kit
1913 Gibson A-1
5th string by the Ashby BART station gone?, I expect the Geary St one in SF is probably long closed
writing about music
is like dancing,
about architecture
5th String is long gone unfortunately - as for San Francisco, hardly any music shops there now and certainly none that are of interest from a mandolin perspective.
2018 Girouard Concert oval A
2015 JP "Whitechapel" tenor banjo
2018 Frank Tate tenor guitar
1969 Martin 00-18
my Youtube channel
As noted above, the 5th String in Berkeley is long gone as is the Thin Man Music in Alameda, but there are a couple of stores that might have something of interest in the budget range.
Acme House of Music is small shop in Oakland on the northeast end of Piedmont Ave.--near the cemetery--that has a few mandolins (mostly Pac Rim stuff, but not bad), ukes, and acoustic guitars. Pleasant, funky shop, and the instruments they had when I was in there would be perfectly serviceable for a beginning/intermediate player. http://acmehouseofmusic.com/
Fatdog's Subway Guitars on Cedar is always interesting, particularly for fans of weird and oddball instruments and Frankenmandos. They made (maybe still make) a really fun line of Danelectro-style electric mandocellos, for example. Lots of fun electric guitars, too, and every once in a while a real gem is nestled in the nest of oddities. David Lindley shops there, if that gives you a hint of what might be in store.
http://www.fatdawg.com/
For quality instruments, the three shops mentioned above--Might Fine, Gryphon, and Schoenberg--are world class. All are guitar oriented, but Gryphon and Schoenberg always have some good mandolin-family instruments in stock.
Just one guy's opinion
www.guitarfish.net
Thanks for the replies. I went to Subway Guitars in Berkeley a few days ago - wow. Seemed like 500 guitars in all states of repair, crammed into a dark and cluttered space the size of a small living room. Dusty guitars hanging in bundles from the ceiling like sausages. Maybe 20 mandolins, playable and otherwise, mostly inaccessible in the upper corners of the space. Hard to understand their business model.
Bought a nice Stradolin at Subway Guitars. As far as his business model goes, I once said to Fat Dawg, “you don’t look so fat to me.” He asked, “have you ever seen a fat dog?” I answered, “of course.” He then stated, “well, that’s a happy satisfied animal.”
The staff was friendly and helpful during my visit. I would respectfully suggest, though, that they make a few well-setup mandolins readily accessible.
I don't think owner Fatdog has ever considered anything much in the way of a business model, and I'm not at a sure he's even the slightest interested in organizing the place in any customer-friendly way.
It may or may not be intentional.
When I was a kid, there were a number of stores in our area that quite intentionally maintained an atmosphere of chaos and built reputations as sure-fire discount venues. Customers figured that they were saving on the fact that the owners weren't paying anything in the way of cleaning or displaying. I have no idea whether people were getting a bargain or not, but the flea-market atmosphere created that impression.
All that said, I've discovered some really interesting instruments at Subway, and the folks there have always been happy to let me see anything in the shop. If you can handle the visual overload, it's pretty fun.
Just one guy's opinion
www.guitarfish.net
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