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that maybe I had overlooked a more heavily populated used section, but I found nothing. Trying to look extra clueless, I hoped to attract a Daddy’s employee who could steer me in the right direction. After five minutes of circling without being approached by the staff, I stealthily snuck out the front door. Based on my Daddy’s experience, I think I can say my covert operative skills are well-honed, as nobody came up to me. Daddy’s has a tremendous reputation. It has won a barrelful of awards from this magazine. I probably got too impatient by walking out after only five minutes. In retrospect, I could have flagged someone down. But I didn’t feel I had to. Guitar Center 1255 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02215 The Boston Guitar Center recently changed locations and now resides in the Boston neighborhood of Kenmore, resting comfortably in the shadow of the legendary Fenway Park. Baseball takes over Boston from early April until late October if the team is good enough. GC’s new location might not be of much interest to most Red Sox fans, but it is a mere two-minute walk from House of Blues Boston, one of the biggest and busiest Based on my Daddy’s experience, I think I can say my covert operative skills are well-honed, as nobody came up to me. Daddy’s has a tremendous reputation. It has won a barrelful of awards from this magazine. I probably got too impatient by walking out after only five minutes. In retrospect, I could have flagged someone down. But I didn’t feel I had to. venues for live music in the city. Considering there are almost 300 shows a year at Boston HOB, the traffic from touring bands alone probably helps keep this Guitar Center afloat. When I first entered the Boston Guitar Center, I was struck by how similar it was to every other Guitar Center on the planet. The bass section of this Guitar Center immediately impressed me, mainly due to the sheer volume of the selection. Bass sections are often a distant second to their six-string counterparts in terms of the amount of instruments for sale, but it looks as if this GC went out of its way to make the guitars chunkier and meaner. All types of brands lined the walls: Fender, Music Man, Ibanez and Schechter, just to name a few—and they covered the full spectrum, from cheap starter axes to top-notch pro gear. An employee came over and offered to help me within my first two minutes of looking, and was friendly and helpful without being pushy. When I told him I was just looking, he graciously backed off, but let me know his name and where to find him if I had any questions. My favorite find at GC was a brand new Geddy Lee signature Fender Jazz Bass, with an industry-standard price tag of $990. Some of the used basses at this particular Guitar Center were on the lower side of the quality ladder, but they were priced as such and, therefore, seemed more than fair (including a small, generic looking Yamaha for only $59! Great price for a beginner bass, especially at a big chain store.) Overall, Guitar Center seemed to have basses for every level of player, but beginners and intermediates will most likely have more fun because the amount of gear they have to root through seems more diverse than the guitars aimed at seasoned players. And though my interaction with the staff was limited, they were upfront and visible at first, but not breathing down your neck to make a commission. Guitar Stop 1760 Massachusetts Ave. Cambridge, MA 02140 For my final target, I moved deep undercover, going all the way to Cambridge, Boston’s sister city across the Charles River. Home to academic institutions like Harvard and MIT, Cambridge houses some of the state’s most elite minds, and some of its greatest indie music spots, as well. Often known for its artist-friendly vibes, Cambridge caters more to smaller venues and mom and pop music stores, as opposed to Boston music juggernauts like House of Blues or Guitar Center. Guitar Stop is a small, family-owned music retailer that’s been around since the early 1960s. Keeping in tune with Cambridge’s liberal feel, the store is split equally between acoustic guitars for folkies and electric guitars for those who like a little power in their music. When I entered the store, it was laid back, complete with a long-haired dude jamming away on an acoustic and chatting with the woman behind the counter, and a nice store dog that came up and greeted me almost as quickly as the proprietor. The selection of basses at Guitar Stop was small, but, in fairness, the store itself is tiny. I felt the amount of basses on display was more than adequate when considering the lack of physical space available to house all the equipment Guitar Stop has to offer. There were only two used basses available, but the 2007 Fender American Precision I saw was handsome and reasonably priced at $1,275. The newer models were either Fender or 38 April 2010
Ibanez and, while nothing I saw blew me away, all were quality guitars at decent prices. The woman who helped me was friendly and knew the years and makes of all the gear that hung on the wall. As I browsed, she let me know that all purchases included a free strap and hard case or gig bag, depending on type of guitar. Not necessarily a deal maker for me, but it was a nice touch nevertheless. The Verdict After returning to the rendezvous point—OK, maybe not, I never see the Chief—I was anxious for this assignment to be over. The chill that had taken hold after traversing all over Boston in a thunderstorm was hard to shake, and only a double brandy from the equally rich and smoky beauty that was my local barmaid had any chance of beating the cold. “What’d you find MI Spy?” said a voice from out of the shadows. Huh? Who knew I was here? Was it the Chief? Worried for my life—I’m afraid of being approached in the dark—I answered. “Mr. Music on Harvard Ave in Allston is the spot,” I said, still unable to make out the features of my incognito commander. “Best selection of cool, used gear, and most likely the best prices in the city for new stuff. If I was going anywhere to browse, that’s the joint.” “And the other targets?” “Daddy’s was an incomplete because I couldn’t judge the service. A salesperson did not approach me. Guitar Center and Guitar Stop were excellent, but couldn’t match Mr. Music’s prices or balanced mix of old and new basses. But more importantly, I really appreciated the salesman’s attitude. He didn’t yell at me for mishandling the equipment, was very friendly and knew the gear.” “Good work, Spy. You’ll receive payment in the regular fashion, but, in the meantime, this should help take the edge off,” he said, handing me a wrinkled, soaking wet $100 bill. “Thanks, Chief,” I said in a questioning tone. Was it the Chief? I’ll never know. I like a good mystery. That’s why I An employee came over and offered to help me within my first two minutes of looking, and was friendly and helpful without being pushy. When I told him I was just looking, he graciously backed off, but let me know his name and where to find him if I had any questions. PROGRESSIONS OF POWER The Power-All ® System provides you with a compact, affordable solution for powering your effect pedals and accessories. Using only one outlet space, our advanced digital circuitry delivers clean, quiet, energy-efficient power anywhere in the world. Save money on batteries while using less energy! The Power-All ® is available in a variety of configurations designed to meet every player’s power demands, whether it’s a single stompbox or a multi-voltage pedalboard monstrosity! PA-9S Power-All ® Digital Power Supply Our 9 volt DC supply offers 2000 milliamps of current to power more pedals more consistently! Specially designed low-noise circuit delivers clean, quiet power. Includes 10 foot power cord with ferrite noise filter and locking jack. Auto-sensing circuitry runs off 100–240 volts, use it anywhere in the world. (Available in US, UK, European, and Australian plug types). ACCESSORIES Sold separately. Power-All ® Jumper Cables 28AWG gauge cable with oil-resistant vinyl sheaths and spring-loaded jacks to assure secure, trouble-free connections. Available with straight and right-angle connectors in a variety of configurations to fit every pedalboard. PA-9B Power-All ® Basic Kit Everything you need to power 5 pedals out of the box. Includes: PA-9 Power-All ® Digital Power Supply. Cable-5/R Daisy Chain Connector with spring-loaded right-angle jacks. Cable-Red/R reverse polarity (tip positive) cable with spring-loaded right-angle jack. Cable-Blue 1/8" (3.5mm) phone plug cable. Cable-Green reverse polarity cable with 2.5 internal diameter spring-loaded jack. Cable-Grey battery clip cable. Insulator Caps (3) for unused male barrel connectors on the Daisy Chain. GH-1 Ground Hound Ground Isolator Allows connection of pedals with opposing grounds off a single Power-All. ® (not pictured) Complies with these national and international safety and environmental directives. IP-1 Iso-Pump Voltage Converter Use with the Power-All ® to power pedals that require 12, 18, or 24 volts DC! Isolated output allows operation of pedals with opposing grounds. watch “The Mentalist” on CBS. The $100 bill looked real. I know because I saw the watermark. I slid the soggy Franklin into my overcoat pocket. Before a night of drinking scotch and some good old beer, I had to fix my hunger crave. I knew the perfect place: Mike’s Pastry. If you reach Boston’s north end, the store’s boxes are omnipresent on the street. I love the cannolis there. PA-9D Power-All ® Deluxe Kit Everything you need to power 11 pedals out of the box. Includes: PA-9 Power-All ® Digital Power Supply. Cable-11/R Daisy Chain Connector with spring-loaded right-angle jacks. Cable-Red/R reverse polarity (tip positive) cable with spring-loaded right-angle jack. Cable-Blue/R 1/8" (3.5mm) phone plug cable with right-angle jack. Cable-Green reverse polarity cable with 2.5 internal diameter spring-loaded jack. Cable-Green/R reverse polarity cable with spring-loaded right-angle jack. Cable-Grey battery clip cable. Cable-Black/R extension cable with spring-loaded right-angle jack. Insulator Caps (5) for unused male barrel connectors on the Daisy Chain. UTA-1 Universal Travel Adaptor Plug in your Power-All ® or other electronic devices anywhere in the world! Modular design features 9 different plug types. All of our products feature professional-grade construction designed to withstand the rigors of the road. We are so confident that the Power-All ® is superior to any other switching power supply on the market that it comes with a lifetime warranty. WWW.GODLYKE.COM Music & Sound Retailer 39
Page 1: April 15, 2010 Volume 27, No. 4 It
Page 4 and 5: VOLUME 27 NO. 4 Inside F E AT U R E
Page 6 and 7: editorial More NAMM Thoughts Brian
Page 8 and 9: LATEST Suspect Named A man has been
Page 10 and 11: LATEST Helping Haiti Sam Ash Execs
Page 12 and 13: dealer Marge Levin Passes Behind ev
Page 14 and 15: News ADVERTORIAL • APRIL 2010 vis
Page 16 and 17: Thirty-seventh edition The Future o
Page 18 and 19: PRODUCTS Drums & Percussion Guitars
Page 20 and 21: Some Suppliers Don't Offer You Enou
Page 22 and 23: PRODUCTS Drums & Percussion Guitars
Page 24 and 25: Now available Dealer Direct 800 675
Page 26 and 27: PRODUCTS Drums & Percussion DJ & Li
Page 28 and 29: LATEST Alfred’s Premier Support P
Page 30: FIVE MINUTES WITH... Jason How Chai
Page 33 and 34: So raw material prices have gone up
Page 35 and 36: which meant “round sound.” He t
Page 37: ing or visible wear on the neck wha
Page 42 and 43: prs guitars... by musicians with pa
Page 44 and 45: 44 April 2010
Page 46 and 47: FIND OUT WHY EVERYONE IS WATCHING M
Page 48 and 49: TheRetailer's Mall For advertising
Page 50 and 51: Ad Index Company Pg ACCESS BAGS & C
Page 52 and 53: Guitar Retail Sales Mix: Unit Share
Page 54 and 55: FORMIDABLE FEMALES The Women Of By
Page 56: 000 0001 DJ SPARKY B ® Charter Mem

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