Guitar Nirvana

I just got back from making a pilgrimage to the Mecca of guitar shops: The House of Guitars in Rochester, NY. It seems strange that one of the best guitar shops on the planet is in Rochester, but it's a fact. My good friend Tom, who is the lead guitarist in our band, is from Rochester and has raved about the HoG. Our friend Patrick, who is the bass player, is like me and had never been there. So being the adventurous souls we are we met at Tom's house at 6am on a Saturday morning and began the 6.5 hour trek north. I brought some CDs for the drive up (mostly 90s power pop) so we wouldn't be at the mercy of the satellite radio. The drive down we were at the mercy but after some fiddling around we settled on  Underground Garage which has a nice mix of old 60s rock and new rock that sounds like 60s rock.

Pulling up...a beautiful day in Rochester

Anywho, the HoG is an amazing place. If you are a musician, let alone a guitarist, it's pretty much chub-central. It's an old house (hence the name) that has been pretty much gutted to make room the inventory. Evidently there are 30 to 40 thousand guitars on the premises. Obviously they didn't display all of it or have it available for rummaging but it was still an overwhelming experience.

Me and Patrick

When you walk in there is a big glass case that holds a ton of fancy guitars...Les Paul Customs mostly but a couple Strats and a Thunderbird. The aisles are packed together and mad eof plexi-glass cases where the guitars are stored/jammed in. It's really overwhelming; I didn't know where to look or really how to begin approaching looking at all the gear. At the back of the main room is a stage where they do shows and have some really really old amps.

Tom in his element...TONS of guitars

The house has been significantly added to. There is a whole back section filled with amplifiers. The upstairs is all drums and keyboards. The back has what looks like acres of CDs and vinyl and vintage posters and t-shirts and DVDs. Total and complete sensory overload.

One guitar particularly caught my eye. A beautiful cherry colored Les Paul Custom. The staff (thanks Curt!!) were kind enough to pull it out of the glass case and let me play it in there loud room in the back.

DANGER DANGER DANGER!!!

The loud room is naturally filled with my favorite amplifier: Orange. There were also a bunch of Marshalls, including a Marshall combo that Patrick and Tom fell in love with. This particular guitar was just a dream to play. Seriously fast and incredibly playable. Just beautiful to look at. It roared like the monster it is, but could also handle the more delicate numbers. I played with it for about 30 to 45 minutes. But the price, as can be expected, was more than I was willing to pay. This is a $3000 guitar. I already have a Gibson 335 for my workhorse, a Gibson SG Custom as my luxury, an Italia 12-string for when we go into REM-mode, and a Epiphone Les Paul copy as my backup. Plus a Squire Strat that my dear friends' daughter is currently painting for me. Another electric guitar, even such a gorgeous Les Paul, though WANTED is not NEEDED. There's an ocean of difference between those two things, and usually I have leaned towards the impractical side of that, but in this case prudence won out. And I walked out of HoG with empty hands but a full heart, so to speak! But if I ever get a Les Paul, I would hold out for like this. (Note to the missus: I can give you a phone number if you feel compelled for an extra-special anniversary present. nudge nudge wink wink!!!)

The rest of the weekend was a blast. We stayed with a good friend of Tom's from high school. His family was very gracious to feed us and ply us with beer and have us crash at their place. (Thanks Scott, Mary Beth, Jack, Will and Matt!!) Patrick and I brought some of our guitars and Tom happily upgraded his acoustic so we put on an acoustic show for the family, who appeared delighted! We were delighted to play and glad that the songs transferred to acoustic nearly seamlessly.

So, if you find yourself in Rochester some dreary afternoon (which is pretty much EVERY afternoon in Rochester) treat yourself with a visit to the House of Guitars. Even if you don't play it is a cool place to visit. And thanks to Bruce and Curt at the HoG for their help!