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new GC opening in CT next week


ElectricEye

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Not sure if this is a good or bad thing, but GC is opening a store in Danbury on Thurs. 6/14, which is much closer to me than Orange and the other store further east.

 

A bit of history: Danbury is where the (formerly) awesome store East Coast Music Mall used to be.

 

There are VERY few stores left in Fairfield County that have mush selection outside of PRS, Schecter and Fender. Maybe this GC will, at least, have a decent used selection...

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Get there early if you plan on attending the grand opening. I went to the one in Portland, Maine about 7 or 8 years ago and it was crazy. The line was around the parking lot twice. They were advertising all kinds of free stuff, which was basically a bunch of bottom feeder crap. I bought crappy splash cymbal for ten bucks and it broke about two weeks later. Like a dumbass I fell for the "20 packs of strings for 20 bucks" thing. They were the worst guitar strings I ever saw. I used two sets, and by that time the other 18 had corroded in the packages. Also, the free t-shirts they gave to the people waiting in line were so thin they were virtually see-thru.

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East Coast Music Mall was amazing the first time I went there. I say that as someone who had only really gone to small stores.

 

One of the larger stores near me that went out of business is now open again and I went there recently with a friend I was visiting and it was a trip - all the fixtures, etc... have not changed. When they closed they just shut the doors and the new people got all the stock - crazy.

 

ECMM was a store that had all kinds of stuff I either didn't know existed or only saw in magazines. At the time it was pretty awesome - they had that big Marshall stack too.

 

GC opening near you can only be a good thing if there are no local stores. One of two things will happen - the locals will fold or one of them (or a new store) will up their game and sell all kinds of cool stuff GC doesn't sell. I have seen more then one local survive that way.

 

At any rate, at least you'll have a close place to see the new 80/20 stuff.

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I was at the opening of the Orange store. Almost any time I buy something there they say, "Wow, you are customer #0000068 or something. You were the 68th person to buy something from this store." To which I normally reply, "Yes, I know, I was there."

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A bit of history: Danbury is where the (formerly) awesome store East Coast Music Mall used to be.

 

 

Which of course was started and owned by ED ROMAN for many years. ECMM really hit the skids for the last couple of years before closing

 

 

Does the world need another GC?

 

No but Danbury does:D

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I live in Danbury about five minutes from the new GC. It'll be nice to have a place so close, only trouble, GCs usually carry pretty generic stuff. Rt 7 Music has a more boutique flavor than Guitar Center. I usually go there while my wife shops at Bed, Bath and Beyond or Costco. Always cool stuff to try.

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I do like Route 7 Music and it is within 4 or 5 miles of my house. Their prices are high for accessories (which is all I buy these days). Any idea where in town this is opening?

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I do like Route 7 Music and it is within 4 or 5 miles of my house. Their prices are high for accessories (which is all I buy these days). Any idea where in town this is opening?

 

 

It's opening in the Barnes and Noble mini mall next to the Danbury Mall. Yes, Rt.7 Music is a bit over-priced overall but gets cool gear.

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Which of course was started and owned by ED ROMAN for many years. ECMM really hit the skids for the last couple of years before closing



No but Danbury does:D

 

 

 

Yes it was but despite that fact if you were around playing in the 80s/early 90s most of the stores were pretty small outside of big cities. If you went to ECMM or stores in the bigger cities it was really cool to see all the product they had. Today with the internet and Guitar Center a lot of people don't remember or were not around for when it was just mom and pop stores.

 

While some of those stores were great in most of them you would see maybe a white, black, red and sunburst Strat and maybe one Tele and maybe one or two Les Pauls. If you wanted a different color it was a special order which in some cases meant 10% down, no returns and a price closer to (or at) list. Today we see people talking about how you need to play 10 Strats to find "the one" (with the best setup), back then that wasn't the case.

 

The big stores were really cool, because they would have all the colors, more of a selection and things you otherwise would only see in MF, AMS (when it was newspaper print) or Vehaman's catalog (AMS' catalog looked a lot like it does now!).

 

Anyway, when Ed left ECMM was done. Without turning this into an ER thread it was a cool store to go see in the 80s because stores like that were few and far between (outside of major cities).

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Yes it was but despite that fact if you were around playing in the 80s/early 90s most of the stores were pretty small outside of big cities. If you went to ECMM or stores in the bigger cities it was really cool to see all the product they had. Today with the internet and Guitar Center a lot of people don't remember or were not around for when it was just mom and pop stores.


While some of those stores were great in most of them you would see maybe a white, black, red and sunburst Strat and maybe one Tele and maybe one or two Les Pauls. If you wanted a different color it was a special order which in some cases meant 10% down, no returns and a price closer to (or at) list. Today we see people talking about how you need to play 10 Strats to find "the one" (with the best setup), back then that wasn't the case.


The big stores were really cool, because they would have all the colors, more of a selection and things you otherwise would only see in MF, AMS (when it was newspaper print) or Vehaman's catalog (AMS' catalog looked a lot like it does now!).


Anyway, when Ed left ECMM was done. Without turning this into an ER thread it was a cool store to go see in the 80s because stores like that were few and far between (outside of major cities).

 

 

 

I actually remember ECMM when it was on Main Street across from the old Walbaums Food Market and known as East Coast Sound. I bought a 1965 Twin Reverb:thu: off Ritchie Scarlet (it was his personal amp). Man that thing was kick ass and my first really good amp. That had to be in the 80

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east coast music mall sucked you waited an hour for strings im glad they went out of business they were overpriced and crappy customer service

 

i lived in dambury all my life moved away a year ago so {censored} lol

 

i l know where its going ugh

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Cool. I've never stepped foot in a GC, but I never go into stores after East Coast closed. It'll be cool to have something close. East Coast sucked when they were over near Lowes but I loved going to the old store n Hayestown. They had a ton of stuff, great used selection and some of the staff the staff was awesome. The bass guy Sandy was amazing, and was very knowledgeable about most gear and would just give discounts for no reason. I kinda stopped going there after he left except for when my guitar needed work. Barry, the luthier there, does great work. I was looking locally for someone to refret a vintage and googles Barry Lipman's name and see that he still does luthier work out of his home. I'll be taking my guitar to him.

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ritchie sold me my first bass when they were on main street

 

the staff were retards the drum guy was cool the one that died

 

barry was cool too he knows his {censored} they went under twice cause their prices sucked and customer service was horrible

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I actually remember ECMM when it was on Main Street across from the old Walbaums Food Market and known as East Coast Sound. I bought a 1965 Twin Reverb:thu: off Ritchie Scarlet (it was his personal amp). Man that thing was kick ass and my first really good amp. That had to be in the 80

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Rt 7 Music?? How have I never heard of them?? I'll have to check them out next time I drive up that way.


(Checking out their site, looks like they are pretty much all vintagey/Gibson/Fender. Meh.)

 

 

You should check em out. The staff seems knowledgable and friendly. I know they seem all vintagy on their site but they carry some other brands. Its not a huge selection but worth looking at. Hot Rod 6 Strings is a custom builder/repairer in the same building (different driveway). Small world Chris used to work at ECMM but he always has at least a few nice guitars for sale at his shop.

 

I am looking forward to having Guitar Center in town, if only for research value. We are getting a Whole Foods too.

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Because CT definitely needs 3 Guitar Centers. I hope this doesn't put the nail in the coffin for stores like the Guitar Hangar and Rt 7 Music.

 

 

A lot of times those stores do better because of GC I think. What happens is GC comes in big and new then as time goes on people get sick of the BS of dealing with them and seek out the smaller places to either have a quiet place to shop or to get the stuff GC can only order you.

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Get there early if you plan on attending the grand opening. I went to the one in Portland, Maine about 7 or 8 years ago and it was crazy. The line was around the parking lot twice. They were advertising all kinds of free stuff, which was basically a bunch of bottom feeder crap. I bought crappy splash cymbal for ten bucks and it broke about two weeks later. Like a dumbass I fell for the "20 packs of strings for 20 bucks" thing. They were the worst guitar strings I ever saw. I used two sets, and by that time the other 18 had corroded in the packages. Also, the free t-shirts they gave to the people waiting in line were so thin they were virtually see-thru.

 

They have a business model to cover the cost of construction and some leasing during the grand opening. :)

 

 

For the Rochester, NY store, my friend signed up for the guitar tossing competition and won. He got a free yamaha semi-hollowbody. It was pretty decent.

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Hi actually worked at ECMM from 1987 thru 1990, it was a very cool shop, the largest and probably best stocked guitar shop in New England, before GC invaded the state...we had the coolest shredder guitar clinics at that place, George Lynch, Vinny Moore, Frank Gambali,Michael Angelo etc., I enjoyed my time there and have many good memories. I left in 1990! Later once Ed and Larry left the downslide began and eventually moved locations and became a victim of bad financial management and a poor economy!

Any way at least in it's hay day if you had a few bucks you could buy something cool and leave happy, was in GC in Orange last week and remarked to my buddy that even if I had a spare $1000 in my pocket it would be hard to spend! Mostly cookie cutter lower end Fender and Gibson guitars and amps, and commission driven over eager salesman. I asume the new Danbury location will be just as souless. Go to Brian Guitars in Hamden Ct. if you want a pro boutique shop!

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