Austin Guitars & Gear
When most people think about Austin guitars, Ray Hennig's Heart of Texas Music comes to mind, but there are more DON'T MISS stores in town. Reviewed here: Heart of Texas Music; Musicmakers; South Austin Music; Strait Music; Guitar Resurrection; Guitar Center; Austin Vintage Guitars.
HEART OF TEXAS MUSIC
Austin Guitars & Gear
RAY HENNIG'S HEART OF TEXAS MUSIC
1002 S. Lamar :: (512) 444-9750 Heart of Texas Music is the way it was before big box music stores entered the game. Ray sold Stevie Ray Vaughan Old #1. Ray runs this place just like in the old days. The oldest of all Austin music stores, Ray won't shy away from cutting you a deal. My husband has been a customer since the early '80s. RD says Ray offers the most personal service in town. Their reputation is built on customer service and competitive pricing. Known city-wide among musicians as being fair and upfront. Buy a guitar, don't like it, bring it back with no restock fee. However, it would be a big mistake to try and take advantage of Rays generous nature. The man is knowledgeable. He knows music gear. Frankly, other music stores have a larger selection of amps and guitars. Heart of Texas Music carries Gibson, Fender, Guild, Martin and other top quality brands like Paul Reed Smith and Marshall. But you won't find 50 VOS Les Pauls here. Or a sample of Marshall Stacks. PA music gear is also a plus here. Ray stays up on this stuff and he can help you select the music gear you need and you don't need to worry about being sold something you don't need or want. Here's what my husband does. He shops around for the best price on Austin guitars and gear, then gives Ray the first shot at beating it. Heart of Texas Music is old school; Austin guitars and equipment, a fun place to be and a hot spot for celebrity musician sitings. I've seen David Grissom, Charlie Sexton and Ray Benson doing business with Ray. What does that say about this store? Don't expect drums, horns or keyboards. They specialize in guitars, amps, sound reinforcement and accessories. Make some noise when you go in or they will more than likely let you wander around to your hearts content. Ray won't follow you around or twist your arm. But he will cut you a great deal.
MUSICMAKERS
Austin Guitars & Gear
MUSICMAKERS
517 S. Lamar, Suite B :: (512) 444-6686 :: www.musicmakersaustin.com Open since 1988, Musicmakers has gained a mixed reputation in Austin. I heard one of my husbands guitar playing friends refer to it as “Money Makers.” As if making a profit is a bad thing?! Once inside the store you can see that it has limited inventory. Not a whole bunch to choose from. Some top line guitars are displayed in the amp room but many of the lines Musicmakers offers are of the low end variety. Service is inconsistent. RD had an amp repair and retubing that didn't go well here. Management fixed the problem eventually after way too much hassle. But that could have been the amp tech merely having a bad two weeks. I really don't know how to review this Austin music store. So let's say Musicmakers offers music gear at low prices. Or low cost music gear at reasonable prices. My husband was in the market for a Mesa Boogie amp, he went to three Mesa Boogie dealers including Musicmakers. He bought elsewhere.
SOUTH AUSTIN MUSIC
Austin Guitars & Gear
SOUTH AUSTIN MUSIC
1402 S. Lamar :: (512) 448-4992 :: www.southaustinmusic.com South Austin Music is probably the most unique of all Austin music stores. Small and packed with used music gear. The floor is covered with used amps. Eastwood and Dan Electro guitars are strategically placed by the amps. Begging you to plug in and play. They don't handle the coveted Austin guitars like Collings. But they do offer a wall of used guitars right out of the '70s and '80s. My husband spends WAY too much on guitars and amps. So when he says he's going out to get a new set of strings I go with to make sure those strings aren't attached to a 1959 Les Paul TV Junior. My husband loses his reason in music stores. It's called GAS (gear acquisition syndrome). South Austin Music is one of RD's favorite stores. He buys all his picks and cables here. He's also picked up a couple of '50s vintage Gibson amps here for what he says was a “steal.” Frankly, they were old and tattered. Didn't smell very good and sounded down right rude. However, that's a matter of taste. Staff here is knowledgeable and helpful without coming off as phony friendly. They will take the time to answer your questions or rip a backplate off an amp so you can examine the tubes, transformer and speakers. Not known for high end music gear with the exception of the guitar effects pedals. Top line stuff. RD uses two pedals and he bought them both here. A Voo-Do-Lab Sparkle Drive and a Memory Man for slap back. He's owned both pedals for years and swears he “robbed 'em” on the price. A used music gear lover's paradise and a place for moderately priced Austin guitars. AUSTIN TRAVEL TIP: I always go with RD and once I case the joint to make sure he won't mortgage the house, I go next door to the Saxon Pub for a beer. After about an hour I go get him and we go to Artz Rib House down the street for some great BBQ ribs. Real nice afternoon. Find out more about Artz here.
STRAIT MUSIC
Austin Guitars & Gear
STRAIT MUSIC
13945 Hwy. 183 N. :: (512) 918-3743 :: www.straitmusic.com Strait Music is one of the more comprehensive of Austin music stores offering guitars, amps, audio and recording gear. That's not unusual. But Strait Music offers drums, keyboards, brass, band, orchestra, pianos, accordions, sheet music, accessories and quality used music gear. They really shine when it comes to service. The staff is knowledgeable, helpful and quick. Pianos are big here. As is the recording and audio. RD comes to Strait to test drive any new Hamer guitar that comes out. He also says the acoustic selection is always fun. Martin's galore. This large music store feels much smaller than it actually is. The store smartly sections its inventory into departments. You don't linger searching for what you want. Everything has its own department. Fortunately they have not lost the unique personality of the old downtown store. RD has been coming here since 1986. He says the old store's amp room was legend. So I can recommend Strait based on first hand knowledge. It doesn't matter what you play or the type of music gear you're looking for. Try Strait Music. The Austin School of Music is in the same building.
GUITAR RESURRECTION
Offers the Best Austin Guitars & Amps
GUITAR RESURRECTION
813 Morrow St. :: (512) 478-0095 :: www.guitarrez.com Guitar Resurrection offers the best quality Austin guitars and gear. Santa Cruz, Ken Smith, Alembic, Taylor, PRS, Fender Custom Shop and Gibson guitars. Not to mention Bad Cat, Dr. Z, Bogner, HiWatt, Rivera and Supro amps. Guitar Rez qualifies for the boutique label right down to the George L cables they sell. Not a vintage guitar store, but they usually have an impressive inventory of high quality used music gear. Including many guitars. The prices on their high end gear is representative of the market. You're not going to get a deal but you won't be gouged either. Unfortunately, Guitar Rez has another reputation besides selling the best brands on the planet… That would be a reputation for a boutique attitude as well. I don't mean that in a positive way. Maybe you have to be a star to get star treatment when spending star amounts of money on star quality music gear at Guitar Rez. Don't take my word for it. Ask to play one of the big buck guitars behind the counter and see if you get a quick enthusiastic response or have to remove rings, watch and belt?
GUITAR CENTER
Austin Guitars & Gear
GUITAR CENTER (2 locations)
2525 W. Anderson Lane, Ste. 200 :: (512) 419-1717
5300 S. MoPac #103 :: (512) 891-0297 :: www.guitarcenter.com Guitar Center is a big box national chain of music gear stores. They also own Musicians Friend, a mail order music catalog. BIG BUSINESS! First off, they offer most anything you want from budget brands up to, but not including, boutique quality. Don't expect quality service. These folks are working a job. Not music lovers to me. Most don't want to talk to you. If you have to bring back or return an item, they charge a healthy restocking fee. With caveats Guitar Center is a very good Austin music store. Charging the overall lowest prices in the the city. Drums, recording, educational CDs, DVDs and books, effects and most any musical instrument you would want from Dobro to trumpet. The acoustic guitar room has Martin, Gibson, Taylor and budget brands like Epiphone. I enjoy watching my husband in this room. He would play every one if time allowed. This is a place to buy good quality music gear cheap. The kind of music store you can spend time in without being harassed. Do your research first, don't expect a Ray Hennig, Austin guitar experience from the staff and you will have a good time. They encourage you to plug in and play - so let 'er rip! David Grissom recently conducted a clinic here. RD attended. Cool.
AUSTIN VINTAGE GUITARS
Austin Guitars & Gear
AUSTIN VINTAGE GUITARS
1112 S. Lamar Blvd. :: (512) 428-9100 :: www.austinvintageguitars.com Austin Vintage Guitars is an all vintage music store in every sense of the word. Vintage building, vintage staff, vintage inventory and ole time laid back vintage service. Considered by many to be the best amp tech work in the city. Considered by most the place to buy vintage Austin guitars. Prices here vary. You can beat eBay and the Vintage Guitar magazine dealers about 80% of the time. Vintage amps here are considered below market value by 15-25%. That's what amp junkie RD tells me and I believe him. Small, but packed with glorious old wood. Gibson archtops to genuine golden age Fenders, Gibson and Gretsch. An old time specialty shop. Great amp service and great old music gear in excellent or better condition. You may get a deal on a few items but the price listed is what they usually charge. Negotiation is not a word associated with Austin Vintage Guitars. I recommend this place because it's old, funky and fun. Besides, it's just around the corner from Ray Hennig's Heart of Texas Music.
SIXTH STREET CLUBS
Maggie Mae’s :: Momo’s :: The Parish WAREHOUSE & DOWNTOWN CLUBS
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