# Nice amp (guitar) store downtown Vancouver



## starjag (Jan 30, 2008)

Is there a nice amp (guitar) store in downtown Vancouver? I will be there next week for a few days and would love to do some window shopping


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## suttree (Aug 17, 2007)

dr_iggi said:


> Is there a nice amp (guitar) store in downtown Vancouver? I will be there next week for a few days and would love to do some window shopping


nope.

there's tom lee, very capitalist type store (think guitar center), not a ton of fun to visit, but they do get nice gear.

there's NJAMS (not just another music store), these guys are actually really great, but the selection tends to run more towards the funky than the boutique. 

there's long & mcquade, they have the same stuff every l&m has.

that's about it for downtown shops as of a few years ago when i left, anything changed?


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## devnulljp (Mar 18, 2008)

What Suttree said. NJAMS is a fun store.
If you're in Victoria though, there's a couple of small places that can be great. Nice and knowledgable people in both.

Guitars Plus on Blanshard is a nice little store. They often carry nice little combos and things. I've never seen anything particularly big in there though--it's a pretty small store. Often some nice guitars too.
There's also Classic Guitars on Douglas - they often have some quite nice older often vintage amps. (last time I was in they had a nice old 50s? Gibson combo...) 
Don't expect walls of boutique gear though, but a nicer atmosphere in both than L&M or somewhere.

Oh, and both of their websites are terrible. Just so you know.


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## Rhythmeister (May 17, 2006)

suttree said:


> nope.
> 
> there's tom lee, very capitalist type store (think guitar center), not a ton of fun to visit, but they do get nice gear.
> 
> ...



That pretty much nails it. The only thing that has really changed since you left is that L&M has just merged their smaller Vancouver locations into a MEGA location on Terminal (East Van). I haven't ventured in there yet, but I'm told it is insane with a ton of product.

Cheers,
Blair


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## Peter (Mar 25, 2008)

We're hurting out here.


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## Deadwrong (Feb 9, 2006)

Meh, I live in Vancouver and it sucks for guitar stuff.

You could go to R&R music in Surrey, they have ENGL there...

:rockon2:


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## Peter (Mar 25, 2008)

Deadwrong said:


> Meh, I live in Vancouver and it sucks for guitar stuff.
> 
> You could go to R&R music in Surrey, they have ENGL there...
> 
> :rockon2:


Yes, let's send someone visiting our fair city to Surrey! LOL!!!


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## suttree (Aug 17, 2007)

DeleriumTrigger said:


> Yes, let's send someone visiting our fair city to Surrey! LOL!!!


you mean the land of pink kramers and spandex pants? 

you know what the line is between having sex and making love? 

scott road


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## BenJammin (May 3, 2008)

suttree said:


> you mean the land of pink kramers and spandex pants?
> 
> you know what the line is between having sex and making love?
> 
> scott road


HEY! I HAVE A MULTICOLOURED KRAMER! :sport-smiley-002:

LOL

but no spandex


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## I_cant_play (Jun 26, 2006)

Bonerattle music is a decent small shop. They carry Kustom amps, tube and solid state along with Sparrow guitars (LP style guitars with funky paint jobs and good pickups). There's also a lot of acoustics in the store. 

Neil Douglas Guitar shop in New Westminster carries Laney amps, G&L and the last time I was there they had some weird LP type guitar that sounded good so who knows what you may find (you will not find Gibsons, or other big names in that shop). Also, a lot of acoustics...well worth visiting.

West Coast Music in downtown carries peavey's, schecter guitars, they also have their own shop that makes their acoustics and classical gutars. They are also a Rivera dealer though the few times I was there they didn't have any in the store. However, I once phoned and they had one in stock so I guess it depends.

The service in the above stores is fantastic except for West Coast Music where the lady owner is very very nice, the guy owner is nice but tries hard to sell stuff. One of the other employees I found to be extremely unpleasant. In general they have a kind of "better than you" attitude which I didn't care for but it's definitely worth checking out. 

Personally, Not Just Another Music Shop which was mentioned earlier is one of my favourite shops. Most of the good gear there is used but a lot of gear passes through the shop so on some days they don't have a lot to check out while on others your jaw will drop. Until recently I believe they carried Tokai guitars but for legal reasons they don't anymore. They usually have some nice strats there to check out and the occasional nice amp. I've seen a Mesa Mark IV combo there, an Alessandro Working Dog and I can't recall what else...


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## Chorduroy (Feb 10, 2008)

When I was in Vancouver last I thought Tom Lee was a big disappointment. West Coast Music was better, but the guy who helped me was a bit of a douche. I tried out a Stilletto head there that sounded fantastic. Nobody was in the store so he let me crank it. :rockon2:


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## Archer (Aug 29, 2006)

I lived in Van for a long time. Have to say that I have never lived in a city that has a weaker music store scene. 

I came to Calgary to by my Anderson's and most of my amplifiers. When I lived in Vegas I spent a lot of coin at Ed Roman's store (he isnt the demon people make him out to be..I liked him a lot)


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## Lemmy Hangslong (May 11, 2006)

What about that little shop in New Westminister... on the hill across form the night club. That was ok. 
I agree Tom Lee Music is pretty dull.


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## Terri (Aug 3, 2010)

I_cant_play said:


> ...The service in the above stores is fantastic except for West Coast Music where the lady owner is very very nice, the guy owner is nice but tries hard to sell stuff. One of the other employees I found to be extremely unpleasant. In general they have a kind of "better than you" attitude which I didn't care for but it's definitely worth checking out.
> 
> Personally, Not Just Another Music Shop which was mentioned earlier is one of my favourite shops. Most of the good gear there is used but a lot of gear passes through the shop so on some days they don't have a lot to check out while on others your jaw will drop. Until recently I believe they carried Tokai guitars but for legal reasons they don't anymore. They usually have some nice strats there to check out and the occasional nice amp. I've seen a Mesa Mark IV combo there, an Alessandro Working Dog and I can't recall what else...


I just wanted to add that West Coast Music changed ownership in June. The new owner Corinne is fantastic. Very helpful and a lot of fun to hang out with. I reviewed the shop in my blog (WCM)

Sadly, NJAMS closed shop in the past few months. If anybody knows where Rob is, please tell him He Rocks and we hope to see him again!

Terri


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## Chorduroy (Feb 10, 2008)

Old thread is old.


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

Back before the dawn of the internets I used to hit the pawnshops on E Hastings all the time. I doubt they have much there any more. There used to be a cool little shop on Commercial around Charles that had some cool old vintage pieces too. It was mostly a CD shop but they always had a few old guitars and amps and pedals around. Probably still worth checking the pawnshops if you can get past the junkies and panhandlers.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

starjag said:


> Is there a nice amp (guitar) store in downtown Vancouver? I will be there next week for a few days and would love to do some window shopping


Has anyone noticed that starjag (the OP) was asking this question 2 years ago ?

Cheers

Dave


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## Terri (Aug 3, 2010)

greco said:


> Has anyone noticed that starjag (the OP) was asking this question 2 years ago ?
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Dave


Sorry guys! I found this posting through google. Just thought I'd add a comment. 

I'm new to this forum. Sorry for the faux-pas.

Terri


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Terri said:


> Sorry guys! I found this posting through google. Just thought I'd add a comment.
> 
> I'm new to this forum. Sorry for the faux-pas.
> 
> Terri


Terri...no big deal. 

No need to be sorry.

Cheers

Dave


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