The Great Great House Of Guitars

I was visiting my hometown of Rochester, NY this past weekend and paid my routine visit to a true American institution, The House Of Guitars. It's known around the world for it's guitars and famous for it's constant state of disrepair (ie for years the "t-shirt" section was literally a pile of t-shirts in a corner), it's commercials, and it's owner, Armand Schaubroeck. Armand spent time in prison, recorded several albums, released several more on his own Mirror Records and pulled stunts like this (clip is from Scholastic Scope Magazine, 1968). The HOG oozes punk rock and rock n roll, a far cry from the sterilized music store chains.



Guitar-heads make pilgrimages from all over to visit. The case in the center houses rare and signed guitars. Hundreds of Strats, Teles, Les Pauls and every other guitar you can imagine fill the other cases.



The wall of amps is, well, a wall of amps. But these are all vintage tube amps, from Fender Princetons to Marshalls from the early 60s.

And here's just a segment of the newly refurbed wall of fame, followed by a close-up of a young Ozzy Osbourne at a HOG in-store.





Photo I regret not taking: A vinyl copy of 'Imagine' signed by John and Yoko that is housed in the end cap of a guitar display case.