Great staff, very nice selection of vintage gear, and meeting Tom was certainly a pleasure.

Walked nearly an hour to visit after hearing the place was friendly. Met Tom the owner. He was super nice. Guitars were interesting and expensive. Was planning to buy one for a gig that evening. Would not have touched one, otherwise. Tom encouraged my friend and I to "pick them up and play." We thanked him, and did. we were playing softly, reasonably. And it's not like I wasn't looking to PURCHASE a guitar. Salesman came over and very rudely shut us down. Even when we apologized and told him Tom had encouraged us to play, the guy was truly an a-hole about it. It didn't seem to matter that Tom had actually suggested we play. Weird, unfriendly experience. There are several other shops within walking distance. I'd suggest trying any of them before this one... there's a way to handle it Without being rude. That's not how this guy handles it. It's too bad, because Tom, himself, seemed like a pretty welcoming guy. read more

If you are looking for an acoustic guitar, especially a vintage Martin or Gibson, TR Crandall is the place for you. It is a guitar shop, in the business of selling guitars, but someone asks you what you are looking for, it's not a sales pitch. It's because he wants you to have a guitar that you will enjoy holding and enjoy playing. And you can try out as many guitars as you want for as long as you want to spend trying. And this spirit includes the other guitarists shopping there. They into talking about guitars, their own and yours, and guitar experiences. read more

Beautiful guitar store. The variety of vintage Martin, Gibson and other acoustic guitars was jaw dropping. I played 1941 Martin D-18's and D-28's back to back as long as I wanted along with a 1939 Gibson. The D-28 was as much money as a house. Staff was amazing. The electric guitars are equally phenomenal. If you have a vintage guitar that needs repairs this would be one of a select few places to get great work done but I'm sure the wait is very long. Tom Crandall has restored guitars that Johnny Cash and Jimi Hendrix once owned along with guitars for plenty of popular working musicians of today. Must visit for any serious guitar fans or collectors. read more

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This is not a guitar store. Maybe they repair guitars. They don't answer the phone or buzzer. May be out of business.

If I get to heaven, this is the guitar shop there. The people were extremely friendly and let me play any of their instruments. And, what an inventory! Many rare arch tops, telecasters, strats and a great selection of acoustics including a couple dobros. They build their own models and do repairs, too read more

You know that super satisfying feeling you get after immediately quenching a very intense, specific and persistent craving? Well that's the feeling I got after finally stepping foot inside TR Crandall Guitars last week. On the 5th floor of 156 Ludlow street lives one of New York's most eclectic, well-stocked and uniquely sourced collections of unique and vintage guitars. I was in heaven while appreciating some rare and handbuilt wooden and steel beauties from the 20's, 30's, 40's and beyond. When you go to big box stores, most of their expensive and high-end guitars are very much often under lock and key. You have to ask a sales associate to come over to unlock them for you, if you even want to have a proper gander. Over here at TG, I was in a semi private room packed with about 40 or so vintage acoustic guitars, with prices ranging from $1500 to $12,000+. The cool thing was that each was fully accessible and playable. In fact, I got a chance to play with both a beautiful $8k guitar and and a whopping $12k guitar. Both were absolutely stunning in their craftsmanship, materials and also tone. If I didn't stop them, each note I played felt like it could ring forever. I was not used to that as these instruments put my sub $150 classical acoustic Ibanez to shame... but that is the beauty of guitars (and most instruments in general). What I have been able to practice and learn on the frets of a budget-friendly guitar carried over seamlessly to collector-level guitars. I experienced tonalities and sounds come through that I've never felt before and my confidence begin to steadily climb as fellow customers glanced in my direction. Can I afford much of what was in this store? Nope, not yet at least, but I appreciate being treated as a customer who can. What I mean by that is that I never once felt rushed by their employees or even gawked at for taking a $12k guitar off it's resting place. Granted, I did so with extreme care and treated each guitar with the respect it deserved (ie. taking off my jacket, making sure no zippers or belt buckles are able scratch them, putting them back in the proper place when done, etc.) I was left to my own devices and I think I could literally have spent the entire afternoon there if I had the time. I have a few repairs I need to get done on my '92 Gibson Nighthawk (my first love and a gift from my dad when I was 15) and I will definitely be bringing her into TR Crandall Guitars soon, where I know she will be in good hands. read more

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They've got a great variety of mostly vintage/near vintage acoustic guitars, lots of gems here. It's nice to be able to freely play/test out the various guitars without being pestered or watched over by the staff. Was considering getting a tune up but the wait is long. read more

Had a really great experience here. Great work for a set up. Expensive but it's NYC so what do you expect

I just bought a beautiful Martin Guitar from TR Crandell. I am a novice player, yet they were gracious, They (Scott) gave me the space to comfortably do my cowboy chords 12 bar blues, and ask questions... The place is a Cathedral of extraordinary string-instruments and amplifiers, worthy of humble respect - laced with a sense of work, passion and time. The other clients were helpful too... as my playing evolves I am excited about TR Crandell read more

Great hidden gem in NYC, took me a while to find it. But what an amazing selection of vintage amps and guitars! read more

TR Crandall Guitars - Fender Strat 1977. - Guitar Stores Near Me - New York, New York

Trying to purchase a vintage guitar from out of town made impossible. I've emailed and called (left VM) this place, no answer. Guess they are doin' just fine without my business- Wow.. read more

This store sells used electric, acoustic, and bass guitars, and amplifiers. I liked the Fender Stratocaster guitar, that has that has a classic rock-and-roll sound. read more

I recently moved to the city and found myself in need of a bridge repair for my grandfather's old Martin D18 manufactured in 1950. TR Crandall seemed like a small family run shop with good reviews so I took it there. A couple weeks passed and I gave them a call to check in. They told me they hadn't gotten to it yet. Fair enough. Maybe they were super busy. I waited another couple weeks and gave them another call. They said they had just started working on it and this is when I started to think they were lying to me. They assured me it would be ready by the end of the week. Time passed and I had to call again. They said it would be ready in 2 days. Okay so 2 days later I go to get it. The guitar looks and sounds great. It took 2 months but whatever it's fixed and sounds gre About a month later I noticed the bridge was lifting off. It was still attached but the strings had pulled part of it off the body of the guitar. This was strange because I take very good care of my guitar in terms of playing and humidifying. I didn't want to take it back to them because I no longer trusted them with one of my most valuable and sentimental guitars. I waited a while until I had the chance to take it to a trusted family luthier who lives very far away. After he looked at it he told me it looked like they used crappy glue (might have been Krazy Glue.) He couldn't even scrape it all off so he did his best. Long story short TR Crandall took forever to actually do anything and likely forgot about it until I called repeatably. Then it became evident they had done a shoddy job. Maybe they even rushed it when they realized they hadn't even got started. I did not try to get my money back because I don't want my guitar anywhere near them. If you take your guitar here for repairs make sure to be on their ass and ask exactly what they are doing and what materials they are using. Good luck. If they had done nothing and given it back as is I would have given more stars but I truly think they only deserve 1 star at best. read more

A special store. Why? Because they have a good selection of used guitars (and new Collings guitars) and a terrific laid back, customer oriented culture. While I was there a couple musicians were checking out various guitars at a leisurely place. It was clear that the owner here loves the local musicians and makes them feel comfortable. The owner Tom was friendly and the kind of guy you want to do business with, and possibly to even become friends with. Great place. I will certainly return next time I'm in town. read more

I love this guitar boutique (yes I said boutique) they are amazing. I called and they picked up on the first ring! Not only did Elijah help me with my new guitar string but he also tunes it for me. Thanks again guys y'all are F*cking Awesome!! I'm off to play my new baby. read more

Great group of folks. Outstanding service and super knowledgeable. Killer guit6 star

He's a great repairman, knowledgeable and experienced. But make sure he doesn't go to extreme measures without talking to you first. He completely ruined the neck of my guitar, and the only option after spending almost $1000 with him was to find someone that could make a new neck and install it. read more

Truly excellent repair/set up work. The staff is great. This a customer oriented business. They obviously care.

Great selection, nice staff. This is where everyone from rock stars to beginners gets their vintage guitars fixed and/or restored.

Got guitar? Need guitar? Want guitar? This is your joint, but expect more on the used and vintage side than brand new. Experienced musicians will tell you a used 6-stringer is a much better buy than a brand new one. Probably already has that first painful dent and it's like a used car. As soon as it's driven off the lot the price has been reduced to a much more reasonable level. TR Crandall, for my money it's the best guitar shop in Manhattan. I'm not including Brooklyn with Retrofret or the iconic Mandolin Brothers on Staten Island. Both are exceptional choices. Crandall is the real deal, a guitar deal with his feet planted well in the history of the instrument. Knowledgeable, helpful, a good guy to know. His staff, all equally helpful. Located squarely in Alphabet City, it's one of those little stores you wouldn't expect to find, and privately I wonder with skyrocketing rents and pressure from the real estate side of the city if their home here is safe, but I digress. It's clear they do a robust business. Martins, Gibsons, Collings, Fenders, odd one-off pieces of history from the 30s, 40s and up (and down). Hell, they even have a few killer mandolins, including one I hope to own some day. So look, stop wasting your time reading this. If you're a musician needing a new ax, get down to this place. For a small storefront they're loaded to the gills, and in this part of the world, you never know when a famous musician will walk in the front door and do exactly what you may be dreaming of... trying out that one box they're considering as their new best friend. read more

This place is the best of the best.... Known these guys for a while, and Alex & Tom have absolutely knocked it out of the park with this shop. Zero fluff--- Every single instrument in the store is a 5 star experience. If nerding out on guitars is your thing, this place is the tippy-top of the pile. Brought some guitars over to get set up... it's like having totally new/different instruments. Tom is the real deal!! Best luthier in NY, hands down, and a ridiculous guitar boutique taboot. read more

TR Crandall was recommended to me by a reputable guitar tech to fix a crack in my vintage Gibson, so I brought it in to them. They agreed to put a cleat and give it a set up, telling me it would take a week or two. Weeks go by with no word from them. After the third week I started calling, only to be told it wasn't ready, no explanation why it wasn't done yet, but that it should be "any day now." I called once a week and got the same response. Whoever answers the phone for them seemed quite amused that I was interested in getting my guitar back. By the third month I was getting very frustrated. At last they told me it was ready. I went and got the guitar. I could tell right away they hadn't done a setup. It still had the same strings on it as when I brought it in. They had installed a cleat, however sloppily. No longer trusting them with my instrument, I paid and left. When I showed it later to my luthier he was shocked at the slapdash, careless work they had done on it. They charge an arm and a leg for it, too. read more

Tom did an incredible set up on my Gibson Sj-200. Though $100 for a setup is on the expensive side it is absolutely worth it. Tom was able to quickly diagnose the problem areas with my guitar and had it ready for me in one week. It plays and sounds like a different guitar. They also have an excellent selection of vintage guitars. Both times I have gone there tom and alex have been more than happy to show me some guitars (and let me play them for a while) and to talk shop. Very cool guys. I'll definitely be coming back here for all of my setup/repair needs and when I'm in the market for a new guitar. read more

A great New York guitar store with an assortment of interesting pieces.Enough instruments are priced affordably to keep things interesting. It's a real New York music store, not a museum for the elite. Additionally they do great work there -I had a fret job done and I was delighted. read more

It's refreshing to see a shop where the staff have such a strong passion for what they do, and the products they sell. I mean, I'm not from NYC, but never in my life have I seen such an amazing collection of vintage guitars that weren't locked away. After I win the lottery I'm coming back... read more

What is there to yelp that hasn't been yelped about this place? I've been here before just to check out the guitars and they've got some sweet playthings that are way out of my price range. One day... though I guess that means I'll have to eat nothing but ramen to save up for one of these vintage guitars... Alex is really nice and knows his stuff; he's generally the guy you see and greets all customers. Tom is mostly in the back, just being a genius no big deal. See he's a luthier - yeah I had to google the definition too. And he's damn good at his craft. I came in last Saturday and brought my guitar in for set-up. Tom usually takes all the repairs and set-ups in person. I had bought a new bone nut and saddle to swap in, and explained to Tom as such and that I wanted the action to be the same. He said it was a piece of cake and asked when I needed it by, but I was in no rush so he offered Wednesday. Wednesday comes around and I get a call from Alex saying that it's done. Picked it up 2 days later and my guitar sounds and plays like BUTTER! All in all, extremely professional, quick, friendly and super knowledgeable. Thats why famous musicians come here while they tour in the area to get their guitars fixed or tuned up. Have you ever tried to go to Guitar Center to get a guitar set up? Yeah... don't. Tom isn't cheap but you get what you pay for: someone who cares about your instrument and takes immense pride in his work! I'll definitely be back for some shows Alex told me were coming up that they were hosting, and definitely will be back when I need any work done on my instruments / have enough cheddar to buy guitars almost triple my age! read more

Top level guitar shop in every way, best selection and staff around. Just bought a D-28 from these guys today which is a relatively low dollar sale for this shop. They had guitars ready for me to try upon arrival and treated me like I was going to spend $20k. No sales tactics here, just knowledgeable, kind and helpful dudes. Worth spending a slight premium to buy an instrument from a shop that sets up the instruments perfectly, stands behind their work, and gives you the time and space to try out a selection of guitars properly. This will be the shop I go to from now on. Thanks Elijah! read more

best and friendliest guitar store in the city every instrument in their inventory sounds incredible read more

Best vintage guitar shop in NYC, hands down. Well-curated selection. Reasonable prices. (Not cheap, but if you're looking for great vintage guitars in ready-to-play shape, I don't think you'll find better prices anywhere else in NYC.) Tom is so knowledgeable about so many things -- not just guitars! Whether you live in NYC or are just passing through, *go*. read more

I had a inexpensive guitar with a crack in it. Tom took time out to talk with me about the ups and downs of fixing it. It is a welcoming place and everyone was friendly and helpful. read more

I really enjoyed TR Crandall Guitars opening party two weeks ago and their selection of refurbished rare guitars is amazing. Not to mention they served some real quality Italian heroes and macaroons at the party. Most importantly, one of two owners has a quasi-decent beard. read more

Awesome vintage guitar shop. The owners are incredibly knowledgeable and just as friendly. They do outstanding repair work as well. Just an incredible vintage guitar store. I've been to all the Manattan vintage shops and this is easily my favorite. I am a little reluctant to put the word out but hey it's the right thing to do! read more

was passing by recently, and really what red blooded american could possibly just merely pass by those windows? was talkin to the uber chill alex about a sweet tele in the corner, when who pops up from outta nowhere i.e. the repair shop: TOM. straight up, one of those "light streaming down from the heavens" holy crap moments, cause always been a huge fan of tom's repairs / setups at another shop, but after a while, he just got so dam busy with being one of THEBEST. so, of course, i immediately ask him to work on my suhr, and yea, its that familiar butter all over again. pricey? sure. but if you have anything of high value, sentimental, or anything worthwhile, do your investment and yourself a favor, and take it to tr crandall. just a matter of time when word gets out of his new sweet digs, and tom'll become way too busy all over again. so, everybody completely disregard this yelp posting, and move along. read more

Recently brought my acoustic guitar for some work. They said it would be ready in a week. TWO weeks later I went in to get it and nothing had been done to it. No phone call or anything letting me know that it would be late, a water trip. It would certainly turn me off from buying an expensive guitar there. Very bad customer service. read more

Simply put, the best shop for acoustic guitars in New York City. Tom is a gifted luthier, the best I have ever met. Alex is knowledgable about guitars and great at taking care of customers. Together, they present an incredible selection of fine, as well as offbeat, guitars, all in great playing trim. I have bought more than one guitar here and love to come in and browse in the unpressured environment. read more

Wen't in here on a whim. They did a beautiful job on my parlor and couldn't have been more helpful, patient, and professional. Will definitely be back! read more

Best guitar shop in the city. Unbelievable collection of vintage Martin, Gibson, and anything else you could desire.

It is impossible to overstate the standard of excellence Tom and Alex offer at their outstanding shop. The extraordinary quality of what they offer for sale and of the repair and build work they do is unmatched anywhere. This is absolutely the best shop in NYC. read more

I had a deal that didn't actually go though however they handle it with the utter most respect. I would not hesitate to do business with them again. Alex you are an exceptional person and I thank you for your understanding. read more