The four regular readers of this site—I’m pretty sure I gained a new reader in 2014—will know that I like guitars. When I say like, I of course mean I have a problem. I have a fascination. I’m not actually a good guitar player, but guitars bring me a whole lot of joy. Today, I visited the Hollywood Guitar Center on Sunset Blvd. It seems nobody here ever types the word Boulevard which suits me—it’s a tricky word to spell!
All I can say is … OMFG. If you don’t recognise that acronym, Google it.
Guitar Center is like my grown-up version of a toy store. I wanted everything I saw and I was trying to work out how to get it all back to Australia. I figured I’d work out the method of payment afterwards. Surely there is a 25 year lay-away plan or something.
Before you even walk into the store, it’s a form of guitar heaven. There were hand prints set in concrete—or a similar substance—for you to admire and photograph as well as what I assume are bronze busts to pay tribute to some of the guitar legends that are no longer with us. I’ve included a couple of my favourites in the image gallery below.
Once inside I didn’t know where to look. There were guitars to the left and guitars to the right. But it was nothing like the lyrics to that Time Warp song. It was awesome. Then I saw the exclusive and expensive guitars. That was simply amazing. I had to leave there though because the wall of EVH amps scared me. I thought they may blow me against the rear wall if someone used them.
The regular guitars though … SO affordable. Nothing like in Australia (or at least where I shop). I saw the Jackson JS22-7 that I wrote about in my affordable 7-string guitars article. New. In stock. Tempting.
Later today—because it’s currently very early on Wednesday morning—I’m going to the Orange Outlet store. If they have the same kind of range and the same prices, I may just leave with a guitar and a flight case. It has to get safely back to Australia after all.
I really need a Guitar Center in Australia. One close to me preferably.
Guitar Center wall of guitars 
Ozzy 
Slash 
Jimmy Page 
Jackson 
EVH hands 
Dime 
EVH
Just a word of caution…… I bought a guitar in Florida a few years back, I got it at a fantastic price and they threw in all kinds of extras too. I was a happy, happy man until I got back to England and the Customs guys hit me with Import Tax!!! It made the guitar more expensive than if I’d bought it in England…… 🙁 I don’t know if there is a way around it, but if there is, it’s probably illegal……. 😉
I don’t believe that should affect me as these are not expensive guitars. At least that’s how it’s worked when I have purchased from overseas before. If it’s over $1K then there are taxes. Combined my purchases were under $1K.
Cool, I hope that’s the way it works. I guess the English government are just greedy, they want you to pay tax if you bring back a beach towel!!