Ludlow Guitars

Chill and totally unpretentious. Massive effects pedal selection including a lot of NYC boutique/​one-​offs. I’ve spent lots of $ here since moving to the neighborhood 3 years ago and for good reason. Staff is very friendly and incredibly knowledgable — I’ve happily had 4 electrics and 2 acoustics set up here, including the installation of a Mastery Bridge. All done well in a reasonable amount of time.
I once brought 2 band mates in with me after we’d been drinking those lethal margaritas at Pianos… we proceeded to drunkenly occupy 2 of the private rooms while an employee brought us all sorts of pedals to try out… needless to say this is above and beyond the average customer service level of ANY business (let alone guitar shop). SHOP LOCAL and support Ludlow Guitars!

Their effects pedal collection is unsurpassed, 30^th street has a few vintage things, but ludlow definitely has the huge selection of the upper end, modern effects, prices are fine, and staff is helpful, pro and never too overbearing. I had to exchange one, no problems. they are unique in that they specialize in cool and interesting guitars, Steelcasters are expensive, u are lucky to see even one in a shop, they had like 7 of them. They specialize in vintage fifties, sixties.
the amp in case stuff, all the rare cheapies a from the fifties, Kay, Danelectro, Silvertone, Airlines, etc and the more exotic rare oddballs, I don’t know another shop that has cool stuff like that.
Electric solid bodies that predate Fender & Gibson. they are unique, but they have strats, teles. and some workhorse guitars too.
Instant five stars for the effects selection.
The setup and repair work is reliable, it came back without scratches or issues, on the day it was promised, one week exactly.
They put me in a room with a Fender & Marshall type boutique amp, the tech had things a little too low, we adjusted it quickly, and it was fine. But the overall work seemed solid.
The set up fee is $ 90,plus strings. not cheap, but these days,
it’s $ 75-​$ 100 wherever u go.
It was a solid setup job, I cannot say it was the best setup of my life, but it was a $ 350 guitar and from my understanding, the cheap guitars bridges and nuts just don’t allow u to go that low. the tech and repair service is reliable.
The tech installed some new pickups for me, the job was impeccable, not a single scratch on the guitar, the heights and balance were perfectly
surprises the next day,
all the components works well, intonation was’t perfect, but it was 95% perfect
and it was easy to fine tune.
Colin, my salesperson, was laid back and had some good suggestions.
He grabbed me a set of diaddario NYXL strings,
(I guess I took an unusual gauge, there were few choices)
I liked them a lot, and was pleased that they weren’t $ 11.99 like I’d heard on online forums,(they were just $ 6.99)
He also suggested the Bareknuckle“Mule” set for my needs,
I’d spent all night reading about the different models and, so looked forward to hearing the exact set, which were supposedly deconstructed from a pair of ’59 Les Paul PAF’s,
every single piece, metallurgically identical to the originals,
down to the last screw, tension of the wire, the nickel covers.
I agreed with his choice, they turned out to be fantastic.
The old set of Asian made pickups were very dark and lacked character.
«The Mules» sound bright. each note audible… overdriving into sweet, vintage Les Paul or Flying V territory. The entire guitar was $ 340 on Amazon,
These pickups made it sound like a $ 1500 – 3000 Gibson.
This guitar blows away a Les Paul studio, it’s far, far better. they cost over $ 1k, and I hated mine. my little Asian made Dean feels and sounds somewhere between
a Gibson Flying V and Les Paul. my $ 340 guitar now feels in the same category as my higher end Gibsons. Monet well spent.
I’m very happy, although I was a little nervous on the day of the setup,
when I got it home, and plaid it through my Marshall I was completely happy. the strings stretched and the tension felt better, it was holding turnings like a champ.
This shop may not have a lot of mainstream stuff like Marshall stacks, Les Pauls,
they do carry a very interesting selection of vintage stuff and they do have a few strats, and
tells, a few workhorse guitar.
the effects selection may be the best in the
pretty sure it is.
the service is top notch.
I’m used to the guys ignoring you at guitar shops, acting smug. like at the vintage shops.
or being real pathetic, chatty and dorky, like guitar center.
The service here is level headed, efficient and quick. with no attitude.
I run a shop myself and know that sometimes folks come in and just hang out,
& they play with stuff for hours, Day after day. and never buy a single thing,
I call the, «store groupies, they hang out and want to talk, or show you how much they know about so and so. they mess up your display and tie up your time when there are paying customers in the shop.
Retail can be very hard.
It’s hard to give efficient service-​with-​a-​smile after 8 hours of tire-​kickers and
«guitar store groupies» wearing down your last ounce of patience, but these guys do it on a daily basis.
This place made me feel good about leaving my instrument next time, which for me is huge ;)

The first thing I must say is: just go there! This is a relaxed store with knowledgeable staff that always makes the customer feel welcome. And the shop has been around for years in a neighborhood that has changed radically so that tells you something. Cuz if they weren’t at least good, or very good, they would have closed long ago.
My recent experience: I brought my guitar, a 1980’s Ibanez Pro-​Line, in for a minor repair and set-​up back in 2013 (well over a year ago). Shortly afterwards I ran into some «issues» and wasn’t able to go back and pick it up. They called a couple of times and couldn’t reach me and then I didn’t answer calls or even have a voice mailbox for a while, but they tried. Well I walked in last week and on a whim decided to just ask if it was still there. I had written it off and f they had sold it, not sure who would want to buy it, I was prepared for that and would have been happy that a musician found this inexpensive guitar with an amazing tone and I hoped someone would enjoy it as much as I have for decades. Their policy is «not responsible for items left by idiots and not picked up for a year”-kidding of course, but they have a policy in effect to protect themselves should someone leave an instrument there. Well the dude, Jason was his name I think went and looked for it, and they still had it. I paid them, happily, and they didn’t even charge me storage. I now have my undervalued, amazing ax back in my hands, and I swear it sounds better than ever. I needed only a jack repair and set-​up, but it must have picked up some of the magic music vibe from being there all that time because it sounds and feels amazing. Oh, and the price was fair too! But if they had charged more I would be happy.
I have always advised students to purchase their equipment at Ludlow, I bought my acoustic there a few years back along with pedals, straps and such over the years, and we have always been satisfied. The reminder that they are great guys as well was such a pleasure. It really makes me love NYC when stuff like that happens.
Thank you Ludlow Guitars, and to potential customers, let me know what you think. I predict you will love them too.

I’ve bought my Fender Jaguar, Princeton Reverb Amp, and ukulele here and can’t imagine buying from any other place! The guys who run this place are the nicest people, and there’s a great selection of pedals, amps, and instruments in general, not just guitars. As opposed to other guitar shops that I’ve poked my head into, the guys that work here aren’t the type that treat the guitars like they should be behind bulletproof glass cases at all times, they’re happy to pull an instrument down for you to try out anytime in a private practice space so you don’t have to worry about the cacophony of a lot of people playing in once space. I will always support Ludlow Guitars because I have always had a positive experience there and the atmosphere is always chill.

Awesome. Great service — professional and prompt. Kaan and Garret were great. I brought in a 1960 Gretsch Clipper, which had been somewhat bastardized over the years. They did a setup, tail-​piece adjustment and a general tune-​up. Fair price and great outcome. Thanks to the Ludlow team; I’ll definitely bring in my other guitars and amps.

Pros: Very good selection of gear, especially new pedals.
Cons: The new hours suck! I used to frequent here on my lunch break, but now they open at 1.
Brought my guitar in for a repair. Waited 2 weeks and went in. They didn’t even start it and I got an attitude from some D-​Bag. Needless to say, I walked out with my neglected baby and went to 30^th St. Guitars for a far better price.

Pricey, but knowledgable and good selection.

Discourteous and unaccommodating.

UPDATE: What’s better than boozy brunch on a Saturday? Turning to your friend and saying let’s go to the guitar shop. Wandered to Ludlow for yet another magical experience. They took me through an amazing selection of guitars and pedals, insisting I A/​B to find what was right for me. I walked out with a spankin’ new MXR Univibe and a Fulltone Soul Bender, both of which are set to become key parts of my rig. These guys are awesome!
What a fantastic experience. Not only one of the best experiences I have ever had in the city but one of the best experiences you could ask for in a shop. Fantastic selection of unique and finely crafted instruments, an amazing and knowledgeable staff, great prices and sales (everything felt fairly or well-​priced!), a gorgeous environment and a wonderful place to explore the tools that will help you make your sound. The best part of the experience is that visitors will get to wander one of the most fun and interesting parts of the city, rich with history and character.
Shopping for Gretsch, the store associate was highly conscientious in educating me on new models by Fender and boutique-​makers like Fano. He took time to understand my interests and needs and recommended excellent ideas. He was so comfortable and easy to deal with it made me want to buy just to support such a wonderful establishment.
What’s more they have an exceptional assortment of pedals and amps, and beautiful amp rooms to audition future dream rigs. This is hands down one of the best palces to search out Fenders and Gretsch. Put this shop on your short list!

Yeah it’s true I’m a casual musician. But let me tell you, just because you’re a casual dresser doesnt mean you have to get all your clothes at Kohl’s. There are soundproofed practice rooms where you can try out that guitar or pedal you’ve been dreaming of and see if it’s what you’ve always wanted in blissful privacy. The selection, all crammed into a tiny space, is unbelievable. The knowlege of the staff is pervasive and their suggestions will always bring you down interesting roads. When I get my bood up for another major musical purchase I’ll be coming back for sure.

The guys that work here are super nice and helpful. Came in for a slight bridge adjustment to get rid of the buzz in my low E string. Told me it would be $ 8, and when I whipped out my debit card he said not to worry about it and just come back to buy a pedal or something sometime. So awesome.
And I have come back to buy pedals — they have a really sweet selection, and let you try them out in a private practice room (unlike other music stores that drive you crazy with the din of everyone trying to out-​shread each other). I shopped around for all the pedals I bought, and found their prices to be average or below average compared to other stores in the city (and online).
As for guitar/​amp gear, they don’t have a ton of it in the store and from what I looked at prices seemed high. Definitely recommend them for pedal shopping and guitar repairs.
It’s just really refreshing to be in an unpretentious music store

This place feels like a candy store! Tons of pedals that the staff is very willing to let you try. Two demo rooms in the back that feel private which I liked. They have top of the line new and vintage equipment. Also, it’s a great place to check out while you’re waiting for Mission Chinese to call you for a table! lol

Ran across this place by pure chance. We were looking for some Greek food so we used Unilocal to find a great little spot for gyros right around the corner from Ludlow Guitars. After we ate we happened across this little gem.
This shop has a nice vibe and the staff are knowledgeable and very helpful. My son wanted a guitar lesson while we were visiting NYC. They hooked us up with a great guitar instructor named Garrett. Next time we hit NYC, we will be back!
While the guitar lesson was not expensive, $ 50 for an hour, the prices for guitars and associated gear seems a bit on the high side.

The guitar tech at Ludlow Guitars, Eric, is the best I’ve ever met. He determines more about your instrument in five minutes than some do in days.
A decent amount of shops will just say, «Well, I’ll try and see what I can do,» and then they’ll work on it, charge you, and the issue won’t be completely fixed.
But Eric will be more specific and more honest. He’ll do his best to explain to you what’s going on, and he’ll let you know if he thinks the repair will work in the first place.
If you talk to him for a little while, you’ll also see that he doesn’t just work on guitars for a living. He still messes around with them for fun, and he comes up with new ways of doing things. He told me about a coiled undersaddle pickup that he invented for classical guitars. He’s an interesting guy.
A previous reviewer mentioned that, when you try to describe some sort of abstract sound that you’re looking for, he figures out exactly what you’re talking about. The reviewer’s not exaggerating– that’s definitely the case.
When I did bring in an instrument that was in good enough shape to be worth working on, he unsurprisingly did a good job on it. I had an undersaddle pickup installed in a ukulele, and the installation was 100% right. The action was the same as it was before and all of the strings were equally loud when amplified. It’s usually pretty common that, when an undersaddle pickup gets installed, at least one of those things will be a little bit off, and that’s just what you’ve got to deal with. But not so in this case– everything came out right.
Once I paid for the work, I asked another employee if maybe I could plug it in and play it in the acoustic guitar room. I expected that maybe he’d grumble a bit, but nope… he said, «Definitely,» and plugged in an acoustic amp for me, adjusted the EQ a bit, let me in the room, and then closed the door for me once I started playing.
All-​around great store.
To address the complaints that the store is more expensive than some others, I have the following to say: It’s also better.
It’s also really not that expensive. The repairs that Eric has done here have been the cheapest (in addition to the best) out of any store in the NYC area.
And to the guy who complained that an amp from Ludlow costs more than an amp that some dude posted in the classifieds in a guitar mag: well, duh. Of course gear whose quality has been verified at a nationally-​known store with a reputation to uphold is going to cost more than gear that you buy directly from the owner. That’s Shopping 101 right there.
In conclusion:
1) For purchasing new instruments and equipment, there are other places, but Ludlow is one of the best, if not the best.
2) For getting repairs and modifications done on any stringed instrument, Ludlow is certainly the best, and I can’t think of a reason to go anywhere else.

This place is excellent. I went in trying to get a fuzz pedal for my bass, having a few options in mind. The dude who helped me out set me up with the pedals I was looking for and let me try them out for as long as want. He also brought me a bunch of pedals I didn’t know existed that he thought I also might like, considering the sound of the pedals I first suggested.
It’s definitely a little pricier than buying something off the internet, but it’s not obscene — I got a Way Huge Pork Loin for about $ 170 there, which is about $ 35 more than the absolute cheapest I could find online, but not far from the average price. I think it’s worth it to support a place where I can go and try out things and get such awesome support and tips.

These guys always have cool gear for sale.
Cool gear that can usually be found elsewhere for a lot cheaper.
Case in point:
Played a nice vintage Gibson Skylark in the store. Priced at $ 400.
Found the same amp in the classifieds of a guitar magazine. Price $ 75.
That is perhaps an extreme case, but you get the picture. You’re paying for convenience or something.
I understand that Manhattan rents are insanely expensive, but that’s really no excuse for price gouging. If I see something that I like at Ludlow, I’ll look for it somewhere else. If I can’t find it elsewhere I’ll consider buying it at Ludlow, but I won’t like it. It doesn’t really seem like they’re appreciative of my (or anyone else’s) business.
Their customer service is laughable. Customer service is not their strong suit. In fact I don’t know what their strong suit is. Possibly their location? IDK.
So, in summary I find Ludlow Guitars to be good for a list ditch effort. Not much more than that. There are many better shops not too far away.

It was my first night in New York and I got so tuned up the night before on the LES that I lost my guitar. I was only a fill in guitar player with Train so 1 screw up and I was a goner. I hadn’t even gone to sleep and it was 3PM and the sound check was for 5PM. I was bummed they didn’t have a selection of Jackson guitars but the guys in the house let me play an array of guitars in their private rooms. Which is great because I have to really shred a guitar before I decide. I was able to play a few Fenders, Gibsons, and Gretsch’s to get warmed up. But it just wasn’t like my Jackson. My little whore of a guitar I’d played since my high school days in Jacksonville. The knowing clerk, a skinny little straight shooter, sensed my style and found an old Ibanez for me and I was able to get out of there with my new favorite guitar and a few sets of strings.
Thanks guys.

I’m only going to speak to what I know about this place. I’m a lefty guitarist, and they sold next to nothing lefty, but I still LOVE Ludlow because…
The pedal selection here is the absolute best of the best! They have all of those boutique, weirdo, over-​the-​top effects you’ve been dreaming of: zVex, Dwarfcraft Devices, Keeley, Earthquaker Devices, Electro-​Harmonix… they have all of them. They’ll tell you all about them, let you demo them, whatever.
I bought a Tech-​21 Programmable bass driver from these guys a year or so ago. The staff was friendly, they had it in stock, and it was the SAME price as it was being sold on MusiciansFriend.
So, I don’t know about the guitars, but this place is worth dropping in on just to check out the pedals.

Good lord, this may be the holy grail of guitar repair.
This review has specifically to do with their repair and custom work, although I’ll comment that the store has by far the best selection of pedals in the city, as well as a great selection of mid-​to-​high end everything. The amp selection is thin — I wouldn’t come in here specifically to shop for one — but they have an ample (and, more important, extremely well-​selected) stock of guitars, basses, and all the classic accouterments one might expect. Incredible nice, incredibly helpful and obscenely knowledgable people; the best I’ve ever dealt with.
But their real gem is Erich, the luthier. Every time I’ve had work done by Erich, I get treated as though I’m in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Anything and everything can be done, he is genuinely interested in your vision and the way you like to sound, and he is impossible to stump. I have had work done by Erich three times now, from small basic repairs and adjustments like setups and pot-​cleaning to major, overhaul work like pickup re-​routing and bizarre custom electrical modifications. Every time: perfection. Total, complete perfection, the likes of which would please anyone. My instruments have never played so well or sounded so good.
I’ve played in lots of bands, moved all over the country, and I’m a bit of a picky guy when it comes to sound. It hardly matters: it seems Erich is even pickier, and his perfectionism repeatedly results in world-​class work. Talking to him, I’m willing to bet that my sort of music is not something he listens to often. (I play in heavy, noisy, sludge and hardcore bands). But he gets it anyway, and nails it. There’s never any kind of ego in his work where he tries to build something for himself — he’s a very good listener, and he’ll figure out what you need.
And: they won’t gouge you; the prices are completely fair. Especially considering the overhead of a place on Ludlow.
As for the rest of the staff, I can say that they all have their areas of expertise, and someone will always jump in and help you out with truly epic patience and generosity. I suspect that if I took the time to delve into pedals, picks, or 60’s Gibsons the way I have repairs, I would find a similar kind of care and confidence. The owner, I’ve experienced, is an awesome and friendly person whose love of music is infectious.
Basically, I’ve been to at least 10 music shops in NYC, and Ludlow is the only one that gets everything right. Good people, good stuff, good selection, good store. Zero attitude. Just an assumed mutual respect and appreciation backed by a shit-​ton of knowledge. If I ever move from NYC (god willing) this is going to be one of the spots I really, really miss.

With a completely unpretentious feel about this place, I must say it definitely carries that vibe through the air.
It’s a place where you can come and browse without feeling evil death stares from the sales people. They’re knowledgeable and not pushy with a great selection.
Most of all you can browse and not buy a darned thing and they’ll still be friendly as heck!