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A Message from FatDog

This directory of hot links is something that I'm going to continue to develop with a number of musical instrument vendors. This is the beauty of the Internet: even customers in remote areas have access to very reasonable prices, slightly above wholesale.

Part of having a music license to operate a store entitles us to obtain many products at whoesale, which is approximately half of list price. There are many items that I buy and stock in my store and raise the price for my retail customers. There are also many items that I would never choose to stock because the demand is not great and they are not frequently requested. In other words: I'd invest in these items and sit on them for a long time before somebody wanted to buy them.

Years ago we developed a policy where we will order anything obtainable by us for a 25% commission above what it costs to get it in our door. The only thing that I needed was a commitment in the form of a cash deposit, in case the person bailed and I was stuck with something that I couldn't sell easily.

Now, with the Internet, many vendors have their own website portfolios. Musicians around the world can see a huge array of products and obtain them at a price slightly above what a store gets them for. I'm happy to provide this service.

I'm developing this directory where you can go to the vendors that I work with, see their product line and come back to me via e-mail. Through dialogue, we arrive at a price. Thousands of Subway customers have benefitted in ordering all sorts of items from strings to some really obscure items and instruments using this policy. Now I'm making it available to the cyberworld.

There's just one thing:

you have to make sure you know what you want
and commit to it with a deposit.


I'm not going to order stuff or give refunds if you change your mind.


Special Links to Save Your Money

Wholesale Parts Contracting

These companies sell some really good stuff. We can order it for you at 25% above wholesale.

As a manufacturer we are continually using these products and obtain them at unbelievable wholesale prices. Now here's the best part: through a special arrangement, you can order any of their merchandise through Subway Guitars and the company will ship it direct to you from their factory.

They pay the shipping; you save lots of money.

Check out their websites for descriptions of their merchandise and specs.

We're A-1 BARTOLINI freaks -- we've been manufacturing and building custom guitars using pickups and electronics systems from Bartolini for 20+ years. And we know: its the shit! They format their products for basically any instrument. I've used Washburn pickups and 7-string Johnny Smith pickups. Check out the Bartolini portfolio. We can provide you with their goods for an excellent price.

BARCUS BERRY manufactures pickups for acoustic instruments, direct boxes and assorted electronics.
NOTE: Subway Guitars must ship this company's merchandise to you.


GHS STRINGS I feel that GHS makes the best guitar strings that are in the running of normal pricing. We used to sell them in sets, but we opted to sell our house brand in the store and mail order. Alot of our customers still order boxes of GHS strings.

Wholesale, they end up costing $4-$5 a set. Take a look at their website. See the gauges and the type of strings you want. We can order sets of them and add our 25% commission to the wholesale price.

Since the prices vary and their catelogue is so diverse, we'll probably have to go back and forth with dialog to get you a close estimate of what the strings will cost you. If its worth it to you, you'll get some really good strings and save some bucks, especially if you're far away from big discount music stores.


HIPSHOT PRODUCTS manufactures tuning gears and bridges with a lever to droptune.


MAINSTRAP One of our old workers hooked us up with Mainstrap and we custom ordered alot of their products for our clientele. If you want fancy guitar straps, these are the folks. Same deal: your cost is 25% above our cost to get in the door.


MAUI UKULELE Lawrence and the folks in Maui manufacture traditionally-styled Hawaiian ukuleles [Nahenahe brand] as well as custom ukuleles, cases and a variety of other products for the true aficionado.


MOSES manufactures graphite guitar and bass necks and a solid body upright bass.


SEYMOUR DUNCAN -- the pickups of choice.


JK LUTHERIE COMPANY specialized in guitar-related items, including guitar books, videos, magazines, CDs and more. Check 'em out!


ROCKTRON I'm not really up on these high-tech doodads, but we do have access to them and I know that they're very high quality processors. Check out their high-tech site. If there's anything that's appealing to you, its the same deal: 25% above my wholesale cost. I'll have to find out the prices to us.

We've sold a few of these pieces second hand in the store and people have very good things to say about them. If you're interested, you know what to do: check out the website and contact us at Subway.

THOMASTIK STRINGS A tech who used to work with us later became an artist-relations connection for Thomastik strings. I never heard of them. Thomastik contacted us and wanted us to distribute them in the Bay Area. After checking them out, I said we can offer them to our Internet customers at 25% above wholesale.

The thing is: these things are ultra-high quality and their list price goes through the roof. An example is their bass strings -- which alot of people swear by as the BEST -- list out at about $60. Our cost to you is somewhere around $30. The guitar strings are roughly $10-$15 per set.

There are all sorts of claims of being super-duper alloys and they last longer and sound fantastic. The first time I heard of them was seeing a full-page ad of Charlie Hunter endorsing them on the inside cover of Downbeat Magazine.

Charlie's Mom built guitars at Subway in the early 70's when Charlie was just a little tot. Years later, Charlie taught guitar at our music school for a number of years and went on to become beyond monstrous. We made his first 7-string jazz guitar for him. Now he's a bigshot using the best stuff -- Thomastik Strings.

You can go to their fancy-smancy website and see their string portfolio. I'll be glad to order any of their product for you at 25% above wholesale. We'll have to go back and forth to get you a close estimate of cost, but I'll guarantee you this: you'll save alot o' money!

I'm also going to try to get their upright bass strings and concert strings in the future. That will be a real savings for anybody looking for these.

WARMOTH FatDog keeps it simple when he says: "I think Warmoth makes the best stuff on Planet Earth. This website is someone's idea of an introduction to their products, but the truth is: Warmoth offers a BEAUTIFUL catalog of all the permutations and combinations of their products. (P.S. Don't get the pages all stuck together....)"
NOTE: Subway Guitars must ship this company's merchandise to you.

To receive a copy of the Warmoth catalog, send $3 to:

Warmoth Guitar Products
6464 112 Street East
Puyallup, WA 98373

Telephone: (206) 845-0403





Cool Stuff

Charlotte Adams, offering more than 30 years experience in guitar instruction, just told Fatdog about her fabulous new guitar instruction video. You'll want to check this out: Charlotte's one of the most progressive teachers known. She's considered a "teacher of teachers" because so many skilled musicians come to her to expand their knowledge of the instrument, for theory and technique and to profit from her help in eliminating blocks in their performance and careers. This video is a great place to start if you're a beginner, too. So go head on -- check out her web site! This could make all the difference.... http://www.guitar-instruction-video.com. You'll be glad.

Jeff Finder -- an ole' buddy of Fatdog's -- has a song for you. Oil War Written in 1978, and originally performed by the Pornocrats, Oil War is as on the pulse now as it was then. Want to record it? The music is available by calling Jeff: (510) 222-9055.

Check out Johnny Beane and download some of the best in pop, rock, punk and instrumental music. He's Subway's own, Berkeley's own -- and he's GREAT! (All the ladies know this....)

Father's Amp Repair . Dave Hodtwalker is the steward -- our guru -- of Subway's amplifiers and parts. Dave has been a neighbor, a customer and associate for some 25 years. Now he's moving into the repair and customizing business. Take it from me: he's the dude. So check out his website or email Dave at fathers@fatubesound.com.

Merle Saunders hipped me to this: Playpro Interactive for Bass, Guitar and Keyboard -- the first truly interactive tutorial software program designed for bass players of the future. Suited to beginner and advanced players, this package allows you to literally "talk" to a PC without modifing the bass or fitting a MIDI device. What's more, realtime effects processing with virtual Bass stomp boxes allows you to add a new dimension to your playing. It features over 50 videos shot from the player's perspective, showing how to play new techniques as they are introduced. Its practice made perfect. Checkitout! Then buy it from FatDog.

Here's some stuff from an old Subway pal who comes up with all these weird inventions. He's really excited about his new guitar pick. You can get a free sample from him, so check out his website: www.bigrockeng.com.

Resources

Check out Crossroads -- A new way to learn to play guitar with steaming videos, sound clips, tablature, live on-line lessons and much more...

Check out GuitarPrinciples.Com -- Get10 things you can do right now to become a better guitar player!"

Larry Holt (Deltablues) has three websites he'd like you to know about:
Blues, Guitars, Amps and Effects at http://www.deltabluesman.com
Vintage Amp & Effects Schematics at http://www.schematicheaven.com and
A New Musicians's Messaging Forum at http://www.the-crossroads.org that is attracting quite a collection of subject matter experts in the Music and Gear field. Check it out!

FatDog wants you to check out Steve Cropper's new website: PlayIt, Steve Records. Way cool.

Check out Jazz NOW for the coolest music website ever, hooking you into the fastest growing jazz magazine around. Jazz NOW lists some of the finest independently produced music and products on the planet. Its a "who's who" of the jazz world -- covering the HOTTEST up-and-coming stars, giving the latest updates on today's greats contributing to the evolution of jazz, blues, improv, and Latin jazz in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Denmark, France, the UK, Germany and Poland. Its all there!

Brad's Page of Steel A site devoted to acoustic and electric lap steel guitars.

Musician's Hotline A no-nonsense monthly buy-sell-trade publication designed for the performing musician. Its full of new and used equipment, services and supplies for sale or trade across the country.

Musician's News News for musicians: CDs, books, articles, sheet music and music theory.



Subway Guitars
1800 Cedar Street
Berkeley, California 94703

(510) 841-4106
noon til six, Monday thru Saturday
Pacific Time



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