easyreeder
333 posts
Aug 03, 2012
1:36 PM
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Anybody know of a music store with a good harp selection in Chicago? I'm staying Chicago this weekend while my kids go to Lollapalooza. Thanks in advance!
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bluemoose
772 posts
Aug 03, 2012
2:32 PM
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I always thought the streets of Chicago would be littered with harps and you would just need to reach down and scoop them up! :)
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KCBLUES
45 posts
Aug 03, 2012
3:48 PM
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When I used to live there (6 years ago) I would buy most harps mail order - however - in a pinch, I would go to the GUITAR CENTER on Halstead... Probably not the case anymore but back then the sales guys would sell to you at a greatly reduced price if they knew you were a gigging musician...
Guitar Center
2633 North Halsted Street
Chicago
(773) 248-2808
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paulbunyn
28 posts
Aug 03, 2012
3:48 PM
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Best to order them online IMO.
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Joe_L
1970 posts
Aug 03, 2012
4:12 PM
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Guitar Center. If you go there, you can stop by BLUES on Halsted or the Kingston Mines.
There might be a music store downtown. The stores that I knew about closed about 15 or 20 years ago.
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The Blues Photo Gallery
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groyster1
1967 posts
Aug 03, 2012
5:31 PM
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cant understand why anybody buying harps would not think about rockinron...harps come quite quick...
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Frank
964 posts
Aug 03, 2012
5:37 PM
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I've been to Kingston Mines - The blues there were terrifyingly GOOD!!!
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eharp
1919 posts
Aug 04, 2012
4:32 AM
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filisko lives in the chicago area.
if you are real stealthy you could probably find the mother load some dark night.
(not that i advocate that behavior to anyone that isnt going to throw the suggester of the idea a small percentage of any newly aquired harps!)
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atty1chgo
424 posts
Aug 04, 2012
6:41 AM
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Guitar Center stores in Chicago have Hohners on the rack (wrapped in plastic and paper) on the standard display. They have Lee Oskar's behind the counter, probably because they can't hang them up. Nothing much else. No Suzuki's or anything else. There is a music store right by the Hilton downtown on Michigan Avenue (right by Lollapalooza) that has fine instruments, and I saw a counter in there with harps, but they aren't always open. check the hours.
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GEEZER1
165 posts
Aug 04, 2012
6:49 AM
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Rockin Ron is your best bet for harp needs , super service fast delivery.
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KCBLUES
46 posts
Aug 04, 2012
8:59 AM
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@atty1chgo I know the music store on Michigan...not much in the way of harps...when I lived in CHI I went there one day to discover a few over priced chromatics and not much else... I still think that the Guitar Center is the best bet... I also made the mistake of trekking up to the Loyola area - nice music store there but again, not much in the way of harps and what they did have was really marked up...
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eharp
1920 posts
Aug 04, 2012
9:04 AM
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i wonder if their prices were high because chicago is a blues meca.
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atty1chgo
425 posts
Aug 04, 2012
9:34 AM
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The only harps I buy locally is maybe a Special 20 or Marine Band if one blows out and I can't wait for the mail. Everything else is mail order anymore.
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eharp
1922 posts
Aug 04, 2012
3:47 PM
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easyreeder- are you and the kids okay?
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easyreeder
334 posts
Aug 04, 2012
3:59 PM
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@eharp, we're fine, thanks for asking. Made into the hotel right before the storm hit, and the show is starting back up now. Gonna be another mud fest...
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eharp
1923 posts
Aug 04, 2012
4:01 PM
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stay safe.
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aat879
1 post
Aug 05, 2012
11:47 AM
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Guitar Center has a decent selection, but I've often found that they are thin on the less common keys; till now I have not found them to have any D harps in stock. You should also try Chicago Music Exchange on North Lincoln. It's mainly a guitar store, but they tend to have a decent selection of Hohner harmonicas, and I've found keys there that I haven't found at Guitar Center. The store is just also a really cool place in a cool area. You can also call Andy's Music, which is a little west of Music Exchange on Belmont. They specialize in folk and traditional instruments; they may or may not have harmonicas. But yes, most harmonicas you'll have to find online. Harmonica connoisseurs form a small community. Most walk-in customers are happy with one or two brands, so most stores only carry those.
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easyreeder
335 posts
Aug 07, 2012
9:23 PM
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Thanks to those who responded to the original question, which was where to find harps in Chicago.
@atty1chgo, as it happens we were staying at the Hilton and I found that store and it was much as KCBLUES described. It's quaint, but has little to offer other than some Piedmont sets. There were a couple of ancient harps in a case that I didn't ask about, including a double bass.
@groyster1, people are always complaining about stores not carrying harps, but occasionally I find one that has a good selection of other-than-hohner harps, and when I do I want to give them some business, because if they don't sell they won't be there long. I bought my first (and only) Seydel at a store in Virginia Beach, Alpha Music. I had to put some work into finding them because I don't know the area and my work wasn't near the store, but it was worth the effort. They had a nice selection of Seydels and other harps, and I'm in favor of encouraging that kind of committment. They also had an in-house harmonica teacher. That stuff needs to be rewarded.
As for Guitar Center, I only go there to kick the tires on used amps. All I've ever seen is bubble-pack hohners which I can get closer to home easily, and Lee Oskars. When I go to a new town I look for stores that carry Suzukis or Seydels, and I always ASK them for those brands. Usually I get a blank stare, but I want them to know there are other choices.
While I'm at it, Elderly Instruments in Lansing (closer to home for me) has a modest selection of Hohners, but it includes Special 20's, Marine Bands, Marine Band Deluxes, Crossovers and Blue Midnights. That's more than most stores.
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easyreeder
336 posts
Aug 07, 2012
9:28 PM
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Interestingly, I only heard two harp players busking in Chicago this past weekend, and they were young singers with guitar playing racked harp. I didn't go looking very hard (it was in the mid 90's and HUMID). One guy was working hard, without an amp, and one of those plastic-bucket drummers set up within about 25 feet of him and started pounding away. I saw the same harp player after he moved about another block down the street to get away from the jerk on the bucket. I tipped him just for the suffering...
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groyster1
1974 posts
Aug 08, 2012
8:17 AM
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@easy
there was a music store I went to that only sold johnson harps for$5.95...china made..some decent...some duds....hard to return a harp to a store...a dud from rockinron would be unacceptable to him...he would replace it in a heart beat..
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