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Anyone remember Faust Music in Milwaukee?

Dave P

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Joined
Oct 13, 2001
Messages
976
Just thinking about Bill Faust for some reason today. I know he passed away a few years back. Years ago I stopped at Faust Music, I just remember the half hour diatribe he gave me about young punks like me ruining America. It was incredibly bizarre. Apparently he did that to a lot of customers I later found out later according to the guy from the BoDeans I talked to. At least I was able to experience that rite of passage before he passed away. :laugh2:
 

KennyY

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Joined
Aug 9, 2001
Messages
742
Yeah I remember Faust Music (I live in the Milwaukee area). I've passed it many times when traveling through the Milwaukee's South Side. I've never been in there, though I heard friends stories about the ornery Bill Faust, plus I think he specialized more in drums so I wasn't really interested. I had a buddy who worked at Cascio music in the early 2000's who did a setup on a customer who just bought a mint Norlin era Les Paul Black Beauty Custom from Faust. That guitar must have been sitting in Faust's store for more than 20 years (this was like 2001). When the Faust store closed down after Bill's death, I think I recall that Cream City Music getting some of the instruments.... mainly saxaphones and funky 60's era guitars, I did see a fairly mint 80's Gibson ES-175.... Anyways Dave are you still in the Milwaukee area, just surprised to hear from a fellow LPF member with ties to Milwaukee.
 

Dave P

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Oct 13, 2001
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976
No, I live in MN, but I hunted around for guitars in WI a lot back in the 80's-90's. Even Dave Rogers from Dave's Guitars got the lecture from Bill Faust, nobody was spared. LOL :hee
I guess at one time he had a fairly decent stash of cool stuff, but it dwindled down over the years.
 

deytookerjaabs

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Joined
Nov 6, 2016
Messages
1,592
I don't think I'd been to that one, though I've been to a bunch of other music stores in Milwaukee having grown up around Chicago.



With all the buyers/enthusiasts around here that have been buying for some time I think there should be (if there isn't) a thread dedicated to these defunct but memorable haunts of days past.
 

Dave P

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Oct 13, 2001
Messages
976
I don't think I'd been to that one, though I've been to a bunch of other music stores in Milwaukee having grown up around Chicago.



With all the buyers/enthusiasts around here that have been buying for some time I think there should be (if there isn't) a thread dedicated to these defunct but memorable haunts of days past.

I remember Crown Music was not far away from Faust.
 

Ed Driscoll

Les Paul Forum Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
4,691
Even Dave Rogers from Dave's Guitars got the lecture from Bill Faust, nobody was spared. LOL :hee

It sounds like the equivalent of a liquor store owner lecturing his best customers on the virtues of temperance. :spabout Was his ideal customer a clean-cut high school clarinet major?
 

darkwave

Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2001
Messages
357
I live in Milwaukee, pretty close to where Faust used to be. Many years ago I wandered in there and the experience scarred me for life. After that, every time I drove by the store i would flip him off through my car window! I jest, but...

I worked with a much older guy who used to be a jazz drummer in the area – he warned me about Faust after that (his reputation was decades old). There was a tribute website after he passed where people would share their stories. Don't know if that is still out there or not. Too many welcoming independent shop owners out there in need of business for me to darken his door sill back then (not that I wished him any ill, mind you).

- Douglas C.


Just thinking about Bill Faust for some reason today. I know he passed away a few years back. Years ago I stopped at Faust Music, I just remember the half hour diatribe he gave me about young punks like me ruining America. It was incredibly bizarre. Apparently he did that to a lot of customers I later found out later according to the guy from the BoDeans I talked to. At least I was able to experience that rite of passage before he passed away. :laugh2:
 

Dave P

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 13, 2001
Messages
976
I live in Milwaukee, pretty close to where Faust used to be. Many years ago I wandered in there and the experience scarred me for life. After that, every time I drove by the store i would flip him off through my car window! I jest, but...

I worked with a much older guy who used to be a jazz drummer in the area – he warned me about Faust after that (his reputation was decades old). There was a tribute website after he passed where people would share their stories. Don't know if that is still out there or not. Too many welcoming independent shop owners out there in need of business for me to darken his door sill back then (not that I wished him any ill, mind you).

- Douglas C.

LOL, when he launched into his diatribe with me, I'm sitting there wondering what on earth I did to piss him off so bad! Then when he was done he told me to come back and he would show me the good stuff next time. :bigal Looking back on it after all these years, it's kind of funny, but at the time I was pretty perplexed and somewhat frightened. LOL
 

deytookerjaabs

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Joined
Nov 6, 2016
Messages
1,592
LOL, when he launched into his diatribe with me, I'm sitting there wondering what on earth I did to piss him off so bad! Then when he was done he told me to come back and he would show me the good stuff next time. :bigal Looking back on it after all these years, it's kind of funny, but at the time I was pretty perplexed and somewhat frightened. LOL


I once brought a synth in for possible trade to a guitar shop in chicago because they had a few synths in the back & I was ready to buy one.

I bring it in, the owner says "I don't buy these things, what do you want for it.."

"Well, they normally go for $300-$600 on ebay but.."

He cuts me off and starts yelling at the top of his lungs

"Get the **** out of here, I'm sick of these keyboard people and their EBAY ****" as he points towards the door"

....kinda sad that I'd been in there twice before and each time walked out with not so cheap guitars. People are messed up. That said, I never went back and would have dropped a few thousand more there no doubt.
 

Zentar

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Joined
Oct 1, 2011
Messages
830
I once brought a synth in for possible trade to a guitar shop in chicago because they had a few synths in the back & I was ready to buy one.

I bring it in, the owner says "I don't buy these things, what do you want for it.."

"Well, they normally go for $300-$600 on ebay but.."

He cuts me off and starts yelling at the top of his lungs

"Get the **** out of here, I'm sick of these keyboard people and their EBAY ****" as he points towards the door"

....kinda sad that I'd been in there twice before and each time walked out with not so cheap guitars. People are messed up. That said, I never went back and would have dropped a few thousand more there no doubt.

No soup for you!
 

darkwave

Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2001
Messages
357
I just remembered that after walking out the door there I drove down the street to check out Crown Music. As I was checking out I asked the salesman if they knew anything about Faust and he just looked down and started chuckling. I guess they got a lot of shellshocked customers who stopped at Faust first!

There's another shop in that neighborhood now that those two are gone - Top Shelf Guitar Shop (topshelfguitarshop.com). Nice guys, tiny space, and occasionally they have special items come in. Unfortunately it looks like the bulk of my guitar hunting days are behind me now. Cream City is definitely a cool place.

- Douglas C.

LOL, when he launched into his diatribe with me, I'm sitting there wondering what on earth I did to piss him off so bad! Then when he was done he told me to come back and he would show me the good stuff next time. :bigal Looking back on it after all these years, it's kind of funny, but at the time I was pretty perplexed and somewhat frightened. LOL
 

Dave P

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 13, 2001
Messages
976
I just remembered that after walking out the door there I drove down the street to check out Crown Music. As I was checking out I asked the salesman if they knew anything about Faust and he just looked down and started chuckling. I guess they got a lot of shellshocked customers who stopped at Faust first!

There's another shop in that neighborhood now that those two are gone - Top Shelf Guitar Shop (topshelfguitarshop.com). Nice guys, tiny space, and occasionally they have special items come in. Unfortunately it looks like the bulk of my guitar hunting days are behind me now. Cream City is definitely a cool place.

- Douglas C.

I did stop at Top Shelf the last time I was in Milwaukee, nice little store, they had a couple of cool pieces. I've been to Cream City a few times, Kim Allen worked there, but not sure if he is still there or not. Used to stop at Wades, Record Head, and Rockhaus. The Music Go Round in Greenfield actually used to get in a lot of nice used stuff, been a while since I've been there.
 

Dave P

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 13, 2001
Messages
976
I once brought a synth in for possible trade to a guitar shop in chicago because they had a few synths in the back & I was ready to buy one.

I bring it in, the owner says "I don't buy these things, what do you want for it.."

"Well, they normally go for $300-$600 on ebay but.."

He cuts me off and starts yelling at the top of his lungs

"Get the **** out of here, I'm sick of these keyboard people and their EBAY ****" as he points towards the door"

....kinda sad that I'd been in there twice before and each time walked out with not so cheap guitars. People are messed up. That said, I never went back and would have dropped a few thousand more there no doubt.

Wow, apparently the music business must be real good for them if they can turn away business.
 
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