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In the presence of rock royalty tonight!

dj335

New member
Joined
Oct 16, 2008
Messages
120
Hello all,

I'm posting this here only because I think you all should here about what I saw tonight (even tho' this belongs on the 335 post site).

I live in Woodland Hills, CA, a suburb of Los Angeles. Guitar Center has built a first class rehearsal and lessons studio in a strip mall area near Topanga Canyon and Victory Blvd's (corner of Owensmouth and Victory for those who live nearby). Tonight they held a public open house to celebrate the grand opening of the complex.

Very nice inside. There are several good size rehearsal rooms complete with drum kits, guitar and bass amps, and a p.a. system with record capability. One small room with a drum kit and pa only; you supply the amps. There are also several smaller soundproof rooms set up for private one on one teaching lessons. In the back there is one large rehearsal room, about 550 sq. feet, which has the full setup of equipment along with lights, etc. simulating a live club scene.

I went with two close friends of mine who were equally impressed with how nice the place is. What struck us the most is the affordability of the rental rates: the regular rehearsal rooms are $29.95 per hour, 2 hour minimum. The small room is $24.95/hour, and the big room with lights is $44.95/hour (2 hour minimum applies to all).

A surprising move for Guitar Center to get into the rehearsal studio market. But then again, they have the money to do it right, and the equipment supply to make it good.

Now here's the best part: On display in the main entryway, in floor standing glass cases, was the following rock "royalty": Eric Clapton's red "Crossroads" 335, his Strat "Blackie", and Stevie Ray Vaughn's "Lenny"! Not the copies that Guitar Center has had recreated, but THE original guitars! To see these up close was truly amazing, especially for me since I saw Clapton play that 335 at the Los Angeles Forum Farewell Cream Concert, Oct. 1968. Here's a link to Guitar Center's annoucement flyer:

"http://www.gcstudios.com/pdf/GC_STUDIOS_GRAND_OPENING_4_16.pdf"

I'm still buzzing from seeing these guitars that close. The 335 was serial #67473, and had the "Hare Krishna" sticker on the back of the headstock that George Harrison gave to Eric. "Lenny"'s metal neck plate was engraved with the name "Stevie Ray Vaughn 1980" , and both "Lenny" and "Blackie" had cigarette burns on the headstock. Very cool. It was like being in the presence of Clapton and Stevie Ray themselves!
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