MY REQUIREMENTS 1998

I have been in the guitar business most of my life.  My website gets about 75,000 hits a day from interested guitar buyers. Currently I retail between 10 and 20 guitars every day and wholesale as many as  25 to 30.     (1,250,000 hits a day updated figure 2004; That's one million two hundred & fifty thousand a day !!!!)  

Over the years I have been an authorized dealer for every single line of guitars ever made.  I have had some excellent experiences with many companies and some terrible experiences with others.

Currently (1998)  have decided, I no longer want to promote lower cost or imported guitars.  This was not an easy decision to make, especially when you consider that most guitars sold are under $1000.00.

I will still retain some of the dealerships that I already have, but I am not actively seeking more lines like them.

During the 80's and early 90's Gibson was considered the leader in quality guitars by the mass buying public. Sometime in the early 90's Paul Reed Smith overtook Gibson in the perceived better value and quality class.  This probably happened because Gibson did little or no advertising in the late 80's and early 90's.  The magazines gave the excellent reviews to other companies like PRS because of their heavy advertising budget. (I generally don't trust magazines)

Today I believe those types of lines are Christmas Guitars!!!

As a large dealer I can pick and choose what line to carry.  If for some reason there is a territorial infringement I can purchase through one of my other smaller stores situated around the USA.

I have decided that I will only carry guitars that I believe to be better than the perceived top of the line model.  Currently Paul Reed Smith is the perceived top of the guitar heap right now.  I believe PRS cuts a lot of corners these days.

I consider myself a patron of the arts, I don't want to sound like a stuffed shirt.  I am devoting the rest of my life to bringing smaller builders to the attention of the mass buying public.  It is a hard job, sometimes it's a thankless job, It is however very satisfying to see someone spend their money an a one of a kind, single craftsman made piece of artwork. Rather than a mass produced cookie cutter item like all the other stores sell.

I am recommending JET, Quicksilver, Abstract, Pearlcaster, Alembic As some of the ultra high handmade quality guitars I sell. I am recommending  Dingwall, Sukop, Spector, Alembic, as some of the best Bass Guitars I have seen.

JET Guitars

Update 2002

Those damn A-holes flew that Damn plane, into that damn building, temporarily destroying our economy and my altruistic plans of only carrying high end guitars. Oh well it was fun while it lasted. The economy dipped, so I had to purchase a number of lower priced guitars. I am pleasantly surprised by at least one thing. The quality of many of the lower end guitars actually got better since I had been involved in selling them. The prices have also dropped to an all time low.

In 30 years of business I have never seen so much value in a guitar for so little money. Generally this is not true with most of the major brand name evil corporate brands. But there are at least 15 little companies popping up with $300.00 guitars that rival Gibson & top of the line Ibanez guitars. (In fact Ibanez has lowered their prices to the lowest I have ever seen them.

I am now dealing with a different, better branch of the Ibanez company. I have found this importer, to be a much better deal, than when I used to buy them, from the Philadelphia based operation I used to deal with.

To make a long story short, I am now offering most of the Guitar Center, Sam Ash, cheaper type, guitar lines, at much better prices than they do.  Don't worry I won't be carrying Carlo Robelli or Mitchell.

Let's see what the future brings.

Ed Roman

Update 2006

A lot has happened since the last time I read this page in 2002,  I moved to Las Vegas, I opened up the absolute guaranteed largest guitar store in the world, 44,000 square feet. I am currently stocking over 6,500 guitars under one roof. I purchased Baker Guitars, I acquired USA Distribution & manufacturing rights for the original Mosrite Guitars, I introduced Abstract, Centurion, & Viking boutique made guitars. I became the largest Rickenbacker & Tacoma dealer in the world. I have launched 22 websites and I between all the websites I am getting over two million hits daily.  (I have never used any web optimization, I have never paid any company except one small experiment any money to place my site higher on Google's list. I have never paid one of the penny per click slimeballs any money  either. I do not intend to ever pay for any web optimization ever.

I am writing this in late December 2005, The economy is much better now.  I am currently planning on going back to my first love. Mostly high end boutique USA made guitars. The plan will take effect in 2007. I haven't decided at this time exactly what the overall situation will be.

Stay Tuned

Ed Roman