About Us

Tickets,     Events,     Policies,      Guitar Instructors,     A Short History,     Glossary,     Links

Tickets On Sale Now:

July 17 - 20, 18th Annual Finger Lakes Grass Roots Festival of Music and Art, Thursday, July 17 - 20, 2008. Trumansburg Fair Grounds, Main Street, Trumansburg, NY, Early bird special $75.50 through May 1st general admission pass for the entire weekend, ($95.50 after May 1st) for more information go to:  http://www.grassrootsfest.org/Trumansburg/tickets.cfm

All tickets must be purchased in person with cash or in some cases personal check made out to the promoters.  Call us at 1-607-272-2602 for more information.

Vieux Farka Toure visits the Guitar Works Monday, February 19, 2007 after a wonderful performance at the Haunt in Ithaca, New York the previous evening.  Son of famous African guitarist Ali Farka Toure, Vieux tries his hand at the banjo and you know what? It sounded great!

Doc visits the Guitar Works!

Imagine how excited and thrilled we were when Mr. Watson accompanied by David Holt stopped in for a visit and an impromptu rehearsal for their May 20, 2006 concert at the Ithaca State Theater.  They graced us with versions of Nine Pound Hammer, John Henry, Trouble In Mind and Deep River Blues.   

Pictures of Doc Watson and David Holt at the Ithaca Guitar Works!

Wow! 83 years young and the Doc is still playing and singing as good as ever.  Keep up the good work Doc.

Summer on the Ithaca Commons and our local version of "Antiques Road Show"

Chris Broadwell of The Ithaca Guitar Works evaluates a 1962 Gibson Les Paul (later called the SG model) for Franklyn Sawyer of Ithaca, NY who purchased it brand new back in 1962.  Beautiful guitar in tremendous condition and very very valuable.  Here's hoping you have fun with that guitar for another 45 years! 

Policies:

All sales are final.  Store credit or refunds may be given at the discretion of The Ithaca Guitar Works only under the following circumstances: If you feel strongly (and can convince us) that the instrument is not as described on our website, you may return it to us at your own expense within 48 hours.  It should be shipped by UPS Ground service, preferably in the same packaging in which it was received (unless the original packaging has been damaged and is no longer secure) and insured for the appropriate amount.  Once we have received the instrument and made sure that it is still in the same condition as when we shipped it out, we will issue a store credit or refund (not including any shipping costs).  After 48 hours refer to "The $50 Deductible Trade-In" below.  Absolutely no returns on any electronic gear (amps, effects, etc.).

The $50 deductible trade-in: (the following applies to used instrument purchases from The Ithaca Guitar Works only): You may wish in the future to trade up to a nicer instrument.  If your last instrument purchase from The Ithaca Guitar Works was already used when you bought it and has not been damaged by abuse or neglect and has not been modified or altered from the original condition we will allow you a trade-in value toward a more expensive instrument equal to the original purchase price (before taxes or other charges) minus $50.  In this way we hope to accomplish two things:  guarantee that your original investment was a sound one and allow you the biggest possible trade-in.  ($50 can be much less than the cost of setting up that instrument for the next owner)  The only requirements for this are: that it was already a second hand stringed instrument when it was purchased from us; that the instrument be in the same condition as when you purchased it from us and that you accompany your trade-in with your original receipt or the date when it was purchased so that we can verify that trade-in allowance.

What’s my stuff worth? This is a question we hear everyday at The Ithaca Guitar Works.  We are happy to provide verbal appraisals and advice on your instruments value at no charge but only if we can see and test the instrument in person.  So by all means bring it in.  On the contrary it is impossible to quote even a "ball park" estimate of value without having the instrument in hand.  Therefore please call to see if someone qualified to appraise your gear will be present when it is convenient for you to bring it in.  We can also provide a written appraisal on our letterhead at the rate of $30 a page.  This charge may allow you to have several instruments appraised at the same time for the same rate.  You must bring your instruments in for this service, though I have been known to make house calls on occasion when large numbers of instruments are involved.  The internet is an excellent source for information (and misinformation). Here's a site I recommend that may provide you with a clue at least for what your guitar might fetch were it in a store: www.gbase.com. This is a database compiled from a number of music stores and has an easy search engine that allows you to put in your make, model and a variety of other information to see if there are instruments similar to yours being sold second hand in music stores. The prices may vary substantially but not as widely as they might at on-line auctions for example.  We consult this web site quite often because it is about as up-to-date as you could hope for. Unlike "blue books" which are pretty much out of date by the time they go to press. We also take trade-ins, provide consignment services and buy gear outright. Again, we must see and test each piece before making an offer. If you call we can, in some cases at least, let you know if what you have is of interest to us. A bit of advice for those wishing to sell their instrument: you have many options from which to choose, with diminishing returns in each case as I've listed them here.  You may choose to keep your instrument, which is always wisest.  Or you might give it to a friend or relative for them to enjoy. Or you could donate it to a school or charity (I'm thinking: tax deduction). To get the highest value for your gear you should choose to sell it on your own through any number of avenues. You also may choose to trade it in for something different in which case you should expect to get something approaching its resale value less any service it may need. If you choose to consign your instrument, expect to get around 75% (or maybe more) of the determined selling price, again, less any service it may need.  Though it is the fastest, the least desirable choice for anyone wanting to part with an instrument is to sell it to a music store.  Any music store. As a business, stores must cover their investments as well as any set up or restoration a guitar might need and then ultimately turn a profit when it is sold. Having said this we are always interested in looking at and purchasing nice used equipment but please be aware that more often than not we'll be making purchase offers that are much lower than its value.

Guitar Instruction Available At Ithaca Guitar Works

Call our instructors to schedule a lesson:

For more instructors in the Ithaca area call us at 607-272-2602.

A Short History of Ithaca Guitar Works

Our front door in the spring time.

Way back in 1969 The Guitar Workshop, as it was called then, was opened by the late John Ellis. It was in the basement of a building on Eddy Street in the College Town neighborhood on East Hill near Cornell University here in Ithaca, New York. Many of our customers still remember that shop and the incomparable Mr. Ellis. Meanwhile in 1971 architect William Downing bought and converted the old Ithaca High School to shops, restaurants, small businesses, offices and apartments. This four story brick castle like building which was built in 1915 is located at the corner of Seneca and Cayuga Streets in downtown Ithaca. In 1973 Mr. Ellis moved the store to the old school which is now known as The Historic DeWitt Mall. In May of 1978 John sold the business to Paul and Annie Meisensahl and Mark and Sandy Zwerger and it's name changed from The Guitar Workshop to The Ithaca Guitar Works. Maintaining the tradition of excellence established by Mr. Ellis in the late '60s the Meisensahls and Zwergers continued to represent such prestigious lines of instruments as Martin and Fender and build the occasional instrument.  Shortly after, Eric Aceto came to work for the new owners where he honed his already impressive skills as a luthier.  In 1981 The Ithaca Guitar Works was sold to Eric Aceto and Chris Broadwell. With great help from Harry Aceto, Heather MacLeod, Kate Rehner, many friends and family members as well as the former owners The Ithaca Guitar Works continued its steady growth toward the multi-faceted, friendly, widely visited, down home, family music store it is today. In 1989 instrument builder Dan Hoffman joined the team at the "Guitar Works" and in a short time a separate instrument building and repair facility was established in Trumansburg, NY.  This is where collaboration began on the Oneida guitar and Mandolect as well as many unique custom instruments. The popular Aceto Violect violin and other acoustic/electric instruments of Aceto/Hoffman design are crafted there today. In 1995 The Ithaca Guitar Works expanded to double their space in the Dewitt Building by including the floor above. Lesson rooms were added and the repair shop, office and storage area moved upstairs.  In 1996 wishing to spend more time performing and building instruments, Eric Aceto and Dan Hoffman left to dedicate their attention to what is now Ithaca Stringed Instruments at the Trumansburg location. Eric's son Jordan Aceto has for some time been quite active in the building of these fine instruments. Chris Broadwell took over the reins as sole proprietor in July of '96 and is now in his 11th year as president and 26th year at The Ithaca Guitar Works. With the help of Harry Aceto restoring, repairing and adjusting stringed instruments, Charles d'Orban in sales and book specialist, Heather MacLeod in the office and Chris Broadwell's sons Ash , and Ry helping out in various capacities The Ithaca Guitar Works continues in the tradition that now spans 5 decades. They offer lessons with the best instructor/guitarists in the area. Authorized repair, custom modifications and restoration of stringed instruments continue to be legendary.  Instrument lines have expanded to include not just Fender and Martin but also Guild, Parker, D'Angelico, Alvarez, National, RainSong, Taylor, Deering, Gretsch and many many others with close to 1000 new, used and vintage instruments from which to choose. The website, www.guitarworks.com, established in 1996, is where you'll find up-to-date listings of their used and vintage instruments, some of the new gear, policies, workshop, event and ticket information,  as well as location and contact information. Watch this site, the local papers and listen to the WVBR-FM for updates or call us toll free 888-202-5004.

Glossary:

HSC, hard shell case

OHSC, original hard shell case

NOS, new old stock

EQ, equalizer or equalization

ETA, estimated time of arrival

EXC, excellent condition

GC, good condition

VGC, very good condition

FC, fair condition

w/, with

gig bag, usually a padded, water proof, fabric carrying case

Venetian cutaway, cutaway is rounded

Florentine cutaway, cutaway is pointy

Links:

Visit some of our friends:

Teresa Broadwell: http://www.teresabroadwell.com:80/ Jazz vocalist and violinist plus she's my sister

Nate Clark: http://fingerlakesguitarrepair.com/. Independent luthier, fretted instrument repair.

Down Town Ithaca: www.downtownithaca.com  Events and opportunities in the Ithaca, NY area.

Guitar League of Ithaca: http://www.guitarleague.com/ithacaleague.html Join with friends and learn.

Jerome Harris: http://www.jeromeharris.com/ Jazz guitar and bass performer and educator.

Hip Shot Products: www.HipshotProducts.com Specialty guitar accessories and hardware products. 

David Holt: www.davidholt.com Multi-instrumental performer and storey teller extraordinaire.

Ithaca Stringed Instruments: www.ithacastring.com Custom, hand built instruments and repair.

John Jorgenson: http://johnjorgenson.com/ Extraordinary guitarist in any style. 

Dan Levenson: www.folknet.org/dan/meetbnjo.htm Banjo and Fiddle instructor, author and performer.

Pickin' In The Pasture: http://www.pickininthepasture.com/index.cfm World class bluegrass festival in our backyard.  Every August in Lodi, New York.

Duke Robillard: http://www.dukerobillard.com/ W. C. Handy blues guitarist of the year, again!

Doug Robinson: www.Watershed-Arts.com Multi-instrumental performer.

Martin Simpson: http://www.martinsimpson.com/ Finger style and blues guitarist extrordinaire.

John Stowell:  http://johnstowell.com  Jazz guitar performer and educator.  

WICB 91.7 FM: http://www.ithaca.edu/radio/wicb/ The station for innovation. Ithaca Guitar Works is a program sponsor for "Hobo's Lullaby" and "Blues Progressions".

WVBR 93.5 FM: http://www.wvbr.com/ Ithaca's real rock radio also at 105.5 FM. Ithaca Guitar Works is a program sponsor for "Bound for Glory".

Kathy Ziegler: www.kathyziegler.com Singer/Songwriter, performer and multi-instrumentalist.