Gear just gets cooler with time. We wish we could say the same for the price. While most vintage items do appreciate in value as the years go by, you can still get a steal on great vintage gear that fits every budget. Player-grade and non-original as well as many of the less coveted vintage models regularly go for under $1000, and we’ve got tons of stylish scores with the real deal vintage vibe at an everyday price.
Lookout Nashville! CME’s in town. We’re having a blast fiddling around at Summer NAMM, scoping out all our favorite brands, just up to our necks in new released like a couple of kids in a candy store. I mean, who wouldn’t want to stop for a photo op in front of this massive Marshall wall? We feel like Ted Nugent! (But...you know...cool Ted Nugent. ‘70s Ted Nugent.)
Nathaniel Murphy pairs our Blonde 1958 Fender Stratocaster with a 1957 Fender Princeton Tweed in this Vintage Guitar Demo from your Vintage Source, Chicago Music Exchange. Enjoy as Nathaniel takes us on a tour through time beginning with The Everly Brothers’ classic, “All I Have To Do Is Dream”, released in April 1958.
Guitarist for the San Jose math-rock trio Covet and friend of the shop Yvette Young stopped in to demo the Somersault by Caroline Guitar Co. A “Lo-Fi Modulator”, the Somersault is the perfect complement to Yvette’s subtle riffs, creating shifting, swirling, retro-inspired tones that really take you somewhere.
The sun in Chicago is hot, hot, hot and apparently there are alligators now so we thought what better time to hit the road and hightail it down to the Fruit Tea capital of the world, Nashville, TN, for 2019 Summer NAMM! After seven or so much needed hours of cool highway air in our hair, we arrived in Music City, U.S.A. for one of the industry’s most anticipated events. Three straight days of guitars, gear, and grits is good for the soul, but it wasn’t all fun and games. We were there to work and work we did, scoring scores of the season’s most exciting new arrivals and unveilings from brands like Fender, Gretsch, Guild, and more.
New from Gibson, the G-45 series of acoustic guitars marries traditional Gibson construction with modern design and technology. The result looks and feels fresh without losing the classic Gibson spirit. Handbuilt in Bozeman, Montana, G-45 Standard and G-45 Studio models feature all-solid tonewoods like sitka spruce tops and solid walnut backs and sides. Slimmer body depths and advanced response neck profiles add increased comfort and performance, while the hot hide glue dovetail neck joint and domed internal bracing of traditional Gibson acoustics preserve the brand’s signature projection and resonance.
Nathaniel Murphy introduces the brand new Harmony Rebel! Handmade in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Harmony Guitar’s brand new lineup of vintage-inspired guitars like the Harmony Rebel, Harmony Jupiter, and Harmony Silhouette each feature new custom-voiced gold foil pickups. Harmony Guitars are available now at Chicago Music Exchange!
“Vintage style for the modern era.” That’s Fender Vintera. Fender’s new retro-themed line of core models bring the past into the present with period-correct neck profiles, authentic vintage repro hardware, and other touchpoints of Fender’s most celebrated decades, including newly revoiced pickups tuned exactly like the original to provide players with the spitting image sound, look, and feel of truly cherry classics.
Legendary plucker Doyle Dykes stopped by with his Multiac Steel Doyle Dykes Signature Edition Godin Guitar and shared an evening with fans here at the Chicago Music Exchange. Enjoy Doyle's rendition of his classic, "Guitar Poor" live from The Chicago Music Exchange Acoustic Showroom. Since the Doyle's visit we've remodeled and expanded our acoustic room. The BRAND NEW CME Acoustic Room is worth seeing, stop by anytime to see all of our Godin Guitars in our showroom at 3316 N Lincoln Ave, here in Chicago!
Nathaniel Murphy does his best "Rocket Man" impersonation on a gorgeous Gretsch G6136T-55GE Golden Era 1955 White Falcon. My song, "Your Song", once you've got a Gretsch White Falcon anyone's song could sound this good (plus practice, you will need to practice!).
When it comes to hot vintage buys, we believe that nothing ventured means nothing gained. So when Amigo Guitar Shows made its annual migration to the Chicagoland area, a whole mess of us put on our pith helmets, grabbed our elephant rifles and mounted an expedition deep into the heart of the wild–Villa Park, Illinois–in search of the most dangerous game: a Portillo’s Hot Dog, and after washing a few of ‘em down with an Old Style or two over ice we waddled up North Villa Ave to the Odeum Expo Center for Amigo Chicago.
The flowers are in bloom and Spring is in the air at Chicago Music Exchange! In Chicago, Spring doesn’t come until late May, so we’re revved up and restless and ready to break out of our ice caves and celebrate the coming of beach/corn dog/broken AC unit season with a plethora of pretty pink players.
Fender Made In Japan guitars are known for quality at an unusually low price, and the MIJ Traditional Series presents time-honored Fender models–complete with classic Fender tone, foreign market finishes and premium components like rosewood fingerboards–for under $1,000 USD. Shop Fender Made In Japan at Chicago Music Exchange!
Chicago Music Exchange super-limited runs of Gibson models never before available in the United States. Handpicked from acoustics Gibson manufactures for sale abroad, these vintage-inspired guitars were originally designed by and built solely for Japanese retailers. Now these Gibson Montana models are available at Chicago Music Exchange.
Los Angeles-based boutique effects pedals company Meris is the brainchild of Engineer Terry Burton and DSP Designer Angelo Mazzocco. With prior histories working for Line 6 and Strymon, it's not surprising what this duo is able to accomplish in the world of digital effects pedals. However, a brand is nothing without an identity, which is where Creative Director Jinna Kim comes in.
Walk The Moon bassist, Kevin Ray, stopped by the Chicago Music Exchange to talk tone! Kevin walks us through his pedal board, loaded with Earthquaker Devices effects, talking about how he likes to use each effect and their impact on the recording of their "What If Nothing" Album.
In this episode of LABOR OF LOVE, we're talking to the powerfully soulful Marty O'Reilly & the Old Soul Orchestra . Marty and the band stopped by while out touring their album, Stereoscope. We talked with Marty about how he got his start and what inspires the music that seems to possess him!
Honoring the SLEEPians and OMziums of the world with a traditional walnut 4003S outfitted for the widely respected stoner rocker, Rickenbacker equips the Al Cisneros Signature with all the Om and Sleep bassist’s specs of choice like a newly reengineered tailpiece and bridge with adjustable saddles, two-way truss rod, dual hot wound treble pickups with bezels, a bound neck and fingerboard, signature pickguard, green “Sleep” inlays and a thumb rest at the base of the neck.
“I’ve been playing the prototype of “Old Glory” on stage since the day I got it,” said Nichols. “Ever since Joe Perry loaned me a 50s Les Paul Custom with a single pickup, I knew I needed one of my own. This is an incredible guitar. I can’t put it down. I’m so honored and grateful. Thank you, Epiphone!”
Intrigue, romance, murder: that’s Dallas. Okay, maybe that’s just Dallas the TV show, but how about two jet-lagged guitar nerds, 200,000+ square feet of possibility, and one bone white Camaro? That’s our Dallas. We fitted up our vintage buyers with some new cowboy boots and flew them deep into the heart of Texas to show off their two-step and lasso up the best in show at the Dallas International Guitar Festival, one of the biggest vintage and resale shows of the year.
Resident Pedal-Expert and Pro Audio buyer Alex LeVeque knows a thing or two about stompboxes. Take a peak at his Staff Picks to learn what it takes to become a professional pedal junkie's favorite!
From your first guitar to your favorite guitar, we have you covered with a wide variety of amazing instruments from builders including Fender, Gibson and the Gibson Custom Shop, Reverend and Supro!
My Brightest Diamond's Shara Nova is a three-fold musician. Between composing for 400 musicians, singing on other's records or recording her own "quirky pop music" and performing under My Brightest Diamond, Nova knows how to stay busy. We sat down with Nova before the group's show at Lincoln Hall to discuss her gear and colorful life in music in this Labor of Love.
Gibson guitars represent the apex of American-made quality and provenance. We work very closely with Gibson and the Gibson Custom Shop to design amazing modern renditions of classic vintage guitars. From hand-picked tops in our Les Pauls, to exclusive finishes and pickups in our SGs, when it comes to getting a great guitar, only Gibson is good enough.
Home to some of the best drum gear, coolest vintage drums, & great exclusive gear—all procured and curated with loving care by the employees of the Chicago Drum Exchange. Stop on by for your first kit, pair of sticks, or that vintage snare you've been searching for, we've got you covered!
With a huge variety of brands including Earthquaker Devices, Fuzzrocious, Dunable, Benson and more, take your tone to the next level with a plethora of our Chicago Music Exchange exclusive effects pedals!
Better quality and more accessible than ever before, Gibson 2019 guitars are a clear indication that the brand is moving in the right direction. With revitalized classic models and new price points for those looking to join the Gibson family, 2019 might just be one of the best times yet to grab a Gibson.
Multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter duo OHMME is made up of Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart. Their aggressive, yet meditative and trance-inducing sound stems from a rich background of musical influences. Accompanying local acts such as Tweedy, Chance the Rapper and Twin Peaks, OHMME has been hailed by Noisey as the "Heart of Chicago's Music Community."
We headed to the Amigos Guitar Show in Nashville to scout out some amazing vintage guitars to add to our collection, from 70's Stratocasters to Grammer acoustics and beyond.
The Ball Family Reserve represents the finest that Ernie Ball has to offer. Including models formerly reserved for the family, their friends, and select Ernie Ball artists, these extremely limited editions feature top-end components like quilted tone woods, roasted figured maple necks, rosewood fingerboards with pearlescent block inlays, hand-fitted binding, and premium hardware and detailing for an elegant and refined instrument once–and still–available only to a limited few.