| "I have been hand crafting guitars since 1968. Using vintage tone woods aged from 80 to 100 years. Light nitro finishes and the best hardware give my Kelly Custom Guitars their musical soul." Rick Kelly
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| 42 Carmine Street " the History
and Mystery " Carmine St. Guitars is located in the heart of Greenwhich Village in an 1820’s landmark single dwelling home on Carmine St. between Bleeker and Bedford Sts.. The store has the original yellow pine floors and exposed brick; the original brick fireplace has a mantelpiece of black cherry hand carved by Rick Kelly, of Kelly Custom Guitars, and it is he whom you’ll find working in the workshop at the back of the store. A trip to the shop certainly merits, if Rick isn’t too busy working on a new custom Kellecaster, a peek into this backroom which once was a backyard before it was walled in @ 1901. With three large skylights and two windows, the room is airy and light. The 1890’s tin ceilings and a door found beneath the dry wall indicate that it may have been a speakeasy back in prohibition days . The old door still had the square sliding peephole and suspiciously led from the hall of the house to the backroom. We know the room was, at least, a dancehall in the 1920’s and sometimes while Rick is sanding down necks or cutting out a new body you can hear the stomping of feet echoing through the shop and the ghostly strains of laughter and old dance music. Carmine St. Guitars is definitely not your usual, modern day, New York City guitar shop—it has not been cheaply renovated nor does it have glaring neon lights overhead or an overabundance of ‘help’ lurking over one’s shoulder trying to make a sale. It is a good old fashion guitar shop with vintage and new guitars, an array of parts and accessories, a fine selection of effects pedals, the best priced strings in town, and a kick ass luthier who can answer all your questions. The guitars are waiting for you to pick ‘em up and give ‘em a strum-- and who knows, maybe jam with some ghosts of music past. |