Santa Cruz Coffee Break #32 Zoomin’ with Mike from Sylvan

[indexless]

Greetings Forum Members,

Tad and I really hope you enjoy this podcast. We took a little detour and are now talking to some of SCGC’s premium dealers. First up. Mike Sparber from Sylvan Music on Santa Cruz’s beautiful West side. There is a lot of very good information and insights here, and we had some fun. Here’s are the links and a picture for your dancing pleasure:

YouTube     https://youtu.be/-nOZz9q0HKg

Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/rnewman-1/zoomin-with-mike-fro-sylvan-music-32?si=9214e0b1d2d94492b13c0a2e2cd72a9b

Apple Podcasts   Search Lunch with Otis or SCGC Guitar Players Forum Podcasts

We hope you enjoy podcast, great info from a great lover of music and SCGC guitars

All the best

Richard

• This topic was modified 2 years, 6 months ago by indexless.
• This topic was modified 2 years, 6 months ago by indexless.

[Daniel]

Could you post links to the YouTube channel as well?  🙂

It’s nice to see your faces.

Daniel

[Daniel]

Did it myself… Here you go.   🙂

[indexless]

Thanks Daniel, it is included in the original post, you have to cut and past it. I haven’t been able to figure out how Word Press makes the distinction to include a hot link or not, the soundcloud link came in hot this time. Thanks again for posting it, Tad and I really enjoyed this one. Mike is a wealth of knowledge with a real big heart!

[iim7V7IM7]

Gentlemen, thanks for trying this as added content. It would good to try it with some other of their top dealers as well.

Some that come to mind are: The Music Emporium (Lexington, MA), Eddie’s Guitars (Maplewood, MO), Heartbreaker Guitars (Las Vegas, NV), Northern Lights Music (Littleton, NH) or The North American Guitar (Nashville, TN). I am sure that there are others, but these five came to mind all having large inventories.

I would be interested in hearing about three things:

1) Which you touched upon with Mike, is how they order now within SCGC’s custom paradigm to differentiate their inventory from other dealers;

2) How the advent of the internet has augmented their businesses from being a regional brick and mortar shops to having national and international customer bases and;

3) Since they all carry a number of other boutique brands of instruments as well, what differentiates SCGC guitars from other brands in their shop?

[indexless]

These are great suggestions, That’s our plan going forward, our only caveat is that they are SCGC dealers and the we get the OK from the mother ship, we would like to start with the owners or store manager so please feel free to suggest names as well.

[Hank]

The sort of off hand comment that Mike made that Richard gets choice of the best tone woods and everybody knows it was interesting…..I guess 45 years of history and ethical business practice make a difference when your dealing with the tone wood suppliers.

Would love to hear Mr. Hoovers stories of obtaining those woods.

[Barber Derek]

Great podcast episode and love the photo, Mike looks so happy and Carolyn managed to sneak in there as well.  I ordered my 00 via Sylvan and Mike was great to deal with, very professional but also friendly and courteous.

Sylvan is a must see for anyone passing through the Santa Cruz area.

 

[zebby]

I thought it was going to be pretty cool until he started digging on Eric Clapton

[indexless]

Hi Zebby,

We’re trying to keep politics off this forum. I will admit I don’t like or understand his opinions and he lost me falling face first drunk onstage in a variety of Armini suits , but there is no denying his early contribution to music. I had the opportunity to play one of Muddy Waters guitars one time until a bus load of tourists walked into the Delta Blues Museum, and I live in a tourist town, doesn’t mean I can’t love them as well. Guitars don’t make the rules, they just provide the vehicle.

Hope to see you again on various posts.

All the best

Richard

[zebby]

That is why he’s Eric Clapton and we are not

[indexless]

Because he face planted drunk on stage? I’m glad we aren’t him 🙂

[zebby]

I don’t know who your influences are the chances are they Face planted

[zebby]

Not to mention need help with this company on the map

[Hank]

The Maple F he appears to be smiling about looks like a twin of my “Palimino”.

If that is the case , Yo Comprendo Mucho

[wbb90TR]

Watching this new direction podcast is refreshingly different.  Early in the discussion, Jeff Traugott was mentioned as having worked at SCGC. Years ago I sent a picture of the signatures on the underside of the soundboard of my ’90 TR to Richard. I could easily identify the Otis B one, but had a difficult time trying to decipher the second one. Richard confirmed that it was Jeff’s, alongside of his, as he and Richard were the ones that were tuning the tops at the time mine was built. 8/90.

Now, back to the podcast!

Best, Walter B.

[bert]

Thanks Rich for the Sylvan podcast. Sylvan came along a good while after I was living in Santa Cruz, CA. In 1977, I bought a Martin D18 from the Music Box on Walnut Ave, in the early days of SCGC when Mr Hoover was doing a good bit of luthier work.

I was playing with a couple guys all the time, one day I mentioned that I didn’t like the D18s setup. Guy said let’s take it to Richard, he’s the best in the area. We went over there and he was right.

Loved the podcast as Mike told the story of how Sylvan came into it’s own. Great success story as things come and go over time. Managing a small business is a very demanding effort and hat’s off to Sylvan.    bert

[Author]

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