Jackson Heights Life

several years ago...I believe in 1999 or 2000...my cousin bought one of these social security cards as a first hand experience of what illegal immigrants go through.  He was born a US citizen but did this as part of some grad paper he did (sorry but I can't remember the class).  He bought the cheapest possible card he could find mostly because he didn't want to spend a lot on this.  The card he got was decent but by no means would pass a thorough inspection.  Most people that buy these cards, as mentioned in other posts here, use it simply as evidence to employers (obviously they aren't applying for Wall St. jobs or to be senators) that they are legal aliens or residents.  Social services aren't even being considered because the last thing they want is to send their name and current address to a government body and risk being caught and deported from their tenement housing in some basement in Corona.

I didn't even now there was such a plan in motion.  I remember avoiding that park (and still somewhat do) because it was the hang out spot for people looking for trouble, do drugs and drink.  Last week I drove by there at 7pm and there were plenty of moms, dads and babies on strollers along with people playing tennis in a make-shift court under empty basketball hoops.  I suppose that park became safe since the 1990s.

Sorry if this isn't relevant or appropriate as the following occurs in Astoria. Please excuse any grammar and comprehension issues for I copy-pasted this from my blog.

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My Yamaha SC-800


I got my guitar repaired today at the following place:



I expected to see some 30 year old indie snob and hanger-ons inside looking me up and down because I wasn't on stage at some CMJ show last night...but that didn't happen!

I walked in and saw a store that reminded me of ye olde Manhattan musical instruments of yore. To the left of the entrance was a small, comfortable looking, padded bench with back support. Sitting on it was a woman around her mid to late 80s reading a magazine (omg, was she reading a 'zine? lolz...no it was a National Geographic!).  I kept walking because the worker/workers were in the back of the store near the amps.  One of the men working was talking to another gramps around his late mid-80s.  While the guitar tech [a man in his 40s...that looked like he wasn't into the hipster scene...and really wasn't for he was wearing a regular macy's sweater and jeans with the sleeves rolled midway to his elbows] inspected my instrument, the gramps and the other guy talked about World War 2! Gramps ended up mentioning that he had served, but saw no combat because just as his Navy detachment sailed off, Japan surrendered.  I almost couldn't hold on to my joy! I HATE going to Manhattan or Brooklyn stores and hearing some album from unknown mopers like "Basement Jed" or "Alice Brokenhearted-MeowMeow"...or smelling the rancid marijuana the store clerk has been smoking in the back of the store...and then having him give me a blank stare because the simple question I asked (do you have X-brand strings of X-gauge?) made him question life, his existence and his role in the universe.

The store was not lined with extremely expensive gear and boutique pedals. There were, however, a lot of Greek instruments and I believe the clerk, George, might have been Greek/Greek-American himself. There were at least six rooms in the very back of the store and one of them had a person practicing guitar with a metronome. I didn't see who it was and if it was a child, teen or young adult playing.

The clerk told me my guitar needed some repairing and not a nut replacement-at least not solely that. He showed me using some laser gizmo for guitars [don't remember the name but I think it is solely used for testing the neck's straightness] how the neck had a back-bow towards the first three frets but could be repaired with a rod adjustment. He also said that he'd tighten the knobs because they were loose and could pull on the wires underneath and ruin the electronics permanently. When I heard the word "repairs" I expected a cost at least around $100...but he said that the whole thing will likely cost $40 (just the truss rod adjustment, strings and other fixes) and $60 if the nut needed a replacement. Wow...that was a lot cheaper than I expected! He also said that he could have it ready by 7pm [when the store closes] of the same day [I went to the store around 4:30PM-ish]. I left my contact information and he didn't even ask for a deposit! Around 5:47pm he calls my mobile and says it's finished and that I have a great guitar. I left immediately to pick it up.

When I get to the store there is an Asian man sitting on the bench. He is around his late 30s to early 40s reading the same National Geographic as the grandma read earlier that day. During my sound-check for the work, his son-around ten-came out from a practice room with his violin and female teacher who was around 45yrs of age. So this place gave me the impression that it is a nice family-friendly store.

The clerk, George, comes out and congratulates me on my guitar and said I have a fine instrument. He showed me that he adjusted the neck, lowered the action and [forgot the term for this] but shinned all the frets so that it looked nice and reduced friction/scratching noise when bending notes. He also fixed the knobs so that they are tight and not loose. Then he said that he kept the same nut because he likes to keep as much original hardware on a guitar so that the value is kept high. He did something to the nut but I forgot what, but it looks like he took it off, switched it around and glued it back down so that the strings are at a proper height and aren't touching the neck anymore. Then he said that the cost is $52! HA! Quite good indeed! I was set to pay $60...but $52 is grandiose!

how much was the replacement at guitar center?

I'd like to use big name stores like guitar center and sam ash as a last resort because I still prefer to use the smaller stores over the bigger ones. I feel that the bigger stores intimidate a customer into a purchase whereas the smaller stores work for your money.

Could someone recommend me a good music store that can repair a guitar for me and will not charge me two mortgages?

I my electric guitar's nut is worn and it needs replacing. I'd like to know if anyone knows of a good store where I can get that piece replaced for a decent price.  I know of guitar center but in my experience they tend to charge more than a regular small instrument store.

Thanks!

well coals shouldn't be too hard to find Little Egypt. I usually smoke hookah in Astoria (I think a hookah spot in JH would do well) and I believe the Egyptian groceries over there sell coals--though I can't help you with telling apart quality or brands.