Anybody here from New York City ...............

Hello everybody,

Was wondering if there is anyone from New York City on this forum who 'really' remembers the '60s and '70s and who was into guitars at that time.

During one of my early visits to the U.S. I visited a business in Manhattan that was called 'Unredeemed Pledge'. The business was located on the corner of 3rd Avenue and 11th Street.
Did anyone ever go there?

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

Hans:

I walked by it a million times. I was a NYC cabdriver in the late 60s, early 70s. That neighborhood was "experimental", shall we say. Most of the experimentation was in drugs, alcohol and hookers, who were numerious from that block right up to 14th street on third. Best thing about that area was the used bookstores one block over on 4th ave (10th to 14th streets). Bibliophiles from the world over could be found there ... also over by the hookers I think.

MD

mad dog said:

Hans:

I walked by it a million times. I was a NYC cabdriver in the late 60s, early 70s. That neighborhood was "experimental", shall we say. Most of the experimentation was in drugs, alcohol and hookers, who were numerious from that block right up to 14th street on third. Best thing about that area was the used bookstores one block over on 4th ave (10th to 14th streets). Bibliophiles from the world over could be found there ... also over by the hookers I think.

MD

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Hello mad dog,

So you have not really be in there? In ''Unredeemed Pledge' that is!

Hans

No. Regrettably, I never went in.

MD

Hans,

While I spent muct time in NYC in the 60s-80s I only remember that name because it sounded interesting, I think it was a pawn shop. I could not even name the NYC pawn shop where I purchased my Jetstar Bass or Ric 360-12. Back then, there were lots of great guitars available and I remember window shopping the pawnshops and going inside and looking around and buying a couple.

Now shows at the Filmore East, 48 street guitar stores the "village" McSoleys Alle House, that I remember.

Spectrum13 said:

Hans,

While I spent muct time in NYC in the 60s-80s I only remember that name because it sounded interesting, I think it was a pawn shop.

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Hello Spectrum13,

It used to be a pawn shop but it still looked like one when I visited the place. I remember somebody escorting me to the 2nd and 3rd floor, which was not open to the general public.
It looks like not too many people visited the 1st floor! It was an intriguing place and I would love to know what happened to it.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

Some info here Hans...

http://surplusmagazine.org/Volume1.html

Pike said:

Some info here Hans...

http://surplusmagazine.org/Volume1.html

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Hello Pike,

Did come across that one during one of my earlier searches.
Also several hits about a business with the same name on Canal Street, also in relation to surplus goods.

I'm actually looking for people who have been in the 11th Street location, but thanks anyway!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

Hans, wish I could help. I was born and lived in NYC for part of my youth, but I'm too much of a pup. Sorry.

I'll ask my mom if she knows anything about it. She lived in an area called Greenwich Village back in those days. Unfortunately, though she does play guitar, she's definitely not a guitar geek.

I bought an alto sax and a bass clarinet there in the mid 70's. On the alto, I had to show money and state an intention to buy that day, to be assigned to an employee and escorted to the third floor to look through the saxes. I picked out a great The Martin Alto in almost new condition and got it for $320.00 from the first four he showed me. He had so many, i could have been there all afternoon. It was a really good horn.

which corner of 3rd ave and 11th st. was it on? southwest? looks like a restaurant and apartments now, if so.

Some info I found but you might all have this already:

http://www.drumforum.org/index.php?/topic/26563-i-found-sonny-greers-george-way-tom-in-1989/
http://www.drumforum.org/index.php?/topic/78529-the-second-rarest-l-arm-cymbal-holder-you-ever-saw/
https://thenyce.wordpress.com/tag/unredeemed-pledge/

Here a 1965 picture:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/124197340@N02/13913160668

It is this building:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/edenpictures/2947469193/

Story from this year:

http://evgrieve.com/2017/03/village-pourhouse-is-closing-on-3rd.html

A commenter there wrote: This is a storied location which has seen many changes over the years. Before the Village Poorhouse (pun intended) it was a Roll-n-Roaster, a grease pit out of Brooklyn that specialized in Heart Attack on a Bun HamBurgers and Roast Beast. With any luck this spot will soon be a pawn shop again. via NY Songlines: "Village Pour House was Roll 'n' Roaster, Manhattan outpost of a Brooklyn "slow food" burger joint. Earlier Penang Bar & Grill, Malaysian with Adventureland decor; before that a pawn shop."

The very first link (drumforum) claimed the building has been torn down and is now the AMC Movie Theater opposite. But that seems to be incorrect as the UNREDEEMED PLEDGE SALES CO.. INC was listed in old 1938 advertisements at 64 THIRD AVE 11th Street ! And 64th Ave is the building where the Pour House was.
The AMC address is 66 Third Ave. So the building was not torn down.

Have a look here at Google and you can move around to see both the now closed Restaurant and the AMC opposite:

https://www.google.de/maps/place/Third+Street+Music+School+Settlement/@40.7313649,-73.9886572,3a,44.9y,249.08h,81.4t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1smp2qU2wdFPaIaq6xXt6MeQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3Dmp2qU2wdFPaIaq6xXt6MeQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D78.24729%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656!4m5!3m4!1s0x89c2599c2733d663:0xe3c9de0acd7fcd3f!8m2!3d40.7308267!4d-73.9867893!6m1!1e1?hl=de


By the way, next to the AMC on E 11th St. is the famous Webster Hall club, I have been there in 1991 I guess. A crazy place! So long ago....

Ralf

SFIV1967 said:

Some info I found but you might all have this already

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Yeah, that's the kind of stuff that will come up if you do an internet search. Not really what I was looking for, but thanks anyway!

What I was looking for were people who actually went there in the 'old' days. I went there during the early '80s and within a relatively short period I bought close to a hundred Guild guitars at that place.

Since I posted that request (in 2009) I was contacted by a few people, who had first hand knowledge of that place, and they were able to answer most of the questions I had.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

hansmoust said:

What I was looking for were people who actually went there in the 'old' days. I went there during the early '80s and within a relatively short period I bought close to a hundred Guild guitars at that place.

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Wow.
Think they'd remember you?
eaceful:

adorshki said:

Wow. Think they'd remember you?

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Probably not, or I should say probably not my face. I only visited that place a couple of times and actually I was introduced to them by a friend, who was a regular customer. The reason I was there was the fact that they had a large stock of Guild 'factory seconds'. While I was there I went through most of them and made a list of all the instruments that were of interest to me.
During the few years that followed I bought them in small groups and to this day I'm still surprised that whenever I would send someone up there to pick up the guitars from the list that I could afford, they were always available; instruments that I wanted were hardly ever sold during the time that had passed. It seemed like they didn't really care if they sold them or not. If you didn't go the higher floors, and from what I understand most people were not allowed to go there, you wouldn't know they had these guitars. A really weird place!

A lot of my early customers still have these guitars. Apart from the red stamp inside the guitars there's no way you can tell these were once factory seconds.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

hansmoust said:

During the few years that followed I bought them in small groups and to this day I'm still surprised that whenever I would send someone up there to pick up the guitars from the list that I could afford, they were always available; instruments that I wanted were hardly ever sold during the time that had passed.

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Great story, thanks!

That's funny how such a 8 years old thread came up again. When I answered yesterday I didn't notice that it was from 2009 ! I just found that place interesting from what you wrote and so I also looked it up. Cool story!
Ralf