Actually, it started in June 1973, when Carl paid $175 for a white 1972 Telecaster. Though he didn't play, he was, and still is, an avid Kinks fan, and at the time that was the model Ray Davies was using. Six months later Carl found a 1968 ES-335 that the voices in his head told him to buy ($250). At this point in his life he didn't realize that you should own as many guitars as possible, so he sold the Tele...for $185! He wishes he had that one back.

In July of 1976 Carl was in New York City with his friend, and Paul-McCartney-look-alike, Mitch Weissman, when they saw an ad for Beatle look-alikes. By now Carl owned a couple of Vox Super Beatles and a Hofner Bass, so he drove home to Pittsburgh, grabbed the Hofner and lent it to Mitch. Mitch auditioned, and got the role he was born to play, Paul McCartney in the Broadway show "Beatlemania!" (Carl considered auditioning for Ringo, but in addition to being two feet taller than Ringo, Carl was unfortunately born without any singing talent... whatsoever... and I mean it... none.) But as the show was coming together Carl asked if they'd like to buy his Vox Amps. The producers not only wanted those, they said they'd buy all of the Beatle-related guitars, amps, and drums he could find. For the next year Carl was a regular sight backstage at The Wintergarden Theatre, delivering guitars that he now wishes he had back. (But, hey, it was a different era, there weren't any "vintage" guitars then. And even "Beatle" guitars were plentiful if you knew what you were looking for...)

 
As Carl bought more and more guitars in 1976-77, he would often have them set-up and re-strung by Pittsburgh's only guitar repairman, Tom Buckel. Tom at that time only had a repair shop. Carl was impressed with the store "We Buy Guitars" on 48th Street in Manhattan, and he approached Tom with the idea of a retail shop specializing in used guitars. In late-1977 Buckel Musical Enterprises opened at 955 Liberty Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh, with Carl running the retail half and Tom running the repair shop.

In late 1978, after a year of selling guitars that he now wishes he had back, Carl told Tom that they had actually made a profit, and he suggested an actual business partnership. Tom suggested that Carl work for him. Carl left.

Carl asked the two main stores in town, Piano's & Stuff and Hollowood Music, if they were interested in a "Used Guitars" department. They weren't.

So, with a borrowed $5,000 and a handful of guitars, Pittsburgh Guitars opened in May 1979 at 4806 Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield.

 
With a make-it-up-as-you-go-along approach, Carl knocked down walls, built walls, put up 2X4s, suspended guitars from leather boot laces, learned about sales tax, withholding tax, and estimated tax, and met hundreds of great people, many of whom are friends to this day.

Carl: "I remember a guy from a shop down the street came in one day and said: 'A store that sells only guitars? Seriously, what's this a front for?' "

In 1981, with the addition of the first employee, John Moran, Pittsburgh Guitars grew into almost an actual business--at least the kind of business where folks were welcome to come in, hang out, and talk about music. "John could actually play the guitar," Carl notes. "And with all the fun we were having in those days, it was helpful to have two people holding down the fort!"

"Store hours were shorter then," says Carl. "In 1978 I had formed The Flashcats, and we were gigging constantly. Actually, I think the money from the band kept the store afloat those first few years."

Hundreds of gigs with The Flashcats kept Carl in touch with what kind of equipment functioned best out in real life.

"We've never tried to carry everything at Pittsburgh Guitars. It's always been very subjective. If I liked something, if it worked on stage, we'd carry it. If I didn't like it, we wouldn't."

The early days were tons of fun. (The current days are, too, but there's a lot more paperwork.) Carl lived in an apartment above the store. He could work with The Flashcats until 3 or 4 AM, sleep until 10 AM, roll out of bed and down the stairs to open the store at 11, work until 6 PM, leave for the gig at 7, and be back home by 3 or 4 in the morning.

The history of the store wouldn't be complete without mentioning the other business that Carl started right around this time. Bogus Records started out with a bang with Made In Pittsburgh, Vol.1, a compilation of Pittsburgh bands. Showcasing original tunes in styles ranging from country to new wave, this record helped call national attention to Pittsburgh's thriving musical community. Instrumental in the early success of Bogus Records was Jim Spitznagel, owner of Jim's Records, located right down the street from Pittsburgh Guitars. Like Carl, Jim was a young entrepreneur, running a highly successful record shop while playing in a band, Eddie & The Otters. Lots of other folks contributed to the success of Bogus, from graphic artists like Rob Smiley and Greg Matecko to the World's Greatest Recording Engineer, Lee Hollihan. Check out the Bogus Records page for more info. Meanwhile, Carl discovered that the record label and the guitar business made good partners. After all, guitars need musicians to play them!

One day in 1983, Scott R. Johnson from Kane, PA walked in, and said he did guitar repairs. Carl thought Scott seemed trustworthy, so he gave him a few guitars. (Besides, Carl thought Scott was really funny, and that's always a good sign....) Scott brought all of the guitars back, fixed, and he's been doing the repairs for Pittsburgh Guitars for 20-some years now.

The store was now a hub of activity. Not only was the guitar business growing, but friends and fans of The Flashcats and Bogus became regular visitors. And there was always something exciting in the works, like "Moosemania," for example. In 1983 Carl discovered that 1940s R&B legend Bull Moose Jackson was working in the cafeteria at Howard University. Recorded with The Flashcats, and released on Bogus Records, Bull Moose's LP Moosemania! revived his career and brought him a whole new generation of fans. We had a lot of fun in those days. "Good times" has always been the philosophy of Pittsburgh Guitars, and the good times were plentiful!

By early 1986, every square inch of 4806 Liberty Avenue was filled...

 
In June 1986 Pittsburgh Guitars moved to an area called The South Side. At the time, it was primarily bars, antique shops, and boarded up buildings. But it had lots of potential.

The new store was huge compared to the old one. The new landlord was alive compared to the old one.

John Moran left shortly before the move to the South Side, and was hired by Hollowood's in McKees Rocks to develop a used department. Carl hired a variety of temporary employees, until he discovered the one and only Mark Cholewski in September 1987. With Mark's help the store grew every year.

In the late 1980s the vintage market took off, and out-of-town vintage shows multiplied exponentially. Pittsburgh Guitars became not only a cool place to hang out, but also a place where you could count on seeing some unusual (or just plain weird) vintage guitar or amp, either on it's way to a show or on it's way back from one.

In the early 1990s, some new guitar lines were added to fill certain gaps in the type of inventory. (For example, it's hard to find enough quality used acoustics.) Some of the new lines can be mentioned over the internet, like Rickenbacker. Some of them can't, like @#%&*.

After 5 years of hard work getting the new location started, in 1990, Carl (intrigued by the new compact disc format) again got busy with Bogus Records. CDs by The Frampton Brothers, The Spuds, and a Sonny Bono Tribute Disc, Bonograph...Sonny Gets His Share once again pushed Bogus into the national spotlight.

Meanwhile, as Pittsburgh Guitars drew more and more kids into the neighborhood, the South Side flourished as well as the store. The Beehive coffeeshop, Slacker, Groovy, and other great shops opened all around the guitar store. The South Side is now the coolest, hippest business community in Pennsylvania.

 In 1997 Bob joined the Pittsburgh Guitars staff. Bob took lessons at the store for several years, starting when he was 13, and when he came back as an adult (well, almost), he fit right in. Bob's moved on, and while he visits us from time to time, John (a.k.a. The New Guy) was hired in 2002 to complete the staff.

You'll see Rick filling in at the store a lot, too. He even works when he's not working!

Our guitar teacher is John Purse. John taught here several years ago, and he was one of our most successful teachers. Now he's back, spreading the music. We're thrilled to have him back. He's an original!

 
We celebrated our 25th Anniversary in 2004. And on December 1, 2006, we officially opened in our new location at 1305 East Carson Street, one block down the street from the old store. With the new building we have lots more room; more showroom space, more storage, more lesson rooms, even a bigger repair shop! (We'll post some pictures soon!) It's a great change, and we're all very excited about it!

It's actually kind of hard to believe. There's never been a sales meeting. There's never been a business plan. There's never been a marketing strategy. This store has existed, and survived, solely on the love of guitars and music.

Says Carl, "Once in a while, when I get too enthusiastic about a guitar, someone will say, 'Wow, you're such a good salesman!' The truth is, I'd make a lousy salesman. Mark, Scott, John, and I sell guitars because we're extremely happy that they are part of our lives. We like to look at them, we like to touch them, we like to talk about them. That's pretty much the Pittsburgh Guitars sales philosophy: We like to hang around guitars."

   Mayor Maggie visits the new store

Ringo's son Zack
signs a drum head