ElmerJFudd Posted September 21, 2023 Share Posted September 21, 2023 COO of Sam Ash Music passed away a few days ago. Son of Jerry, grandson of founder Sam. “Sammy Ash passed away on September 16th, 2023 after a courageous battle with Stage 4 Metastatic Melanoma. He is survived by his wife Rachel & 4 Sons Ben, Max, Alex & Jason. Sammy loved the music industry and was proud of the longstanding friendships he cultivated with both manufactures and competitors. He worked tirelessly to make Sam Ash Music into a thriving family business. To all current and former Sam Ash employees, Sammy loved and admired you deeply. His passion for musical instruments and unwavering commitment to going above and beyond for the customer will forever guide us.” 1 Quote Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old No7 Posted September 22, 2023 Share Posted September 22, 2023 Sorry to hear of this... While I had no connection to the man, I've always been impressed by the service & info provided -- and competitive pricing -- when I've shopped in their stores. Then most recently, I received a "personal Thank You" emailed to me by Max Ash, son of Sammy, after he'd seen that I'd posted the photos of the keyboards floor of their NYC store here on this forum. He said "the whole Ash family saw what I'd posted" on here and they appreciated it. The personal touch of his "thanks" says a lot about the family's commitment to musicians and the industry. Old No7 3 Quote Yamaha MODX6 * Hammond SK Pro 73 * Roland Fantom-08 * Crumar Mojo Pedals * Mackie Thump 12As * Tascam DP-24SD * JBL 305 MkIIs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted September 22, 2023 Author Share Posted September 22, 2023 Their shops always try to keep the stuff players really want to try out on the showroom floor. And unlike GC they don’t separate woodwinds, brass, strings, sheet music from the DJ/Live Sound, Guitar, Bass and Drums. A lot of people were disappointed to see their Route 4 Paramus shop close. When any of us is visiting Manhattan from an area where there’s not much for music stores, it’s worth a stop in. 1 Quote Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan May Posted September 22, 2023 Share Posted September 22, 2023 Hats-off. The Sam Ash music store is such an iconic store, I’m sorry that it’s owner passed away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfergirl Posted September 22, 2023 Share Posted September 22, 2023 I bought my EHX Lizard Queen Octave Fuzz from Sam Ash, almost everyone else had it on back order. We visited their Los Angeles store while in Long Beach last month. We spent almost 2 hours just browsing, and no one was breathing down our neck like at GC, at least the one I go to. When we did talk to the employees they were very friendly and knowledgeable and no one tried push us to buy anything. We did end buying some strings, probably wouldn't have had we been pushed. 1 Quote Jennifer S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted September 22, 2023 Author Share Posted September 22, 2023 1 hour ago, surfergirl said: I bought my EHX Lizard Queen Octave Fuzz from Sam Ash, almost everyone else had it on back order. We visited their Los Angeles store while in Long Beach last month. We spent almost 2 hours just browsing, and no one was breathing down our neck like at GC, at least the one I go to. When we did talk to the employees they were very friendly and knowledgeable and no one tried push us to buy anything. We did end buying some strings, probably wouldn't have had we been pushed. I haven’t experienced that in the NY or NJ shops either. Quote Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Simons Posted September 22, 2023 Share Posted September 22, 2023 Jeez, his dad Jerry just passed away a few months earlier. I was a keyboard salesman at the Huntington, Long Island store in the late 70's and Sammy was in often. I remember him being obsessed with drum machines, which were progressing rapidly around that time. Jerry was a stern, unsmiling guy that we tended to steer clear of when he came in, Sammy was a bit more personable. 3 Quote Yamaha P515 & CK88, Pianoteq, Mainstage, iOS, assorted other stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legatoboy Posted September 24, 2023 Share Posted September 24, 2023 On 9/22/2023 at 3:31 PM, Bobby Simons said: Jeez, his dad Jerry just passed away a few months earlier. I was a keyboard salesman at the Huntington, Long Island store in the late 70's and Sammy was in often. I remember him being obsessed with drum machines, which were progressing rapidly around that time. Jerry was a stern, unsmiling guy that we tended to steer clear of when he came in, Sammy was a bit more personable. I can see Sammy in my mind so clearly from years back, .. he was often in the Forest Hills SA store and the original store out in Hempstead in the old old days ... I lived close by then in F. H. in the 80's, around the corner from Paul Simon's family home in S. Flushing...easy treak up to Queens Blvd and Sam Ash Forest Hills....he really looked like a rock star when he had long hair way back..... he passed away young... RIP Sammy. Quote CP-50, YC 73, FP-80, PX5-S, NE-5d61, Kurzweil SP6, XK-3, CX-3, Hammond XK-3, Yamaha YUX Upright, '66 B3/Leslie 145/122 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felis Posted September 24, 2023 Share Posted September 24, 2023 https://www.musicincmag.com/news/detail/sam-ash-music-coo-sammy-ash-passes-away 65 years old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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