Vanderbilt Cup Races

The March/April 2015 issue of Guitar Aficionado is a special Motoring Issue featuring an article on Roslyn's Music Zoo and several of the classic cars stored at the Waterfront at Roslyn.

Enjoy,

Howard Kroplick

Guitar Aficionado

March 25, 2015

American Icons: Custom Guitars meet classic cars at Long Island’s Music Zoo.

By Chris Gill | Photos by Justin Borucki

Tucked away in the back of an industrial park at the southernmost tip of Long Island’s Hempstead Harbor in Roslyn, New York, the building that houses the Music Zoo is more like a multi-millionaire’s man cave than the typical retail environment. Various coin-operated gaming machines line the halls, and many of the glass-enclosed offices house antiques or works of art. The Music Zoo itself is like a museum of guitars, with literally hundreds of tantalizing beauties hanging from its racks.

“I was looking for industrial space when I discovered this place,” Music Zoo owner Tommy Colletti says. “The owners of the building are a little eccentric, which makes things fun. It’s a unique environment, which is a great fit for us since we’re known for coming up with our own unique guitars and themes.”

Music Zoo works very closely with companies that make the guitars that they sell. Because the store is one of the nation’s top retailers, it has been able to convince most of these companies to build a wide variety of custom, special-edition guitars that are only available from the Music Zoo. A quick scan of the racks, which display numerous unusual items—such as Gibson Explorers and Flying Vs with Pelham Blue finishes and their exclusive bound, flame-maple top ZF Fender Custom Shop Stratocasters—confirms this.

One could easily spend an entire day going through the Music Zoo’s wide variety of rare beauties, but visitors should spare some time to venture around the corner, through the building’s winding hallways, to where building-owner Howard Kroplick keeps several fine examples from his world-class car and automobilia collection. Kroplick may keep the garage locked up, but the cars are all visible through the large picture windows that surround the space.

Way back in Guitar Aficionado’s third issue, we explored the surprisingly close relationship between cars and guitars. When Music Zoo invited us to pair their guitars with Kroplick’s cars, that relationship was further confirmed, as you’ll see in the photos here.