Sammy Ash, COO of the family-run Sam Ash Music chain, died September 16, 2023, after a year-long battle with stage 4 melanoma. He was 65.

Named after the grandfather who based the corporate in 1924, Ash spent his working life with the shops starting in 1973. Among the many notable turns in his profession was serving to designer Susumu Tamura identify the Ibanez Tube Screamer TS-808 pedal, and guiding the corporate to grow to be the primary retailer to hold guitars made by Paul Reed Smith. In a January ’22 Classic Guitar characteristic on Ash’s assortment of PRS devices, Smith recalled how Sam Ash Music’s first order – for greater than $250,000 and positioned by Sammy’s brother, Richard, pinch-hitting as a result of Sammy was bedridden with a chilly that day – performed a key function in PRS Guitars turning into a actuality.

A loyal guitarist and collector with a deep information of classic devices, he established the used/classic division of Sam Ash Music, which he thought-about his crowning achievement.

“I used to be fortunate to have identified Sammy,” mentioned Mike Rock, who was employed because the chain’s Senior Purchaser in 2008. “He took his work critically, however by no means took himself too critically. Sam beloved exhibiting as much as work every single day, and his cheerfulness was contagious. He and I might go over stories along with his door closed so we may crack jokes and chuckle with out disturbing the entire workplace. When Sam actually received to laughing, he’d gentle up the room, and his self-disparaging humor made him straightforward to admire.

“I felt very lucky to work so carefully with him for practically 10 years. We had enjoyable attempting to find guitar collections and had an absolute riot taking pictures advertisements for VG; we dressed up as Vince and Jules from Pulp Fiction, a pair of zombies, surfers, motion figures, and no matter kooky concepts Sam cooked up every month. He was a mentor and good friend greater than a boss, and a person I beloved like a brother.”

“He was a beautiful human being and mensch,” Smith mentioned. “I don’t ever bear in mind him complaining or saying a foul phrase about anyone, and whereas ours was a enterprise relationship, we had been good buddies, as nicely. He was at all times very loving to his household and buddies.”

Smith fondly recollects how Ash turned “gleeful” each time he instructed him about discovering one other early PRS for his assortment.

Guitarist Elliot Easton first met the Ash brothers within the late ’60s at their outlet in Huntington Station, on Lengthy Island, and reconnected a decade later when Easton purchased a brand new D-18.

“In fact, the primary time I used to be of their retailer, the one factor I may afford had been the Martin brochures,” he chuckled. “However once I purchased the D-18 in ’79, Sammy and I hit it off as a result of we remembered one another as children. We turned – and remained – good buddies, and at all times received amusing speaking about that guitar.

“His passing is a big loss for not solely his household and buddies, however your complete music neighborhood.”

Ash is survived by his spouse, Rachel, 4 sons, and his brother.

This text initially appeared in VG’s November 2023 problem. All copyrights are by the writer and Classic Guitar journal. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.