I do remember Aabe's a bit. They used to sell beater guitars, and they also used to run a booking agency upstairs for wedding bands. Then they went over to St Paul on University and I think they dried up around ten years ago. I don't remember what they were busted doing on TV though.
There had been rumors about him for years. Then an I-Team operative left a guitar on consignment at an agreed-on price, and the agreement also called for payment within a week after it sold. Another operative came in and bought it at the full asking price. He never notified the "seller" until she came in about 3 weeks later (with hidden camera) and inquired. He told her that it had sold for much less. After that story was aired, the city yanked his pawn shop license.
He already had the store in St. Paul by then. Couple years later he sold it to his manager. I was told that the reason he sold it was because an angry customer came in and beat him up.
Besides his pawn and used guitar business, he had Gibson and Fernandes but not Fender. If someone asked about new Fenders, he would actually tell them that Fernandes came first and that Leo Fender copied their designs from the late 1940s. Anything to try to make that sale.
I never bought anything there besides strings and accessories. He was always pleasant to me.
