John reaches across the lyres, harps and lutes to point to a hidden glass cabinet, which preserves an instrument of faded, worn brass.
It's his dad's first saxophone, from 1936, and 'YES, it still plays!' shouts a hand written note at its base.
His father's name was Johnny Roadhouse, founder of the eponymous music shop on Oxford Road in 1955.
It's one of a handful of independent businesses to witness the changing face of Oxford Road over the centuries.
The most recent changes have been dramatic, and some people believe, quite overdue. A separate cycle lane funnels cyclists off the road around a metre before a bus stop, giving them a slip road back to rejoin it around a metre on. The new lanes bring with them increased safety, as well as flowers and greenery, with a slick, Scandinavian feel.
What was a rough'n'ready student hub, now feels like a Danish promenade.
But the changes have not been entirely positive for John.
"The cycle route scheme was to make people safe – but whether they've implemented it very well is debateable. The way they've configured the road, is to dissuade a certain type of vehicle, and they've dissuaded a lot of my customers.
"We don't sell many drums anymore, these things are awkward to move."
"I offer free delivery, within reason. People might say – is delivery an issue? And we'll say we might be able to deliver it, and that gets some of the kits out of the door. But this is a £200 kit – we can't deliver it to Stockport, my time is worth more here."
But Oxford Road has been known for its vibrancy and culture, has the overall scene improved on the road since the changes? Not according to John.
"This road has had a good vibe for a long time, there's a good feel in that respect. The fact that there's less traffic has not changed that – it hasn't changed the way people feel about the road.
"My main customer is being driven away slowly. There is an element of the internet in that," he admits.
"It's not done us any good. It has negatively affected our business.
"They've offered me help by offering to put a map on my website – but older people just look at it and say it's too complicated."
Looking around the eclectic music shop, I can see that local students are not the bread and butter of John's business. Among a maze of rare and unusual instruments are rows of accordions of all shapes and sizes.
"They're a dying instrument," he says regretfully.
But John doesn't see his business is in any immediate trouble.
"The future is here. We own the building – so no-one can price me out. It's a family business, I own and run it. It has a future because I want it to have one.
"It's an asset because it's not food – it's hard to find something thats not food on this road."
In fact, one of the biggest developments on Oxford Road of late is food and drink-led.
Nestled under the Mancunian Way you'll find Hatch, a pop-up whose shipping containers jut out in a jumbled Tetris of pastel pinks and turqiose.
Now open after a soft launch in December, it's managed by Afflecks, the Northern Quarter shopping emporium, and owned by developer Bruntwood, which is establishing itself in the area ahead of its £750m Circle Square venture.
Inside, there's space for four street food vendors, who will change every few months, and independent retailers.
Artisan coffee house, Takk, an independent operator based in Manchester's Northern Quarter, has two units on the site for its new concepts: an espresso bar and a nano brewery and bar called Öl.
The interior is minimal, and clean, with inspiration from the craft beer scene of Copenhagen.
David Foulger, manager of Öl believes the launch could mark the start of something new for the area: "It's a new approach. Even the shipping container idea – there's nothing in Manchester like it.
"Look at Ancoats, it's gone from nothing to a really exciting place to eat drink and shop. I don't see why it couldn't happen this end of town."
Vegetarian health food shop and cafe Eighth Day is another stalwart Oxford Road business. While they're enthused by their new neighbours, they aren't quite so optimistic about the area's future.
"The pop-ups look great, it brings a new flavour to Oxford Road – it's been neglected," says Jen Marsh, a member of the co-operative for over 17 years.
Her colleague Sam Jones agrees: "It's a hub for boho hipster stuff – we love that. And we're not anti-new developments, if it brings more things to the area.
"It looks great, and we love the eco-friendliness of the bike lanes, but the reality is that it's affected our trade."
Jen adds: "Because of the rising cost of things, our turnover should improve about 5–10% per year, but over our last trading year our sales have either dipped or stayed stagnant.
"Our average spend is down, because we don't have our big destination shoppers.
"We are a living wage employer, we are trying to invest back in to our communities by paying our staff well, which they will in turn spend in local businesses. It's places like this that the council should be supporting, not cutting back and making it difficult for them to trade.
"Stores like us, although they rely on trade from the local area, they are actually destination stores. So people come to visit us from outside the city centre and they cant park here anymore, they can't travel anymore, so therefore they don't come here anymore."
Juggling old and new, cyclists and cars; it seems as though the recent changes have been a contentious point on the road, and something that has split opinion.
As I'm leaving Hatch, I bump into a smartly dressed guy - Chorlton resident Patrick Hanfling - wearing a check shirt, clutching a folded Brompton bike and a flat white from Takk. "The best coffee in Manchester," he proclaims, "you can quote me on that."
"I can commute on by bike to meetings, work, and at lunchtimes I can pop by a place like this for a coffee.
"For the students, the communities around, it's great – really improved the area. As a cyclist, it's lovely!"
Patrick is unwittingly Hatch's target market - and probably indicative of the future population of Oxford Road. No longer reserved for freshers and lecturers, it's a stop-off for commuters, a place where people hop off their bike for a coffee, rather than cycling on by.
That's not great news for the older businesses on the street, but in some ways they could benefit: the destination stores no longer need to draw their own crowd as the area becomes a destination in and of itself.
Out with the old and in with the new? Hopefully not. If Oxford Road can maintain both, it'll be a huge triumph.
And thankfully, from the sounds of it, Johnny Roadhouse is going anywhere fast.
As he says: "Since 1955, for financial reasons or otherwise, it would be wrong for it to go. It's an asset to the road.
"As long as I want to run it, it will be here."
