Here at Portland Music Co. on Broadway, we love all things with strings. Sure, you can come to us for saxophone rentals and trumpet repairs, but we really dig stringed instruments.
The thing is, though, is that it's easy to lose sight of some of the really great instruments that are available when you focus so much on guitars. Hey, I'm a guitar player, so that's what I like to see. That's what gets my attention.
So, it was with that very thought in mind that I took a little walk around the shop today, to look at those things that have strings, but aren't guitars. There aren't a lot of them, but there are enough, and they should stand up and be counted!
So...
The year was, probably, 1969 or so, and I was playing in our living room while my Mom was watching either the Mike Douglas Show or the Merv Griffin Show. It's hard to remember but, cut a guys some slack: I was seven. One of the guests was a guy from Hawaii named Don Ho.
Don Ho was the epitome of "island cool", with his rose tinted glasses and his Hawaiian shirts. But Don also had a ukulele, and could rip through his "Tiny Bubbles" like Jimmy Page ripped through the lead part in "Stairway To Heaven". Okay, it was on a very different level, but Ho was clearly a master of his instrument, and he made the ukulele cool:
Khaury was better known by the moniker "Tiny Tim":
Well, fast forward forty years and, despite everything it seemed like Tiny Tim did to the solemn name of the instrument, it's making a comeback, and that comeback is strong.
Like guitars, ukes come in a variety of shapes, sizes and, yes, price ranges. I'd always thought of the ukulele as a toy; not a true musical instrument. That belief was challenged, though, when a friend in San Diego showed me the uke that he'd paid not hundreds of dollars for, but thousands.
I was dumbfounded then, and I remain somewhat surprised at the popularity of the instrument. That said, though, it doesn't take long, noodling around on one, to get the bug. And, above and beyond everything else you might think you know about ukuleles, there is one undeniable truth regarding them: It's impossible to be sad when you play one.
We've got a large selection of ukes on hand in our store, from the goofy to the grand:
All Kamaka makes is ukuleles, but other manufacturers have added ukes to their lines of guitars. Collings has regular production of them, Taylor has introduced them with their "Builder's Reserve" sets, and Martin has been making ukes, in one form or another, since 1907:
With prices between around fifty bucks to well over $1,000.00, there's a uke to fit every budget and skill level:
As fun as they are, though, ukes aren't the only non-guitar stringed instruments gaining popularity.
Some years back, I was enamored with a group called Nickel Creek, specifically the flat-out ridiculous mandolin chops of Chris Thile. The guy would handle a mandolin like Minnesota Fats would handle a pool cue.
A mandolin isn't nearly as easy to play as a uke; at least not for me. The neck is much narrower and shorter than a uke. My hands wouldn't exactly be described as "dainty", but every so often I'll throw caution to the wind and pick up one of the many mandolins in the store.
A dear friend of mine, Haley Johnson (daughter of fingerstyle master Doyle Dykes) showed me three chords on the mandolin. Now, I don't even know what those chords are, but what's fun is, when I play those three chords for someone who doesn't play mandolin, they think I'm a virtuoso. When I play them for someone who does know how to play mandolin, they know I'm a hack. That's fine, though; I'm just looking to have a little fun with something that isn't a guitar.
Like ukes, mandolins cover the range of cheaply made to world class, with price tags to reflect each. I've found that a real nice balance is being found in Eastman mandolins. They're well made, play great, and won't require you to take out a second mortgage just to buy one:
Finally, you can't talk about stringed instruments that every guitarist secretly wishes he could play
without talking about the banjo.
The banjo is one of those instruments which, when played properly and well, is a lot of fun to listen to. You might even be surprised to learn who actually plays banjo. Back in the 70's, one of the hottest comedians alive was Steve Martin. His irreverent brand of comedy was something no one had seen before. In the 80's and 90's he got into acting, and starred in movies like "The Jerk" and "Father Of The Bride".
What no one knew about him during those years was that the guy was a monster banjo player. These days, more people actually know him for his work with Earl Scruggs and the Steep Canyon Rangers than for his stand-up routines. He's won more Grammy awards for his music than for his comedy.
And he did it with a freakin' banjo.
Most banjos you see these days have five strings, though, and not the six that we myopic guitar players are more accustomed to dealing with. So, leave it to a company like Gretsch Guitars to offer up something that every wanna-be-banjo-playin' guitar player can get behind: A six string banjo:
Sure, the purists down at the local bluegrass picker's bi-weekly jam might scoff at you but, hey, so what? You're throwin' down some tasty licks on your banjo, and they can only wish they knew how to play guitar as good as you.
And, aside from that, you haven't lived until you've riffed the opening strains of Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear The Reaper" on a banjo; pure magic.
So, there's just a short visit with some of the instruments hanging in Portland Music on Broadway.
Set some time aside and stop in and pay us a visit...
Text and photos by Steve Parr
Tiny Tin and Don Ho photos from the web
The thing is, though, is that it's easy to lose sight of some of the really great instruments that are available when you focus so much on guitars. Hey, I'm a guitar player, so that's what I like to see. That's what gets my attention.
So, it was with that very thought in mind that I took a little walk around the shop today, to look at those things that have strings, but aren't guitars. There aren't a lot of them, but there are enough, and they should stand up and be counted!
So...
The year was, probably, 1969 or so, and I was playing in our living room while my Mom was watching either the Mike Douglas Show or the Merv Griffin Show. It's hard to remember but, cut a guys some slack: I was seven. One of the guests was a guy from Hawaii named Don Ho.
Don Ho was the epitome of "island cool", with his rose tinted glasses and his Hawaiian shirts. But Don also had a ukulele, and could rip through his "Tiny Bubbles" like Jimmy Page ripped through the lead part in "Stairway To Heaven". Okay, it was on a very different level, but Ho was clearly a master of his instrument, and he made the ukulele cool:
 |
| Don Ho... Purveyor of cool... |
Roughly around the same time, there was another guy making a name for himself with a ukulele. His name was Herbert Khaury. Unlike Don Ho, though, Khaury wasn't smooth and cool, and he wasn't trying to make any real, true musical statement with his instrument. It seemed as though he was trying to actively destroy everything good about the ukulele. He's best remembered for resurrecting that never-should've-been-resurrected 1929 classic "Tiptoe Through The Tulips".
Khaury was better known by the moniker "Tiny Tim":
 |
| Tiny Tim... Not as hip as Don Ho... |
Well, fast forward forty years and, despite everything it seemed like Tiny Tim did to the solemn name of the instrument, it's making a comeback, and that comeback is strong.
Like guitars, ukes come in a variety of shapes, sizes and, yes, price ranges. I'd always thought of the ukulele as a toy; not a true musical instrument. That belief was challenged, though, when a friend in San Diego showed me the uke that he'd paid not hundreds of dollars for, but thousands.
I was dumbfounded then, and I remain somewhat surprised at the popularity of the instrument. That said, though, it doesn't take long, noodling around on one, to get the bug. And, above and beyond everything else you might think you know about ukuleles, there is one undeniable truth regarding them: It's impossible to be sad when you play one.
We've got a large selection of ukes on hand in our store, from the goofy to the grand:
 |
| A selection of low cost ukes, sure to put a smile on someone's face... |
 |
| A Kamaka tenor ukulele, made from solid Koa... |
 |
| A Kamaka Concert uke, from Honolulu, Hawaii... |
 |
| The peghead of a Martin ukulele... |
With prices between around fifty bucks to well over $1,000.00, there's a uke to fit every budget and skill level:
 |
| A "tree" of ukuleles, festooned with leis and festive holiday plumage... |
As fun as they are, though, ukes aren't the only non-guitar stringed instruments gaining popularity.
Some years back, I was enamored with a group called Nickel Creek, specifically the flat-out ridiculous mandolin chops of Chris Thile. The guy would handle a mandolin like Minnesota Fats would handle a pool cue.
A mandolin isn't nearly as easy to play as a uke; at least not for me. The neck is much narrower and shorter than a uke. My hands wouldn't exactly be described as "dainty", but every so often I'll throw caution to the wind and pick up one of the many mandolins in the store.
A dear friend of mine, Haley Johnson (daughter of fingerstyle master Doyle Dykes) showed me three chords on the mandolin. Now, I don't even know what those chords are, but what's fun is, when I play those three chords for someone who doesn't play mandolin, they think I'm a virtuoso. When I play them for someone who does know how to play mandolin, they know I'm a hack. That's fine, though; I'm just looking to have a little fun with something that isn't a guitar.
Like ukes, mandolins cover the range of cheaply made to world class, with price tags to reflect each. I've found that a real nice balance is being found in Eastman mandolins. They're well made, play great, and won't require you to take out a second mortgage just to buy one:
 |
| An Eastman F-Style mandolin that won't break the bank... |
Finally, you can't talk about stringed instruments that every guitarist secretly wishes he could play
without talking about the banjo.
The banjo is one of those instruments which, when played properly and well, is a lot of fun to listen to. You might even be surprised to learn who actually plays banjo. Back in the 70's, one of the hottest comedians alive was Steve Martin. His irreverent brand of comedy was something no one had seen before. In the 80's and 90's he got into acting, and starred in movies like "The Jerk" and "Father Of The Bride".
What no one knew about him during those years was that the guy was a monster banjo player. These days, more people actually know him for his work with Earl Scruggs and the Steep Canyon Rangers than for his stand-up routines. He's won more Grammy awards for his music than for his comedy.
And he did it with a freakin' banjo.
Most banjos you see these days have five strings, though, and not the six that we myopic guitar players are more accustomed to dealing with. So, leave it to a company like Gretsch Guitars to offer up something that every wanna-be-banjo-playin' guitar player can get behind: A six string banjo:
 |
| A Gretsch Dixie-6 Banjo... |
Sure, the purists down at the local bluegrass picker's bi-weekly jam might scoff at you but, hey, so what? You're throwin' down some tasty licks on your banjo, and they can only wish they knew how to play guitar as good as you.
And, aside from that, you haven't lived until you've riffed the opening strains of Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear The Reaper" on a banjo; pure magic.
So, there's just a short visit with some of the instruments hanging in Portland Music on Broadway.
Set some time aside and stop in and pay us a visit...
Text and photos by Steve Parr
Tiny Tin and Don Ho photos from the web
