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Music Shops that Sell, Buy and Trade Instruments and Gear

Posted by: Portland Place Reviews | From: March 21, 2007

Portland abounds with musicians, from wee children and full-grown adults about to start playing their first non-corporeal sound maker at home to world-famous touring musicians who make a rather fine living with their passion for sound. Anyone with a creative and functioning mind knows that the place to find and purchase gear is at one of the many fine locally owned shops in town that sell new gear, or buy or trade used gear. No trip to Guitar Center, no online ordering from Musician’s Friend or other catalogs will do for the true musician. The experience of entering the magical realm of the local music instrument shop is comparable to an indie-Disneyland of noise. The friendly and knowledgeable staff, and the rare gems of sound-producing or sound-tweaking apparatus you will encounter and be encouraged to play yourself beats pretty much all else in the music instrument dealing world.

Part of the intent of this review was to compare the monetary offerings for a guitar - a 1995 issue Hamer Slammer Series Les Paul knock-off - so the reader would glean some information about where to sell ‘gear’ if finances were getting tight. I brought this guitar into two shops, but I realized the original monetary value went way down in resale for a pretty cool sounding electric guitar (purchased at a locally owned shop in southern Los Angeles), and won’t emphasize this aspect in the reviews below.

The shops I reviewed are based on recommendations by musician friends. As only an amateur musician, and certainly no ‘gear-head,’ this reviewer has embarked on a journey with the hope of informing those interested of the finest shops we have in town that deal with new and used musical gear transactions.

*Note: Wank tanks (delightful term coined by TradeUp NE) are the soundproof chambers, provided the wanker remembers to shut the door, in which you can jam out at high volume with your instrument, or to have some privacy if you’re insecure about playing within earshot of others.

Now get yourself out there and play and visit and support your locally owned musical gear shops!

TradeUp Northeast
Buy, Sell, Trade, and Consigns New and Used Instruments
1834 NE Alberta Street
503.335.8800
Open 11am – 7pm everyday
tradeupmusic.com
myspace.com/tradeupmusic
Specialty: Guitars, drums, percussion, all sorts of parts and accessories, keyboards, amps, PA equipment
Wank tank: The absolute best in town. Wank your heart out!
Repairs: Guitars only
Lessons: Yes, indeed

This store is the younger sister and across-town harbor of all the goodies from the other TradeUp on SE Division. The recent remodeling and spaciousness of the shop, along with a loft and a pleasing mossy green, full-windowed and naturally lit interior make this the most aesthetically pleasing of the reviewed shops. This makes sense for the increasingly gentrified locale of NE Alberta Street. However, there’s no dissing the store with this observation – sonic artists can be visual artists as well! Unlike some other music shops in town, TradeUp NE doesn’t look like the dingy basement or warehouse space one might often be used to playing their instruments in. There’s a Zen quality to this space conducive to just marvel at what lies on the floor or wall and makes one feel comfortable to just pick up something and make some noise.

TradeUp NE is one of the friendliest and most accommodating of shops. You will notice this upon entering with a sign that reads: UNATTENDED CHILDREN WILL BE GIVEN AN ESPRESSO AND A FREE PUPPY. That pretty much sums up the vibe of this store. The manager, Nathan Jr., who works eight days a week, knows his stuff, and his staff is equally kind, approachable and knowledgeable. Because Nathan Jr. is such a genius, he thoroughly inspected my guitar and appraised it’s value at a little less than what Old Town Music would offer – so if you’re gonna sell your guitar, you might want to see what Old Town Music will offer you for it.

The current rare gem here, according to Nathan Jr., was a 1st year 1988 Eric Clapton signature rare red-colored Fender Stratocaster for sale at $1350. The most expensive item in the shop is a super groovy Ludwig Jellybean Quadraplus Vista Lite drum set valued at $1750.

I had the pleasure of interviewing a friend and regular visitor to TradeUp NE named Vince (known to the ladies as “Vincent”). He got his Gibson Les Paul stolen from him and comes to the shop frequently to jam on the 1994 reissue of a 1960 Les Paul with the cherry sunburst finish and all. I asked him what he likes about TradeUp, and this is what Vince had to say:

“Nice people. Nice atmosphere. Relaxin’. You come in and pick up an instrument, you wanna try it, they let you do so. Amps. No hassles. You see what you can do with an instrument. They give you time and the place to do it.”

In all, this is my favorite shop to visit, but I’m probably biased because I’m friends with some of the kind folks who work and visit there and have spent much more time there than any of the others to be reviewed below. TradeUp Northeast truly rocks! Check it out if you haven’t already.

Centaur Guitar
Buy, Sell, Trade New and Used Instruments
2827 NE Sandy
503.236.8711
Open 10am to 7pm everyday
info@centaurguitar.com
Specialty: Fills an “odd ball” niche, many unique vintage guitars, a few moogs, rock ‘n’ roll button-pins, iron-on patches, magazines, effects pedals, parts, strings, and accessories
Wank tank: Nope. No privacy while you or others are wanking.
Repairs: Guitars, some amps, some effects pedals

This shop is a rare gem in itself. Centaur Guitar claims to be “The Nation’s Smallest Guitar Store” and “Defender of the Little Guy.” The co-owner, Kelly Manahan, no little guy himself, is a very kind soul with a high-capacity cranium crammed with all sorts of knowledge of obscure vintage and modern guitars and beyond. The space is small, but vastly unique in its offerings. Beyond rare musical gear, Centaur Guitar also offers cool rock’n’roll buttons, bitchin’ iron-on patches, magazines (since the space used to be shared with a magazine shop), records, songbooks, and vintage posters.

Kelly truly knows his shit, and will gladly take the time to show-and-tell you his favorite guitars, some of the most unique in town. One of the rare gems within this rare gem is a beautiful Italian Gabanelli accordion, valued at $2895. Yes, this is an “odd ball” niche, indeed, and it was such a delight to see this unique gorgeous intricately rhinestone-clad accordion with my own eyes. The pleasure and interest with which Kelly presented this precious instrument and probably ten or so of his favorite guitars was further evidence of this man’s passion for all sorts of music and instruments.

If you have not yet visited Centaur Guitar, get your butt over there and check out the one-of-a-kind offerings and hopefully Mr. Kelly Manahan will be there to tell you all about his instrumental passions and the awesome collection of guitars he maintains and displays. Go to Centaur Guitar, without delay!

Old Town Music
Buy, Sell, Trade New and Used Instruments
40 SW 3rd Avenue
Open 11am to 6pm everyday
503.295.6808
myspace.com/oldtownmusic
Specialty: New, used and vintage guitars, amps, and effects pedals. Lindy Fralin pickups in stock, new and hard to find N.O.S. tubes.
Wank tank: Intimate like a large phone booth. Funky posters on the wall and a five-minute time limit (which probably isn’t enforced, unless they’re busy or you really suck).
Repairs: Guitars, amps and keyboards
Lessons: Call or visit to find out

Old Town Music gets mega major kudos right off the bat for welcoming a friend and me after they had closed up the shop for the evening. We brought in an old Pig-nose amp and my Hamer Slammer guitar, and the kind and knowledgeable Hank Failing (of local indie label Failing Records) was generous with his after-hours time in appraising my guitar and informing us that they don’t repair solid-state amps, as well as answering my myriad queries about what the store is all about. This shop is tiny in comparison, but boasts of the largest selection of effects pedals on the entire west coast!!!

Though the space is small, framed original vintage concert posters are displayed above the precious guitars hanging on the wall. This is the sort of treat that makes one realize the passion music shop owners possess – like a music museum that you’re encouraged to be a part of. You don’t just look and marvel, you grab what you want to, and you try it out in the wank tank in the back.

Definitely go to Old Town Music and check out their precious variety of guitars, amplifiers, and effects pedals. And by the way, I have a guitar effects-crazy friend who buys pedals from Guitar Center or Musician’s Friend for the supposed “price break,” but Hank informed me that not only do they probably have the largest selection of new and vintage effects pedals on the west coast, Old Town Music basically offers the same new stock and matches the price that the mega-stores offer. If you want a vintage or brand-new effect pedal, nevermind the national chain stores and just get yourself down to SW 2nd and go home with your favorite new noise-making toys!

Portland Music Company - Southeast
Buy, Sell, Trade New and Used Instruments
503 SE Martin Luther King, Jr.
503.226.3719
portlandmusiccomany.com
myspace.com/portlandmusiccompany
Open 11am – 7pm everyday
Specialty: Guitars, basses, and parts, drums, percussion, PA equipment, digital recording and classes and all sorts of accessories
Wank tank: Two clean spacious tanks
Repairs: Brass and woodwind instruments at the NE Broadway store
Lessons: Guitar, bass, keyboard, drum, recording software classes

This is the ‘superstore’ of the six stores locally owned by Portland Music Company, established in 1927. And what a super store it is. Kind and knowledgeable staff are always accommodating to any question or odd request you may have. I wanted to take a photo of a Gretsch guitar-shipping box, and a staff member recommended I take the box outside to make use of the natural lighting. Another staff member, I think his name was Eric, pointed out several aspects of the store that I probably would have otherwise not noticed – like the very modern recording software classroom attached to the keyboard room. Yes, a unique factor of this store is that they offer music recording software classes.

This was the first time this reviewer visited this shop, and I was graciously shown the finest instruments and niches and unique offerings. There is a prominent stage within this spacious store that hosts little clinics and the springtime Rose Festival “Battle of the Bands.” How cool is that?

This store was quite spacious, and had a really cool display of vintage microphones in a wooden hutch. There was also a nice set up of vintage amps in one of the corners above one of the wank tanks. An interesting observation was that I noticed that they had the Sex Pistols playing through one of the large amps. In most other stores, except Apple Row Music, the only “music” you hear is the cacophony of several people playing different instruments around the shop.

This is a superstore indeed, with other locations throughout the greater Portland area. Go to their website at portlandmusiccompany.com to get more information.

Apple Music Row
Buy, Sell, Trade, and Rents New and Used Instruments
225 SW First Avenue
503.226.0036
applemusicRow.com
Open Monday – Saturday 10:30am to 6:30pm, Sunday 1 to 5pm
Specialty: Higher-end quality music and gear. And just about everything else.
Wank tank: Two tanks in main shop, one each in the drum and acoustic guitar shop
Repairs: Guitars and most string instruments
Lessons: Guitar, bass, references to drum instructors

This is one hell of a store. I had never been here before. I walked through the door, and though I was initially offered an atypical cold-eyed, “greater than thou” look (no hard feelings – I was holding a clipboard and a camera and I probably would be wondering what the hell I was doing were I in the same situation) by one of the workers at the counter, I found myself in a wonderland of musical instruments and greeted kindly by a knowledgeable man named Brett.

The upper quarter of the walls is adorned with not-for-sale collectible guitars. Wow! A 1964 Lefty Gretsch, a 1965 Mostrite and a 1967 Velino, among countless others. You can look, but you can’t touch. And this just emphasizes the seriousness and protectiveness the ownership takes with their precious jewels.

As I walked through the massive expanse of the store, taking photographs, the manager dryly questioned me about where this review would be posted. At first I thought this was an unfriendly man, but, I realized that he is understandably quite protective of the store he manages, and after a series of back and forth questions, store manager Chuck Johnson was very kind in showing me the rarest of rare handmade guitars in the shop, if not the world, worth $50.000. He even allowed me to step behind the counter to take close-up photos of the abalone, gold, etc. inlay on this guitar. Wow. Thanks, Chuck!

Apple Music Row is three stores. One is the mega-store, and then two neighbors that deal exclusively in drums and acoustic guitars and other stringed instruments. Everyone I encountered was kind and knowledgeable and obviously proud of their shop.

Again, the overriding sound here was some AC/DC playing through a speaker. No cacophony here. It seemed like a slow time to visit, and people playing instruments were tucked away in the spacious wank tanks.

Go to Apple Music Row for no other reason than to check out their amazing museum-quality guitar collection hanging high upon the walls. (You won’t be able to see them that well, but they’re there.) Their staff is informed and if you’re not holding a clipboard and a camera taking photos, they will be kind and help you with anything you may need.

TradeUp Northeast
Buy, Sell, Trade, Consigns New and Used Instruments.
4701 SE Division
503.236.8800
tradeupmusic.com
myspace.com/tradeupmusic
Open 11am – 7pm everyday
Specialty: Guitars and parts, keyboards, drums, percussion and all sorts of accessories
Wank tank: Nope. You’re wankin’ in public here, my friends.
Repairs: Guitars only
Offers lessons

This is the flagship store of the local TradeUp enterprise. The staff is just as kind and knowledgable as their Northeast counterpart, as reviewed above. This shop is smaller than the NE store, but still is a warehouse of unique musical instruments.

….

All in all, go and visit any one of these music instrument shops. The people are kind. The customers dig what the stores offer. And if you have no money or gear to sell, just stop on in and marvel at the museum-quality guitars and amps that you would otherwise never have the chance to play. Have fun!

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