Seattle Guitars

"I’ve been obsessed with the guitar since I was twelve. In many ways, my life has been one long conversation about the guitar, interrupted only buy the countless hours of deep pleasure I have playing the darn things, as well as some less pleasant time spent doing what needs to be done so that I can get back to playing & chatting about them"
~Perry Beekman; jazz guitarist

I found the Perry Beekman quote when reading Guitar Zero, by Gary Marcus. It sums up my feelings about the guitar so concisely, that I had to share it here. It also applies to many guitarists in Seattle. Last week, my wife and I took a few days off, found a little B&B to stay at while visiting the city. 

Electrics on display at Dusty Strings Acoustic Music Shop

The goal was to visit a bunch of local guitar shops to get a feel for the music scene, and to promote the blog. Each of the shops we visited was awesome. I focused on the local shops, because these are the folks who really care about the customer, and music in general. On-line retailers have their place, and the big box stores… well lets just say they are less receptive than they should be. I’ll save my thoughts about places like Guitar Center for another time. Here are some highlights~ 

The famous marquee outside The Trading Musician

The Trading Musician. They are all about used guitars/amps, and have got a great marquee in front of the store. I talked with one of their employees for a little while, but he had to assist a paying customer, so I talked with a few of the guys who had wandered in, and with permission posted a handful of fliers to their board before heading to the next stop. One thing that my wife and I both enjoyed seeing was a lightly used Fender Stratocaster called The Splatter-caster. It was a guitar straight out of the 1960s, with a factory splattered paint job—something Jimi Hendrix would probably have approve of. Had I the means, it was the guitar I would have taken home.

The Guitar Store 

The Guitar Store (not to be confused with the guitar center). This was our first stop, and it set the vibe for the trip in general. It’s a really eclectic little shop that has new and used gear. We had a nice visit with one of the employees, talked about the blog & tacked a handful of fliers to their bulletin board. These guys have everything from a basic $100 beginner's guitar, to insanely beautiful Paul Reed Smith guitars that will set you back several thousand simoleons, and everything in-between.

Dusty Strings Acoustic Music Shop in Fremont 

Dusty Strings Acoustic Music Shop. Located in Fremont, this was my favorite stop of the visit. Again, I was talking with a few of the employees, but one in particular; Carter made my day, and gave me some much-needed encouragement about the project/blog. It turns out he knows a lot about the subject, and believes my project is on the right track. He has even succeeded in bring electric guitars to the Acoustic Music Shop. There was even work underway for a “quite room” for electric players to give the equipment a test drive. Guitars, harps, banjos, ukuleles, dulcimers, mandolins… they’ve got you covered.

Emerald City Guitars in Pioneer Square

Emerald City Guitars. Again the theme of really great employees continues here. They’ve also got a ton of vintage guitars. One room in particular was filled with guitars with price tags over $30K. One sweet, well-used 1968 Gibson Les Paul Custom called out to me, but the price for adoption was too great. I did have another pleasant visit with employees, bought a t-shirt and posted another handful of fliers on their board.

Thunder Road Guitars 

Thunder Road Guitars. These guys are a small shop in West Seattle that focuses on used and vintage guitars & amps. They prove that you don’t have to be a big shop to have some really great gear, and still keeping the prices on most of the guitars/amps within reach of regular people. Of course they also handle the really costly vintage equipment as well. While we were visiting, one of the staff was helping a young lady who beginning her guitar journey, was looking for a Gibson Les Paul. She appeared to really bond with an old 1970’s model Deluxe. All the while the folks there tried to help her find the right guitar, rather than attempting to sell her the most expensive. We left the store in search of coffee, so I don’t know if she adopted the guitar, but the look on her face when playing it told me she should have.

Thunder Road Guitars. A pair of vintage gems from the 1960's 

We found a coffee house just a block or two away that served up the best brew I’ve ever had. The Hotwire Coffeehouse serves mocha called the rose, which was completely out of this world. They also have a strong community connection, and love dogs—photos of their favorites pooches cover a bulletin board near the counter. As far as I know they don’t have any guitar connections, other than keeping the local musicians caffeinated, and are therefore worthy of inclusion here. 

Vintage goodness at Emerald City Guitars

Our Seattle visit was a great success. Getting out and meeting people, talking about guitars, my blog, music- Just knowing that my ideas which seem pretty abstract at times are shared by others, then seeing how they materialize in the digital pages of the blog, and again getting more feedback from people—in person—has been a huge morale boost for me. Seeing local shops survive the recent economic turmoil’s, competition from on-line retailers, and big-box stores is encouraging. 

What kind of local shops are in your town? If you haven’t done so already, take some time and find out. You might just meet some wonderful people, have excellent conversations, and simply enjoy playing & chatting about guitars.