Buying Guitars in HI?
Posted: 4 Jan 2006 5:51 pm
Hi Folks,
I'm relatively new to SGF and I think this is the first time I've posted.
I'm making my second trip to Hawaii in about six weeks (the first trip is when I got hooked on Hawaiian music, Hawaiian guitar and uke). I'm wondering if there's any bargains or especially good values to discover by shopping for guitars (and ukes, for that matter) in Hawaii.
I'm still a (struggling) fledging steel player, if that, but I'd love to find a cool, cheapish guitar to continue learning with -- acoustic, electic, resonator, or whatever. Are there stores that specialize in such things on Oahu, Maui, or Kauai?
Even if I don't purchase anything, I'd love to check out a place where I can see and, hopefully, play some guitars. I live in Boston, MA USA and we rarely see steel guitars of any kind in guitar stores around here. Just seeing some old vintage steels hanging on a wall would be a treat.
During my first trip to HI, two years ago, I went into a guitar shop in Hilo and had a nice chat about ukes and guitars with the owner of the store, a very amiable Scot, who's name I can't recall. He had tons of ukes and said he couldn't keep them in stock, they sold so quick. I asked about steels -- there were none in sight -- and he said there's virtually no market for them. Was that an abberation or reflective of a trend?
Thanks,
Tim in Boston
Currently I'm playing a Carter Starter pedal steel with the top 2 strings and pedals removed, strung for 8 string C6 and a 6 string Morrel lap steel that seems to want to tune itself into something unfit for most human ears (my cat likes it, though).
I'm relatively new to SGF and I think this is the first time I've posted.
I'm making my second trip to Hawaii in about six weeks (the first trip is when I got hooked on Hawaiian music, Hawaiian guitar and uke). I'm wondering if there's any bargains or especially good values to discover by shopping for guitars (and ukes, for that matter) in Hawaii.
I'm still a (struggling) fledging steel player, if that, but I'd love to find a cool, cheapish guitar to continue learning with -- acoustic, electic, resonator, or whatever. Are there stores that specialize in such things on Oahu, Maui, or Kauai?
Even if I don't purchase anything, I'd love to check out a place where I can see and, hopefully, play some guitars. I live in Boston, MA USA and we rarely see steel guitars of any kind in guitar stores around here. Just seeing some old vintage steels hanging on a wall would be a treat.
During my first trip to HI, two years ago, I went into a guitar shop in Hilo and had a nice chat about ukes and guitars with the owner of the store, a very amiable Scot, who's name I can't recall. He had tons of ukes and said he couldn't keep them in stock, they sold so quick. I asked about steels -- there were none in sight -- and he said there's virtually no market for them. Was that an abberation or reflective of a trend?
Thanks,
Tim in Boston
Currently I'm playing a Carter Starter pedal steel with the top 2 strings and pedals removed, strung for 8 string C6 and a 6 string Morrel lap steel that seems to want to tune itself into something unfit for most human ears (my cat likes it, though).
