Portland, Oregon Guitar Shops?

JimmyZ · April 6th, 2005, 07:14 AM

I'm going out to Portland to visit my daughter for a few days and would like to visit a good guitar shop. Is anyone familiar with any good shops in the area?
I'm getting in on Saturday the 9th and will be leaving on the 12th. Thanks

Poppatwang · April 6th, 2005, 09:31 AM

as I'll be there the 13th for a few days.

Amos · April 6th, 2005, 03:03 PM

Guitar Crazy and Old Town Music are the two places where you're most likely to find some cool, vintage gear. Apple Music has a big selection of newer stuff to buy, and a very cool collection of vintage guitars displayed throughout the store (but they aren't for sale).

Montana_Dawg · April 6th, 2005, 06:30 PM

There are two Guitar Centers in the Portland area, along with several Portland Music Company stores.

My favorite, though, is Five Star Guitars in Hillsboro.

Here is a link for the address and map

I get all my stuff through them, and they do all the work on my guitars. If you go, ask for the owner, Ken. He will give you excellent service.

JimmyZ · April 7th, 2005, 07:09 AM

I will enjoy looking around and visiting these shops.
Again, many thanks for taking the time to respond.

Jimmy Z

d. meyers · April 7th, 2005, 09:17 AM

Did Guitar Crazy open again? I moved out of town 9 months ago, but they had been long gone then. I second the old town reccomendation, and I cant believe nobody mentioned Pioneer Music- mostly high end acoustic, but the owner Casey is one of the best tele guys in town. Five Star might be a bit far for you if you're in the city. If you're going to be on the east side, you might stop into Artichoke Music, also a mostly acoustic shop, but occationally a place to find realy unique vintage gear. I worked in music retail / luthiery in PDX for five years, and I personally wouldn't touch Apple Music with an 11-foot-disinfected-dung-fork. Most every other store in the area is top notch, however. If you have the misfortune to be down south here in Eugene for any reason, the best single vintage inventory in the state (by far) is at McKenzie River Music on 11th. Not what you'd call bargain basement pricing, but man they've got a lot of great guitars and amps in there. Almost makes living in Eugene tolerable. Almost.

JimmyZ · April 7th, 2005, 04:23 PM

I talked to my daughter and she said her fiance wants to spend some time going to look at guitars so I guess I'll try all of them.

4mal · April 8th, 2005, 12:37 PM

I've had some luck with the east side Portland Music store. They get most of my parts business. The two Guitar Center's are pretty lame on the guitar front. They do OK on the pro audio/recording side though. Pretty dull stuff for tire kicking though. Apple music is definately not a place that I shop unless I really need to go there ... not a great feeling place. Artichoke is also a cool stop as is Guitar Crazy.

I'm about an hour east of Portland in the Columbia River Gorge. Not much in the way of music stores out here but if you get the chance, do the I-84 & Rt 14 loop.

You drive along side the Columbia river for as far as you want to drive. About 50 miles get's you to the town of Hood River, OR I-84 is the south bank of the river in Oregon, 14 is the north bank on the Washington State side. There are toll bridges at Cascade Locks, Or / Stevenson, WA and at Hood River, OR / Bingen, WA. It's a buck at Cascade locks and .75 at Hood River.

Stop at Multnomah Falls. It is right on I-84 with a left exit into parking between the east & west bound traffic.

Cross the river from Oregon to Washington at Cascade Locks and drive East to the Hood River Toll bridge.

On the Washington side is the Skamania Lodge at Stevenson, very nice example of 'Cascadian Architechture' Just walk in, grab a coffee and sit in the lobby by the fire for a bit. Nearby is the Columbia Gorge interpretive center. It's a pretty good way to kill a couple of hours. Basically the history of the Gorge area from native american times up through the present. They'll be doing something for the Lewis & Clark Bi-Centennial I'm sure ...

The waterfront of Stevenson has a nice pier to walk out on and get a view of the river up close. If it's late in the day, check out the Walkingman Brewpub. Bob Craig used to live in *Green-tucky, IN. He's a great guy and makes some of the finest micro-brew in the Northwest.

On east through Stevenson on RT 14 for a very scenic 30 minutes to get to the toll bridge. A few lookout points along the way. Take the time to jump out & have a look. A lot of these are un-marked. Just a little parking area on the side of the road. Things aren't real formal out here.

If the weather is clear, take Cook-Underwood Road, just past 'dog mountain' and dog creek (both marked). CU road is a 'loop' road that climbs up around 1100 feet and takes you through a couple of old logging towns (Cook, Mill A, Willard and Underwood). Basically it is a big loop over Underwood Mountain starting and ending on RT 14. If you stay on CU road, you can't go wrong. There are some turn outs on the east bound descent back to Rt 14 that offer spectacular views of the Hood River Valley and the Columbia River Gorge. Breath taking from about 1100 feet.

Cross over the river on the Hood River Toll bridge. Park in town & just walk about. Lunches at the Trillium or Bette's Place or Horse Feathers or the 6th Street pub.

If you have more time in the HR area, there are tons of easy trails, Orchards (it's coming up on the annual Blossom Festival and the apple, pear and cherry orchards are just going off).' Lots of stuff to do outside in the Hood River area.

Drive back on 84 or if the weather is good, up and over Mt Hood on Rt 35 & 26 with a stop at the Timberline lodge. We are still skiing (sort of) on Mt Hood. Mountain weather can be the real deal here so you have to scope that carefully.

* Green-tucky - I lived in Indy at 1908 East 65th Street, just north of the tennis courts at Broad Ripple park between Broad Ripple and Ravenswood for about 10 years. I met Bob Craig who had moved here from Greenwood, IN while looking for land out here. Small world.

If you do the Cook Underwood Road loop you'll pass about a mile from my house. There is just a ton of stuff to do in the Portland area. If you are a 'book' person - you need to go to Powells! The zoo is great, the Oregon coast is amazing, Mt St Helens visitors center is opening up again (you would want to call ahead to be sure.) The Timberline lodge, where they filmed The Shining is definately worth a visit although like I mentioned - the weather can be iffy and they still have 50 or 60 inches of snow up there ... (bad snow year, there should be more like 200" at this time ...)

If you are so inclined. There are a bunch of really good winery's here. South and west of Portland near McMinneville is probably the best area. You can come out here and do your own Sideways kind of thing - or maybe something more restrained as appropriate!

Have a blast while you're in the area!

JimmyZ · April 8th, 2005, 01:29 PM

I will print this off and take it with me. I appreciate the information. My daughter keeps telling me that she loves it out there and how much better it is than Indy.

Thanks again.

d. meyers · April 9th, 2005, 12:30 AM

Yeah, nice 'tour du gorge", 4mal! Your daugter is right, jimmyZ. PDX is one of the best cities in the western hemisphere, no kiddin'. I went there just to go to school, and now my life revolves around getting back to the north end of the Willamette valley as soon as is humanly possible!

April 6th, 2005, 07:14 AM	#1 (permalink)
JimmyZ Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Anderson, Indiana Age: 58 Posts: 148	Portland, Oregon Guitar Shops? I'm going out to Portland to visit my daughter for a few days and would like to visit a good guitar shop. Is anyone familiar with any good shops in the area? I'm getting in on Saturday the 9th and will be leaving on the 12th. Thanks __________________ If the phone don't ring it's me!

April 6th, 2005, 09:31 AM	#2 (permalink)
Poppatwang Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: St. Paul, MN Posts: 1,854 13 Photos	I'm all ears... as I'll be there the 13th for a few days. __________________ The Dieselfitters http://www.dieselfitters.com Roy Hubbs http://www.royhubbs.com

April 6th, 2005, 06:30 PM	#4 (permalink)
Montana_Dawg Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Oregon, but from Montana Posts: 494	There are two Guitar Centers in the Portland area, along with several Portland Music Company stores. My favorite, though, is Five Star Guitars in Hillsboro. Here is a link for the address and map I get all my stuff through them, and they do all the work on my guitars. If you go, ask for the owner, Ken. He will give you excellent service. __________________ I would rather be a jack-of-all-trades and master of none, than be a one trick-pony out of a job.

April 7th, 2005, 07:09 AM	#5 (permalink)
JimmyZ Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Anderson, Indiana Age: 58 Posts: 148	Thanks for the help I will enjoy looking around and visiting these shops. Again, many thanks for taking the time to respond. Jimmy Z __________________ If the phone don't ring it's me!

April 7th, 2005, 04:23 PM	#7 (permalink)
JimmyZ Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Anderson, Indiana Age: 58 Posts: 148	Thanks Again I talked to my daughter and she said her fiance wants to spend some time going to look at guitars so I guess I'll try all of them. __________________ If the phone don't ring it's me!

April 6th, 2005, 03:03 PM	#3 (permalink)
Amos Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Great Northwest Posts: 138	Guitar Crazy and Old Town Music are the two places where you're most likely to find some cool, vintage gear. Apple Music has a big selection of newer stuff to buy, and a very cool collection of vintage guitars displayed throughout the store (but they aren't for sale).

April 7th, 2005, 09:17 AM	#6 (permalink)
d. meyers Tele-Meister Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: PDX OR Posts: 462 8 Photos	Did Guitar Crazy open again? I moved out of town 9 months ago, but they had been long gone then. I second the old town reccomendation, and I cant believe nobody mentioned Pioneer Music- mostly high end acoustic, but the owner Casey is one of the best tele guys in town. Five Star might be a bit far for you if you're in the city. If you're going to be on the east side, you might stop into Artichoke Music, also a mostly acoustic shop, but occationally a place to find realy unique vintage gear. I worked in music retail / luthiery in PDX for five years, and I personally wouldn't touch Apple Music with an 11-foot-disinfected-dung-fork. Most every other store in the area is top notch, however. If you have the misfortune to be down south here in Eugene for any reason, the best single vintage inventory in the state (by far) is at McKenzie River Music on 11th. Not what you'd call bargain basement pricing, but man they've got a lot of great guitars and amps in there. Almost makes living in Eugene tolerable. Almost.

April 8th, 2005, 12:37 PM	#8 (permalink)
4mal Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: The Gorge Posts: 1,979	I've had some luck with the east side Portland Music store. They get most of my parts business. The two Guitar Center's are pretty lame on the guitar front. They do OK on the pro audio/recording side though. Pretty dull stuff for tire kicking though. Apple music is definately not a place that I shop unless I really need to go there ... not a great feeling place. Artichoke is also a cool stop as is Guitar Crazy. I'm about an hour east of Portland in the Columbia River Gorge. Not much in the way of music stores out here but if you get the chance, do the I-84 & Rt 14 loop. You drive along side the Columbia river for as far as you want to drive. About 50 miles get's you to the town of Hood River, OR I-84 is the south bank of the river in Oregon, 14 is the north bank on the Washington State side. There are toll bridges at Cascade Locks, Or / Stevenson, WA and at Hood River, OR / Bingen, WA. It's a buck at Cascade locks and .75 at Hood River. Stop at Multnomah Falls. It is right on I-84 with a left exit into parking between the east & west bound traffic. Cross the river from Oregon to Washington at Cascade Locks and drive East to the Hood River Toll bridge. On the Washington side is the Skamania Lodge at Stevenson, very nice example of 'Cascadian Architechture' Just walk in, grab a coffee and sit in the lobby by the fire for a bit. Nearby is the Columbia Gorge interpretive center. It's a pretty good way to kill a couple of hours. Basically the history of the Gorge area from native american times up through the present. They'll be doing something for the Lewis & Clark Bi-Centennial I'm sure ... The waterfront of Stevenson has a nice pier to walk out on and get a view of the river up close. If it's late in the day, check out the Walkingman Brewpub. Bob Craig used to live in Green-tucky, IN. He's a great guy and makes some of the finest micro-brew in the Northwest. On east through Stevenson on RT 14 for a very scenic 30 minutes to get to the toll bridge. A few lookout points along the way. Take the time to jump out & have a look. A lot of these are un-marked. Just a little parking area on the side of the road. Things aren't real formal out here. If the weather is clear, take Cook-Underwood Road, just past 'dog mountain' and dog creek (both marked). CU road is a 'loop' road that climbs up around 1100 feet and takes you through a couple of old logging towns (Cook, Mill A, Willard and Underwood). Basically it is a big loop over Underwood Mountain starting and ending on RT 14. If you stay on CU road, you can't go wrong. There are some turn outs on the east bound descent back to Rt 14 that offer spectacular views of the Hood River Valley and the Columbia River Gorge. Breath taking from about 1100 feet. Cross over the river on the Hood River Toll bridge. Park in town & just walk about. Lunches at the Trillium or Bette's Place or Horse Feathers or the 6th Street pub. If you have more time in the HR area, there are tons of easy trails, Orchards (it's coming up on the annual Blossom Festival and the apple, pear and cherry orchards are just going off).' Lots of stuff to do outside in the Hood River area. Drive back on 84 or if the weather is good, up and over Mt Hood on Rt 35 & 26 with a stop at the Timberline lodge. We are still skiing (sort of) on Mt Hood. Mountain weather can be the real deal here so you have to scope that carefully. Green-tucky - I lived in Indy at 1908 East 65th Street, just north of the tennis courts at Broad Ripple park between Broad Ripple and Ravenswood for about 10 years. I met Bob Craig who had moved here from Greenwood, IN while looking for land out here. Small world. If you do the Cook Underwood Road loop you'll pass about a mile from my house. There is just a ton of stuff to do in the Portland area. If you are a 'book' person - you need to go to Powells! The zoo is great, the Oregon coast is amazing, Mt St Helens visitors center is opening up again (you would want to call ahead to be sure.) The Timberline lodge, where they filmed The Shining is definately worth a visit although like I mentioned - the weather can be iffy and they still have 50 or 60 inches of snow up there ... (bad snow year, there should be more like 200" at this time ...) If you are so inclined. There are a bunch of really good winery's here. South and west of Portland near McMinneville is probably the best area. You can come out here and do your own Sideways kind of thing - or maybe something more restrained as appropriate! Have a blast while you're in the area!

April 8th, 2005, 01:29 PM	#9 (permalink)
JimmyZ Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Anderson, Indiana Age: 58 Posts: 148	Wow! You should be a tour guide I will print this off and take it with me. I appreciate the information. My daughter keeps telling me that she loves it out there and how much better it is than Indy. Thanks again. __________________ If the phone don't ring it's me!

April 9th, 2005, 12:30 AM	#10 (permalink)
d. meyers Tele-Meister Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: PDX OR Posts: 462 8 Photos	Yeah, nice 'tour du gorge", 4mal! Your daugter is right, jimmyZ. PDX is one of the best cities in the western hemisphere, no kiddin'. I went there just to go to school, and now my life revolves around getting back to the north end of the Willamette valley as soon as is humanly possible!