MI Spy

Where to Spend Some Green in the Green Mountain State

“Believe it or not, I’m walking on air.” If you’re over 40 years old (or if you’re a big “Seinfeld” fan and remember George Constanza’s answering machine parody version), you might recognize those lyrics from the theme song to early-‘80s TV hit “The Greatest American Hero.” Well, believe it or not, your MI Spy is not walking on air, despite my return to the field after months of lockdown. (No, it’s not that I’m feeling down. It’s just that my hover boots are still in the shop for repairs over at Spy HQ.)

And believe it or not, I do have a reason for invoking those somewhat obscure TV theme song lyrics. Because believe it or not, your MI Spy does have interests beyond musical instruments and everything related to musical instrument stores. In addition to old TV shows and, of course, James Bond movies (side note: come on already and release the new one!), I’m also fascinated by architecture and nature.

So for this mission, I decided to visit Vermont, to not only check out some musical instrument stores, but also some awe-inspiring architecture and a heckuva lot of nature, in all its breathtaking glory. Vermont’s cities, like Montpelier and Burlington, are great places to visit for the admirers of architecture among us. Outside the cities, the Green Mountain State boasts some of the most astonishing scenes of green you’ll find anywhere in the USA. And, as a big fan of President Calvin Coolidge and his wife Grace, I was fan-crushing at the various tributes to them that are sprinkled throughout Vermont, especially Montpelier, the state capital. Believe it or not, “Silent Cal” Coolidge was an avid harmonica player. With a name like that, he could have been a blues legend — although I guess president isn’t a bad gig if you can get it.

I hadn’t been to Vermont in many years. The last time was back when I was a fool for skiing and came to hit the slopes, with their mashed-potato snow. This time around, I encountered a lot of rain. A whole day of rain, in fact. But I also found four musical instrument stores on my day-long trip that are all worth looking into.

Guitar Sam 71 Main St. Montepelier, VT 05602 802.229.0295

Propped up in a display at Guitar Sam is a giant harmonica. A Marine Band harmonica, might I add. I don’t think that President Coolidge played this particular mouth harp, but it is one of the many intriguing things you’ll find while shopping at Guitar Sam. (And how much more New England can you get with an address on Main Street?)

I didn’t know in advance that I could have parked the MI Spy Mobile in the back, so I popped a few coins into a parking meter and left my car at the curb. I was the sole customer for most of the time I was inside Guitar Sam, although that was most likely due to the rain growing heavy at that point.

For those in search of a wide, tantalizing variety of stringed instruments, this store is a fantastic option. It stocks acoustic and electric guitars and basses, banjos, ukuleles, mandolins and much more. The depth of the accessories is way better than the typical store; you can find nearly anything you need to fix, upgrade or Frankenstein your guitar. There is a good selection of new and used effects pedals, including a purple Danelectro wah wah. I spoke with the worker on duty, and he told me “This is a great little pedal, and it’s a very good price. I’ve even spoken with people who use it with their acoustic guitars.” I asked him if he knew of banjo players who liked to use particular pedals, and he mentioned that “Some do, especially younger or more adventurous types,” although not typically wah wah pedals.

We also chatted about the fretless three-string box guitar (a used model) that hung from the wall. “It’s a novelty now, but those used to be pretty popular a long time ago,” he told me. “It has a mellow sound. There are a few musicians who specialize in this, and they’ve made instructional videos and performance videos featuring it.”

Guitar Sam had some keyboards for sale, but the more prominent instruments. aside from all the stringed things, were the many hand

drums, sold for various prices. They looked beautiful. The store also stocked a strong assortment of tambourines, shakers, cymbals and other percussives.

The store was well organized and the price tags were clear. If you stop by, don’t forget to check out the “Free Music” bins by the entrance to find some slightly dog-eared sheet music and books that need good homes. Adopt wisely!

Guitar Center 21A Hawthorne St. Williston, VT 05495 802.872.7627

The rain was still quite heavy when I found the outdoor mall where the Williston Guitar Center is located. On my way to the front door in the downpour, I tapped into my humble inner animal lover by rescuing a few worms that had escaped the patches of lawn and depositing them into a nearby garden. Then I strolled into the store.

Your MI Spy has visited many Guitar Center (GC) locations, in cities and in suburbs, and this was one of the smaller GC shops. But what it lacked in size, this branch managed to make up for with a stock that featured a wide inventory of musical instruments, accessories and gifts. I noticed mostly new items for sale, but also a decent amount of used gear.

As soon as I walked in, looking wet and a bit woebegone, two workers greeted me kindly. A third worker, a young woman, showed me to the restrooms. Shortly afterward, I chatted about guitar effects with one of the workers, who told me, a bit apologetically, that the store was awaiting more shipments of pedals and hardware. “The shortage is due to COVID weirdness,” he told me. It happens!

This GC had a few rooms set aside for lessons and rehearsals, and each room was named for a Vermont musical luminary. The names on the signs above the doors included (Aaron) Lewis, Doveman (Thomas Bartlett), (Grace) Potter and (Trey) Anastasio. I thought this was a fine teaching concept and a worthy tribute to local legends.

I watched as one of the customers who came by bought cords for his electric guitar, and a mom and her school-age kids discussed lessons with two other workers. They were all treated well by the staff here. The store was neat and laid out well, with signs advising customers to follow distancing protocols. Due to the smaller size of this GC location, the acoustic instruments, drums and keyboards departments were smaller than what I typically see at other Guitar Centers. I get that you can only do so much when space is hard to come by, but seeing these product categories underrepresented in a GC location was bit of a head scratcher for me.

Music and Arts 75 Maple St. Burlington, VT 05401 802.651.1013

It’s not every day that I find myself having a conversation about ocarinas, but at Music and Arts Burlington, I did. And I cannot recall the last time I had a conversation with a store employee who admitted that it was his very first day on the job, but at Music and Arts Burlington, I did.

The employee, a friendly young man, greeted me when I first walked into the store. Then, several minutes later, he spoke to me after I asked him if the store sold many of the plastic trumpets like the red one that was hung on the wall. “I’m not sure if we do. It’s only my first day here,” he said. “But I really like the ocarina!” (A Sweet Potato ocarina was about a foot to the right of the red trumpet.) He added, “One summer at music sleepaway camp, a bunch of us played ocarinas, and it was a lot of fun. I definitely recommend the ocarina.” Then we actually talked for a few more minutes about ocarinas (and also about the halcyon days of summer camp).

I like to see enthusiastic music shop workers, as well as a large variety of musical instruments, and at this shop you have a really good combo of both. I took note of the depth of the drum set selection offered here, the variety of percussion (including the Treeworks chime set) and the vast selection of sheet music and music books. The store also stocked a few gorgeous new electric guitars, such as a blue hollow-body Ibanez model.

As with other Music and Arts locations, there was an emphasis on youthful musicians and beginner musicians. There were lots of sheet music and teaching aids for lessons, and lots of less-pricey models on display for younger musicians to start out on their journeys with. But you can find products for more sophisticated players here, too. The prices were clearly marked on the tags, and there were even some sections with special sale prices.

This Music and Arts location (which is also known as Advance Music) was a bit sprawling, but well organized and easy to navigate. There was also a good amount of parking spots. This store is also just minutes away from my next stop, Randolin Music, so University of Vermont students and staff can go easily shop at both.

Randolin Music 215 College St. Burlington, VT 05401 802.865.3890

Sometimes in the course of my MI Spy duties, I find myself entering a music store and wondering, hmmm, did I accidentally break into someone’s home that happens to be filled with a whole lotta instruments? Randolin is one of those places. It’s basically a few rooms on the second floor of a building, but wow, are those few rooms chock full of impressive instruments and accessories. This is no slick chain store, but a homey, rather impressive and dedicated little shop within walking distance of the University of Vermont.

I was afraid that I would miss out on visiting this store because I arrived about two minutes before the official closing time. Your MI Spy dashed up the stairs to the entrance with more oomph than I was able to muster at any other time this day. And as I got to the store’s door, I saw the owner at the front desk working on a repair to an acoustic guitar. I said a quick hello, and the rather calm man behind the counter said “Hi! You can take a look around the store. Go ahead.”

This small shop was crammed (but orderly) with all kinds of acoustic stringed instruments, from guitars to violins, banjos to ukes, mandolins to dulcimers, and beyond. There was also a small selection of vintage electric guitars. A big part of this business seemed to be repairs and custom-made instruments: in fact, the owner is a luthier with four decades of experience. (He’s definitely seen a

few generations of University of Vermont students come and go.) Customers can go in person or request online an estimate for their instrument repairs.

Randolin stocks some lesserknown guitar brands that are great finds for aficionados, such as Ortega, Lora, Blue Ridge and Aria. I couldn’t help but ogle the orange Ortega Gaucho RGA that hung from one wall. Oh, and if you love ukuleles but are looking for an instrument that’s a little more nightmare-inducing, check out the double-necked Ortega uke that looked like a genetics class experiment gone horribly wrong (it does come with a special gig bag to fit its monstrous form, thank goodness.)

As for violins, you can come to Randolin not only for modern violins but also antique (like, 1800s and early 1900s) models from European countries. These works of art were delightful to gaze at. At times, being in Randolin felt like I had stumbled into a small museum.

The owner was pleasant and mellow. He told me that occasionally people who eat at the restaurants on the street level of the building will come upstairs and look around, a bit timidly. Many of his customers, as I suspected, are from the University of Vermont community and their music programs. One of the few drawbacks about this store was that there is only metered parking nearby; there was no parking lot, unlike the other Vermont stores that I visited. But I get the sense that many of the store’s customers are just walking, scootering, biking or skateboarding over from the university.

Randolin is certainly a niche store, but there is so much to see, and it’s enticing. This is the kind of indie store that many musicians dream about. The store is practically bursting with instruments and accessories, but it doesn’t resemble a pack rat paradise. Rather, with its couch, potted plants and a well-curated selection of photographs and artwork on the walls, it gives off a welcoming vibe — the perfect local spot for jamming. It would be difficult to be totally socially distanced at Randolin on a busy day since it’s a cozy castle, but there were bottles of hand sanitizer available, at least.

It was good to be back in the Green Mountain State (and to actually see the green without snow this time — when it wasn’t pouring rain, that is). All four music stores gave me good vibes. As COVID-19 restrictions begin to relax somewhat, these stores have responded. But they all still following good safety and health practices: each store had wellplaced bottles of hand sanitizer, signs requesting mask use and similar protocols.

I was particularly impressed by Guitar Sam; this is a destination store for guitarists both serious and curious. And the percussion selection was also very good. It had a very good balance of instruments for people of all different abilities and interests. Hence, Guitar Sam is the winner this month.

Both Randolin and Music and Arts are doing fine jobs in Burlington, giving the good University of Vermont folks what they need and want for their music-making endeavors. Randolin is a special store, but more niche. Music and Arts had a little bit of something for everyone. The Guitar Center in Williston was a nice store, if smaller than usual for this chain, which was a disadvantage as far as depth of inventory went.

All in all, Vermont was pretty darn nice, and I do hope to return. But please … next time give me a sunny day, OK?