Neighbors Revenge

Different Drummer

Meet n Beat

No Strings Attached (can't count snare string)

Sticks n Skins

Beat-nik

Acoustic Coda

En-Snare

I head up to Portland once or twice a year. What happened to Re Beats (Renewal, Re Something, can't remember) It was kinda neat. It was pretty small, but still... I was there in 09 maybe... I found a sweet Ludwig floor tom last October at Rhythm Traders. They had gobs of vintage stuff downstairs.

Hey Fish, yeah, Revival and they are great!

Have helped me a few times there

and only had 1 weird thing happen with some other customer that was

also there. Having just 1 weird thing happen with a drummer and drum gear

in a drum shop is pretty darned good batting average!! ;)

I'm from Portland. SE represent!

They ARE great, and it sounds like they're pretty much the east-side version of what you would be doing, presumably on the west side?

Most of the local shops (including one very popular used instrument shop with 2 locations on the east side...) are pretty notorious for low-balling when they buy, and selling far above what things typically sell for on eFray and craigslist. I don't know how these places stay in business, but they somehow do.

You could do what the local craigslist guys do and run a "shop" from your own garage, after snatching up the local deals or ePrey auctions. I know 2 guys in town that teach lessons and buy/sell on craigslist, and make a pretty good living at it. That could be you...

I know a few of those guys, there is one dude out in Aloha that I've been too a few times. Not sure if he even plays the drums much less gives lessons. Just seems like a lowballer and instant CL reseller right from his garage.

Another guy in SE is way cool and sells items very fairly priced, not sure

how he does that with all the gear he puts up on CL. Another guy in

St. Johns is also very cool and has great priced drum stuff too...

I've asked them if they frequent VDF, or I thought I asked then, but they

said no, IIRC. I've also sold a few things on CL and those guys got DEALS

because I just wanted the stuff out of my home! Most of it I wish I never

sold! :)

I'm in SW, Multnonah Village in case you were one of those guys! :D

The stores on the east side that have 2 different locations is what

started my whole rant btw...

Great! I'm glad they are surviving. I'll look them up this July when I'm up in the area again. If you have something going, let me know. I'd like to look.

And yes, only one weirdness? This is a good thing. LoLoLoLo

HA! I know those three guys as well! I was chuckling to myself as I read your descriptions, nodding knowingly. There are a few more "like them", in terms of what they do on craigslist. Some guys are super-cool and nice (like the St. Johns guy and the SE guy), and I'm happy to deal with them. But then, there are some of the OTHER gents that make you question what YOU are doing on craigslist.

I have some nasty stories about the 2 location store, but I will refrain from repeating them here for lack of interest in slandering their occasionally observed shoddy business practices. I kind of figured it was the catalyst of your rant, once I saw you were from P-town. :D

West Side Drums,

gotta nice ring to it ;)

I always stay in Milwaukie when I'm up there. So far, it looks like I'll be up there around the fourth of July. I'd like to meet some of you folks. Maybe we can figure out a drum shop in the area and meet there.

Garage Front Drums and Stuff, LLC

Po' Boyz Drumz

Sticks and Skins

Portland Poppin' Percussion

Dick's Sticks

River City Drums and More

Sticks and Strings

Attic Drums

Basement Drums

Off The Curb Drum Restoration

What's That Smell?

Old Skins

Vintage Vibe

OK, my creativity is a little anemic...and I wanna hear some of the stories of this pair of offensive shops. I have one music store near-ish my home that had a JR Robinson tour/studio kit on sale a couple of years ago, listed on ebay. It was quite the lively discussion here, and I even had to go to the store to get to the bottom of some of the nay-sayers ill feelings that the kit even existed.

I bring this up because this particular store is, to say the least, heavily biased against vintage kits, unless they are famous for being on some one's (Michael Jackson~kit was on sale before he died, so I guess that was in '09) studio album, or 50.

As for trying to buy anything from them, I won't even bother anymore. They are arrogant, and they too have two locations in the OKC Metro. I tried to make a deal with them to bring in a certain strainer for me because I happen to think it is one of the best P-85 type on the market. I know it's not American, but quality is what it is and why pay more for an inferior product? Besides, the P-85 is no longer an American made product anyway. So I am trying to make a business deal with this guy, I am buying 5 or so of these a month for repairs and restorations, and for custom built snares, at the time.

Now, I have to drive 30ish miles to get to the evil empire known as GC, but hey, they keep it in stock and they sell it for $21.50 each copy. These guys, knowing I will take no less then 5 at a time, shoot me a "money losing" offer of $32.99, EACH! as if they are doing me a favor by going out of their way to get something from a company they already buy from, offer the cheaper, lower quality part for $30.00 and they can easily order the better one. I happen to know the wholesale price on the part, and at my price of $21.50, trust me, they are doing just fine.

Anyway, that rant went far too far.

Let's do it! band3