Gift Ideas

We don't sell trips, but we have many musical trinkets, large and small, and we'd be happy to help you find something.  So come in, tell us about the person you're buying for, and we'll offer some ideas.  In the meantime, here are some possibilities.

Lanakai Ukuleles.   Imported by the Hohner company, the Lanikai ukuleles are fun to play, well-made, sound really good, and are offered at prices that will surprise you.  Several models are available, including some cool all-koa wood models.

Great holiday gifts, come in and take a look.  Depending on the model, they range in price from $42.00 to $450.00.  Of course, we discount them, just to make it a bit more enticing.

You cannot hear the sound of a uke without smiling -- we guarantee it!!

JSP Records compact disc boxed sets.  JSP is an English label that has done an excellent job of putting out a collection of US Americana and Roots recordings in compact disc format. Each box includes 4 or 5 compact discs and sells for $27.75. For the real history buff, they don't hold a candle to the Bear Family sets with the wonderful books they provide, but for fans of those artists concerned, it's an excellent way to get a broad exposure to the music on a workingman's budget. Just a few that artists that we have in stock today are: Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs with the Stanley Brothers, Blind Blake, Django Reinhardt, The Delmore Brothers, Uncle Dave Macon and two anthologies, one of Bluegrass and one of Cajun music. Check them out but don't dilly-dally because they go fast even when folks aren't gift shopping

Homestead Gift Certificates.  A Homestead Pickin' Parlor gift certificate reads in part: "Within each civilization throughout recorded history, there has lived a mere handful of gift givers whose ability to perfectly match the gift with the receiver remains legendary". You too can be one such legendary giver. Rather than rack your brain to try to find the perfect gift for that folk music fan on your list, give him/her a gift certificate. They will treasure your thoughtfulness. Available in any amount.

Fretted Instrument Body & Fingerboard Cleaning Kit.  From Dunlop, this Body & Fingerboard Cleaning Kit offers the conscientious player all he/she needs to keep their instrument looking and feeling good. A bottle of Formula No. 65 Guitar Polish & Cleaner and a bottle of Fretboard 65 Ultimate Lemon Oil and two polish cloths are included. Keep the instrument looking good and keep the fretboard impervious to the ravages of dry Minnesota winters. Perfect stocking stuffer.

The Bluegrass Calendar.  If you're related to, or even a close friend of one of those diehard Bluegrassers for whom you know the time until that first festival of 2005 is going to go slow, here's the perfect gift. The 2005 Bluegrass Calendar. He or she can be marking days off the calendar and enjoying pictures of their favorite artists at the same time. This years calendar features several historical photos taken by Paul Gerry, a professional photographer and the founder of Revonah Records. Featured artists include Red Allen, Jim & Jesse, Ralph Stanley, The Lilly Brothers, Mac Martin, Curly Seckler & many more. A new photo to enjoy each month and before you know it, the outdoor pickin' season is upon us.

Mandolin Tone-Gard.  Designed to isolate the back of the instrument from the player and to protect it. Isolating the back allows the top produce more volume and deepens the tone. You can test the concept without a Tone-Gard: Face a wall about a foot or two away, to allow the sound to bounce back directly to you, and play your instrument normally. After you are used to the sound, hold the mandolin by the neck so that the back of the instrument is a couple of inches away from you. Now try playing a couple of “chops.” Go back and forth, against and away from your body, and you will notice a difference. You will hear a difference even in just hitting one chop and letting it ring while holding against you, then away.

Many of the most prominent mandolinists -- including David Grisman, Ricky Skaggs, Chris Hillman, Roland White, Radim Zenkl, Andy Statman, Mike Marshall, Dana Rath, Tom Rozum, Eric Thompson, Emory Lester , and many others -- use and recommend the Tone-Gard to get the best sound.

Roland White’s
Mandolin Christmas

Roland White and Diane Bouska have produced another gem for you mandolinists – and just in time for the holiday season.   Combine Roland’s wealth of mandolin knowledge gleaned from his years as a world-class player with Diane’s desktop publishing mastery and you could only have a winner.

Roland White’s Mandolin Christmas includes 10 classic Christmas carols and songs in musical notation with Roland’s version of each song tabbed out right below the notated version.  Here’s the list:

We Wish You a Merry Christmas
Deck the Halls
Jingle Bells
O Little Town of Bethlehem
Joy to the World
Away in a Manger
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
Silent Night
We Three Kings of Orient Are
What Child is This?

If that’s all there was, it could be compared to any number of good Christmas books out there.  But now the fun begins.  For each song, aspiring mandolinists are given both a beginning and an intermediate tablature version to get you going while you work up to Roland’s versions.  In another section of the book, mandolin  chord diagrams are presented together with the lyrics so you can tell quickly learn the chord changes and where they occur.   And on the facing pages – what else? - guitar chord diagrams so you can play along with your favorite guitarists and you will both be on the same page, hopefully in more ways than one. 

And wait – there’s more yet!  It comes with a CD.  On the CD, you will find the melody tracks for all ten songs with the mandolin in the left channel and the guitar in the right.  It also has play-along rhythm tracks with both mandolin and guitar.  There are also three tracks on the CD in which Roland discusses and demonstrates various techniques.  And the kicker is Roland’s telling of a Christmas story involving Bill Monroe and a country ham.  All that for $19.95 and we have it on hand now. 

And if you haven’t done so yet, check our Roland’s earlier book Roland White’s Approach to Bluegrass Mandolin.  Mark Briere, one of our fearless mandolin instructors, feels it’s one of the best mandolin instructional books he’s ever seen and he’s seen most of them.  It contains 30 Bluegrass pearls in tablature and is accompanied by 2 CDs.  Obviously the new book should be a Thanksgiving gift so the intended recipient will have time to do some woodshedding before Christmas, but if the mandolinist in your life does not yet have the earlier book in his/her library, put it on your shopping list for the holidays.  The book with 2 CDs costs $29.95 + Tax.

Sabine MetroTune MT9000 is a Tuner, Metronome and Tone Generator, with lots of features.  It is tiny, and we sell it for less than the suggested retail price of $39.95.  Click here for more details. 

Intellitouch Tuners, in both full and bare bones versions, $55.95 and $31.95.  These tuners tune by vibration, rather than a microphone, and therefore are great for jams, where there are lots of instruments playing while you tune.  Jammers swear by them.

Rise Up Singing, The Group Singing Songbook from Sing Out Magazine.  This is a great book, and only costs $17.95, with nearly 1200 songs, including guitar chords.  Dawn Menzel says, "If everyone were given one at birth, there would be no wars."

Capos are great gifts, and there are many different choices.  For those who don't know, a capo lets a player change the key of a song without having to change the chords he/she plays.  Great tool -- everyone needs one, and we can help.  There are banjo capos, guitar capos, dobro capos, partial capos, etc..

Instrument Humidifiers should be in every wooden instrument case during the Minnesota winter, unless you enjoy paying repair people to undo the damage low humidity can cause.  Ask us for the right one for your musician.

CDs and Videos.  We have thousands, and there are deals on new arrivals, deals on some old stuff, deals on cassettes, and just a lot of wonderful music to be heard.  Buy 3 CDs and get your choice of any cassette left in stock for free.  Look at the special boxes on the counter with sale cassettes, sale CD's and discounted new arrivals.

Limber Jack, $17.95.  This thing is hard to describe.  It's a beautiful hardwood (Walnut or Cherry) little man, who you can make dance on a board.  Sounds silly?  Well, it's also a traditional mountain rhythm instrument.  Great fun for grownups and kids alike.

Native American Flutes, unique and beautiful, $129.00 to $495.00.

SwirlyGig -- for $12.00, your performing musician can have a mike stand mounted holder for a soft drink, water, or whatever else he/she drinks on stage.

Instruments.  Last, but certainly not least, we have everything from guitars to banjos to dulcimers to autoharps and much more, in the instrument room.  Wouldn't your guitar playing spouse love to open a package containing the Martin D-50 Koa Deluxe guitar, which retails for a mere $45,000.00.  We can order it for you, and the price will be under $30,000.00!!!   What a deal!  (However, a substantial -- like $30,000.00 -- deposit may be required.)