Best musical instrument store in Portland, Maine (ME) 2024

Before my father passed away he gave me the violin that was passed down to him. It was from the late 1800's and he didnt play so it had been neglected for some time but still appraised for $3000-$4000. I wanted to learn how to play so I took it to John Cooper at Acoustic Artisans to have a peg fixed and new strings put on. He quoted me a price of $80, told me it should be done in about a week, and that he'd give me a call. Two weeks went by and I hadn't heard from him so I called him and left him a message. Another two months of calling and emails before he finally got back to me. He explained that my violin was all finished and ready to be picked up but he was in the process of moving his shop and it was packed away so I wouldn't be able to pick it up for a few weeks. He said he'd give me a call. A few weeks go by and no word. I start calling and emailing him again and showed up at his studio from time to time. He tells me the same story, that it's packed away. He always had an excuse of going out of town for a few weeks and wouldn't be able to look for it until he got back. This went on for the past 10 years. Despite wanting to see the best in people and give him the benefit of the doubt, I contacted both the police and a lawyer and they said that unfortunately there wasn't much that they could do for me. So I had no choice but to just keep following up. I called him multiple times and spoke to him in person, explained that it was one of the last things my dad gave me and I'd give anything to get it back. I called him, again and again, and left message after message. Finally the other day I called and he called me back and said he had found my violin. Excited doesn't even begin to describe what I was feeling. I ran right down to get it. When I got there he presented me with a violin that clearly wasn't mine. My violin was a beautiful, deep, red color, with a distinct crack down the front of it. This one was a light tan, no crack, 1 broken string, 2 missing strings, and a missing peg. He insisted that it was mine because you "could clearly see where he wrote down my name and phone number on the neck" from when I dropped it off (10 years ago. With the new number I got only 2 years ago). I know I'll never see my beloved violin again so I took this one and left. I took it to another, more reputable luthier, to have it looked at. He said it's from the mid 1900's and not even worth $25. In addition to the strings and missing peg, the other pegs don't fit, the bottom has separated, the button is missing, and the neck is set far too high. He said that he's knows of a few violin makers around New England that have a history of doing this and I was unfortunate enough to meet one. He said there's not much more I could have done. As soon as I walked through the door he had no intentions of ever giving my violin back and most likely sold it a long time ago. ~PJ

If I lived here, I'd be positively delighted to have such a great local music shop. One of my friends does live in Portland and has been buying guitars here for decades, so I stopped in to check it out. The place blows away national chain stores, no one bothers you, but the peeps are available if you are actually ready to do some impulse spending on a new axe. Their selection of acoustic guitars is particularly impressive for a little local joint, and I was astonished that they have several hundred efx pedals available as well. Even if you don't think you need a new guitar in your life, it's the kind of place that's great fun to come as find out for sure. ~Keith