I went to buy some strings for my guitar today. The only place that was on my way home was a little shop near my house. This shop isn't a music store. It's actually a camera store. They sell instruments, though, so I thought I'd go in and check it out.
As I entered the store, I noticed that everything was stacked haphazardly in random piles throughout the store. It reminded me of a particular computer store in my hometown. A computer store that sold things on consignment. Some of you may know what I'm talking about. Anyway, as I entered, an old man at the back of the store hollered a friendly greeting at me. I smiled and nodded, and began looking around. I think I was trying to fool myself into thinking that there was some logical order to this bowel movement of random items. Eventually I gave up and asked.
"I see you have guitars. Do you sell guitar strings?"
The man stared at me. He stared long. His eyebrows were furled up and his mouth was agape with confusion. He kept staring. The sun probably rose and set a million times as he stared at me. After the end of the third ice age, he finally replied.
"I don't know how to tell you this, but I'm a bit deaf. What did you say?"
I move closer to the guy and repeat my question, with a little more gusto this time.
"Well ya don't need to shout, I just couldn't hear ya as I was so far away." was his reply.
I repeated my "do you sell goddam guitar strings" question, and he said "Oh, yeah, near the front there. Five bucks a package."
I went to the front and looked around the unlabeled cardboard boxes and random novelty toys, but didn't see anything. "They're right behind ya there", he said, trying to help. I didn't anticipate that "right behind ya" meant "directly to your left." Eventually he helped me find them.
The strings I found were light gauge no-name brand strings. But I figured that I just need to practice and get my callouses developed again, so it was no big deal. Still, I usually play a medium gauge, so I asked if he had any others. "Yep, I do, but they're behind all this stuff there. If I ever sell that stuff, then I can get back there to the rest of the strings." Perfect. I guess this'll do.
I grabbed what appeared to be his last two packages of electric strings. Ten bucks straight up. He said "I have all kinds of instruments here, if you ever want something else." I told him that I do play the mandolin as well. His eyes lit up. "Oh, we have mandolins. Yep. And violins. And accordians, bagpipes. Banjos. Acoustic and electric guitars. Trombones, trumpets, clarinets, flutes, saxaphones, drums." He then stops and pauses for a moment. He looks up at me. "No pianos. Can't fit 'em through the door." His expression seemed to reveal that he had some sort of piano related hijinx in the past and wanted to avoid anything like that. I said "Well, I suppose not," while desperately plotting my escape. I finally ended the conversation with an abrupt "Well thank you. See ya 'round." And he cheerfully waved and went about his business.
The strings are okay, but I think the nut (har har) was designed to hold a larger gauge string, as I get a buzzing from the lower strings. I'll play with these for a while and see how long they last and get my fingers back in shape, but then I think I'll go to a music store and browse their selection. Nothing against the crazy guy, but, well, he was crazy.