Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.06.2022, Blaðsíða 33

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Tónastöðin
Skipholt 50d, 105 Reykjavík
Tónastöðin is the Reykjavík music
shop that knows how to rock, but
also knows which end of a cor an-
glais to blow into. This smart and
expansive store houses a huge
range of instrument types; several
double basses sit on stands just
begging to be played, and saxo-
phones on the wall seduce you
away from the more standard gui-
tar and piano offerings. Tónas-
töðin also deals in sheet music
and—like Hljóðfærahúsið—has
recognised and embraced the bur-
geoning market in podcast produc-
tion gear. There is a fantastic per-
cussion room with a huge selection
of fun stuff, including a sea drum
which hospitable shop owner An-
drés Helgason can coax into sound-
ing exactly like the Atlantic surf
rolling up an Icelandic pebble
beach.
I tried out: one of the double basses.
Easy! It's like a fretless bass guitar,
just held the other way up. Erm...
right?
Sangitamiya
Grettisgata 7, 101 Reykjavík
This cosy little store, nestling in a
corner house downtown, extends
a truly global reach to gather its
collection of instruments. The re-
sult is a multicultural mélange of
acoustic musical objects, united
by shop owner Eymundur Matthi-
asson's belief that music is a pow-
erful way to bring peace and joy
into lives. The Sangitamiya stock-
list is dizzying; from the simple
and familiar, such as castanets, to
obscurities such as the Mongolian
morin-khuur. But what they don't
stock are the standard electrical
instruments prevalent in the other
three shops on this list, a policy
which Sangitamiya uses to distin-
guish itself.
I tried out: a kalimba, or thumb pia-
no. You've got to be pretty determined
to make one of those sound unmusi-
cal. But I did try.
Hljóðfærahúsið
Síðumúli 20, 108 Reykjavík
This spacious showroom is proba-
bly the biggest instrument shop in
the city, and can trace its roots back
over a hundred years. Hl-
jóðfærahúsið, (a terrifying Icelan-
dic word at first sight, but it trans-
lates simply as "The Musical
Instrument House''), is a consoli-
dation of various historic instru-
ment, sound and stage lighting
businesses. Consequently it boasts
a huge diversity of equipment—
from stage smoke machines to
pianos—including audio gear for
podcasts, a growth area during the
pandemic. Manager Jón Kjartan
Ingólfsson and his staff are happy
to help you find what you need, or
just to chat about music.
I tried out: a MusicMan Stingray—
God's own bass guitar, and no debate.
It growls like a horny tiger.
HljóðX Rín
Grensásvegur 12, 108 Reykjavík
HljóðX Rín came about in 2011
when PA hire company HljóðX took
over instrument shop Rín, and the
current shop reflects that heritage
by carrying a decent mix of rock 'n'
roll instruments, amplifiers and
general audio gear. Music shops
often serve as social hubs for local
musicians, a role recently made
more important when the pan-
demic limited opportunities to
meet up at gigs. During a chat over
coffee at the shop counter with
manager Ingvar Valgeirsson, I got
a sense of that community as pass-
ing musicians dropped into HljóðX
Rín to say hi.
I tried out: a beautiful Dimavery MM-
501 fretless bass. But where do you
put your damn fingers when there
are no metal bits to help you cheat?
SHOPPING GUIDE
No Stairway To Heaven
Jamming with the city's best musical
instrument shops
Words: John Pearson Photo: Christine Wehrmeier
The heart of Reykjavík has a musical beat. In a city teeming with venues
and gigs, pretty much anyone you meet who is remotely interesting will
be in a band or three. But if you want to be next in the long line of mem-
bers of GusGus, you're going to need to know where to buy your kazoo.
I dropped into four noteworthy music shops to sample their wares, and
catch their vibe...
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