My Musical Interests Not only do I love to play, write, and listen to music, I absolutely love musical instruments. I am really obsessed with them and have gone to great lengths to bring them back from India, Nepal, Egypt, and elsewhere. Here in the states, there are precious few places where you can find anything other than the basic consumer model guitars, so I have listed a short collection of shops through which one might procure quality instruments from other parts of the globe: Lark in the Morning, San Francisco Best place in the US to get unusual instruments, great website too. Clarion Music, China Town, San Francisco Incredibly cool place started by a Chinese man who informed me that he was the one who first brought the Australian didjeridoo to America. He was 82 in 1996 when I first met him in is store, looking over the finest and most extensive collection of Aborigine decorated didj's I'd ever seen. Unfortunately, when I went back in early 1999, he was too sick to tend the store. Too bad, but you can still get great service from his two granddaughters who run the place. They specialize in Chinese and Asian instruments, but have a lot of everything and a large didj collection. They too have a great website. Music Inn, New York City No website, poorly lit, awful cramped store, incredibly rude owner. Instruments stacked all over each other with no way of knowing how much they might cost or even being able to get a good look at them. And don't think the owner will help you either, if he's going to remove the other four instruments lying on top of that rare Japanese koto, well, you damn well be ready to shell out the grand that it will cost to buy it. Serious buyers only! He even charges admission just to get into his junkhole! Yet, he does have an amazing array of instruments from all over the world that you'd be hard pressed to find even at Lark in the Morning. Plus, you get the whole New York / Greenwich Village experience, rudeness and all! Elderly Instruments, East Lansing, Michigan One of the premier sites anywhere for acoustic instruments. Less focussed on world instruments, they nonetheless do have some and a stellar array of high-end guitars, mandolins, hammered dulcimers, banjos, etc. They also have a website. That's it. That's all that I know to exist after years of ardent interest and searching. If anyone out there knows of someplace that I don't, by all means, let me know. Interested in reading my song lyrics? Check them out My recording label My Instrument Collection Below are some of the instruments I've collected. I try to get instruments which come out of my basic skill set, so I can play all of them with a modicum of proficiency. I don't buy instruments that I couldn't learn to play, which is why you do not see any wind instruments here, or things like bagpipes or violins. I have been steadily acquiring all these things for many years, plus a lot of electronic gear as well, with the intention of recording original music in the indeterminate future. Just waiting for technology to catch up and the prices to come down. You can find some lyrics to old songs I've written in the "Writings" section of this website. Plus, I have a musical interests page that is a part of my Online Portfolio website that you can check out.

Yuet Chin, Chinese (actually small)

Chin Cin, Chinese Antique Bowl-back ("taterbug") Mandolin, American, 1920's

Gu Cheng, Chinese (actually very large)

Dam Yin, Tibetan. also shown- detail of headstock with dragon carving.

Tamboura, Indian

Sarod, Indian

Godin 6 string guitar / guitar synthesizer 12 string hollow body electric / acoustic guitar B.C.Rich 4 string bass guitar Ibanez 6 string bass guitar

Guitara, Portuguese, also shown- detail of headstock Cittern, Scottish Hand-made electric "MandoGuitar", amazing instrument! Parts are very well made parts are crude, sounds great!

Antique Bolivian Tiple, 1930's Antique "Ukalin", American, 1890's Psaltery / Zither, American, made specifically for me, I illustrated the soundboard and designed the shape of the soundhole

Just a few of many percussion instruments I have. Featured here is a double-end drum from Nepal, a dumbek, a small dumbek from Egypt with a fish skin head, Moroccan goblet drums, udu, bean shaker, sea urchin / deer antler rattle, chime, singing bowl from Tibet, Tibetan cymbal chimes, ibex horn shofar, and gourd shaker.

Bolon, Malawi Africa

I had the two Taylors 900 series acoustic/electric guitars special ordered for me. The 6 string has black walnut top back and sides, and the 12 string is all Hawaiian koa. The Bravo f-hole acoustic has a square back neck identifying it as a 1930's issue The Mandola is my favorite instrument. Made in the USA in the 20's by the prestigious Stahl company

Hammered Dulcimer, American. This one made specifically for me, I illustrated the soundboard

Yang Chin, Tibetan Purchased at the Institute of Tibetan Arts in Dharmsala, India

Bulba Tarang, Afghanistan. This is the instrument I played for the Dalai Lama as part of the Tara Dance in India.

Other stuff I have lying around but have not shown here: Japanese shakuhachi Conch shell horn Tibetan bell Colonial maple fife Mexican clay flute Bamboo Didjeridoo Various shakers, whackers, and spankers Plus Kawaii K-1 Keyboard Roland GR-30 guitar synthesizer various amps, midi interfaces, digital signal processors and other electronic doodads ad nauseum

Ramsa 24 channel mixer

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Scott Fray
P.O.Box 2293
Reidsville, NC 27320

336-634-0108
Fax 336-634-1526

scottfray@aol.com