Monday, November 2, 2015

Chamber of Sounds Opening Pop-Up Vintage Music Store on Fourth Avenue

Posted By on Mon, Nov 2, 2015 at 5:00 PM


Vintage guitars, amplifiers, synthesizers and rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia have a new home on Fourth Avenue.

Chamber of Sounds Vintage Music Emporium will be open from Wednesday through Christmas Eve at the site of the old Tucson Herb Store, 408 N. Fourth Ave.

The pop-up music shop is an extension of the Chamber of Sounds business run by Jamie Laboz (of The Modeens), who produces effects pedals and analog synthesizers. Joining Laboz in the brick-and-mortar shop is fellow musician and collector Brian Green (Leila Lopez Band).

“We’ve talked about doing a store for a few years, but we just couldn’t find the right space,” Laboz says.

But when the opportunity came about to open a temporary spot, to sell instruments and various vintage gear through the holiday season and the Fourth Avenue Street Fair, Laboz and Green decided to test the waters.

“This is an ideal location,” Green says. “The streetcar stop is right out front, there’s foot traffic all up and down Fourth Avenue and Wooden Tooth Records is right accross the street.”

The musicians have both been collectors for years, and say finding the right instrument or piece of gear at the right time can unlock the perfect sound for a new band or recording project.

“We’ve both just accumulated a lot of gear and for the most part it’s stuff we’ve used, but a lot of it we haven’t touched in a year or more,” Laboz says. “I’m selling a guitar that was all I played for years, but it’s time to let someone else play it now.”

In addition to instruments like guitars, bass guitars and analog synthesizers, the shop will sell amplifiers and effects pedals from the 1960s and 1970s, as well as new ones handmade locally. Rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia, like old magazines, books, shirts and vinyl, will round out the stock.

Multicolored stage lighting, a turntable playing psychedelic rock and a couch for people to chill out on will add to the store’s ambience.

“It’s going to be like a living room with a really funky vibe,” Laboz says. “We want people to come here and feel comfortable hanging out.”

The Chamber of Sounds Vintage Music Emporium will be open from Nov. 4 through Dec. 24, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. from Wednesday through Friday and from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. 

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