On a recent vacation to Aruba I decided to go exploring at the local music stores. I wanted to see what kind of guitar straps they sold. The only musical instrument store I could find via Google was Cliffix Musical. It was away from the tourists areas but not far from downtown. It looked like a good place to go exploring one morning.
I was a little surprised and impressed with all the musical instruments and equipment they had in stock. From the tropical inspired ukuleles and percussion instruments to modern keyboards, pro sound reinforcement and a wide selection of electric and acoustic guitars they had almost everything covered. I even noticed some digital audio interfaces and other home recording gear. In hindsight it makes sense with all the musicians performing at restaurants and resorts they need somewhere local to get their gear.
The wide range of selections also applied to the guitar straps. Instead of just playing it safe with traditional designs they had several bold design choices available. Ranging from pink feather boas to black straps with metal grommets or bright orange Dept. of Corrections and Toxic Waste warnings there was a lot for rock and metal players to choose from.
