&3 >> ♪[music] people have dreams about coming to elderly. kind of like the mecca of guitar. everybody comes here. ♪ i want to drink champagne in the pouring rain ♪. >> i ooly have come in here and not bout some. >> violins, mandolins, guitars. you name it, it is all things strings. >> my favorite music store, and >> .

>> when talk tock other musicians. any time the ultimate ice breaker is just to say i work at elderly. whether i'm in europe, or canada, or america, or wherever. >> it is just beautiful. from the czech republic, the úreatest i can ssy it is great. ♪[music] >> it is an oddity. it is like i can play ood martin from the 30's and 40's that never ever have a chance to see or touch. i'm surrounded with things i like. >> the things that people know about music. they they enjoy being here, and it ii home to them.

people don't have this selection of guitar, and of banjos and all that other stuff. as well as having records and books that we do. >>what elderly has is vintage guitars. collectibles and things that musicians want, not just sound really good. >> just the sheer fact that we have what great musicians want. leads them to us. >> there's only a hand full off3 large stores that have the same kind of reputation.& a hand full, like three. we see absolutely everythiig here. way see people that fly in.

from tokyo, to buy an instrument, and then leave that same day on a private jet. to a a guy off the street with barely a nickel in his pocket to buy her mononyika and everything in between. there's always something going on. from somebody famous coming in, to a young guy that you have couple years and now he is a sitting there and actually pllying a guitar, and it sounds pretty good, and you are going, that's cool. ♪[music] >> you go right into this room behind us, and there's six, seven, $8,000 guitars or banjos hanging on the wall. and any one in their brother can walk in and play. probably get a few more dings on

our instruments, but we also have an atmosphere where you can try anything you want. >> everything is available to play, and that's the only way to buy an instrument. >> you cannot pick up a $5,000 guitar anywhere. >> i guess thaa's he feel, kind of an open door. >> guitars in colorado, they certainly do, but you would never see one just hanging out there, that you can pick up and play.3 you would never see that. >> the atmosphere is great. great people here, great staff, very helpfull >> the staff, is amazing. the service -- that's what really sets us apart. thank you p.

>> this store started in the early 70's. been the same ownnr, he still comes to work every day, not here today, of course. >> so you are a businessman, what the heek do you do? >> well, i got my santa hat. ebbing stead run. always good. i may have a scratch in here. i have my harry potter glass. i am just killing time. if you need me, let me know. here is an old oelderly cataloging cover, with me as harry potter, what can be better.3 my gold record. oops. which is of course a fake gold record, you can buy these. it's within a while since these aae sticking to the wall. nobody has made me take them off there's my daughter, lily.

you know, i know what is in a lot of needs cases, i'm not positive of all of it. >>the moose on the wall, this ws a gift from larry scott, but this is an actual moose head, that -- well, maybe not. people around here call me the moose. what do i do? you know, well, i'm just -- what i tell people, is except -- i think this is the first i have ever put my feet on my desk. ♪[music]

♪ i never get enough of that wonderful style ♪ ♪[music] >> folks doing okay? something we can do for you? all right, good deal. excellent. >> there's going to be a lot of stairs and all that kind of stuff. sooi hope you brought your walking shoes, i guess. all right. you guys are getting your first taste, this is the forbidden ground right here. ♪[music] pretty suue that's not up too3 code.

♪[music] area 14, ants, amplifiers, stands, all kinds of stuff. that is called the martin room, this is our repair counter/bro counter. >> this is your p.a. system over here. >> oh, dude,,i don't even know what that is. every time i see a blue wire, i think it has something to do with computers. >> we had a sign that said something to the effect of bang yoor head here, that enough people did that we took the sign down. >> . >> still.

>> it is still fairly -- i think some of the folks that have come through as elderly employees probably blew away the odd fellows in terms of oddity. >> did i see the dock tonight? ♪[music] we are all going to be out of a job. >> we just invaded it, and managed it ffr our purposes so we have things in every nook and cranny. >> various tutorials to pedals to strings. to t shirts. to guitar slides.

ode to kazoos with horns on thhm. you just have to fit it all overstock, every nook and& cranny, is full of some form of overstock with all the thousands of things that we carry. >> somebody know where all this is. >> yes. well, it is -- well, hopefully. it is all cataloginged into a comppter system -- >> with locations. haven't a bi. and if you don't know where it's at, then it is probably in bin& quadruple questiin mark. >> well, this is the all mighty question mark bin. in elderly instruments full of excitement. mostly new product we just got, and we have to figure out what to do with them. it is a product purgatory, until they can be put to their final

destination.& >> stan comes to work every day, and he certainly does a good job running the joint. if you had to tell him to go pick up something in 13 e., i don't think he would know where it is. >> have you seen the tone ball collection. these are all lint and debris that comes out of instruments. and they are all labeled here as to what instrument they came out of. there are really good ones in there. this actually came out of ted nugent's guitar, number one, so, anyway.

>> they have been working here at the store for about a -- derrick has been here about ten or 11 years. >> i think joe and i have been here around nine or so. just pretty wild, all been around the store. different together throughout the years. and they seem to make sense when we have an opportunity to play a few gigs this summer, with a little outfit together, called the pickling orchestra. >> joe and i worked downstairs in the film department. and it is interesting the calls you yield, and the people you talk to. it is applausing, all over the place. >> ♪[music]

h. >> . >> a hand full of description for pickings. >> go grab some finger picks and somehow give them an in hand description on the picks. that is how they play on an instrument, i suppose. i don't know, i have never heard of a hands on description of picks. so we'll just see how that goes. i think the reproductions of old national picks but i would think that's what they see and look like ince that's what they are supposed to be copies of. >> .

>> we don't do a lot of three finger banjo playing. and a pro pick -- but i don't -- it's just kind of a personal preference thing. >> that's customer service, baby. >> you aren't going to find this in big box stores, let's be honest. >> do you consider yourself a businessman or a musician. >> a businessman. i played music over the years and been in bands. and very much enjoyee playing music. buttyou know ultimately i think i probably do business better than music. that's the way i see it and also never been able to support myself with music, so unless you count doing this business as

music. it is business infused with music. >> the wonderful thing about it is it is business infused with what you -- what you love so much. ♪ my loyal heart is aching 73 ♪ the concept that my partner and i had when we first started the store back in 1972. which is that we wanted to have a music store that we would like to come into. that we enjoyed walking through the door, and that -- where we would be able to play the true at all music stores these days and it is much less true in those dayssthat you can try instruments.

off the wall. without having somebody hover over you and hand you the instrument and so on. no one is going to try to sell them something that they don't want. they are just going to feel comfortable. it is just a matter of you walk in, you get relaxed. you are -- for a lot of people, they describe it as a kid in the candy store. people can walk in the ssore, they can feel comfortable, hey don't feel incomberred by pushy& sales people. >> this is exactly the sort of guitar. >> everything they like abouu guitar.

big. loud like i am. a good guitar. i want to say a lot of thh guitars they have are the type i covet. i gravitate to those. but maybe some ddy soon. >> always anything over two grand, really over 1500 would be behind the counter. and sometimes bbhind the glass, and you have to get permission, and sometimes these punk kids treat you like you are -- it is weird. want to play this, and all that. úo it is nice to walk in and just pick this up off the wall. >> i was actually really amazed. nobody said a thing. that's really amazing.

>> i havv to tell you, i didn't know you were in lancing. seems like a nice place. seems like this should be in nashville or somewhere like& ttat. >> a lot of good musicians come noo just well known ones but ones that just really know what they are doing. which is great, because then we can learn something from them too. >> right now we have a gypsy jazz phenomenon. >> jjhn jorgensen is is coming in.3 a really good guitar player from >> you know john jorgensen. >> he is a monster guitar blare. >> he may be in the bro room

there. >> he used to be in the dessert rose band. and now he is totally into the hot club gypsy jazz stuff. he is doing an instore clinic for customers today. so that should be pretty cool. >> noo, there's a little tricky bit at a the end. there's a b flat chord. and -- yeah. >> yeah. >> and t comes in a strange place. you know a lot of you mentioned gypsy music turns your ear, and you like it. and this is one of thh reasons why you like it, because it is not normal american style -úharmony. >> i don't hear silence. >> b flat. >> now, you notice where my right hand position is. if you are going to be playing

really fast. you have to be able to be light too. because otherwise you will get really worn out. see, nobody went to that cord. >> no. >> yeah. [laughter] i love teaching. it really keeps me going. >> going to school, i learnee a ton for sure. >> don't worry about the rhythm. >> butti think i have easily learned as much eachiig and getting -. >> when you have to teach something, you look at fit a different way. >> the end of three, and four.

>> now the trick -- >> yeah, the trick for getting these is to just lighten up. but watching when people comment in and they are just starting out and not getting it. and so the tricky part is getting the -- getting those four in really quick. >> and then to see with some people in a few short moments all of a sudden they start to get in and click, it is awesome. >> i have a theory that is used behind on whaa i do. tack in additions never work. you can have a guy that is brilliant, who is trying to study all the stuff and utilize his intellect, and the thing is that they are going to fail. nobody can think as quickly as they can hear. this is instinctive, so we have to get it under oor fingers --

can you imagine doing -- ♪[music] and think about every name of every ote. who thinks that's possiblee and you know the truth is. i don't think of a name of one of them as i'm playing. and you will see it isn't that hard, and it is never too late, because i have taught people much older than you folks how to úo this and they have done it. and it doesn't take that long. >> ♪[music] >> i have neverrbeen that customer who has walked in the store. for the first time, and encountered whatever it is that we have out there. >> if they don't express interest in buying something,

well, i don't know if anyyody is going to ask them. >> yuke laically central over here.3 úe have the film crew out. i hope you ladies don't mind. they won't find you. oh we probably do, certain things you are looking for. just baraaone in general. we have other stuff. >> . >> here is air ancient system, and here is our bin location, that is ever so important, in trying to find it. so so then i will write myself a latele note, so i know where i'm going whenni go and look for this thing. >> .

>> we are in bk 35, received on 6. a little yute. it has been set up and it's been -- to the ben we go. this is where people get lost. >> 12 tt wait. that way. then again maybe not. >> now it may be on the floor. i didn't check the floor, and it may be right in front of her, and iididn't check there first. floor, and if i don't find it there, then it is time for the witch hunt. >> well, i didn't see it.

these are all tenors. missing baritone. i am not sure if it has a case oo not. i checked the set up rack, i didn't see it there. it could still be in receiving. because that's the one place i haven't looked. we are just constantly describing instruments to people on the phoned. so we are butt in the wrong case, or put in the wrong bin, and i have had them turn up sometimes after years. not being able to find them. >> where did it come from. >> it came from there. let's just get her in tune there. let's see. >> you can't beat that.

it's worth every penny, right there. >> we look foo people who are personable, we look for people úho have some mmsic background. enough so that they can relate to what we are doing. they don't necessarily have to love all the things. we have such a diversity of things. we can't expect hardly ever to find anybody who knows all about guitars and yuke laicallies. and cajun achordians. >> a guy named arty bell, who still does contract work for them. this is the most insane big metal plate bass boat sparkle finishes. >> you guys wann a little sparkle. >> you have o talk to matt. this is the inneraction of the gems and the collection. >♪[music]

>> it is like a pack rat, i like shiny things so occasionallily go on an ebay buying spree, and get like cheap guitars that have fancy finishes. or a stolen credittcard. >> oh, yeah. >> that always helps. ú> working here also gives you access to a lot of cool stuff, so that is a plus. the other tting aaout working here, is that you get gas which is called gear acquisition syndrome. most people that work here have a problem. it is easy to do when you work here. >> mostly employees. >> i have an amplifier hiding.

it is -- princeton reverb, 1968. true black bass wiring. >> well, the i collect cheesy old harmonies that i have an original one of those. >> whenever they get new stuff in, oh, check this out. everyone is always showing each other everyone, so you get exposed to a ton of different instruments. >> when i came here, i played just guitar, and now i have two yuke laicallies, and a banjo, and an accordian, and yeah i play a lot of things nnw that i would have neeer played had i not worked here. >> we used to do thess big house parties where we get together and pick all instruments and we never knew how to play, bluegrass music at thatttime. it was just a blast. >> we all learned together. >> yeah. >> we did, we all cut our teeth on this music. i think the store had a lot to úo with it.

if we had been working on -- not that we don't do rockkguitars but it lend itself to learning this type of music. >> sew tell me about your past. >> funny story. while my wife was in school in southern illinois i was living in lancing when i staated working in this department. and i literally lived upstairs from a tattoo shop. i would get out of work, go to the tattoo shop, and then go to bed.

it was guitars, gym, tattoos, úlay a gig. first one i got was a dragon right there, there's a guitar behind it. >> these are inlays off banjos that i could afford the tattoo, but i couldn't aword the banjo. the skull with the pompadour that was from a band i was in. called -- gifter. >> these are some of the fancier designs. not all of them, but they are on the deluxe models where you would ind this star. >> just a banner that says rock and roll. -ú>> i served in '99. 98 or '99. and i have been here except for a brief vacation, of 2 1/2 years. where i was living in oregon, and fortunately when we were looking at moving back, dan saii hey, we have a position back in appraisals where i used to work.

so i just kind of -- like i never left. >> yeah, we have been told that nobody really leaves elderly. >> yeah, you take vacations. and then you are back. so -- >> we have a guy coming back who moved out to oregonn lived out there for -- i think almost three years. he is coming back on monday. it always happens. you never really leave this plaae. >> give us ne of your best stories? >> my favorite. i was workinggat the ppraisals counter out there at theerepair counter, and doing what was called the drill person job. >> a gooden years ago, probably. a guy came in, he had an old mark guitar, didn't have any strings on it. ú> the guy had purchased it in 1970. broken his finger. the next day. >> never ended up playing just stuck in the closet, well, it turned out toobe like one f the earliest b 28s. like '36, '37. >> turns out it was this weird

transitional model, right from likk 1934. when they were changing body sideses and scale lengths and stuff like that. >> it needed some work, like three or $4,000 of work. >> yeah, it need add lot of t.l.c., for having been sitting. >> they had no idea it was worth money, so we did the work on it and sewed it for like 40 now dollars. >> it was worth like $50,000. and these folks had no clue. >> this guy just a beater guitar in his closet, you know. ♪[music] >> it is kind of cool. on the one hand, you have the antiques road show phenomenon, where everybody thinks they have some old piece of junkk whatever. but then you get these stories where everybody had no

expectations and it turns out they are worth a pile. and it really helps hem out. that was pretty cool. that's probably the coolest. that -- brushes with people that happen to come in the store. vince gill, the singer guitar player, came a in and hung out for a afternoon talking guitars. he was real cool. john mayer has been in here. >> not too long ago rickie scags was in here.& >> a lot of the rockers n tour will come past. >> jason from metallica came in, bout some guittrs. r.e.m., some of those guys came in. >> a lot of people..3 >> elderly instruments is kind of the mecca. everybody froo the alleman brothers to vinceegill. >> it is cool. because you get too see everybody on a non -- nonfan level.

just another person that likes guitars and stuff, and that's cool. >> i got here at 8:00 in the morning, there was a web order. and my job to call anyone that puts the wwb order in over $2,000 i have to get the instrument and call it up. and go over it with them before we ship it out. still sleeping, and -- he said i woke him. he is like i went to bed at a 4:30,ly call you later.3 i kind of feel dumb that i oke him up. he called back in like five minutes and was really nice. i told him i was sorry. >> it was cool that it was elvis castello, and out of all the stores in the country, he would find our site and buy a guitar offfof us. >> wwat are you doing in here? >> playing instruments for the most part. new instruments is what we do. mostly. >> occasional. a few used ones.

>> 3-30 seconds on the base side, out of trouble. shut off is a term that is just used for -- making the instrument playable. >> on a banjo you adjust to where the bridge goes according to scaling and the action, because of how high the strings are off the finger board. make sure the head plate -. >> generally like it is. tight and stretched over a 55-gallon drum. >> often the sets with a great maker apart from a decent maker is about his or her ability to set up the instrument. aad make it play right. >> urinally have to rung off the

frets make sure it plays clean. >> do you guys want to go through the shop. >> sure. >> so as you can see, we work on just about anything and everything in 24 place. various guitars anddvarious states of repair. and disrepair, depending on what condition they are in i guess. ♪[music]

>> are you a musician also a. >> yes. everyone here in the shop plays and the umber of us quite well. certain parts is a must, so that you can do the work properly. i know a number of builder whose are not players and there is something lost. where they may be very good with their hands and incredible woodworkers, but there's a final part to the tone and the set up of the instrument that it can b3 lost if you aren't a player of at least reasonnble skill. what is its about this work that turns you on. >> good question. >> i like the my six needed and the -- the aspect of using your hands. >> a lot of oit is technique.

and a certain amount is art as well. we all enjoy that aspect. you still see the makers that have the talent to understand what makes an instrument. give its best, and what doesn't. >> and that seems to be kinddof independent of being able to make something beautiful. people that have both have really ggt it all together. one of those things that is just part of you. >> there's a look, and an aesthetic there that gives me a lot of pressure in and of itself. outside of the music being made. question have something that

people play string instruments that's other people that played string instruments that are interested in it. just not the guys aren't just selling the stuff, they are really into it. >> this place is about music, and music making, and they are passionate about a usic here. music has a shared experience. >> it's funny, because i have had people say that they have come here on their honeymoon. >> i wonder how long thaa marriageehas lasted. >> we were just talking about it on the way over here. >> a lot of guys are in big trouble when they come here. so 1,000-dollars is nothing to you, huh. >> that's what the big joke is, we are going to elderly, don't tell the wifes. >> are you here with permission to buy. >> yes. >> he just turned 30, ss we are doing a guitar for his birthday. ♪[music]

how much do you have permission to spend? >> that's what i'm woking on. it is a work in progress. ♪ nothing but blue skies from now onn♪.& >> so you came -- how far did >> about 120 miles. probably. >> why? >> to come here. >> why? >> thissis the guitar center of the universe. >> this is the place everyyodyy3 looks forward to going to. and you know you will buy something when you walk in. >> i like the look, and the sound of it. it has nice details to it.

i like the sound of it. compares to some of the other ones a lot of choices. >> that's what i always want add martin. it feels right. i don't know how to explain it. ♪ i never saw a the sunshining so bright things going so right ♪. >> it is awesome. really nice. i am excited about it. it sounds greet. >> the players, definitely. it will be worth it. somethiigly have for the rest of my life. >> nothing but blue skies from now onn bye, thank you. >> this is pick land,/shipping. because you run around with these and you pick ooders. all ooer the building and learn the lay of the land. see pick land is kind of a world unto itself.

it has its own language, which i'm not even going to describe. because you aren't in the public's eye. if you look at the stations or this kind of weird insider joke stuff that's taped up around the walls, this is the epicenter. this is theestuff i love the like glen campbell's mug shot. with chip it out anyway. -ú>> a girl that used to work here, she was really good at crafty stuff like that. and then as a joke she made this one, because i'm usually the only one who packs in a national order, so she made this little wheel with my name on it. all the different sites. ♪[music] >> i am the face of the shipping elderly catalog. i'm the rear end of the shipping

department. maybe some daily get on the cover. >> ship out guitars, mandolins banjos you name it. we sell it we usually ship it. all over the placc, all over the world. few minutes ago. banjo has the one thing i'm lookiig for, believe it or not. >> . >> is there a rule that we need? >> absolutely not. >> making the department -- >> i make the didn't look bad. >> yeah, you are really showing us up. >> any surface you look at and3 some of us may or may not be fit for all ges. martha stewart was some kind of satan emblem. honoring various people, vampired out. >> we have a humming bird in some guys yea i am, delicious

ear juice on the tape dispenser with additional parts inside. here is the vaalt we talked about. so about 100 different instruments do we keep ii leer. at any given time. kind of an oddly tight room. >> but for is very high end new instruments and used, we can pretty much keep them in a vault, or what we call a vault. it is a separate room that is locked. >> basically high dollar is what goes in here. roughly somewhere between five or $10,000 or greater. >> sometimes it is a how mint is this used guitar. if it is something that is 50 years old and it looks new,

well, then, even if it's not that exppnsive, if t is a $2,000 instrument, maybe -- >> you can look attthe tag that3 20,000 -- 10,000. 100 went thousand dollars. yeah, that's not uncommon for in here. there's $250,000 over there. i know. >> so what would be worth $2500000? >> there isn't much of a lock on this door. >> not what i was expecting. >> yeah, it is a glorified term. >> this is to the mandolin world what the strata is to the violin we are one of a few shops that specialize in this type of an instrument, so if someone is going to buy a $250,000 mandolin we are one of the stores are they would look for such a thing. not like you won't see this online, but it is hard to buy something like this from an

individual, if you don't know them. >> there are new instruments exact.re built to basically be specifications of this instrument you can't get that age. when they are beat up. this is treated well, but you can see by the neck and the back you can see where the finiih has been worn off here. it's energy. and so as these things vibrate. ssand billions and trillions of times over years, i believe the wood finers everything just kind of becomes similar theftic. the finish, everything settles in, and you can hear in an older instrument, deeper, richer, dry tones. that happens and as they age, to the wood tends to ddy out -úslowly, and season. and it sounds better as that finish and wood dries out. for sure, because you can uild

thhs exact there's plenty of mat can build exact replications of these, but you can't build 80 years of age. in playing time. this is a vin age reissue mark. it hasn't had 40 years to get dry, and to really break in, and as you play a guitar a lot more, it resonates. and you beat on it for 20 or 30 years it's going to sound really beautiful. >> but sometimes there's just intangible stuff. you can hook up any machine you want and graft it out, but these pieces of tremendouses that noe, maater how it is built, there's intangible in there. that you can't -- that even the builder doesn't knowwwhat it is going to be until it is all put together, and played.

and from there, as an instrument's plays for a long time, the general consensus is that older instruments will sound better. >> here is the off tte wall question. do you think a guitar has a soul? >> yes, i do. as much as any inadamant object can. especially for a particular person and instrument. beam can make a real connection with an instrument, and of soul, and just the same aslot many other objects. that help you create thhngs that

show emotion, and that sort of thing. it can take on the player's personality. >> the money is cool, but it's also the sort of reverence that i can -- that you feel for it. >> yeah, there's definitely things in here that regardless of the price, because there's more expensive things there's a particular gibsoo in here, an old j 35, that's about the sweetest sounding guitar that has that old woody dry crazy loud. i mean this thing -- and as you& can see, this instrument got beat on, plenty. the tell tail, having them dragged across it, thousands and

thousands of times. it's been around the block. >> very cool players pick yard on there. yeah. all you need to sound good is still there. some of the early gibsons don't get the credit that i think they are due. like this is a sleeper, this guitar has been here a while. don't ask me why, it is crazy good guitar. it really should be sold, but

there it is. it's how much. >> 13,500. >> maybe that's othe eases sens3 of it. just a music store -- i'd just soon you feel like you re in my living room. >> but i can say when you are3 here, you don't feel put pon. >> you welcome people. it's just -- they come over to your house. and you try to make them as comfortable as possiblee and within reason give them run of the place. >> it is a very mellow attitude. everybody is low key. and nobody is really after your wallet. >> really this is such a simple

philosophy. i think thattin general, we don't have much problem. conveying this to people that -úwork here. it is a very easy thing to do, i think if we told -- if we said we have to watch the customers closely, as they come in, and make sure they don't touch the instruments without permission, and god forbid they put a fingerprint on them,,and that's -úmuch hard tore get people to . a lot better than every other music store. you can take for granted easily if you don't think about it. >> my brothhr died.

he was 49. we used to play together, but he died of cancer and i quit playing. and my wife said you are no fun no more..3 you are miserable. and besides when he was passing away he said don'' forget me. and i thought one way to do that is sing their songs. and we came over here and bout a guitar, and i said i am going to get back into it. all his instruments came from here, so it is like a family. >> is that's how it goes then. elderly instruments and that's justtthe quirky not enough room crazy bins, crazy folks. everything works though. and we just make it work. that's how it has always been, and i don't see that changes. it is fun. keeps you on your toes.

a lot of opeople come in here on their lunnh break and kill time. -ú>>ky spend all day here. >>ly play 50 guitars before i walk out here. >> there's no place i have seen like it. there's not another elderly -úanywhere. it is nice to walk in and take this off the wall. >> ay up high, aad no alarm. >> everybody enjoyed working with it. >> it is part of the fun, a lot& but we also have a good time. >> but this guy, i think he is

in the free buss and i just just to make me nervous. he is staring at me all the time, kind of like you guys. generally how it started is with pigeon instruments. >> i have people ask me for mr. elderly. >> people ask me if we sell it was an ad, trying to sell a gibsonless paul guitar, and itt3 said at the end of the ad u it said a nice elderly instrument. and we said, yes. we like that name.

you know what, i should put that in. ♪[music] >> this is like the worst. [laughter]]3 ♪[music] >> that's how corn smoke likes lab rats and liquor. talk about snickers bars and what they do for this department. >> certainly exciting to find. selling them, is also always very interesting because you are dealing with somebody who is finding them. you get this kind of share the enjoyment. you get this kind of share the enjoyment. ♪[music]

>> welcome to "skyweek." i'm tony flanders from "sky & telescope" magazine, and i'll be your guide to the astronomical wonders that are currently on display overhead. ♪ let's see what's happening in the sky from monday, september 23, to sunday, september 29. the waning moon soars high in the morning sky this week. it's right of the pleiades on monday, in taurus from tuesday through thursday, passes jupiter and gemini on friday and saturday, and ends the week in cancer. this is the first week of autumn, and you can view the change of seasons in the evening sky. sagittarius, the signature constellation of summer, is setting in the southwest. cygnus the swan, which flies high throughout summer and autumn, is directly

overhead. and the bright constellations of autumn are now rising in the northeast -- the unmistakable "w" of cassiopeia, perseus with its bright star mirfak, the long arc of andromeda, and the great square of pegasus. cassiopeia is the key constellation of autumn. you can find everything else using it. start with the open side of cassiopeia's "w," facing left at this time and season, and it focuses in on polaris, the north star, which remains in the same spot all the time as the heavens revolve around it. because cassiopeia is so close to unmoving polaris, it remains above the horizon very long. in fact, for much of the u.s., the entire "w" remains above the horizon even at its lowest in late spring. that means that, over the course of a year, you'll see the "w" in

every possible orientation. according to greek myth, queen cassiopeia offended the gods by boasting that she was lovelier than the sea nymphs. she was punished by being bound to a chair -- that's the "w" -- which places her in a series of undignified positions as it rotates around polaris. take three lines from polaris through the center and ends of cassiopeia, and they land on the three main stars of andromeda. the topmost star of andromeda is also one corner of the great square of pegasus. next week, we'll take a look at the morning sky. until then, this is tony flanders from "sky & telescope" magazine, wishing you clear skies and great views. >> brought to you by... serving stargazers since 1952.

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