Musical Collections Hit the Right Note in LA.

LOS ANGELES -- As a center of the recording industry and home to great performance halls such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall, it seems fitting that Los Angeles institutions would honor the musical instruments that are the source of such amazing sound. From drums to mariachi and rock guitars to the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ, L.A. offers visitors -- music fans and devotees of rare instruments alike -- wonderful opportunities to see rare treasures.

A few must-sees:

The fourth floor of the Nethercutt Collection (15200 Bledsoe St., Sylmar, 818-367-2252, www.nethercuttcollection.org) is devoted entirely to mechanical musical instruments. This magnificent permanent exhibit is elegantly displayed and ranges from simple musical repeat striking watches to grand pianos that reproduce the performances of classical works by famous concert pianists. Also included are Swiss bird boxes, cylinder and disc music boxes and, of course, nickelodeons. In the 19th and much of the 20th century, nickelodeons brought music to millions of people around the world, only losing favor when the phonograph was invented. The centerpiece of this Nethercutt Collection is the Mighty Wurlitzer Piped Organ with four manual keyboards and over 5,000 pipes. This majestic instrument now plays through a new digital system and recreates the best live performances of the greatest organists.

The fifth floor of the Nethercutt, not open to the general public, houses over 40,000 paper music rolls and the rest of the musical collection. A full-time staff oversees operations.

The Nethercutt offers two-hour guided tours of their entire museum (this includes vintage cars) and is the only way to see the treasures. Early reservations are recommended.

The UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History (310-206-7007, www.fowler.ucla.edu), in the heart of the UCLA campus, is devoted to the art and material culture, past and present, of Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and the Americas. The collection includes more than 150,000 ethnographic and 600,000 archeological objects. When the museum opens its permanent displays in Fall 2005, the musical instruments of these varying cultures will be interwoven into the exhibitions.

Adjacent to the famous Watts Towers, the folk art spires of Simon Rodia, the Watts Towers Arts Center (1727 E. 107th St., Watts, 213-847-4646, www.wattstowers.net) displays a permanent collection of drums and other percussion instruments from around the world, part of the extensive collection of Dr. Joseph and Bootsie Howard. Dr. Howard was a noted collector, Venezuelan born of African, Guyanese and East Indian descent, whose passion led him to assemble a collection of more than 700 percussive instruments. Parts of his collection were recently on display at the Smithsonian. The Watts annual Day of the Drum Festival is held the last full weekend in September.

So much more than "guitar shops," Candelas and Guitar Center are L.A. institutions dedicated to preserving the art of the guitar. They represent very distinct specialties. Candelas (2724 E. Cesar Chavez Blvd., East L.A., 323-261-2011, www.candelas.com) has been home to the finest mariachi and flamenco guitar-makers in the country for over 70 years. Three generations of the Delgado family have created sought-after guitars and bajos and more than 20 other stringed instruments. It can take up to six months to handcraft an instrument. Jose Feliciano and Los Lobos play on Candelas guitars. The store displays dozens of handmade guitars for sale as well as a case of rare old guitars, made a generation or two ago and kept for sentimental reasons.

Guitar Center (7425 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, 323-874-1060, www.guitarcenter.com) is where the legends of rock buy their instruments. The Rock Walk, at the front of the store, is a small museum of rock and blues memorabilia. The display cases feature guitars owned and played by Eddie Van Halen, Kurt Cobain, Bo Diddley, Hank Williams and others plus costumes, albums and other memorabilia. Outside, the sidewalk is embedded with the handprints of the guitar world's most revered: Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, Peter Frampton, B.B. King, Johnny Cash and dozens more. In the rear of the store, the Vintage Room offers the world's largest collection of high quality, rare vintage guitars, all for sale. Guitar Center's San Fernando Valley store (14209 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, 818-990-8332) is known for their outstanding selection of instruments and draws musicians from all over the valley.

The Pickin' Parlor (17828 Chatsworth St., Granada Hills, 818-282-9001, www.pickinparlor.com) in the San Fernando Valley is a cozy and welcoming home to aspiring acoustic musicians from all over LA. The walls are lined with instruments for sale: banjos, mandolins, fiddles, dobros, dulcimers and guitars. The Parlor offers classes, workshops and concerts -- and plenty of downhome advice.