Well, I once had a very inexpensive but new (to me) instrument ... an Afro/Brazilian birambao (sp?) It consists of a gourd that slides up and down, a string you strike with a stick, and the most amazing and unique sound. I think I got it for about $12, and it got damaged in a move. Now that I live in an area with um, not as global a population, I'm unlikely to find another one of these most peculiar and fun wonders.

Teresa