I had to do some repair to one of my guitars. The work was done in the time he specified and the…read morecost was amazingly reasonable. He takes the challenge to do what seems like hopeless cases in terms of repairs and does a fantastic job. I think that he moved his business to Brampton, somewhere on Queen and Kennedy Str. Would like to contact him so if anyone can update me, that would be most welcomed. Emanuel M. Etobicoke, Ontario.

My new Gibson J 45 slid down the wall and fell on it's fretboard. Like most good Gibson's, the…read moreheadstock snapped right off, resulting in a jagged break (look this up - a far too common occurance). I thought the guitar was now firewood, but discussed the possibility of repair with Gibson in the US, a well known guitar shop in the east end and Gibson's distributor in Canada. I was referred to Brian Mascarin by a sales associate at Long & Mcquade. We spoke on the phone & his pricing was fair so we agreed to proceed. The repair took longer than he had originally promised, partly because he decided that the although the break glued up nicely, he felt that the joint should be glass reinforced to be on the safe side. I am a guitar player of 54 years, a hobbyist woodworker and have done some guitar repair and refinishing myself. I was amazed at the finished result - there's no way to tell that the headstock was repaired, no evidence that the joint was glass reinforced, re-finishing has no lumps, bumps, mismatched colour - nothing! The guitar looks as if it just came out of the box at the guitar store, and it plays exactly as it did before the accident. Brians' work was perfect - his pricing was fair (less than I would have spent with the "big name" repair shop) and no surprises. I would hire him again for the same job, and will use him for all my guitar repair needs, except those I can do myself - A+ Brian, and thanks.

He doesn't overcharge. His work is clean and done right. He charged me cost for the new strings. He…read moreput in some sweet new pickups into my guitar. He cleaned up my neck and polished my frets at no extra charge. I paid him more than he asked me for because I had no idea he cared so much about every job he gets. Canadian independent. Toronto local. Can't get much better than that! I recommend Ash to anyone that likes doing honest business without a crazy markup for profit.

The output jack on my Cordoba C7-CE had become loose and could only be tightened again by removal…read moreof the strings and getting inside the sound box. The guitar is equipped with a Fishman pre-amp system and I did not want to risk damaging the wire connections of this rather expensive system to the jack. Ash completed the delicate job entirely to my satisfaction for a ridiculously low charge. My guitar sounds as good as ever with the now secure jack and I am consequently extremely pleased. This gentleman prioritizes service over profit making and he has my highest recommendation. I certainly will use only his services for my guitars in the future. Thank you very much, Ash! it was a singular pleasure doing business with you.

Five star service from Frank! He is so polite and professional that he's no jerk! The selection of…read morepiano books is very vast, just like Canada! Also, Frank knows English!

Really impressed with the rental program! Great way for people to try out an instrument (go to…read moretheir website to read about it) but this completely worked out for us. Instead of investing $800+ on a saxophone, we are renting one for $35 a month to see if my husband is actually seriously about learning to play! We can also apply the monthly rental fee and buy out the sax if he chooses to or apply the money to a different instrument! Good selection of popular sheet music too. I haven't touched the piano for 15+ years but walked out with some sheet music to play for fun. Friendly staff. Saw some cute ukuleles that we could buy our nephew/niece for xmas. Price ranges from $40 and up. Lots of colors and designs to choose from.

I bought myself a cool vintage off brand MIJ P-bass for $120 and took it apart to clean it up,…read morerestring it and make it playable. I was close but it seemed like the truss rod was stuck, or the bullet stripped. I looked online for shops that I could bring it to and get it fixed. A quick email to Trevor made me feel that he was the right guy. He asked the right questions, didn't pressure me and didn't come across like a music store snob. fast forward a month or so and I arrive, bass in hand and he gets to work on it. Does the whole setup. Filing, tuning etc and then he discovers that there's no sound ( I don't have an amp). He opens it up and sure enough a wire is just hanging there. Quick fix, plug it in and it's alive! He continues to check everything and at the same time telling my why he's doing it etc. In the end, he let me know that yes, the bullet is stripped, but, there was also issues with the nut, which he fixed and after redoing the set up again, the bass was sounding amazing! Trevor is a super cool, laid back guy who really cares about what he does for a living. We talked about guitars in general, as being a newbie I tend to like to ask lots of questions. He was amazing to deal with and will be bringing him my guitar(s) for anything I need done. A real pleasure!

Trevor did an awesome job repairing a much-beloved guitar. As a result of an accident, the…read moreheadstock snapped off. There was wailing and tears. We found Trevor. His magic below. [Click on both photos to see the "before" and "after".] It's just beautiful work. No more wailing; no more tears. Thank you, Trevor.

Always loved shopping here. The inventory was great and the service from the staff even better…read more Going to miss it. Bought my Yamaha electric piano and my Keytar here!

Personally I think this is one of the best first time experience of me entering a music store.. I…read morewas nervous and shy, I didnt know how to approach someone, I was just standing there for minutes looking at the guitars on the wall, suddenly a staff told me if I needed anything hes there, so yeah I had no choice so I approached him and asked if I can try out some electric guitar! I wont forget him haha he was so kind and polite, even gave me a free pick, honestly if i have thoughts on going to music shops id pick this shop everyday.. I recommend people to go here.

Monday morning just after opening, Bloor location. Drum department, grey haired bearded man was…read moretotally useless in completing my purchase. I had gift cards I wanted to use but he had trouble with the tap machine. He sat there without a solution because he had no critical thinking skills. So I had to suggest using a different machine. It worked but he cashed me out without using my gift cards. I asked if I could use them and he just said " Not now you can't" I was upset and got half way up the stairs then turned around and said I want a refund and we'll do this again with the gift cards. Again, a solution I had to come up with. Thankfully Isaiah stepped in and said he would handle it. if you go to the drum department, bypass the useless twit with the grey hair and beard. 3 stars all going to Isaiah.

A couple of Wednesdays ago, I was in the Bloor-Ossington area. I had parked in front of this Long &…read moreMcQuade for a couple of hours. I like backstories. I saw a heritage sign on Long & McQuade's building. It used to be the Concord Tavern. This tavern was open from 1948 till 1983. Back in the day, it was the hip location for artists and music lovers. The Concord hosted a bunch of talented musicians, jam sessions, and cool performances. Ronnie Hawkins and his band, which was later shortened to The Band, performed up to seven days a week at the Concord during the 1960's. Eventually, The Band joined Bob Dylan as his backing band and later became stars themselves. Pretty cool! Jack Long, a member of the Jack Long Trio, was the founder of Long & McQuade Musical Instruments. To date, it is Canada's biggest music store. He started his business in a small Toronto house on Carlton Street in 1956 and expanded to more than 90 locations in all ten provinces. Through a bit of research, I found out that Long had passed on September 4, 2024 at the age of 95. He was a jazz lover. He played the trumpet. He was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2014. Drummer Jack McQuade of this trio, who left the business in 1965, passed away in the 1970's from cancer. I don't know who the third member of this trio was. When the Concord Tavern closed down in 1983, an Irish pub took over, but eventually closed down. Long & McQuade's moved into its current location in 1988. It's fitting that a music store gave this site a new musical life. It has a massive assortment of instruments, sheet music, accessories, and more. I looked through the window. I didn't go in because I'd be there for hours and would likely buy an instrument to attempt to play. I grew up with a lot of music. We had a local music store in the Beaches that is now gone for good. My parents got me a ukelele in grade 3. When I was in grade 9, they got me a clarinet and I played it all through high school. This massive music store is my kryptonite. From guitars, to trombones, the selection of musical instruments looked impressive. I saw a girl lugging her trumpet into the store. My guess was that she was there for lessons. I don't miss hours of practicing various musical instruments growing up and likely annoying everyone who lived in my apartment building. I'm sure that they are stronger for it... haha! This store does have a few parking spots, but they are limited. It's probably best to parking on the street and shell out of parking. Maybe when I strike it rich, you'll see me getting an electric guitar from this store. I imagine annoying my neighbours in Markham playing it. (376)

I wanted to extend my gratitude for your recommendations this past Saturday…read more So this weekend, I upgrade my Squier J-bass with Fender control pots and better Capacitors you recommended Previously my Volume pots where not a linear range (everything was in the first quarter turn, and the balance between bridge and neck where shit) the Tone pot suffered from EM noise interference A bit of drilling and dremel to fit everything in the cavity was a bit of a PITA but I made it fit Sanded down the magnets on the pickups to clean them up and expose new surface Holy shit. I now have a Fender Player Bass rammed into a Squier Couldn't be happier with the results TL;DR Don't need to update my pickups A $60 solution ($18 per pot + caps), soldering and electronics chops saved me $100s Thank you for your time and professional advice

They were able to restring my guitar and fix a scratch that's been bothering me. You can hardly see…read morethe mark! Quick and decently priced.

Val is the best!!!…read more My first lesson ever and it was very helpful and uplifting. Val was able to suggest a certain music book for me to read. And via her expertise was able to help with my range, decrease stage fright, correct posture, increase my confidence and techniques on how to release tension. She also sang for me..nice voice...n that was special. Not to mention...we did the lessons via syke as Im in houston tx and she in Canada. Worked out well with my busy schedule...by the way...made second round in auditions with the TV show the VOICE. Thank You Val you're sweet Peace and Mercy Monique

Helped diagnose and fix my vocal issues with fundamental breathing and form techniques. A good…read morevoice doctor who quickly targets the problems holding me back.

Applied for a job with them recently as a teacher and they gave me the complete run around for a…read moremonth. They set up a phone interview and then they NEVER showed up for the call. I called them and they said they forgot. So they set up another phone interview a week later and again they repeated the same stunt and they never called in. So I called them again, and the receptionist answered and said they were so busy and asked if she could interview me right now. She asked me just 3 questions, and then set up a date for a video call. Again they never showed up for the video call. I honestly couldn't believe it. LOL. I called them again and was finally was told a start date then asked to change the start date. Then they became non-responsive again. It's like a scam to get your personal info or something? So confused. Anyhow, hhappy to say that fortunately I had 2 other job offers, and am teaching a great music school now. Job Hunters / musicians beware of this school. Something definitely ain't right.

I recently purchased a gift certificate for a family member's birthday . To my surprise, they were…read moreadamant that music lessons were not on their wish list! When I contacted Toronto Arts Academy about my situation, they were happy to accommodate my need to return the certificate. They didn't have to do this for me. A pleasure to work with.