Good people with great knowledge and willing to work with you on pricing, buying, selling and trading.

Go here!!!! Very very helpful and friendly staff. They genuinely wanted to help me get the best deal and did not try to upsell me on anything, which was a relief. They weren't condescending to me as a beginner either, and gave me the information I needed. Great atmosphere, super chill and laidback. Incredible prices too. I got a fender amp for half the price of what it would be at other shops. read more

American Music - Fender Amp - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I came in looking for a small travel size guitar. Hannah welcomed me with a smile and took time to find me exactly the guitar that would fit my needs. She (and Darren) gave me expert advice, and I ended up with a guitar that was great. They even did a pro set up on the guitar (awesome service BTW!!) Highly recommended!!! read more

Knowledgeable & helpful staff, neat mix of gear both new and used, and easy parking in an otherwise tricky-to-park-in neighborhood. Now that I know this place exists I hope to never have to set foot in a Guitar Center again! read more

Their guitar tech is fantastic!! He is seriously so good. Made my cheap MIM strat play incredibly well

I am late for a gig, and don't have a mic stand. I popped in, the sales clerk was kind, super helpful, and broke that mic stand right out of the box and put it together for me, complete with the mic clip I needed. It saved me so much time, and alleviated a lot of my stress! I am glowing from the experience, and grateful for the support! read more

Staff are very kind, patient and welcoming. It's a local business that plays a strong part in the Seattle community, they're knowledgeable of the local music schools and music teachers in the area. read more

Unbelievably fantastic store. If you are interested in music at all, you definitely need to check this place out. They sell something in every category you can imagine (rentals, cables, bass, drums, mics, lessons, etc.). They have a great collection of both affordable and high-end equipment in stock AND on demo. I've shopped for all sorts of things at this store from guitars to keyboards. Staff is always super friendly and helpful. Everytime I go there, I take the chance to drool over the gear I will never be able to fit in my tiny space and I have NEVER felt the pressure to buy from any of the staff. I never have been upsold at this store, in fact, I am frequently downsold when they can tell I'm not going to be using something enough to justify the high-end purchase. I can really only speak to guitars since that's usually what I'm in the shop for. For electric guitars they seem heavily Fender-focused but they have some interesting guitars on demo like 7-strings, fanned frets, acoustasonics, Godins. They have standard brands like Gibson, Epiphone, Ibanez, etc. Their pedal selection is really intriguing, from "basic" BOSS to boutique Earthquakers, Soldanos, and Strymon. They also sell single strings and do string discounts every Tuesday. When I was looking for acoustic guitars, I was there for at least an hour just trying stuff on their wall without any problems at all. Same with keyboards. Last year, I wasn't sure about the feel of a MIDI controller they didn't have on demo, but they gave me the confidence to buy one on the spot (and have zero regrets to this day). Main things I wish they had: - longer return policy (though I've never needed to use it) - more/different hours (I can pretty much only visit on Saturdays with a 9-6 job) - more lesser-name brands (though I understand it's hard to get wholesale stock when your main clientele is not looking for that, and they do have some wildly exciting pedals). I would love to buy high-utility, specialized items like Simplifiers, high-end IR pedals, CIOKs from them instead of online. read more

Still the very best resource for local musicians. If you're a drummer like me, Michael Cotta is who you need to know. Expert advice and great resourcefulness, if you need it he can find it. No need to put up with Guitar Center mediocrity and lame service when you have American Music and their experienced staff to help you. Shop here. read more

Great range of musical instruments and supplies. Super friendly and knowledgeable staff. It was a great place to wander, check stuff out, and pick up some needed musical supplies. Plus they had parking! read more

I can't thank American Music enough. I teach piano and voice, and needed a new keyboard. Not only was is selection of keyboards excellent, but they had everything I could have needed in the moment and more. I was so impressed by their fast and professional service, in particular Jacob who helped us today. I will be coming back in future to check out their other equipment. They helped me out of, or well, I guess INTO a jam (see what I did there?). I am in love with my new Yamaha and can't wait to spend more time there. Bonus: they are taking EVERY precaution for COVID right now. Sanitizers, mask policy, and regular upkeep of cleanings are happening. Thank you American Music for everything. Especially during these hard times, it is wonderful to have access to everything a musician needs. read more

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American Music has been the favorite destination store for most Seattle musicians due to great product selection and friendly staff

Terry is the best! always great deals from him over the years. Loved this place! great used deals! read more

We purchased various musical instruments from American Music. They have great service and very kind employees. A local gem

These people are friendly knowledgeable and helpful , they stand behind their instruments better than anyone that I have ever heard of . Frankly you can't go wrong with American music , they are the very best that I know of . I am getting ready to buy an expensive guitar from them and I sure have no worries . read more

Short and sweet trip here to purchase some cables for my audio recording equipment but pleasant experience nonetheless. Great friendly attitude by the one of the employees and got me just what I needed. As I checked out this local music shop, I noticed that they have a decent selection of many different musical "categories". Decent acoustic and electric guitar selection, some used stuff, pretty good keyboard and audio engineering equipment, and good pedal selection (I'm sure they can order anything for you here). If you want to buy local, I would come here. They have a small parking lot and a pretty good selection of most things. Also, the staff seemed nice and didn't jump on me to make a sale, they let me peruse peacefully! read more

American Music - Decent guitar selection - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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You have yet to really impress me. You seem to be earnest but don't deliver as expected. Your repair shop is amazing. Five stars amazing. Some of your sales staff are great and some aren't. Actions speak louder than words, but a phone call to let me know what's going on is important for customer service... Don't forget that part. update: and when an order gets messed up and I come in to pick up the order.... it does not inspire confidence that you haven't even opened up the guitar case to check if this time the order was correct.... really unprofessional! read more

Edit: The IT manager reached out to me and apologized for what had happened. She confirmed that they were having issues with their internet service provider and was very sincere. I decided to give it another shot and went to check out the guitar I'd been eyeing. Pat helped me out and was really cool. Chatted about gear and was really helpful. The guitar I wanted had an issue with the pickup selector switch and the tech fixed it in no time flat, and I bought it. Great guitar, great service second time around. I could stay miffed about the response I got from the manager, but we all have bad days. I'd go back again for sure. Pat helped me pick out a perfect pedalboard too! Tried emailing about seeing a guitar and promptly received an email back giving me options on when I could come see it. When I replied to the email with a good time and a question. I got no response. I email again after an hour. No response. I'm a little disappointed because I took the rest of the day off work to go see it, but oh well. I decide to email the other person CC'd on the original email because I want the guitar so bad that after all this, I'm willing to make a new appointment for the weekend. Note that I live in Olympia, so I was still willing to make an hour and a half drive. That person just forwards me the email the first guy sent me that I had already replied to. They then claimed emails were coming at weird times, but I'd gotten quick responses twice. They also had my phone number. I'll never let my shadow darken their doorstep or spend a penny there. read more

If you love rock star wannabes, this is the place to go! I've been to American Music several times recently and each time I received pretty bad customer service...along the lines of "I can't be bothered with you. I've got more important things to do than to wait on you. Don't you know I'm a rock star because I work here"? I didn't know these kind of places existed anymore. It's really kind of ugly. I'm not going back. read more

Not only does there not appear to be even a single disabled accessible parking spot in their relatively large parking lot (how is that legal in 2019?), but the store itself is crowded with enough things on the floor that it's very challenging to navigate as a disabled person. They have some nice used and new guitars and keyboards for sale, but it was too much of a challenge to get in and to get around for it to be worth trying. read more

I'm not a musician and don't pretend to be so I was a little worried when I walked in to buy a guitar as a gift and saw rack upon rack fullllllll of acoustic guitars. Luckily a very friendly employee walked up and asked what I was looking for. When I said a beginner guitar he took me to a black $99 guitar, which I subsequently bought. It wasn't the cheapest guitar they had, but after our discussion I felt it was the best value for money and I didn't feel swindled at all. That guitar has since held up very nicely and totally sounds like a guitar- which is all I really needed. I also bought a couple of guitar picks, a strap, and a learn-how-to-play DVD. I liked this store a lot! It wasn't as cute as Dusty Strings, but much more in my price range. It's a great location too if you're in the Fremont or Wallingford area. They have a great big parking lot so you wont have to walk with your newly purchased instruments. read more

Ahh music stores. The only place a struggling musician spends more time is the instrument repair shop. Or perhaps Taco Bell. Now if only there were some way to combine the two. Can we build it? Do we have the technology? It's difficult enough to find the cable or mic or pedal or keytar you want let alone someone who works at the store who knows what they're talking about. But not at American Music. It's not a mega-chain-van-halen-wannabe-take-your-girlfriend-to-show-off-the-nickelback-riff-you-learned-once-during-a-lifetime-bi-weekly-sale-event store. You know who I mean. i'm looking at you, AXL... Nay - this is a smaller store that, I'm sure, will be the first to admit doesn't have everything under the sun. But what you will find are the items you actually need (i.e. No Angus Young certified ear plugs™) and a helpful and knowledgeable staff. Imagine that! They will actually have the answers to your questions and not sell you a USB cable when what you really need is a Wammy Bar. I can't speak to the other departments, but the gents I've dealt with in keyboards and pro-audio have been great and I will certainly be back again. Plus they don't seem to mind when I sit down at a two thousand dollar keyboard and play a polka version of Sweet Child of Mine. read more

Being an average drummer, I love coming to this place to see what kind of bargains I can get for my set. I've purchased a few cymbals, sticks and heads here at some really great prices. Not cheapy namebrands but the good stuff. The staff is so nice and laid back and it seems like such a great environment. I also had to bring my kick pedal in here to see if they could adjust and fix it for me and even though they didn't have the correct part in stock, the guy took apart another one and made it work. Oh yeah, and he didn't charge me a cent. "Just come back and purchase your equipment here" That, my friend, won't be a problem. They've got everything any musician, novice or expert, could need and the staff and atmosphere is awesome!! read more

As my visits have become more frequent, and I've brought more business, my experience has been less stellar than the initial one. For instance, I go in to buy a pedalboard bag, and the store manager helps me out - friendly, gracious, easy to talk to - great visit. But I go in to buy pedals, and the guy behind the counter acts like he could care less that I'm there. Offers to help me out, but doesn't seem to want to 'help' until he's certain I'm a buyer, not a browser. But my real issue is on the repair side. I brought in a bass to be re-strung to a low B and set-up. There was some back-and-forth over moving the bridge, but I get it back, play it a bit unplugged at the shop and all seems fine. But when I get it home and plug in, the response is completely uneven across the strings. I take a closer look and realize they did not match the radius of the fingerboard with the saddle/string heights. Totally unacceptable. I call and tell them such and the guy (kid) debates with me over the phone. I say I'm bringing it back and want it fixed. I bring it back and get a call from the set-up guy saying I was right. When I go back to pick it up, the radius is right, but the action is now insanely high. I didn't bother arguing the point, because at this stage, I shouldn't have to. Just a few months later, I have to have it set-up again, and the luthier I took it to could barely contain his amazement that I had been playing with it as it was. Then I brought my back-up amp head in to be serviced and they replaced the transistors that had blown in the power amp section. However, there's an audible distortion when I play even at low volumes. I email and they say "sorry, we fixed what you asked us to and its now outside the warranty period". Well, I run it direct out through a PA, bypass the power amp, and sure enough, the signal is clean. So did they fix it? No. They got it running, but not in a usable state. So now I'm at the point where I know when I go in that there are three people who will genuinely help me, and never to bring *anything* there for service. read more

Let me put it plainly: The day of my first visit to American Music was also the day of my last visit to Guitar Center. I went in, spent 3.5 hours (with a break for lunch at a place they recommended), and then spent way more money than I had intended to. I left delighted and eager to return. They are helpful, not pushy, and have a selection which is just as nice as some of the big music chains. read more

We came here to rent audio equipment for our wedding. The staff was helpful, prices were reasonable, all of the equipment worked great. We were able to enjoy our wedding reception without worrying about the sound. Definitely recommend! read more

I needed several items for my guitar and I was told to try American Music in Fremont. It is a smaller shop, but well stocked. I was able to buy everything I needed at a lower price then Guitar Center. The people are very friendly, and accomodating each time I visit. There is always a place to park when I go, and they didn't even try to sell me a new guitar when I thought something was wrong with mine. Great little store! read more

Fantastic service and attention to detail if you are a millionaire rock star or prominent local hero. If you are not, go to Guitar Center. read more

American Music - Plexi - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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I really appreciate the staff at American Music and the drum store! They are very helpful, friendly, and go the extra mile to give information. Above all else, I want to thank them (drum store and Manager of the store) for reaching out to me when I left my wallet in the store after making a purchase. You guys rock!!! read more

**EDIT** **After posting my original review, I was contacted by the manager Steve O. He was very friendly and understanding, and offered a sincere apology. To me, the apology was enough, as that is all I care about, but he even offered to send me a gift certificate, which was a nice gesture. Although still irritated by the experience, I am bumping my rating up as the management took time to contact me and tried to make things right. It is refreshing to know that the folks who make the decision's do seem to care. He told me that they will be making efforts to correct this issue in the future, and that they value the customer experience. Although my experience wasn't the greatest, I am sure their conscious efforts to learn from mistakes will make your's better. I would give this 2.5 stars if it were available, not 2.** This is in regards to the "service department" and I cannot attest to the actual sales floor. I brought my amp in twice to get serviced for the same issue. The first time they told me the issue I was experiencing was not present, and said that they are putting it back together and they can't do anything. As the tech (Steven) was putting it together, he broke the reverb on the amp, and had to fix that. I wasn't upset about it as he fixed it, but I was upset about not getting the original issue resolved. I got it home and the original problem seemed to have magically disappeared. Well sure enough it broke again within a few weeks (same issue), and this time I had a better reference as to what was happening when the issue manifested itself, so I hauled it in again to have them look at it. I waited for over a month and never heard anything. I called in to check and see what was going on, and after I gave them my ticket number and information they had no idea what the original problem was or what it was even in for. When they looked up the ticket they were referencing the broken reverb, which wasn't even the issue and was originally broken by the shop itself on the first trip. This lack of organization and professionalism was extremely irritating, and just like every other time I called, the amp was magically on the bench now "as we speak" and he said he would have the tech give me a call right back. Surprise, I never heard anything. So I waited a day and called back again, and wouldn't you know it, same routine! They had no idea what was going on with my service ticket and it was on the bench. I have never heard so many "um's" and "I don't know's" in my entire life. After seeing how useless they were over the phone, I no longer trusted them to handle my expensive amp. If they can't remember what they are supposed to be working on, I certainly don't want them poking around complex and expensive circuitry. I decided to pick it up that day and take my business elsewhere. I walked in and there my amp sat, completely untouched. When confronting them about my disappointment in their service, I encountered the most unhelpful, unprofessional, and rude excuses I have ever experienced. I took the amp and left. Never again will I step foot in that store. I am waiting to hear back from the owner to see if they have any apology to offer, and then I may give them another star. It's extremely sad to see local business not care anymore, and they are always wondering why guitar centers are putting them out of business....well there ya go. read more

first time there, march 20th, in search of a new (for me) four string bass. I talked to and worked with Patrick. I ended up buying a used Spector four string, and after getting home I became aware of a two things that made the bass less to my liking. I called in the morning and spoke to Patrick again, asking for some tweaks and he said he would take care of it. I came in that evening, and had the adjustments made, complimentary, and it took about thirty minutes at most. Very impressed, and will return for all my needs. Thanks Patrick, American music. read more

I'm reviewing solely the Service Center, not the retail shop. Sorry, rocker-sales-dudes, but my only experience in your shop was walking in and saying, "Where are your repair guys?" Note: the repair shop is on the opposite side of the street (west), about half a block south, shares a parking lot with an auto detailing place. When you first enter the doors, you'll generally see no one. Don't despair. Knock/open/look through the window of the door on the right, next to the stage with the old drumset on it. There will probably be a tech lurking within. If he isn't on the phone, he'll generally head right out to talk. That's where I knock off a star, though. If I didn't know better, I would have stood out in that entry area for about 5 minutes then given up. I've taken my 5-string bass to them three times now. My 4-string once, my acoustic guitar once, my electric guitar once. The reason my 5-string has had so many visits is I play it regularly, and thus knock it out of whack, break knobs, wear down the bridge, and generally cause it grief. My other instruments mostly collect dust. Ben is the name of the tech who's tuned my Ibanez 5 string custom the last 3 times. His name should be, "Awesome" because that is the job he does with my bass, every time. Here's my best 'kudos' story to him: I had a chipped piece of wood in my Ibanez custom 5-string's fret board, at the 4th fret. It would confuse me when playing on a dark stage, as it would reflect light similar to the mother-of-pearl dots at the 3rd and 5th frets. I invariably would go to hit a note on what at a quick glance I thought was either the 3rd or 5th fret and hit a note a half-step off. The technical name for the resulting sound is "Asstastic." Mr. Awesome repaired this and stained it so well that only close examination reveals that there was ever a chip there. He's also totally friendly and totally honest. He charges me exactly what he thinks he needs to, and knocks off dollars if he didn't do what he thought he'd have to. He works fast--he mentioned he was 'a week behind,' and I was expecting to get my bass back in a month. He's gone through and completely identified all the wood used in my bass for me, replaced the circuit board at one point when it was crapping out, tracked down new pots when I bent the crap out of them. When I get my bass back from him, it's like owning a brand new bass. The action is awesome, the 19th fret is in tune with the 7th fret, the strings are new, and I am happy. And then so is my band. Because no one likes to sound Asstastic. read more

I've only been in here a couple times, but it's been a great experience both times. The first time I came by was right after barely surviving the condescending oppression of Dusty Strings, and enjoying a comparatively breezy walk up the ten blocks of Fremont Ave. I just needed some picks and asked about a capo and a chord chart. They happened to be fresh out of charts, and I was fine without a capo for a while, anyway. The cashier was friendly, didn't assume I had played guitar for twenty years, and made me feel like I was an okay person even though I'm just starting out with my roommate's guitar. The second time I went up, when I needed strings to replace the ones I broke on my roommate's guitar, they had the charts, and the cashier (a different one) was similarly friendly, accepting of my being a guitar newb, and even recognized and complimented my Woot shirt. I'd probably give four and a half stars if I could - they didn't blow me away - but I'll definitely err on the side of being positive, especially after Dusty Strings. Either way, it's definitely worth the jaunt up the hill. read more

This is my pick for a Seattle-based guitar place. The staff has always been friendly to me and as-knowledgeable-as-I've-needed-them-to-be. I've made several purchases here and even traded in a couple of pedals, and I've always been treated fairly. 2011 Edit: Still five stars! I go here a lot more often now since I recently bought a guitar from them and it has a floating bridge, so I prefer to trust professionals with my string changes. I love stopping in and actually hope to get on a first-name basis with some of them. I also had a guitar-store breakthrough moment the last time I was there--when you are told that you have adhered to an incorrect assumption about guitar, don't try to play it off that you knew otherwise all along. Admit ignorance, and if you're in a decent place (like this one) they'll talk to you about it and not belittle you. Fascinating. 2014 Edit: When I'm told that I get free setups and string changes for the life of the guitar I purchased from a company, I expect free setups and string changes for the life of the guitar. When I went into the store this past weekend for exactly those things, the salesman looked at me as if I'd asked where I could find the ice cream. He had *no clue* what I was talking about, and gave me a long, drawn-out speech about how those kinds of deals can be made on a salesperson-by-salesperson basis, but there is no overarching guarantee like that. Then, by verifying my name in his system, he informed me that the saleswoman who sold me my guitar has since moved on and therefore any "deals" she made with me are null and void. But there are two problems with that: 1) It was not presented to me as a "deal" from her, but as a perk of buying from them. 2) I've had them do the string changes well over a dozen times and my specific salesperson did it herself maybe twice. All the other times, the person behind the counter just verified that the guitar was purchased from them and got to work. I think I unsettled the guy enough that he went ahead and changed the strings "this one time as a courtesy," but this situation has guaranteed that I'll not be making any trips back here soon. Especially since the next thing I need is a better amp, and their amp selection is painfully thin. read more

I've been here a handful of times and always had a good experience. I was in the market for an electric piano and the keyboards dude really knew what he was doing and knew exactly what would meet my needs. I ended up buying a perfectly working used Yamaha KX-88 and keyboard stand at a very reasonable price. The prices in general may be a tad higher than Guitar Center's, but that's to be expected. On a side-note, I had e-mailed to ask about drum lessons and I got a reply a while week later. In other words, don't count on these guys to e-mail you back promptly. read more

So I came here for one thing... Buy guitar strings and have them restrung... I was hit off the bat with a $20 service fee.... I've had my guitar strung at 3 different stores and at each store they've never charged me to get it restrung. Uggggh.... Anyway.. I'm a sucker. I paid because I was just stuck in major traffic and did not want to drive anywhere else, but home! read more

This review is specifically for the amazing service I received from Sean Lane - the drum tech. I'm fairly new to drumming, and I was struggling with getting a usable sound out of my snare. Came in and Sean talked me through the different batter/reso head choices I had; when I asked if he could walk me through the tuning process, he said no problem and started replacing the heads. While replacing the heads, he identified a couple problems with my snare: 1. My throw off was partially broken. 2. One of the tension rods had fused within the tension casing. We discussed how necessary a new throw off was - for my rather limited drumming needs - and he was refreshingly honest, and told me I should just hold off from buying a new throw off, and put that money towards a new snare, when I felt the need to upgrade. From there, he spent a good 15 minutes dealing with the fused tension rod. He took apart the tension casing, and replaced the broken tension rod. He even added a couple drops of oil to each tension casing to prevent future problems. All in all, I was there for about 50 minutes, came away with a huge improvement in snare sound, a better understanding of the snare drum as a whole, and all I had to pay for was the new heads Sean had put on. It absolutely made my day. I wanted to tip him, but I didn't have any cash on me, which really bummed me out, as he went above and beyond. Thank you Sean! read more

Personally, I think this is the best music store in Seattle. It is unfortunate that often a business doesn't get reviewed unless someone has a bad experience, so let me tell you about the great experiences I've had at American Music. I have bought numerous items from guitar cabs to drum machines to pro audio gear to effects pedals. I have purchased probably a mile of cables here (no lie). No matter who you talk to in here, they are friendly and nice guys and gals. Usually you find that the employees are working musicians. When I was a pretty new guitarist, they were still nice to me and put up with my bullshit like playing power chords and bad guitar solos at over 100db to try out a guitar cab. No one ever talked down to me no matter what level I was at and I've been everything from a total newb to playing in local bands to getting on stage at the Showbox and being in Alternative Press. At every point, I got the same great service regardless. (And I doubt any of the staff even know any of that anyway. They are just great people who treat people well.) I have also rented gear from the rental department. This is a great way to really try something out. I rented a Peavey 5150 amp once since a lot of people had recommended them to me. The guy renting it mentioned that it had been on stage with Fall Out Boy the night before. This was my first clue that I shouldn't get a Peavey 5150, but it was awesome that I got to take the same amp that a million album selling band played a show. I tested it out for a couple days, used it with all my personal gear, and got to make an informed decision from experience about buying it or not. (Didn't buy it...not as good as some people said). I have also sold gear to them. When my gigging days were over, I brought them the amp I had chosen over the 5150, a Mesa Single Rectifier. They gave me a good price for it with no hassle, and even put up with me bringing my one year along! Finally, they are even nice over email. Yesterday I emailed them a question about something (along with a number of other stores) and got a great reply. Some of the other stores I have emailed recently are pretty terse but these guys take their time to answer questions. I can't recommend them more. So bottom line American Music is top shelf. The customer service is excellent, everyone is knowledgeable about the gear, no one has ever talked down to me, and the selection of gear is great here and features everything from beginner to pro level. If I could give them six stars I would! read more

I went in here yesterday to buy my first guitar. It was great for a beginner-- they talked me through the different qualities to look for in a guitar. If I'm looking for a cheaper guitar, what gives the best sound? If I have tiny hands, what brands have smaller necks? They were patient, and never seemed to be pushing a particular brand or price on me. When looking for a case, they gave me a variety of options, including ones that required going to the warehouse (I ended up getting one of the warehouse ones-- a more inexpensive hard case with a bag exterior). It was nice to feel like they weren't talking down to me or trying to scam me, which I was worried about when guitar shopping on my own for my first guitar. I'm glad I went here instead of some place like Guitar Center. read more

Unpretentious and down to earth, this place is my favorite music shop in Seattle. The staff is knowledgeable and they are practical with their recommendations. As a beginning guitar player, I have always received the guidance and help I need without being belittled or feeling stupid. I have never felt obligated to make a purchase and feel comfortable just coming to poke around and ask questions. They have an excellent selection of acoustic and electric guitars and they don't sell crappy accessories. I highly recommend this place for your music needs read more