I've come here a good amount over the years, never with any bad experiences, per se. The selection…read moreis top-tier, and you can spend a ton of time wandering around and playing random guitars. They are helpful with any questions, and there's no sense of gatekeeping: you can be a beginner, to say the least, and you don't feel rushed out or disregarded. Still, the customer service isn't always as attentive. I recently stopped here for guitar repairs. It didn't seem busy, but there was a long line, and after waiting for about 15 minutes, I learned that the guitar repair person wasn't in and wouldn't be for a few days. This is not the craziest occurrence ever, but it seems odd that a large-scale chain doesn't have at least one person doing repairs at a given moment.

Not a musician, not a guitar player either. We were in need of a special cable for an event…read moretomorrow, and we couldn't find it locally anywhere in Chicago or the 'burbs. Guitar Center to the rescue! Yeah I had a minor panic attack when they had no record of the order, but they found it (my name was misspelled). Also, my company credit card didn't work but no worries. I have the cable in my possession so crisis averted.

It's hard to quantify how many times I've driven past this place. The parking lot is annoying, but…read moreit's in a weird location, so there isn't much they can do. After a disappointing experience at the Guitar Center, I figured I'd support a local business instead. No amount of tuning was saving my guitar from sounding weird, so I figured it needed at least a restringing. It also needed, as it turned out, some work on the neck. At no point did it feel like they were upselling me or taking advantage of my comparative inexperience. They estimated $50-60 for restringing and neck repairs, but after only a few days, they called me to tell me it was ready, and it was about $40 for everything. I respect their honest work and would be glad to return here again.

I've been going to The Music Gallery since they were at their original location about where Buffo's…read moreis now along the main drag there in Highwood, way back in '76. I now reside all the way over in Palatine. In all my transactions I've always gone away from the place feeling pleasantly satisfied that I got value from either their service or merchandise. Yesterday I picked up a used acoustic guitar I'd purchased elsewhere and had the crew there sort out the neck requiring a new nut and bridge. Rings like a bell and all for a very reasonable price!

They seemed like good folks but they must not understand how to set up a Floyd Rose guitar. I took…read moreit in to get a setup done since this guitar is older. When I got it back the bridge looked way different then I had been setting it up. I figured they probably knew more than I did so let it go. Later on, I found the setup instructions for this guitar and I was in the right. The bridge should be parallel to the top of the guitar. They had it at a HUGE angle to it. It hasn't played the same since. Now I need to take it elsewhere and will end up paying more in set-ups than I paid for the guitar new 12 years ago.

Hands down this is the finest repair shop in the city. I've had a fair amount of fret work done…read morehere and it was all top notch with a great deal of care. Their rates are a little higher than 3rd Coast and others but you certainly get what you pay for. If you value about your instrument this is the place to go.

This store is average size. They have all of the four sections - audio, both guitars (including…read morebass), keyboards and piano's and then drums. They have several studio booths. The Drum section has a lot of e-drums (electric) and just a couple of acoustic sets. The keyboard section has just a few synthesizers but more keyboards. The staff and service is good.

New within Guitar Center of Highland Park, IL, this facility is staffed by professional guitarists,…read morepianists, drummers and vocalists, all with college degrees and years of teaching successes. The support staff is certified by Guitar Center for their product knowledge and they will schedule your lessons conveniently and match you with the teacher of your choice. Wednesday evenings offer "open office" hours with a teacher who knows your curriculum and can reinforce your practice until your next lesson. Rates are competitive and trial lessons are available. Get all of your instruments and accessories at the best possible price. The supervisor holds a degree in electronic music and is a great guitar player, having studied with Sting's guitarist at Northern Illinois University. Individual and group rooms are acoustically designed and stocked with every kind of amp, piano and drums. Whether you're a beginner or already experienced, you will be in good company at GC Studios in Highland Park, IL

School of Rock has been an incredible program for my son, who started 5 years ago when he was 8! He…read morehas worked with the same instructor, Bob W, for the entire time he's been there and honestly he is an incredible teacher. Bob is encouraging, knowledgeable, and is instrumental (pun intended) to my son's progression! When I was a kid we learned hot cross buns on the piano and it was not fun. This place and its amazing teachers like Bob W make music fun to learn for the kids. A+!

I can't speak for the particular classes here, but I happened upon a random parking lot concert the…read moreother day that made me realize I've been connected to School of Rock for years. School of Rock is truly a community institution. Yes, there are a host of these schools around the country, but in Highwood this school has done an incredible job of promoting itself locally. Present at most of the festivals, local farmers markets, and other public events I've been to, the students that take lessons here get numerous opportunities to perform publicly. Maggie, the current director, has done a great job of sharing this young talent with the local community. I have a background in the performing arts. I started performing on stage as a young kid, and I know there is nothing more important than getting out and practicing your talent at a young age. Either you take to it or you don't, but I know the students at this school get many chances to find out if music will be in their future. Way to go School of Rock and your team for exposing me to so many of your concerts and young performers over the years. Now, if only I could get my kiddos to pick up their guitars, get over their stage fright, and help make an impact on the musical community ;-)

I rented a pair of speakers (+ stands), microphone, iPod adapter, and tuner (+ all needed cables)…read morehere for about $55 in December 2008. My then-fiancée and I were planning a very DIY wedding and we didn't want to hire a DJ. Looking online we were starting to think that we were going to have to spend a lot of money to rent an audio setup that would accommodate our needs. One of my wife's coworkers suggested we try Libertyville Music, so we called for an estimate and were shocked to find out how affordable they were. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. I picked up the equipment the day before the event, and my family returned it the day after. Couldn't have been easier. Oh, I should mention that the map displayed in the sidebar gives the wrong location for this business. Libertyville Music is located on the southwest corner of Milwaukee Ave and Lincoln Ave.

I've purchased a guitar and have had maintenance done by this shop. The prices were excellent and…read morethey did great work! I had a tuner key break and they fixed it for $15, I was expecting it to be much more! Although their hours are limited I would highly recommend their business!

I've ordered two guitars from them and they are great. fast shipping and the guitars are…read moreexceptional.

Very disappointed with my experience at Makin Music. I brought a guitar in and paid approximately…read more$375 for work that was supposed to include a setup, fretwork, and electrical work. After getting the guitar back, it still had serious playability problems, including dead notes/frets higher up the neck. I took the guitar to another professional guitar technician for a second opinion. After inspecting it, he told me that, in his opinion, the setup and fretwork I had paid for did not appear to have been performed properly. I also had him document the condition of the guitar on video. I then brought the guitar back to Makin Music, showed them the problems, and asked them to make it right. I was told they were not going to do anything further with the guitar and were "done with that guitar." I requested documentation of what I had paid for and received a copy of my receipt. I gave the shop an opportunity to address the problem before posting this review. Unfortunately, they declined. For $375, I expected the work I paid for to be completed properly and, at minimum, for the shop to stand behind its work when a legitimate problem was brought to their attention. I'm now having the guitar independently evaluated and documented and will be pursuing the appropriate options regarding the charges.

I had the owner set up an older used Larivee that I bought from another Evanston guitar shop where…read moreI was told it couldn't be set better than it was. Hogseye turned a good guitar into a great one for relatively little money.

Jim is one of the best you can possibly have to work on your guitar. I have been bringing my 1970…read moreMartin D-35 in to Hog Eye for several decades and he does a wonderful job at repairing all the little and big things that happen to an instrument as it ages. Not only that, Jim is the nicest guy in the world. I highly recommend you bring your acoustic instruments in to Hog Eye for repair or tune up or if you're looking to buy something to play that's made out of wood.

I was so bummed they closed their Glencoe location since it was so convenient for my middle…read moreschoolers to walk here after school. It's essentially a homework lounge where you can get get your homework done and have tutors on site to help out with questions. My daughter liked using the Glencoe location for that and would also book hour long sessions with their tutors when she felt like she needed extra help. This location is too far to just drop in so we stopped our membership (and maybe will one day join their future near New Trier location when it's time for high school). However, I occasionally book tutoring sessions with their tutors. We've tried a bunch, but when it comes to math my daughter has enjoyed working with both Kyle and Young. She said they do a great job of explaining concepts and are fun to work with as well. They also always send notes the following day on her progress, strengths and/or weaknesses. ' Again, sad there's no longer a Glencoe location, but great to have a membership if convenient to get to for your middle/high schooler on a regular basis. If not, great option for on demand tutoring, which is what we've been using it for.

I have to say that The House Tutoring Lounge is an amazing place for students like my teenagers…read more It's such a unique concept. No parents - just really cool tutors. The tutors are super nice and helpful, and they make learning fun and interesting. The lounge itself is really cool - there are lots of bright colors and comfortable spots, which makes it cooler for kids than being at home. I've been sending my kids to The House Tutoring Lounge for a few months now, and I've already seen a big improvement in their attitude about school. They come home energized by having their work done and feeling like they've got a handle on school. I highly recommend it!