Best guitars and best owners and so welcoming and so open to help and I got a free shirtread more

Highlights: - Friendly and helpful staff…read more- Lots of guitars to check out and try - Melodicas!!! I stumbled into Mr. Music while visiting Boston. I was really excited to check out Allston, and this place caught my eye as I was walking around the neighborhood. I've been playing bass for about 4 months now. I was really excited to finally be able to walk into a music store and be able to actually try out the guitars and see which ones I liked. The staff were very helpful - right away they asked if I needed help finding anything. They pointed me in the direction of the bass guitars, specifically acoustic basses (which I was interested in hearing/playing). Their bass guitar section is awesome! They have a handful of acoustics that you can try out, which is really cool. If you're looking to purchase a bass guitar and want to make sure you're comfortable with it first - this is the place. They have a variety of pics that you can try, too. I've only played with two different pic styles before, so being able to try a handful made me realize what I really liked. They also have a great little corner for trying out electric guitars, complete with a little amp. I tried a lot of different electric basses, and found the ones I really liked. It was so much fun to try out the guitars and find out what I want to save up for. Besides guitars, they have a cute little percussion section and a bunch of melodicas!! The melodica is such a cool instrument, so I was happy to see it getting some love in this store. All-in-all, I walked away from the store with a handful of new pics and a smile on my face. This is such an authentic little shop, you can tell they really care a lot about music. I would love to go back!

Over five years ago I had the fortune to find out about Maestro Woodwind. Since then I only trust…read morehim to work on my clarinets and saxophones, no one else. Georgiy is extremely professional and super friendly. He is an amazing human being, extremely knowledgeable in the arts of woodwinds repair, tuning and teaching. He does a quality job, with a fast turn around and fair pricing (he is very reasonable and honest, and you will never pay more than what's right for the job). I truly recommend Maestro Woodwind to all my colleagues and friends.

I want to offer a second review. As it appears the my first review has been taken off. I do not…read morerecommend this place to get your clarinet repaired. Take it elsewhere. I bought a brand new R13 elsewhere. As many of you will know, it is common for tenons to swell up when they are new and need to be slightly adjusted. The common way to adjust this is to slightly sand it down. This is what virtuosity did, afterwards on a different tenon, for free! For some reason, he used a laser cutter, and charged me $60. He took off too much, confirmed by multiple repair persons. Now my clarinet moves slightly at one of its joints. It was an imperfect job that has permanent consequences for my very expensive instrument. He has consistently refused to own up to the mistake and give me any kind of refund. Furthermore, on an earlier post, he blatantly denied that he did this. He said that I "fabricated" the story. Nope, it happened. It's one thing to mess up my clarinet, it is another to consistently deny that it happened and call me a liar. Bummer. Go elsewhere for clarinet repair!!

Music Makers studios is an excellent place to have music lessons. It is a personalized experience,…read morewith skilled professional teachers that are amazing and really care for the student. My son has been taking clarinet lessons with Bob for the last 7 years! My son's high school jazz band teacher was impressed with my son's abilities ... all learned from Bob. During covid times we are meeting remotely... but before covid we would go into the studio and always be received by a warm, friendly, music community and that was a lot of fun. I see people of all ages at the studio, retirees to young kids. So if you are looking for a place to take music lessons ... look no further. p.s. I found them reasonably priced too

Growing up, I learned to play classical flute. But I always wanted to learn to improvise on the…read moretenor saxophone. Thanks to Bob Brenner at Music Maker Studios, I have learned to do so on the tenor, alto and soprano saxophones (and sometimes even on the flute)! Even better, it has been fun to learn. I've made good friends playing in an ensemble, and I've even been able to play gigs for money. I will be grateful to Music Maker Studios for keeping music in my life for a long time to come.

I just wanted to thank you SO SO much for fixing my Gibson Les Paul. You did SUCH a good job that…read moreit sounds like it did when it was brand new nearly 20 years ago, NO ONE has done such a great job as you have. A thousand thank yous, I got completely lost in the moment playing it and it's been years since I experience that unless I was onstage in the zone. I'm thrilled my step father found you, your going to be my forever go to for anything regarding fixing my guitars. Price was VERY reasonable- in a world where everything is to much, you certainly are priced fair. Thank you.

I walked into Mike's, because I was in the market for an electric and live in the neighborhood…read more This was my first electric, but I knew I wanted something decent with good tone. I told the store owner what I was looking for, and he showed me what was in my price range. He also very kindly told me that I was welcome to try any of the guitars--even though I very clearly could not afford them! I thought that was cool! He left me alone to play the guitars. I was able to take my time--as I didn't really know what I was looking for. I was so happy with one of them, that I went ahead and bought it! I've had it for about 2 or 3 years now, and I still love it!

Our teenage daughter has been taking band classes since April of 2024. She is a classically trained…read moreviolinist but really enjoys pop music too. The rock band program has been one of her most favorite extracurricular activities and the one she most looks forward to. Zak and Poh Hock are incredibly talented musicians but more importantly talented teachers who understand how to encourage and get the best out of their students. Our daughter has also restarted piano lessons from Poh Hock after a five year break from the instrument and is really enjoying it. I would highly recommend the school for private lessons and the rock band program.

We LOVE this school. They offer an excellent array of music lessons and experiences at competative…read moreprices. My child has shown steady improvement in her music education. She has taken both piano and drum at BMA and is a part of their rock band program. I don't even ask her to practice because she actually looks forward to improving on behalf of her bandmates, teachers and herself. I think it's notable that students from BMA actually look for performance opportunities outside of the school's recitals too. If you want your child to not only gain confidence from performing but learn the benefits of practice, teamwork and perseverance...this is the program you want. Poh Hock Kee and Zak Baskin are THE BEST!

A friend told me about Guitar Stop so I brought in my acoustic which had a bad case of fret buzz. I…read morethought it needed an entire setup (I'm still very much a beginner player). However, Jeanne made a minor adjustment to the truss rod and fixed my lousy stringing error and the buzz was gone. This cost me $5. I returned to the store the next day and Annette was extremely helpful and very patient with all my questions about a new electric guitar. I ended up purchasing my first electric with a great amp. They even include a free gig bag and six picks! Very cool. Overall, I'm very pleased with this family-owned store and will visit them again for my guitar needs. Thanks for reading and rock on!

I had a strange experience there with a guitar repair…read more Ten years ago I bought an acoustic guitar with a pickup at GuitarStop. A few months ago the pickup stoped working. I brought it in to Guitar Stop. Their technician examined the guitar, cleaned the dust out, and came to the conclusion that the pickup/preamp would need to be replaced. They gave me the customer service phone number of the guitar manufacturer, and said that because they were no longer distributing that brand, there was no way they could get the parts, or do anything else to help me. Even though I bought the guitar there, they told me I'm on my own. One odd experience was that the technician didn't talk to me. All this info was mediated to me by the people behind the counter. When I had a question, they would ask the tech, the tech would tell them, they'd tell me. It was odd to have a middleman coordinating. I then did what I didn't want to do: I brought the guitar to Guitar Center on Mass Ave, across from Berklee. The guitar technician came out, introduced himself to me, and walked me through all the options. A couple days later they called me and said the guitar was completely fixed. It was the wiring, the very thing that Guitar Stop claimed it wasn't. There was NOTHING WRONG with the pickup or preamp. It works/sounds beautiful now. When I brought this to the attention of Guitar Stop, they told me how "filthy" my guitar was, how their tech tried every everything, etc. They offered to refund me the $20 bench fee, but it feels picayune to accept that. I always want to support local business and not the "big retailers," but in this case, if I need any work on any guitar, I won't feel confident bringing it to Guitar Stop.

School of Rock is a must for any young person who loves Rock music and wants to perform. With…read moreprograms and lessons for young rockers at every level, and an incredibly supportive and knowledgeable faculty and staff, School of Rock Boston is an absolute gem.

My son has been a drum student at SOR for quite a few years now. He has loved it since he started…read morethere and still does! Great management, great teachers, great gigs. Always willing to accommodate. If I could give them 10 stars I would!!!!

This place is straight garbage. We're in talks about switching the company the school uses for…read morerentals because of these issues. Got the instrument, a violin, in about a week. It's been 4 weeks, my daughters school is HOUNDING me about not having the foam pad for her shoulder, the directions book, and new portable stand that I bought. Left a voicemail, no call back. Every time I call, "check in next week." WTF you want my child to graduate before you send me stuff I PAID FOR?!?!

I requested instrument repair & cleaning for my kid's flute…read more I have IMA insurance so I don't need to pay for it. After 3 weeks , I got it back and found the flute doesn't work well. My kid's lesson teacher said it doesn't work well. I couldn't wait for 3 weeks(repair duration) again, I need to find and pay for another repair shop. I don't know what the Music and Art repair team did! so frustrating service! P.S. Eventhough you bought a music book here on tax free day, you will experience that your tax is charged. After I requested the correction for it, they have re-charged it repeatedly. To stop it, I had to quit the rental from here.

I've had an incredible experience at Musician's Playground since I started last February. What…read morereally made the difference for me were the instructors Miles, Rocco, and Thomas, who helped me build the confidence to play the guitar more freely and start improvising in ways I never could before. They don't just teach you what to play, but how to think about music: the theory I should know, how to actually practice effectively, and how to keep learning beyond the classroom. There's a real emphasis on listening, rhythm, and interacting with the people around you, which completely changes how you approach playing. For me, it's gone from "can I play over this song?" to "I have ideas about what I can improvise here," and musically, that's one of the most freeing shifts I've experienced in my life. Also big shout out to Dave and Brooke at the front. They are always there to welcome everyone in and make sure you feel comfortable from the moment you walk in, which really sets the tone for the whole place. The variety of classes and sessions they offer means there's always something new to explore, and the value of the group classes and membership is honestly unmatched. Completely worth it. Everything is accessible, the instructors are fantastic, and the environment is genuinely welcoming. It's been an immense creative escape, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking to grow as a musician or just reconnect with music in a meaningful way. It's rare to find a place that makes you feel both challenged and completely at ease, but this is one of them. Boston, don't sleep on this hidden gem!

There are not a lot of recent reviews, so I thought I would add my experience in case it helps…read morepeople find what they need. I was excited to try piano lessons here but my experience was not client-centered. First, the person who connected with me about discussing what I need was going to call me on the phone but was inconsistent about scheduling. Then, although everybody was polite (if you discount my instructor asking me "no, but where are you *really* from"), the instructor I was matched with definitely did not start with where I was at and imposed their own perspective and agenda on me for how we would be learning because it's what they were familiar with. Also, during the lesson, the space was loud because people could be overheard singing. So, it was very difficult to hear the instructor and concentrate. Looking back, I think the person that I initially connected with to discuss what I was hoping for probably just wanted to make a sale instead of being straight up that perhaps what they had to offer did not match my needs.