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    Back Alley Music

    4.5 (2 reviews)
    Open 10:00 am - 5:30 pm

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    11 years ago

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    18 years ago

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    Sounds Great

    Sounds Great

    (2 reviews)

    ££

    Jack White Jimmy Page…read moreNeil Young Chuck Berry Bo Diddley B.B. King Neil Young Frank Zappa Brian May Bert Jansch Joni Mitchell Elmore James Django Reinhardt If you want to add your list to the world's best guitar players, you're gonna need flexible fingers, pots of ambition and determination and a great axe. One of the best places to go, get advice and try out different guitars is Sounds Great. It's a bit of a hike from the city centre but they have a good selection of new, vintage and secondhand electric guitars, acoustic guitars and basses. Prices range from a few hundred pounds to £15,000 for one of Fender's rare and highly collectible, hand-crafted, Eric Clapton Blackie Tribute Stratocasters! For those with a significantly smaller budget, they also sell amps, pedals, tuners, spare strings, recording equipment and the musician's enemy - drum machines! The mighty Bo Diddley in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=979rwnVPG4A

    The only thing I don't like about this place is that it's not next door to my apartment. Most…read moreguitar stores sell so many commercial models, and half the time they're straight out of a factory, don't play so great and are ridiculously overpriced. I find this place different, especially for advanced players. If you're in the early stages of learning to play the guitar, the model won't matter as much, but when you develop those chords, tasty licks, riffs and solos, this is the place to go. One thing you should always do before buying equipment is try it out. Sounds Great is one of the few stores in which you can really accomplish this, because they actually HAVE IT IN STOCK! It drives me crazy when you walk into a guitar store and ask for a particular item and they don't have it, but might have some model you don't want in about 80 billion colours filling the whole show room. Grr. Anyway, if you're are a serious player and like to spend a buck or two, I heavily recommend Sounds Great. In store they have some rare makes such as Diezel, Matchless, Divided by 13, Suhr to name a few... I guarantee you that these names along with your custom Fenders, Gibsons and Marshalls, cannot be found in the average music store. Oh and the accessories section is awesome. The guys that work there are not afraid to take a risk on bringing in a new product.

    PMT Manchester

    PMT Manchester

    (7 reviews)

    ££

    Ordsall

    Well it is 10 years later from writing my original review and I am pleased to say little has…read morechanged - apart from the ridiculous amount of money I've spent in here now - probably nearing £15-20K compared to the £2K on my original review. Needless to say, any business which can retain a customer for so long in face of competition like Anderton's and their global media presence says a lot. On that media note, PMT also have a YouTube channel which is fun and engaging offering reviews as well as tours of stores and celebrity interviews etc. Manchester is still a great store and during covid I continued to use their click and collect service to show my support. I love it here.

    I hold my hands up, my non-calloused, soft hands... I'm not a musician, yelpers. I've tried the…read moreguitar, bass, keyboard, flute, violin, and I can't practise. Musically, I have the attention span of a gnat. I know the fact that I tend to hang round with them is well documented, and I constantly protest that I'm not a groupie; they just happen to be in my social circle. But as a result of this I do happen to find myself escorted into musical instrument shops, and Professional Music Technology, being right down the road, is one that crops up quite regularly. PMT to musical purchase is what a chain restaurant is to eating. Real foodies love the creative, unique process that goes into cooking at a local independent restaurant, and die-hard musicians love beat-up second hand gear full of character, which is something you won't find here. Nor will you find... the food thing at the... you understand what I'm saying, yes. It does the job, and it's excellent for the mid-level or hobby player as they always have the necessary strings, leads and accessories in stock. In terms of Manchester, if you're after something one of a kind and looking to spend an absolute fortune, Johnny Roadhouse or Sounds Great would be your best bet. And while for new players it makes a great browse, this is the professional musician's Superdrug or Boots; it's the local supermarket metro, that quick stop-off to grab some essentials. And we all need those!

    Curly Music - Courtesy of Curly Music website

    Curly Music

    (10 reviews)

    ££

    O.M.D. The Icicle Works…read moreTeardrop Explodes Echo & The Bunnymen Frankie Goes To Hollywood The La's The Coral The Zutons & Candie Payne The list of artists that have bought instruments from Curly Music probably stretches the length of the shop. The reason they've chosen to shop there is simple, it's one of the longest running independent music shops 'run by musicians for musicians'. That means there's a top notch selection of guitars, bass, drums, keyboards, synthesisers, drum machines and percussion from leading brands. Beginners can pick up special guitar packages (including unbranded Telecasters and Marshall amps for a bargain £159) whilst there's a great secondhand section including Rickenbackers, Fender Stratocasters and Gibson Les Pauls for seasoned musos. Helpfully, Curly also sell spares and mend instruments on site. The thing that's most endearing however, is the staff's obvious love of all things musical. If you don't play an instrument yet, they'll make you leave wanting to!

    Curly Music stock a huge range of musical instruments and is one of three musical shops on the same…read morestreet. It is argubly the best of the three. I am no music expert but I don't have to be, as anybody (whether or not you're a novice) will realise that staff here are passionate enough in the field to provide sound advice on all your musical needs. You can feel and sample instruments to your heart's content given permission, which is more than welcome. Curly Music are the most affordable out of the three music stores. It is undoubtedly a well-established independent shop, that ranks high with many music lovers.

    Back Alley Music - musicalinstrumentsandteachers - Updated May 2026

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