The folks at the William Harris Lee location on Michigan Ave are some of the most welcoming and…read moreexpert luthiers I've ever encountered. On a recent trip to Chicago, I arranged a short-term rental in order to experience the city's lively Irish music scene. The violin they provided was one of the best I've ever played--a responsive, booming 4/4 violin with a rich, resonant tone. Everyone at the seisiún loved it! Moreover, I arrived on a slow day with no appointments, so they graciously allowed me to run through some jigs and reels in their beautiful music room overlooking Grant Park, a memorable highlight from my trip. Classical musicians and folkies alike will find everything they need here. Greet instruments and great people--I look forward to using their services again in the future.

My daughter is starting violin lessons and the music school she is attending recommended William…read moreHarris Lee for a rental. They are so nice here! I called ahead to make an appointment. And they had a cooking ready for my daughter to try. Kristine helped us and she was so thorough. Helped my daughter familiarize herself with the instrument, taught her the dos and don'ts and walked us through all the terms of the rental. Their rental prices are so reasonable. I highly recommend this place!

The folks here (and their customer service via email/social media) are super helpful. I came here…read morewhen I was exploring clarinet rental options, and although I didn't end up renting from here, their process is straightforward and their pricing is great. I also contacted them to inquire about some reeds to see if they sold a particular variety pack I was interested in, and I linked them to another shop farther away that had what I was looking for. They were super transparent and said they could get them but they wouldn't be the exact same product and they'd be higher priced, so they suggested I order through the other company. I really appreciated the no B.S. response (and how quickly they responded to my inquiry). Their prices for full regular packs of reeds are in line with other stores, so once I decide what I want I may come here to pick up a box to support them.

Cassandra Strings is the best!! Quality, customer service, and price. The online ordering was…read more simple as well.

I contacted Dan from Heavenly Pianos to move a baby grand piano we had purchased at an estate sale…read more Dan was responsive, easy to work with, and the move went very smoothly. He also was helpful in giving us the name of a tuner in our area that he recommends. We talked about what he suggests we have the piano tuner do, and it was great to hear that nothing major will need to be done. I highly recommend Dan at Heavenly Pianos for piano moving!

Just came here to give Bob a shoutout! Couldn't have been happier with our purchase and service!…read moreThank you, Bob!

We've been here a few times when we were passing through the area. Playing a show somewhere near…read more We haven't bought much, but we like the store, and this is why. Great inventory, friendly, informative staff. There are always a couple of astonishingly cool instruments up on the wall. This is what a good guitar store should be. The perfect example this week. I'm playing an octave mandolin, and one of the guys there walks over to see if I need any help, and to chat. We talk about guitars, and he says I have to try one. He puts this amazing acoustic in my hands. First of all, it weighs a ton. And the sound. The lower register practically hits me in the chest. It was the most amazing instrument I have ever played. And a teensy bit out of my price range at 12k. Yeah, the guy put that in my hands, he knew I'd like it. He probably does that with a fair amount of people, most of us could never afford it. But that is the sort of place it is. Here, play this amazing instrument. That's a good store.

Update 08/01/26. I…read morereceived a mail blast email today from the owner's mailbot informing me that the store was closing. Good riddance. Since my initial review (see below), I've spent over $40k on instruments and gear and Guitar Works received not one single penny. Their "I don't give a shit" attitude when I went there--on all three occasions I tried to give them my business--cost them. I'm surprised they lasted as long as they did. One of the reasons the owner gave for closing the store was "the outrageously increased costs of property taxes". Taxes are the price of admission to a civilized society, my friend. Looks like the owner's attitude was what filtered down to the employees when I went there.

Had a great time. I came here 2016 on a Saturday morning. As a beginner, this was my first chance…read moreto try a variety of accordion brands and see what sound I liked. There were about 50+ on the shelves. One friendly, helpful lady stood at the counter to give me prices out of her book (the accordions didn't have tags) and another lady asked me about my musical interests and budget constraints to suggest different ones I should try out. Two master technicians fixed two broken reeds on my old accordion for $30. They also offered to help me sell my brand-new $3000 chromatic accordion on consignment for a 25% cut. Ouch, but oh well. I did have a different experience the other time I came here on a Tuesday afternoon in '08. The door was locked and I (a farm kid) didn't think of getting buzzed in (the "buzzer" is silent by the way). The cranky old lady sitting at the cash register kept gesturing me to come in, and I kept gesturing that it was locked, till she finally screamed loud enough for me to hear: "OPEN THE F***ING DOOR!!!" After that pleasant introduction, I had an awkward, brief run through the place looking for a chromatic accordion, which they didn't have, so I left. Glad to see things are more pleasant these days :)

Renee was fantastic! I took in my dad's 80+ year old accordion to see if it was worth…read morefixing......Renee took it all apart and gave it a quick cleaning. At 80+ years old it had some issues that weren't going to be cheap to fix and she recommended not spending the money even though it was my dads! She did all this while we watched and talked and then despite repeated tries she wouldn't take any money for the time she spent working on it. I was amazed by her knowledge and skill at disassembling and reassembling the accordion......you don't find craftspersons like that anymore! I would give her a 10 but the scale only goes to 5!

My son started double bass with his school orchestra, and wanting to practice at home, we decided…read moreto rent an instrument to try it out. A440 was exceptional at explaining (over the phone and in person) their store credit for rentals system. They presented us with an excellent introductory double bass at a parent friendly rental price. Also, we had a nice experience visiting the shop and seeing several vintage double basses! Thanks A440

They did such a good job repairing my violin we found when moving my mom into her new house, it was…read morebroken and needed so much extra love, I asked them to turn it into a wall hanger so it's beauty could be respected. They made it look playable too and I cannot get over how good they did. This is my new shop I will go to, and it's so convent for me too being about 5 mins away from my work! I will continue talking my violins here, I have 2 in my collection that I actually play so this was a fun thing to have to just have in my collection since it was a strad copy were not fully sure where it even came from. 20/10 reccomend.

We purchased a fine cello and bow from Darnton & Hersh. Even though we live in California, our…read moredaughter fell in love with the cello so we decided to buy it anyway. The cello needed some service a few months after purchase and Darnton & Hersh provided world-class service. They went way beyond the call of duty and took excellent care of us and the cello. We are so happy we did business with D & H. They are absolutely the best. We've dealt with various local music instrument companies in the past but no one can compare to D & H. They have our business for life! Thank you!

I bought a Steinway piano as a surprise for my wife's birthday. Matt was extremely helpful in…read moretiming the delivery of the new piano -- which was PERFECT and even better than described -- for when my wife would not be here. The surprise was perfect. The movers got out the old ratty piano and got in the new nice piano with no issues. Not even a smudge, much less a scratch. My wife was suitably astounded and she loves this wonderful-sounding and excellent looking instrument! This is a purely perfect experience. Run and do not walk to Pickle Piano!

My family has had a long-standing relationship with Pickle Piano. We got my first, cheap-o little…read moreupright piano there when I was 6, a mid-range upright piano around the time that I was 10, and a stunning Rieger-Kloss grand piano around the age of 16. We always went back for the friendly, knowledgeable staff and unique inventory. Much to my dismay, my parents were tired of my beautiful piano sitting in their front room untouched (unfortunately I don't have room for it in my condo) and wanted to sell it. We stopped by Pickle one afternoon to ask them what they estimated the resale value of the piano to be. Them: "Well, we would have to send out one of our appraisers." Me: "Can you at least give us a range? You have the record of the purchase date and model number, and I would classify the piano as being in perfect condition." Them: "We cannot say anything without a proper appraisal." The cost of this appraisal would be $500+. So, the fact that we dropped $15k on a piano and have never once asked you for anything means nothing? I still adore my piano (and have since convinced my parents not to sell it) but after all these years, Pickle has left a sour taste in this girl's mouth.