This shop, nay, great shop crammed to the hilts with handcrafted guitars is one of the best I have…read morebeen to. The owner or sales assistant is very passionate about his craft and gives great advice for anyone looking to buy their first guitar. You will have to pay the price, but if you are serious about playing guitars, you will have to make a serious investment.

A super shop that serves a lot of different customer needs. From a good selection of Electric,…read moreClassical & Steel String guitars, to Bass, Ukulele's, Drums and Percussion, Keyboards, PA's, Lighting, Sheet Music/Tuition, and all kinds of the accessories and ancillary items we all need. The owner/manager is highly knowledgeable, always ready to help you, and is a bit of a guru with all sorts of setup and repair work. He has installed a complete set of pickups in two of my guitars and he did a top notch job at a truly competitive price.

Bought a lovely guitar from these guys. After 2 months a manufacturing issue arose in the…read moreelectronics. Guitar wa returned, repaired, action adjusted, fret board oiled and strap button added...all free of charge because I had been inconvenienced. This is a great shop full of expertise, good kit and great service.

I bought an Irish Bouzouki from them over the phone, but I had some very specific questions about…read moreit, and some requirements on how I would like the instrument to be set up. After the stand-offish treatment I'd had in person at a rival folk instrument shop (whose name begins with 'H' and is the name of a mythical creature) I was really impressed. The shop manager listened to what I wanted, and took notes, and gave me reassurances (this was after I told myself I'd never buy an instrument without touching it first). He told me about their professional luthier who does instrument setup, who would set up the bouzouki to my exact requirements, which I duly explained. There was no pressure on me to buy there and then, and I needed to have a think about it. Having been impressed with my initial call, not to mention the price, I called back the next day. I spoke to someone else, who had actually been briefed about the conversation the day before, and had the notes to hand. I explained that I was ready to buy it, and he was very helpful, informing me when they would get the instrument from the warehouse, confirming my setup requirements, which day the luthier would set it up, and which day it would be shipped. I haven't had such courtesy from a shop in a very long time. It arrived today, exactly when they said it would, perfectly packaged, and most importantly, set up beautifully. I will buy from The Music Box again in a heartbeat!

These guys must have been in business for just over a year now. I remember them opening just after…read moreI started working as a workshop manager for a nearby cycle shop. I also remember wondering if they were going to survive. When they first set out they seemed to stock exclusively weird and wonderful guitar based things like twelve strings and guitars with seventy three necks. They seem to have calmed that side of things down now though and focussed mainly in the folk side of things. The service is still the warm personal experience that I have always had from them though, when I looked in briefly today , only after a business card, the man who I spoke to was so welcoming I thought he was about to offer me a cup of tea. Not only have these guys got their stock to be a bit more down to earth but they now offer a really comprehensive range of services too such as set ups for all your string instrument needs and lessons for about every folky device you can imagine. Don't worry though, if you do still want and axe with a neck sticking out at either end or a thrash metal Ukulele this is still the place to come.

Ackerman music seems to be something of a hub of the Brighton classical, Jazz and academic music…read moretuition scene. It's no real surprise as despite being quite a musically diverse city Brighton's music shops have a tendency to be very guitar orientated. Ackerman Music is all about brass, string and wood wind though. They recently won Printed music retailer of the year award and they stock a good range of instruments too. The string side of things suffers a little from the student instrument approach though with brands like Stentor being at the fore of their stock. This is often to be expected of a shop of this nature though as higher end string instruments are expensive and carrying a stock of such a high value can be financially dangerous to smaller shops. In terms of service it's hard to fault Ackerman's, the staff is happy to answer any questions you may have and they can point you in the right direction of a specialist for anything that they are unable to attend to themselves. They do seem to cater to pretty much all potential needs though. They can do a great deal of repairs on site, they have a rental facility and of course they sell instruments, music and accessories.

Really helpful. Hired an instrument as a beginner for a more…read morethan fair price, then when I purchased it, they gave me half of what I'd paid for hire back against the price of a new instrument. Many thanks.

SAM is the personable acronym of Sussex Academy of Music, a business started up in 2008 by two…read moreentrepreneurial youngsters in their early 20s. The premises are a converted business unit in the Riverside Business Centre, and being so new, are well equipped with nothing missing or broken. The situation is good as well - although it initially looks a bit soulless, a moment's walk over to the sea wall provides you with beautiful boats aplenty on the river and a lovely place to practise outdoors on a sunny Saturday. They mostly give lessons to youngsters, but adults can be involved as well. I went here, though, not as a student but to use their recording studio. This proved to be a good move on the part of those who were deciding. The studio was in good condition, with a little dais for drums and a medium sized area for recording - we fitted an eight piece band in here comfortably for a day's session. Our engineer was an enthusiastic, friendly guy with a great musical ear and infinite patience, and really took care with it, almost as if it were his band, which put me right at ease. I'd definitely recommend this place if you want to be well taken care of.

My more independent streak want's to give this place less stars, and bang on about how the staff…read moreare unfriendly an aloof and this place just doesn't have a feel for the people like Badlands Guitars (which their is some truth in). The big BUT is though, that this place is simply the biggest and most wide ranging guitar shop in Brighton, and stocks the most things. Electrics, Acoustic, Basses, Amps, Keyboards, Stomp boxes, recording equipment, song books etc etc... will be found here. I was half expecting the store employee to eat me alive or stand around me whilst I played one of the guitars and point and laugh, as I had heard some less than good things about this place, but I was pleasantly surprised to be served by a nice, chilled out dude who was helpful and unpushy. I bought a direct jack to USB to record on garage band, though could have stayed for days just looking at the guitars and dreaming. If your wanting to get a starter electric guitar as well as a high end option, this place will no doubt come in handy due to the sheer amounts they have here. I would though recommend starting at Badlands and chatting to the owner first, as he can really spend a bit of time with you and maybe take you through things, in a less frantic and busy environment.

If anyones ever been to a guitar shop in the States, then they'll know that this shop is pretty…read moresimilar. Its pretty big as the place goes back a fair old way and there is just about evey different kind of guitar, amp or drum kit to chose from. I recently bought a Squire Telecaster from them and a little practice amp as I hadn't played for yonks and they were so helpful. No hard sales and no trying to impress you with long complicated solos. I do pop in now and again for the odd tip and bit of advice and they're always happy to help. Fantastic shop!

If you are into saxes then this is a MUST VISIT…read more This is the largest sax store in the world and an absolute Mecca for sax afficionados. Almost every make of sax is stocked and you'll find every size from soprillo through to contra bass! There are several sound-proofed practice rooms where you can try out the saxes and the staff are always on hand to advise. All the staff are trained musicians and know what they're talking about. They'll listen to you play and suggest sax and mouthpiece combinations. Every accessory under the sun seems to be held and there is also a small selection of music. The shop offer a hire service too for those looking to try before they buy. Although the company trade through their website, a visit to the store is a must if you are serious. If you can't make it to Crowborough then there is now a new shop opened in London. One of the biggest attractions of the Crowborough store are their guest evenings - top players regulaly hold masterclasses (free) and these are well worth attending. Staff are not pushy and, although you're likely to come out considerably lighter in pocket than you went in, it'll be because YOU wanted to buy, not because you were made to! If you go with a non-sax player (1) you need shooting, but (2) there's a comfy sofa area with a TV (playing sax stuff) where they can while away the hours. Expect to spend HOURS here so, if you need, take lunch with you as there's nothing available on the industrial estate. Recommended and recommended again

This place is Sax heaven…read more Nothing is too much trouble and the staff are great people who obviously enjoy their work and are talented and knowledgeable musicians. we spent hours trying out altos and tenor saxes and left with a beautiful P. Mauriat. If you think you might like a saxophone, this place will make you fall in love with them.

I purchased my first violin from this establishment. It has lasted me for 12 years in good…read morecondition, so I would highly recommend this shop. It's main area of expertise is violins, violas and cellos, the stringed section of the orchestra. It provides all types of price variations on instruments, from entry level to more expensive models. You can also buy various other instruments such as saxophones and guitars. Musical accessories such as instrument cleaning objects and rosins are provided in store as well.

Their products are very disappointing. I recently bought a brand new violin which costed me £500 at…read morethis store, I was promised that it was in good condition and was efficient. Unfortunately, after the short period of a week the instrument completely fell apart without any notice, which lead to me missing a few lessons before my exam. It was very disappointing and I required a full refund. Moreover, the staff at this establishment did not give me much guidance on this matter. I would not buy any of their products again and I would strongly recommend that you find another establishment that will provide you with well working instruments.