Greg and the staff were so welcoming and knowledgeable. They assisted me with the purchase of a Mexican Fender Stratocaster signed by Joe Bonamassa . Greg shared the back story of the guitar and how Bonamassa came to sign it. Greg was fair about the price and had my guitar carefully packed up for my flight back to Colorado. I'm excited about my purchase read more

The store has a great selection, and prices that are in the range of online shops like Musician's Friend etc.. I believe they will, at least, match other prices. The sales people (Jerry and others) are good, and will answer your questions. The guy who repairs etc. is very nice. The store seems to be owned by a woman who I believe lives in Florida and isn't at the store. It's manager is Greg Chaisson. His goal, it seems, is to bring profit - a believable goal. If you shop at Bizarre, I would save time and just go to one of the other people. He is very dismissive if you return with questions or concerns. You'll see what I mean if you have to do it. read more

This place is such a great local treasure, I can't recommend it enough. They have good prices and a huge selection. The dudes are all always super cool and knowledgeable too. This is literally the only place I buy guitars from and I've been buying guitars for half my life. Every time I visit, whether it's to make a purchase or to just see what's new, I always leave in a better mood. The whole place is very down to earth, unlike some other places. I'm really surprised that there are any negative reviews considering I've been going here for the past 15ish years and it's always been great. If you're in the market for a new (or used) guitar, definitely give this place a visit. read more

Best guitar store in the valley for rare finds and good selection. Friendly and helpful staff definitely willing to share their expertise. Always a treat to stop by. read more

I've wanted a tele for a while now and these guys were great! Great selection and super helpful. Very friendly and they don't mind if you noodle around a bit and get a good feel for what you do or don't like. Needless to say I loved this beauty and the price was unbeatable, and I checked EVERYWHERE. Seriously great place! read more

Bizarre Guitar & Drums - Fender American Professional II Telecaster - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

This place was hands down the best guitar store I've been to. I was hesitant on saying how cool this store and the people who work there are because I wanted to keep it all to myself haha but its only right to give them a shoutout & share the word. Go here for used guitars before looking on online for anything from people who aren't stores. This is the place to go, they have great prices plus you know the guitars are in the right type of climate to keep them from drying out and getting messed up, etc. read more

Great guitar shop. Quality products, friendly guys, very helpful and accommodating. Definitely recommended.

Updated Review: My previous review was 5 stars and detailed how happy I was with this shop. I have to amend my review to say that while the sales staff here have always been so nice to me, I think I would only recommend this business for purchase of instruments and equipment, and would not recommend them for guitar service. I bought my guitar here in Fall 2019 and it was an easy and very positive experience. However, when I brought it back to address an intonation issue I was told by the tech that short-scale guitars "just have that issue a lot" and "there's not much you can do". He barely made any adjustments on the guitar and it played even flatter when he was done with it. Before I left he also warned me against "chasing the dragon of perfect tone". Being a new guitar player, I felt like I'd wasted his time. I didn't know his advice was bad and wasn't sure what to do. Luckily my guitar teacher knew of a good place to send me where they easily fixed the intonation problems, and now my guitar sounds great. I could see myself purchasing another new instrument here but as far as other services are concerned, I can't give them my business anymore. read more

Need a new guitar? Drums? Banjo? Look no further, the peeps at Bizarre Guitar will get you set up. Super knowledgeable and great service! Why shop corporate, when you can support local! Highly recommended! read more

I highly recommend that you avoid this shop. I don't know his name, but the dusty old guy who runs the place will not only follow you around the store making sure you don't touch anything, but When you finally ask to test a guitar, instead of letting you try and get a feel for it, he will hover over you, bragging about how he thinks he was a rockstar like five hundred years ago when he was still in his 30's. I've been living in Phoenix for about two years now, and from what I've gathered from my experience at other shops like Milano Music and Guitar Gallery (which were both wonderful shops), the owner of this place appears to be the laughing stock of the Phoenix music scene. Everyone seems to know him as the grumpy old washed up wannabe rockstar who's bitter about the fact that his glam rock band from like a thousand years ago never "made it" so he treats his customers like crap. Nobody here actually knows anything about guitars. If you ask what kind of pickups a guitar has, it will take thirty minutes to get an answer because nobody knows. I was planning to buy a Custom Shop Gibson when I came here, but because of the super awkward environment, I left and I'm glad I did. Ended up buying a beautiful Gibson Historic '57 Gold Top from Rainbow guitars in Tucson (only a couple hour drive and totally worth it). From what I've learned from talking to active musicians in the Phoenix area, real musicians know who the owner is, and they avoid this shop like the plague, because the owner is dishonest, and bitter. Unless you feel like being babysat by an arrogant 90 year old geezer, the don't come here. There are much better options in the Valley. read more

I'm just starting my guitar playing journey and these guys made it super easy on me. Greg assisted me with equipment I needed to get started and I never felt pressured to buy anything but did get a case and some accessories to get started. I will be back as this store and service is superior to others I've been to, not to mention the selection or guitars, amps and other gear both new and used. Skip guitar center and support local businesses. You'll be glad you did read more

I've been playing guitar for some 30+ years. I've worked in retail music stores and also been a customer in probably hundreds of music stores on 2 continents. Fair pricing, easy to talk to staff and great selection make this place one of the better stores I've been to in several years. I've read several reviews and the main complaint seems to be that the staff doesn't just let people grab guitars off the wall.. duh.. Guitar center let's that stuff roll and many of their presentation pieces show damage because of it. I wouldn't expect to drive a car off of the lot without a sales person nor would I expect in any decent guitar store to just reach up and grab a guitar without commentary. The owner is easy to talk to and deal with and I've bought two guitars here so far and will likes do so again. read more

I'm new to the Phoenix area and was looking for a guitar store to fix a broken string. I went to Bizarre Guitar & Drums and Ryan was so friendly and helpful the minute I walked through the door. When he replaced the string he explained exactly what he was doing and offered some helpful tips. I will definitely be going back for any guitar needs. I'm so happy that I found my guitar store in Phoenix!! read more

Went in to have my guitar checked out, very friendly staff. listen to my question and concerns, gave me positive feed back, along with helpful tips on maintenance. Huge selection! I will be going back for my next purchase... read more

Just stopped by Bizarre Guitar & Drums for the first time today and this place rocks! I am a avid collector of both guitars and basses. They had a beautiful Fender American Exotic Wood Jazz Bass that I had to have. Price was awesome and I left with my new axe. Before you head to the chain stores that have a generic selection check these guys out it is worth the drive! They are an hour from where I live but I won't to head to Bizarre Guitar & Drums before any other shop. read more

Love the guys at this shop! They were very knowledgeable, polite, and helpful when aiding my son and in picking new guitars. I'm not sure why they have negative reviews but our experience was more than pleasant. Greg and Jerry were both friendly, informative, and took their time when answering our questions. We spent about an hour in the store exploring and asking questions. I love supporting local businesses and highly recommend this establishment to new or experienced musicians seeking an educational and pleasant shopping experience! read more

Bizarre Guitar & Drums - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

I have been shopping at this place for many many years. I've purchased a number of guitars and basses from them over the years. Sadly, they lost my business for good. The owner is not a man of his word. I was in there last weekend wanting to buy a guitar that I've been looking at for well over a year now. I asked the sales person if they took trade ins and he said they did. I ended up coming back in a few days later with a very nice acoustic that is only a few months old, and was in mint condition. The owner looked at it and offered me well below HALF of what it was worth. He tried to tell me that they have to do trades that make sense to them. Clearly, low balling the hell out of people is what makes sense to them. I said I wasn't interested in making the trade and started to walk out. He then said he could take some money off the guitar and threw out an offer and said that it would be the "out the door" cash price. I mentioned I didn't have cash, and he told me he could do the same price on my card. I then repeated, "you can do the same offer out the door on my card?" And he said yes. I ended up saying I would need to think about it, then left the store. I came back about an hour later to buy the guitar. When the owner rang it up, I handed him my card. He then looked at me and said, that was cash only. I said to him that he told me I could do the same deal on my card, and he told me he never said that. He said, he was the one who made the policy and he would never offer a deal like that on a credit card. He then told me it would be another $54 in tax. Well, that was it for me, I told him no and walked out. When I got to my car, I googled the guitar to see how much I could get one for from another store. I ended up buying the same guitar from Sweetwater for $75 less, including case, tax and shipping, and a two year warranty from SW....ON MY CARD! Thanks for screwing me on the deal BG. You lost a sale and customer, and I saved $75 and got a free warranty. If you can't stand by what you tell people, you shouldn't be in business. This place gets shit reviews for a very good reason. The owner has no integrity whatsoever. It's to bad to, this place used to be a great guitar store. I strongly recommend steering clear of this place. Give your money to someplace that cares about their customers. I will never be going back. Also, it's very obvious a great deal of your 5 star reviews are faked. You might want to stop doing that, it just makes you look ridiculous. read more

I purchased a kids guitar awhile ago from Bizarre Guitar as a gift for someone. I wound up returning it and was given a $79 in store credit slip. The problem is, the in store credit had an expiration of 30 days, which I was unable to use in that time frame. So basically, Bizarre Guitar took $79 of my money and I got nothing. The staff also seemed snobby and offish when I was in there making the return. Screw this place. read more

I usually give any place that ISN'T Guitar Center extra points just for making it, but you have to have some kind of customer service. Staff is rude, snobbish, and their guitar selection really isn't that great. Yeah, I've played Martins, Gibsons, Fenders, yadda yadda yadda, so has everyone else and their grandmother. Get some vintage offsets, Gretsch, or Vox guitars to even start being "bizarre." Prices were on the high side, but if you're going for the Rics, money is no object anyways I suppose. I'm fairly certain if they knew I was in the market for one, they'd perk right up. I'm not surprised other people had bad experiences with returns or even sexual harassment. In fact, as I walked out, I could of swore I heard 'Deliverance'-style dueling banjos playing, or maybe it was 'Comanche' by The Revels? Avoid and take your hard-earned cash elsewhere. read more

Good selection, good prices but not really sure how much I trust this store. It's one of those used car salesman kind of music shops which have pretty things which may have questionable history. Because of their great selection, I come back a good amount and look around. The staff is nice, but they always stand over you like a hawk and try to prove that they know more than you about what you came in asking about. The selection is pretty righteous, Marshall Stacks, lots of older American made Fenders, racks of Martins, Taylors and Alvarez acoustics, some PA equipment and a good selection of Bass heads and cabs. It's just their policies (way under valuing trades and not allowing you to test stuff without being hassled by them) and their staff's slimy personalities that keep them down. read more

I decided to go to Bizarre Guitar after a really terrible experience at Guitar Center. The staff at B.G. were friendly and attentive. As a woman, it has been my experience if you walk in with a man the staff will almost always talk to the man you are with, and ignore you (the woman). Not here! I super appreciate that. The owner was informative, walking me through the basic features, which I also appreciated since it's been years since I've played electric. B.G. has a great selection and I didn't feel like I was infringing on some elitist club of gearheads (always a concern of mine when I go into any guitar store). I got a great deal on my Fender Squire Strat and I couldn't be happier that I decided to shop local. Overall I felt the store vibe was good and the staff was approachable, informative, fair, and friendly. I will absolutely be back to shop here in the future. read more

Went in on a Saturday. Nice selection. Immediately I was pounced on by a guy who said, "We'll help you with any guitar you want to try out. We'll get them down off the wall for you." Seemed like a gesture of good customer service on the surface, but something seemed a bit odd, as it was less friendly and more an implied command of what they will tolerate with shop visitors. I am a lefty strummer, but gladly, I found a much better than average selection of both electric and acoustic guitars. In the acoustic room, a younger guy was very helpful and pleasant enough but he had little knowledge of models' specs as I asked about whether backs and sides were solid or laminates and he couldn't answer those questions. He also seemed to not have much awareness of distinctions between 12 and 14 fret guitars. But he was helpful and got a ladder and went up and down with a few guitars for me. Tuned each one before handing it to me. Nice Eastman dread, nice Alvarez parlor there.... I was there with my late brother's old friend who mentioned he had a '66 Fender Mustang, so I asked the guy behind the counter near the door what the guitar might be worth. "Our boss charges $20 (might have been more, I forget, but the amount was not relevant at all, really...) for appraisals." I wasn't looking for an appraisal, just a ballpark figure. I know I could look up something online or on eBay, but was 'just wondering'. I said I thought there might be a book around with some guitar values listed. The guy replied, "There's about ten books around with values listed." It was then when I detected the subtle contempt he had for this customer. I could elaborate, but simply put, he had summed up my purpose in coming into the shop and he was not nice, not helpful, and missed a whole lot of civil and social processing skills that someone in sales would benefit from. I will never return to this store, nor will I recommend anyone go there. Too bad because lefty offerings there were much better than the typical guitar shop that has, maybe, one dusty entry level Fender dread, and/or one dusty Fender MIM or Squire Strat hanging with rotten strings. No, the guy in essence told me, indirectly, as I came in that i was not to touch anything without permission, and, I repeat, wouldn't consider my curiosity about the value of a guitar without barking out that I'd have to pay first. He was not nice. Enough with that organization, IMHO. read more

Generally speaking, this place overprices their gear and lowballs you if you take anything in to sell/trade. They do have a great selection, but DEFINITELY don't take anything to trade in, and hope to be able to haggle if you want to buy something here - unless you really, really want one of their used items. Since you can't respond to owners publicly (or at least I can never figure out how), I'll just say I brought in good gear and was offered less than half of what I got in Craiglist - where I got multiple offers within a couple hours. Pretty sure I priced it below what they would've done, too, based on similar stuff. I wasn't trying to "unload" anything, just got a great deal on a better equipment. Don't get me wrong, this place is way better than Guitar Center, and they always have some amazing guitars in stock - just don't expect to get a good deal on a trade-in. read more

I really just don't like coming here. I have been here a few times maybe 4 or 5 times and every time I come here the staff treat me like I'm going to steal something. I almost just walked around with my hands up in the air in sight so they would back off. I understand that its probably annoying if people frequently come in, fondle your guitars and never buy anything, but I have come here with the intent to buy a guitar a few times and eventually after the staff giving me the shortest of answers to my questions and standing directly infront of me like a body guard when I pull one off the hooks Im not even thinking about it anymore. Good luck in this bad economy bizarre guitars, you will need it. read more

I was given a gift certificate for this place and drove 25 miles to get there, not happy about that. But, I spent a half an hour there looking at the HUGE selection of guitars, probably way more axes than any other place in The Valley! They had very few used instruments, which is what I am always looking for, so nix the 5 Star rating there. What they do have is a mighty collection of many brands of guitars you don't see anywhere else- Charvel customs, a plethora of all kinds of Jacksons, and the usual assortment of Fender, Gibson, PRS, etc. etc. Not too many accessories or effects, but a vast, huge, and colorful assortment of guitars... Definitely worth a look! read more

Bizarre Guitar & Drums - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

If you know what you want you'll be in the clear. I went in here just to check it out but was impressed by the selection. I had my heart set on a Gibson Les Paul Special in TV yellow but thought it was kind of annoying to ask to play it. And like what most are saying, they hover around you like a used car dealership. I completely understand if it was like a 10 year old wanting to touch pretty colors but damn, this isn't my first rodeo. Anyways, I settled on a used sea foam green Fender strat, which I got for $300 with a strap. A great deal, but later on I ended up getting that same Gibson for a lot cheaper at Guitar Center. read more

I have to admit, I was a little hesitant going here because of the reviews but I heard they had a huge selection and I was looking for something specific. Staff were friendly and helpful. They just asked (politely) that I let them take the guitar off the rack if I wanted to try one. I'm ok with that. When I wanted to try one out, a staff member took it down and quickly tuned it up for me, then left me to noodle around. No hovering. No pressure. Pretty low key to be honest. I left with a guitar that was on sale for an awesome price. Mint condition and set-up perfect. All around a good experience. read more

My recent visit started off good. Was greeted and such, but then it went downhill. Brandon (dude with ponytail and beard) was just ok, when he first started helping us, but as time went on he kept on getting more rude. My brother was trying to find an acoustic but didn't know what he wanted. Brandon got frustrated and started swearing cause he couldn't seem to figured out what my brother wanted. Overall Brandon said he has been working there too long, the guitar selection is not BIZZARE, and they just don't care about the customer, they care about the paycheck. read more

Ok experience overall....good selection of guitars. They prefer you don't take guitars down off the wall hooks - my guess is they've had some problems in the past with the hooks (or the customers). Don't let this put you off, however... read more

Greg Chaisson actually helped me buy my first electric guitar. It was a great experience looking through all the guitar options as well as being able to play them. Once I found the guitar I liked, they made sure to go through the different parts of the guitar. Bizarre Guitar rocks! read more

Pretty alright selection, disappointing customer service. First of all, everyone I know who has ever gone there (myself included) has been followed around the store by the employees. I went in with a female friend of mine about six months ago (I'm also female) and as soon as we walked in we got pounced on by the guy working the front. His first question was: "So... do you guys actually play?" Unfortunate that a locally owned business has such a bro-centric atmosphere. Way to alienate a lot of potential customers. Extremely insulting and uncool. read more

Great guitars, they have several Gibson Re-issues that no other stores seem to have.. customer service was ok too, asked if I needed help, friendly but didn't hover.. here's the problem, it's just about 2018, how about completing your website! Hire a high school kid and pay him a couple of hundred $$ and get your inventory online! Update it! I have the money to buy any guitar in your shop, what I dont have is the time to drive to downtown Phoenix to see it in person. I can guarantee I would have bought a couple of guitars from you by now if I was able to check out your inventory conveniently.. instead I bought where it was close and easy.. read more

This place makes me sad. My dad bought me my first guitar here. I remember him saying then that they act like customers are major inconveniences and I didn't understand this when I was 12, but needless to say, the owner is still a jerk, ha. I have been in a few times since and the only time I haven't been disrespected was in the early 2000's when they recognized me from a band I was in that was doing really well at the time. Again. Got my first guitar here and any time I have even called to inquire about stock they're rude as hell. Sad. read more

I went in the have a guitar restrung. Brandon introduced himself and I mentioned that I was giving it to my nephew so he didn't have to share 1 guitar with his sister. He was so helpful, knew I was leaving town tomorrow and got it restrung within a couple of hours. He also gave me some picks and posters to give the kids. I have seen some of the past reviews. I had nothing but amazing service while there. Thank you Brandon. read more

I visited this store for the first time a couple months ago to get some strings. The staff helped to find the strings that I wanted and made some good suggestions. Good transaction. Came back this week to purchase a nylon string guitar. I came here after spending a half hour at Guitar center waiting for a sales person to help me. I'm not sure what some of these negative reviews are about. They showed me their stock of nylon string acoustics, took several down for me to play, and left me alone to play them each one by one. I decided on a Hofner HZ27. They even threw in a new set of strings. After playing it for a day, I realized that I should have selected an instrument with a cut away. I called and asked if I could bring it back and upgrade and they agreed, no problem. I brought the Hofner back today and again, played a couple more instruments. Same as before, they took them down one at a time and left me to play. I asked to see a Taylor NS24ce. I told them I probably couldn't afford it, but would like to play it anyway. He took it down and I ended up buying it. It had a tiny buzz, so they did a neck adjustment on the spot. Again, they threw in a set of strings. Never had that happen at Guitar center. From now on I am buying my instruments at Bizarre. Guitar Center lost a customer today. read more

Bought a pre-owned Gibson L-4A Acoustic Electric from this shop on Reverb.com and they DONOT stand behind what they sell. I received the guitar and played it for a few minutes and realized the action was so high it was extremely difficult to play so I took it to my guitar tech the following morning. Usually takes my guy a week or so to get'em setup and back to me. Nine days lapses so I call and ask if she's done and he says he hasn't had a chance to look at it and he'll do it right then. An hour and a half later he gives me a call and says there's a problem with the neck so I drive down there and sure enough there's a back bow at the third fret and he gives me options for repair which is about $200. I contact Bizarre Guitar and Drums and tell them there's a problem and ask them how they'd like to handle it and they tell me it's been 10 days and it's outside Reverb's "7" day window and there is nothing they are required to do to help me so they are hiding behind Reverb's 7 day notification policy and not doing the right thing. The worst part was Greg's smug response. read more

This place is awesome! My 10 year old son saved up for over a year to buy his dream guitar and the guys at Bizarre were amazing in the process. They let him play whatever he wanted, answered all his questions, spent time with him on multiple occasions to make sure he would be happy with what he was getting and with the deal. They ordered the specific model/color he was looking for. Once arrived, they set it up to his specifications. They really went above and beyond to make him happy. Greg, the manager, was so friendly and accommodating. This will definitely not be the last purchase from Bizaare. read more

I've been to this place with my friends a few times and it's great! They have an amazing selection. As a left handed guitarist, they have enough left handed guitars to be choosy with, and this is the first music store I can say that about. The staff are knowledgeable, friendly, and passionate. I left here with a set of new cymbals last time, and the staff was very helpful when I was struggling to pick them out (I didn't know what I was looking for, I'm a new drummer). They even gave me a better price than what was on the tag, just to hook me up! Now there's one thing I should say, do not walk in here expecting it to be Guitar Center. They're very careful about preventing damage to their instruments, which means they make sure you don't scratch up the back of a guitar with a zipper, and they prefer to take the guitars down themselves because they're hard to take down and they don't want anyone to accidentally dent them or something. If you've ever picked up a "new" guitar at Guitar Center and it looks just as scratched up as a used one, you'll understand why they do this. This isn't them being "rude" by watching you around their instruments, this is them making sure you get what you pay for and get a quality, new instrument! read more

I have purchased two Eastmans from BG, one for me, one for my son. If you are interested in Eastmans, this is the place. We had the same guy help us both times and he was very helpful and patient. BG offers a free set up and re-string when you purchase. I was coming up on a year after purchase and took my Eastman in. Brandon looked it over and said the Oasis humidifier I use was not doing its job, the crystals were gone and it was leaking. The guitar's frets were sprouting and sharp and there was a hump in the neck. Dropped it off Sat. and picked it up Monday. They did a great set up and fret dress. As stated elsewhere, this is a non-corporate shop. If some goofball drops a guitar, they can't send it back to corporate for a new one. I'm Ok with them helping me by taking the guitar off the wall and replacing it. Even being careful I have banged guitars trying to do this in other shops and I certainly understand why they would prefer to help you. After all, it's their guitar (until you buy it). It can be intimidating to have a sales person standing there while you are trying to play but the better you get, the less it matters, so practice! If you just can't handle it, head over to Sam Ash. They have a great acoustic guitar room there and no salesman hovering. But they don't sell Eastmans and they don't offer a free string change and set up after purchase. We could all use a little customer service training from time to time. These guys are guitar guys and they seem to know their stuff. They are not corporate trained robots with glued on smiles. I'm sure it gets exasperating answering the same questions over and over but such is the nature of working in retail. The trick is to understand the experience from the customers point of view and to treat them as you would like to be treated. The prices are good, they have a great selection and there is no reason to buy a guitar on-line when you can go to BG and play the actual guitar! read more

Very nice selection of used instruments. The prices are much better than buying something new. I was referred by a friend and I am glad I made the drive. The people who work here are real musicians and they know their stuff. They will play the instruments for you and tell you all the good facts about them.People come in to sell them things too. read more