Very welcoming expansive and neat environment…read more Although they have a thriving on line business the retail store is exceptional. And it has a "museum" feel for any aspiring guitarist. No attitude either.One can audition a $10,000 instrument with no hesitation... Well worth the trip here even if one is just "browsing"..

Very impressive and eloquent Guitar & Drum plus Equipment Showroom. Inspiring when you walk in…read more Beautiful designed and tasteful as well as trendy decorated. The Posters on all the walls, it's like walking into a wonderful celebration of all musics greatest of all time. BB King, Lenny Kravitz, The Beatles, ... those are only a few of the greats that adorn these beautiful walls here. The amount of guitars and equipment they have available is impressive. They have private studios as well. Drums downstairs . They repair and purchase equipment. Very nice people. This is an Absolute Must SEE in Chicago.! In the beautiful neighborhood of Lakeview. Located on the West Side of the Street. Park Chicago App for parking or CTA available outside also. Target, LAFitness and Starbucks on the corners

Several month ago I had an Elektron Digitakt serviced at this store. There was a small mix up…read moreduring the repair, manager Andrew Marrah went above and beyond to ensure the device was returned to me in perfect working condition. I cannot overstate the professionalism of Andrew Marrah and everyone at Synth City. I would trust this store with anything regarding my gear, they will make sure to treat you well and with respect. 10 out of 10 hands down.

I went into this shop with a friend of mine. He tried out some Les Paul and other fender guitars…read more This place has a nice collection of vintage instruments and equipment.

I've spent a significant portion of my short life looking back on great guitarists in reverent awe…read more Richards, Page, Hendrix, Townsend, Clapton, Allman and Young are among the masterful deities I continue to look towards for inspiration. My attempt to mimic their craft alone was met with frustration, despair and often failure before finally giving in, as so many aspirational musicians eventually do. It was not until a friend recommended I check out Guitar Chicago that I dusted off my cheap Epiphone to climb back on the Steel Horse (Bon Jovi, what a gifted poet). I met with Jason, who came highly recommended. Jason has the ability to help demystify the guitar with a strong background in Jazz and a firm grip on musical theory. He's equally skilled and comfortable going through chord patterns, technique and odd Jazz rhythms as he is deconstructing a Kiss song. My goal in taking lessons was to make myself comfortable enough to play a few songs without too much butchering. Jason has helped me reach a level of comfort where I can plug my crappy guitar into my less crappy computer and record myself playing. I feel much more comfortable with the instrument than I did only a year ago. The location is great, the scheduling is flexible, online payment takes no time at all and perhaps best of all, you don't need to bring your guitar. I often leave each half hour lesson feeling accomplished and hungry for more guitar. Jason and Guitar Chicago continues to contribute to my early onset of arthritis and I couldn't be happier.

So, I have now been taking lessons for more than 1 1/2 years at Guitar Cities (Chicago), and I love…read moreit more now than I did when I first started! My skill has progressed nicely, and I'm happy and pleasantly surprised at how much I have learned and continue to learn week after week. Jim is an outstanding instructor who offers top-notch skill, patience (much needed in my case), humor, and a lot of encouragement! I couldn't be happier. I love it so much, I am now also adding Ukelele to my repertoire, in addition to acoustic guitar. However, when I took a new job 40 miles away, the commute was literally inducing psychotic levels of road rage. So in an effort to save my sanity, I began to take my lessons over Skype more than a year ago and it has been great! There are absolutely NO issues with taking lessons online vs. in-person, and I have never felt like I wasn't getting as much out of the interaction. Now it doesn't matter where you live, because technology can bridge the gap and make it possible for everyone! I HIGHLY recommend lessons with Guitar Chicago for anyone and everyone...give them a try!!!

Awesome people to do business with. No B.S., Wayne is very dry and straight to the point. I walked…read morein there off the street over 20yrs ago and instantly knew I had stumbled onto a secret Goldmine of guitars and amps. I've bought many many guitars from them over the years at extremely fair prices. Wayne is very fair and doesn't try to compete with CME, or GC, he tells it exactly like it is. It's like walking into an old hardware store or Auto shop. If you come in looking for something or for advice , they'll take care of you and you are welcome to hang out. If you come in with an entitled, woke attitude, go back to GC or BK and have it your way, nobody needs you there to ruin our vibe. Wayne, Tom, and even Rich when he's around have always been nothing but professional to the customers. The instrument selection is exactly as advertised. The best used, affordable instruments around. Dent, dings, yes. Great guitars and amps, absolutely. I currently own 4 Gibson Les Pauls and 2 ES-335's that I got great deals on from Wayne and that I never could afford new or from GC. Check it out for yourself. Ignore the 1 star-3 star crybabies. Actual working musicians, some famous , some not, go there repeatedly. Rant Over! Wayne's the best.

I have known Wayne for over 25 years and he is an absolute gem of a human being. I have bought and…read moresold gear here and now that my son has taken up music, this is where he bought his first electric guitar (J. Mascis Jazzmaster that he adores). There are a few places you will find in life that are magical and special and Midwest is one of them, Wayne's patience, generosity, knowledge and kindness are second to none. Go check it out, you will be glad you did, You may see us there, my son will be trying every single distortion pedal in turn and I will digging through the odds and ends that no one else is interested in, the weirder the better. I absolutely love this place. PS: out of curiosity I read some of the negative reviews. In you younger days (when I had copious free time) I used to hang around the place. The people who were unhappy he would haggle or buy x or y, are being overly sensitive. It is a finite amount of space, he needs to move product, he is alway candid, I bought a drum kit there to sell a few months ago, he was upfront and said he didn't handle them unless they were certain brands or vintage, no hard feelings. I have made him offers on items to have him turn them down, again, never mean or insulting. I have never seen him be anything other than a class act. He isn't going to buy things he can't sell, he isn't a charity, nor is he going to give things away. I have had dozens of friends and family buy instruments and equipment here and all of them left very happy.

Truly amazing. This place is HUGE. Everything musical and related electronics you could possibly…read moreimagine. What I truly like: 1. Prices I have looked at (mostly big stuff) are exactly what you would pay online. Companies are now very aware and competitive with online shopping. 2. You are not hounded by salesmen. I walk in, am greeted, and can wander around peacefully, trying out what I want to try out, without somebody breathing down my neck who has to be shoo-ed away. I have not (yet) needed assistance, so will not comment that far, but overhearing others seems would be good. Considering an expensive purchase, and I like to think things over. I know what my needs are.

I tested several digital pianos and my decision came down between the Roland FP-30X and Yamaha…read moreP255. The Roland won due to its superb key weight which feels exactly like playing a grand piano. In addition, I felt that the Roland's sound is better since its built upon a Steinway grand piano's sound. The P255's sound is built upon Yamaha's CFX grand piano. The P255 sounded a bit muddled in the middle to my ears. Staff is friendly and helpful.

I went to get my old guitar fix and they did an excellent job. Price was reasonable. Sales person…read morewas friendly. Would go back if my other guitar needs fixing.

Steve, one of the owners that I explained my amp repair to at the front desk, took time to…read moreunderstand my request to get my Fender "Evil" Twin that I've owned for 30 years up and running again. I did some restoration to the wood and a few pots fell off when I removed the electronics. So, it was literally in pieces when I dropped it off. It had other issues they fixed too! It was in one piece when I picked it up and it sounds and works amazing. They also had a detailed invoice of the work and took the time to explain what they did. They also did a setup on my Martin DC-16RGTE that I've had for 16 years. It plays perfectly now. Probably better than when I bought it. Steve even did a small tweak for me on the spot based on my action preference. Great customer service. Thank you!

I've been taking my guitars here for years for everything from setups to major body work. The owner…read moreis super helpful and happy to talk shop or give advice on work I'm doing on my own. Having been to a few other shops when I needed a licensed dealer for a specific job rebound repair is always my first choice.

Small independently owned guitar shop. Guys are super friendly, very knowledgeable, and their…read moreprices are reasonable. I will come back here if I ever need any repairs for my guitar for sure. Thank you!

Update March 2025: It took about 7.5 months, but I have the…read moreinstrument back and in great shape (action and intonation all fixed). Although the experience was frustrating overall, manager Charlie and two sales associates whose names I didn't catch went FAR above and beyond to make this right. I appreciate their care and transparency.

Placed an order on reverb for a guitar. Next day seller cancelled due to the item already having…read morebeen sold. Meanwhile I already bought a hardshell case and accessories elsewhere.

Jennifer Becker is amazing no one is better at instrument adjusting. She is sweet, nice and cares…read morethat she gets it just right for you.

Paul Becker seems to me to be an outstanding, honest craftsman with a big ego and poor bedside…read moremanner. Many years ago I practically had to beg him to make a bridge for my modest instrument over his insults directed at the instrument and extremely high quotes engineered to try and scare me away. (Carl Becker bridges are renowned - my violin teacher in Houston would talk lovingly of her own Becker bridge when I was a kid, and I really wanted one.) He did a fantastic job (and charged a fair price for his labor, less than he quoted), and I'm still wowed by the Becker bridge that has adorned that instrument for most of the last decade. He did similarly excellent work replacing the pegs in my instrument a few years after that. Finally, I had a bad crack in my instrument's soundboard at the saddle in line with the bass bar. In this final case, he finally refused outright to do the work. To his credit, in this last case, he solicitously referred me to a lower-brow violin shop in the suburbs (Kenneth Stein Violins in Elmhurst). Kenneth did a very competent and very affordable job fixing the crack the cheap way (from the outside, without taking the top off), and I was back in the running with a violin that sounded and (almost) looked like it had never cracked. Clearly Paul's gruffness was not malicious but more protective of his time and his reputation for extremely high-end violinmaking. The referral seemed on-point to me. Basically, Carl Becker and Son is five stars for the world-renowned work, minus one for the drama. I'd wholeheartedly recommend Paul Becker's repair and tonal adjustment work for an instrument valued at five figures or higher. You might still need some people skills to work with him, though.

Great place who has done custom-made work for me. The store is run by family with three Tommy's…read more Way to go keep up the good work. BillyPrewitt com

I love these guys. I automatically assume everyone is trying to upsell something, but these guys…read morehave been nothing but helpful for whatever I've needed. They even came in on their day off to help my daughter when she didn't pick up her guitar during regular hours. Professional and friendly. Great to have them as a local shop. Can't say enough nice things.