top dogs in town Always go the extra mile. Tom S…read more A lot of knowledge between Jeff and Marshall. I recommend Top Shelf over anyone in the city. ***** five star rating Tom S.

This place destroyed the sides of my frets and fretboard doing a fret sprout repair. When I emailed…read morethe owner, Jeff, to inquire about why they did this to my guitar, he tried to justify his shop's poor work based on the quality of my guitar. He said this instrument as well as all the other instruments I brought into his shop to have work done were "Chinese made junk that weren't of any quality to begin with". I guess that justifies doing a poor repair job according to Jeffrey Benske, owner of Top Shelf Guitar Shop. He also said I constantly badgered him about spending too much money on repairs, which is a complete lie. I was just trying to spend within my budget, that's all. I was never super aggressive toward anyone at this business at any point. But, according to Jeff, I'm in the wrong since I brought cheap guitars into his shop. How dare I not bring in a 2,000-dollar Gibson or something of that sort and instead bring in a 200-dollar cheapo! It's my fault for having the audacity to bring in a cheap guitar, hence the cheap repair work! I guess I deserved it! Yeah... Right. Get out of here with that attitude. Honestly, I could say a lot more about this place because their poor work on most of the guitars I brought in over the year and a half I came here for repairs has caused me great distress as well as set me back in terms of repair work on my guitars. However, to save me from going insane, I will just post the pictures of my guitar with this review and the screenshot of the email I received after I inquired about why my guitar was ruined. I think the pictures and email speak volumes about the type of people you will be dealing with when coming into this shop for repairs. There is nothing that justifies this type of low-quality, low-effort repair work, no matter how inexpensive your guitar may be. If the sides of your frets not getting destroyed matters to you along with not dealing with arrogant, elitist business owners, I would stay far, far away from this place. I truly believe Jeff is unfit to own a guitar repair business based on my interactions with him and based on his shop's unfortunately poor work on my guitars.

Alex has made both cheap and expensive guitars of mine play like a dream. He also consulted me when…read moreI was looking for a backup bass for touring. He turned me on to a sleeper bass, that plays and sounds great, and has only gone up in value since I picked one up based on his recommendation.

I don't usually post negative reviews, in fact I only post if the business was 5 star or not at…read moreall. However having all the extra free time during COVID got me back into playing my Gibson SG the last year. So when I needed fret work and to have it restrung, I brought it here. Bad decision, he was hard to reach, took 2 weeks longer then he said to have it finished and charged almost double then he quoted me when I dropped it off. Overall I'd recommend taking your instrument elsewhere, big mistake going here.

I've had several guitars worked on. Top notch work! Really nice guys that know what they are…read moredoing! Would highly recommend!

This place rules. The owner is "one of us" and won't give you the cheesy salesman shit the other…read morejoints will.

Cream City Music is a great store. I have had an amazing experience working with sales specialists…read moreNathan Edmonson and Bill House. Both are great guys and extremely professional. The store's prices are competitive, they ship quickly, and stand by the sale. I couldn't ask for more. I highly recommend Cream City Music and Nathan and Bill.

Best place around to order. Fast shipping. Good prices. Better than Sweetwater although selection…read moremay not be as broad. Go here instead for sure man.

After trying everywhere in Milwaukee I can confidently say Denny Rauen is the best! He costs a…read morelittle more , but when you consider the cost of the job being done wrong and your time trying to get it done right, he is worth it. I consider his craftsmanship top quality and can say that we are extremely lucky to have him here in Milwaukee. A simple guitar setup from him makes all the difference...

From the owner: Since 1982, Rauen Guitars has been serving a variety of clients, including top musicians,…read moreenthusiasts, and collectors from around the world. Currently, Denny is continuing his craft but downsizing his workload. Shop operates by appointment.

I have purchased 3 guitars over the past decade from Wade's and even though I no longer live in…read moreMilwaukee, I still come back home to stop by Wade's if I'm in the market since my first experience was so great. First off, the stuff they have in stock is top notch. They have limited space, so every spot on the rack counts and I get the sense they only stock instruments they would own themselves. If you have no idea what you're doing, this is a great place to go since they will walk you through every single inch of an instrument, why it's cheaper or more expensive, demo it for you, and stick within your price range. For folk music, I have never seen such a sweet lineup of resonators. The used gear includes the rare and quirky, and the prices are fair. A key thing with Wade's vs. a Guitar Center is that Guitar Center unboxes their guitars and shelves them even if they're set up like garbage, where with Wade's every instrument is set up by their luthiers to play its best. Why I really love Wade's is the service. I saved up for a year in high school to get a Rickenbacker, and I finally got a sweet limited edition axe and it sounded amazing. I went to college and when I came back the neck pickup wasn't working. I brought it in and they said that should never happen, so they ordered the part and installed it for free. Then the bridge pickup blew out, and I sadly decided to part with my baby. They were almost as upset as I was, and again said this never should have happened, and assessed the trade in as if the guitar were in full working order. They also knocked an extra $100 off the strat I ultimately purchased in exchange. This kind of stuff I have not experienced anywhere else, and will always patronize Wade's over any other shop around.

I have had Wade's do several guitar setups and purchased a Martin acoustic from them. His shop is…read morestuffed with new & used guitars which you can play upon request. In an age of big box and internet sales, it's refreshing to have a local store with knowledgeable people who don't pressure you and answer your questions. Its like a going back in time to friendlier space and I'll keep going for all my guitar services and those Martins.

Answering the guy who claims they don't ship. Just drop them an email and they'll change the item…read morefrom pick-up only to shipping. It's unlikely they'd ship a grand piano, or a set of drums. But they'd probably accommodate your request if the item in question isn't that big. I bought a half rack that was set to pick-up only. The staff changed it to shipping, and I was able to order it the next day. The item I ordered got here in about a week, in good shape. It was well packed too. I'm happy with the service overall. I will use them again in the near future. Al

Fair offer for my old equipment. Very prompt responses. Easy to do business with. Thanks Music Go…read moreRound!

I am not a professional musician and this is really a hobby to play guitar. Walking in would make…read moreanyone's jaw drop with the huge selection of guitars. All of the major and perhaps not major brands to support beginner price points to the series musician. Not just guitars as there was a fairly good selection of drum. Every guitar accessory that you can think of they have. You can pick up any guitar and plug it into an amp and strum. I was greeted within minutes of walking in asking how they can help us. I was looking for an amp and he took the time to ask what my needs are, what type of music, etc and then took me over to a few options that may fit my needs and explained pros and cons. He spent a good 15 minutes or more with us to answer any questions. We then looked around and picked up a few guitars to play. Overall, I was impressed by the service, knowledge and inventory of the store. I didn't feel anything was overpriced for a brick and mortar store over online, and the benefit of being able to hear and pick up the instrument outweighs any little savings from online purchase in my opinion. Loved the place...

I came to guitar center about 5 years ago when my two kids wanted to learn drums and guitar. I…read morewould sit and visit with the lessons lead and eventually ,I decided I should take lessons as well. I was matched with Xy. I love her energy and passion for music. She is an incredible teacher! I've purchased several guitars, and drums from this location and appreciate the expertise of the staff. They have several faces that have been constant through the years and I appreciate their kindness and patience when I have questions. I highly recommend them for your music needs.

Lincoln Music House earns my highest recommendation. I studied here more than fifty years ago and…read morethe service and expertise I remember continues to this day. You know that's remarkable as well as I do. I recently had my Fender Strat set up here by Larry, and I could not be more pleased: knowledgeable staff, affordable pricing, accurate craftsmanship, personal service and a timely completion that NONE of the other shops in town can beat let alone approach. My Strat plays much better. Looking for something new? Lincoln Music House offers a nice selection of guitars and other music instruments, accessories, too! Thank you, Bob, Larry and Al!

Their guitar tech is great here & it's also a great place to rent instruments for school band…read moreprojects. I used to love the service here but I had an unfortunate incident in where I had to return an item I bought & only 11 days after I bought it & I was made to feel about two inches tall when I asked for the favor. Im a disabled Iraq veteran on a fixed income & I had some bad luck fall upon me & I was made to feel like I was going to bankrupt the business but fortunately the owners wife intervened & allowed my return. I cane back the next month & I bought a bass off of them, which cost 4x as much as the item I returned, & I did it as a thanks for helping me the prior month but instead of thank you, i got a sarcastic comment from the owner about if I was going to return the guitar too! I already paid for the bass otherwise I was ready to give it right back but I just kept my mouth shut despite being highly insulted. That was the last time I set foot i.n Lincoln Music House I hope their business gets better because they turned me off after going there for over 35 years. It's a shame because with Uncle Bob's going out of business, there aren't a lot of mom & pop stores left but customer service is #1 in my book & they definitely drove me away with their poor attitudes & it's a shame. Still, if you need an affordable instrument or need some maintenance on one, they do offer quality in both. My bass was set up perfectly & even though Im mad at em, I hope they continue to exist because I am a fan of small businesses even with grumpy owners.