When you walk in to the shop, one look around at the warm and rich woods of the instruments and walls lets you know instantly that this isn't Guitar Center - it's WAY better. They have all manner of high quality stringed instruments - guitars, harps, banjos, more. I went in specifically to get a decent acoustic guitar. They have a nice selection of acoustic guitars in the higher $300 range all the way up to five figures. The staff was very knowledgeable about who and where the guitars come from, the wood used and the characteristics that the wood adds to the sound. They were right about everything I asked and already knew, so I trusted them easily. I bet they could answer any question, they know their stuff! If I knew nothing about instruments I would trust them to help me out. I'm no crazy guitar veteran - just transitioning from playing electric for many years - so there wasn't much in my price range, but what was there were all top choices. I fell head over heels for an Art & Luthiere with a mahogany top. It sounds good, looks good, feels good in my lap, didn't break my bank, and I knew I wasn't going to do any better at Guitar Center, so I decided to take it home. I get 10 days to play it and decide if I really want to keep it. Before then I can return it no questions asked as long as it's in the same condition, and I get 1 hour of free shop time for any kind of repair or tweaking, free with my purchase. Sweet! Overall this shop has their act together. If you're looking for a high quality instrument, this is your place! read more

Mine was a disappointing guitar purchase experience, mainly because of bad luck in linking up with the wrong sales person who must've sold used cars in the past. There are some great down to earth folks there and oh how I wish I had dealt with them. They claim no commission, but I think there is because of the way this person aggressively pursued the sale. Despite that, the guitar pretty much sold itself and I decided to get it anyways and didn't want to prolong my search. Once the credit card was swiped and the sale rung up (no other customers were waiting), the person disappeared in a flash to a back room without a word. There I was standing by myself with my new guitar....no good-bye or seeing me off....I just looked around in bewilderment, picked up the guitar and quietly climbed the stairs and got out of there. What an empty unsatisfying sales experience and I've had much, much better service at another unnamed major guitar shop chain. Seems like the instrument lessons side of the business may be better. Be aware that their guitars are heavily handled (carefully check their condition) and prices a bit high (above minimum advertised price), so there is always room to negotiate. As well the set-up of the guitars is as received from the supplier. Nice place to visit, but choose your salesperson carefully if you plan on dropping big bucks. There are good people there, just watch out for the sales sharks. read more

This store is the BOMB DOT COM. I'm seriously so effing impressed. I walk in, this guy Adam immediately walks up and asks me what I'm looking for. This dude helps me find PERFECT instrument. He also threw in a free penny whistle. I will never go to another guitar store, even if I move away from Seattle. Go Dusty String! *heart* read more

I used to go to Dusty every week because I was taking singing lessons there. They have lesson rooms in the back that they lease to instructors and hold workshops etc. I'm not much of a guitar player, but I've been playing percussion most of my life, so if I arrived early, or if the lesson before me ran long I would peruse the stock, sometimes I'd play some of the instruments. Without fail, even when I didn't touch anything, I felt like I was being watched and would eventfully get a standoffish "can I help you?" from the same employees week after week. And every time I'd respond in the same manner reminding them that "I have a singing lesson and I'm just waiting for her to come out". On weeks that I was running behind schedule, I'd walk straight into the back where the lesson rooms are. Multiple times I had an employee sprint after me and say something like "Excuse Me! You can't come back here" and I'd respond "I have a singing lesson, I come here every week". Honestly getting an employee's attention when you actually want it is a pain in butt, so why would I bother making an effort just to tell one of them I'm going into the back for the same reason every week? They could just lock the door if the care some much. I feel like this is an old smelly 'yuppie-in-denial' hippie guitar store that caters to one client profile only. The guitars are all super expensive, and I can't say if they are a good deal they certainly appear to be very high quality. The percussion is certainly not a deal. The teacher I was seeing was not happy with their policies and pricing either, so she eventually moved to a different studio, which was great for both us. read more

This place is wonderful. We've gotten a lot of sound advice and superb instruments at Dusty Strings over the years. Even if you don't need anything, pop in and have a look around- it's the Diagon Alley of music stores. read more

I have known about this store for a long time, been in a few times but never realized its value until I learned guitar this summer. I bought a decent solid wood acoustic guitar on the internet at a bargain basement kind of place and had some fun with it until I began to drool over a $3400 Taylor they had at Dusty Strings. (my modest Dean guitar cost a fraction of that.) So I decided to have my guitar "setup" done there because surely they would know what they were doing, even though I expected it to cost like 3x more than other places. I've checked other guitar stores and the standard "setup" price provided nothing serious is wrong, is $50. So I took in my guitar and asked the luthier to make it play like that Taylor. So he did. Now my guitar sounds amazing and plays like butter. I can even play D minor without wincing now, and all the correct strings make sound. It took about 45 minutes and he charged me $20. Unbelievable. I will be back here for ALLLL my stringed instrument needs. Oh, and, on my way out, the friendly guy who'd answered my phone call in the first place spent about 15 minutes answering small questions about different kinds of strings with me, after closing time. read more

Dusty Strings gets one star for product selection and variety, and one star for not being Guitar Center; after that it's all downhill. The attitude of the shop is comparable to the people who booed Dylan at Newport: if it's not pure American folk music, it has to be crap. I've shopped at plenty of folk-oriented music stores (Different Strummer in Chicago and Saratoga Guitar in Saratoga Springs to name two of my favorites), but nowhere have I found the pretentious attitude that Dusty Strings must require for all of their employees. The selection is fantastic, but overpriced. Their tech work is similarly overpriced, but lacking any competence. If you're an aging baby-boomer trying to re-live your Peter, Paul & Mary past and think a $5000 Martin will help, this is your place. If you're a working musician head down the street to American Music where they know what they are doing. read more

This is a first-rate acoustic music shop. The people are very nice and helpful. If you need help, want to be noticed, or just want to ask a question, then speak up--these folks are busy. The folks who find it stuffy/snobby etc. are just feeling out of place because they are new to that scene--they should not lay their feeling of discomfort on the merchant. An alternative to this place is...well there isn't anything in Seattle that is close to this. read more

Decent prices on a good selection of new and used ukuleles, guitars, and other string instruments with frets. Not really the place to go for Violins or Cellos, but nobody does everything! read more

Summary: Friendly, knowledgeable, fair, and helpful. Recently, I had to take my Martin guitar in for a warranty issue, and was directed to Dusty Strings by Martin's service people. Turns out that Dusty Strings is both a Martin dealer, and one of their certified repair shops. The work done in their repair shop was of high quality, I was contacted regularly to alert me to status, and the people working there were great. If you haven't been there, it's really well hidden, down a long flight of stairs in the basement of the building. Don't let the basement part fool you though - it's got high ceilings, is well lit, has lots of room, and, most importantly, has a selection of some of the finest stringed instruments in the NorthWest. While waiting for my turn at the desk of the repair shop, I got to try out some really cool guitars that I'd only read about (still like mine best), explore some ukeleles and mandolins, and generally go nuts. What a cool place! If you like music and have a few hours to kill, this is your place. If you're looking to buy a guitar or some such, I'd definitely put Dusty Strings on your list of places to visit before making a decision. read more

I recently came to Dusty Strings for the first time and had a wonderful experience! The store is adorable and well stocked, and the staff was friendly and obviously happy to be working there. Adam helped me and was absolutely amazing! He was kind, patient with my lack of knowledge (I'm a beginner guitar player), well informed, and even funny at times :) I will definitely be returning and recommend stopping by even just to look at all the cool instruments. Thank you dusty strings! read more

Dusty Strings is hands down the best Guitar/Instrument shop I have ever been to. I dont understand the bad ratings and comments. 'I was completely ignored', 'the staff is stuck up' etc... I have literally never experienced any of these things, and I go to the shop about twice a month. I think that its amazing that you can walk in and just grab a 5,000 Collings off the wall and start playing. They just come up and ask you how you like the instrument, and even recommend others you should check out. 5 stars. read more

Surprised there are some less than stellar reviews. We came in here knowing nothing about guitars wanting to find a good starter guitar for a musician who is wanting to try something new. We had very attentive but not overbearing help, and walked away with what appears to be a great piece of gear. So happy this place was so convenient to us, and open on a Sunday! read more

Dusty Strings has always been a favorite place for me stop and browse in Fremont. There is a fascinating array of instruments from guitars to ukuleles, banjos, harps, dulcimers, etc... It's a low key place where you can pick up any of the instruments and strum and not feel like the staff is staring at you or following you around. Seems like everyone working there is friendly and genuinely happy to be working there sharing their love of music. read more

This is a really neat shop! With a super friendly and knowledgeable staff. This Fremont gem is a great place to check out if you're actually in the market for an instrument, or to just wander around and try things out. read more

Customer service from hell, which is a shame because I was prepared to spend $2000 on a guitar I found there. Instead, I left. This was also a recommendation: The owner of a music store in Bellingham told me that if I was looking for a Taylor guitar (I am) that I should check out Dusty Strings in Seattle. Well, I did and they were rude and I won't be back. read more

I came in with my husband to look, possibly purchase my Christmas present, a ukulele, and had the best experience with customer service ever. Michael was the wonderful person who assisted us from start to finish. Very informative and the reason we purchased today from Dusty Strings. We came to look at first but he wow'd us over with his knowledge and customer service. Dusty Springs was an impressive music store and we surely will be returning for other purchases. I give DS a 10 Star rating. read more

I'm just starting out and needed some help. Super nice people in a super nice store. If I stay with this instrument then this place will be where I shop for music. read more

When it comes to acoustic instruments, I don't go anywhere else for repairs or purchases. I trust them 100% with all my instruments.

One of the best music shops around. They have a huge variety of instruments including guitars, banjos, mandolins, harps, violins, etc. The staff is extremely friendly and knowledgeable and you're free to play with any instrument you like. I'd recommend playing around with the hammered dulcimers. Anyone who's into music should check this place out. read more

I was invited by one of my clients to see her perform at a harp recital. The fact that they actually have recitals for harps and strings peaked my interest from the start. Being my first time to Freemont I was intrigued by all the cute little shops and "hippie" style atmosphere. The store is down some stairs in an "underground" sort of place. There inventory seemed pretty typical of most music stores I've been too. I was really happy to see many practice rooms where you can take private lessons as well as a performance room (where the recital was held). I found some great Christmas presents for my family and left happy. The energy of the place was good, but I can't say I was completely blown away by anything in particular. read more

Dusty Strings is an amazing guitar shop with an awesome selection of high end acoustic guitars (Martins, Taylors, Collings etc.,) harps, ukes, banjos, mandolins and more! When I went, there weren't a ton of people either so I could actually hear myself playing! (unlike guitar center) Also, the staff working there are all super friendly and helpful. Never having played a harp and very curious about them, i asked the older lady if I could play one and she gladly showed me how the tunings and string setup worked and even let me play one the beautiful full-sized ones! What more could you ask for??? Didn't need anything, but i loved this place so much I got a little leather pick holder key chain! Wish there were more places like this in San Francisco! read more

Great shop -- I came in last week not knowing they were closing in 10 minutes. They were very accommodating and the guitar tech was able to do a quick adjustment on my Martin that has made a HUGE difference. What a great experience. Also a fun shop to go in and explore stringed instruments of all kinds! read more

This is my first non-food review, so bear with me here. I been going to this shop since the mid-80s and the stairs never do get easier. One of my biggest peeves is that this place is not ADA accessible, and they lose a star for that, but lets get to the heart of the review. This is pretty much your standard small-owned folk music shop. They specialize in harp and dulcimer making and do some luthering in guitar and related plucked string instruments. I do own one of their hammered dulcimers and am familiar with their harps first-hand as well. The HD's range from mid caliber to excellent. For the most part the lower grade ones can top off any other model such as those sold at Lark in the Morning or Whamdiddle. The mid level ones are a hit and miss and their high level ones are great, but heavy to pack and a pain to tune on a routine basis. For the most part they hold their pitch well, but weather, travel, small kids will all affect the tuning of it; if you ever find time to do it. The rest of the inventory is pretty standard crap to the professional stuff. I like the banjos and mandos pretty well, but technically I can find cheaper someplace else. The percussion section is mainly for kids it seems with a few pro-hand-drums thrown in the mix. CDs and sheet music mainly revolve around folk and Irish-que music. Some complaints I can add are that the Erhus are not set up right, the staff know a lot about harps and dulcimers, but that is where their knowledge comes to an end. If you are mainly a guitarist who dabs more then just folk music, then this is NOT the place for you; likewise if you are a drummer who gigs more then drum circles then you might not find your calling here. Service is fair depending on how busy they are and where your niche lies. For instance, if you are the next coming of Hendrix, then you will probably be ignored or at least find yourself feeling odd or out of place. The only reason I feel they put up with me is that I bring in business and can play Led Zeppelin tunes on hammer dulcimer. Sometimes if you find them in a good mood, they will be willing to jam, but as sales are their lifeblood, they are not as open to "jammers" as Guitar Center or American Music are. The decor is just okay. Clean and functional. Reminds me of a revamped basement with a bunch of guitars and such in it. More on this in location. Location is a mix of sucky and good. The good parts are that it lies in the heart of Fremont on the 73, 28, and 26. Parking is offered on the southside, but limited. Across the street from a PCC and a great Greek place (see my review on Costa Opa). You would think this would be great until you walk in the door and first off face a 80 degree incline of two story stairs. Now for most people, this is not much of an issue; and if you just pack small things and such, you will not find this to be a bother. However, being someone who instrument stock revolves around string basses and large percussion (like marimbas etc) Lugging a 6 foot instrument down a steep flight of stairs and trying to wedge my fat butt into the downstairs hall is not a good thing. Plus, for the elderly and handicapped, they pretty much eliminate this population from shopping. So, that is their Achilles heel to say. So, overall they are a good shop for what they know and are. Yet, many would be better off going someplace else for more mainline musical goodness if they are not a dulcimer or harp player. Woo. read more

On vacation in Seattle from Hawaii and found this place as we were doing research online. Well-organized and well-laid-out shop. Great used Martin, Taylor, Santa Cruz and other high-end vintage guitars. Staff was extremely nice and helpful. We had such a great experience that we even purchased a Dusty Strings t-shirt to represent! Highly recommend this place. read more

Dusty Strings is the best music shop in Seattle, hands down. They have a great selection of guitars and the customer service is truly top-notch. I visited the store yesterday to purchase some new strings for my guitar and the employee who helped me (Sarah Bost) not have been more profressional, patient, and friendly. She gave me great advice as well as a thorough lesson on how to efficiently change my strings. I've had great experiences with other employees as well and am already looking forward to my next visit. read more

I highly recommend John at Dusty Strings. I recently had a great conversation with him about the Dusty Strings Harps. Very nice and easy to talk to. read more

A friend of mine was having problems with the action on their guitar, so I made the adjustments myself. After getting things relatively dialed in, I took the guitar to Dusty Strings and asked them to take a look at it and give me feedback. Dan (the general manager, perhaps?) treated me so well. He enthusiastically answered all my questions, gave me feedback, and even took me into the luthier shop to talk with their veteran luthier. I left the store an hour and a half later, having only purchased a new set of strings, and they weren't bothered by that at all. Dan even gave me some fine steel wool to polish the frets. Also, I love seeing a music store that creates an inclusive and friendly environment for women, unlike so many guitar shops. I spoke with several female employees as well, and they know their shit. I couldn't speak more highly of this shop! read more

A shout out to Gehrig, he did awesome work on two acoustic guitars. Excellent set-up bone nut and bridge replacement on a new Gibson, and re-glued the casing, cleaned and did a set up on the Guild True American. Some of the Best Luthiers in the area. read more

Great shop! The instruments are beautiful, the space is large and comfortable. Some of the workers (the women!) were extremely friendly - some of the others not as much. One lady played the hammered dulcimer for us and another was very helpful in answering questions we had. They have a great selection of nice guitars, ukes, folk harps and music lessons. I'd definitely go back next time we buy a guitar, uke, etc. read more

Fantastic experience from this store. First experience was with the repair shop. They diagnosed the problem as simpler than I thought it would be and offered to fix it while I waited since I live in Olympia. Repair done very well. Great selection of guitars to play and admire while I waited and treated us with respect (even thought the guitar was not purchased there). Second experience was with a different guitar that I thought was a simple issue. They diagnosed it as much more complicated (and showed me why). They suggested it was more than they should take care of and arranged for it to be sent to the maker under warranty. They didn't get anything out of it, but treated me with much more respect than the online store where I bought it (it was a custom shop guitar so I couldn't have purchased anything like it from Dusty Strings). This store has been top notch with every interaction. Highly recommended!! read more

Amazing place, I bought my harp here. Best customer service ever!!! I couldn't be happier! Thank you so much Dusty Strings!

Walked in here on a random weekend and the selection was jaw dropping. If you are in the market for a stringed or acoustic you should absolutely stop by. The brief words that I had with an older gentleman there were inviting and knowledgeable. Take a gander... read more

I love dusty strings! There are so many interesting and unique instruments to look at and play. And they carry a bunch of each instrument (dulcimers, harps, etc) in a wide price range (don't expect to get a crazy good deal though). The staff was friendly and not over bearing. They didn't tense up when I took a few guitars off of the wall :). One even played the dulcimer for us. Apparently, they give lessons for the dulcimer too, which isn't that common. Definitely check this place out read more

I brought in my heavily played 2003 Taylor 414CE. I had purchased a new/old Fishman Taylor prefix as the original had failed and the guitar needed everything; frets, nut, saddle, set-up and the electronics install. When I picked it up they let me plug in and play it to make sure the electronics work and I don't remember the instrument feeling or playing as beautifully even when it was new. I am thrilled with the knowledge, skill, and care of the folks at Dusty Strings. I hope your instrument is always in good shape but if you need work, Dusty Strings is the place to take it. read more

This is one of my favorite places in Seattle. One of the best acoustic guitar music stores in the world. Rivals Gryphon Strings down in Palo Alto, CA. If you are into high end acoustic guitars, or simply looking for a quality beginners instrument, look no further. This place wont sell you a piece of junk. They have it all but are nice enough to let you pretend for an hour that you are rich enough to buy a high end handbuilt guitar. read more

Ah, Dusty Strings--the perfect place to come and experiment with instruments you may never have heard of--djembes, mbiras, large wooden flutes, marimbas, and of course the wonderful guitars, harps, mandolins, banjo's, etc.... that give it its name. And dulcimers, which are a favorite of mine due to the group Magical Strings. Last time I visited a lady gave a wonderful demonstration on a large, beautifully decorated wooden harp, and my friend and I tried our hand at the dulcimers as well as some smaller instruments. There is a large music listening room, and the store often hosts concerts as well. A wonderful shop to explore when you're drifting around Fremont enjoying the sights. read more

Since the demise of Lark in the Morning, Dusty Strings is the last refuge for folk areophonists carying the superbly produced Casey Burns flutes and Tony Dixon penny whistles. If your a dulcimer or harp player, I have heard that the luthiers on site are the best on the west coast for folk strings. Even this flute player cannot deny the awesome sonosity of the 4 octave super bass D650 hammered dulcimer. If your a musician and happen to be visiting Seattle, Dusty Strings should be among the locations on a short list read more

Came in from Maui Hawaii and needed some repairs done on my ukulele. Took it down there and BAM! It was done. What amazing service and good people. Thank you and Mahalo. read more

Great selection, but quite pricey on all fronts. Their school, classes and lessons are a worthy addition.