The professionalism, kindness and helpfulness of these guys is just off the charts. Highly recommended for both purchases and repairs!!

Will never set foot in a guitar center again. This store is THE REAL DEAL! Very personal experience and VERY knowledgeable employees. read more

Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, and Dizzy Gillespie -- I used to idolize these jazz giants in middle school. During an era of ear-deafening Lil' John, Christina Aguilera, and Linkin Park junk, Giant Steps continuously spun on my CD player, an ominous poster of Miles Davis overlooked my desk, and my parents' piano constantly had finger smudges on all 88 keys. My favorite book to read at the time? Bird's Omnibook. I made it a life goal to one day flawlessly rip Parker's Mood, Yardbird Suite, and Confirmation on my Yahama alto saxophone like brushing my teeth. It's written down somewhere. Then college happened. And I stopped playing because my parents wanted me to become a doctor. And ever since then, I've felt as if part of my soul died. (Really.) Then a few weeks ago, after contemplating life and such and returning to Minnesota to find my horn, a few close friends encouraged me to reunite with my old lover. But where to get it fixed? One night my DJ friend, Alpha Trion, told me Earthshaking Music does Saxophone repairs. And as soon as they opened the next day I brought it the store. Unlike Guitar Center or Schmitt Music, Earthshaking specializes in international percussion instruments. Similarly, though, they have a robust selection of both acoustic and electric guitars. They seem to buy and sell different mixers, pianos, and other instruments and have a bevy of books, recording and audio equipment (for buy or rent), and stands, too. They contract out their saxophone repair with a man named Doug who provides his horn cleaning and repair service to other music shops. The process, itself, seemed confusing, disorganized, and not streamlined. After I had dropped it off, it took several days to find out how much it would cost to get it cleaned and repaired. They would call and leave a message. I would call back, and each person I spoke to didn't know what to do. Once I found out the price, it took several days -- with several calls back and forth, again -- to understand the breakdown of costs. However, I didn't know when to expect the service to finish. Ugh, such a headache. But, at last, I received that amazing call from Doug saying he finished. (It came out to ($50+.) I jettisoned after a meeting Downtown to Earthshaking and picked up my baby. She looked like the girl who never gained any weight at the ten-year high school reunion, with a beautiful brass shimmer, oiled button pads, and pristine interior. I couldn't have been happier! I also purchased a box of ten Vandoren reeds, 2.5 strength, at around $10, and then weaved through traffic all the way home. If I ran over a grandma in a wheelchair, I would've kept going because I needed to play at that instant. When I arrived home, I felt 18 again (well, sort of). It had been 13 years later, with my lungs not as strong and finger memory a bit slower, but I cumbersomely played one of my favorite jazz licks running two D octaves, the first page of Yard Bird Suite, and a chromatic scale. I may never be the same music guru as back then, but I'm damn sure I'll never leave my saxophone again. Thanks for helping me feel a bit more whole, Earthshaking Music. read more

Earthshaking Music - Recording & Rehearsal Studios Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

Love this place as a singer and producer they always have what I need to advance my craft...

This is a great locally owned place! All sorts of world percussion and they have classes too! I've bought several professional instruments from them; daf, doumbek, panadero, shakers and taken a cajón class. They also did great work on repairing my guitars! Friendly customer service, to boot! When your looking for something they take the time to listen to what you're expecting to get out of your equipment and gel you find what will suit your needs. read more

Luv this place! Came in to look for an amplifier for my son's bass. Got the chance to try amps and a new concept in guitars with rubber strings - it sounded so smooth. Charlie, the gentleman who helped us was so, well, helpful. He was knowledgeable and patient, yet applied no preasure. We came just to look, and ended up leaving with several items, and a deeper appreciation of the store's inventory, the expertise of the staff, and it's place in Atlanta's music scene. We will certainly return. read more

Service & Repair - 5* (then I took away one star if you're looking to buy a used guitar or their inventory of new top name guitar brands(don't come here for that). They did a GREAT JOB on MAINTENANCE of an old acoustic guitar of mine that I thought might be ready for the trash heap. I asked them if they saw any possibilities for it, they said probably $30, I said go for it - and add on a new set of strings while you're at it ($8). Two days later they said pick it up, they found two other things to repair while they were in the middle of their work - grand total - $43. I ended up with what felt like a brand new guitar. read more

BEWARE - this store's return policy! No returns are allowed, and they don't even stand by the return policy printed on their receipts: Earthshaking Music Return Policy - We offer NO refunds. We offer exchanges for store credit only, and a 10% restocking fee from the original sale will charged. Under NO circumstances will we offer refunds OR exchanges for special orders. Over the years, I have been very happy with the odd selection of instruments at this store and given them a decent amount of business. However, when a staff member there tried to say that he could only give me half the amount I paid for the items in store credit (a seemingly arbitrary amount he came up with on the fly), I explained that the return policy on the receipt stated only a 10% restocking fee - not 50%. His response was that it was 10% per day (not stated anywhere on the receipt or in the store). Some of the staff there is fantastic, but this arbitrary enforcement of an already terrible return policy not only lost them the business I was prepared to give them today, but any business in the future. read more

I travel around the globe for work and like to find local (non big-box) music stores to browse and maybe blow a little dust off the old fingers while I'm away from home. I was taken to a music rehearsal space (THANKS, GOOGLE MAPS) instead of a music store and the very nice lady there told me that they like Earthshaker Music and gave me a card. I set the GPS and off I went. First impression - Big shop! so many local joints are tiny, cluttered, or glorified pawn shops. I learned (by talking to a friendly employee) that they have a studio in the back and have plans to expand a bit! Looking around, the selection of guitars was small relative to the overall size of the shop, which is not necessarily a bad thing - but you could see that they weren't regularly carrying the range of known brands that you expect to see (which, while it may seem redundant because all the big-box stores have those options, some people would prefer to buy those same items from a local biz...). They have a little amp room and next to that, the basses/bass amp room. There were options from vintage to new, so the selection wasn't terrible, but don't expect to find the most sought-after Friedmans or Bad Cats (if you are into having what everyone else says you need to have...._) The pedal selection was pretty amazing. I'm conservative when it comes to my pedals, but they had such a range of options, I almost wanted to be a pedal-head! The world-music instrument selection was really pretty impressive. Most shops have your basic cajons, congas, djembes, etc, but these guys have so much more. While chatting with the employee I found out that they started as a drum shop with a focus on world-music, which made total sense. The staff were friendly and helpful - while making sure they were able to help others who came in (I told the guy I was from out of town and just browsing, so I appreciate that he made sure the others who came in were taken care of - I told him that I was essentially not there to buy anything unless I spotted something I couldn't live without.) Skip the big-box stores, buy local - shop at Earthshaker!! read more

This is the worst Music shop I have ever been to! ...and I've been to a lot being a musician on tour constantly all over the USA. Terrible staff, i met the owner, i don't think he is a musician- just in it for the money. very haughty and rude! They charge a lot for their stock, more than most stores and don't even stand by their product! No returns..... Hard to get help on the floor, and when you do , they are incompetent, in both knowledge of the stuff they sell, and their sales/CSR skills. My advice- take a pass on this store- and play with 5 strings for the weekend. read more

I was really impressed with my experience at Earthshaking Music. Eric looked at my bass, quickly determined what was wrong and repaired it in an incredibly timely manner. I appreciated the way in which he interacted with me. The other repair place I have dealt with made me feel like an ignorant inconvenience. Not so at Earthshaking Music. I highly recommend them. read more

Everything corporate chains aren't. For what they lack in inventory they more than make up in the obscure and eccentric. Guitar pedal nerd's dream. Some are even made in house by an employee. They do servicing,mods, maintenance and upgrades. Definitely has become my go-to for pots, knobs, caps etc. Support your neighborhood. At least grab the ever essential picks and strings and take a look around. They have nice low priced store branded straps too. But what's up with the knives? read more

This is the most eccentric music shop I've been to in Atlanta. Totally worth dropping in for some random awesome finds.

I gave them a Frankenstein beater guitar with little hope of this guitar being playable. They fixed the several issues and it plays incredible. I'll definitely be bringing my nice guitars for setup soon as this has gained my trust and I'm definitely impressed. I'm now in no hurry to get my nice guitars now though because earthshaking made it hard to put down this guitar that was supposed to be for drunkary playing. Can't wait to have them clean up my 68 sg! read more

The most reliable, helpful, friendly music shop in Atlanta. I am lucky to live close by so these guys can fix all my problems and get me the gear I need to play the best. Touring band in need of a quick replacement should look no further. These guys are the best. And the cat is very sweet read more

This place is great. I am a beginner bass player who bought my gear somewhere else (I didn't know about Earthshaking Music). But through word of mouth I went to see these guys to inspect my gear. They inspected the bass thoroughly and found that it had pretty significant but not unfixable neck warping. They adjusted the truss rod, and actually gave me tons more information about the bass than from where I bought it. The entire time I had the feeling that I should have come to Earthshaking first. Thanks guys! read more

The staff here is very nice and helpful. I came to talk to the guitar tech. The only days he is not in are Sunday's and wednesdays. I was told he is a very experienced tech. I found their harmonica selection to be the best in Atlanta period. They even have some guitars with sound posts like one finds in violins. Great shop overall! read more

Was looking at Marimba's online and found a vintage one that might work at Earthshaking. I called and asked questions about the instrument as I'm a few hours away from Atlanta. They did a great job of explaining the instrument and asked great questions about my needs. Turns out it wasn't a good fit for me, but they didn't try to oversell or push in any way. Great customer service. I'll definitely check the place out the next time I'm in town. read more

Great store with a wide variety of musical instruments. The employees are very knowledgeable about and talented to play or demonstrate the instruments. Our family enjoy looking around and trying the different guitars read more

I always liked the store and I bought a lot of gear there over the years. Staff were friendly and helpful. Beware of their Draconian return policy, regardless of what the staff represent up until the time you go to return the item.. 10% "restocking fee" assessed per day from the date of purchase. They just lost me permanently as a customer. This seems greedy and shortsighted, but i guess that's their call. read more

Best music store in Atlanta! Best selection of percussion instruments that I've ever seen. The guys there take the time to ensure that you get what you really need. If you are looking to learn an instrument, they offer instruction for just about anything that you can think of. The recording studio is a great space as well. One of Atlanta's gems, for sure. read more

Earthshaking is fantastic! Very friendly, knowledgeable staff. Good, and novel, selection. Excellent and very affordable repairs. My ancient guitar got the most gorgeous, and needed, facelift this week. Couldn't be happier. This is the beauty of supporting local businesses! read more

Most unique music store in Atlanta (maybe anywhere) with standard collection of guitars, etc. and Previously owned gear for sure but also cool vintage and excellent knock offs, fabulous percussion area and then there is the exotic stuff. My son plays multiple instruments and is always open for experimentation so ESM is my go to place for the unexpected - have gotten him a Sitar for a birthday, a Tandora (spelling?) for Xmas, a didgeridoo, various gongs and God knows what instruments from Africa and even a one of a kind one string bass, home made - killer pickup and sound. So if you're looking for posers and attitude and a vast selection of normal instruments then stick with guitar center but if you want to go outside the box go to ESM - it's worth the funky drive! read more