I was recently given a guitar to start learning on, the most obvious issue being that it's missing some strings. I figured I would take it to a local business to have it it re-strung and looked over. I waited all week to go at a time outside of my work hours because their hours are very limited. I walked in holding the guitar and the first thing that was said to me when I walked in was "we're not doing anymore repairs today". The gentleman then asked me what was wrong with it and I explained that I didn't know what and wanted it looked at. He offered to write up a value on it to let me know how much it could be worth, and I explained to him that my intention was to play this guitar and that would really only be helpful to know to compare to the cost of repair. He did show me a few guitars they had in house at what seemed like a decent price. But instructed me to come back when the repairman was in, which could be anytime because even though he had hours, he is a gig worker and sometimes has to leave. It largely felt like he was more interested in selling me something versus addressing the concerns I currently had. Can't blame him in this economy, I suppose. He was kind and it is a cool shop, just didn't seem like it was what I needed based on my situation. This place has a very small town, small store feel - if you're looking for a wide variety of instruments and/or consistent hours, this might not be the right choice for you either. read more

Great place to find out what is happening musically in town and buy tickets to shows.

I visited this great, eclectic store last week while on vacation. They had a quite a menagerie of one-of-a-kind folk instruments. Milo (the owner) talked to us at length about the shop, the various instruments there, and the about the music scene in Tucson. He gave us info about his bluegrass show, and about other musicians we might enjoy. Next time I'm in Tucson, I will definitely revisit! read more

What a wonderful shop for folk instruments. The staff is friendly, the inventory is unique, and the prices are great. I look forward to many visits, in search of inspiration, rare finds, and instruments that will bring me joy . . . and hopefully other people as well. The Folk Shop is a treasure! read more

Great shop. A great collection of used stringed intruments of all varieties.. and I mean ALL. From mountain dulcimers to a Hungarian table harp to cool old tenor banjos to a 19th century Martin parlor guitar. And a ton of cool, non-stringers as well. Antiques and other items as well. Great talking with the folks. A Tucson gotta-see. read more

What a true jem of a shop. I didn't know what to expect. I walked in and this shop isn't like your everyday music store. There is a whole room dedicated to just banjos. Another room for ukuleles and even a little uke alter. Guitars everywhere and mandolins like crazy. You won't see that at guitar center. I play the uke. I was greeted by Milo and he asked how I heard about the place and I said I heard about it from the Tucson Folk Festival. He said he helped run and organize that for 17 years. Folks this is a community store not a chain store. Please support it. It was the last hour of the day that I visited and I looked at the ukes and they are not your standard Kala types but rather more upscale brands including a custom made $935 8 string with electronics that was a beaut. Milo said I was just in time for their bluegrass jam circle so I grabbed the top end uke (btw, there was even a Ubass in there) and joined them. I'm not to their level but they let me play along and I started to get the hang of it. What a way to gain a customer and let them really try out an instrument. I'll never forget it. Thanks, Milo and friends! read more

Folk Shop - Impromptu bluegrass jam circle - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Have bought and sold guitars for years, and always feel valued as a customer. I choose to keep my money LOCAL, even in this online era...and YES they are also online! Go shop there...from our old friend Paul on 4th Avenue to Milo and friends on N Campbell...these are your friends and neighbors who love music like YOU do. Buy a banjo! read more

Helpful staff. Nice collection of available instruments. Off street parking. It feels good to support a local business that goes above and beyond. read more

I love going to the Folk Shop. It's located on Campbell road, with a tiny parking lot. However when I go here, I lose all sense of time. There are harps, drums, banjos, guitars, string instruments, percussion instruments and loads of small instruments which I could not resist purchasing to sharing with the children I work with ( who can't use a slide whistle, right?). I am not a musician, but frequently there are other customers discussing trading and repair work. My husband traded a Fender mandolin for a bandolin they had for sale, and was so happy with the transaction. They sell sheet music in the front, and have ads for music lesion instructors all over the front walkin. This is a place that encourages touching and trying, and sometimes there is talent just radiating from the customers inside. What a Tucson gem. read more

Folk Shop - Happiness inside - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

For fans of all stringed instruments, The Folk Shop is a must stop. And if you love antique instruments, you're really in for a treat. It's rare to see a shop with lots of banjos but there they were hanging on the wall in their very own room. Being an erstwhile banjo player myself, this was a sweet sight to see. Vintage guitars, mandolins, accordians and button boxes, fiddles, ethnic instruments (lots of drums), and wooden pipes to blow....they're all here. They buy, sell, trade, and consign making it an overall delightful place to shop for all things musical. read more

Folk Shop - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

This is an absolutely wonderful folk music shop in Tucson. I was frankly surprised to see something like this in Tucson because I was never sure what the music scene was like, but there must be a fairly big community in town to support it. Everyone working here is really nice and knowledgeable. They really encourage you to play the instruments and will give you honest information about their stock. There are some really cool instruments in here, so if you're into folk music from various different countries around the world, this shop will draw you in for hours. They also have really great instruments here. I ended up getting my first concertina (Lachenal 20-button anglo) here, and I absolutely cherish it. It was perfectly in tune when I bought it, and it looked like it had been recently service. They also had a nice hard case for it that I still use. More recently, I bought a beautiful wooden musical instrument stand that I'll definitely end up using from now on. I always love coming in here, and if you're at all interested in various musical genres from around the world, you definitely need to stop here. read more

This is a delightful little gem of a shop! Great inventory and the ownership clearly cares about customer service - the atmosphere was quite warm and inviting. The shop itself has a lovely feel to it with all sorts of little nooks and crannies to explore. read more

DON'T GO HERE ... unless you want a wonderful experience with attentive staff. I was set aback with the friendly nature of the sales folks. I am so accustomed to belittlement by the brutality of the chains (whips and chains, I suppose). Knowledgeable personnel that don't treat you like a Mr. Potato Head. Okay, I admit it. Love this place (now you know my filthy little secret). Ciao, Ron read more

This place treated me so condescendingly over the phone. I'll never do business with them again, even though I have shopped there over the years. I was prepared to trade a rather fine Taylor guitar and spend a large sum of money that day, had I found something I was pleased with. I noticed a posting on their door stating that they still have a mask policy in effect even for the vaccinated, and that they request a call to be granted entry. I have zero problem with that. In fact, I think it's a wise and prudent measure, especially for a smaller space such as theirs (this is mid-June 2021 post-mask mandate in Tucson). I was unable to find the KN-95 I still keep in my car, even though I am fully vaxxed. I explained my situation in very plain enunciated English to the crazy woman who picked up the phone. I asked her ever so politely if they had masks to provide for customers, and if not I could go home and grab a mask. I live just 5 or so minutes away. She raised her voice and gave me this wacko non sequitur reply: "NO, YOU NEED TO WEAR A MASK".... and CLICK...hung up on me!! What in the world was that? How difficult would have been to have said something along the lines of "sorry we don't have any masks for our customers. If you don't mind going and getting one and coming back, we'll open up for you"....to which I would have replied "no problem, see you in a few minutes. Instead, they lost a likely couple thousand dollars, a customer for life, and sowed more division in the community--as if there isn't enough already. To hell with this idiotic place. read more

I went to The Folk Shop to get my medium djembe re-skinned. The staff was friendly enough. I was quoted $150 for the job, but the rope broke at the very end and so the price was increased to $220. I would have preferred the option of whether to use the old rope, (which I knew was 20 years old), or not, before the job began. They also didn't get back to me regarding what the $70 dollars was specifically for. I wasn't consulted on the new rope used (a horrid green and black mix), the number of rope pairs (26 to my original 28) or the color scheme (red rim roll). I am disappointed with the look. As they chose not to speak to me first, they should have gone with an identical look (black rope). I won't go back due to the lack of communication. Does it sound good - yes, it does. I am completely satisfied with that aspect of the service. read more

Living in Tucson, it's not uncommon to find folksy instruments but this place does beat all. They have all kinds of unique and fun instruments. (No really, I didn't know people took the kazoo that seriously) I also found a turkey baster music book. And the owners are so kind. They allowed me to photograph the instruments when I was doing a shoot for my photography class. The best part is that they have bagpipe practice chanters. I'm not sure there's another place in town (except for the Celtic shop I recently discovered) to purchase one of these. Aside from unique instruments, the service is always great here. read more

Best music store in Tucson (sorry Rainbow and Chicago Music). There is just something about this store. They may not have the flashy amps, pedals, and electrics you see in other stores but this store makes up for it by being so accommodating and nice. I bought a few plectrums from them a few days ago. I plan on taking my old Fender acoustic into their shop to get it fixed up. You can tell the people who work here care about and are extremely passionate about their work. read more

Weird experience. Rude. Made an appointment. Showed up on time. Waited at door. Person at counter wouldn't recognize my presence. So I'll go elsewhere. read more

Fantastic selection of well crafted and unique instruments. I walked in just to browse and walked out with a long neck banjo and Erhu. Everyone in the store was pleasant and helpful. I couldn't ask for a better experience. If I lived closer I would be in here all the time. read more

I needed to adjust the action on my ukulele. The service was perfect and fast. The staff was professional and incredibly nice. I strongly recommend this shop. read more

The Folk Shop is one of Tucson's brightest gems. Every time I go here there is something new and unexpected (and totally neat) for me to find (and play). Their prices are great and everyone who works here is a character. Gotta love it! For added adventure go clap your hands in the banjo room...you'll thank me later! read more

Went here to check out accordions & fell in love with one + brought it home. Lifelong instrumentalist looking to try something new. Agree w/these five star reviews re: knowledgeable staff, price range, assortment of instruments. Appreciated the hands off approach to letting me try out different accordions after checking in w/me that I'm a musician. Had a bit of a weird experience myself. Not sure how typical this is. Left w/a lil' vintage wooden accordion & a neat handmade case & the understanding that it'd been sitting + aging for a long time + would go out of tune & need to be retuned & that the tuning'd be free & while I waited. Also the leather was pretty worn & was told for the thumb strap it'd be replaced, too. Figured it was sort of shop practice, I dunno. When I brought it back in to be tuned like.. 2 months or so after I brought it home, got quoted a repair price for the tuning & the hand strap, which was in the same condition as I bought it in. Was a quick drop off & was sort of flustered by the whole thing so didn't deal with it in the moment. Also told it would take several days to get the tuning done. Decided to call back the next day to clear things up but accordion was done by then way earlier than expected and had to negotiate in shop. Ended up paying half the quoted price for the originally quoted as free or included repair... dude seemed to have no recollection of the history of the instrument he sold me or of saying the imminent tuning would be included. Would've had no idea to get the thing tuned, otherwise, since it's a new instrumental adventure for me. Didn't get into it about the thumb strap. Really glad to have the accordion but kinda not sure I'd be back in the shop again. Reminded me of experiences being a young woman at an auto shop, a disempowering environment. If you're a young woman maybe bring an older adult or some bros + get stuff in writing. Blarf. /: read more

This is a fun store to just go in and browse around. There's so many unique instruments and you can pick them up and try them out. It's hard to walk out of there without buying something. Some of the stuff is expensive, but they also have a lot of instruments that are reasonably priced. I bought a kazoo, ukulele, and a mouth harp last time I was in there. Stop in there and look around sometime when you get a chance, you won't regret it. read more

After having driven by this place for a couple of years on the way to school, we finally stopped to check it out. This place is so quirky and fun! They have a huge variety of stringed instruments and other musical goodies. The people working there are relaxed, friendly, and they know what they're talking about. I've even been caught up talking to the other customers who are just as friendly and passionate! Please check this place out before heading to one of the big box music stores! read more

The Folk shop has exactly what I want/need in a really warm environment. My son has been traveling and as soon as he gets back he wants to look for a drum there! This is a shop you can keep coming back to!! read more

This is THE PLACE to go if you are looking for any type of traditional musical instrument. I found a wonderful soprano uke there after going to all the other music stores in Tucson. The people are friendly, helpful and quite knowledgable. This was the highlight of my visit to the area. read more

Great store for all types of intstruments....just not open Monday or Sunday. Bought my Dad a travel Banjo there for Fathers Day..

Helpful staff and good selection. The only reason I did not give 5 stars is that I have nothing to compare Folk Shop with. This is really my first experience with a music store, maybe at other music stores you get free Latte and foot messages. read more

I came here looking for an acoustic guitar, they have a huge selection that I couldn't find anywhere else. Its like a big treasure chest of instruments of all kinds that you could spend hours on discovering. I ended up getting a 12 string recording king guitar which is in my opinion the best 12 string i've come across. Insanely cheap too. I walked into the store with crutches because of an ankle injury and I forgot them at the store. I guess I was so excited that I forgot about the pain. read more

Amazing collection crammed cheek by jowl into a smallish shop, including a wide selection of stringed instruments, percussion, etc. Staff is always very willing to provide suggestions and help. Prices are totally reasonable and their wonderful collection of used instruments means you can get a great deal on something that might otherwise be out of price range. Plus it's locally owned! If you like used bookstores because you never know what kind of gem you'll find, you'll love this place. Screw Guitar Center, I won't go anywhere but the Folk Shop! read more

The Folk Shop has a helpful, knowledgeable staff, and a good selection of low-end new guitars, mandolins, ukuleles, and other stringed instruments, plus a limited but interesting selections of drums and non-stringed instruments, as well as instructional books and videos, accessories, etc. They also offer a small but carefully chosen selection of used and vintage instruments; these aren't cheap, but they're often really nice. The staff welcome browsers and are very generous about letting you try instruments out, even if you aren't seriously looking to buy. read more

If you're thinking about it, don't hesitate. Go to the Folk Shop. Period. But give yourself plenty of time to enjoy. You won't be disappointed. Very nice selection of vintage, pre-owned, and new instruments across a range of price points. Tons of banjos. The proprietors and small staff are friendly and super knowledgable. read more

The Folk Shop makes me want to grow a long beard, build a wood porch, pick and grin the rest of my life away. Haunted banjo room, weird instrument room, percussion corral, ukelele wall, instrument cases filled with treasures beyond belief, and ooooo guitars. Tucson's one stop zither shop has thousands of different kinds of instruments...it kind of spoiled my trip to the MIM (musical instrument museum) in Phoenix, because I've seen so many odd-ball instruments in better condition at the Folk Shop! read more

Lets face it !!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is sometimes a pain to sell or trade a musical instrument. I don't care for people coming to my place jamming on my stuff just to be cool and waste time. Most are time wasters. I had a McSpadden Dulcimer that was a gift from my mother around 1993. Since moving here the poor thing was either kept in the closet or under my bed. I never played it. It is a beautiful instrument too. I just never got an interest. I even got new strings, some books but no playing. After emailing a few people that have so called groups, I got less than friendly responces from them. I called the Folk Shop and they said, Please bring it in we would like to see it, then maybe you can decide either something else or trade or whatever. You really have to realize any musical instrument even a few months old may not bring alot of money. There are just too many on the market. I am thinking do it, its better than these unfriendly emails I got. So I go in and who ever worked that day said, you were not kidding on how new this is. They offered a trade and I got a mandolin. Not a super high end Gibson, but one good enough to get started on. This store is honest, friendly, and has knowedge of so many acoustic insturments. It is a pleasure to deal with people who love music just like me and others I know. My next purchase of another acoustic instrument will be from The Folk Shop. read more