I have been playing music for 30 years. That said, I have seen my share of music shops ranging from…read morethe good, the bad, to the ugly. I've traveled for and wide to pick up a musical instrument I'd been hunting for, sometimes to different states. That said, I've seen it all. However, Robbie's is something else, entirely different than anything I've ever experienced. This store has a legacy, for sure. This was a great place to go back in the day, and I'd often find some hard-to-find items here. Prices were fair back then and staff were eager to strike up conversation and talk music. However, it does not live up to its legacy and is now a shell of what it once was. I'd been here several times in the 90's, and it was seedy, a little weird, but reputable. Staff cared, quality instruments were available, you could talk music with the staff, and they had lots of inventory. All of this made for a fun and unique experience that was different than elsewhere. Fast forward to present day: There is a large selection of musical instruments. Some appear to have been there for ages, though. Prices are high and unreflective of true value. Perhaps this is why the inventory remains abundant with items that appear to be fossils there for years. The instruments cooking in the sun in the massive plate glass windows makes me wince every time I pass the place. Those poor drum kits have to be being absolutely destroyed sitting in that magnified sun. The environment seems to lack any sort of overall care or upkeep. Want to sell an instrument? Best of luck. Absolutely rock bottom pricing will be offered, almost to the point where you are forced to support Guitar Center. Many of us musicians like to support local, but these folks make that hard. Want to buy used? Prepare for the price to be inflated. The staff seem inconvenienced and annoyed that you've decided to patron their store, almost as if they don't want or need your money. A while back, went in for a simple repair that they quoted me on, never heard back from them, and when I called, they had decided to simply not do it or get around to it. Hours are odd, never a car in the parking lot. They open and close when they decide to. Odds are they won't be open when you get there, which has happened to me and other buddies of mine multiple times. Word going around is that it will be shuttered soon. I understand it, especially given how this place is run.

Good Old-Time Music store .. last of the breed it seems.. still a customer !... reasonable prices…read more,and slightly used equipment a plus

We were visiting New Jersey from Texas for our grandmothers 100th birthday party. My daughter left…read moreher viola at our home in Texas and was expected to play at the birthday party. We called the Wayne location and inquired about renting a viola for the day. Instead of renting one they loaned us a viola for the day. We are existing customers of Music & Arts, and this event has created more loyalty. We truly appreciate the Wayne, NJ location for accommodating us.

I rarely leave reviews, but this experience was so frustrating that I feel obligated to warn…read moreothers. On Friday, I called the Wayne, NJ Music & Arts store to confirm they had a saxophone available for my son. I was told they had it in stock and that if I placed the order online, they would pull it and have it ready for pickup. I immediately completed the online order and waited a few hours before calling to check the status. I was told there was a "system hold" on the order that should clear within a couple of hours. A few hours later, I called back and was told the hold still hadn't cleared. No one ever called me with an update. The next day, I called again and was told they still didn't understand what the issue was and couldn't access my order. After nearly three days of waiting for an order that I was originally told would be available, I asked them to simply cancel it. I was then informed they couldn't even cancel the order because they still couldn't access it and would need to contact customer service. Shortly after, customer service called me and explained that the confusion stemmed from the order being routed to a newer store they were acquiring. They assured me everything was resolved and that my saxophone would be ready for pickup within an hour. Then, just 30 minutes later, I received another call from the store saying, "I spoke to customer service and they canceled your order. It will take up to 30 days for your refund." After being told for days that my order would be available, and after customer service had just confirmed the issue was fixed and the instrument would be ready, the solution suddenly became canceling my order and waiting up to 30 days for my money back. The biggest issue here wasn't even the system problem. It was the complete lack of communication and coordination. Every person I spoke with gave different information. No one seemed to know what was going on, no one followed up as promised, and nobody appeared to be on the same page. Read the reviews and be forewarned. This was honestly one of the worst customer service and communication experiences I've had. I will be disputing the charge with my bank and taking my business elsewhere.

Hi everyone, I…read morewanted to share with you all the most amazing past 6 1/2 years with a business in Wayne. The School Of Rock. My son started there when he was in the fifth grade. He is now a senior in high school. He has gone from learning to play guitar, base, drums, and he found his niche in vocals. The School Of Rock has gone through so many changes in the past 6 1/2 years but it's been the last three years that truly Turn tables. They brought in a new general manager. This guy is not just a businessman, He is an announcer for the WWE. But most of all he is a professional musician. He has created a team of instructors that aldo not just have a degree in music, They are real artists professional musicians, teaching and mentoring. The School Of Rock music director Justin Caprio, RJ, Angelo, Jean and others are all all professional musicians. They know what it takes to teach an instrument, to teach the music theory behind the instrument, and to teach stage presence. SOR is not just a music school, It's where kids come together and share the same interest in music. They make the most amazing friends and some will last a lifetime. My son has three of the most amazing friends in his life. They have their own band called With skies. They have performed at some amazing venues and have even recorded two songs in the very same studio in South Jersey that Skid Row and other well-known bands have recorded. My son started there and It was a shocker when we saw him up on stage standing at the microphone. His very first song he ever performed in front of an audience was Black Sabbath fairies wear boots. Here this 11 year-old little boy blew us out of the water. This past weekend it came full circle and they did another performance group of black Sabbath. He ended his last performance with fairies wear boots. I know this is a long read, but it's my greatest gift to the School Of Rock and the general manager and the instructors to leave this review If your child shows ANY interested music whatsoever, I so HIGHLY recommend the School Of Rock. It has changed my son's life. Stop Chihuahuas let's go let's go Versace We have met the most incredible families that have become our chosen family. Thank you for taking the time to read this review

I have had roughly 40-ish lessons there and have barely been taught a single thing! First off the…read morelessons per month themselves are extremely pricey for over $300 a month! I have had two instructors and neither have taught me really anything correctly. The first one had taught me a few songs... all of them were COMPLETELY incorrect. The second one barely has taught me anything and I've had him for a little over 10 lessons and he refuses to teach me any songs, he also always says that he will help me learn this or that next week, but next week never comes. It was 100% not worth the money, time, and brain power that was put into it. This school's teaching system is a lure tactic where all they do is say they are helping you to practice, but they are really just not doing much of anything at all. It is even worse if you join their season band program along side their lessons, as when I was enrolled in it my teacher hadn't taught me a single part of any of the songs I was put on. That caused a huge amount of stress on my back as I had to learn the songs ALL ON MY OWN, while balancing my personal and educational life. This caused me to leave the band program, which then they tried to gaslight me into not leaving by saying things like, "Oh [Me] has learned so much, it would really be a shame if he leaves the band!" (Once again remember they hadn't taught me anything, not what so ever). I was better off choosing a different music program that was literally 1/4th of the price. I have been to this other class for only 4 lessons and have already learned to do things like read sheet music (which they hadn't helped me with at all basically). They had taught me as if I had 10 years experience under my belt (WHICH I DON'T HAVE) and thus is not beginner friendly at all. 1/5 Stars: Would've rated it lower Not beginner friendly Too expensive General bad classes

I have been with AMS over a decade and they always have the latest gear and a fair market price…read more Keep it Up.

I ordered an exclusive run Les Paul. Paid via PayPal. Then a few hours later get a call to verify…read moreall my information and answer a bunch of questions. Then had to wait for another call from their credit department and answer a bunch of questions all over again. Very weird experience. However, the guitar is amazing and beautiful.

've purchased four guitars from Guitar Center over the years and considered myself a loyal…read morecustomer, which made my experience today especially disappointing. I stopped by the store and asked if they had a used cardboard guitar box I could have so I could ship one of my guitars. I wasn't asking for merchandise, a discount, or anything of real value--just a used shipping box. They refused. For a company that has received a significant amount of my business over the years, I was surprised there was so little willingness to help with such a simple request. Customer loyalty should mean something. Maybe losing a longtime customer over a cardboard box isn't a concern for Guitar Center, but it certainly changed how I view the company. After this experience, I'll be taking my future guitar and music purchases elsewhere.

Guitar Center is lame. They listed a Petersen Strobe Clip on tuner as in stock both here and in…read moretheir Paramus location. After waiting for a salesperson to check for what seemed like 15 minutes as he disappeared... he said yeah we're out of stock.

It's a little music store, but the people are so cool. The guitars and ukuleles are available to…read moretry, and so I did. There are several couches to jam on, or wait comfortably for music lessons to start/finish. I ended up playing a couple ukuleles and I was amazed at how lightweight, yet resonant the Mitchell Concert Ukulele was. I ended up giving it a lift home. The didn't have a matching padded case, so the kind gent gave me a zippered sleeve to protect it.

Called around for violin bow rehairs. The place nearest me quoted $99 per bow, which was almost…read moreenough for me to just buy a new one. There had to be better. So I called a couple more places and Schmeeds popped up. Much better pricing in line with other quotes I saw online. Friendly guy on the phone so I walked in and, well, there he was. Great to talk with Pete and he said he'd get my bows over to Alex. While I was there, I listened to some instrument practices in the side rooms. Next day, Alex calls me to talk about the bows. Very detailed, concerned, wanted to make sure I was okay with the risk of rehairing a bow with cracks he saw. I appreciated the concern and we cleared things up, but it was nice to talk directly with the person handling my equipment. Fast forward... less time than I thought (2 weeks was stated), and I get the call that it's all done. I pop on over and there we are, two freshly haired bows and more friendly chat. While I was there both times, kids and adults were practicing in the various lesson rooms. What a wonderful local place to spend time and money on music.

Came into town for a gig and needed drum sticks and I came upon this place!…read more So welcoming and organized. The employee was able to get me in and out so quick it was beautiful. If you're a traveling musician and need something, this is a great stop!

Have known Mike and Joe for years. Both are great guys and Joe has done set ups on a couple of my…read moreguitars. He actually "saved" a MIM Strat I found at a thrift store and brought it back to life. These guys are affordable and trustworthy.

So sorry that I tried this place but never again. The store lacks any type of selection but since…read moreI only had to buy strings, they did have it. The person working there was very rude. He had me sign the credit card slip and then threw it at me (not exaggerating here) and walked away, without saying as much as thank you or bye. Sad, sad store...

Terrible customer service, barely anything for sale and high prices. Arthur is a very rude and…read moreangry man who treats customers like trash. I highly recommend avoiding them and heading elsewhere. Save yourself the frustration.

Fantastic organization Great teachers, friendly environment,…read morea bright spot in Montclair's great music scene.

Amazing service, friendly atmosphere, quality music education from highly trained professionals…read more This well-established business in Upper Montclair offers the best private music instruction in the area. Lots of talent has walked through this place over the last 4 decades! Annual springtime music recitals showcase the students achievements. Can't say enough good things about Montclair Music Studio! Added bonus: nicely decorated windows for the holidays and throughout the year.