I've been going here for years and gotten a lot of gear here. Their prices are reasonable for the…read moremost part. They have to be with Amazon and online retailers to compete with. I really like being able to pick up an instrument and play it before deciding. But, if I find it much cheaper online I'll typically order it.

While you can buy almost anything online, musical instruments probably aren't the best choice for…read moreonline or big box store purchases. Guitar Center brings the economy of a mega retailer to your neighborhood with a really knowledgeable staff to help direct you when you aren't sure and support you when you know what you want, just need to get the right part. I have been here many times and their selection, price and local expertise that really enjoy what they do can't be matched in my opinion. They also offer lessons in case you're looking for that.

I have been taking our granddaughter (now 4) to the Portland Harmony Road Music school on 82nd Ave…read morefor the last several months. Miss Andrea is a wonderful teacher and keeps these little ones on task while singing, learning all about the piano and most importantly, having fun. Our little one will be playing her first songs this weekend at her first recital. The method used here at Harmony allows little ones to actually learn how to play songs before they can even read or write. She has gained so much confidence and loves to learn and then "teach" her mommy what she has learned. By the time I lose her to full-time kindergarten, she will be reading notes and playing songs with both hands. Amazing!! While the right-hand notes are being solidified, the left-hand notes are also being introduced. Having Fun, Doting Grandma

My daughter began talking piano lessons when she was 4 yrs old. She is now 8. She has performed 3…read moretimes and has been asked to perform virtually again this year. Ms Judy is absolutely debited to teaching and always goes the extra mile to ensure the children learn. We are grateful for their services.

The best! I brought my old violin in. Hadn't played for decades. The owner told me what needed to…read morebe fixed and why, and also what I didn't need to do. He did a great job, over and above, to set me up for my exciting new journey. The price was reasonable, and I got my fiddle and bow back in a week or so and it sounds great.

I kick myself a bit for not taking my grandfather's violin to Kim Manselle when I acquired it. I…read moretook it to a rather renowned luthier in Portland who sadly did nothing with it for 3, yes 3, years. When I showed it to Kim, he said it would take a month or two to bring it back to playable condition. He did just that for 1/3 of what I would have paid the renowned luthier. Thank you Kim!

I happened to be in town and had a gift certificate to spend . I was happy to see various music for…read moretrombone and ended up buying a book in addition to slide oil , which was in copious stock . I did want to inquire about the used Edwards straight trombone on display, seemed the employee in back was tied up with another customer so I left . Hmm wouldn't have minded looking it over and trying it out . Anyway , very well stocked store and a treasure for the music community .

The price of a public school education is higher than you'd think. I'm pleased to report that my…read morelocal schools still have music and arts programs, although sometimes it feels like they are hanging on by a fraying thread. What was a little surprise as a parent was the cost of participation. If you don't have a trumpet or clarinet lying around, you need to rent one and the monthly fee is quite high. Our school recommends Wally's in Oregon City and they visited our school for the rental process. I made follow-up trips to their store to pick up accessories. Unfortunately they didn't have everything we needed in stock and I was looking for pretty basic items. Wally's qualifies as an O.C. institution since they've been in business since 1947. The building and interior are quite worn, but I loved the old time murals. I'll probably be doing business with them for at least the next five or six years, so hopefully my rating will improve with time.

Staff is friendly and helpful Good selection and prices Definitely my go-to place for…read moreinstruments and service

Gave me great advice and saved me money. I updated a guitar amplifier simulation on my computer and…read moregot a message I didn't understand about "buffered pedals" and "impedance matching." They explained to me what that meant and why it wasn't a big deal for my situation. They could have sold me a bunch of stuff, but instead they were honest. Solid 5 stars.

I was a drum set student of René's starting when I was 10, through high school, and I came back…read moreafter graduating college when I wanted to keep my skills up! Rene made sure I learned rock, Latin, swing, and blues right out of the gate and this combined with weekly snare drum music reading set me up with an amazing foundation to build on. I've never, ever felt underprepared when I wanted to try something new because of this background. After a couple years of lessons in middle school I was hooked and went on to be the section leader in my high schools audition band, I tried out and enjoyed drum line and pit orchestra also in high school, I played in the orchestra, jazz bands, and musicals in college, and I started volunteering teaching drums which lead me to my current career path as a teacher! If you or your child wants to be a well-rounded, confident, and passionate musician, this is the studio where you want to study.

Rene' is a wonderful, patient teacher who knows how to keep a student's interest up. I have taken…read moreboth drum and piano lessons from her and I can't recommend her enough. Elisabeth G.

Gabrielle and Jeanette are awesome! I get the joy of bringing my 3 nieces here for lessons every…read moreFriday night and they always look forward to it! My 2 older nieces go to Jeanette (so double kudos to her). They describe her as patient, kind, funny, and encouraging! They both really love the fact that they get prizes for finishing songs in their lesson books! Jeanette always has a bunch of fun and cool prizes that the girls get to take home with! This really encourages the girls to always want to go above and beyond and learn more songs. My youngest niece goes to Gabrielle and she is awesome. I sit in there with her through her lessons and my youngest is super shy so there are a lot of times where she will be silent but Gabrielle always makes her feel comfortable and will accommodate to my youngest and not force her to talk. My youngest describes Gabrielle as patient, nice and funny. She has learned a lot since her lessons with Gabrielle and loves getting stickers and balloons all the time.

My son takes drum lessons from Happy Valley Arts Academy and loves them! Jared is the best. My son…read morepractices on his own without me asking him to, and is developing a love for this instrument. Jared makes the entire lesson and experience so enjoyable to him, and their customer service is excellent!

I went in to buy a bass and a practice amp. I got talked into buying this little…read morerecording/headphone device for the same price I wanted the amp ($160). I was told I had 30 days to return it. I didn't like it and tried to return it a few weeks later. What I wasn't told was that I'd only get $50 as in store credit if the box was damaged (just the box, not the actual product itself). The worst part was the guy looked up the resell price on a used version and it came to about $80, but he then took 35% off even though it's a return. I then wanted to buy an amp (What I originally wanted before I was talked into something else) and asked for something around the $150 mark. He then tried to talk me into an amp without telling me the price. I had to firmly ask what the price was twice before he told me it's $300. Even though I was visibly upset from losing $100 from a product I bought from them because the box was damaged. I finally got him to show me exactly what I wanted. If you go here, know exactly what you want and be firm about it so you're not talked into getting something you don't want that costs more money. Also know that the boxes their products are in are worth $100 so you can't return a perfect condition product, within their return window, if the box is damaged.

I was visiting Beaverton Oregon and the first music store I went into recommended Five Star…read moreGuitars. I immediately liked the selection of instruments and amplifiers. Michael was quick to help me find the perfect Mesa Boogie and brought down some custom PRS guitars so I could rock out and relax. I had a great time playing for a couple of hours. I returned the next day and continued to play and chat with the great staff. Geoff introduced himself and asked what I was interested in. He brought me a few high quality guitars until I couldn't resist. He made me a smoking deal on the JP Mesa Boogie and a beautiful purple mist PRS. I recommend FSG's and will definitely continue business with them even though I am from the Central Valley in California.