Came in with a simple mission: buy a nice little $200 Fender acoustic. A friend had bought one here, and I loved the sound and feel for such a bargain instrument. The woman set me up with one, and lined up a few similar instruments for comparison. I was left as alone as I liked, but not abandoned. I indeed changed my selection to a very similar model to that I'd thought I was intent on. The store has some real depth in a few brands, and tends toward higher end electrics and more modest acoustics. A fair number of small amps, tending to be low-end, but including some nice busking amps is on hand. They'll be happy to let you try whatever you'd like, I'm sure, but..... No Stairway. read more

A friend told me about Guitar Stop so I brought in my acoustic which had a bad case of fret buzz. I thought it needed an entire setup (I'm still very much a beginner player). However, Jeanne made a minor adjustment to the truss rod and fixed my lousy stringing error and the buzz was gone. This cost me $5. I returned to the store the next day and Annette was extremely helpful and very patient with all my questions about a new electric guitar. I ended up purchasing my first electric with a great amp. They even include a free gig bag and six picks! Very cool. Overall, I'm very pleased with this family-owned store and will visit them again for my guitar needs. Thanks for reading and rock on! read more

I had a strange experience there with a guitar repair. Ten years ago I bought an acoustic guitar with a pickup at GuitarStop. A few months ago the pickup stoped working. I brought it in to Guitar Stop. Their technician examined the guitar, cleaned the dust out, and came to the conclusion that the pickup/preamp would need to be replaced. They gave me the customer service phone number of the guitar manufacturer, and said that because they were no longer distributing that brand, there was no way they could get the parts, or do anything else to help me. Even though I bought the guitar there, they told me I'm on my own. One odd experience was that the technician didn't talk to me. All this info was mediated to me by the people behind the counter. When I had a question, they would ask the tech, the tech would tell them, they'd tell me. It was odd to have a middleman coordinating. I then did what I didn't want to do: I brought the guitar to Guitar Center on Mass Ave, across from Berklee. The guitar technician came out, introduced himself to me, and walked me through all the options. A couple days later they called me and said the guitar was completely fixed. It was the wiring, the very thing that Guitar Stop claimed it wasn't. There was NOTHING WRONG with the pickup or preamp. It works/sounds beautiful now. When I brought this to the attention of Guitar Stop, they told me how "filthy" my guitar was, how their tech tried every everything, etc. They offered to refund me the $20 bench fee, but it feels picayune to accept that. I always want to support local business and not the "big retailers," but in this case, if I need any work on any guitar, I won't feel confident bringing it to Guitar Stop. read more

I purchased a guitar box a couple of days ago, and both the shop owners were very friendly and nice on the phone and in-person. Had a really positive and pleasant experience so will definitely be back the next time I need anything guitar related! Hope they keep the shop for several more decades! read more

They got what I need. When ever I need something, for example new strings or a strap button, I know to come here. Are there cheaper places? May be, but these guys stock everything that an amateur musician like me needs. And then, they are all unpretentiously helpful. Good advise without ever being condescending. Good place for a music lover who doesn't like to travel to Berkeley. read more

I recently purchased an American Professional II from this shop and was very pleased with the service. I believed it is owned and run by a husband and wife who are extremely nice. The woman took time to go over the guitar fully with me before leaving the shop and taught me that the new tremolo was push in and screw in which was very helpful. I also had them service another guitar I had over the summer and the tech did a fantastic job. Highly recommended for all of your guitar needs. That you Guitar Stop!! read more

I bought a classical guitar at Guitar Stop 3 years ago that has served me well. They provide set up services. I also bought an electric guitar more recently. Service is friendly, informative, and efficient. They prefer to take the guitars off the racks themselves, which is understandable given the value of the merchandise. I've taken my son there for music lessons and Alex is great. I am rating them here based on their ability to service my guitars and offer great product with great service. This is a family owned business and they stand by their products and don't deserve negative reviews bc of their stance on traffic. Traffic safety is nuanced and not a bumper sticker or black & white issue. The rules and laws in Cambridge are complicated. If you want a great guitar or music lessons and want to support a family-owned business this is your place! read more

I feel strongly about their lessons. I did a few in an effort to break into a new genre of music and found their approach very disappointing. There was no structure or curriculum. The instructor remembered me but never referred to the last session and usually started the new session with "what do you want to do today?" I made it known from the beginning that I wanted to understand the nuts and bolts of the genre, why things work together, and what I can do to get better, but I never could get that out of them. Instead I learned a bunch of licks that I could have learned on youtube. Plus, parking is miserable miserable miserable. read more

I went in for the first time with a guitar in mind that I wanted to check out. The woman who eventually helped me (maybe the owner?) was helpful in getting me set up to an amp so I could play around for a few minutes. However, the whole time I was there, I couldn't help but feel like she was annoyed. I tried to very politely ask a few questions, and each time she looked at me like I had three heads/was asking the most ludicrous questions. She was also noticeable trying to pressure me into buying a guitar then and there, and when I stated that I was going to think about it, she just had a sort of rude attitude. I thanked her so much for all of her time and help, and she didn't say a word. No "thanks", "hope to see you back sometime", "feel free to come again", nothing like that. Basically nothing that made it feel like a small business - much more impersonal and rude that I would expect from a big name brand store. Overall: not planning to go back, and I wouldn't recommend it. I'm probably going to buy that guitar, but not from that store. read more

I'm sorry, Guitar Stop, I want to love you, but now that Cambridge Music Center is gone, you're my closest local music store, and really, you're not the one for me. The shop has plenty of guitars. Hence the name. But I'm not a guitar player. I'm into mandolin and banjo and just about anything outside the box, and Guitar Stop, while they advertise their multi-instrumentalism, are really just into the monolithic guitar. When I first started banjo, I came in for fingerpicks and a starter book. The woman couldn't explain the difference between frailing and picking (I didn't know...I had only started playing a day or two before), and the only book they had was a book of 3-chord sing-along songs (think "Michael, row your boat ashore") for banjo, uke, and guitar. No tabs, licks, instructional material at all. Sad. I got my fingerpicks and headed out. If I ever venture into the already-saturated world of guitar, I'll try, try again. I do appreciate that this store is giving a home-grown alternative to Daddy's and Guitar Center. And really, I guess I should have expected as much from a place called "Guitar Stop." I just was hoping for something more. read more

Excellent service and great selection of instruments, gear, accessories, and music books, for such a relatively small storefront. I go here frequently to have my acoustic set up and re-strung. The turnaround time is always beyond reasonable, and prices are fair. read more

I really like local guitar stores. They're a dying breed, and I'm all about conserving our fragile economic ecosystem. While I've never bought a guitar from here, I've come here many times to buy boxes to ship guitars that I sadly had to sell. The woman was always really nice, and while I'm not a fan of paying 10.00 for a box, they always have them and take pretty good care to get me one that will fit the guitar properly. Anyway, This is one of the few music stores I *really* like and highly reccomend. No BS, just good service. read more

I can't say enough good things about Guitar Stop. I've (unfortunately) made purchases at Guitar Center, so I can at least contrast & compare between the two. First and foremost, Guitar Stop is a local and family owned store. That in and of itself is comforting. It seems more rare these days. And they don't pound you over the head with their never ending "MEGA-BLOWOUT SALE" ads every 24-48 hours. The staff here is very helpful and also very laid back. As one reviewer said, "the anti hard sell". They let you test out the instruments and they're their to provide you with any information you may need. The store is stocked with most Fender & Ibanez guitars. I'm a bass player and 3 years ago I decided it was time to step up to a Fender American Precision Bass. I shopped around at virtually every store in the Boston area. I specifically remember finding a used model at Guitar Center that I was interested in (a pretty sunburst). The price-tag was $975. It came with nothing. Lucky for me, the suave sales guy was kind enough to throw in a gig bag (wow...spend a grand get a $20 value). I was turned off. A few days later I happened by Guitar Stop and there was my brand new P-Bass hanging from the wall. I took it down, plugged it in, fell in love, walked out and contemplated torturing my credit card during my walk home. The next day I returned to the store as I had to have it. The price was pretty close to the Musiciansfriend price (slightly over $1000). I was able to trade in my Ibanez Soundgear for a fair amount of store credit. It came with a hard case (over $100 value), a cable, a fender strap, shammy /rag type thing and truss rod. AND - it was set up and inspected, which you would not get if you ordered on-line. The thing plays nicely and is my P-Bass for life. Recently, I had some weird buzz going on with one of my Fender Amps. They allowed me to bring it in for their tech to look at on Sunday. He couldn't identify the problem, but he spent a couple hours looking at it and taking the thing apart. He couldn't replicate the buzz i described. Turns out it was probably a loose screw which was fixed once the tech started poking around. They charged me a grand total of ZERO dollars for their trouble (since they technically didn't fix anything or perhaps a problem didn't actually exist - point is, the guy spent time on it and didn't charge me a thing). I've since bought a couple of harmonicas and a very nice acoustic fender there. I love supporting a local business, especially a well run business with friendly staff. If you know what you want - go here. Especially if you're buying a fender. you won't be disappointed. read more

Great start to my second (or is it third?) try at learning the guitar, with lessons from Travis. Wait, you want me to change chords AND do a complicated strum? Hang on, here we go! Thanks, Guitar Stop. [Drafted in March, still true today] read more

Very rude. Called to ask a question and they were very short and hung up on me, despite me being polite and interested in their shop.

I lived in Cambridge in 2000, and went into Guitar Stop a few times just to browse, and filed the store and its product line away in the back of my mind for future reference. Now I live on the North Shore, and recently I began hunting for reissue model Fender Telecasters, ones that aren't being routinely carried by the big chain stores around here. I checked out a few stores on the North Shore, but all they were carrying were the modern Standard models. Remembering Guitar Stop, I drove to Cambridge. Well, they had both the Classic 50s and 60s models I wanted to compare, and compare I did. When it came time to make the purchase, the price was very reasonable (slightly less than the big online chains) and Jeanne gave me a good deal on the used Epiphone I brought in, applying it towards the selling price of the Tele (I got the 50s Classic in white blonde. Gorgeous.) Jeanne and her son (nice job on the Clapton, by the way!) were very courteous and helpful, and it really made me feel good to support a small business like theirs instead of a megachain. I'll definitely be back when I'm in the market for another guitar again. read more

I love this place. I have been a customer for 10 years. I bought a Telecaster here, and I buy everything from chords to tuners to pedals and picks. Sure guitars can be purchased cheaper elsewhere--but not "a lot cheaper." This is a small, family owned business. They are friendly and always willing to let browsers play instruments with no pressure. I have sent many friends here over the years who have purchased guitars, amps, and equipment. They do an excellent job with setups. Turnaround is often one day and the prices are reasonable. read more

I wish Guitar Stop was better, they are the closest Guitar Shop to my apartment and family owned, which you don't see much anymore. But I've given them three chances and each time the customer service gets worse, and this most recent time I had them work on my guitar and I am not happy at all with the results. First time I went into Guitar Stop I was presented with sales pressure, I was just looking around, already had a few guitars and just checking out this shop since I recently moved to the area. I can deal with someone trying to sell me everything I look at or touch, I'm used to it. I bought a few accessories and then found them drastically cheaper at other local shops a few weeks later (tuner, stands, etc.) Second time I went into Guitar Stop was with specific questions and a laundry list of things to buy. I was shocked at their lack of pickups to purchase for upgrading my stock guitar. I asked the lady if I should use a glass slide or a metal slide because I wanted to experiment with different styles of music and she had no idea and suggested I buy both and figure it out. I was also told in a "I'm write you're wrong, and I refuse to accept you could be right" tone that my string selection was completely wrong for my guitar and that my guitar should not be played with those strings. Well, MANY Rockabilly/Country as well as Surf players use Flatwound Strings on non-hollowbody guitars, And what do I play? Rockabilly/Country and Surf. I even argued back that the nut was custom made for me by a guitar maker so I could use that exact brand/model of flatwound strings since I liked how they sounded so much. A custom job that cost me $130. Ever play a vintage Fender? you only got flatwound strings pre 1960, I play vintage music, I play it on a modern guitar with a vintage amp, I like my sound to be vintage. I work retail, just make the customer happy and don't act like a know it all okay? Its okay to suggest but in the end give them what they want. The Third and now last time I went to Guitar Stop I had my strings changed and a setup done which includes neck adjust and action adjust. The action was set so freaking high it was unbearable. Its like they took the allen wrenches and adjusted everything as high as it could possibly go, except the High E string which was so low it rubbed my bridge pickup. I ended up having to pay someone else to fix their mistake. read more

I've mostly got good things to say about "Guitar Stop". In some respects this shop achieves brilliance... The first thing that you need to understand about "Guitar Stop" is that they are pretty much a Fender Music Group (Fender, Squire, Gretsch) shop as far as electrics are concerned, though they have some Ibanez gear, too. So if you are a fan of Gibson, Epiphone, or something else entirely...they probably aren't your bag and as I fall into this category they probably won't be selling me a guitar anytime soon. Anyhow, here's the stuff I really like about Guitar Stop... - If you live within the Fender Music Group "multiverse", I think you'll find that their prices for new gear are competitive with the big box stores like Guitar Center. - They really do have an impressive lefty guitar selection for a small shop. Honestly, it's as good/better than the selection at Guitar Center on Boylston St. - I'm definitely a fan of their guitar lesson program. Some people think $45/hour is steep. Really folks...it isn't. And the 2 teachers I've had lessons with have been very, very helpful. - The store is reasonably well-organized. Seriously, you can find shit here using only your eyes. - The inexpensive" house" guitar picks (i.e. the picks with Guitar Center's logo & phone # on them) are seriously awesome and can't be beaten for the money anywhere. The only area that could benefit from some improvement is customer service. They are a reasonably helpful & courteous lot but most of their employees are quite young and aren't terribly knowlegable. For example, eac time I've asked if they stock single strings - I've been told they don't (but they actually do). And the owner is a bit skittish...I always have the impression she's worried that I'm going to pull out a 9mm Glock the moment her back is turned. At the end of the day, though, I can give Guitar Stop an enthusiastic endorsement for reasons other than simply wanting to subsidize locally-owned businesses. read more

This place sucks. Terribly limited, overpriced selection and terrible customer service.

Not a fan at all. They have some nice guitars, but anything you find in this store could be found much cheaper anywhere else. Not to mention the lady who works there isn't the most friendly and doesn't like customers playing the instruments. Will probably not come back read more

It's about a 4 minute walk from the Porter square station, quite convenient. Nice selection of guitars, including archtops, which were what I was looking for. The staff was friendly and approachable. And the price for the Ibanez I picked up was great. Very satisfied with my experience there. read more

I've been a casual player for years -- never have taken guitar that far, but have it around and pick it up now and then. I have a reasonable acoustic guitar that had been sitting around home a few years and needed some adjustment (a "setup" as I see it is referred to). Sitting near the radiator for a couple winters didn't do it any good. They did a great job with it at Guitar Stop, no more buzz on the strings when I play it, and it plays very nicely now. And they came in significantly less on their price than the estimate. They care about what their doing and are knowledgable in my viewpoint. A bonus: I found a small but nicely focused selection of ukulele books (my current instrument of choice) and picked one up while I was there. Very pleased. read more

I am more of a casual music fan than a musician, but I've been several times with friends, and was always impressed by the place. The staff are helpful and engaged, but not pushy, which is rare thing to find in a music store! (By contrast, every Sam Ash I ever had the misfortune of patronizing during my tenure as a high school band geek seemed to be entirely staffed by a combination of sketchy salesman and lazy potheads.) They have a nice selection of affordable quality, and they don't mind letting you test drive something at your leisure. read more

Big fan of Guitar Stop. I bought a Telecaster there a few years ago, and I go back now and then for set-ups and intonation and that sort of thing (not really my area of expertise). The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. Their turnaround is really quick for set-ups, and they'll call you when it's ready - I've had other guitar stores completely forget this part. read more

I'm a huge fan of their bass lessons (with Richey Talley). I shopped around quite a bit and tried a few other instructors, and I've been very happy with the lessons I get at Guitar Stop - learning lots, with easy, comfortable rapport - and very reasonably priced. Plus, the place is local (to me), easy to get to (right on Mass Ave, 2 blocks from the Porter T), and family owned for 50 years ( a HUGE plus) read more

Excellent shop! Came in late in the day and they were very nice and accommodating. Answered all my questions and I ended up getting a new guitar and accessories. They also have lessons for what seems to be pretty affordable rates compared to other places I've looked at. It's cool to have a local guitar shop and not have to go downtown for a bigger corporate store. read more

I love this store so much. So hard to find an instrument shop where they let you come in and play as long as you want without acting like you owe them an instant sale, or like they're too cool to help you out. I bought a Hot Rod, one of the most beautiful pieces of equipment I've ever owned, and they switched out a faulty footswitch with no questions asked. Any time you buy a guitar they throw in some handy free stuff (strap, picks, etc.) I would always rather buy from the Stop than Guitar Corp. read more

I came to Guitar Stop knowing I wanted to buy something. I wanted a high(ish) quality but affordable guitar for a beginner (since I only knew one chord going in). I was immediately comfortable after seeing the adorable dog Max who apparently hangs out and spreads joy. I told the woman behind the counter what I was looking for, a solid acoustic within my price range, and a hard shell case. She showed me a few guitars, making sure they were all within my budget, and told me the differences between them. She was very helpful without making me feel like an idiot for not knowing much. I ended up going with a slightly more expensive guitar (still within my budget!) and found out that they also give lessons, even one lesson if you just want a little help. All in all, I can say that I didn't feel pressured or upsold, I felt like they really took care of me and wanted me to be happy. I'm so pleased with the guitar I chose and I can proudly say I've learned some more chords! read more

I've been playing guitar for a long time but needed to finally integrate some theory in order to get better. I've had a blast and have learned so much from richey tally. He's so laid back and very knowledgeable, and is very patient. The other people at the store are very sweet and know a lot about their products. Max the dog is there to greet everyone who walks in, which is lovely. read more

I bring all of my gear here for set-ups, intonating, and basic repairs. Everytime the do a great job for a reasonable price. They often will go out of their way to fix stuff that I wasn't willing to spend any $ on (missing volume knobs, etc...) for no charge. The last time I was there the woman working wasn't as nice as usual, but we all have off days. Haven't purchased gear here, but I would be willing if they had something I was looking for. read more

Granted, buying a new guitar is pretty straight forward. So when I found out they had the exact guitar I wanted (Strat delux HSS) for about $100 less than any one on the east coast I was naturally happy walking through the door. There was no pressure or b.s.only good service . They switched out th 9s on it for 10s free, let me play for awhile, threw in a couple extras a little friendly chit chat and out the door I went. On my way home I couldn't help feeling good about giving my money to a family owned business instead of some foreign investors or diamond jim from cincinnati. so very pleased over all . P.S. killer guitar! read more