We've had occasion to come here many times over the years as my daughter's a music student. Every time I've either come in or dealt with anyone here over the phone, it's been a great experience. The store has been renovated within the last couple of years and is more or less divided into two major spaces - classic instruments, keyboards and rentals at one area to the right and back when you come in, and the mostly guitars and drums in the main section coming right into the entrance. They have a lot on hand to look at and try out firsthand. The print music selection is getting thinner and thinner over the years, but you can order just about anything you need. It may take a couple of weeks depending on what you need and when you make your request in their ordering cycle, but they're very good at locating what's needed and processing your order efficiently. Last time I needed a book, all I had to do was call and boom - the staff looked it up, confirmed the details, processed my payment and I had my receipt over e-mail in minutes. When it arrived at the store, my daughter promptly received her e-mail notification and Bob's our uncle. They carry several brands of all the instruments they sell, and also have used options, which is great for those either on a budget or not sure whether they want to invest so much in a new-to-them instrument. No matter what you're looking for, they have so many knowledgeable staff, someone will be able to answer just about all of your questions. Most recently, we came in to audition some instruments for rental as my daughter is picking up an additional instrument to her primary. Lucas was very thorough and patient going through all 3 of the potential instruments she wanted to try, and answered all her questions about specs, comparable items, etc. He went through the different pricing and this includes not just straight rentals but rent-to-own options as well. Even hub, who can't play a thing, found cool items to stay occupied and ended up buying some Rush merchandise for himself. Don't worry about having to hang a while because they have their own washroom facilities too. Always a good experience. read more

Got a few special orders for pickup after Purolator lost our initial guitar purchase (terrible service from Purolator, if you order online I suggest shipping insurance). Unfortunately it was a discontinued guitar so we had to grab a demo and didn't want to risk shipping an order that might get lost again. We called for a special order from Nate and it went relatively smoothly. When the order was ready for pickup, we went in store, and Sandra was very helpful and accommodating. The first order was a demo transferred from Quebec, so she let us try out the guitar in store, and we found some issues with the tone knob. She got a tech to help fix the tone knob, and the guitar was otherwise in decent condition, so we kept it. She also noted 1 year warranty and a free setup that can be claimed later, which was great to know especially for used/demo purchases. We were happy with the first order so we asked her for a second special order from the Burlington store, and it came in damaged unfortunately, even though we ordered new (looked like the package wasn't prepared properly from the Burlington store that shipped it). The bottom edge of the guitar was completely chipped, and was pretty dirty/scuffed. It seems that new does not mean unopened, but rather that it has not been on the store display before. Luckily we were also able to try this at the store to find out. The manager offered a discount but we really wanted a new guitar, so we did a third special order from the Owen Sound location. This time things went a lot more smoothly and the guitar came in great condition, and was packaged for transport properly. Sandra ensured us that the package had not been opened before which was great news. She had even kept us in the loop during the entire process, letting us know when it will be handled and when to expect the order. Looks like each store has variations in customer service, logistics, and handling of guitars, so it might be a hit or miss sometimes, but luckily we had a good experience with Sandra and the team at this location. My only criticisms are that these variations made it pretty frustrating to purchase when they don't work out as planned (even with a great sales rep), and selling opened guitars as new without checking its condition thoroughly is not great practice. I would suggest anyone looking to purchase from Long and McQuade to thoroughly check the guitar even if it is new, and perhaps find a good sales rep that can help you ease the experience. read more

Long and McQuade your level of unprofessionalism is despicable. Never coming back here. I had a few things brought in for a retail store inventory purchase, they turned them all away. And cited it was "the law" that the couldn't take my gear. Solely taking advantage of your customers that spend tons of money and time in your store. Thank you yet again for another horrible experience and a waste of time like usual. Don't spend money here. They're cheap and recklessly unprofessional. I will be making a note to all and anyone to avoid this horrible store. I can't believe you have employees citing laws and then refusing to allow the customer to speak to the manager. Even if I did have the money to shop at your store I never will ever again. Rest assured. I feel personally disgusted by the lack of respect and care at your store. read more

First of all, I'd like to thank you for not finding it bothersome and for providing a sincere response to my previous email. I'm glad to hear that you have now confirmed the clarinet purchase, which you had missed in your earlier message. However, I remain deeply disappointed by the way the ligature issue has been handled. Allow me to reiterate the situation in detail: 1. A few days after purchasing the clarinet, I discovered that the ligature was defective. I visited your store and received an initial exchange. 2. At that time, the staff member who assisted me was xxxxxxx(confirmed again when I picked up my repaired clarinet yesterday). 3. However, even the exchanged ligature did not work properly--it wouldn't fasten when I tried to insert the reed at home. 4. So I visited your store again and explained to a new female staff member that the ligature wouldn't secure the reed. To avoid embarrassing xxxxxxx , I did not mention that I had already received an exchange and simply asked for a new one. 5. She then presented a new ligature and said it would cost an additional $30+. I refused and expressed how unreasonable that was. 6. She then consulted xxxxxxx--who had handled the case previously and was fully aware of the problem--but he too insisted on the additional charge. 7. Frankly, I was expecting an apology for the repeated inconvenience. 8. Instead, I was told to contact the manufacturer myself, which I found completely irresponsible. Frustrated, I left the mouthpiece and ligature at the store and went home. 9. Later, I was unexpectedly contacted by your store and told to come pick up the ligature, along with a receipt indicating it was priced at $1. 10. Is your company seriously selling this kind of ligature for $1? 11. When I returned the next day, I was told to pay $1 for the ligature. I again expressed how unacceptable this was and refused--only then was it handed to me without charge. Unbelievable. 12. I am simply disappointed--not only in the staff member's continuous excuses and lack of an apology, but also in your seemingly defensive response that appears to justify their behavior. This will be my last personal message addressed to you. Sincerely, read more

Is it possible to give zero stars? Crazy that I find myself on here making a review, but it was a better option than what could've happened in the store. The complaints not even so much that I had to wait 55 minutes in the rental line, even though I was the next customer, the fact that being there with my infant daughter in a stroller and having a unthoughtful/disrespectful worker blowing their fog machine towards us three times. Which any person with common sense would know that they should be used in a well ventilated area, especially not with a baby present. On top of that after my baby was crying after the incident he be going to test the speakers at full capacity which who really knows if he could've damaged the babies ears. When one of the other employees mentioned, there was too much smoke, he said, and I quote "if they don't like it, they can leave" not wanting to cause a scene with my baby there I really hope he is present when I return the speakers as I will be alone and can't wait to give him a piece of my mind. On top of that, I specifically called during the day to ask if they had a specific speaker in stock and they told me they had it as a floor model and then I could rent that one, then being told after 55 minutes that they would not rent me the floor model that they agreed to on the phone just was the Cherry on top. I Really wish I would've caught his name but if you're wondering, it's the tallest guy in the store with shaggy brown hair. read more

I recently bought a guitar from this location and the service from Paul in the acoustic guitar department was fantastic. He was incredibly knowledgeable and consistently went far above and beyond my expectations to ensure I ended up with an instrument in the best possible condition. If that level of service and expertise is any indication of the store as a whole, I couldn't recommend this location highly enough! read more

I had a problem. not so much with product but with staff attitude. As i have been to the store many times i am giving 2 stars, cause one apple should not tarnish the name. I went in to purchase a telecaster...yes one of the 2k-3k ones serious buyer. i picked a guitar that worked and proceeded to "sample" or play it in the store...cause what idiot would buying a 1- 2k++ guitar with out listening or playing it. Right!! I picked a nice American tele. went to the smallest amp i could find that best described my rig (background) for tone and quality. Im playing the instrument on a small block Marshall amp, not at one!...but 0.25...i strum 3 cords to see pickup sound....and i was interrupted by a sales staff member to turn it down....how!!!! I drop't everything and left..they lost the sale! FFS get an audition room! Suggest Rick in the Brampton location.... Jeff this is what my complaint was about.... jefflong@long-mcquade.com read more

I love the customer service and the products also you can get really good quality older electric guitars for a great price . Mike and his crew at the Brampton location rock read more

I needed a box to ship my guitar.. these guys gave me the perfect box .. no charge .. now that's great customer service.

I spoke to 2 sales representatives at this location the first person was Jeremy Hood who I bought $5,000 worth of studio monitors (Neumann kh 310) he gave me a really good deal and explained the equipment I purchased thoroughly both times I came into the store. He even let me compare over 5 different studio monitors to the ones I was buying also let me play my own music instead of the store music through the monitors so I could judge the sound. Great sales man doesn't beat around the bush, is very honest and knowledgeable 5/5 would recommend to anyone you should speak to Jeremy when going to this location On the other hand I spoke to Igor who was knowledgeable but very very rude and undermining pulling information from him is like pulling a toe nail out very condescending and full of himself. Had to talk with him a second time and he still had the same attitude as the month before. This is the type of guy that makes you lost business because of his attitude maybe because I'm 22 regardless I still spent 5,000$ at the store thanks to Jeremy 1/10 because he's knowledgeable read more

I've been here a couple times and the staff are always nice. It's not as big as the Bloor location. It can be pretty quiet at this location.

So when I was huge into this stuff, I dropped so much cash at Long and mcquade. Their prices are very competitive with online stores for stuff like this. They custom order stuff for you if you want. For instance I wanted a specific fender bass and they ordered 1 for me from the catalogue. I have had my odd run in with managers who tried to flex their muscles but they were mostly losers on power trips. All the staff I've dealt with over the years have been pretty decent. read more

Different departments have different quality of service in my opinion Purchased an instrument for my daughter and since I don't know anything about violin s the representative took the time to explain to me what I need to look for when purchasing a violin. After researching I decided to purchase a violin from L&M The rental equipment department however was a different experience. Inquired about renting speakers and had issues with a couple of staff. Hubby explained the rental would be on my account but staff didn't seem to understand that . Some staff there are Not competent and don't listen . Felt a little racially profiled when I submitted a rental application for equipment even though I explained that I have an account on file and my reference has an account as well. At first I thought I was being a bitch but principle is principle the rep clearly didn't listen and as a result of that I was waiting over 30minutes for nothing and got no where so I left . Eventually I went back because I didn't feel like I was wrong about my feeling and explained to another staff what was happening and he helped me out right away and even gave me a discount on my next rental. I would go back because I overall have good experiences with staff I just had to mention this experience because it was ridiculous. I understand the process with renting equipment but the treatment I received from this staff was unacceptable read more

Decided to violate my year-long boycott of Long and McQuade North York and give them another chance. ... Why did I bother? Five L&Ms I've gone to, and this is the one that always manages to treat me with disrespect, every-single-time. Of the last four visits, three were terrible. That's it. No more. read more

The Steeles store is definitely one of my favourites. The staff is quite knowledgeable. I dropped in today unannounced to have a guitar tweaked which was purchased 10 months ago at this store, and already had its free tuneup. The guitar tech graciously did a partial tuneup, for free and on the spot, explaining in great detail what to look out for. It now sounds as good as it did with a full tuneup. If you're a newbie, or at any stage of playing, this store is a great place to start. read more

amazing service amazing staff amazing inventory! my only time dealing with this location was to pick up a "pre-amp" for my new sound system that i created, i did not phone ahead, as this location was just down the road from my workplace. after finding parking i walked in, within about five minutes of aimlessly walking around trying to find what i was looking for i ended up grabbing someone and asked for directions. i picked up my item and i was pleasantly surprised to find that the item was on sale for "today and tomorrow" and it was in store only. when i got up to the register they scanned the item and it came up under a much higher price, so i brought up that the price was wrong, they went to go and grab the tag to do an inspection. not only was the system wrong, but i got a further 5% discount for solving this system issue for them. which left me with the warm and fuzzies. a funny moment that i had from here as well was that someone who had my number at one time registered an account with them, so when i gave my number they asked if i was that person and i said noooo. ha! parking is limited as this store is sharing the parking lot with others in the plaza. this location is worth going out of the way for...100%. read more

Amazing place for rentals and service. We rented a spotlight which was not as bright as we hoped for... But Daniel Santos was so quick to solve the problem! Thank you Daniel...we will Definitly be back for your knowledgeable and attentive service for all our system rental needs :) read more

I live pretty much in between this location and Brampton and would prefer the latter. Steeles isn't bad but the drum department is lacking.

The keyboard department manager was very rude and ignorant. I have no idea why is that person in charge when the rest of his staffs are much more efficient and polite. The manager forced me to give out a lot of personal information that I don't think it was needed for a one month rental and doubted if the information I provided was real! (ie parents home address and phone number, two friends home address, phone number and employment information) I don't even think this is necessary when I had already prepaid for my rent. I don't even know what are they going to do with these information after and how secured their system is. read more

Great store, good selection. Awesome, knowledgeable, friendly, helpful staff. They rent out gear and can order gear. Everything is setup for you to try. No pushy sales. No B-S! read more

Always received good friendly service without the pushy hard sell. The reps are very knowledgeable and are good musicians themselves. Good selection of products and after sales service. Always my first choice for music related items. read more

This is a good Long & McQuade location. Staff are knowledgeable. It's a fairly big store, but not as large as Bloor's L & M. It's similar in size to the Scarborough location, but with a much higher ceiling if I remember right. There's lots of really sharp looking electric guitars on the wall; Especially Gibson Les Pauls. They also sport a sizable keyboard and stage lighting section, a solid selection of really cool looking Drum sets, and a nice acoustic guitar room. I bought my Epiphone Viola style Bass Guitar here. It's like the Hofner Bass that Paul McCartney played in The Beatles. I got it here for a better price than I've seen elsewhere. That particular Bass has gone up in price too. I've also had them re-string two guitars for me, and they did a nice job. This store just went through a renovation recently, so take a look at their new set-up! read more

I don't usually write reviews and so it takes quite an exceptional experience to inspire me. I can't say enough good things about this store! As a professional musician, producer and songwriter based in LA, I've probably been to more music stores in more cities, than anyone else writing a review for this company, and I can sincerely say that their quality of product, services and general sense of care felt towards customers is unmatched. The staff are friendly, knowledgable, interested in their customer's needs and go above and beyond in every way. I've been part of a few purchasing experiences here and seen the sales people match prices, throw together great deals and really do everything in their power to satisfy the customer. I've personally dealt with two managers of the store on multiple occasions during a very prickly situation and can say the way they handled things was nothing short of amazing. They took care of my situation quickly, professionally but with the kindness I'm used to seeing only in a small-town neighborhood operation. They get what music is all about: bringing people together and building a sense of community and commonality together. Long & McQuade's does just that in its business. Nothing could be more fitting for a music store. I applaud Long & McQuade and their fantastic staff and management for doing such a stellar job. I am truly looking forward returning to this store on my next trip to Toronto. :) read more

Went there with the intention of just checking out some amps. They were very busy probably due to the Christmas season. Had to wait a bit to get the attention of a staff member but when I did, they were very informative and helpful. Didn't feel rushed even though the store was packed. Was so happy with the service that I bought the amp right then and there. Also ended up signing up for some guitar lessons. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. Great first impression! read more

Long Time customer (over 20 years), mostly due to convenience and location. Finally feed up with rude customer service especially in the keyboard dept. 1st time I've had sales manager just walk away from me while trying to order a keyboard ($2,000+). Ended up purchasing from Cosmo Music. Much nicer keyboard department. read more

Just finished waiting half an hour for someone to grab a bag. Horrible service, but besides that it's just another Long and Mcquade. The guy who was attempting to help us was waiting outside doing nothing while he was supposed to grab a bag. Overall, horrible service, possibly some of the worst I've ever had, but had the products I needed. read more

I needed to rent speakers for a party on Saturday. My husband rents from the Mississauga location quite frequently but since we live in North York we obviously decided to rent from a closer location. I called on the Friday to place a hold for 2 1000 watt speakers. The guy on the phone was pleasant and very helpful. We get there Saturday afternoon and the guy at the counter, (I think his name is George?) was quite unfriendly and very slow. He didn't seem to want to be there at all. We get the speakers and take them to the party room, unload everything and guess what - the proper cables weren't included. All that was in the bag a few sets of extension cords. We looked at the receipt and it appears instead of getting the 1000 watts we received 400 watts for a higher price. Seriously?! So my husband had to run around finding cables that we can hook up the speakers to actually have any sound. He brings them back to this location on the Monday, it's the same guy behind the counter. My husband explained what happened - dude didn't seem the least bit surprised, no apology for any inconvenience, no nothing. We received a refund for the missing cables and the difference for being provided the wrong speakers but honestly the thoughtlessness could have resulted in no music being played at the party at all. How they don't double check everything that's needs to be included with a rental is beyond me. And to be unprofessional on top of it is more than enough. Renting from Sauga from now on. read more

Recently I attended one of the singing competitions arranged by Long and McQuade. One of my friend's daughter was participating in the competition. The venue was in a dingy area in DuPont Avenue. It was $10 for each guest other than the contestant. The show was supposed to start at 7.00pm. The judges had not arrived until 8.00pm. As soon they were there the judges went to the nearby bar and started drinking beer and returned to the judging table with beer bottles in their hands. This was supposed to be a family event and their were several young children participating in the contest. As soon as the contest started the music system had trouble. It took another half hour to fix it. During that time judges had left the table and had gone to the bar again and returned back with a few more beer bottles in their hand. Once again they went back to the bar during the break between the juvenile and adult sections and returned with beers. By the time the competition was over the judges were fully drunk and there was no sense which I could make in the results of their judgment. The judgment was also partly dependent on voting, so automatically, those who had brought in the largest number of friends and relatives won. This looked like a political party election than a singing contest and the judges looked more like being there for their amusement than for a serious business of judging. Moreover how can one accept the judgment when they are under the influence. I think Long and McQuade should stop arranging this kind of events or give this to other proper event management companies to organize such events to protect their name. read more