When I decided to purchase a Telecaster, I had some trouble finding the right one. I tried MANY…read moredifferent guitars in various stores, but none called to me. I had the opportunity to try one of Ed's Telecasters one day at his shop, and I couldn't stop thinking about it. Ed's Tele sounded fantastic, and the neck fit me better than most Teles that I have previously tried. I discussed buying it that day with my wife. She recommended that I figure out what I most wanted out of a Telecaster and have Ed build that one for me, and that is exactly what I did! The process was highly enjoyable and informative. Ed and I sat down to discuss my ideal Telecaster, and he helped me narrow down various competing choices to a set of final build specs. I knew that I wanted certain specs (like a 12-16" compound radius fretboard and a one-piece swamp ash body), but I left the rest of the details to Ed, as I was not well-versed in all the available options. The final result was a work of art with unrivaled playability. Ed matched the action to my preferred playing style (low and fast) with Evo Gold medium fret wire (with hidden tang-ends), a beautiful macassar ebony fretboard of my choosing, and a highly figured (blistered) roasted maple neck carved like the one I tried in his shop that started me down this path. Locking Grover tuners and Gotoh hardware (all in gold) along with Fralin Blues Special pickups rounded out the Tele specs. I wanted the gold hardware (felt warmer than nickel), but left it to Ed to make it work with the guitar's final aesthetic. The body itself was reason enough to go custom instead of buying a mass-produced, high-end guitar. It is the nicest one-piece swamp ash body that I have ever seen. I asked Ed to make this Tele more comfortable to play (think Strat feel vs. traditional Tele slab) and he came through in spades. Ed carved an aggressive belly cut and generous arm rest and left no sharp edges on the Tele of my dreams. I asked him to leave it naked (no pickguard) after seeing its carved beauty. I was unsure of the best color for this guitar, but wanted something in a more natural look that would work with the gold hardware, and Ed couldn't have done better if he were in my head, reading my thoughts. That is the true value of working with Ed on a custom build. You don't have to know every detail up front (I didn't), but Ed seems to be able to divine your ideal guitar from talking and working with you. I simply looked at a bunch of guitar colors online and showed him ones that I really liked and ones that I didn't like so much so he could get a sense of what I really wanted. My Panzer Telecaster is so easy to play, and the tone is sweet and clear. The Fralin Blues Special pickups go great with my Marshall DSL40cr amp. This guitar can play traditional Tele tones, but can also ROCK OUT if that is what I am looking to do with it. If you are seriously thinking of getting a high quality guitar for yourself, do what I did; play all the ones you can find at the retail stores, and then visit Ed Panzer and see for yourself why having a guitar built specifically for you is a better choice.

From the owner: Set-ups, Bone nuts & saddles, Fret leveling and dressed, Full and partial refrets, Electronic…read morerepairs, Bridge reglued, Pickup installation, Broken headstocks

New and used instruments of all kinds are aplenty in this traditional bluegrass & country…read moreinstrument retailer. It's been around d for years, and is well-known in the musical community. Strings, cases, gig bags, and other musician supplies can be sourced here, as well as a small but interesting selection of recorded & sheet music. The staff & owners are friendly & knowledgable, and ready to talk a deal!

I've never played a string instrument before but had my heart set on learning the banjo. As a young…read morewoman of color, I was a bit nervous that I wouldn't fit into this store or be taken seriously without over-explaining myself and where I'm from. (Sadly have this experience very frequently where I'm from in bluegrass country.) But as soon as I walked in, I felt like I was in my pawpaw's garage, full of passion projects and home. John said, "If you can't find something... I'm sure I can't either. But holler anyway." All the pictures you'll find on Yelp are pretty much the whole store. You open the house door almost directly in front of the register, and all the merchandise is in the front and along one side. It's tiny but packed. This store has decades of stock and love in it. There are a ton of music books ranging from beginner to pro for all different styles, not just bluegrass. As John recommended, it's great to just flip through the books to see which style of writing and teaching makes the most sense to you. I picked out the cheapest open-back banjo, and John never tried to upsell me. In fact, he told me all the great things about the instrument I'd picked and walked me through the basics of the style I wanted to learn and even other ones in case I changed my mind. (Which I did lol.) This was all without me having to ask, with genuine excitement. He put so much care and attention into making sure the instrument and I were prepared. It's almost a month later, and I couldn't be happier with my purchase and experience. I will definitely be back for more supplies and recommend to anyone else looking for an instrument or supplies. I'm so grateful this is here in Columbus :)

Horrible customer service!! Clay is supposed to be the manager and he is the worst. No one should…read moresupport a store that doesn't have a decent curiosity for the people of their community. Shame!

This place pays pennies on the dollar. Add in the lack of customer service and support. This is…read moredefinitely a place of last resort in case of emergency.

Located in downtown Grove City music shop is definitely aimed at the junior high band crowd. Along…read morewith quite a few band instruments, Pontones stocks a surprising number of guitars. Closer inspection shows that the guitars are mostly Daisy Rock brand -- a brand known mainly for their guitars aimed for teenage girls. Not that there's anything wrong with that...guitar geeks just might be a little disappointed. The remainder of the store is filled with lots of junk (ugh) and some music accessories. A small selection of sheet music (Jonas Brothers and Hanna Montana -- teens still the focus), guitar strings, reeds and the like can be found. All-in-all, Pontones is an a-ok music shop. I just wish they would branch out a bit.

randy must have went on the wrong day. you can find some bargains on good guitars there. Yamaha,…read morewashburn etc... it is also a consignment shop, so you never know what you will find.

Excellent service, reliable advice, and friendly, personal connection every time I need something…read morefor one of my stringed instruments. So glad you guys exist!

Just really good knowledgeable people. I know nothing and brought in an old guitar I asked if it…read morecould be re-stringed and fixed up. They looked it over and let me know that it really wasn't worth it. No charge. Please utilize this great shop

Just starting my guitar journey and didn't want to jump in spending a lot of money. Brandon was…read morevery helpful and provided sound advice to get me going. If I stick with it longterm I will be spending much more money here.

They have a wide selection of guitars, basses and amps. Plenty of strings and pedals too. Also a…read morewide range of acoustics in a dedicated room. This is probably the best place to go outside of Columbus if you are within a hour drive of Heath, Ohio. Also they sometimes have selections of guitars and basses that others don't have so it's worth calling to ask if they have it in stock. The biggest selections is Fender and PRS. They also have a good selection of Yamaha, Ibanez, Alvarez, Taylor and Martin. Then some other brands sometimes make their way there. I was lucky to find a Sterling Sting Ray HH4. I am tempted to buy a few PRS core models from them.

Bill does an amazing job with instrument repair and is always a pleasure to visit with!read more

Bill is a true master and craftsman. And when someone like that does something simple like set-up (…read moreI prefer getting all guitar's taken care of at his shop) what you get back is your guitar at its finest artistic form. Thank you German Village Music Haus. Sincerely, Gregg S