We bought an acoustic guitar for our son for college graduation. I wish I had the name of the…read moreyoung man who helped me but he was phenomenal. Greeted us at the door and spend a ton of time going over the pros and cons of various guitars as well as sharing his insight as a guitar player and inquiring as to how our son intended to use the guitar. We were not pressured into buying any guitar and were shown guitars at many different price points then left to consider the myriad of options and come to our own conclusion. The store has a great selection of guitars to choose from. That coupled with the expert customer service make this place a win! I'll juxtapose our experience at Palen with one at Guitar Center in LA. At GC nobody helped us, we had no idea what where we should go to find the guitars he wanted and everyone just stood around while we wandered aimlessly. They did however, point to the section of the store we should go to but not one person came back to help us. 5 stars for Palen Music Center, we wish you continued success

I was in the market for a keyboard. Nathan was amazing. He explained everything and demonstrated…read morethe difference between keyboards. I highly recommend this music store... I highly recommend Nathan. Thank you Nathan!

We were in town for a concert that some friends of ours were putting on. We got in early enough to…read moredo a quick music store crawl, like we do. The others were nice, but had that corporate music store feel to them. This one was special. It's all used, so there is a really interesting range of instruments. They have guitars, keyboards, sound & light gear, even an electric stand up bass. I walked out with an instrument I had wanted for quite some time, a reissue of a 70s Starcaster. I asked to play it, and it became obvious that that was the thing in this store ... hands on. The best music stores are like that. If you find yourself in Columbia MO, go check this place out!

Friendly, chill and knowledgeable staff that wants you to play the guitars. Helpful but not over…read morebearing. They have a wide array of instruments and price ranges. Also, will let you know if there is a discount or upcoming price break. Lots of stage lights and effect machinery as well.

I bought a saxophone here for my younger daughter, but where Jerry really shines is restoring the…read moreclarinets I've purchased my older daughter. The most recent was an intermediate level clarinet. He turned it from eBay crummy to fantastic. She finally got first chair.

From the owner: Jerry's Instrument Shop specializes in instrument repair, new and used band and orchestral…read moreinstrument sales and rentals, band and orchestra accessories and is mid-Missouri's Yamaha piano dealer.

My ex boyfriend bought me a guitar and I have no idea how to play at all. None of my friends play…read more The ex boy didn't even play. It was brought to my attention later that he only bought me the guitar cause he'd been cheating on me. Needless to say instead of smashing it I decided to sell it and get something better. The staff listened to my sob story and I walked out with a better guitar and a stand. They were helpful as I don't know anything about the guitar and helped me pick out a new beauty that I didn't look at and think of that asshole. They even probably sat with me for 20-30 minutes just to help me pick out a new one. I love my new guitar! Thanks so much to the guys for helping and not making me feel stupid and a waste of time.

I never write reviews, but my experience here was too good to not share. I came here to get my…read moreguitar re-strung and Nick was incredibly helpful, kind, and did an amazing job with my guitar. He showed me how to do it myself since I was curious and he also took the time to polish and tune my guitar. Such a great experience and I will definitely be going here for all my musical needs in the future. Also, very affordable. Thank you so much, Nick!

Charlie is the man! He knows his gear and which companies offer the greatest value and the most…read moreadvancements. He is the kind if retailer who can undersrand each individual customers needs and preferences and has formed the kind of relationships in the industry to get you the gear you want at a surprising price. This man is paassionate about the products he sells and passionate about drummers fulfilling their creative destiny.

Oh, man, what a pleasant surprise! In town for a festival and had some equipment issues. Brian…read morethere had me all hooked up and figured out in no time. Prices were right, and super friendly service. We even got into chatting about our tour travels for a bit. I didn't get to check out the full inventory of drums and cymbals, but I will say I was impressed by what I did see at a glance - way bigger store than I expected for a small college town in Missouri. Cheers, fellas! And good luck with your business!

Nice guys, sold a guitar to them my wife hated. Probably will sell two more, and buy one off of…read morethem too. I initially went in for strings like a few days before I sold it, bought a tuner, some Ernie Balls, and some picks. The dude at the front threw in a winder with it as well. Everyone in the shop was friendly, knowledgeable, and super approachable. We all had a fun time joking about my guitar with the super goofy finish. The price they gave me for the aforementioned guitar was fair. It had been sitting for awhile, and honestly would've been a pain to sell on Reverb or Ebay. Great guys, will go to them for my guitar needs. (Also helps they're incredibly close to where I live)

I agree with the only "one star" review this store has. If it had a zero star selection, I would…read moretag it. Don't go and I'm not going to waste any more time with this store so this review will be short. They're not customer friendly and don't give you all the details about the small number of guitars they have in the store.