I first came into scayles when a friend was planning on buying a guitar. There was a lot to choose…read morefrom (the store seems to specialise in this department) and the staff was eager to assist and advise. They have a good selection of instruments. All are fairly competiively priced. The shop isn't the biggest but they make the most of the space.

Scayles is one of Edinburgh's many music stores, and is perhaps one of the smallest. Selling a huge…read morerange of musical instruments including trumpets, guitars, tamborines and mandolins they will cater to almost your every musical need. We bought one of our guy friends a pink Ukelele from here for his 21st and filled it with condoms. It was only around £20, bargain! I saw a Spongebob Square Pants Ukelele in the window once and was mega impressed. This shop also had a good selection of accessories for a variety of instruments and music books to go with your instrument. There is also a board at the back which musicians use to find a new drummer/singer/whatever so a handy hint of your on the lookout for a band.

I always get a bit excited when I go anywhere near a music shop. I love music shops, I could spent…read morehours in them. Imagine my excitement, then, when I see a brand new one open just minutes from my flat. It was fairly short-lived, it has to be said. First of all, they don't sell drums. They don't sell any percussion. Which is a shame, that's my instrument. But I guess that's reserved for the magnificent Drum Central down the road. They do, however, have a decent selection of guitars (the cowboy guitars, complete with authentication certificates at £49 particularly caught my eye), ukuleles, banjos, accordions and a few brass and wind instruments. They've also got a reasonable selection of sheet music. There's nothing much wrong with the place, it's just there are much better music shops in the area. Might be worth a look if you're struggling elsewhere.

Great wee shop have had my guitar setup twice at Mev Taylor's both times for about £20. My guitar…read morecame back feeling great and setup to a high standard. I also think the price for gear is very reasonable all in all good honest music shop, highly recommended

With a gloriously old fashioned sign, I was enticed into Varsity for the variety of instruments…read moredisplayed in the window, and the promise of low prices. Vasity have been supplying the Edinburgh musical community with good quality instruments for over 30 years. Although they primarily specialise in selling and repairing beautiful pianos, they also have an impressive brass collection, with flutes selling for as low as under £200. They also have a number of affordable, good quality electric guitars that would be good for beginners like myself wanting to get a handle on things. For aspiring musicians and people wanting to teach themselves scores, they have a number of song books at the back along with some classical sheet music. A perfectly adequate music store with numerous services, Varsity is good for people in high school playing instruments to professionals who are in need of good equipment or repairs. The staff are friendly and great at pointing you in the right direction.

Situated on the bustling Nicholson Street, Varsity Music is in a great location for catching any…read moremusic fans as they pass through. They aim to specialise in pianos and seem to have a good range, but they also offer brass instruments, a wide selection of bass, acoustic and electric guitars and even accordions. I'm no good at music myself, but the staff in here are friendly and keen to lend a helping hand to anyone looking to into an instrument. They sell plenty of instructional books and DVDs for all the instruments they sell along with sheet music. Whether you're looking for a new instrument to take up or just a renewal, Varsity Music is the place.

A place that I could spend literally hours in, Live Music should be my second home…read more They mainly specialize in guitars so if your looking for a varied selection of anything else this isn't for you. If I had a spare grand kicking about I would blow it in 5 minutes here. A great, rare feature to this shop is that they repair Guitars too. For about £20 for a half hours labor they can usually fix any problem. Essential stop for guitar players.

For guitarists, Live Music can be summed up in one word: fantastic…read more I bought a guitar here upon commencing my university education (goodbye student loan) and I was certainly pleased with the purchase. I bought a Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus for only £299.99. Upon entering the shop, I was awe stuck by the beauty of the guitars on display. As well as excellent prices, the staff are extremely friendly. Through the door, I was gazing up in lust at my intended purchase and was informed that I could pick up and play anything that tickled my fancy. This certainly made a welcome change to what has become the usual routine at some other guitar shops: stare lustfully, ask to play, then undergo scrutiny from the staff before they decided whether or not you are worthy... Upon deciding to buy the Epiphone, I was offered a carry case at significant discount which I gleefully accepted. Overall, this is certainly the first place I'd go if I decided to buy another guitar.

Great music shop, certainly the most genuine music shop in Edinburgh…read more Rikki's stocks of crazy guitars you've probably never heard of but if you have something paticular on your mind they can no doubt order it in for you. I ordered a Danelectro 12string from Rikki's that I hadn't seen in any music shops in Edinburgh or even on Londons Denmark Street and had presumed impossible to find in the UK (and Rikki got it for a better price than any place online) Rikki's also seems to have the weird ability to have in stock the exact thing you are looking for. I was on the hunt for a multitrack cassette recorder and Rikki's just happened to have a Tascam 244 tucked away. Lovely guys who always have a chat and help you out, even taught me how to restring my guitar when I was 13.

While out wandering around Leith Walk trying to see where I could find a decent guitar to start…read morelearning with my new copy of Rocksmith we came across Rikki's with it's bold shop sign popped into view ahead. We were warmly welcomed when we entered and he was quite helpful in finding the right guitar to start with, giving me a quick demo to get a feel for it and hooking me up with gear for it. They are pretty crammed wall to wall with all sorts of instruments and with the really warm service i'd recommend a visit if you're ever that way inclined.

The dingy sign and bars across the window make this place look a little daunting. But fear not,…read morefriend. Venture inside and you'll be greeted by a very friendly man who is an expert on everything clock and barometer related. The actual room (and it is just a very small room) has an extremely impressive collection of grandfather clocks, carriage clocks, wall clocks and barometers. The back of the shop is reserved for their workshop which, by the looks of it, is as big as the shop itself. Specialising in antique clock and watch repair, their workmanship is guaranteed for two years and is of the highest quality. They also run exhibitions, featuring some of the finest antique timepieces around. And I mean it when I say they know their stuff. Just one thing - they're only open Wednesday to Friday, which can be a bit restricting if you work full time.

A real find with top quality professional watch and clockmakers who as well as providing servicing…read moreand repair, design and build from scratch, real quality timepieces, many with unique features and capabilities. Very friendly and happy to take time to explain and help wherever possible. To me the revealing feature was the window to the workshop which was spotless and everything in its place which reflects true perfectionists in their profession. Service with a smile, you cannot beat it.

It's been a while since anybody has reviewed Banana Row, and in that time, I think there's been an…read moreupgrade of equipment. We were very impressed with what was available. In terms of service, the guy at the front desk didn't seem too interested, simply greeting us with a hello and then telling us which practice room was ours. And that was that. If you're coming to do a practice session, you do kind of want to get straight to it. So, this didn't bother us at all. - It was the practice space, equipment and cost per hour which was important to us. It was £9 an hour for a duo. The cost goes up dependent on the number of people because the room is bigger. We would usually practice at home during the day but my current schedule doesn't allow this so often, and we were cautious of bothering neighbours in the evening. Obviously, if you're a big loud band you just can't practice at home so places like Banana Row are a necessity. Also, the rooms are all soundproofed with that funny black foam on the walls which magically keeps all the noise in. - We didn't hear a peep from any other bands! We will definitely be using Banana Row more often as it was great to have piece of mind when practicing. And as a weekly thing, it isn't too costly.

Being a beginner to the whole music scene, I was quite intimidated by the prospect of booking…read morerehearsal space for lessons. However, the guys here are really laid back aboutwell, everything! and genuinely pleased to help out, and they go out of their way to make everything as easy as possible for you. As well as having a whole range of equipment you can rent out, they also sell all the basics like sticks, clutches, earphones and the like on site, which is very useful if you get there and discover you've forgotten something! Their rates are very reasonable - you can book one of their smaller rooms for £6 p/h for one or two people, or £12 p/h for one of their band-sized rehearsal rooms. They also have a full suite of custom-built editing equipment, and you can rent out their recording studio and sound engineer for £35 p/h once you feel you've had enough practice!

I highly recommend The Wind Section. I went to enquire about buying a flute. As I entered to shop I…read morewas struck by the friendly and welcoming atmosphere and was immediately put at my ease. Malcolm was so helpful and the service I received was second to none. I was allowed to take a selection of flutes to try on my own and when I was having difficulty, Malcolm suggested he listen to me play each one. He is very knowledgeable and advised me which sounded the best. I acted on his advice and now have an amazing flute. The after service is also brilliant. I know that I can trust Malcolm with any further help and advice I might need, something I find to be very rare.

It's a small shop - but gives exceptionally good service - especially after-sales and repairs or…read moreservcing of instruments, which, in my experience they do (expertly) on the spot or same day, if possible - great if you have to travel any distance. Recently the workshop identified a fault with my clarinet, which was still under warranty, and they offered to negotiate with the maker to fix the problem - even though I'd bought it elsewhere and the Wind Section had no responsibility. Fantastic service! They're now my go-to shop for instruments.

Imported Instruments has an extensive range of guitars, mainly acoustic and electric but I spied…read more few basses too. Walking around made me sad as I remember my guitar playing days and the though of my guitars lying in my room gathering dust. I used to study music at High School, it wasn't so great and my hobby of playing acoustic and bass guitar turned out to be more of a chore and it completely put me off. Hopefully when I have more time I'll take them up again. This is a great little independent music shop, very bright and well organised too, they stock both brand new and used guitars all competitively priced. I spotted a few for as little as £60 so excellent if you're thinking of taking up guitar as a hobby but don't want to splash out on something super expensive for a first purchase. In addition to guitars they also have a great range of sheet music for all instruments. I also had my eyes on their selection of ukulele's all brightly coloured at £14.99 a pop. They also had a Spongebob Squarepants ukulele, tambourine and maraca set. Cute. On the way out I also noticed a glass case hosting a selection of jewellery made from plectrums which I though were rather funky and in my teens I would have thought they were the coolest things ever.