Realistically, a drum shop has a limited audience. Are you interested in drumming? If not, then…read moreDrum City will hold absolutely no appeal for you. I mean, it's just full of drums and stuff. If you are interested in drumming, however, and want to buy a drum or something drum related, then Drum City is perfect for you. It's full of drums and stuff! Their prices are comparable to anyone else selling drums in Auckland (i.e. you get what you pay for and if you want something really nice, it won't be cheap) and they have a decent range of gear. The guys who work there are obviously drummers themselves, and are happy to answer questions if you want to know specifics about particular items. Also I took my little brother in there (he's just starting to learn to play, bless) and they were friendly and helpful with him, without being condescending. If you buy skins they're happy to put them on and tune them for you, which is great for people like me who aren't that good at tuning.

KBB is a one-stop shop for anything musical: they've got it all, from recorders to grand pianos and…read moreeverything inbewteen. They also offer an instrument repair service, and did a good job on rehabilitating an old clanger of a clarinet I bought for nothing off Trade Me. Everyone who works here is also a musician, and they'll often call someone else over if the person you are talking to isn't an expert in that particular instrumental area rather than trying to bluff their way through it. Finally, they're big supporters of music education, even paying for one music teacher a year to travel overseas for professional development, and are long standing sponsors of a big secondary school's music competition, so thumbs up for that.

Music Planet has always been the go to shop for me for anything musical. For one thing it's in the…read moreperfect location, really central and easy to get to. For another, the staff are always so helpful. Whether you're looking to by picks or a $6000 keyboard, they're right there to guide you all along the way. They'll get instruments down for you so can have a little play when you're looking to buy. There's loads of great instruments there with top brands like Martin, Fender, Korg, and loads more. I love the back room with lots of DJ equipment, crazy electronic gadgets and little keyboards that make all sorts of noises and do all sorts of things. They are really ahead in the digital side of music but have really good traditional instruments. If you're ever in need of anything musical Music Planet should be the first place you go!

Music shops are often hit or miss. Sometimes you find really interesting, passionate people who…read moreabsolutely love what they're doing and because of that are super helpful and friendly. And other times you find really interesting, passionate people who absolutely love what they're doing and because of that are *ab-so-lute-ly-terrifying*. I really needed a new set of strings. And because they seem to cost close to a month's salary in Australia, I figured I'd save a bit on the exchange rate and pick some up in Auckland. Immediately upon walking in, I knew I was dealing with the 1st type of passionate employee I mentioned above, and before I knew it, I just wanted to be friends with all of them. I picked some strings based on their recommendations. I lusted over a few custom left handed Martins. I snooped a little bit at the rest of the gear before leaving. Aucklanders are lucky to have such a wonderful music shop so centrally located and stuffed to the brim with the right kind of passion.

veryhelpful staff, attentive and willing to find a solution to any query just ask. pricing was…read morecompetitive and good stock levels if not in stock then item ordered and supplied in shortest possible time.

I am just back from the shop…read more Went to check and try to find a proper price for an Yamaha P255 Digital Piano. After mentioning to the seller the prices I have seen online he very agressively told me to buy somewhere else. In any moment I lost my temper but felt very ofended when he insisted asking where I am from in a clearly sign of discrimination. If you wanna buy a piano, look somewhere else. Rockshop sells Roland and Kawai and Music Planet sells the Korg range (the awesome Kronos workstations). I am never coming back to Music Works. If you wanna buy Yamaha, look online. The model I am looking they sell from 3k NZD. The list price in Australia (with same plug/voltage) is 1999 AUD (=2.1kNZD). You can find still deals over this price. To ship to NZ they discount the GST that is 10% and you pay 15% when it arrive at customs. To ship is around 200nzd. 500nzd cheaper at least and doesn't need to be offended by an unprofessional seller. That's not to say that in the US (Amazon.com) the same piano is 1299USD.