I gave them my guitar on a Friday and the person in there said it would be done by Saturday. I got…read moreit back on Wednesday and all they had to do was change the strings. I would not recommend going to this place.

I've been searching for a new guitar for months. I went to this store because they had an exact…read moremodel of what I was looking for. The gentleman running the counter seemed generally annoyed that I was there and wanted to take the guitar for a test ride before I spent 1000 dollars on it. Every time I stopped playing for a second he would say "So what do you think" sort of like it was a conversation ender. I played for total of 5 minutes was in the store for 10 to 15 minutes. We said maybe two words to each other, normally that wouldn't bother me, but the store is small and it's pretty awkward to not speak in that situation. And for the record I'm generally an easy guy to talk to who tried to initiate conversation (Former Bartender). I will say some kids came in when I was about to leave and he was very friendly to them. My search for a friendly guitar shop in the Philly area continues.

Had a great service experience at DiPinto Guitars. Took my 25 year old acoustic guitar in for…read moreservice and set up. Chris and his staff took a lot of care and made sure the guitar was good to go for me to start playing it again. Looking forward to seeing them again for my future service needs.

great guitar store. went there expecting to buy a fair priced guitar, walked out with a cheap but…read moreultimately my favorite guitar in the room. Their employee Dave has helped me, has answered any and every question I've asked about the guitar I've bought, how to maintain it and everything. Great welcoming experience.

I've gone to this store a lot because my son's gym is down the street and I love guitars. I've…read morespoken with several employees here, spent a good amount of money here and at other Guitar Centers, and I genuinely want this business to succeed. I appreciate having a store nearby where I can try inventory, grab what I need, or get a guitar set up for a reasonable price. I also appreciate not having a sales associate hovering over me the whole time. That said, only about one out of every three employees seems genuinely pleasant, helpful, or even remotely interested in customers. The other two often come across like they barely tolerate anyone walking through the door. I try to be empathetic because I know difficult jobs and difficult people are real. I work in schools with kids who struggle with emotional dysregulation, and I've done that work for over twenty years. I understand frustration, burnout, and how unreasonable people can be. But part of being a professional is not unloading that frustration onto the people who are not causing it. If I'm in your store browsing guitars, spending hard-earned money, asking reasonable questions, and making a polite attempt at conversation, then don't meet that with a sneer, a condescending correction, a blank stare, or obvious annoyance. You do not have to love your job, but you should at least act like you understand that customers are the reason you have one. And here's something else: it is a terrible look when employees stand around loudly talking about how stupid customers are. I hear that kind of thing almost every time I walk into a Guitar Center. Yes, some customers are difficult. Everyone knows that. But if you work in customer service, then some baseline professionalism is part of the deal. Constant visible contempt, complaining, and bad vibes make people not want to spend money there. What makes this especially frustrating is that I'm not talking about unreasonable demands, returns, or haggling over junk gear. I'm talking about normal interactions. Guitar Center offers something online retailers cannot: the chance to come in and try gear in person. That should be your advantage. Instead, too often the experience is long lines, snide attitudes, and a general sense that customers are a burden. Honestly, I've had friendlier, more helpful experiences at local fast food places. That should concern management. I should not feel like I need to minimize all interaction with staff just to avoid being treated like an inconvenience. I rarely leave angry reviews. This is the kind of thing I might write once in ten years. So this is not casual complaining. Over time I've bent over backward to give Guitar Center the benefit of the doubt, but the employee culture at too many locations is a real problem. And if management does not see that, then management is part of the problem. To the employees who are helpful, friendly, and professional: you are the reason I still come in at all. You are appreciated. To the others: dealing with people is clearly not your strength, and that becomes the customer's problem every time someone walks through the door. Guitar Center will not lose customers because people suddenly stopped wanting guitars. It will lose them because too many customers would rather buy something sight unseen from a company with decent service than deal with the attitude in your stores. Signed, a concerned customer.

We went here just for fun because it's Wednesday and I'm like bored. We walk in and uh the store…read moreand it is very big. I played a lot of guitars. I want a flying V

Bought guitar in to be set up. Had a terrible time trying to get them to respond to my 3 phone…read morecalls. In the end they charged me for a string change but didn't do what I originally asked them to do which was a set up. Disappointed.

Very professional folks here who go out of their way to help. They are knowledgeable and take the…read moreextra steps that are sometimes needed. Don't hesitate to look them up.

I write to extol and celebrate the virtues and amazing craftsmanship of Michael Virok, the owner of…read more@theGuitarRescue.com and a Luthier extraordinaire. This review has been a long time in coming, due to several serious family medical issues combined with a move to another state, and it is a review that I am grateful to finally write. Michael graciously and kindly helped me to complete the final (and most important) phases of mods on my 2006 Gibson SG Standard. My overall goal was to switch the colour-scheme of the hardware to Black, and so that it also had the "Doom" affinities of my previous guitar, an ′86 Jackson Custom made in the San Dimas workshop. The first phase of mods began with the installation of new tuning pegs and control knobs. I was able to get some Grover 102BC Original Rotomatic Black Chrome tuning pegs to replace the original faux-ivory white ones, the latter of which have really thin attachment posts (which I have seen break due to desiccation a few times). I always loved the control knobs on my Jackson, so I got a set of four Proline Back Chrome Textured Dome ones, which feel like home to me. The next phase of mods involved replacing the Gibson pickups with something more suited to my style of playing. I decided to go with the EMG Zakk Wylde 81/85 Humbucker Set in Black. Both of these are active pickups, like the one in my Jackson. I went to one of the big-box stores for the installation and when I picked it up, the tech (i.e. not a luthier) said that since the electronics cavity of an SG is notoriously small, he was unable to fit the battery inside of the cavity, and it was returned to me like this. He suggested that I find a luthier who could rout out a battery-box to ameliorate this situation, because the store didn't even have the proper tools for the work. I was, like...WTF. So, I found a real Luthier in Michael Virok. He was able to discard the splitter connecting the new pickups and wired them directly together so that a battery could actually fit in the cavity - without having to rout out a battery-box to the side of the cavity. While this setup may use batteries more quickly, there was no need to do any invasive procedure to install something by doing it this way (which I thought was a great idea!). He did this while I waited. Gratis. The final piece of the puzzle was the installation of a proper tremolo system, and I asked Michael if he could put a Kahler whammy-bar on it, because I absolutely adored the Kahler on my Jackson. Michael acted as a de facto consultant on this, and he graciously helped me to determine which Kahler model would be the best-suited for my SG. Bear in mind, that literally no other luthier in a 100-mile radius said that they could do this...not even in Philly. He installed the Kahler 2200 and it works perfectly! Taken together, I offer my highest recommendation, without any reservation, for Michael Virok at The Guitar Rescue as the regional go-to Luthier extraordinaire. If you live anywhere within an hour-or-two of Lawrenceville, NJ and have the need to do something, anything with/to your guitar, PLEASE let him work on your axe! I drove all the way from King of Prussia (PA) based on his reputation alone, and was so impressed with him. He is kind, affable, and a consummate professional whose only concern is customer satisfaction. Thank you so very much, Michael, for literally everything, and humble apologies for the exceedingly long delay in submitting this review. Namaste...

Took my guitar in yesterday and got it back today. Full rewire and setup. Sounds perfect! Provided…read moreme with some history on the 1983 Fender Fullerton Stratocaster I brought, which I always wanted to get confirmed. I would highly recommend.

I brought them a new 'B-Stock' acoustic guitar I bought with a lifted bridge. They did a terrific…read morejob repairing the bridge - plays and looks great. Reasonable price, quick turnaround. Highly recommended.

Great guitars and awesome assistance. We noticed Bluebond…read moreGuitars while dining across the street, and managed to make it over there just before closing. The guy helped us as if he'd just opened for business - kind, not rushed, full of information and chatty. We browsed and my friend bought some strings. This place is so much more than a guitar shop!

Patrick has done it again!! I brought in an ordinary 80's Yamaha Acoustic Guitar. I thought I knew…read morewhat I wanted done. Patrick told me the truth about what needed to be done. I went for it for a few more dollars. I can't tell you how happy I am. I own many guitars Taylor's, Martins, Fenders and they all have their jobs and their personalities. The Yamaha has come back alive with ( No Kidding) lowest action of all my acoustics. This is the second guitar Patrick has set up for me. His work is.... I don't know. You have to experience it with your guitar. Guaranteed to make a better guitar and give it a new better voice and easier to play. Truly an artist. Thanks Patrick.. Soooooo HAPPY!!!

I needed to get an XLR cord today for my Rode Podmic, little did I know I would walk into the best…read morego to music spot in my area! Being a smaller business they may lack the quantity merchandise that you may see in big name companies, but the customer service they have is amazing! You can really tell based off first interaction that they care about the needs of the customer that you may not get with other music shops. I can say proudly that I'll be a returning customer for whatever my music needs are!

Dick is a great guitar teacher and I look forward to my lesson every week…read more I have also had guitar repair there, as well as buying a gig bag and a few books. The prices were extremely reasonable. Wouldn't go anywhere else

I hate to be "that guy" that complains endlessly about the state of the economy and always longs…read morefor the way things used to be, back when every business was privately owned and the proprietor treated you with the respect you deserved. It makes no sense for me to be that guy, because I was born in '83---I never knew such a world. And, yet, House of Guitar is the business "those guys" are always longing for. In a world filled with guitar super centers, The House of Guitar keeps things simple. The business? A small shop built into the back of owner Dick Serota's Feasterville home. He carries about twenty guitars at a time, and he probably sells four or five a month. But the bulk of his income comes from guitar lessons, which he offers in the shop for the most reasonable price in town. (Last time I was there it was $15/half hour. That may have changed.) And Dick and the two other teachers that work there are great. For those prices, you would expect some college kid who can teach you to play "Stairway to Heaven," not much else---but these guys are real working professionals.

Aryeh East is an excellent craftsman ! He has replaced frets, modified electronics, crafted…read more"real"bone nuts, you name, he can do it ! He takes great pride in customer satisfaction. You will not be disappointed ! LW Robinson

From the owner: Head Luthier, Aryeh East has been building and repairing musical instruments since the early…read more2000's. Working in Los Angeles, NYC, Memphis, Chicago, Austin and now Philadelphia. In 2013 A. East Musical Instruments was created to showcase the works of Aryeh and his friends and offer the highest quality, specialized musical equipment available.

The band I'm in and myself are regulars at this studio. A great place to practice with good…read moreequipment to keep you going. If you're in a bind for a spot to practice in Manayunk or Philly hit this place up!

From the owner: Recording, Rehearsals, Music Lessons, and Instrument Repairsread more