Probably more difficult than figuring out which guitar to buy when I decided to pick it up was…read moredeciding on a teacher. The internet is filled with many instructors with impressive credentials. What I noticed about Dave's website is that, unlike others who focused on what they know, Dave focused on how he would teach a student. There is that big, big difference between knowing something and teaching it, and Dave was focused on helping the student to learn. I have been with Dave for two years this month and am very happy with my choice. Yes, of course he knows how to play, and knows this intricacy of the fretboard and that intricacy of theory. But anyone teaching should know those things anyway. What I like about Dave, and why I highly recommend him, is that he is interested in getting me to play that way, and will go over a piece, or even a measure, as many times as necessary to get me there. Thankfully, he not only knows how to teach, but also possesses that most important attribute for someone in the field: the patience of Job.

I've been taking lessons weekly with Dave for over a year now. When I started, I'd never played an…read moreinstrument before--except for the trombone back in 4th grade band. Dave worked with me to help me learn how to read standard notation and tabs, get familiar with the fretboard, and begin developing as a guitar player. Dave's got an amazing depth of knowledge of styles and theory. He's helped me with flatpicking and fingerpicking styles, and I'm now able to play some rudimentary versions of Doc Watson and Rev. Gary Davis tunes. I want to emphasize that his help has allowed me to get there in just a year of playing--friends of mine who've been playing for years are surprised by my playing, and I give full credit to Dave. His greatest assets as a teacher, without a doubt, are his patience and encouragement. There's been hundreds of times when I've flubbed notes and chords over and over, and he's never once shown any frustration, but just said, "that's all right, take your time." He's passionate about the music he teaches, and that enthusiasm definitely inspires me to practice, practice, practice! Dave is friendly and knowledgeable, a calm and patient teacher, and an amazing guitar player. You won't regret picking Dave to teach you how to play!

I had a vintage hollow body that needed a re-fret and made the long drive to drop the guitar off…read more The good = the removal of the frets, and re-planing of the fretwork is the cleanest and most conservative I've ever seen. He also pinned the floating bridge in a really neat, clean, and innovative way. The turn time was less than two weeks. The bad = The final charge was over $100 over the estimate, and they didn't inform me of this before hand before I made the long drive to pick it up. The new frets were too high and not crowned properly, so it was painful to play. The frets were squared off and not rounded. I couldn't afford the time and money to make the drive again to have this corrected, so I had to pay somebody else to correct the work (by leveling and re-crowning the frets). I now have to ship my guitars out of state for fretwork since there is nobody good in the DC/Baltimore area aside from a few hobbyist working out of their homes. I've definitely seen worse fret work than this, like I said, I was impressed with the care taken with the removal of the old frets and re-planing the fretboard. But the re-fret felt incomplete to me and the extra unexpected charge was a kick in the gut.

If you ship your guitar to get work done here, be prepared to wait at least half a year to get it…read moreback. No joke. Don't believe them when they say it will be several weeks to a month. I shipped my guitar to Philtone years ago and had them PLEK and set up my guitar years. Didn't hear back for months and didn't want to seem like I was too pushy. After four or five months, I started to get a little anxious so I emailed or called them. They said it would be soon. I ended up getting my guitar six or seven months later. It's known in the guitar community that time management is this place's worst attribute. I've read a number of complaints about not hearing back and waiting forever.

Our friend's little one enjoys a music and dance class at the Baltimore School of Music up in…read moreRoland Park, Baltimore (May 2026). One of us participates, and the rest of us can watch through a glass wall at the back. The teacher is cheerful and encouraging. At this young age, it's mostly an intro to the idea of learning to dance around to different songs in real life, not only in front of the tv at home :-) Plus some fun with singing and percussion.

The music teacher was great. However, we thought we had only signed up for a few classes (it was my…read moredaughter's bday present). I wasn't notified that we had missed over ten and only found out we were still being billed by looking through my credit card statements. I would have expected to get a call from someone asking if my daughter was coming after missing two classes. Please establish ethical business practices and not rely on contract language to manage the B2C relationship.

Music Go Round has an excellent of pre-owned instruments and gear. I play the guitar and drums and…read morefound that the selection in both categories was much better than average. They have a really nice layout of drums and guitars to tryout. The staff are more attentive here than any big chain store. They repair, provide lessons for the most popular instruments, carry new gear, buy used instruments, and sell pre-owned instruments. If you live in or near the Baltimore county area this store is worth checking out. I'm so glad I live near this Music Go Round.

I purchased a $1200 mandolin. After playing it for a while, I realized that I needed an instrument…read morewith a louder volume. I was within the 7 day return window and Music Go Round gave me a credit with zero hassle. I appreciated that and will shop there again.

Great people. They are very helpful and knowledgable. My go to for brass repair. Work was better…read morethan expect Ed and I sold one of trombones there on consignment. Pete is an amazing technician. I love the selection of pre-owned instruments and related products.

Baltimore Brass is a fantastic music shop. I sold a tuba though consignment and sold them several…read moretuba mouthpieces. The staff there are easy to work with, quite knowledgeable, and professional. I highly recommend them.

I love Bill's Music, tbh. The only thing I don't like about Bill's is that they close at 6. I…read moreunderstand why, but it does mean I have to hurry to get there after work. That all being said, I make sure to rush to Bill's when I need stuff because the alternative is going home and then going to...well, another store with an instrument in the name, and that has never been a good experience unlike Bill's. A few years ago I made an online purchase for a used pedal from Bill's. I showed up to get it and as it turns out, they had no idea where it was. They had spend an hour looking for it after I purchased it, and then they spend another 20 minutes looking for it after I arrived. To make it up to me they offered me a brand new version of the pedal at the mid point of the difference between the used one and the new one. I took that offer because it was a great deal. Since then I have bought 3 more pedals from them over the years, a microphone, and a whole lot of accessories. If I want to purchase another guitar at any point, I will definitely hit them up if possible.

Stopped in to Bill's this morning looking for a less expensive guitar to set up for slide-only…read morework. I didn't find anything to surpass the Firefly product in bang-for-buck. While there, I recalled I needed a male to male 1/4 inch adapter. I found one and was looking for other similar items for a project I'm working on. Before I got much further, a young man approached me and suggested in was time to check out and he would "escort" me to the cashier. The clear implication was that I was attempting to steal this little item. This young man clearly needs more education in reading people. I was pretty insulted and I will never have a need to return to Bills Music in Catonsville Md. There are numerous other places to purchase their product line without the rude, passive-aggressive treatment.

Dave's deals is the real deal. He has been around for a long time and always has great prices. He…read moreis very honest and has helped me with things above and beyond

Great repairs done affordably, selection of reasonable second hand gear and guitars, some vintage…read morefinds