Review of Martin D35 Guitar, Sweetwater, and Dan's Music Center:…read moreI was a bit apprehensive when I decided to buy my first Martin D35 acoustic guitar online. After reading the posted reviews of the various online guitar stores, I settled on Sweetwater (Fort Wayne, IN). When I called, I got Jesse Duquette. Jesse had previously owned 50 guitars and it was comfortable speaking with him. He answered my questions and opened my eyes to other facts and styles I needed to consider with the guitar. Most important is that Jesse indicated that there is a 2-year warranty on the guitar, and that he and members of the Sweetwater team will be there anytime should I have a concern. When the guitar arrived, I had to wait 24 hours for the package to become acclimated to the temperature and humidity before taking out the guitar. When I finally opened the box, pulled out and tuned the guitar, I was absolutely delighted with the mellifluous sound of the Martin D35. The action was low, which I desired, but I had a vibration when I played the 5th (A) string. Jesse suggested I take the guitar to a luthier who could adjust the truss rod and that Sweetwater would reimburse me for the cost. I took my Martin D35 to Dan's Music Center (Warwick, RI) where I was greeted by Dan Ryder the owner and luthier. Dan was about to have a bite to eat but stopped, so he could assist me. Dan took the time to adjust the truss rod which cleared up the buzzing. Dan charged me nothing to fix the issue for I could tell he understood and respected the quality sound that comes with the Martin D35 guitar. In summary, although I had initial trepidation with the online purchase of my guitar, I was extremely happy with the service I received at Sweetwater (Fort Wayne, IN) and at Dan's Music Center (Warwick, RI) - and would recommend both companies without reservation. I also would highly recommend Jesse Duquette (of Sweetwater) and Dan Ryder - the owner and luthier of Dan's Music Center (Warwick, RI). Finally, thanks to Martin & Co for making my beautiful sounding Martin D35 guitar. Len in RI

This place is the "real deal." Dan is a superlative guitar player in his own right, and does…read morefirst-rate repairs and setups. His prices are excellent and he keeps a stock in the store that combines the expected high-volume (!) items with some lesser known gems. There is a nicely-curated selected of used guitar amps there with some superb treasures for those with a good eye. Dan does a great job listening to what you are looking for, guiding you to the "best fit," even if it is something he doesn't stock or sell -- he has the best interest of the customer in mind. I brought Dan a vintage Fender Jazzmaster (late 1960s) that has great sentimental value for me. One of the pickups had stopped working -- it turned out to be a break in the wire deep in the windings. Instead of doing the quick fix (swapping the pickup out for a new one), he arranged to have Lindy Fralin replace just the windings, keeping it as close to the original "vintage" as possible. Not as profitable for Dan as selling me a new pickup, but it was the right thing to do for the guitar. Like I said, this place is the "real deal"!

I highly recommend Providence Guitar Academy!!! Phil has the…read morerare talent of staying calm and patient while making the learning experience fun. It is obvious that he really enjoys teaching. Jake, 5 years old, looks forward lessons , practicing and showing off what he has learned. Finding the right music teacher is so important and we hit the jackpot with Phil.

Where do I start describing such a wonderful, amazing teacher! First of all, Phil is indeed an…read moreextremely gifted musician in his own right, and has a very deep knowledge of technique and music theory. You can tell that he has a true passion for music and his 10+ years of experience definitely show in much of his sage wisdom that comes across in the lessons. For a total beginner in guitar and music like myself, showing up to this talented fellow as a grown adult with my cheap acoustic and telling him that I just wanted to be able to strum along to Bob Marley or the Beatles could have been intimidating. Instead I felt that Phil was delighted to teach me and he calmly encouraged me at every step from then on. He first made a special effort to understand my background, the types of music I like, the parts of learning music that interest me, and the amount of time I could commit. Then he came up with an individualized, structured plan for me to reach my goals, which also changed as my whims and interests changed as months went on. I began taking one 30-minute lesson each week, which might not seem like much; yet Phil is such a professional that not a minute is wasted, and by the end of each lesson I had tons of exercises to practice and things to think about every day for the 6 days until my next lesson. I felt I made very fast progress under Phil, thanks to his incredible teaching technique. As time went on I was so happy with the lessons that I increased to two 30-minute lessons per week. My progress became even faster and more intense. Phil effortlessly helped me switch between learning chords and guitar technique and the somewhat separate subject matter of reading music and understanding music theory. He helped me play songs while also helping me understand the underlying patterns and connections that many songs are based off of. Had I not unfortunately moved away from Providence, I think Phil would have turned me not only into a good guitar player, but also a well-rounded musician! I would like to be very clear, his lessons are a steal at the price he offers them at. The teaching is first class and Phil is a great human being, and obtaining beautiful abilities like playing the guitar and understanding music might change your life like they did mine.

Frank Moniz is an excellent teacher. My son was three and a half when he started guitar lessons…read morewith him. My son is now eleven years old, and Frank has done an outstanding job in teaching him. He knows how to relate to young children and teach them at an appropriate pace and level. Frank is patient and professional, and yet a friendly person. He is able to encourage and discuss with my son the things he needs to practice, and supplies feedback about the areas in which he needs to improve. When my son decided to play an additional instrument, he chose the saxophone. We were already impressed with Frank's teaching abilities, so we chose him as our son's music teacher for the saxophone as well. Because Frank had laid the foundation for success when my son had first started out, he was able to pick up the saxophone quickly. In addition to music lessons, Frank is a professional musician and is well known in the local music scene. - Bobby Yehiya

My now 11 year old son has been taking guitar lessons with Frankie for 2 1/2 years. I found him…read morethrough many, many recommendations from people in the area. Frankie is a fantastic, low key teacher with tons of experience working with both kids and adults. He clearly loves music and enjoys watching people learn and improve. He offers his students a healthy environment to learn at their own pace and gives them opportunities to perform and showcase their skills at seasonal concerts. He has taught my son on both acoustic and electric guitars. I recently began working with him to learn guitar myself as I knew he'd be a good fit to allow me to learn at my busy-working-mom pace. I strongly recommend him for kids and adults alike.

My go to place for woodwind services. Roberts has maintained my saxophones for several years and…read morethey do a great job. Repairs done on short notice at very reasonable prices. Special shout out to Jamie and the entire staff for my most recent repair and adjustment to my Alto. Plays as good as new. Thank you! Highly recommend there services They go above and beyond any other store I have done business with

I can't say enough about this business. I've had multiple instruments serviced at Roberts and…read morealways get a friendly greeting from all their employees. Going back to when I was a fifth grader all the way to this year when I brought my own children into the store, the vibe is positive and cheerful. Terri was extremely helpful as I placed an order and responsive to all selections I requested. What a value this business presents either to seasoned musicians or newbies alike. Roberts is simply the best!

Where can you find affordable music lessons with instructors that really love what they're doing…read moreand give you that extra personal attention? RIGHT HERE. Before starting my ukulele lessons, I had never played any instrument. Within a few weeks, I was comfortably playing chords and really enjoying the experience. Julie is an amazing instructor, truly dedicated to this nonprofit. They offer lessons for adults in music, dance, and vocals. There are children's classes as well - you can even throw a birthday party! I would recommend trying it out to anyone who is wishing for a hobby or to check off an item from their bucket list.

What a great studio, conveniently located on Tiogue Avenue in Coventry. They have such a wonderful…read morevariety of dance and music classes, not to mention the occasional weekend workshop. This studio is a wonderful additional to Coventry- I encourage folks to come and try out some classes- I've tried so many already, and am absolutely thrilled!

Couldn't be more pleased. Phil, the owner or manager, is a great guy and this place is clearly well…read morerun. Classes start and end right on time, gave lots of good information when I initially called, easy billing, reasonably priced. I'm not sure if my daughter is going to turn into a world renowned concert pianist, but she looks forward to class and has a lot of fun with her teacher, Alida. The building and practice rooms are nice and new and clean. Phil clearly cares about keeping students safe and seems to be doing all the right things in regard to COVID. Highly recommend.

I absolutely recommend coming here for guitar repairs! They did a phenomenal job fixing my beginner…read morebass and electric guitar. As you'd expect from cheap guitars the build quality needs work and NOLL managed to fix my fret buzz issue and adjustment of the neck and saddles to perfection. They even replaced the strings with the new ones I brought in with me with for a fairly decent price. They were fast with the whole process. You can tell they care for their customers and attention to detail. My guitars have never felt or even looked as good as they do now. You even get 90 day warranty along side your set up which is very convenient and courteous. My bass needed serious rehab and they fixed everything even the smallest things like the nobs and my pick up being too lose. Especially my bridge pickup as that wasn't even working properly before. I am so happy with the work done as I can now continue to practice with ease now that my bass is done correctly. As for the guitar, it is brand new and mainly needed spring adjustments which was done nicely as well. Can't wait to continue to become a better musician now with the help of NOLL Guitars. The owner was extremely kind to me and gave me so many tips to maintain my instruments. Highly recommend stopping by if you need new gear or just want a welcoming environment to find your next instrument. Thanks a bunch I will be back again!

Noll is super professional and amazing at assessing and making repairs. They are expert luthiers…read moreand have an amazing staff! Highly recommended!

School of Rock has been amazing at not only teaching my daughter how to develop and improve her…read morevocals but has given her confidence that no other activity/sport or club has offered her...I couldn't be happier seeing that smile, especially on Tuesdays and Wednesdays after leaving her lesson and band practice!! Kudos to everyone at School of Rock...you truly do "Rock!"

Just started taking drum lessons in the adult program about a month ago. I've been playing guitar…read morelonger than some of these kids have been alive, and let me tell you, some of them would probably kick my butt in a shred-off. A real indictment to the ability and passion of the instructors here. Not to mention some of the kids here are really cool and a great place for other cool kids to make friends and probably start a band and become famous or something. Definitely going to send my kids here one day so I can live vicariously through their talent and fame.