Sometimes you stumble upon a gem of place that is world famous and you don't even realize it. Here…read moreI am 5 years on and realize just how amazing this store is! 2019 Was traveling around the 50 states and hopped into this place as I was passing by... Just blown away by the instruments they had! Not sure how long I was in there, but everything from droolworthy original D'Angelicos, original Epiphones and more... So much of music's history of the past to the present. After I get home and watching guitar videos I keep seeing this store pop up. Keep saying 'Hey, I was there!'... Do. yourself a favor and stop by. See the amazing selection of instruments they have on hand / display. The staff was super friendly and always willing to help when I asked. Thanks guys! Look forward to seeing you again!

Sometimes you stumble upon a gem of place that is world famous and you don't even realize it. Here…read moreI am 5 years on and realize just how amazing this store is! 2019 Was traveling around the 50 states and hopped into this place as I was passing by... Just blown away by the instruments they had! Not sure how long I was in there, but everything from droolworthy original D'Angelicos, original Epiphones and more... So much of music's history of the past to the present. After I get home and watching guitar videos I keep seeing this store pop up. Keep saying 'Hey, I was there!'... Do. yourself a favor and stop by. See the amazing selection of instruments they have on hand / display. The staff was super friendly and always willing to help when I asked. Thanks guys! Look forward to seeing you again!

I'm thrilled about the volume I saw in store today. And in benefit of the doubt, these guys are…read moreclearly short staffed while handling a never ending queue and loop of tasks. At the same time that 4 pedal boards in simultaneous testing are piercing your ears from across. But honestly the salespeople were just straight up icks. From the long haired dude thats been there longer than fast food fries, and the gentle voiced big fella that speaks in automated replies with a slight overtone of condescension. Like my guy. I am imploring you to do business with me. What in the world are you going on about? Came in for a radial conversion unit (not cheap) and a barebones over drive pedal that in spur of the creative moment would be a part of tonights engineering session. -Asked long haired dude for a distortion pedal in the used section and the radial unit. He tells me to fug all about the pedal because it cant be sold until april 6th over some policy I've no idea about and sends me to go figure it out downstairs for the radial unit. -Went at it downstairs with an older dude about the technicalities of signal processing and was then successfully closed out by another quirky fellow as the former had already ended their shift. Solid dudes and banter. Asked the latter about the wait time for the used pedal, still unclear. -Went back up, found a different drive pedal, and a cheepo delay. Went to automated joe for purchase. Drive pedal's price tag had a whole digit covered in its position. Closed out the delay, and navigated an over-toned condescending remark about how I should be satisfied with the delay and GTFO. -Nah - went to the pedal boards. Cut through the noise around me like if I was actually going to buy something. Employee hovers over me for a bit as if to tell me to turn it down while also inspecting the radial unit i just purchased. But I ignore it and test the pedal. Excellent. - go back to automated joe, tells me the unit is sold out. And that he can take payment for it now and have it in a week. - I dont need it for a week, I need it for tonight. - go back to the used cases, scour and search. A/B what I can online. -Narrow it down to an MXR pedal when suddenly a Black woman appears and saves me. First words out of her mouth told me she was efficient and cared for the success of this mutually conducive sale. I was sitting in front of an amp to test the pedal within 5 minutes. And she EXPLAINED what the hold on the used gear was. Like holy S. Thank you. For clarifying that for legal reasons you have to put a processing hold on used gear thats making its way through your store incase it was stolen in the past. Like I didnt even ask the other guys if I could test the gear I was attempting to buy, did not even know that was an option as they told me to fug all and be on my way. -amp i was testing pedal on was too muddy to get anything meaningful out of it. -went to mxr pedal section. Tried a different one that was in the routing. Was eh. Took a leap and swapped out their cute little eq pedal (lovely thing really) as it had just enough space to pull the 1/4's out, with the one the woman pulled for me. -grabbed the American strat behind me with the most horrendous setup and proceeded to get some beautiful tones. Mission accomplished. -closed and GTFO of there. It was roughly 5:30 when I got in. I didnt leave until 8pm. I never want to go through that again. Also every guitar i tried to use to test pedals needed some serious work done. Like come on bro. This ain't stevie ray vaughn. Why are all the strings way past their proper guages and have the tension of an acoustic. Can't even let the guitar come alive that way. Best setup was a fresh out the box squire strat that was sitting unadulterated on its hook. Pros: music is thriving Cons: Musicians are dying behind the counters of guitar center.

Nice Guitar Center, pretty big. Has an upstairs and downstairs. Employees are helpful and nice. Not…read moretoo crowded as well which I appreciate. I would recommend coming here for anything music related.

Terrible. I lost a good piece of gear I sent in for repair. Their estimate was equal to the…read morereplacement cost. I said I wanted it returned which they would not agree to until the bench time they put in to assess the repair cost was paid ( this was supposed to be $25 but it turned out to be the price of a new unit. ) There is not a low enough rating so I had to give them 1 star - be very cautious or better yet go elsewhere.

I have been a customer of Main Drag since 2013. I have purchased and sold instruments and effects…read moreunits, attended events and trusted them with repairs of some of my most beloved possessions. I purchased my prized Sunn S2000 from Main Drag after a long and thoughtful conversation with the owner, Karl in 2021. Unfortunately, a recent occurrence has completely eroded my trust in Main Drag. In December 2024, I left a guitar to be sold on consignment. I received a fairly generous rate and a PO guaranteeing that I would be informed of the sale and be paid my share of approximately $1600 3-4 weeks after the sale. I was never in formed of the sale. When I independently discovered that the item had sold, I entered into a months-long wild goose chase with Karl. I have been promised payment by a particular date numerous times, all of which have fallen through, and have been left with my emails ignored for weeks at a time. It is impossible to get anyone on the phone. My next step will likely be small claims court.

NYC Guitar school is one stop for learning guitar, restarting guitar, singing or wanting community…read morewith other musicians (there are also ukulele, bass lessons - and a ROBUST rock band program). In addition to classes there are many events at NYC Guitar School from open mic, workshops, guest talks... SONG LAB is a great new addition to that line up - members and non-members alike can join. Song Lab is a 3 hour block - everyone involved (ALL levels of singers, bassists, rhythm guitars, lead guitars) are taught their part of the chosen song by one the amazing teachers at NYC Guitar School. By the end of the 3 hours the song is played as a group in a performance type setting. Past SONG LAB songs include Rebel Rebel, Sweet Child of Mine, Creep, My Girl. SONG LAB is an amazing way to start playing with other people, test your skills, learn new skills, learn a song you have always wanted to play in record time, meet other musicians that you will see again in either virtual or in person classes, open mics, or join in rock band. My overall experience with NYC Guitar school and their top tier teachers has been so gratifying - I highly recommend Song Lab to anyone new or seasoned - it is a lot of fun.

I started playing guitar when I was 13, and now I'm in my 70s. I never took a guitar lesson until…read morea couple of years ago, when I joined NYC Guitar School. It's terrific, and my teacher (Josh Torvi) has helped me a lot. What I like most about Josh is his flexibility. He understands that each student needs to be taught differently. I'm an old guy, somewhat set in my ways. Josh doesn't force me to play in a certain style, learn certain songs, or insist I learn music theory. He doesn't tell me what to do. At the start of each lesson, he asks me what I want to work on. He'll gently suggest I try new things and get out of my comfort zone, but he doesn't push me when I just want to have fun and play stuff I know. That's what keeps me coming back every week.

They listed a Drawmer 1960 on Reverb and I went into the store to buy it. The sales rep was really…read morenice and did a great job packing up the compressor so I could carry it home. It works perfectly. Competitively priced gear.

I had a bad experience with Clark who repairs keyboards. In the end he made the condition of my…read morekeyboard worse and the reason why I'm giving two stars instead of one is that perhaps he could have fixed what he broke if I was willing to take it back, and I'd like to give the business itself the benefit of the doubt that their information and service in purchasing gear lives up to a very good reputation, *my* experience was with an old keyboard that was on the line of whether it could be fixed or couldn't, and Clark was honest that it was a risk. However, I brought the keyboard in with a power supply that wasn't its original power supply and although I hadn't had a problem with it Clark was extremely argumentative that there's no way it could have ever worked because it's "just physics." He had to be right, and wouldn't let me finish any of my statements or questions. Since he told me there was an 85% chance he could fix one key that was broken, I agreed to give a $40 deposit but a day or two later I found the same model at Guitar Center and wanted to take the keyboard back if he hadn't started to work on it. I left a message for him to call and let me know if he had started work on it and was told he'd call right after his cigarette break, I called again and couldn't get ahold of him and went back in person where he told me he had called me. However, days later there is still no record of any calls or messages, and I suspect he was not being honest. When I took the keyboard home I found that the key immediately next to the broken key was now very stiff and hard to play, so his diagnostic process with the $40 deposit resulted in worsening the condition of his keyboard. I would have gone back to ask him to fix this if he hadn't rubbed me so wrong in the overall communication. I disputed the charge with my American Express and my account was credited and I don't know if this was Rogue that agreed to refund me.

Whether you're in NYC or Alaska THIS is the ONLY place to bring your horn for repairs!!!! And they…read morehave an incredible array of new and collector's horns, mouthpieces, reeds, virtually anything you need. Honest, reliable, solid and technically proficient to the highest degree...Jon, Rachel, and the guys are the musical equivalent of NASA engineers!!!!

They are absolutely so cordial so helpful and so kind. I highly recommend them This is the placeread more

Very grateful to Bela at Finlay + Gage for replacing a bridge on my daughter's violin same day so…read moreshe could take the stage at Carnegie Hall two days later! Hero

Highlights: * Huge bass selection!…read more* The website offers scheduled appointments for repairs and sales; but they accept drop-ins too. * Open on Saturdays * Competent and reasonable repair staff We've been to Finlay and Gage a few times in the past year. In my opinion, it's the closest thing to a mecca in New York City for upright bass players. They have a huge stockpile of new and pre-owned basses at a variety of price points. The staff is personable and down to earth. Their repair staff is quite competent and reasonable. Two experiences: 1) The fingerboard of the upright bass at my son's school bass had come off, and needed to be reattached. The shop was particularly busy and had given a timeline of a few weeks. 2) We had a mishap with a cat on our personal Shen SB80 bass that caused the bridge to shift a little bit. We got it back into place by eye, and lived with it for a month or two, but with a performance coming up, we wanted to make sure it was in tip-top shape. We met with Zoe. She did a quick diagnostic and made some quick adjustments (fine tuned the position and angle of the bridge; tweaked the soundpost down slightly), and she sent us on our way in less than 5 minutes. Noted that we had some mild pitting on the soundboard, but could take care of that later. No charge on this visit. For that we'll be eternally grateful - it helped make my son's first public performance on his personal bass a resounding success. It's been a few weeks now and wow, these little tweaks really made some measurable differences in playability and volume. The action feel great for both pizz/jazz and arco. I wouldn't hesitate to bring an instrument there for a check up. Pro tip: As of early 2025, there is metered parking around the corner on Church St starting at 2pm on weekdays. So if you're driving yourself, you have some options if you're bringing your bass in or are picking up.

I feel a tad bit overzealous writing a 2nd review for The Music Inn so soon but I just had to make…read morethese thoughts public. The Music Inn open mic is hands down one of the best in the world! So I live on Long Island and it can be pretty daunting at times driving all the way into the city, especially on a Thursday during rush hour, however The Music Inn is totally worth it, and then some!! Sign up starts at 730 (best to line up as early as possible though, say around 630ish) and performances begin at about 8. Last night it ran to about, and every act was incredible. I performed as well and the audience was super supportive and engaging. I saw one person who was there for the first time and they had such a ball that they ended up buying a gong, for like $200+. I love that! He would randomly hit it outside and proclaim loudly "I fricking love this place!" and I found it absolutely hilarious. The best part for me was the impromptu jam happening outside on the covid-era outdoor patio section. I joined in and we jammed for at least an hour, singing and playing everything from blues to rock to jazz. Lately on my daily drives I've been learning how to sing "Devil town" by Daniel Johnston and this was the perfect opportunity to try and perform it. Everyone joined in, we had a lead guitarist, a drummer (playing on a makeshift high hat from an empty plastic chinese food container), and several guitarists keeping rhythm. It was such a magical time! Oh and the cover is only about $5-7, depending if performing or not. If you're looking for some of the most authentic and passionate music in the city, head to Music Inn on Thursday nights at 8pm, you won't regret it!

4 stars for the open mic…read more It seems to be total anarchy there-- which produces good art, but expect less than professional handling of things on the part of the staff. But then they are probably just young kids being exploited, so...

I have been a customer of Guitartech for going on 6 years now, and have experienced nothing short…read moreof superb customer service. Paul & Joe are great at what they do, and genuinely care about me as a customer, but also as a guitarist. I trust every word of advice that I am given about guitars and all things related to them. I grew so confident through my experience with them, that I had a custom guitar built by Paul. It has been an invaluable piece of my journey as a musician. Amazing place!

I used to get my guitars serviced from Guitar Tech and they were good for awhile. The owner seemed…read morenice and accomodating and his assistant, Joe Belle seemed nice, as well. I always explained I was a 'hobbyist' who casually played the guitar and Joe acknowledged that with some comments. That's fine. I just used to get a set-up, neck adjustment and new strings. They even brought to my attention the fact that my Santa Cruz had something going on with the neck-truss rod and they were right, as Santa Cruz took the guitar back and admitted to having a bad batch of truss rods. Anyway, when my Blonde Goodall got scratched on the headstock, I was upset but said nothing. I just never went back! I read some of the reviews about Guitar Tech and just figured it wasn't worth mentioning. A finishing repair isn't so easy to repair and it never looks the same. It matters to me because sometimes I sell/trade my guitars. I don't have that much room or spend that much time playing them like maybe a more serious guitar player would! Not trying to bad mouth these guys but they should be a little more mindful/careful with others' instruments because there are people out there who take good care of them! Manhattan was also getting a little out-of-the-way for me. I am in Queens and their hours have changed. So, a little inconvenient, as well. The trains don't always run so well and driving to the city is at times very inconvenient! Other than that, I have nothing against Paul Nieto or Joe Belle. They seem to be pretty nice fellas.

I was looking for the first CD recorded by our band, Boricua Legends, more than 13 years ago and…read morefound it at El Barrio Music Center. I had contacted people in Japan and Netherlands who said they had it but couldn't deliver it to me. This store has music that you can't find in other places. The owner is very pleasant and provides great customer service.

This store has a lot of CD's, instruments, and miscellaneous objects (shirts, posters, toys, etc)…read more Towards the back of the store they have a couple of crates full of records which is the main reason I stayed for two hours. They have a lot of records, 95% of which are latin: mostly salsa with a lot of Fania, a lot of boleros and slower Latin music, and some English here and there. They have a lot of repeats as well. I went into this store on a short visit to NY, but will make it obligatory to stop by every time I'm in town from now on. Also spoke with the guy working the store the whole time and he provided great service.