Music Center of Hawaii is very small but the amount of instruments and service far exceeds their…read moreshop size. They are one of the only shops that repairs saxophones, violins, and standup bass's. They have a huge selection of violins, flutes, saxophones just to name a few. The staff is absolutely top notch any thing you need for your bowed instrument is there.

Best experience I've ever had in a music store. My son was freaking out because his saxophone…read moreneeded some repairs, and the employees did an amazing job helping me a getting his saxophone up to par. they were extremely knowledgeable and knew exactly what they were talking about and helped me find exactly what I needed. We will definitely be back and be doing all of our music store needs right here.

Took a vintage audio amp in to be checked out. George took a quick look at it and told me what was…read morewrong literally while I was there. He seemed very knowledgeable about the gear and pointed out how certain parts were not original or spec. I left it with them to complete the repair and bring it up to specs. So far so good. I have other vintage gear to be done so I am waiting to see how this first amp goes then will have others to bring in.

From the owner: Specialized in service of the full range of professional audio equipment along with restoration of…read morevintage tube amplifiers and radios. Services are also provided for classic guitar amps, effect pedals, mixers and electronic keyboards. Expert level fault isolation, component-level repair and tweaking to restore optimal performance.

Unacceptable Service & Zero Priority I am beyond frustrated…read morewith the service I received today, and I ended up walking out. My wife, my two kids, and I walked into this establishment around 4:35 PM on March 25th. We were greeted at the front by Ted, who told us he'd be over to help us "real soon" and instructed us to head back to the electronic drums. Couple other staff asked if we needed help which we did, and was told they couldn't really help us because they weren't the 'drum guy' and to wait for Ted. We waited. For 25 to 30 minutes. When Ted finally decided to show up, he gave us maybe five minutes of his time. Instead of actually helping us make a decision, he left us with more questions than answers. He told us he'd be "right back," and then disappeared for another 10 minutes. From where I was standing, I could see him at the front of the store helping people who walked in long after we did. The breaking point was when he finally came back to our area...but not to help us. He started assisting another person who had just arrived. At that point, I was losing my cool. He knew we had been waiting patiently for a long time, yet he continued to treat us like we weren't a priority. Once he finally finished with the latecomers, I had to confront him with the facts. I told him exactly how long we'd been sitting there while he ignored us for newer customers. Instead of offering a solution or taking accountability, he just hit me with excuses. Then, he actually had the nerve to ask if I had "more questions." I told him flat out: I was ready to check out 30 minutes ago, but he left us hanging high and dry. I was literally about to tell him which set we were buying, but after that experience, I decided right then and there that we wouldn't be supporting this business. We walked out. Bottom line: You need to get your priorities straight. UPDATE: I'm updating my previous 1-star review to 5 stars because of one person... Senior Manager Anju (I hope I spelled that correctly). After that initial visit yesterday which left us feeling disregarded and unimportant... Anju reached out to me personally to make it right during our phone call. It takes a true leader to own up to a mistake and honestly she did so with such grace. Took full accountability for her store and them some. When we returned today, we weren't just 'customers' we were felt like actual guests. Anju provided the kind of high-touch and personalized support that made the store feel more like a community. She was patient, informative, answered all my questions and incredibly kind to our 5-year-old. She made sure we walked out happy and we left with the perfect Roland TD-07DMK Electronic Drum Kit and a matching V-Drum Amp. I felt Anju made it her mission to make sure every detail was handled perfectly so we could focus on the excitement of our daughter's musical journey instead of the issues we faced previously. It's easy to be a good store when things go right, but how you handle things when they go wrong is the true test... Anju passed with flying colors. From here on out we'll be supporting this business under her leadership. Mahalo for turning this around for our family!

They have such an extensive variety of musical instruments! I went on a Black Friday sale day but…read moreI still received top notch customer service. I was never forgotten and was constantly being asked if I "needed anything" while I tried out a new guitar that I purchased that morning. Prices seem comparable to other local music stores. I almost forgot to mention that their website provided me with much more information about the guitar that I was looking at than I could find on my own via Google! I should've started my research there first!

So great to have Peter round to help me create my crazy ideas for guitars, or to take on the work I…read moredon't or am unable to do. Thank you Peter for all you do, and have done over the decades! Call him, share what you want done and make a new friend!

So glad I found Peter--not only is he an incredible luthier, but he's also an absolute gentleman…read more I brought my Fender Strat in for some intonation issues, and Peter knew exactly what to do--and then went above and beyond. He did a full fret dress and worked out a slight heel kick so the notes wouldn't fret out. He fine-tuned the intonation, deepened the nut slots to make the first fret easier to play, cleaned out all the pots, and straightened the neck. He also adjusted the whammy bar and corrected the bridge, which had been pulling up too far. It now sits closer to the body with a gentler angle--still allows a half-step pull-up, but with better stability and improved tuning. The guitar plays so much better now--and Peter even promised I'd sound just like Stevie Ray Vaughan. I'm pretty sure by "now" he meant in about a million years. Peter works out of his home in Aina Haina. It's a little tucked away at the end of a driveway , but if you follow his texted directions, you'll find it. Although I did drive past said driveway the 1st time around LOL. Happy Shredding!!

Kalena was very nice and pleasant. She also shared her personal story in her passion of music…read moreteaching. Very kind and great selling left-handed ukulele! Highly Recommend! Good luck in your new journey! You'll do great

Note that I later received a message from the business owner essentially "scolding" me for removing…read morea star (4 stars instead of five) because they don't carry any other brands aside from their in-house brand. My 4 star review was my honest rating of the business, and was not really affected by the brand selection, and I actually bumped them up from the "in between 3 and 4 stars" gray area. Having said that, I think most people shopping for musical instruments (or anything else, for that matter) would like to know if a store does not carry the major brands typically carried by other shops in their market segment. The new 3 star rating is the rounded down rating I now give them because, as a more experienced guitarist who already has higher end instruments in-hand, the shop really has nothing to offer me that would draw me in for repeat visits. The shop really is catering to entry level student musicians, which is fine, but I don't need the management messaging me every few months because they really want a 5-star review on Yelp.

I needed help with my baby girl, my acoustic guitar. I'm by no means an expert, and honestly,…read moredespite some experience on stage, I'd still barely call myself an intermediate guitarist, so when my acoustic's connections went on the fritz, I was at a loss for what to do. I asked one of my much more experienced and knowledgeable musician friends, and he instantly suggested BR Frets. He was then confirmed by another guitarist friend of ours who was hanging with us, saying they're hands down the most skilled people on island that they both know of, so I went ahead and made an appointment. Both friends said to expect a couple of weeks, maybe 3 depending on how busy they are, as they do get quite a bit of business, and to try and get an appointment when I can, so I did as soon as I could. I was greeted warmly by Chris, who asked me some pertinent questions, took a look at Hayley, and gave me a clear idea of what to expect; either he can fix her, which if he can, he'd try to do so that night. If he can't clean and repair the connections on my pick up, not only would they likely need to send out the pickups for diagnostic and repairs, but the cost to do so would jump up significantly, showing me how much the piece costs broadly and then factoring time and labor. Sure enough, I called the next day, as advised, and Wes said to come back on in to pick her up. I got there and spoke with Wes, who told me Chris stayed up a bit the previous night to make sure Hayley's good and ready to go, and she was back in action! They also only charged for the time and labor, which was more than fair for the quality they provided and all the relief they gave me. Definitely worth coming to them when guitar help is needed.

I've been playing more in open D tuning and got tired of retuning my Taylor every time I wanted to…read moreplay something in open D. So I took my old beloved Takamine F360s out of the closet and decided to leave it in open D. But it was playing rough. The action was very high even after I adjusted the truss rod. Also the intonations were off. I took it to a major guitar store in town and the luthier there said he couldn't help me because the guitar needed much more work than he could do. Then I found Chris at BR Fret shop. OMG what a God send. Talk about someone who cares passionately about guitars and knows the instrument like Wolfgang Puck knows pizza. Chris identified that the problem came from under the bridge where through years of humidity, that area was bulging and pushing the bridge up thus raising the action. He took it apart, sanded under the bridge then put everything back together along with new strings. I was completely blown away at how low he got the action with no buzzing. In fact it made my Taylor seemed hard to play in comparison. So I ended up taking my Taylor in for an adjustment as well. Pro tip : make sure you register your Taylor guitar with Taylor manufacturing and they will pay for the adjustments at certified Taylor shops. I hope Chris and his assistant Wes never decide to leave O'ahu. We are very lucky to have them here in our little corner of the ocean. Happy pickings...or strumming!!

Go on their FREE tour if you want to learn about their 100 years of history and expertise in the…read moreukulele making world. Still family owned and ran, this gem is worth checking out. You can see in every piece they make that they have a true love for the craft! Mohala!

Purchased the wrong size tenor hard case and the Kamaka crew exchanged it no problems. That's what…read moreyou want, no drama no issues. Mahalo

I was in a ...DESPERATE need of repairing my Kamaka 'ukulele. The bridge that holds the..."A"…read morestring was damaged; therefore, the string couldn't stay on. When I mentioned this to my manager at work, he suggested I visit...WESTSIDE MUSIC. I was contemplating on going to Kamaka, but I was too lazy to make the drive to town. Also, I was thinking that this repair could be costly. Therefore, I decided to take my manager's advice and visit WM. I couldn't wait any longer so I called WM to see if they could assist me with my situation. Uncle Ron (owner) answered the phone and he told me to bring my 'ukulele in. So, I headed down to Waipahu the next day. Uncle Ron was nice enough to look at the damage and figure out a way to repair it. Well, it took him less than 5 minutes to repair it! Wow, he is a ...GENIUS! The buggah knows his stuff...I tell you! He also helped me tune the new "A" string that he replaced as well as the other strings by using a tuner. Then, he helped me figure out the 'ukulele chords to a song that I've been wanting to play. I let him listen to the song , and then he figured it out by ear. You da' man...You da' 'Ukulele Man...Uncle Ron! You are so talented...so helpful...so kind to help me. You are truly...Mr. Aloha! Mahalo nui loa (Thank you very much) Uncle Ron! So, if you are looking to repair your 'ukulele, come check out WESTSIDE MUSIC in Waipahu next to Time's Supermarket. You'll thank me for that!

I needed new strings for my ukulele and didn't know what type I should buy since I haven't played…read morein a long time. I brought in my ukulele and the store owner was able to help. So glad I found this place - close to Rocky's. Prices are reasonable and am love to support a small business.

Me and my husband had been looking to replace his ukulele and spent quite sometime looking into…read moreaffordable options with great quality and that is exactly what we found here! Absolutely amazing experience. Owner was very patient and helpful as we figured out what we wanted and what was in our budget. Great prices with great quality. Couldn't recommend enough. So happy that we found this gem and will definitely be back in the future.

An amazing music school! They are really knowledgeable and great at pricing their products. Thank…read moreyou so much for helping me out. You guys are amazing.