My boys have been taking piano lessons here for almost 4 years. Incredible personable instruction…read morewhere they are learning not only how to play the piano, but how to read and write music.

It's one of those disappearing professions, sad to say. Took me a couple of years to find a living…read morepiano tuner. Took me another year to find one who is good. Mr. and Mrs. Carl Hoon will come to your house at the appointed time, tune your piano properly, and remind you in a year when it's time again.

Carl Hoon and more recently Carl and his wife Linda have been tuning my pianos for well over 20…read moreyears. I have been teaching piano for over 25 years and a good tuner is so important to me. For many years I had a poorly rebuilt baby grand but Carl made it sound good. He was always gracious when it came to his opinion of that piano but jumped at the opportunity to give me pointers when it came to replacing that old piano. I listened to him and we now have a wonderful Baldwin that more then makes up for the years of double striking and pedal issues with the old piano. Carl is always the perfect gentleman and I trust him to the point where I will leave the house while Carl is tuning and ask him to lock the door on his way out. ( of course I miss his post tuning concert when I have to leave) The thing I most appreciate about Carl's tuning is the fact that he "tweeks" the piano after he tunes it with the electronic tuner. All pianos have their quirks and personalities and Carl makes sure the piano is in tune with itself- not just an electronic box. I highly recommend Carl- in all the years I have never had to call and say a key was out of tune right after it's been tuned. I have had to do that with other tuners. I once had the tuner from Summerfest come back out because a much used "G" above middle C was not in tune. The tuner was angry with me but tunings are expensive and I expect to hear beautiful music right after a tuning. That has never once happened with Carl. I hope Carl is able to continue his magic for years to come.

Stopped in for some string repairs on my bass. Got a chance to meet Ron. He's a great man with…read moreincredible stories. Did some excellent work on my instrument for far below Guitar Center prices. Staff was affable and happy to talk about everything in the store. Eclectic mix of instruments and equipment that seem to always be changing. Never know what you're going to find here! Worth a stop!

I'm from Texas, but am spending some time with my folks up in Wisconsin. I wanted to buy an…read moreinexpensive classical guitar that I could keep up here for when I visit. I did a search for guitar stores, and this sounded like a great place to try, especially because they sell used instruments. They had four used guitars that were in my price range, and I went away very happy. I got exactly what I was looking for at a good price, and I supported a small family-owned business! And the people who work there are wonderful, friendly folks. I hated to leave! I will definitely drop in on them again the next time I'm in downtown Waukesha. I highly recommend you shop here if you are just getting started in music, or if you've been at it for a while.

This past September, due to pandemic, I signed my son up with Kirk after researching for a guitar…read moreinstructor who would be a very effective and excellent virtual teacher. Kirk delivered! My son loves his lesson times with Kirk so much that he would routinely carve out time DAILY on his own to practice and strum on his guitar WITHOUT me telling him to because he enjoys it so much. That's successful teaching in my opinion! My son feels Kirk connects, understands, and is patient with him...and it's not always easy to understand "teenagers" if you know what I mean. After 8 months of lessons, my son has started to take part in the church worship team as a backup guitarist - it's a small church, but still, that's what Kirk did, built up his confidence and love for guitaring! I would definitely recommend Kirk to anyone asking. He's patient, kind, and understands his students, bringing out the best in them! A+!!

Our 10 year old son sees Kirk every week and is a novice. His development has been impressive and I…read morecredit Kirk for having the patience to work with our little guy. Kirk's calm and easy going style has been a boon to our son's skill and self-confidence. We highly recommend Kirk for guitar lessons.

Sheryll with expressions piano is an outstanding piano instructor. I specifically sought her out…read moreover 6 years ago to work with my son and give him piano lessons. He has ADHD but is very driven to learn and play music. She has not only been the PERFECT instructor for his learning style, she has catered her teaching to his interests, needs, and preferences. She often composes music for him in order to provide him with things he wants to play. While she uses theory books to teach basics, she is adamant about students being able to play things they want to and enjoy and goes out of her way to find this type of music. She was so wonderful with my son that my daughter now takes lessons with her as well. Her passion for music and inspiring kids to love it is incredible. Every year she helps my kids to learn holiday music, mixes it, records it, and creates beautiful gifts that we give to family and friends every year. I cannot say enough about her, her professionalism, and her quality as an instructor. Throughout COVID she ran virtual lessons for my kids and both looked forward to them every week and were able to continue their lessons. Someday, when my kids are no longer taking lessons, I plan to sign up to learn piano with her as well.

West End Conservatory is a unique music "school," offering lessons for many different instruments…read moreas well as vocal lessons. Their website lists twelve different teachers, I am taking guitar lessons from Emily Zimmer. The space is a refurbished house with several practice rooms that the teachers share throughout the week. It is a 20+ minute drive from my house but comparing it to other options, I think the drive is worth it. Its is a great space and I like the concept of communal music instruction space independent of a business. And, great news, I played my first full song at my last practice!

Attended a concert here. It's a converted house fairly sparse. The experience was a bit meh, as…read moreit seemed like they oversold the venue and we were stuck standing in the back room in order to see. The flip side is they had a fantastic act in and it was a good show. I got the impression it was growing pains, so I'd certainly give them another try.

Lincoln Music House earns my highest recommendation. I studied here more than fifty years ago and…read morethe service and expertise I remember continues to this day. You know that's remarkable as well as I do. I recently had my Fender Strat set up here by Larry, and I could not be more pleased: knowledgeable staff, affordable pricing, accurate craftsmanship, personal service and a timely completion that NONE of the other shops in town can beat let alone approach. My Strat plays much better. Looking for something new? Lincoln Music House offers a nice selection of guitars and other music instruments, accessories, too! Thank you, Bob, Larry and Al!

Their guitar tech is great here & it's also a great place to rent instruments for school band…read moreprojects. I used to love the service here but I had an unfortunate incident in where I had to return an item I bought & only 11 days after I bought it & I was made to feel about two inches tall when I asked for the favor. Im a disabled Iraq veteran on a fixed income & I had some bad luck fall upon me & I was made to feel like I was going to bankrupt the business but fortunately the owners wife intervened & allowed my return. I cane back the next month & I bought a bass off of them, which cost 4x as much as the item I returned, & I did it as a thanks for helping me the prior month but instead of thank you, i got a sarcastic comment from the owner about if I was going to return the guitar too! I already paid for the bass otherwise I was ready to give it right back but I just kept my mouth shut despite being highly insulted. That was the last time I set foot i.n Lincoln Music House I hope their business gets better because they turned me off after going there for over 35 years. It's a shame because with Uncle Bob's going out of business, there aren't a lot of mom & pop stores left but customer service is #1 in my book & they definitely drove me away with their poor attitudes & it's a shame. Still, if you need an affordable instrument or need some maintenance on one, they do offer quality in both. My bass was set up perfectly & even though Im mad at em, I hope they continue to exist because I am a fan of small businesses even with grumpy owners.

Many well wishes in the future for Dan at ABZ. I had an excellent experience with him today, and…read moreI'll try to be as categorical as I can about this... Location: 5 out of 5 Yes, the workshop is actually in the burbs of Milwaukee, but he makes home visits, as well as school visits, and probably institution visits as well. Can't get any better than when someone who has a service or commodity or amenity makes a house call. Selection: 4 out of 5 (or 0 out of 5) Please read this careful. Dan ONLY works on cellos. And by works on, I mean that he hand crafts these bad boys, sets them up (quite drolly too with a caliper I might add), and includes a year of service with a purchase. Looking for a violin? No. Looking for a guitar? Move along. Looking for a viola? Again, no. Looking for a plastic recorder? I should punch you in the nuts. Dan builds, service, and works on one instrument only. The cello. The offerings that he has are the following: Fortissimo: This professional grade cello is made from select solid spruce and beautifully aged, flamed maple. The hand carved solid maple back on each of our 4/4 size models has its own unique flamed rich woodgrain finish, and the purfling is inlaid. The fingerboard and pegs are crafted from select quality rosewood. The sound is rich and very robust. Each one comes with quality soft bag and a high grade Brazilwood bow with mother of pearl inlays. The tailpiece is made from the highest grade ebony with a decorative mother of pearl eyelet. This model is a perfect blend of precision craftsmanship and wonderfully deep robust resonance. Vivace (the one I purchased): The spruce and maple on this cello is matured for 12 years before crafting. The fingerboard, pegs, and tail piece are all made from high grade ebony. It has a less glossy hand applied spirit finish. Crescendo: His top of the line 12 year cello. This amazing new age cello is made from select solid spruce and beautifully 12 year aged, flamed maple. The hand carved solid maple back on each of our 4/4 size models has its own unique flamed rich woodgrain finish, and the purfling is inlaid. The fingerboard and pegs, and tail piece are crafted from select high grade ebony. There may be one model in between these - please inquire with him as I am by no means an expert on any of his craft. Customer Service: 5 out of 5 Well, he agreed to come to the city during rush hour, and that by itself should count for a lot. Like I mentioned, there's a 1 year service period where he will work on your cello (for free, I think). Real stand up guy - brought his kid along (his inspiration for making the cellos in the first place). Does things by the book - even charging the correct amount of sales tax. Pricing: 4 out of 5. Are cellos cheap? No. Are hand crafted cellos cheap? No. Are hand crafted non laminate cellos cheap? No. But are his cellos cheaper than something I could purchase from a boutique store or even online? Yes. And they sound amazing. The entry level 6 year and the top of the line 12 year are very boisterous and voluminous, but the mellow 12 year cello (Vivace) has an excellent tone. If you want to purchase a cello for yourself, or a student, do hurry - I believe he'll be raising prices on his entry level cello come fall.

I decided to go out on a limb and order a cello online…read more After an arduous amount of research, these people kept popping up. I paid for my Fortissimo cello on a Monday , and it arrived at my Brooklyn home on Thursday. I also requested Larson strings be put on it. Not only did the cello come completely set up as requested, it was almost completely in tune! This cello has a truly powerful tone. Great service! Great product!