Mike is very knowledgeable and thus very good at fixing instruments! He takes time to explain and…read moredemonstrates what needs to be done or what was done. He is also very fair price wise. He knows the quality and construction level of every instrument we have brought him. He also sells new and used instruments, music, and all the accessories needed for your instruments. I highly recommend Mike's Brass and Woodwind!

I gig with a rock band on a regular basis. Brought in a Yamaha Model 62 tenor sax with a few noisy…read morekeys, some leaky pads, and a myriad of other small issues that I had just gotten used to over time. Mike made my cherished 23 old horn play like it came from the factory. Great response, good action, great tone. I will be bringing my other horns in. Thanks, Mike!!

Really nice people, excellent service and work. Good pricing for setups and string changes…read more Your instrument will thank you

Guitar repair & Set up- PIckup install and electronics work done on my Gibson SG Excellent. Love…read moreit. Highly Recommend

Buying Jon a professional level guitar!…read more What an amazing experience. In this day of mass manufactured instruments, it is a rare and wonderful site to see someone who actually hand crafts guitars. Mr Brune has been doing this for many years - he proudly displays the first guitar he made as a teenager out of his parents dining room table... The space is really interesting - you walk into a hallway where he has his office. Off to the left is the display room. He has four or five display cases, each one with guitars of a different price range. He carries not only ones made by his hand, but those of other Luthiers from around the world. Each guitar he carries he knows the story and history. While my son was trying various guitars, he gave us a tour of his work shop. We walked through a door into the back and entered a tight space where he had guitars stacked up for repair and a few machines. This in and of itself was impressive. We said it was a cool workshop and he laughed and said this was not his workshop. We went through another door into an enormous space filled with lots of different types of wood and equipment. There were guitars in various stages of being built or repair. His son, a violin maker, shared the shop for some of his work. This was an incredible experience for anyone who has an interest in music.

He is a fantastic luthier and has incredible knowledge on acoustic guitars. He had fitted strings…read morefor my flamenco guitar. He recommended a mix of strings which made the guitar sound with clarity and depth.He also constructs his own guitars ranging from classical to flamenco. I have seen other types of guitars.He can also do work on your guitar if it has problems. Most classical/flamenco guitars have been manufactured in China or Japan. Even the spanish guitar companies like Cordoba famous with the gypsy kings and Manuel Rodrigues Spanish guitars outsourced their manufacturing to places like China. Yamaha flamenco guitars have their manufacturing base out in japan. There are luthiers (guitar craftsmen) that make real handmade guitars that sound so much better. RE Brune is one of those craftsman that can give you a real handmade guitar and not those guitar center chinese made ones. If you are a serious musician, consider RE Brune as a luthier for your new guitar.

Dave Dalton has decades of experience teaching all ages of students how to play guitarread more

Piano Trends is so great, they hooked me up with a piano and lessons; great service, nice people.read more

I'm impressed with Piano Trends. Their staff is helpful and very knowledgable. I am presently…read moretaking lessons with one of their instructors and am very happy with the instruction I am receiving. Their selection of instruments is very good, and they have a nice supply of used pianos in stock, as well as a good selection of sheet music. The owners of the shop obviously care about their customers, and are active in the community's music scene and with charity events. An earlier reviewer stated that they are a great place to buy and consign, but then spent the rest of her review refuting her first comment. I am very certain that no one in this shop would ever lend out a consignment with an aim of "increas[ing] the chance of damage..." Sounds like sour grapes over the fact that no one wanted to pay what she thought her instrument is worth. A piano may appraise for a lot of money, but it is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. That's a bummer, but a simple fact of life. And obviously the piano was not lost if it sold. I generally don't like stepping on someone else's review, but in this case it seemed necessary.

This place is awesome. I got my first guitar there about a little over a year ago and have been…read moreback several times for other accessories and set ups. Staff is nice and knowledgeable. You'll get straight up answers without trying to over sell you on anything. Also they don't make you feel like "the new guy", they've been very encouraging of a new player.

Paid $130 for a setup and got lazy, dismissive service…read more From the start he brushed off my bass because it was a little beat up and an unusual shape. I mentioned adding a small weight in the control cavity to balance neck dive, and he dismissed it with, "no, don't do that, that's where the electronics are." The action was high at the nut and overall. After his "setup," it came back basically unchanged -- and now the A and D strings bottomed out at the high frets. I told him the nut needed filing; he insisted nut height doesn't affect action until I proved it. He took it back, filed the low E only, and handed it back. I had to point out again that the A and D were unplayable and send it back a second time. Even then, nothing was really fixed. End result: I lost $130, my bass plays worse than before, and I'll still have to do the setup myself.

Excellent music store! Honest, helpful and very knowledgable in all areas of musical instruments…read more Sell great reasonably priced great sounding guitars , mandolin's, and banjos ! Replaces guitar etc. strings for you or repair minor problems with musical instruments or will give you Referal to someone who will. Very kind, patient, compassionate, helpful staff. Music lessons on most instruments and voice lessons. Restrung and fixed neck of my guitar so easier to play in my 70s with my arthritic fingers. Very honest. Talked me into fixing my guitar rather than buying a new one! Great store! A real gem in the Northwest suburbs! Remember to turn into road off of Barrington road and turn into commons parking lot to gain access to store. Visit for all your music needs or to learn to play a new instrument! Truly, Liza Johnson

Meh. The guy at the counter talked down to me when I inquired about music lessons and rates…read more Considering the place was completely devoid of customers, one would think he would be happy with possible business. In addition, I didn't find the selection of guitars and accessories to be spectacular. In the future, I'll head to Minstel Music in Niles. I've not had good luck with a few of Barrington's small businesses. Maybe these people are rich and buy these businesses on a lark, and have zero desire to make profits. Who knows?

We love Classic Violins Store!! Both our daughters were renting, and eventually we purchased…read moreviolins from them. What makes this shop special is the customer care as well as the quality of the instruments. We always feel excited to go there!! They connected us with great teachers. We also rent alto sax, always wonderful quality and service. They go out of their way to take care of customers. We have been customers for the past 15 years.

My daughter and I came into Classic Vlolins for the first time to rent a violin. We had a lovely…read moreexperience. They helped choose her correct size and got her all set up with everything she needs to begin lessons. Classic Violins is a warm and friendly place- we look forward to going back for all of our violin needs!