Say one thing, do another. We had a layaway with $30 down from over 7 months ago. Life happened and we honestly forgot about it--not the end of the world. What *does* matter is how Dorsey Music handled it. Ironically, Dorsey Music called *us* at the end of last week to follow up and ask if we still wanted the layaway. Important context: we've purchased **five guitars** from this business over the years because we wanted to support a local, small business over chain stores. One of those guitars was bought as recently as **12/26/25**, and at no point during that purchase did anyone mention the outstanding layaway--even though it was clearly in their system. When they called about the layaway, we explained we forgot about it. They were understanding, so we asked if the $30 could be applied as store credit toward a future purchase. That was denied. We then asked if it could be applied toward guitar strings. We were explicitly told **yes**, and to come in Monday (**1/5/26**) to get the strings. So we drove to the Nampa location today, only to be told something completely different: the $30 could *only* be applied to an item of equal or greater value, comparable to the original amp on layaway. That's the issue--**not the $30**, but the principle. Don't tell customers "yes, come in and we'll apply it to strings," then change the rules once they're standing at the counter. Especially when those customers have spent **hundreds of dollars recently** and supported your business repeatedly. Clearly they needed the $30 more than they needed our future business. We hope it was worth it, because after five guitars and years of loyalty, we won't be back. At least with a chain store, you know what to expect. There's zero recognition of good customers here anymore. Do yourself a favor and shop elsewhere. read more

Orchestra side- Once you have their attention, you HAVE their attention. David will ensure that you know everything you need to know about the quality of the instruments you are trying out and answer all your questions. Brent, their luthier, will ensure any modifications that are done are done well and in a timely manner. I bought/modified my fiddle here based on the recommendation of both my teacher and her teacher, who have both worked with this location for years and highly recommend them. read more

This place is cluttered and always a mess. The staff are impatient and rude. The customer service is lacking. I asked about a possible discount and I was belittled. One of the few instances where going to a bigger store would probably provide a better experience. read more

Inside out: the parking lot has ample space and it's right off of a main drag, we had no trouble locating it and no trouble finding a place to park. The building itself is older, the inside is as well, but I don't really think it's the inside or outside display that makes this place worth the trip. Service: I read through the reviews on here and I was genuinely shocked because it was the polar opposite from the experience my husband and I had. I have not played the cello in years because my old gal needed so much maintenance and we are not wealthy people by any stretch of the imagination. I was terrified of how much this bill was going to be, and when they called to request us to come in on an appointment and discuss it I was even more scared. I figured that was it, I could never play again. First of all we made an appointment for noon and we drove out to have breakfast, we got done a little early and while we were willing to wait until the appointment time, we called to see if we could get in a little early and they said that was no trouble they just needed to finish up with their last appointment. They set the expectations and it did not bother us at all. All the staff was busy when we came in it was not like they ignored people out of spite, it was just that they had things they were doing. As soon as a person finished with some thing we were welcomed and offered a place to sit and wait. I see a lot of reviews talking about not being immediately addressed or having to wait, please be a human and realize that there aren't many of them in the store for a massive demand of work. It's not like they're just sitting around doing nothing, they were working on everyone's instruments from the minute we got there to the minute we left. I know the turnaround time would be a few weeks, but I really hope that this is not just me believing good customer service and I will get back an instrument that is playable with quality repairs. Appointments would probably help a lot of problems for people, just calling ahead might do a world of good for you. I can't imagine there's a lot of luthier's in the valley. David was the person who helped explain everything that was going on with my instrument, I learned more in that time than I ever had about what made instruments work piece by piece and why. I bet if I would've asked how much it was and had no idea why I was spending the money I never would've repaired my cello or played again, I have never understood more in my life what I was paying for. That was absolutely the most valuable service anyone could provide, he was patient and used examples of other instruments and showed me on mine where the correlations were and what mattered. There was no pressure to spend money that we did not have, He was clearly passionate about teaching and I was excited to learn. Each item was prioritized by what needed to be fixed to play, and progress for the future. I knew my cello wasn't anything fancy to look at, as old as I am with plenty of bumps and bruises from a life before I got her. I had used money that I got from a late grandmother to try my hand at a dream I could never afford before and I knew she would want me to try so it is sentimental. I had paid for lessons with the rest of it and then Covid happened and my teacher moved away and my Cello needed repairs I didn't figure I could do. They did not shame me for my instrument being of less fancy or attractive quality, " it's not whether it's a good or bad Cello, it's whether it's healthy or not." They also did not make any negative comments about the fact I didn't remember anything from my lessons and I was worried about trying to find a teacher again, they had a recommendation to contact their Boise store to see a more up-to-date list of teachers near me and were encouraging to a total newbie despite the fact I knew I was standing in the presence of a lot of combined experience. Brent was there working on something behind the counter and made idle friendly banter with us, Sam was very generous and allowing David to show us the tools that they used to make repairs and how they did so. I really enjoyed seeing the 1800s woodworking tool still in use! Brent even had a conversation with me about a shared interest of tabletop gaming while my husband checked out (the best birthday gift). I'm sad other people had negative experiences at the store, but it was genuinely one of the best experiences I've had in customer service in a long time, I work in customer service and my expectations are always gentle but this was just absolutely phenomenal. read more

They fixed my guitar so that's good, but the girl who was helping me was very rude. She kept making comments about how my guitar was in the worst condition she had ever seen before. She kept asking questions like how much I had paid for it, and told me that it was flat out bad. She warned me of all the 'dangers' of playing this guitar. It's literally fine. It just needed new strings, that's all. I went to get my guitar repaired, not to get roasted in every way possible. Next time, I'm just gonna drive out to Boise. read more

Unfortunately I was forced to give this business one star. I wouldn't recommend this store to my worst enemy. The customer service is HORRIBLE! I have written a previous review about these people. Every time my son goes into this store they totally ignore him. No hello, no can I help you. Nothing. I truly believe that they are racist. There are a couple of people who have treated son nice in the store but today those people weren't there and absolutely no one helped him for 10 minutes and then he just walked out. Unfortunately, unbelievable, and very upsetting. read more

Seems like good guitar techs are really hard to find. I was fed up with guitar center so i took a guitar in to Dorsey to have some new pickups and push/pull pots wired in. Big mistake. Guitar sat for 6 months with no updates. They charged me over $400 for the job and didnt even call me when it was done. I had to go see if it was finished myself. Got it back, sloppy job but it seems like he figured it out. Long story short, make sure the tech youre taking your axe to actually knows what he's doing and has done it before, otherwise youre going to get charged for a whole lot of extra hours because he/she has to spend a lot of time figuring it out. I don't fault the tech for that, but it a heads up would have been nice and maybe a call to let me know its finished. Was very frusterated because i feel like there are no good professional guitar techs who actually take their job seriously. read more

Very knowledgeable and friendly staff. Always willing to help. If they don't have it, they'll do their best to get it for you.

Dorsey music bought stolen items. They were stolen from my home. The police went to retrieve them and Derrick the manager kept some of the items and would not return them. He is a crook. read more

This is long but worth the read I went in last July 2019 for a violin for my daughter. I was told the amount would be 475 for everything bow case included+ tax. I took them at face value all they said was honest. I tend to believe People. Just so you know I signed the contact so I will hold myself responsible for that mistake of not reading it and going on the employees word. First they won't explain the incentive of not paying the instrument off in 6 months or else 79 and change bucks is tacked on(Only learned this cause my husband Went down to talk about the contract after I learned how much money I owed). No employee will tell you this at the time of making a sale to you. Also I was talked into the insurance and was told I can change my mind at anytime in the future! So that was a lie that employee sold me. Just recently when my debit card was lost or stolen I got a call from them wanting money. That makes sense I got a new debit Card. As I was updating the card I asked how much I owned. That's when I heard the balance and was blown away! That's when I knew something was Wrong or fishy! So I sent my husband down to talk About the contract...get this I also learned more that upset me. So I called during the school year before all this uncovering about the contract ect... I called cause my daughter broke a String trying to tone. I asked if the insurance covered this. Was Told it doesn't! I replaced the strings three times! If you want good replacement it's not the price of a McDonald's hamburger let's just say that! Well when my husband went down to talk about the contract he was told they do cover strings so yet another lie!! They owe me for the strings... but that's not the point. They are liars and screwed me! My whole view was to help people. I don't Want anything or money I just want you to be Careful dealing with them. read more

I'm done coming here. I always get treated like garbage and like I have no money by the blonde idiot with glasses. Yesterday I got greeted with "it's you... again, and you got... another guitar" like, what happened to Hello or even a how can I help you today?! Every time without a fail she treats me like garbage, if you're reading this lady! You lost a customer. Get that stick out of your a$$ and treat your customers right! You know who I am! Next time tell me to my face what the problem is instead of treating me like garbage. And yesterday I needed my bridge raised and they legit handed me the tool and said, "I don't think that's what it is, give it a shot" and just walked away?! What the heck man! Brandon, Dave and John are the only good workers they have there! Derek acts tolerable sometimes. But that stupid lady is the worst. Never going back to this store. read more

Horrible customer service. Owner is extremely rude and unprofessional. I have honestly never been treated with such an incredible lack of respect as a customer. There are better places to shop in the Treasure Valley where customers are valued, no matter how much money they are spending (or not spending). read more

Dave has helped me for years with my viola. He has been extremely helpful and knowledgeable when it comes to anything orchestra instrument related. He has always taken the time to share his knowledge and do his best to set me up with the right equipment and products I need. The pricing is expensive but keep in mind that Dorsey is a small shop, it's hard to compete with wholesale internet prices. When I've asked about pricing I have always been given an upfront answer. I think that the knowledge and the care taken is worth the extra couple dollars. Dorsey music does a great job of making you feel taken care of, as well as sounding your very best. read more

We recently purchased a set of Roland electronic drums from the Nampa location. Their customer service is exceptional! Dave helped us choose the right set, gave us all the time we needed to try it out in the store, answered all my husbands constant questions, and even assembled the drums for us so all we had to do was put them in the back of the truck and take them home. Over the next week, he was available by phone and in person to help us with further tweaking of the setup. The price was right and service after the sale was above and beyond. We are enthusiastic fans of Nampa Dorsey Music! read more

It was a very unwelcoming atmosphere, when i brought my guitar to him they made a comment stating i had it styled the "Mexican" way. I felt like they over charged me for a simple fix. Overall it was a unpleasant experience, i don't plan on coming back here again. read more

Had an amazing customer service experience. I ended up buying $3000 guitar because the gentleman helping me was very very knowledgeable of the product and he gave me tons of time and space to figure out if I wanted to make the investment or not. Top that off with them throwing in a free pick guard installation. It was a great transaction. I cannot be happier. Also,I checked the price on Reverb.com and it was a bit cheaper read more

Got my violin here. Prices are rather high. Customer service is pretty bad, some of the workers were kind of mean and they are really cocky.

Somehow these rejects manage to remove negative postings. THIEVES... Stay away from these people. The absolute worst music shop in the state of Idaho. Smug, incompetent, notoriously bad service. Ask any musician in the area. This is the one place you want to avoid. read more

I would not recommend Dorsey Music to anyone. Customer service is non-existent. I was told by an employee that my child's rental would be placed on an automatic payment. For 3 months they charged me a late fee even though they were automatically debiting my bank account. They refused to refund this fee, and they were extremely rude. This is not an organized business, and it is not a business that cares about its customers. Go elsewhere and save yourself the headache. read more

Horrible service.. I'm forced to go there because I hate driving to Boise for a set of strings etc. over priced too..

For the past few months I have been frequenting the Nampa store for various merchandise related to my personal development on bass guitar. On every occasion, customer service was friendly, accommodating, and pragmatic. On one occasion an impromptu lesson was afforded regarding scales, that in the long run was to their detriment when it came to selling me anything. I can't say how happy I have been with every visit. From pedals, patch and power cables, charts for lessons, a piano bench (offered at discount for a little scuff), and a long discussion about a guitar stand that will go down in legend. Most notably, my son was offered a short lesson on a standup bass which nearly brought a tear to my eye. I will continue to support this location for any gear needed to make my sound more bearable, and eventually my kids lessons and development. My thanks to the staff and organization for all that you do. read more

Terrible customer service. Essentially got ignored when I went there to buy guitar strings.

First of all, I was charged $120 for a guitar that I found out later on was only worth $40..so already off to a bad start and to make it even worse I believe it was the owner or a manager but he followed me around the entire time I was there like I'm a thief..He also was rushing me out the door..I do not like the rudeness or prices at all...Do not recommend this place to anyone let alone anyone starting a new instrument that doesn't know anything about it because they will swindle you. read more

Purchased an upright bass from Dorsey Music. David was a tremendous wealth of knowledge and provided great insight on the basses I was looking at. Everyone was very friendly, price was what I expected, customer service was GREAT! Can't wait to go back again! Love these guys! read more

I was never treated well at Dorsey music. I took a guitar I was looking to buy to the counter and pointed out a couple of dents. I was told "You probably done that to try and get a better deal" I was appalled! This was years ago and I never went back. Yes, very cocky staff and act as if you are putting them off to help you. read more

I have rented 4 different instruments from here for my two kids. I shopped around to see if I could get a better price on my daughter's upright base and got a blank stare from the guy at Dunkley, so I went back to Dorsey. They have always been helpful and found me what I need. read more