Awesome people to do business with. No B.S., Wayne is very dry and straight to the point. I walked…read morein there off the street over 20yrs ago and instantly knew I had stumbled onto a secret Goldmine of guitars and amps. I've bought many many guitars from them over the years at extremely fair prices. Wayne is very fair and doesn't try to compete with CME, or GC, he tells it exactly like it is. It's like walking into an old hardware store or Auto shop. If you come in looking for something or for advice , they'll take care of you and you are welcome to hang out. If you come in with an entitled, woke attitude, go back to GC or BK and have it your way, nobody needs you there to ruin our vibe. Wayne, Tom, and even Rich when he's around have always been nothing but professional to the customers. The instrument selection is exactly as advertised. The best used, affordable instruments around. Dent, dings, yes. Great guitars and amps, absolutely. I currently own 4 Gibson Les Pauls and 2 ES-335's that I got great deals on from Wayne and that I never could afford new or from GC. Check it out for yourself. Ignore the 1 star-3 star crybabies. Actual working musicians, some famous , some not, go there repeatedly. Rant Over! Wayne's the best.

I have known Wayne for over 25 years and he is an absolute gem of a human being. I have bought and…read moresold gear here and now that my son has taken up music, this is where he bought his first electric guitar (J. Mascis Jazzmaster that he adores). There are a few places you will find in life that are magical and special and Midwest is one of them, Wayne's patience, generosity, knowledge and kindness are second to none. Go check it out, you will be glad you did, You may see us there, my son will be trying every single distortion pedal in turn and I will digging through the odds and ends that no one else is interested in, the weirder the better. I absolutely love this place. PS: out of curiosity I read some of the negative reviews. In you younger days (when I had copious free time) I used to hang around the place. The people who were unhappy he would haggle or buy x or y, are being overly sensitive. It is a finite amount of space, he needs to move product, he is alway candid, I bought a drum kit there to sell a few months ago, he was upfront and said he didn't handle them unless they were certain brands or vintage, no hard feelings. I have made him offers on items to have him turn them down, again, never mean or insulting. I have never seen him be anything other than a class act. He isn't going to buy things he can't sell, he isn't a charity, nor is he going to give things away. I have had dozens of friends and family buy instruments and equipment here and all of them left very happy.

I went to get my old guitar fix and they did an excellent job. Price was reasonable. Sales person…read morewas friendly. Would go back if my other guitar needs fixing.

Steve, one of the owners that I explained my amp repair to at the front desk, took time to…read moreunderstand my request to get my Fender "Evil" Twin that I've owned for 30 years up and running again. I did some restoration to the wood and a few pots fell off when I removed the electronics. So, it was literally in pieces when I dropped it off. It had other issues they fixed too! It was in one piece when I picked it up and it sounds and works amazing. They also had a detailed invoice of the work and took the time to explain what they did. They also did a setup on my Martin DC-16RGTE that I've had for 16 years. It plays perfectly now. Probably better than when I bought it. Steve even did a small tweak for me on the spot based on my action preference. Great customer service. Thank you!

Great staff, top work, clean shop, timely response, and professional environment. Good price for…read morehigh quality results. Highly recommended! I had to set up my acoustic and replace pickups on my electric. They took the time to discuss options and explain the work.

I've been here twice. Great results both times. One was warranty repair on a fender p-bass. The…read moretone knob didn't work right and the overall bass wasn't that great. After they rewired it it sounds great and is now maybe my favorite sounding bass. Next job was that I had a music man bass that the batteries wouldn't stay connected in. They refashioned a battery holder for it even carving a new rear battery plate. It works great now. Highly recommend.

I've gone to Specimen a few times for bass amp repair, even though this is not their specialty, Ian…read moreis straight forward and timely with his repairs. He's also a fascinating person to talk to about the gear he's constructing. (Those horn amps Andrew Bird uses are his invention, and he makes small ones for stereo and computer speakers). There is no store front, so call ahead to see if they can help you out. Then press the Specimen buzzer and wait to be buzzed in (through the door on the left!). On my last visit I had been having some weird issues with my bass head, and was told if it wasn't a tube issue, it may have to go to SWR for repair. A tube was replaced and the next day I got a call! Great service! Guitar-making classes, guitar set-up workshops, vintage guitar and amp repair, these are what Specimen does best. But they've always done right by this bass player, as well!

I just completed my first course at this school: 'Tube Amp Diagnostics & Repair 1 & 2' and I can…read moresay that it was quite an experience! I live in Alaska so it was a bit of a journey to get to the school. But I am very glad I took the time to take the class. I have been a musician for over 20 years, and I am studying Electrical Engineering in AK, yet despite all of my background I feel like I picked up a lot of valuable new information. As far as I can tell, this is one of the few places left in the country (maybe the world) where you can learn about pure analog valve technology as it is used for audio applications. The class was small (six students including myself), which meant that there was plenty of opportunity to ask questions and talk one-on-one with the instructors. Not only did I learn a lot about the methods and practices of tube amp repair, but I picked up a number of neat tricks that will help improve my band's live performances. Considering that, and the fact that I can now repair my own gear (or be hired by other musicians for repair), I feel like this class will pay for itself in the long run. Ian's workshop is a spectacle in and of itself, particularly for an aspiring audiophile like me. It exists at a crossroads of authentic scientific curiosity, and unrestrained artistic expression. It's hard not to admire the work that Ian and his interns do on a regular basis. Just having the chance to look around the shop made the trip memorable. I highly recommend the Chicago School of Guitar Making. I don't understand the negative yelp reviews for the school, I took plenty of time to research the class in advance to make sure I knew what I was getting myself into. As I've already stated, I feel like I got my money's worth and then some. If you're flying in from way outside of Chicago, give yourself a few 'buffer' days to get into town and acclimate prior to class. You'll minimize the risk of missing class due to shenanigans at the airport, and you'll have the opportunity to look around one of the great American cities. If a conflict does arise, it says right on the Specimen webpage that you can arrange to reschedule your tuition for a later date. They do have a business to run after all! As far as I can tell all six of us students had a great time and walked away from the class quite satisfied. The main instructor for this class (Kye Kennedy) is a wizard and a great teacher, both he and Ian are very approachable and exceptionally knowledgeable. Everyone at Specimen are very welcoming and showed me excellent hospitality. I will definitely be booking another class at this school.

Excellent service from a most knowledgeable source. Recommend for bass clarinet tune up!read more

I trust all my clarinet adjustments and repairs to Rick Sayre. He is excellent! I highly recommend…read morehim.

How wonderful that it just so happens that one of the few makers of domestic harps in the United…read moreStates happens to be right here in Chicago! Our daughter had her first recital here and we had the privilege to take an "elevator tour" of the floors to see where the harps are crafted and finished. We rent her harp from here and the staff has been completely kind and accommodating since the first conversation. If your child (or you) are interested in pursuing the harp, you must stop by here and have a chat with these folks. If you're concerned, note that they keep up with COVID protocols and require masks for entry. They also did temp checks and have sanitizer available throughout the building. We are very happy with the service and our daughter has loved the harp she's been using! If she sticks with it for the long term, we will definitely buy from here.

The highlight of my birthday weekend trip was to Lyon & Healy harpmakers in Chicago. Absolutely…read morestunning facility, workers, and quality of handmade instruments. The entire time I was there I couldn't stop smiling and was in awe in how much time, care, and craftsmanship is put into 1 harp. My heart is full of gratitude for Ruar, who has been emailing me for so long and was a huge reason why this experience in person was so memorable for me. Thank you a million times, Ruar! I will definitely come back in the future when I purchase my pedal harp and will proudly say it is a L&H harp.

I made a stop here during my Black Friday shopping. Haynes was the gentleman helping us in…read moreselecting an acoustic guitar. He gave us so much information on selecting the right guitar. We did not expect to leave this place with so much information. Thank you Haynes for being patient and answering all of our questions. I'm looking forward to our next visit.

Our dance company uses this studio every week for rehearsals. It's a family-owned joint and the…read morepeople are lovely. They've invited us to participate in their yearly show, super nice! Recently we've been rehearsing like crazy people for another upcoming show, and the gentleman was kind enough to stay 30 minutes past closing to allow us extra rehearsal time. Wonderful folks, Donya Dance Ensemble loves Rico's!!

After two years of flute lessons and infinite hours of practice (most of it instigated by her…read moreparents) my 12 year old daughter has arrived. She now practices unbidden and sometimes even plays for more than the legal limit of 25 minutes. She even won the coveted first chair in the 6th grade band. So, it was time to follow her teacher's advice and trade in the student flute for a "real," silver model. I suppose the cheapest way to go would have been Craigslist or Ebay, but to get the perfect flute for our little Rampal, we took the El to the Fine Arts Building (an attraction in itself with music wafting from the halls and a real elevator operator) to visit Sam Gordon at Gordon Woodwinds. Mr. Gordon is as kind as he is skilled. He had six flutes ready for our appointment, and treated my daughter as if she were a professional flautist. We spent an hour there, as she played the same passage on each instrument at least twice. He helped her choose the flute that worked best for her. The only bad thing I can say about our transaction is that Stroger made a couple hundred dollars off us that day. Gordon Woodwinds sells and repairs oboes as well as flutes, and only carries brands that are reliable and well made. If you are serious about music, this place is well worth checking out.

Just upgraded my daughter's flute. Cannot get over what a wonderful experience it was dealing with…read moreSam. He's extremely knowledgeable, patient and genuinely concerned to which instrument truly is best suited for you. His interaction with us as well as existing clients was refreshing . His attention to you brought back memories to the "old days" when business owners actually related to their customers. Would definitely return and recommend.