I inherited a Pre WW2 Stringed instrument and emailed the shop. They quickly responded and asked…read morefor photos. Once the photos were received we set up a consultation and I was given a brief history of my instrument, a quote on restoration and an appraisal of its value once the restoration is complete. No hassle, no taking advantage of my ignorance on the subject. Only a kind welcoming experience.

I am not one to leave reviews of any business. My experience with Top Notch was so negative that I…read morefelt it imperative that others have information before they buy from Top Notch. We had rented from them for years without problems, and we were very happy with our service. We decided to buy a violin from them. We swapped it for a higher-grade violin multiple times. When we looked to upgrade from our third violin purchased there, we went to another violin shop, as Top Notch did not have what we wanted. Top Notch refused to buy back the violin they sold me unless I traded it for one of their violins. Multiple calls were ignored, and finally a louthier got on the phone and yelled at me saying they were not buying the violin and to stop calling. When I went to sell it somewhere else, I found that Top Notch had switched the label on the violin to make the authenticity of the violin untrackable. When I told them I could not trace the violin to the producer with the label, they told me that the label was their own label. Top Notch refused to give any information about what model violin it was. To an appraiser's best estimation of the make and model, we were overcharged by almost double the actual going price. If I got swindled, my bad, but as the label has been changed, I can't even sell it on the open market for a fair price without being able to verify the make and model. I have found out that changing the label, just because, is not done in the industry and is considered shady. (I have been to multiple violin shops.) I am now out $3800 that I will never recoup even a fraction of. Please do your research before buying from Top Notch.

I went in looking for a tele and was disappointed in the inventory and the shopping experience…read more They had very few guitars accessible and a few interesting guitars behind the counter. I asked to play a few teles and check out what they had out but nothing was well set up, then I couldn't find a cord or working amp. I went to ask for a cable but dude was gone so I looked at T shirts. The racist T shirt is enough to give this place a bad review, but they brag about it on their website and the owner brags here yelp about so I guess they are proudly racist? Anyway all of the guitars were a little overpriced and inconsistently set up, the stuff behind the counter was more overpriced (and there was no one there to help if I wanted to play something) and I didn't want to wait around just to further inconvenience dude by asking another question. Dude came back out just as I was leaving and I couldn't get out the door fast enough. I should add - if I had found a good tele for a reasonable price I would've bought it and tried to ignore the racist T-shirt. Yeah, I would give them one star because of the overt racism but it's really just not a very good guitar store. There are better options in STL with no politics involved, better prices, better variety, and better everything.

Staff was not friendly and seemed out by our being there. As far as selection goes, it was limited…read moreand expensive.

Please note: In order to see Sasha Radicic you must call and make an appointment first. He works…read moreout of his home. In 2003 I purchased a Gibson Les Paul Classic Double Cutaway electric guitar. It was beautiful but it had a "buzz" on one of the strings that drove me nuts. I took it back to the store where I got it and they couldn't fix it. Then I took it to an authorized Gibson repair shop downtown and they worked on it and couldn't fix it. I was so frustrated I ended up giving it to my teenage son for a graduation present. The buzz didn't bother him. Flash forward 19 years - My son was planning on buying a new guitar. His wife told him he had to get rid of one of his 4 guitars before he bought another one. It was near Father's Day and I asked him if I could have it as my Father's Day gift. He told me, "It still has the buzz that bothered you." I told him that's okay, I'd deal with it. I researched guitar repair places and decided to try Sasha Radicic. St. Louis Guitar put me in touch with him. He is a master luthier, expert in repairing and building stringed instruments. Once I had my Gibson back I called Sasha and made an appointment to bring him my guitar. I was surprised that the address he provided led me to a private residence, but that was fine. I was primarily interested in finding someone who could really fix that buzz! Sasha is an extremely knowledgeable and personable fellow. He spent over a half hour examining my guitar. He used several different measuring tools and expertly diagnosed multiple problems. He told me exactly what he would do to remedy them. This guitar had suffered a lot, and had multiple issues. He gave me an estimate of the cost to repair it, and I asked him to put new strings on it as well. About a week later he notified me that the guitar was ready to pick up. He took time to plug the guitar into an amp and played it for a few minutes as he described what he had done to it. That included adjusting the truss rod, removing some of the frets, filing some of the frets, cleaning the fretboard and oiling it, polishing the chrome hardware, and changing the strings. Then he handed the guitar to me to try. NO BUZZ! Sasha did what two other Gibson authorized repair shops couldn't do. Not only that, but after I told him because of my age it was harder for me to get clear notes on some of the chords, he set up the strings as low as they could go without hitting the frets. My guitar is the easiest guitar to play that I've ever owned, including some Martin, Fender, and Gretsch guitars. I play now every day, and my Gibson is a joy to pick up. Sasha Radicic is a master at what he does, and will forever be my "go-to" guy for all my guitar needs.

I've been working with Eva for 5 years, so she's been a staple in my life for a while now. She is…read moreso talented both vocally and as a teacher, and knows how to guide people through to progress. I had a voice lesson with another teacher once before, and I had a hard time getting over the vulnerability of being loud and filling a space with my voice. When I started working with Eva, she made me feel so comfortable and safe, and helped me get to a point where I could laugh and not cringe at myself. From there, progress came quick and with that, increased confidence. She helped create core memories for me through the coffee shop showcases that she set up for us. I've been on stages and competitive fields before but being up there with just me and my voice is a feat I'm most proud of. And in terms of my technical improvement, I felt my range open up and I feel as though I was able to sing more songs comfortably. Now, it's like I can actually color the songs/express myself in a rich, full way and not just worry about hitting the notes. Singing was always fun but now it's FUN. I love that my voice isn't something that I just have, I know how to evaluate it, color it, exercise it, and improve upon it. It's a skill that's a part of me now, that I can nurture and grow. My work schedule's getting in the way of me continuing this year but I hope as soon as I get some control over schedule, that I get to return. Anyone who's able to take my spot on her schedule is a lucky student :)

As a non traditional student that was just looking to learn a good baseline of technique, Eva…read morereally gives me a lot of wonderful tools to improve my craft, and honestly so much more! She has really guided me into finding my own voice as opposed to imitating anyone else's, which is honestly so valuable. She creates an environment that is free of judgment, where you are free to try new things, make mistakes and grow from them. I couldn't recommend her more !

I have seen a lot of negative reviews about Eddie's, but I will say that this was one of the best…read moreexperiences I've ever had when returning merchandise. I ordered a new guitar, but when I received it, it had a bent, selector switch, and a scratch on the back and the tone knob was floating around in the case. I immediately reached out to Griffin and he told me that I would get a full refund. I had read stories about people not getting refunds and so I was a bit nervous. But he followed me every step of the way and his communication was second to none. He would even respond to my emails when he was not at work. Long story short, I returned the guitar and got a full refund with no questions asked. And on top of that, he sent me two Eddie's T-shirts, two sets of strings, and a tuner. You don't come across guys like Griffin very often. He was top-notch and the next time I'm looking for that special guitar. I will certainly reach out to him and give them the business. Thank you Griffin for everything you did for me and how you constantly stayed in contact and made sure that everything went through to the final end you are top-notch!!

Great service and great atmosphere! I will not be shopping or purchasing guitars from any other…read moreplace. Thanks Donny! #lifetimecustomer

I was recently given a guitar for my birthday and hardly knew on end from the other. David's was…read morerecommended to me for lessons and it's a great place. David is laid back, personable, and has lots of good information. I am a big believer in supporting the local speciality shops, be they camera, fly fishing, etc and this is one of those spacial local places that deserves lots of support. the sessions are taught by super patient teachers (as a retired academic, I know the full value of that with beginners) and the the cost of a one hour lesson is very reasonable.

Excellent experience with lessons from Brendan Falstaff. Professional and competent in every sense…read moreof the word. If you're worried about getting what you pay for, this is definitely worth every penny.

Brought my son here to have his violin checked. We were going b to stop at a different store but…read morethis was closer and I'd rather shop with small businesses. They have rental for violin, viola, or cello. Also repairs. Since this is a family owned store, I believe it was the owner that helped my son with his violin. He was extremely knowledgeable and very considerate. I'm happy we came here for assistance. This will be the place we come for violin repairs and questions.

I am not a professional violinist. I have an old violin. Suddenly the tailpiece in my violin broke…read more I didn't know what to do. I decided to go to Manchester music violin shop. The result exceeded my expectations. I came their without an appointment but Master luthier Andrey Lobko took care of my violin. In 15 minutes he fixed everything. And the price was very reasonable. I wish that we have more shops like this where people are polite and knowledgeable. Igor Belotserkovsky