m-f 10am-4:30pm…read more free / safe parking conveniently located right in front of evanston band & orchestra.

DO NOT RENT FROM THIS BUSINESS -- TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE…read more I have never experienced such poor customer service over something that should have been so simple. We rented a baritone saxophone (Bari sax) for our child to use for school. The first instrument they sent us was extremely old and had the keys arranged differently, making it unusable for what our child needed. We contacted the business, and rather than immediately resolving the issue, we were told to keep the instrument while they searched for a newer one. After waiting several weeks, they found another instrument. Unfortunately, that instrument was also incorrect and unusable. We immediately notified them and returned it. Here is the part that is absolutely unacceptable: we were charged $264 for a three-month rental even though we never received a usable instrument and did not have the instrument for the rental period. I was completely reasonable and even offered to pay for the few days we actually had the second instrument. I wasn't asking for anything unreasonable -- I simply didn't believe we should be charged $264 for three months of an instrument we could not use and did not have. They ghosted my communications for months and then refused to refund the three-month rental charge. So to be clear: they failed to provide the correct, usable instrument, we promptly communicated the problem and returned it, and they still kept the full three-month rental payment. The way a business handles a problem says a lot about its customer service. In this case, they had an opportunity to do the right thing and work with a customer who was being completely reasonable. Instead, they chose to keep the money. I strongly recommend looking elsewhere if you need to rent a school instrument. We certainly will not be doing business with this company again.

Great local music store for basic music instruments and lessons. Staff is friendly and…read moreaccommodating, just a really great place to have in any community.

Highly recommend. Piano instructor Eric is outstanding. Loads of patience. Figured out exactly what…read moreI was looking for in instructions. Staff, which I'm sure are accomplished musicians in their own right, friendly, helpful and excellent to deal with. I am a senior student ( age, not talent haha). Have taken many lessons over the years. Eric cannot be beat.

Wow, this place is a hidden gem. Actually, it's not hidden at all as it's right out front with a…read morebig storefront on very visible Oakton St but passing through this area quite frequently, it is hidden from the mind when not thinking of stringed instruments. We came here to see if we could salvage my daughter's 30 year old violin for a grand-darling who plans to start up next year. We were greeted by Ben Arnett, one of the talented violin makers here. He looked it over and provided a detailed and very reasonable sounding quote to restring it, rehair the bow, and do some other optional work to further improve the quality. Overall, the instrument was in quite fine shape we were told. It was a very nice and fun visit and more than we hoped for. As many of the reviews state, we were treated very courteously and very professionally and Ben had a knowledgeable ear for our needs and any concerns (we were only looking for minimal fix-ups and he nicely provided that along with various options and considerations). So, we went with a minimal scope for now of a restring ($35) and a bow rehair for $76. Other scope of about $280 can be done to the full size violin when it fits the little one in a few years. They have a great culture here and I can believe that they value and respect every customer whether you're a total novice or a professional musician. Ben even gave us a personal tour of the shop when I mentioned what a cool place this was. I had no idea the shop was as large, and that they work on many stringed instruments (cellos, violas, and guitars) and not just violins, and that they also build violins from scratch here. Also interestingly, they have a performance room with a capacity of about 60 and have cozy and intimate concerts maybe once per month (admission fee of about $25) and it's a BYOB event. The concerts sound wonderful and we will try to attend one one day. Many of the staff are graduates of the Chicago School of Violin Making (one of only 3 such schools in the entire country!) just down the street on Oakton St and are like a family. We came in on a Saturday and it was a busy place with musicians and instruments visiting in a steady stream. Another interesting side note for our visit is that Ben actually found my name in their customer records. I did not even know or remember that we were customers but back in 1995, we apparently rented a student violin from them for my daughter. We only lived 1/2 mile from this store for 14 years from 1982 - 1995. Great business with a long history and with great staff and I highly recommend!

We had a wonderful visit to Seman Violins. We were purchasing our son's first violin. Noah was…read moreextremely helpful and helped us find lots of options in our price range. We had previously rented a violin with Seman Violins, which was also a great experience.

I contacted Dan from Heavenly Pianos to move a baby grand piano we had purchased at an estate sale…read more Dan was responsive, easy to work with, and the move went very smoothly. He also was helpful in giving us the name of a tuner in our area that he recommends. We talked about what he suggests we have the piano tuner do, and it was great to hear that nothing major will need to be done. I highly recommend Dan at Heavenly Pianos for piano moving!

Just came here to give Bob a shoutout! Couldn't have been happier with our purchase and service!…read moreThank you, Bob!

It's hard to quantify how many times I've driven past this place. The parking lot is annoying, but…read moreit's in a weird location, so there isn't much they can do. After a disappointing experience at the Guitar Center, I figured I'd support a local business instead. No amount of tuning was saving my guitar from sounding weird, so I figured it needed at least a restringing. It also needed, as it turned out, some work on the neck. At no point did it feel like they were upselling me or taking advantage of my comparative inexperience. They estimated $50-60 for restringing and neck repairs, but after only a few days, they called me to tell me it was ready, and it was about $40 for everything. I respect their honest work and would be glad to return here again.

I've been going to The Music Gallery since they were at their original location about where Buffo's…read moreis now along the main drag there in Highwood, way back in '76. I now reside all the way over in Palatine. In all my transactions I've always gone away from the place feeling pleasantly satisfied that I got value from either their service or merchandise. Yesterday I picked up a used acoustic guitar I'd purchased elsewhere and had the crew there sort out the neck requiring a new nut and bridge. Rings like a bell and all for a very reasonable price!

Update 08/01/26. I…read morereceived a mail blast email today from the owner's mailbot informing me that the store was closing. Good riddance. Since my initial review (see below), I've spent over $40k on instruments and gear and Guitar Works received not one single penny. Their "I don't give a shit" attitude when I went there--on all three occasions I tried to give them my business--cost them. I'm surprised they lasted as long as they did. One of the reasons the owner gave for closing the store was "the outrageously increased costs of property taxes". Taxes are the price of admission to a civilized society, my friend. Looks like the owner's attitude was what filtered down to the employees when I went there.

There is no other way to say it; they pretended I wasn't there. I went in on a Thursday afternoon…read moreat 1:00, looking for a low-watt tube amp. There was absolutely ZERO acknowledgment of my existence, let alone any kind of welcome or greeting. I found a nice selection of low-wattage tube amps, all priced substantially above the market. I stood looking needy for a few minutes. crickets. I left without either of the two neo-hippies ever acknowledging me. Goodbye forever and no loss.

This place is top notch! The people who work there are great. The instructors are great. The value…read morefor the money is great. My son took guitar lessons there and was able to participate in his school talent show after just a couple of months. Alejandro was beyond accomodating and flexible. Super friendly. I highly recommend this business.

Excellent place for lessons! Very nice instructors. Great place for all your music education needs.read more

Hands down this is the finest repair shop in the city. I've had a fair amount of fret work done…read morehere and it was all top notch with a great deal of care. Their rates are a little higher than 3rd Coast and others but you certainly get what you pay for. If you value about your instrument this is the place to go.

They seemed like good folks but they must not understand how to set up a Floyd Rose guitar. I took…read moreit in to get a setup done since this guitar is older. When I got it back the bridge looked way different then I had been setting it up. I figured they probably knew more than I did so let it go. Later on, I found the setup instructions for this guitar and I was in the right. The bridge should be parallel to the top of the guitar. They had it at a HUGE angle to it. It hasn't played the same since. Now I need to take it elsewhere and will end up paying more in set-ups than I paid for the guitar new 12 years ago.