Brian's Guitars is a boutique guitar shop that opened in Hamden, Connecticut in September 2010. It…read morewas founded by guitarist Brian Giampietro. An avid guitar player since age 12, Giampietro eventually enrolled in the Jazz Studies program at Western Connecticut State University. After graduating with a degree in Jazz Guitar Performance, Giampietro began working at G Guitars: a guitar shop in New Haven that was owned by his uncle. Before long, Giampietro was practically running the store himself. Eventually he opened his own shop, Brian's Guitars, at a strip mall in Hamden. In 2017, after seven successful years, Giampietro relocated the shop to a larger space in his hometown of Cheshire. That same year, he and his wife Katie also opened West Main Music Academy: a multi-room music lessons studio across the street. Brian's Guitars carries a wide variety of electric and acoustic guitars, basses, amplifiers, effects pedals, and accessories. They are an authorized dealer Paul Reed Smith, Fender, Taylor Acoustics, Swart Amps, PRS Acoustics, Dr. Z, Victoria Amps, and more. In addition to the aforementioned brands, the shop also carries several used guitars and equipment from brands like Gibson, Gretsch, Suhr, Mesa Boogie, and more. It just so happens that I know Brian Giampietro pretty well because we were both music students at WCSU during the same time. We even performed in a few jazz ensembles together. In recent years, both of my young sons have shown an interest in music as well. My older son takes after me; he likes drums and percussion. However, my younger son has shown an interest in guitars. I told my wife, "I know just the place where we can show our son some serious guitars." Although I've known about the store since it opened, my recent visit was actually my first. My family and I were blown away by the selection. My son's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw all of the different colors and body types. My whole family and I were very impressed with the selection. Unfortunately Brian wasn't there when we stopped in, but his staff were helpful, knowledgeable and very friendly. If my son still shows interest in guitars when he is a little older, I know that we'll be coming back.

I purchased a used Fender American Professional II Telecaster Limited Edition Butterscotch Blonde…read morefrom Brian's Guitar online. This was the first time using Brian's and they were quick to respond via email. They provided a decent price for the model I was looking for. Item was delivered quickly and the guitar was packaged very well. The condition was very nice and I was pleasantly surprised to see the tuners were upgraded to the premium fender vintage tuners. I really like the look of these better and they also included the original tuners in the case as well. Nice bonus! I highly recommend Brian's Guitars!!

Went in and was over charged for a item ticketed as one price. All the items were ticketed the…read moresame. The counter person knew without looking that the item saxophone reeds were more than advertised. They were an additional $6. No explanation or offer to honor the price on the item.

Jim at middlesex music was amazing!!! I came here yesterday…read moreto get a music book for my 5th grader. Jim knew I was going to need to rent a snare drum kit for him but I was unsure of it so I left without it . he jokingly said see you tomorrow. well guess what he was right! I went back today to get the snare drum kit that my son conveniently forgot to tell me I needed . Jim set me up with everything I needed we had a quick laugh and I was on my way . Thank you for the awesome customer service

I called here looking for a mandolin but he didn't have any in stock. And then when I called back a…read moresecond time in a pre Christmas shopping frenzy mistake he was very polite and explained that I had just called there. If I ever need a guitar I'll go here first .

Scott at Big Johnson's Guitars is hands down the best (and friendliest) guitar tech I've worked…read morewith. I brought in two electric guitars to get work done - one just a basic set up, and the other several upgrades and a set up. Wow, was I impressed. The entire process was smooth and informative. When I discussed the work with Scott prior to dropping the guitars off, I could immediately tell he knew what I was looking for and how to achieve it. Then, as the work began, Scott sent me dozens of text messages with questions and helpful suggestions. He even included a ton of photos showing the expert level of work he was doing on my guitars. He was very transparent! The work he did was exceptional. He is clearly a master at what he does! Glad to have found a local guitar shop and guitar tech that I can trust!

My first Hollister Experience will be my Last…read more I don't normally shop at Hollister or go inside whatsoever, since I am a plus size woman and they do not run anything in my size, style, or price range. Today, however, I was with my sister at the Westfarms Mall in Meriden, CT, and she wanted to get a matching outfit with her friend. I told her that I would wait for her at the comfy chairs that were by the register. Sat down, twiddled on my phone, no issues. Then, her friends came over and sat down across from me. Still no issues. Nobody said anything to each other; we were simply waiting for other people, quietly using our phones and keeping to ourselves. This was fine. Then, suddenly and without warning, the music in the store turned off. If you've been to Hollister you'll know that they play loud and overbearing music, so for it to cut off so suddenly we were all perplexed. One of my sister's friends turned to the woman who was behind the counter and calmly asked why the music had gone off. The woman, who turned out to be the store manager, responded very rudely and unprofessionally that it was store policy to turn off the music thirty minutes before closing, and that if we had a problem with that we should call customer service and complain to them about it. She then left the area to do something else. We were surprised at the level of rudeness in her tone over a simple question, and were calmly talking about it to ourselves. We were not being rude, loud, or obnoxious in our conversation about what had happened. A few minutes later, another employee walks behind the register and begins to check people out. When the other customers had left, he literally shouts at us - who are no farther than five feet away, mind you - that we should not be "bad mouthing" the store, and that if we had a problem with their policies that we should leave. Not only was he being incredibly rude, he was shouting at us! His voice was literally echoing throughout the store because of how loud he felt he needed to be. I calmly responded that it was none of his business what we were talking about, as we were not making a scene about anything. The store manager then comes back and shouts at us along with her employee about how we should leave the store if we don't like their "policies." At this point, I was getting very upset about their unprofessional and rude behavior and asked for their first names, so that I may report them to whomever is higher than the store manager. Not only did they refuse to give me their first names - "We aren't obligated to give you our names," the store manager told me - they also refused to give me the number of customer service or their regional manager, as they were not "obligated" to share that information with me, either. The store manager then decided to call mall security and try to have me removed for being "disruptive" when I, mind you, was speaking in calm, conversational tones and they were the ones with shouting voices. The behavior of the store manager and her employee was completely uncalled for, not to mention unprofessional for a sales representative. I have been working in retail for four years, at least, and have never seen or experienced such bad customer service. Not only will I never shop in that store, I will never purchase items from their branch whatsoever. I will never step foot in that or any Hollister or Abercrombie & Fitch store again. I wish I could leave a negative star review; they don't even deserve one star.

Knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. A gem. The store contains a surprising amount of musical…read moreaccessories and music. It's a great resource.

Over the years I've bought clarinet and saxophone mouthpieces, clarinet barrels, and an R13 and…read moreeven a new Selmer model 67 bass clarinet from Wright Music. They are a dealer for Buffet and Selmer, and carry Clark Fobes clarinet gear too. Every time I see Crystal at Wright Music it is a great experience, and reminds me that in these days of internet shopping, the human interaction in a "real music store" adds considerably to the buying experience. She is always knowledgable and helpful, and if she doesn't have what I'm looking for, she can get it quickly. With the near-evaporation of the W 48th Street (Manhattan) music strip, I've made Wright Music my go-to spot for all things relating to sax & clarinet. Highly recommended and always worth the trip!

Great experience purchasing my next piano thru Caruso Piano Gallery in New London, CT I could not…read morefind what I was looking for locally, so I began my online research and found it at Caruso. For the first time in my life I would consider purchasing a refurbished 1974 Yamaha 48" U1 Black Satin piano 1900 miles away. WOW. I wasn't sure I could do this, but proceeded after reading many great reviews and the four star reconditioning service with 21 point certification offered by Caruso. This included full cabinet restoration as well in black satin. And, after visiting with Richard Caruso thru phone calls and emails, I was sent a video demonstration made by one of their pianist of two I could choose from. I also chose the Piano Life Saver (humidity control) system to be installed by Caruso as well. So, my choice was made, the LS system installed and piano prepped for shipping. Thus, we started the process of long-haul from New London, CT to Denver, CO. After a delay in trucking service availability from New London to its first destination in Kentucky, the Caruso company decided to deliver a load there themselves. Once in Kentucky, my piano was in storage for a short while before it began its journey to Denver. Once in Denver, Caruso suggested delivery to my city of Colorado Springs using Keyboard Carriers. Working with Brittany Caruso, the whole process was flawless. My piano arrived at Keyboard Carriers in perfect condition and after a short wait they were able to deliver to my home. This was an experience that I would do again and I highly recommend working with the Caruso family. Thank you, CPG! My journey began on June 6, 2022 with delivery to my home on August 2, 2022 (not bad at all for a Summer delivery with long-haul shortages) Photos of my new beauty are below.

Purchasing a piano is, for most people, a once in a lifetime occurrence. So it becomes even more…read moreimportant that the store that you make this buying decision meets all of your needs- an adequate inventory of a variety of pianos, knowledgeable and professional sales staff, and a reputation for years of quality sales and service. Caruso's Piano Gallery meets all of the above criteria! Caruso's has a nice inventory of pianos, both uprights and grands. And most major brands are represented- Steinway, Yamaha, Bosendorfer, Baldwin, etc. They have both new and pre-owned models. The showroom is nicely laid out, and encourages you to sit down and try the pianos out. The sales people are attentive but not intrusive- if you ask for assistance they are more than happy to help, but if you wish to be left alone to experiment, they are just as glad to do that also. They are knowledgeable on the idiosyncrasies of the piano brands, but encourage you to decide which piano suits your taste the best. Pricing is competitive- in fact, it appears that their prices are better than some other stores. They offer financing and flexible payment options. Local delivery is included in the price, and delivery can be scheduled for as little as a few days out. I highly recommend Caruso's if you are looking for a piano. You can be assured that you will receive great service, as well as a great piano!

I was looking to purchase my first drum set. I looked at the "big" stores and wasn't happy with…read morethe service or the prices. I saw Music and Arts when searching on my phone and decided to stop in. Oren and Emery were so helpful. They showed me what they had in stock, and I found the perfect drum set for me. No need to wait or order; I was able to take it home that night. The service and the price were excellent, I couldn't be happier with my purchase. I recommend Music and Arts to anyone looking for anything musical.

Three and a half years ago, I walked into this establishment to buy a few items, and mistakenly…read moresigned up for a discount card/ ? , which now I know was a money scam, taking people's hard earned money. FYE took $11.99 out of my account every month for 3.5 years. Because I go "paperless" and receive my statements online, I didn't notice that they were taking my hard earned money out of my account each month. I purchased NOTHING over the past three and a half years and was being taken advantage of by this company. I want my almost $500 back. The Better Business Bureau is now involved and pursuing the matter, but I'm using every social media resource and platform I can to expose their criminal behavior. I've sent the company several emails and they just ignore me. Don't get ripped off. Boycott this place, unless you want to end up like me, chasing them for money that is rightfully mine! I won't stop until I get my $500 back. Kim

FYE, I honestly didn't know these were still a thing. I remember when they sold cassettes and now…read moreeverything is a digital download. This store obviously stays alive because of all of it's cool merchandise. Cool novelty shirts, dolls, key chains, toys, everything you could want. This is a great place to gift shop! A record player and a Jimmy Hendrix record for your husband, a Minecraft t-shirt for your son, and they even sell Shopkins for your daughters. The store is clean, a bit cluttered, but clean. The staff is very nice and the merchandise is fun. I had a fun time flipping though the CDs like the good 'ol days too!!