A few years ago, I was a non-musician looking to start playing acoustic guitar. And now, having…read moreexperienced other music stores, I have to say this: 1) I do not in any way regret the choice in guitar that the shop led me to. They seemed to know what they were talking about at the time, and I believe now they really truly did. 2) Everyone was super friendly and, even though I was a complete novice know-nothing, I got more than the time of day. They took the time to explain things to me and treated me like they appreciated my business and wanted it again--not something I've always come in contact with since (at other music stores). Simply put, Libertyville Music listened to what I wanted and paired me with the right guitar--and for a good price, too. The more and more I visit music stores, the more and more I fondly remember Libertyville Music.

I rented a pair of speakers (+ stands), microphone, iPod adapter, and tuner (+ all needed cables)…read morehere for about $55 in December 2008. My then-fiancée and I were planning a very DIY wedding and we didn't want to hire a DJ. Looking online we were starting to think that we were going to have to spend a lot of money to rent an audio setup that would accommodate our needs. One of my wife's coworkers suggested we try Libertyville Music, so we called for an estimate and were shocked to find out how affordable they were. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. I picked up the equipment the day before the event, and my family returned it the day after. Couldn't have been easier. Oh, I should mention that the map displayed in the sidebar gives the wrong location for this business. Libertyville Music is located on the southwest corner of Milwaukee Ave and Lincoln Ave.

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!

Terrible. I am a Music teacher in a grade school and I buy violins cheap and fix them up so my…read morestudents can learn how to play them. I brought a violin that had the sound post had fallen. Rather than giving it to the luthier and having him put the sound post back, she yammered on and on about how if they did put the sound post back in, it might just fall down again. I also had pegs that were not drilled and asked her if they could drill them. Rather than agreeing to drill them, she went on and on about who knows what. She wrapped up her presentation up by saying "You people buy things on Amazon and expect us..." I have bought things there before like shoulder rests, viola bows and other things. I really expected a better reception than I got. I took the violin to Park Violins down the street. He did both of the repairs and refused to take any money for it. I know that lady has a $35,000 violin because she tells me that every time I was in that store, but that is no reason to be condescending to a customer.

I've been doing business with GC ever since they opened. Andrew Welch is the ONLY one I deal with…read more This is not a cut on anyone of the others, but Andrew has Never let me down And his customer service is top shelf. Period!

My son is currently enrolled at Anderson Musik and we are very happy with the shop as well as the…read moreteacher, James. The prices are better than most (you get a free lesson just to try them out) and the customer service is impressive. We were going to another shop for the first few months of the school year and that was turning into a disaster as the teacher was inconsistent and had difficulty showing up for our pre-arranged time slot (he was coming in from "the city" to Deerfield and always had an excuse due to train problems) This made me search out a new place and I found Anderson Musik almost by accident. It's an extra few minutes drive to get there, but worth it in my opinion. Our current instructor, James, is fantastic! We love him! He is great with my son. He gives him a lot of encouragement, challenges him with new assignments and has the patience of a saint from what I can tell. Very Zen. Plus, he is ALWAYS ON TIME!! (he even spends extra time with my son if he has a cancellation after our time or we get there early, which is fantastic) As for the shop, the owner (I think) Elsa is fabulous. Very friendly and chatty, she makes sure that there is always fresh coffee brewing and some type of baked good to keep the siblings happy along with lots of magazines and coloring supplies to make the waiting time fly by. It is clean and friendly. I love this shop so much that I am going to send our other son there for trumpet instruction this coming school year, as well as rent his instrument from Anderson Musik (say goodbye to that other Deerfield shop!) A great choice for music instruction!!

I started to play guitar around two years ago, and from then I have improved very much. The owner,…read moreScott, is a very nice man who will always make sure that there is time for you to play, and he will work with your schedule . There is a variety of instruments that you can play here too! All the teachers are great; another really nice teacher is Jeremy. Be sure to come here for your lessons!

School of Rock has been an incredible program for my son, who started 5 years ago when he was 8! He…read morehas worked with the same instructor, Bob W, for the entire time he's been there and honestly he is an incredible teacher. Bob is encouraging, knowledgeable, and is instrumental (pun intended) to my son's progression! When I was a kid we learned hot cross buns on the piano and it was not fun. This place and its amazing teachers like Bob W make music fun to learn for the kids. A+!

I can't speak for the particular classes here, but I happened upon a random parking lot concert the…read moreother day that made me realize I've been connected to School of Rock for years. School of Rock is truly a community institution. Yes, there are a host of these schools around the country, but in Highwood this school has done an incredible job of promoting itself locally. Present at most of the festivals, local farmers markets, and other public events I've been to, the students that take lessons here get numerous opportunities to perform publicly. Maggie, the current director, has done a great job of sharing this young talent with the local community. I have a background in the performing arts. I started performing on stage as a young kid, and I know there is nothing more important than getting out and practicing your talent at a young age. Either you take to it or you don't, but I know the students at this school get many chances to find out if music will be in their future. Way to go School of Rock and your team for exposing me to so many of your concerts and young performers over the years. Now, if only I could get my kiddos to pick up their guitars, get over their stage fright, and help make an impact on the musical community ;-)

A major music is a great place to buy/ rent out musical instrument. friendly staff, cost efficient…read morerent options and we service our trumpets here every year! They have wide variety of musical books and instruments for sale .

I was in and out within 10 minutes for a $2 guitar string replacement. Looks like a few old ladies…read morerun it, but they were so lively and sweet. those are the old people I love. It honestly was really cool seeing one of them play very briefly. She tuned it for me too. I wish they had a bit larger selection of Guitars because I really want to upgrade and not spend a fortune, so a used one is the way to go. But they have a wide variety of instruments. I will be back for sure.

The best thing we ever did with our son Xander. He's performing now and studying music business and…read moreaudio engineering in college.

They have offered virtual lessons for my son during COVID. We absolutely love it! We thought it…read morewouldn't be the same as in person but I feel like it gives my son even more confidence. Hopefully he'll have the nerves out when he starts in person. They always respond quickly to emails and voicemails. I can't say enough good things about this place. They clearly care about the families as a whole!

I've come here a good amount over the years, never with any bad experiences, per se. The selection…read moreis top-tier, and you can spend a ton of time wandering around and playing random guitars. They are helpful with any questions, and there's no sense of gatekeeping: you can be a beginner, to say the least, and you don't feel rushed out or disregarded. Still, the customer service isn't always as attentive. I recently stopped here for guitar repairs. It didn't seem busy, but there was a long line, and after waiting for about 15 minutes, I learned that the guitar repair person wasn't in and wouldn't be for a few days. This is not the craziest occurrence ever, but it seems odd that a large-scale chain doesn't have at least one person doing repairs at a given moment.

I came in with some strong opinions about what I wanted in a kit. Ryan McF was a great collaborator…read morein finalizing decisions and helping me get together a solid set for me and my son that met my budget. Amazing value-added service! Thank you, Ryan!