The mass street music geniuses are so helpful and kind! Clark is the best! Highly recommend. read more

Mass Street Music - Check out stand - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

They were especially atuned to my moderate level of ability and set the action perfectly. They recommended the electronics to maintain the acoustic sound and balance that I was looking for but this was about 30 yrs ago. In a nutshell it was good salesmanship. He listened, showed examples, listened and WE can up with a solution read more

Full service repairs . Extensive high quality acoustic guitar selection. Knowledgeable staff and owner.

You have to understand life . . . respecting tradition and knowing and honoring your personal passions. Joe Bonamassa pretty much summed it up, when he spoke about his wildly out of control "Guitar Safari" shopping missions, with words to the effect "the guitar is pretty much JUST a guitar. . . the wonder lies in the story behind the guitar. The most salient example is the guitar that Bonamassa bought that was a cheap, low-quality instrument that was years old, beat to heck and had those plastic chrome stick on letters with initials. "I know nothing about this guitar, but I had to have it . . knowing that someone REALLY loved it". That's the way things are an the enduring small independent music store is no different than a guitar. It has little to do with the brick and mortar but is the collective passion, love and spirit of the people there. Music stores . . .Stan Jay with Mandolin Brothers (the only place I have seen Joni Mitchell and George Harrison in the same store . . an old house) and places like Arthur's Music Store in Indianapolis (opened since 1952) are legendary. Among their number is Mass Street Music in Lawrence, KS. I first learned of Mass Street, when my oldest son (the one in the family who was gifted with genuine talent - likely from hours of emulating Joe Pass) was a student at Kansas University and we'd wander in from time to time. Back in those days, the folks were pros and we were warmly greeted. In 2023 the staff are pros and we are warmly greeted. I wandered in a couple years ago and told them "I have a musical problem". They offered to help and asked what it was. I told them I had driven from NYC to Kansas to see my mother, had an empty Subaru Outback sitting our front and a credit card that I'd never used. They offered to help and made certain, with an incredible Fender Telecaster, that my return trip to NYC was not a dead head mission. Driving by Mass Street without stopping would be like a Catholic going to Rome and not visiting the Vatican. I stopped last week to say hello and visit with Brian, a self described pedal guru and font of musical knowledge. Before leaving we took a picture together in the store. It was a fun photo but only my guitar aficionado son replied with . . . yeah, yeah . . got picture . . tell me about the receipt in your hand. Opps . . . I was leaving with a key element to my amp collection that I'd just never acquired a new Fender Deluxe Reverb, hopefully the Hand Wired Edition. Once again, getting back to the YELP review . . . the service, hospitality, product knowledge and chance to learn are what differentiates an independent, passion driven, music store from the online or box stores. Thanks to the staff and if you are buying from their website of if you are in, or passing through Lawrence, you will be cast from the music faithful if you miss stopping at Mass Street Music. NOTE: Because Yelp will think I am one of these guys Brother or indebted to the owner . . not so. I am a knolegable customer and player who knows excellence when I see it and am eager to share with similarly addicted musicans. read more

Lady was nice and restrung my guitar whilst I played Juicebox on bass. 85 word limit 0350365

Finest guitar I've ever bought. Brian was extremely helpful. They had a nice secluded room with tons of live amps. The guitar played immaculately in the store, save for a slightly dry fret board. After being in Guitar Center, and noticing their guitars essentially just hung on the wall without any attention, being able to play a guitar in store - with the assurance of the fact they had in house luthiers, really enabled me to make a purchase I'm happy with. Incredibly happy with. I don't write reviews online. I felt compelled that I needed to write this one, because I had spent so much time at other guitar shops looking for the right purchase for the right price. I'm ecstatic with my new Gretsch Electromatic! read more

Musicians in this part of the country all know the refrain: The finest shop for stringed instruments and accessories in Kansas City and Topeka is in Lawrence. The finest music shop for stringed instruments and accessories in the Midwest is hands down, Mass Street Music. Oklahoma City, Denver, St. Louis, Des Moines, Lincoln, Dallas, Chicago, Minneapolis... nothing finer than right here. There are only a small select number of stringed instruments stores in the U.S. that rank in the league of Mass Street. How do I know? I run the oldest and longest running stringed instrument web site on the internet. It's my job to know who's great, who's good and who's pretending. I've been coming here to grab picks, strings and miscellaneous gear since the day they opened 30 years ago. They have the most talented instrument repair staff in the Midwest which is even more important to professional and semi-professional musicians. I'm the latter, and having luthiers you can trust with an instrument that's like a part of your family is critical. As a fellow supporter (through my business) of the musical arts in the city I appreciate Mass Street Music providing financial backing for events like the annual Kansas State Fiddling and Picking Championships. They're also a supporter of touring artists and offer frequent clinics that are of interest to a wide range of musicians. This is more than just a retail store, it's an important part of the musical community and *the* place you want to shop in the Midwest for a guitar, uke, banjo, mandolin, bass and other stringed instruments. read more

Old-school Lawrence residents pride their city on resisting the chain store Borg. And while the north end of Mass has somewhat lost that fight, the other end still has its hometown charms, including Victorian homes, beautiful trees and original stores like Footprints and Mass Street Music. Mass Street is for serious musicians. But they seem genuinely interested in answering questions for novices like me, too. Their prices are steep, but tapping into their staff's assistance and knowledge is priceless. Besides its respectable inventory of new instruments, Mass Street also sells one-of-a-kind collectibles, some of which run $5000 and up. At this price range, you not only need knowledgeable salespeople; you need to know the collectibles market yourself. Antiques Roadshow, anyone? read more

My Martin D-28 was broken. They fixed it and brought it back to new playability and it sounds like the day I bought it. Did the repair for a very decent price. I'm very happy with the personal service they have there. It's a landmark in Lawrence. One of the coolest stores I've ever been in. People are knowledgable and friendly. I buy local and I would not go to any other music store in Lawrence to purchase a musical instrument. Mass street music has got it covered. Very pleased with my experiences there. read more

Mass Street Music - Soundproof room for jamming to your heart's content. - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

I recently emailed MSM and inquired about an Eastman Mandola. I got a quick reply from Eric that was accurate and professional. I talked with him later on the phone and then placed an online order for this instrument. I was traveling, and wanted them to hold this for a few weeks, which they did without hesitation. [There were limited numbers of the instrument in stock, so I paid for it, and it was held as specified]. When I was ready to take delivery I talked to Sue in shipping who was wonderful and helpful. The instrument arrived exactly on time and was packed incredibly well. The experience with MSM from start to finish was excellent in every way. I would highly recommend this company. Many Thanks to Eric and Sue read more

I have to update my previous review. I did eventually return to Mass Street Music and I have to give them kudos. My experience, with Eric as my salesperson, was a total night and day different experience than the previous. I was treated with the utmost respect and courtesy and ended up buying a quite nice guitar at a very competitive price. Since my last visit, they have remodeled and browsing the store was a fun experience. They are back on my list of good local establishments to visit. read more

I was shopping for a great deal on a Tom Anderson Crowdster, I live in California, I made an offer I thought might be turned down but Eric got the pencil sharp and we made a deal on a hard to find Koa Crowdster Plus. Friendly, courteous, and immediate service. We made the deal 2 hours ago and I already have shipping and tracking info. Thank you for the pleasurable way to do biz! read more

Absolutely fab place to go for ukuleles and guitars! Super friendly and helpful staff! They listened to my 10-year-old say what she would like and didn't patronize her...which happens a lot at some places. Highly recommend! read more

The employees truly know what they are talking about and have always helped me find exactly what I need. Excellent service and competitive prices. read more

I have purchased a couple instruments from Mass Street Music, both high end. They are fair and honest, which is as high a praise as I can give. They know their products and the industry. I have also had my dried out Martin D-35 fixed by them and they did GREAT. Repair shop is top notch. Obviously, if you want to go to "stringed instrument heaven" go to Mass Street Music. read more

This is easily the best music store in the Kansas City area. It is well worth the hour drive from downtown KC. They have boutique guitars and amplifiers that no one else in town carries. Tom Anderson electrics and Collings acoustics are just a few of the very hard to find, but very sought after brands that Mass Street regularly carries. They also have an extremely knowledgeable and friendly staff. If you love guitars and amplifiers, you have to visit Mass Street Music. read more

If I need a real musical instrument store, with real gear and knowledgeable, service-oriented help, I go to Mass Street Music. They have that rare, magical combination of everything the real musician is after: quality musical instruments, the best setups or repairs I've encountered, people who are more interested in helping you than selling something, and much more! Help keep this rare gem alive, go there! read more

This is by far the cream of the crop when it comes to music shops. Their focus is guitars and other stringed instruments (sorry tuba aficionados) and they have some seriously good stuff. If you want vintage high end American made acoustic guitars, they have em. If you want boutique pedals and classic tube amps, they have em. If you want more affordable but quality instruments that have been inspected and perfectly set up, this is your place too. And their repair shop is too notch as well. These guys are knowledgeable, helpful, and won't try to up-sell you. They just love music and the gear that creates it. read more

I really don't know where to begin. I first visited Mass Street I believe around 2008. I owned a Taylor, but always had an itch. I am not anywhere close to a really good player, but I love playing what I do, play often, and love the guitar. In time I sold my Taylor to a friend and bought another Taylor, this time from Mass Street. Eric, Josh, all the crew, are top notch. They treated me as if I were a pro, with respect for my interest in guitars. I would go in and visit and see what new guitars had shown up, buy a tuner, or strings or some coffee, yes, coffee. Turns out everyone there loves coffee. I digress. Anyway, to me, to remember a customer's name such as me, that is impressive. The inventory is exciting. Jim Baggett, the owner, is a sort of vintage guitar expert, and has been on Antique Roadshows, appraising vintage guitars. He even spent some time with me talking. Never to busy to say hello and talk. I moved to Texas in December, 2014 and my visits had to stop of course. I had since purchased another Taylor along the way, also from Mass Street before I moved. I wanted to get a new Collings guitar, and since I was in KC area for a family reunion the summer of 2018 I stopped in and played a few and placed an order for a new Collings D1T 1-11/16"nut, with a burst finish. It will be at my house Monday and I am stoked. I got a great call from Eric P. there thanking me, and if at all possible, all my future guitar purchases will be in Lawrence, Ks! Do yourself a favor, you will love the store, the people, and Lawrence itself. The only drawback: they no longer sell coffee!!!! read more

My favorite music store. I play mostly acoustic guitar, so the upstairs Taylor room is like my sanctuary. I liked the Mass Music shirts, too, and made I got one. This is always a definite stop when I visit downtown Lawrence. read more