This is one of the best violin shops I've been to. Shay is extremely fair and very talented at…read morehelping people pick out a violin that's right for them at their price point. He also restores old violins and does a fantastic job. My daughter bought one of his restored violins and the sound was incredible, so much better than a violin that she already had. She used it to play in the Enloe orchestra and got complimented on it. I also bought my Coda bow from Shay and the price was very fair. I would definitely go back to him... and probably will be soon to get my bow rehaired.

The sincerity of this small business is refreshing. It's located facing the Main Street of…read moredowntown Pittsboro so you can park anywhere and walk to it in a very short time frame. My son is 11 and joining orchestra for the first time. He was fitted properly for a violin and I felt confident in their hands. Some info: Rental: $25 a month and no contract. Debited or credited automatically each month. It came with violin, bow, chin rest, shoulder rest and a case. Not to mention ALL repairs are covered and tuning. The $25 also includes accidental break insurance. Value: 70% of each monthly fee is stored as credit on your account towards a brand new violin. They said it takes approximately 2 years worth to get one! By that time, my son will be able to know if he is committed to the violin and can get his very own. How awesome

I decided to upgrade the NS Wav violin I bought from EVS a few years back. (Mostly for the same…read morereason everybody who moves on from the NS Wav does so: because its shoulder rest system just basically doesn't work.) I ordered a 3Dvarius online, but I didn't like the tone so I sent it back, which all went fine. But that led me to realize that the only practical way to pick out an instrument I liked was to go to the shop in person. That's a bit of a production since it's in North Carolina and I'm in California, but hey, that's why they have airplanes. So I went, and I spent pretty much an entire day playing every 4-string they carry. (Sadly, I'm too set in my ways to handle 5-strings.) They were incredibly welcoming and helpful and knowledgeable and informative, and if they were annoyed by my playing the same thing over and over at fairly high volume, they didn't show it. I eventually picked out a Cantini Canaletto (see pic), which they customized with Wittner geared pegs in time for me to catch my flight home. This was an altogether satisfying experience. I have nothing but good things to say about EVS, and I highly recommend them to anyone who's looking for an electric violin.

What can I say? I purchased a 3dvarius new violin for $2300 and it arrived with prior damage on it…read more The area by the nut had been clearly repaired with some kind of putty. There is a long scratch on the back that was coloured in with a wood pencil. And, worst of all--the chinrest's metal prong was dislodged on one side and the metal prongs scratched and bent, making it impossible to even place it on my shoulder to try the violin, since the chinrest is only attached on one side, and the other side is out of whack and it's all wobbly. So disappointing. I call the shop and they tell me it's shipping damage and can I wait for them to contact Fed Ex to get a claim filed and they'll call France to see if the damage can be repaired. Hello? You shipped me a used and repaired and damaged violin, that I cannot play. How about, we're very sorry. Here's your prepaid shipping label to ship it back, and refund my $2300. I bought a Yamaha violin from them a couple years back and everything went great. The case I purchased for it is difficult to open and close so that was not great but it's a pretty purple. I use it for a violin that mostly stays home, not the electric. What has happened to our beloved EVS? I'd hesitate to purchase here now. When I asked them: what happened, they said, well yes, we know about the scratch on the back of the violin and we know that we used epoxy on the nut area to get rid of a buzz, but we figured if you liked the violin, we could always offer you 5% off if you noticed the damage. Huh? This one is going back and I hope I get my $2300 back or I'm going to be very upset. Update: I did get my $2300 back on my credit card after I shipped it back with a prepaid Fed Ex label they sent me after much going back and forth. I hope this company is able to maintain it's self. I did like my first purchase (the Yamaha violin, which I still play on regularly).

Carrina comes to our house once a week and gives each of our daughters a 30 minute voice lesson. In…read moreaddition to singing, they are also learning theory and terminology at the piano. She is very knowledgeable and creates a perfect blend of fun and classical music theory. I would recommend her to anyone!

My teen has been working with Carrina, both in person, and online, for about a year and I have been…read moreso impressed with his growth. Carrina is skilled, kind, and clear in her instruction and we have seen so much growth in his voice control, ability to apply a variety of skills for different pieces, and confidence. One of our priorities was to find a teacher that could help him learn how to train his voice properly, without injuring himself and we are very happy. I highly recommend Carrina.

Darin recommended against spending more to fix my older piano and suggest upgrading, against his…read moreown financial interests. And his enthusiasm and expertise about tuning is unmatched.

I'm the Director of Music at an Episcopal church in Chapel Hill with 35 years of experience as a…read moreprofessional musician. The moment the opportunity presented itself I began contracting Darin as our piano technician for our Steinway-B and several uprights. His work is absolutely tremendous. The Steinway, especially, has never felt or sounded better. I've known Darin for years and can attest not only to his exemplary skill as a technician but also his impeccable musicianship and his warm, genuine personality. He's an absolute delight to work with and the work he does is as good as it gets, anywhere.

This place is an absolutely treasure trove of all things double bass. The staff is skilled and…read morecourteous, and the repairs have proven effective and affordable. We drive in from some distance, and their accommodation and promptness for our appointments and purchases have been most helpful. If you play double bass, simply walking through the store is incredible. This is a must-visit place for double bassists!

From the owner: Located in the Piedmont of North Carolina, and staffed by two full-time, highly skilled double bass…read moreluthiers, the Bass Violin Shop specializes in double bass sales, set-up, restoration, and rentals. We also sell double bass accessories, including bass bows, bass pick-ups, bass cases, bass rosin, and stands.

We purchased an antique piano from the 1860s and needed it tuned. We reached out to multiple places…read moreand got a swift and professional reply from Chris. His business is a one man show and we are all about supporting local! Chris was exceptionally knowledgeable and I enjoyed chatting with him as he worked. The piano sounds great and he even replaced our broken knobs and rubber stops! Prices are very reasonable and I will be recommending him to friends and family for his outstanding work!

He was great at tuning my piano and really knows his stuff. I look forward to working with him in…read morethe future for piano tuning.

Friendly, helpful staff, reasonable offers, reasonable prices on used gear that seems well…read moremaintained. This is the second time I've sold/bought to/from them, and I'll definitely go back when the itch hits me again.

Just wanted to the the guy who waited on me at 11 am this morning, I traded in one of my amps and a…read morepedal for a killer LTD AS-1 and he tested my amp and pedal and had me out the door in like 20 minutes. I did not get his name but super nice and professional! This is my favorite MGR store out of all of the ones I have been to. Thanks, Gene H

Tims a good egg and fixed my martin acoustic that cracked plays great…read more and the best thing he's one of my neighbors.

I honestly can't say enough positive things about Tim at Apex Guitar Rescue. I brought my…read moredaughter's guitar in with a dead pickup and a switch that seemed wired backwards, and told him I knew very little about guitars. With me watching, he opened up the electronics, with a small amount of space due to a PCB board making things tight. He tried moving things around and tried different things but nothing was happening. Then he noticed the switch itself was loose and pulled it out of the guitar and it started working. "I know what it is. The paint on the inside is actually conductive and when this thing got turned, it shorted against the inside. That's also why it seems like it is wired to the wrong side - the switch has turned a full 180." He aligned it back, tightened it up, and everything plays great with both pickups and the switch now aligns with where it should be depending on which pickup is active. Basically everything works great. Tim talked a bit about how the electrical connections can be sensitive, and quickly went over a bunch of other parts of the guitar and aligned, tightened, so many different parts explaining what he was doing along the way. I feel like I walked out with a new guitar, and yet he charged a really modest fee! Before bringing it to Tim, I went to another local shop. One he realized I was not interested in his (more expensive) services other than just fixing the pickup, he was dismissive about almost everything on the guitar and said it probably plays horrible without ever playing a note or even plugging a jack into it, and suggested I buy a new guitar for my daughter. Contrast that experience with Apex Guitar Rescue, where Tim was so honest, skilled, and respectful of my time and money, and even said our guitar is great. I can't imagine bringing my guitar anywhere else. (BTW, the big G has tons more reviews of Apex Guitar Rescue.)