A coworker recommended going, I was reluctant since I live on the VA (other side) of the city. But…read moreOMG. The inventory was amazing. I was actually overwhelmed by the number of guitars and amps in stock. Literally thousands. What I thought would be a 10 min max, look around, buy a pack of strings (I always try and buy something at non chain music stores) turned into a 2 hour adventure. Rows and rows of guitars. I was at first intimidated and it took a bit to get my bearings as how the instruments were organized. LPs over here, Fenders over there. Did I mention there were "like 2 thousand guitars. Then I was shocked at how reasonable the prices were. After 45 minutes I had decided I was definitely getting a new guitar that day, then what to choose? Narrowed down between 2 that I wanted and matched what I could afford that day. The guy who rang me up, saw it was my first purchase there and knocked a few bucks off and threw in a new set of slinky strings. Look if you are looking for a posh music boutique store with fancy displays, this is not the place for you. But if you are a musician looking for quality gear that is priced right and huge inventory, this is the place. I am already planning my next visit with a bigger budget.

Fantastic store!!! Came looking for a orange micro dark, they had like 6 of them and let me try…read moreeach one till I found one I liked and on top of that they gave me a 20$ discount because it was my birthday!!! Highly recommend!!!

Jason is a wealth of knowledge. I have learned more from him in the past 7 years then I learned in…read moremusic college. He knows the ins and outs of becoming a successful musician on both a technical and industry level. As a musician Jason excels and I am very proud to be able to say that I have learned so much under his wing. Being a lifetime student himself. Jason is constantly studying new and improved ways of doing things and I trust that as he grows as a musician, I will grow as a student. With a perfect pitch and near perfect memory, Jason seems to easily absorb everything he learns and he willingly/eagerly passes on this valuable information in easily consumed sizes as to not overwhelm me as his student.. I look forward to many more years of learning valuable information from Jason.

From the owner: ShredMentor Rock Guitar Academy proudly offers premium-quality guitar training several levels above…read morewhat you will find with the conventional "guitar lessons" offered by other DC-area guitar teachers, using the most cutting-edge, highly-effective techniques, for a truly one-of-a-kind learning experience. The ShredMentor training programs are designed to help YOU get the greatest results, in the shortest amount of time, while having FUN throughout the process. You will learn according to a **personalized strategy** that I will create for YOU to help you succeed. My guitar and music instruction programs specialize in all Rock-based playing styles for ALL playing levels, including Rock, Classic Rock, 80's Rock, Hard Rock, Progressive Rock, Alternative, Blues, Grunge, Metal (and all Metal sub-genres), Neoclassical, and Shred (advanced soloing). ShredMentor also offers the ONLY specialized Metal and Shred guitar training programs in the DC area.

Though I loved the old Guitar Shop on Connecticut, this new location is just as convenient for me…read more I have owned a bass for five years.... FINALLY started taking lessons a few months ago with John, and I'm loving it! It's so much fun, and John is an excellent teacher. He teaches to my learning style, he's patient and thorough, and consistent with his reminders of how I should be playing (finger placement, posture, and all). Though his style may seem scattered at first, he really does a great job of building off of what we learned from the previous week while keeping it interesting. If you're like me and thinking that you'll eventually get around to taking lessons, DO IT NOW! (Before they realize that they're not charging enough!)

From the owner: Lessons offered on guitar (blues/jazz/rock/classical), bass (electric or string bass,) banjo and…read moremandolin to all levels of students from beginner to advanced, using a patient approach designed for relaxed, comprehensive, fun lessons tailored to each student. Formally at The Guitar Shop in DC for 6+ years, teaching theory, improvisation and repertoire building, supplying aspiring musicians with the necessary tools and materials to be successful. We specialize in showing students how to learn from and play their favorite recordings.

Great violin shop! have been a client of theirs since i started playing the violin. Friendly staff…read moreand cozy atmosphere!! If you're looking for anything violin, viola, cello related check this place out, you won't regret it.

We have been their customers for the last decade. Both…read moremyself and my 3 kids violins all came from here. Their service, staff and the quality of their instruments are what you are looking for regardless, you are a 3rd grader starting with your first instrument or professional virtuosa, buying an instrument or getting one repaired I think you would like this shop

They say you can't or shouldn't mix business with pleasure, but what happens when you have genuine…read morepassion for your occupation? My experience at Polyphonic Music could be summarized by saying that the service was amazing. This one stop drum shop got me in and out on my leisure. Very patient and knowledgeable staff, able to answer all of my questions transparently. I learned about Polyphonic Music from craigslist, I was unaware of the kind of dedicated service I would receive from a small business. I have and will continue to recommend the service to friends, strangers, drum enthusiasts etcetera. Special shout out to Vincent for assembling a very portable customized "Frankenstein" drumset that I am able to take with me on the metro and play music outdoors. I have never reviewed a business on yelp! , but I instantly felt that the large amount of attention and care that I received from this small business was worthy of (re)writing history. 5 stars.

From the owner: polyphonic music is a local business specializing in musical instrument sales, consignment, repair,…read morerestoration & parts. we have many drum items in stock and if we don't have what you're looking for then we can likely help you find it. are you looking for something odd or specialized? we can help! there's no charge for questions, information requests or appraisals so feel free to call, text or email. polyphonic's repair shop specializes in vintage bass drum pedal restoration with a vast amount of experience and original parts to work with. restored pedals have been completely disassembled, inspected, cleaned, lubricated, reassembled & tested. feel free to contact us for information about restoring your pedal. some of the vintage pedals we work on regularly include: + ludwig speed king (vintage chicago or modern monroe) + ghost (all generations) + rogers swiv-o-matic + slingerland tempo king + camco & variations (gretsch floating action, early dw, etc.) + tama king-beat + slingerland yellow jacket + asba caroline + ludwig (other: standard, speedmaster, junior, etc.) + slingerland (other: epic, AA, HH)

Have to support these small music shops. Victor Litz has a lot to offer from types of instruments,…read moreelectronics, lessons, used gear, you name it. I was especially impressed with their selection of ukuleles. Never have I seen so many in MD in one place! Definitely more than what Guitar center offers. They have an acoustic room in the back to try their acoustic/classical guitars. I had the chance to buy one of their used guitars at an amazing price. I appreciate the staff working with me on the price and even holding the instrument for a day when they could have easily sold it to next customer. Shows that they care about customer satisfaction more than just making a sale. I was able to spend a good amount of time trying out the instrument and they also helped tweak the intonation before I decided to take it home with me. The only few downsides I could see was some of the staff were not particularly knowledgeable about certain guitar models that they were selling, but much better than say Guitar Center. The humidification in the acoustic room basically only controlled by a residential type humidifier, so not very precise. Compared to other small guitar shops in the DMV, I don't think I would feel comfortable getting my guitar worked on here just based on the level of expertise I surmounted from the conversations I had. But a good place to buy gear nonetheless if you know what you are looking for. Parking is just a little challenging since it is in the middle of old town Gaithersburg. But in the past I have come on the weekends and there is some parking across the street at the museum.

I used to be a fairly loyal customer but cannot continue to patronize a store that does not…read moreappreciate and respect ALL of their customers. There are many better options in the area such as Chuck Levins and Bill's Music that are more welcoming and frankly have a much larger selection of instruments. EDIT - Tony, you know exactly what you did. You thought you were being funny but ended up insulting a group of people that you may disagree with, but are still some of your customers or potential customers. I do not feel comfortable doing business with companies that do not treat all of their customers with the same level of respect. I respect your right to have your opinions, but we all have choices.

The thing I love about Ms Ann is how much she loves each and every one of her students. Rather than…read moretrain music by intimidation and threats, Ms Ann tries to fill each and every one of her students with the love and joy of making music. You can see this during the recitals, where students play knowing they have a coach who is cheering them on. My son learned to read music in just a couple of months, and before we knew it he was playing with more confidence and competence than we thought possible. Ms Ann is a great teacher for anyone who wants to learn music in a loving, supportive, and relaxed atmosphere.

From the owner: Good vibes music studio offers lessons in piano, guitar and violin.read more

Mrs. Hunt taught me from the time I was about five years old until I left for college. She always…read moreknew when I hadn't practiced (which was a lot of the time), but she still persisted in trying to teach me. I learned a lot from her, and still think of her when I hear Fur Elise!