I have been doing business with this store since 1978. I have bought about 20 guitars from them and many pieces of equipment. Several repairs and many setups. Definitely the best place to go. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. I love the acoustic room. I love oddball guitars. You never know what you're going to find there. Rob is kind and professional. After all these years I consider him a friend. Go see him. read more

Yes I strongly recommend however my experience is let down well how so I mean long story short Mr. Rob directed his lower associate named jack to trade three guitars for one and include a gator soft case however that is where in went down hill jack after taking an order from his higher up store associate who checks the guitars he ignored his order he charged me the soft case and strap which is disappointing accounting for the return they get from all three guitars they received from me the customer and a previous purchase within the same house of an electric guitar with soft case he completely ignore Mr Robs order and charged me for the case and strap that was greed I seen from jack despite the return they get from the trade ins minimum $800 he knows so I strongly recommend you affirm a deal with Mr rob to stay there or somehow try a different store associate I'll be back in the near future but my experience was alright but the part with Mr rob he personally came to talk to me the trade in offer after hearing me play romance de amor and he was very kind elderly man I'll remember the moment Rock n roll read more

I've been going to Perry's for years !!! They are the nicest people and expert work on guitars ....my guitars have never sounded better!!! Keep up the good work guys ! read more

Perry's Music Center - Can't go wrong with Perry's!!! - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Villa Park, Illinois

Had a nice visit with Rob and his assistant who is in the Jazz Band at Elmhurst College. Bought a pair of FOH PA speakers and traded in some gear. Nice to see a good old fashioned neighborhood music store run by people who are passionate about music and very customer focused. My visit was probably one and a half hours before I made my decision. No rush and I took my time. I will be back! read more

I bought my very 1st electric guitar from Perry's Music in 1976. I've been working with Rob and the crew ever since. There is a reason that they have been in business for over 50 years. Check em out! read more

friendly, very knowledge on instruments, and repairs, knows more than any of the large chain places, knows market value of all the used old junk. others have complained about his low used prices, do your homework nothing is worth what you think. Reverb is in dream land with prices, not the real world they have sold many items for me, happy to get any dollar amount, read more

I asked the owner if they sold Vox or other amplifiers, he told me to shop at Guitar Center kr Chicago Music Exchange. Plus I went to return an unopened amp cord and because it was over 3 weeks I couldn't refund it, just an exchange. read more

I just wanted to say, how AWESOME Berry's Music Center's Professional Setup is! I brought them 2 guitars, an American Strat and an Epiphone SG (G400). I changed string gauge on both. Now you'd expect the Strat wouldn't have a problem taking a setup. Actually it did but Rob, the owner, resolved that, like a champ! But the miracle they performed on the Epiphone!!! Man that plays nice now! I'm tellin' you, take your guitar to these guys, you'll be happy you did. PS I purposely waited to post this just in case the 'setup' started to sag. NOPE, they both still play wonderfully. read more

I love the personal service and integrity of Perry's Music. They are always there to help answer a question, or make a repair. This is not a chain store, you can tell each employee loves music and genuinely wants you to have the best instrument for you. I never fell pressured or upsold. I wouldn't shop anywhere else. read more

Perry's music is not only rude but their weird off brand guitars are way over priced pieces of chinese amd other over seas crap the guy behind the counter was so rude and dismissive I'll never come back again' as the proud owner of over 18+ guitars Theresa good reason over never bought one from Perry's if you want cheap over priced guitars all while being treated very rudely go to Perry's. Or if you want to be cheated out the fair value for your trade in then this is the store for you Perry's is the worst little mom amd pop guitar shop it's no wonder they are still in business read more

It's what Scott's Pet Shop was to Westchester and Bogarts was to Addison. Couldn't imagine VP or DPC without Perry's Music on St Charles Your aren't in business for 2 months let alone nearly 40 years by accident, knowledgeable, friendly, honest and extremely tolerant. Many a kid growing up back in the day coulda been buried out back for banging on the drumsets and grabbing killer guitars from the wall pretending to be Kirk Hammet. Down to earth but KNOW their shit on anything that makes noise! Amatuers to Pro's your taken care of. Hope their around another 40 years. read more

I had a left-handed guitar that I wanted to either sell or have converted to a right-hand guitar. I stopped in and spoke with Jim. We discussed both options. He gave me a price for an outright purchase and also discussed the cost and process to convert the guitar. I decided to go with option 2 and convert the guitar based on both the affordability and the turn-around time - which was quoted at 2 days. I explained I was giving the guitar to a nephew who is in town for Christmas. Jim promised the guitar would be ready in 2 days - for Christmas Ever. With that expectation I was happy but happiness turned to 'ecstatic' because Jim called 2 hours later to say they were able to do the conversion immediately. They under-promised and over-delivered which left my nephew elated. THANKS SO MUCH!!!!! read more

Went in on my bday, July 29, and picked up a new guitar to learn on. Told them the type of music I would eventually like to play & they directed me at all kinds of different guitars. My dad had always been a Gibson/Epiphone guy, so I was interested in the Epi's they had there. I liked the open pore LP they had for $145. Just needed a guitar to learn on & went with electric for 2 reasons. 1 was I was told they are a bit easier to learn on (my big fingers aren't sold on that theory just yet) and 2, nobody could hear me strumming crappy notes & tones. Wait, strumming, haha, I can't even do that good right now, but I am only going on 2 weeks of doing this & my fingers haven't healed 100% just yet :D This fall, I just might sign up for some lessons so I don't create bad habits. Oh, a week after having the guitar, I got a little fret buzz so I took it in & they quickly diagnosed it & fixed it. While there I saw even more guitars I want, but still can't play, and I picked up a gig bag. Funny thing is, the day I bought the guitar they asked if I needed a gig bag. I laughed and said I won't be gigging anytime soon, but after having to take it in for a quick fixing, I wished I had that gig bag, so I bought one while I was there. I like this place, the people there have been cool. They have listened to a total newbie and provided feedback I understood. The big thing with them that you don't get at some other stores in the area, is the setup they do before you get the guitar. That is a big reason why I went there, that and my dad bought a guitar from them in the early 90s. I am definitely going back, just wish they were closer & not VP cuz I hate driving in that area :) read more

I didn't find these guys to be so obnoxious. Not sure what the other reviewers were thinking. The cold fact about selling used equipment and instruments back to a retailer? They're going to low-ball you because they have no choice. Because their margins are reed-thin to start with. These guys aren't getting rich. They aren't hood-winking some kindly grandmother out of her no-goodnik son's green-sparkle Jaguar that he left stuck in the back of the front closet in 1970. That's not happening here. Look up on the walls in this store. They're pushing used Washburns and Corts and Epiphones and Jay Tarsers. A shitload of Squires and maybe a few new G&L's. I didn't notice any juicy old Gibsons and Rickenbachers, or any Gretsch creampuffs. Perry's is serving the new player niche as far I see. Dad walks in with his seventh grader. The kid wants to play guitar. Perry's sells Pop a used Peavey solid body for $125 and tosses in a little Fender practice amp for $25. Good to go for $150. It stands to reason, these guys didn't pay more than $60 bucks for that guitar and maybe $15 for the amp. They have to keep the lights on. We're talking a lousy $75 clear on the deal. How many beat-up Squires does it take to keep a place in business when the profit is that sucky? Dozens. This afternoon they bought four old amps, a Yamaha Pacifica guitar and assorted drum hardware from me. I was happy to get $150 that I used in trade. Picked up a new G&L Deluxe Tribute II dirt cheap from them. The trouble comes when we over-value our equipment. Then we're insulted by low offers. Don't be that way. The Yamaha Pacifica they paid $60 for? That's about right. It's a guitar for some little kid to beat the snot out of, that's all. No more, no less. read more

Perfection in guitar set up. Friendly staff. This is where to go to buy guitars and fix guitars. Thanks for or fixing my Felix The Cat Martin guitar! read more

I purchased a used amp that, before heading out the door, needed a repair. I left it there for the tech to work on but after he said it was fixed, it still had the same problem. So, bringing it back for the second time we realized it was an issue casued by plugging my hallow body into the amp. He thought he had fixed the problem because he was plugging a solid body into the amp, which, didn't produce the frequencies that caused the problem. The reason for this review is to let people know that the tech there went above and beyond in fixing this inexpensive amp that I purchased. I appreciated his time and diligence in fixing this rare problem. Also, all the employees I encountered were very nice, in my opinion read more

My favorite music store, and they are still in business! I've been shopping at Perry's for many years, and always get great service. They sell and rent good music equipment and instruments, as well as buy and sell used ones! They are also a total music shop that gives lessons to new music students. I recently realized that the last guitar I bought was a pain to play (why it's been sitting in my storage for years.) I was asked to play it and remembered that I never got it professionally setup! I brought it in to Perry's and it was done in about 2 weeks, in time for my first gig with it. It plays so great with no stress on my fingers anymore! Best money I've ever spent!(and it wasn't that much!) I Highly recommend Perry's Music store for all your musical needs! read more

I love this place. I visit every few weeks looking for little treasures. They always have a nice selection of new and used pedals. It's not often I don't leave without buying a pedal. Their electric guitars are a little lacking but it could be my taste. This isn't guitar center. They're basically reselling used instruments and for the most part the electric guitars they have on hand are great for beginners and students. This isn't the place to buy that vintage Strat you always wanted but it is the place where you buy you or someone else their first guitar or bass to start learning on. That said, they do stock some new Squiers and I saw two Epiphone Les Pauls (one used, one new) that were way higher quality than the other electrics. They have a great selection of amps. Lots of Marshall combos that anyone (not just beginners) would love to play. The acoustics are amazing. They set up every guitar that comes into the store. I didn't believe it at first but one day I tried out a bunch of acoustics and I can testify that they definitely do a complete and good setup on even the cheapest guitars in that shop. I almost bought a Washburn acoustic (it played like a Martin and sounded like a Gibson) but it was a little too rich for my blood. The new and good stuff there is the same price you'd find it anywhere else and you get a great deal on used gear. The staff are cool too. It's easy to feel intimidated by people who know so much more about music and playing than you do but you have to get over that and not be self conscious. Whenever I come in the staff lets me browse a bit and then someone always comes by to check to see if I need help. Whether I do or don't they're always friendly and if you show up enough times they'll eventually even get to know you. I'd highly recommend them for buying beginner instruments, awesome quality acoustics, finding great deals on good used amps and pedals, and even getting work done on your existing instrument. It's hard to find a good independent music dealers around these days so I always go to Perry's first before I even think about visiting a guitar center or buying some piece of gear you've only seen online through Amazon. Support local music shops! read more

My experience with Perry's music has been more than positive. I initially came in interested in looking for a tubed amp which the worker on duty immediately helped me in finding the perfect amp for my situation. Rob has been very helpful and understanding with a Marshall DSL 40 amp I have set aside on layaway over the past few months, and has was more than willing to work with my "ocd" of having a brand new amp. They also are more than happy to let you test out the equipment and jam out figuring out what guitar, amp and pedal is good for you. I would much rather pay a little extra (not even that much) in effort to help a local store than a corporation like sam ash or guitar center. I will definitely do business with these guys again. -Alex read more

I don't care for this place whatsoever. A lot of the instruments are already marred (dents, scratches, etc), overpriced, and the service is absolutely terrible. The employees would rather sit in the back and pompously talk about their opinions on bands or "sweet licks" instead of servicing their customers. I'll find business elsewhere, thanks. read more

DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND STEER CLEAR!!! AWFUL SERVICE! I regrettably went in for a "tune up" basically an expensive fret polish and levelling, really, I needed tuners, and fret crowning [extra from the t\u,] he sold me a 250+ job, ok, i have $, but when it came to CHOOSING the tuners, nothing I said mattered. i pointed out some tuners i like, a STYLE DIRECTION i would like to go, and asked if he had a vintage looking tuner that would fit. no. they come stock on my guitar and he said they are cheap, would fall out and not keep in tune. OK, maybe... he shows me the most expensive machine heads in the catalog. A set of grover minis, something stock on a fender it looked, not something i would shell out 400 total with the peg hole ream [that i did not want until i saw the super rotormatics] and 2 sets of grovers, [12 string] i said no. they would look like garbage on a 12 string ACOUSTIC. They did not understand that MY MONEY is actually valuable to me, as is MY INPUT. I wanted super rotomatics, since all his tuners required a peghole ream anyway, might as well get what i want. [also expensive, but less than grover minis, but they FIT an acoustic styling with 1930s style accented deco buttons] they did not fit the holes he said, the machine heads overlap, fine, when i ask his remedy, he offers me THE SAME grover tuners AGAIN! how the heck do you run a business telling customers nothing but one set of garbage that they already said they DO NOT WANT will fit? OH and will cost over 400$ with the ream out [that i didnt want] ha! Eventually I WENT TO GUITAR CENTER and had to remedy the tuner situation MYSELF. SCREW LOCAL. [sry hippies] it seems the smaller the shop, the more BS you end up eating. for the same chinese made bootleg inferior inventory [marked waaaaay up] the big boxers sell. real sad i pay money to have to finish it DIY. So, Mr. Gurka tells me all he can do for my acoustic are a bunch of fender-esque EXPENSIVE tuners, no others will fit. nothing in the world is made for epiphone, according to him. after an angry email from me demanding a standard of quality from him and his shop, he mails me to pick up the guitar- not finished, at all, i spent 220 so far, i am being refunded only 180, 45$ for a fret polish and sanded fretboard, reallllly expensive for nothing work. RIPOFF ARTIST. Through email, i even tried to remedy the situation with him myself, by sending him a website cataog full of tuners, with blueprints, dimensions of machine head sizes, etc. Before he even ordered them he could have measured the tuners that come stock and either not order them, or find ones that WILL FIT. he did not do that. he did nothing but order what i said i wanted [allegedly] and emailed bitching about having to return them. like he wouldnt have done that in the first place. He told me again the ONLY TUNERS THAT WILL FIT ARE THE MINIS. again. hilarious. 4 times. So, he washes his hands of the situation, ok. fine. i really should have walked out the shop as soon as he said nothing he sells would fit, and threw those garbage expensive grover minis at me, fool me once, hopefully he will never get to fool anyone else. SO, if you think your going in that shop to build a custom, youre dead wrong. The owner, Rob Gurka WILL tell you what they will or will not put in your guitar, and strong arm you into expensive purchases and procedures that you do not want. I strongly doubt he knows what he is doing, how do you not measure out according to blueprints? he didnt even have to order from that website, he could have gotten the same tuners though his distributors, and not have any issue with returns[not even having to return them if he had read the blue prints in the first place and ordered something that fit.] In the end... I got Reamed. read more

I have been taking drum lesson for a while know and they do a great job, the store is friendly and is a local place you can get used equiptment there too. Great place for beginers and proffessionals too. read more

I've never made a large purchase from this store, but I have had four of my guitars through their Set Up service. All four of them were done very well. They informed me that one of my guitar's neck was warped, but were still able to adjust it to some extent. I've also had minor repairs done here for reasonable prices. As far as common items for musicians, you can't really beat this place. They have simple microphones (such as the SM58 and SM57) for the standard price as any other big music store. They also have XLR cables, instrument/speaker cables, strings and miscellaneous needs at standard, fair prices. If you're looking to purchase a new instrument, Perry's tends to have very nice off-brand guitars that sound great. You may need to try them out to weed through a few of the cheap ones, but it is very possible to find a great sounding off-brand guitar for half the price as a name-brand guitar here. Still, if you're looking for a Fender or Epiphone, then I suppose you'll have to search elsewhere. The staff is usually very friendly at check out. They'll ask if you need help, but won't hover over you trying to make a sale. Overall, if you're in a need of a less than $100 purchase, this is the place to go. Don't forget, the more you support a privately owned store like this, the more they'll be able to thrive and expand. read more

I usually don't write any reviews but this time I was pretty upset and had to write this. I bought a tuner here which didn't pick up the sound of my bass more than 50% of the time so brought it back today and okay, I bought it about month and a half ago so I kinda figured that I might not be able to get a refund. But the attitude of the old guy (don't know his name) was what really maddened me. First he said, "let me try it with a NEW battery because your battery might have run out", which he did, even though I told him I didn't really use it because it wasn't working.. and still the tuner only picked up half of the sounds. Then he goes, "well, you DO have the cheapest version of this tuner.." oh really, but I have already bought a better version tuner somewhere else because I needed it asap for a gig, and when I told him this he tells me, "okay let me try with another FRESH battery to make sure but either way I will give you a credit or an exchange." Obviously he didn't want to admit that it was a defect.. I asked him why I can't get a refund, he said that they don't do refunds, at all. Their receipt said "NO REFUNDS ON LAYAWAYS OR SPECIAL ORDERS - RETURNS FOR CREDIT/EXCHANGE ONLY WITHIN 10 DAYS" which I thought only applied to "layaways or special orders" but he insisted that applied to all purchases, which is pretty shady right there, and that he was doing a favor for letting me take the credit after a month and a half. and when asked what their policy was like on refunds, he again said they don't do refunds at all. And the tuner was only $20, yes..$20..and I was tired of this and told him I will just toss it in the trash and walked out, and he said "well I tried to help ya". I'm pretty sure he's happy now that he saved $20 and lost me forever. It's obvious that I'm not going back there again or recommend anyone to go there, but it's not just because of this incident. Few months ago I took my bass in because this buzzing sound bothered me whenever I played a certain note, and when I took it for the first time the younger guy who worked there didn't really know what was causing it, but told me that I should get their "pro" tuning service and it will be fixed. So I did, paid about $90 I think, but when I got it back it was still the same. So I took it there once more, and this time they told me that they'll have to sand the frets down to make them even..so I told them to do it, paid some more money..and guess what, it wasn't still fixed. Well, I took it to another shop called Music Store in Chicago, and they identified the problem right away..it was the bridge. and it's fixed now. So, I feel like they just ripped me off twice and didn't know what they were really doing. Even after the first incident, I still went to Perry's because I believed that they were still somewhat better than Guitar Center. Maybe I was wrong. They're only nice to you when you're buying stuff and giving them money.. And to be honest, the place Music Store on Irving Park in Chicago, had the exact same tuners at cheaper prices, and were friendlier, and more professional. (I'm not trying to advertise them..just saying.) If you want to go to Perry's, I won't tell you to stop, but just keep in mind.. do enough research on prices/equipment/repairs..and don't believe them 100%. Just an advice, read more

I definitely prefer this place over the big boxes, the staff is so knowledgeable! Their prices are sometimes a little higher, but you find things here that you would never dream of seeing in a GC or Sam Ash. Their tech services are awesome, I think its the owner who does it himself! I haven't personally taken lessons here, but i have only heard good things. Definitely a place to check out. read more

This review is 25 years old. I remember riding my bike here when I was a young teen and dreaming about shredded it on stage in front of screaming fans. Sadly that never did happen but I do remember coming here and getting my first guitar on my 13th birthday. The staff was always patient with my friends and me while we got our grubby hands on their pristine fenders, amped up and jammed. I haven't been back in decades but the fact that they are still around speaks volumes. read more

I heard good things about Perry's and stop by today to ask about getting a guitar. I was there for mor then 15 min looking and no one asked if they could help me so I left. read more

I was very satisfied with the service that they helped us out to pick a guitar for my son good prices great service

I have been a customer since early 2004, I bought an inexpensive acoustic that played great and it still does. I have bought several others too, all played great from day one. One BIG difference between Perry's and the chains is that all the guitars are setup and play very well. I have seen firsthand how the chain stores display a new guitar. They remove it from the box and hang it on the wall. I asked about this and was told "if you buy it, we'll set it up". This simply does NOT happen at Perry's, the guitars on display are ready to play. They do really nice setups on other guitars too, besides the ones they sell. I bought an Epi Casino several years ago at a place that is no longer in business. It had a fret buzz high up on the neck. I took it back and they supposedly adjusted it, the buzz was a little better but not gone. I got frustrated with them and took the guitar to Perry's. They did their "fret special", all the buzzing was gone and the guitar played great! read more

The thing I like about Perry's is that they have a knowledgeable and helpful staff as opposed to a chain store with poor customer service where the employees are paid by commission. The thing I go there most is for guitar maintenance like a restring, a fret special or if I need a small part for my guitar. They only charge $10 to change my strings on an acoustic steel string guitar. What do you get for $10 at a music store? I definitely recommend getting the fret special anytime they run a special on it because they do a very nice job on getting a guitar to play its best. read more

I went to Perry's today to take a look at some guitars on the advice of a friend, and I'm glad I did! These guys were great! I found just the right guitar, and they took excellent care of me after they'd given me some time to take a look around and get a feel for what I wanted. It was definitely worth the drive! I would definitely recommend this place! read more

If I could offer one piece of advice, it would be to not go here. My experiences from here are not great. BOTH times i've gone in to get strap locks put in, they've screwed them up. BOTH TIMES. on two totally separate occasions. every day, be it on my bass or on my guitar, i need to screw in the strap locks every fifteen min. These are the things I purchased so my $3,000 guitar does NOT fall and break. Not pleased, guys. read more

I have been going to perrys for well over a year. I have bought and sold guitars from Rob . I feel he honest and has always gave good deals.i also have had repair work done and never have had any problems. His staff or himself have never made me feel uncomfortable as does big box stores. My daughter has been taking lessons for almost a year. My wife and I cannot believe she has progressed the joy of rob and his staff putting the smile in my daughters face awesome. We have had friends and family take lessons there and all have enjoyed there staff. I have personally seen rob working with customers and what he offers the customer is no where close to what u get from a box store. I had to write this after looking to get phone# and read other reviews .I think rob and his staff are great and have no complaints. Mark w. read more

I would absolutely agree with the "STEER CLEAR AWFUL SERVICE" review!! I just had the worst customer service experience I have ever had from owner, Robert. My 15 yo son brought in a guitar that he purchased from out of the country to be re-strung. The owner called to let us know to pick it up and that the guitar had cracked while they had it in their possession. He tried to blame it on a temperature change (the guitar has been here for over a month). He refused to admit any wrong doing and also refused to release the guitar back to my 15 year old son without full payment for the new strings and "tune up". He said he could "make it right" by putting clue on the long crack.....straight up the front of the guitar. He was rude and obnoxious and treated myself and my son so poorly!! This is a young boy who participated numerous times in the Rock U program (on keyboard) and was also set to begin taking guitar lessons with John at Perry's and had purchased a guitar from their store just two short weeks ago. What a way to lose thousands of future dollars......we will tell everyone we know to avoid Perry's!! It is unfortunate as some of the staff (ie: John) are great people but we absolutely cannot recommend this place of business because of the owner and how poorly he opted to treat a 15 yo!!!!! read more