Love George's. Great staff, helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. Their stock of instruments is…read moresolid. Atmosphere is laid back- no pressure and accommodating. I take lessons there also and recommend them.

The staff there is fantastic, always helpful, I and my daughter have taken lessons here and had a…read morepositive experience. Plenty of stock of equipment and supplies.

I used to shop at Bridgeset and they were always polite to me - until they found out that I'm a…read moreprofessional musician and then the flood of rudeness bagean. Mind you, they were incredibly rude to me on three occasions until I finally gave up and quit going back. I know for a fact that they don't take issue with men who are pros. Interesting.

EDIT: since posting this review, the owner has reached out to resolve issues with store/staff…read more This music store is horrible. I'm a professional guitar player who was visiting Philadelphia from the west coast and decided to check out local music stores. The store was clean but beyond appearances this place was terrible. All the guitars I tried were dirty and out of tune; I told an employee that the truss rod needed to be adjusted on one and he didn't know what that was (a music store employee should know what that means). I couldn't hear myself try the guitar because the sole employee was signing and playing at the top of his lungs. I then asked him about how the teacher employment worked at their store and not only could he not answer, but he couldn't give me anyone's email or phone number to contact with questions. Very rude in general. Ive been in hundreds of music stores and this was among the worst

After my partner bought a Gibson Les Paul Special Tribute bass at Russo Music earlier this year, I…read moreheard so much from him about how this was 'one of the best shops on the east coast.' Recently I got the chance to check it out in person when we stopped in to browse two Saturdays ago during a day trip to Philly. It's located on the same block/in the same building as Union Transfer, the music venue. The music store has two floors. The main floor/street-level floor showcases electric guitars, basses, and some synthesizers. The second floor has acoustic instruments - guitars, basses, ukuleles, and I think I even saw a mandolin. The repair service area/shop is also upstairs. I remember the big beautiful windows that let in natural light in the space, and rugs and couches to sit on the second floor. The people working there were friendly and ask if you want to try out any of the instruments. You'll see bowls with "Russo" picks here and there too. It's a cool instrument shop. Really high quality instruments there, and nicer than the inventory at a GC. One apparent difference is that the instruments on display at Russo are adjusted and ready to play, in contrast to a big box music/gear store where instruments are mounted straight out of the manufacturer box. It's an easier/better experience for the customer figuring if they like what's in their hands at Russo. And even though it's a boutique store, it has a larger inventory than you would expect. An aces shop, highly recommended!

Any alternative to G Center is a blessing…read more.. Situated as a neighbor to Union Transfer, it makes the 1K block of Spring Garden St. quite the musical destination. First, I dig the shoppe. The walls are festooned with (mainly) guitars, but a few gorgeous basses (for the bassists among us) pepper the collection. A pink 60s P bass is the pick of the current litter. I, however, just needed strings for my '76 Mustang, and my tech guru suggested I stop at Russo's before dropping off the ax for a tune-up. Glad I did. Prices and inventory are about average...but certainly competitive. Solid B. Being primarily a pianist, I can't dole out an A, as they had nothing that might draw my business regarding my primary instrument. But, no matter. Where Russo's really excels is in its staff, imho. From a phone conversation with a gal who put my (very specific) strings aside, to girl behind the counter...all just as pleasant as you please. We talked basses, performing, and teaching for a brief moment, before the rigors of the day pulled me in other directions; but only after being fortified by some solid conversational vibes. Don't order your stuff online. Def. don't go to G.C. Spend the extra fiver and keep places like Russo's open. See ya there, maybe.

I recently shopped for a cello bow at Mt. Airy. They allowed me to use a private room to spend…read moreabout 2 - 3 hours on each of two visits to try about 20-30 bows in my price range and to take a few home for a week to audition. The staff, especially Charlotte, Adam and Thuy were wonderful and very helpful in aiding me in choosing the bow I liked best. This is a five-star operation in my opinion, and Mt. Airy will be my first choice for further services and purchases. Charlie C.

What a lovely shop to have right in the heart of Mt Airy! Located on Germantown Avenue (street…read moreparking only, folks, and watch yourself crossing the street -- cars zoom here!) directly across from Zsa's Ice Cream (another worthy destination). The online appointment interface is easy and straightforward, and the staff was very pleasant and helpful in regards to my many questions. COVID precautions: You make an appointment, drop off at a door (staff are masked) and then they let you know when it's ready for pick up. My kiddo now has a freshly rehaired bow to practice with, and -- much to his utter delight -- it is his favorite color green!

Came to have our violin checked out. Just required a few tweaks and they were very honest and gave…read moregood feedback and did not charge for the adjustments. Great folks! Highly recommend for violin needs and purchases.

when it was time for me to upgrade my violin i visited several violin luthier's in and out of…read morestate, I saw several violins but did not fall in love with them. Besides not having a good experience. when I called David michie violins jennifer talked to me on the phone and ask several questions about what I was looking for, and explained the best way to go about choosing a violin for my needs. As she explained, when I arrived for my appointment David had 8 violins set up for me to try. After trying all the violins i was able to take home 3 for a week but the right violin had not chosen me. Round 2 i went back and David had 8 more violins for me to try out again, I did like 3 of them but there was one particularly that i was attracted to. This was the violin that liked me and I liked her, so I finally chose my violin. I can't tell you what a wonderful experience it was to work with David and Jennifer in finding the right violin. The charisma and the knowledge and how comfortable they made me feel. In my life I come to realize that sometimes it doesn't matter how much money you spend but how another person makes you feel. I want to thank David and Jennifer for a wonderful experience and thank you for helping me find my violin. yours truly Samuel Gerena ps: And remember there is only one rule when you are at David michies violins choosing a violin. "have fun"

Talk about dedication to local music! South Street Sounds sell all kinds of reasonably priced…read moreinstruments. they have a widespread selection and are able to help you with any questions you may have. Not Only that, But it has an incredible recording studio/practice space downstairs. It offers some of the most reasonable prices in town, and is a damn good place for any band who is looking to work on a demo to go. If that's not enough, South Street Sounds puts on a local music showcase called Buddhafest. it goes on every other month at Tritone and showcases at least 12 diverse acts in one day. the next one is August 18th.

Perfect place to start your children in a life long live of music and learning instruments! E have…read moretried various teachers, but Jeff is by far the best. Highly recommend.

One of the best experiences I've had purchasing a guitar. Embarrassingly, I've bought way too many…read more(I have to keep a spreadsheet) from various sellers. From the historical building to the room filled with so-many vintage guitars, this was a treat to see and play. I knew what wanted. Fred brought me the exact guitar I was looking for and showed me a lower priced model to compare. I went for the Martin 000-12 Fret Custom, no question. Catherine helped me finalize the deal and treated me so nicely and professionally. If I'm ever back in Philly, I'm coming back. Alfonso

I'm not sure where these negative reviews are coming from all I can say is that I've been treated…read moregreat every time I've talked to them and they will be the first place I go when I'm looking for a banjo

Both of my children took piano lessons at the Nelly Berman School for years, and I myself restarted…read moreplaying the cello (after decades away from the instrument!) by taking lessons there, too. The standards of musicianship at NBS are very high, and the school does a great job of combining those standards with a supportive and encouraging community ethos. I strongly recommend it for families who are seeking a serious and fulfilling musical education/experience. Quite a few of the students there aspire to and achieve careers in music, but it is also a great place for children (and adults!) who want instrumental music to be an important part, but not the biggest part, of their lives.

Excellent teachers, difficult management and inflexible schedules…read more The teachers are wonderful. The director is extremely talented at music and teaching, but managing a business is not her talent. We had to discontinue our lessons here for a number of reasons. First, it was extremely expensive. Second, it was very difficult to reschedule lessons, and you end up losing money if you can't reschedule within the semester because you still have to pay, even if you didn't get all your lessons. Third, it was very disturbing to receive disrespectful voicemail and email messages from management. It was also annoying to receive multiple emails a day in all caps for lessons and performances that do not even apply to you. All parents receive emails for all instruments and age groups, so it's really annoying to see multiple mass emails a day. You also get nickeled and dimed for every second. There's not even time to chat with the teacher for a few minutes after the lesson because there's another student scheduled and waiting until the second your lesson is over. Some personal anecdotes from this school include being lectured and screamed at over the phone about taking a family trip and having to miss a class, instead of waiting for when the director was in Florida on her vacation.... not only was this disrespectful, but we didn't even miss class or go on vacation, as they mixed us up with a different family. Another anecdote is being charged for lessons that were rescheduled due to the teacher's schedule, only to find that unbeknownst to us, the director hired a substitute teacher 24 hours before the lesson, but we had no idea and then received rude emails and voicemails. Fantastic teachers, but we couldn't handle paying that much money for all the harassment and stress. I'd recommend this school for very serious students who want the teachers enough and are willing to pay top dollar and deal with the management.