Blackheath is almost as grim as it sounds, but last year a small independent guitar dealer made the…read moreswitch from online retailing to having a physical store. Now Blackheath has had its fair share of music shops over the years, all of which are now closed. But the one thing RSG has over its predecessors is a relentless love for customer satisfaction. Upon store you even enter the store you excited by just the window display. Colourful and full of ever changing instruments. Some of the best in store and some of rarer models can be seen displayed here. The selection of instruments covered is heavily guitar, bass, and a section of smaller wind instruments (harmonicas ect) but the stock is ever changing and you never know what will be in stock the next time you visit. The owner Damon is also quite the guitar tech, offering servicing and string changes on guitars and bass for a small fee. The shop also offers after hour tuition in both guilted and bass with a great team of teachers. Seperate courses run for different age/skill groups. Some of the best gear here is possibly the valve amps on selection. Some of the brands on here include: Carvin, Vox, Korg, Frenendez, Washburn and Ernie Ball.

Tiny little guitar shop, tucked away on the outskirts of Blackheath town centre. I wandered in…read morehere and soon enough found myself in conversation with the fella behind the counter, and a lovely chap he was too. As a southpaw, guitar shops are always frustrating for me because you always see these great guitars and good offers, but they're always for right-handed people - not us creative minority (Hendrix, McCartney, Cobain, the bloke out the Super Furry Animals...) The shop is very small and as such doesn't have a whole lot of stock out front, save a handful of guitars and a few practice amps. The sounds of patient music tuition filtered through from the next room as I bid my goodbyes to the bloke behind the counter. What I dug about this guy was that he didn't try and get me to buy anything nor did he take the opportunity to show me how much better on guitar he was or how much more he knew about guitars. I did work experience in a guitar shop and it put me off them and the people who work in them for life, this little place restored a bit of my faith that they're not full of failed, pedantic show-off rockers.

What a little gem…read more Long story short, I liked the idea of playing the accordion and someone kindly gave me one in need of repair. Well, where else to go but the Accordion Centre, tucked in slightly scary backstreets it's a breath of fresh air as a lovely whitewashed and shuttered house. But we're here for accordions. And there are many. On one side, the workshop is bursting with accordions waiting for repair, and the advice I was given was very practical and cautionary- it's likely to cost more to repair than it's worth, but I'm expecting a series of quotes so I can choose just how much work is done and to what effect. Then there's the accordion for sale room. Lovely second hand accordions and squeeze boxes everywhere and I want them all. It's a bit magic. Again, lots of very good advice- these guys really know their stuff and are very friendly. Looks like they also do band recording or rehearsals there as there's a little stage setup with drums etc and a beer fridge. Unless music shops just generally sell beer these days... Anyway. It's a bit out of town, but so worth a peep, whether or not you have a battered accordion.

I drove down today to pick up my Hohner which had undergone re-tuning and a general overhaul. I was…read moregreeted in a friendly way and felt quite at home in this wonderful establishment. No airs and graces, no frills, just the company of people who love what they do. Firstly, a welcome mug of coffee then entry into the workshop where I spent an hour being shown what they do when they service accordions. A real eye-opener! Nothing was too much trouble and my questions were answered sympathetically; after all, this is new territory for me. My Hohner sounds great and has become of more value, especially when I consider how much work has gone into its servicing. My only regret is that I live so far away because visiting the Centre is a privilege. Thank you, Rob and your professional technician for your enthusiasm and knowledge. Donald Firth.

Stirchley High street is full of shops that cater for single-issue shoppers. Amongst them there's a…read moretobacconist, a vacuum cleaner repair shop and....a shop for drummers! Very niche indeed. As a musician I'm unable to walk past without sticking my head round the door. My son is becoming obsessed with drums (and making a noise and hitting things, generally) so he is absolutely fascinated by this place. The staff are very tolerant of my little boy and let him belt the odd thing with a watchful eye. Alongside a fairly decent selection of drums and percussion instruments, this place also provides drum tuition, so if you fancy yourself as the next Buddy Rich, or if you have a little one that is showing signs of being a drummer, you might want to pop in for a chat.

You probably won't be surpirsed to find out that Drums International doens't sell penguins, Persian…read morerugs, Peyote cactuses or other exotic goods that begin with the letter P. That's right, it sells drums! Mostly of the kind that have been a prequisite for rock and pop acts since the dawn of time. By a full kit, or buy drum bits and pieces, and obviously a wide selection of skins and sticks are available. Luckily the staff are friendly enough to talk to, so there's plenty of adivce on hand if you need advice n your purchases.And if all this drum talk has unleashed an urge within you to become the next Dave Grohl or Keith Moon they can point you in the way of tuition. A low key, well run specialist music shop aimed at the cheaper end of the market that knows what it's doing and does it well. Well worth a visit if you're in the makret for some drum bits and pieces.

I love the violin ever since I saw our Nigel Kennedy playing one at Villa Park. The sound of the…read moreviolin reminds me of emotion, culture and happiness. I love it when I am out in town and a busker is playing the violin, I'll always give them some money. That is why I decided to look into buying one. I know most people start playing the violin as a child, yet when I was a child I was more interested in fireworks and computer games. I was surprised by the price of violins; I was trying out a cheap beginner's model that cost around 150 pounds. There were some violins in the shop that had a price tag of over 3 thousand pounds. I guess those models are reserved for the likes of the great Nigel Kennedy. This is a nice business, one minutes walk from Moseley Village. They had a great selection of violins and accessories in store. If you like me want to pick up and learn and instrument then I'd recommend coming here.

This shop doesn't just sell violins, it also sells amazing double basses, which I absolutely love…read more I know for a fact that I'd never have the patience to learn one or even earn the money to buy one, but that still doesn't stop customers like me having a mooch around the shop. If you are an amazing instrumentalist, and have lots and lots of money, then this shop is definitely right up your street. And if you appreciate amazingly designed, expensive instruments (like I do), then again, it's a great place for you to look around too. There's also some unusual electronic instruments sold here too, which I find highly fascinating. I'd never seen an electronic double bass in real life before I came here, and oh my god, what a beautiful sight it is! And it sounds even more beautiful. This shop makes me jealous! The staff here are very friendly and they're great at giving advice or helping you with anything. They allowed my friend (who is a musician) to try out the electronic double bass; I was too scared to touch any of the instruments here myself!

What no-one could understand in Moseley for so long was why in such a musical suburb where almost…read moreeveryone between 15 and 50 played guitar, did one have to get on the 50 bus into town to get to the nearest music shop when one broke a top E string? About 20 years too late came Shades Music. But thankful for it I am. Because on this particular day I am in need of not only an E string, but also a D string and a G string. Shades have a wide range of accessories by the counter. Guitar strings, capos, picks, its' all there. After buying some green Martin strings I have a browse. This isn't a high end music shop. What is does have is a good range of low to mid range electric guitars, the newly ubiquitous ukelele, and some acoustic guitars. So its a good shop to buy from for a beginner or an improver. And talking of improving, they have a good music school attached where you can learn a multitude of instruments.

I remember getting very excited when Shades music was opening a few years back. It's a great little…read moreshop for somebody who has just started learning to play the guitar or keyboard, and it has a great selection of song books on that stretch along the entire one side of the shop. All the product prices are brilliant for beginners, and the store doesn't really stock many expensive brands. So I'm not sure if Shades is ideal for well established musicians to buy their gear from. But overall, the staff are very sociable and approachable, and they will give you some great advice when choosing the right instrument to suit. You can also easily chat about music and bands with them too, which adds an extra customer relationship ethos. Shades provides a great stock of instruments for the South side of Birmingham, but I'm sure if you travel into town or other areas of the city, you can probably pick up a wider range of items.

BUYER BEWARE WITH PRICE TAGS ON GUITARS IN STORE…read more Store had a guitar tagged with a £299 price tag, didn't notice at the till that one of the 3 guitars we bought in one visit price changed to £372 with a £27 discount on the now new price of £399!!! Now I know why the guy did say "oh no this has happened again" as he glanced at the till to his colleague but failed to just be honest to the customer if the price wasn't right. This just added insult into injury as 2 members of staff couldn't have the balls to say something to us which would have been less awkward as eventually we did afterwards realise and this left the feeling that in fact this establishment is really staffed by the sort of charlatan you'd be better avoiding. That would have been too professional and beyond this lot. It is very poor if a shop has to rely on such tactics anyone can tag up a cheaper price to get a sale then do the whole switch of price without being up front honest. The fact they can't even afford a till which has a customer facing display says a lot and no wonder as it means they can make it harder for a customer to see when an item is scanned or added to their bill what it actually has gone through price wise as. Maybe this is a company marketing tactic of their version of bait and switch?!? Lure customers in with incredible online prices to then at the point of sale add a £100 quid or whatever and be hopeful customers won't notice... They also did something similar 4 years ago to another customer who left a review but never got a reply. We all know the story of how Sound Control ended so you would think an owner and employees of guitargutar would get a grip and control over providing good old fashioned honest practice. Maybe its something to do with the deep roots of this place. Also please have customers able to use the sound proofed demo rooms that are currently filled with stacks of guitar cases. It's not great hearing other customers attempt to play their best rendition of strangling a cat mid shop floor! Clearly screwing a customer over with dishonesty for £50 is worth getting a 1* review... the offer of meeting half way was a poxy compromise and left bad feeling which is why this review has been left. Won't be visiting or purchasing anything from guitarguitar ever again and would strongly suggest anyone finely check their till receipt before leaving store. I've had less hassle buying guitars from Japan and they've offered more honest better service... even Amazon are honest with prices?!? Can't say that about guitarguitar. Good luck listening to the customers strangling many cats in store.

guitarguitar have been open for a couple of years now, but as they are a little way out of the city…read morecentre, many guitar buyers haven't cottoned onto yet to their presence. And what a treat is in store for them when they do. The selection of guitars that they have on show inside this clean box of a shop is truly breathtaking. This is a pro store-Lots of well displayed high-end guitars including signature models such as the Mark Hoppus (Blink 182) Bass and Kurt Cobain Mustangs and Jaguars. (Both by Fender). I'm not really an electric guitar player, I certainly didn't need an electric guitar, but I wanted about 3 of the beauties they had on show. There are sound-proofed isolation booths in the shop so you can try out different guitar and amp combinations without the risk of annoying other shoppers. The shop also sell pre-owned stock for those who prefer to buy an instrument that is already broken in. If you are looking a buying a guitar to add to your arsenal you just have to go to guitarguitar.

A really quite stunning collection of guitars! Friendly staff that'll pretty much let you play…read moreanything you want! Definitely worth going I you're thinking if getting a new guitar. The only disadvantage is that it is about a 20-25 minute work from New Street station. Unless you go by car and park at the limited car park at the store.

Don't be mislead by this shop's initials. They don't deal in remedies for a woman's 'time of the…read moremonth'. Instead Professional Music Technology deal in music equipment, specialising in keyboards, drums and both bass and six-string guitars. I came in here for a Fender Telecaster and I didn't really know the pros and cons of the different Squire, Mexican or US models. The assistant explained the differences in a clear way and left me to decide which one suited my budget. Another time I've been in here was to get a portable recording studio with a microphone and the necessary leads. I got a discounted deal on this, as well as being able to pay in instalments PMT is a little way out of town, so its not as easily accessible, (depending on where you live) as city centre music shops, but their collection of guitars makes them worth traveling to if you are considering a purchase of a new axe.

Been visiting this shop for years, and for a large shop such as this, it really is a fount of…read moreknowledge on most musical instruments. The staff know alot about their subject (but especially the guitars) and the shop has a masive range of guitars, basses, drumkits, electric pianos, some brass and accessories. The prices are very reasonable and they'll do their best to find the find instrument and price for you.

Now part of Express Music - still offers a personal service to local musicians from other…read moreknowledgeable local musicians. Excellent selection of guitars from good beginners' instruments (some rather better value than Squier!) right through to their whole rooms full of fine acoustics by Martin and Taylor. Great for keeping yourself running - always a good selection of strings, picks, reeds, sticks, leads... Good selection of books... reasonable selection of new & used studio and PA gear. Had some great deals here on used percussion, too.