A old 1980s Kramer solid body six string with Floyd Rose whammy emerged from a family closet. Something/someone had gotten into the pots and wiring harness. It was ugly. When plugged in the guitar made no sound. As a possible first timer, I called the shop and was referred to Zack. We talked and I explained the problem. While talking, I got the sense that he knew what to do. New wiring harness. New pots. Setup. I brought the Dead Kramer in, having stripped out the wiring harness. Zack told me, probably two weeks. As I left, I saw pots in blister packs for sale on the wall behind the cash register. That gave me confidence that this was the right place. About a week and a half in I called and he told me it would be ready by the end of the week. I waited until the beginning of the next week. I did have to go back to get the Floyd Rose handle, but no big deal. Zack had it. The Kramer is now in the hands of a 13 year old who is learning Rush licks and Dropped D tunings. Mission Accomplished. I'll be back. read more

Ryan Fowler's Guitar Experience - Guitar Stores Near Me - Towson, Maryland

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I purchased a Collings dreadnought from them over the internet. The guitar was set up exactly as I asked, the condition exceeded my expectations, and the guitar arrived in perfect condition, extremely well packaged and quicker than I expected. read more

This is what brick and mortar guitar shops are supposed to be about. I popped in on a whim to pick up some small items. Ryan and his staff were so friendly and willing to go into full Guitar Nerd Mode and just shoot the breeze. I circled back an hour later and walked out with an awesome new Reverend. Floor sales gent even grabbed another from the back for me to compare weights/details and make sure I left with a really good one! You guys are the best, thanks again. Please support small local business like Ryan Fowler's! You cannot go wrong. read more

"Baltimore's Best Guitar Shop"... according to their website. Well, in regard to pedal selection this is hands down true. I can't think of another shop in the DC/MD/VA area that has a similar pedal selection other than Action Music in Falls Church VA. They seem to carry the complete lineup of JHS, Strymon, Walrus Audio, electro-harmonix & Wampler pedals among other brands. No Boss pedals to be found (thank you for offering something different!!!). In regard to guitars, there was a good selection of PRS guitars including some special with special paint jobs that you won't find at the bigger stores. Really great place if you're looking for a PRS under $1500 but want something with a unique finish. They also carry Reverend guitars which I've been impressed with for the sub $1,000 price point. Finally, they have a good selection of Taylor acoustic guitars. I spent some time playing a V class Taylor which was quite impressive. The customer service was very good from the young lady who was running the store at the time. She gave me a Memorial Day discount on my purchases that day which was quite nice. read more

This is a hidden gem of a store, and as odd as it may seem, the "hidden" is the only part that has me deducting a star. It is hard to find, even if you know it is there. And, from the outside, you would have no idea what was waiting inside. Maybe that's good because the store might be less of a target for thieves, but it also doesn't present a welcoming exterior, nor make it easy to locate. So if I could suggest just one small change, this would be it. Ok, for the good...they have a really nice inventory of Reverend and PRS, as well as other brands. I saw a very nice acoustic selection, as well. The used stock was good, and reasonably priced. In fact I walked out with what I thought was a steal, a Yamaha single-cut solid body guitar that sounded great. It'll need a little TLC, but nothing out of the ordinary for a used instrument, and for the price, more than OK. They also have a terrific selection of pedals, boards and other accessories. If I lived in the area, it would be my go-to shop for just about everything guitar. The two guys that were there that night were relaxed and easy to work with, enthusiastic without being over the top; guitar players that liked talking with guitar players. I was welcome to plug in and try whatever I wanted, in whatever amp I wanted. It was as easy a buying experience as I've ever had, without any pressure and friendly attention. I will be back and certainly recommend anyone in the area to visit. read more

I really liked this place, but not a fan whatsoever about my last experience. I just dropped my guitar off to get a setup, and every other time I've had work done, they always call me when it's done so I know to come pick it up. This time I never got a call, figured it was just super busy with repairs and I even told them I'm not in a big rush or anything. Anyway 3-4 weeks go by (usually it should take a week TOPS?), I called them because I was close by and seeing if it was done yet, and I was told they would call me back in "two seconds". Half hour goes by, I call back and made sure they didn't forget, and I was told that my guitar could not be found. It was missing, they couldn't find the case anywhere, and were checking in every other case to see if it was misplaced, and going thru the whole inventory, I was told. Now, they genuinely seemed concerned and panicked that this happened, I totally understand sometimes things happen, I had just gotten the guitar for my birthday and it wasn't super expensive or anything, but still, I was understandable really angry that it was now missing. I still had high hopes that it would be found, just misplaced or something. I got a text from the tech that they can't find it, they're very upset, and that the owner will reach out to me and reimburse me for the guitar, and to email them the receipt. So I was pretty much assuming it would never be found. I was furious. Now please understand, the people at this store that I have dealt with are nice, good people, but this incident should have been handled much better. I never got a call from the owner apologizing, nothing. I just got a text from the tech. In my humble opinion, the owner should have immediately reached out to me, with a phone call, and explained what's going on, how this could have happened, and tell me how he's going to make it right. They did try, but I personally feel more effort should have been made. Four hours later, the guitar was found. Apparently there was a mix up and it got misplaced. Again, I am a really reasonable and understanding person, and I totally understand things happen sometimes and I realize now it was an honest mistake. However I am still very disappointed in how it was handled, only getting these updates thru text, never hearing personally from the owner, etc. I went to pick it up and just assumed it would be on the house, but I still had to pay for the work done... They did give me a discount, and I didn't argue much, but I did make it known I was not happy. Everyone I told about this situation agreed, I should have not had to pay for this, especially since I never got a call the work was done (it had been done the first week I dropped it off, I was just not notified), and then when I finally contact them, I have to deal with a misplaced guitar and have hours of panicking thinking my brand new guitar, case, accessories, just up and disappeared. I didn't know if I should file a stolen item police report so they can monitor the pawn shops, like if an employee ran off with it or something, etc, I didn't know what to do, I was just very angry and annoyed. Unfortunately, while they're very nice people at the store, they could work on attentiveness/accommodation and putting a bit more effort into making sure they have continued business. I'll be going elsewhere in the future. read more

Smaller shop with knowledgeable staff. They also carry Reverends, which aren't found just everywhere. I've done two special orders with them and they have great customer service. read more

I tried to purchase a guitar online from this store via Reverb.com. They accepted my offer and then sold the guitar out from under me when I attempted to pay. Bad business, I would not trust them with your money. read more