Brought in an expensive 1975 Selmer Mark 6 alto saxophone. The pads that cover the tone holes were…read moreout of shape. Had previously brought this to a music shop in Avon called Music & - - - - where I was quoted $1,200 & 2 months to repair. So I brought it to The Music Shop on a hunch. They charged about $157.00 & 1 week to repair. When I got the sax back, they had fixed things I didn't even know was wrong with it such as straightening keys, re-setting posts. They had re-set all the pads and the sax was as good as new. When I played it, I knew that these people cared enough about quality repairs that I can trust them for any future work.

A while back the nut cracked on my 1986 Guild D212 12-string acoustic guitar. Unfortunately, I'd no…read moreidea where to find somewhere to repair it, and the one lead I had turned out to be someone who'd just retired. So I stopped by The Music Shop when my travels brought me to the neighborhood to see if they had any leads. "Sure," said the young man at the counter. "Our manager does that." A couple of phone calls later, to make sure the guitar and I would arrive during his working hours, he was looking confidently and affectionately at my beloved Guild. A replacement nut leapt into his hand, he asked me about strings, gave me a price, and made a guess at how long it would take (which was wrong, but that's par for the course). Today I picked it up. My baby is back, looks better than I've ever made it look, and sounds wonderful. This wasn't anything resembling a challenging repair to a luthier - I know that - but my beloved Guild got real Tender Loving Care, and that's as good as it gets.

This place has turned into my place for drum equipment. A heads-up to Eric, and the rest of the…read moreguys I deal with in the drum area. I'm not the most personalble guy and can come-off as a slight bit antisocial (Just sit me behind a set and I let the drums do the talking, for me!) and the guys handling the drum section know how to interact with people that are even as recluse as me, and that shows an excellence in customer service! Guitar Center, in Southington, should be ashamed, and should take some notes on work ethic from these men.

So I just heard that the 100 year-old Sam Ash chain of stores is closing - and that is what has…read moreprompted this review, I apologize in advance for its length: For over 26 years, my company did business with Sam Ash. Back in the 90's I would walk into the Woodbridge, CT store and be properly and professionally greeted, guided to the salesperson that would help with my purchase and get great advice, information and service from a knowledgeable staff member and most of the time, fellow musician. Who could ask for more? Fast forward to the 2020's and the retail giant is totally unrecognizable - so hearing the news this morning that the chain was closing didn't exactly come as a shock, as I predicted this years ago. The tell-tale signs were everywhere and honestly, I'm surprised it took this long. It doesn't however make this news any less heartbreaking. I say heartbreaking because anytime a brick and mortar establishment closes, every American should stop and tremble. This is the end of another era. Out of tradition or some sort of misplaced loyalty, I've always stopped into Sam Ash to give them yet "Another Chance" to redeem themselves and every time, I left the store empty-handed, disappointed and kicking myself for wasting my time there - again. No greeting at the door. No smiling faces. No staff to help. No knowledgeable staff on hand. So, I stood there and waited and waited. When someone finally decided to acknowledge me, they were useless. Then to add insult to injury, as time went on, they rarely stocked anything I needed. So I just stopped considering them as a supplier. Most of the time, I was there for high-end sound reinforcement for live performances - Large power amps, speakers, sonic maximizers, cabling, wireless mics, mixers, etc. My last visit there about ten years ago. I was shopping for a full-size keyboard to incorporate into my studio. I had specific questions as I'm a guitar player, not a keyboard player, and I got stuck with a salesperson who knew less about keys than I did. So how many time times do professional musicians, engineers, producers and sound people let this scenario play out before we let Jeff Bezos take care of us? And here we are. Towns across America are full of little corner music shops that sell low end everything for the grade school student and beginning musician and that's as it should be, but professionals go to stores like Sam Ash for the performance grade stuff. And when you're dumping two thousand to 12 thousand on a Les Paul or Strat or maybe 5K on a vintage Vibrolux, you want your sales staff to know their stuff. You EXPECT to be treated a certain way. You want to be able to touch, feel, see, hear and play that dream guitar you've been waiting a lifetime to buy. You want to smell that cedar top on that new Classical guitar. Kinda hard to do with an on-line purchase. Imagine buying a new car without the test drive! And THAT is what makes this a sad day in America. It's another sign of the times. Another example of how we've fallen as a Capitalist society. Some people celebrate that I guess. I don't. I'm sad to hear this news. I'm going to miss Sam Ash despite my feelings. I'm going to miss the experience of buying in person. No one wants to see a business fail. This is a part of history we're losing. Someone worked hard to build that business. It was someone's dream. And Sam Ash won't be the last. Guitar Centers is suffering from the exact same issues and collapse of the business model and I say they're next - but will they turn it around? Will their board of directors send out district and regional managers or "secret shoppers" and start fixing the issues before Jeff Bezos takes their dollars too? Will they read reviews like this one and get off their collective asses to turn the Titanic around? Probably not, when you can't find anyone today who really knows what hard work is - how do you fix it? Who's training their staff? There comes a point when the damage is done and it's not salvageable. Goodbye Sam Ash. I take no pleasure in writing this. I'm disgusted. I'm disappointed. I'm sad. I just hope that those in control at the top levels of management of these chain stores, read their reviews and pay attention - take them to heart and make the effort to improve your businesses. I know I'm not the only one who feels this way, it's just that most people won't take the time to write something like this - but I feel better for having said it. Maybe by some miracle, someone will come in and scoop Sam Ash up and right the ship at the last hour. I can dream, can't I? Ron L, Southington , CT

This place and its proprietor are a gem for anyone interested in music and the instruments used to…read moremake it. Friendly, knowledgeable, accommodating, trustworthy and with such an outstanding collection of guitars, etc. to make your head spin, in a good way. Enjoy!

Mark is an extremely knowledgeable and super nice professional who excels in customer service. The…read moreHamptons area is indeed fortunate to have him and his store as a resource! Paul W.

Sal Grillo runs a fantastic place. He is a great musician and his staff is very patient and…read moreattentive. I highly recommend this place.

From the owner: Progressive Music offers lessons in Piano,Guitar,Bass,Voice,Violin,Cello,Woodwinds and Drums…read more Progressive Music was established in 1989, offering Connecticut residents a place to study privately in a relaxed, friendly, fun and safe environment. Staffed with knowledgeable, world class musicians, our focus is on traditional musical concepts tailored to the student's goals and ability. We accept students from ages 4 to adult. We're proud to say that through the years, many students of Progressive Music have continued their musical training at some of the top music colleges and universities in the country. We also teach many already accomplished musicians. Some are teachers and higher educated students of music who continue to pursue their musical prowess at our facility. Progressive Music conducts an annual recital, as well as other opportunities to perform throughout the year as an incentive for achievement. Performance is not mandatory however we believe that it builds self confidence, while allowing the student to display the results of their hard work. Come and experience the joy of learning at Progressive Music!

These guys are the real deal, this is the kind of thing you can't find online. I was blown away by…read morethe boutique setup...high end, incredible guitars. Everything was highly priced...the guitars ranging $800-$3000 approximately, I was scared to move as I walked through the store hoping I don't accidentally knock something down. Store in the front, repair shop at the back and 3 sound proof rooms where they conduct lessons by certified instructors during the week. $35 for a 1/2 hr session and goes up to $55 for an hour. The staff is helpful and very informative.

With the hollowing out of American bricks n' mortar retail because of online shopping, especially…read more'one click shopping' on Amazon, it is refreshing to walk into a beautiful, well-run shop that completely understands the needs of the customer, and can accommodate virtually any kind of budget. The owner of this shop, Nate, obviously loves and understands the business, and he also takes his time to show and explain the different types of guitars that he offers, and why they might make sense. There is also an awesome Golden Retriever in the store to keep you company if you just want to hang out with a dog instead of buy a guitar. The most impressive thing about Whole Tone is the completeness of the shop -- not only can you buy the guitar, but you can service it there as well, get your lessons, and also come in for demos of talented guitarists to see what is actually possible. I suppose you could just click and buy your guitar for the lowest price plus shipping on Amazon -- but you'll miss out on the rest of an important part of the experience, not to mention, the chance to actually try the equipment and hear what it sounds like before you do make a purchase. Its not merely about the lowest price. It also has to sound right. And if it makes you feel any better -- Nate did match the price of my guitar to whatever the lowest price was online -- without me even having to ask. That's pretty cool. Hopefully the dog will help out the lessons. No luck so far....

We somehow lucked into finding Rick many years ago. He taught my son the finer points of drumming…read moreand fostered within him a love and appreciation for the percussive arts that has continued to this day. Rick is one of those natural teachers--he's got positive energy, he encourages and challenges but doesn't lose sight of the fun. He'll incorporate different types of drums (bongos, djembes) different music genres (rock, jazz, world, military), etc. He'll send you links to source material that will inspire your student (look at this clip of legendary drummer so-and-so, or look at this technical prodigy's solo, that's material for the next lesson). He can advise and share life experience when your drummer starts playing gigs. Breakdown and setup. He's super knowledgeable about drum kits and related hardware, he's helped us navigate kit upgrades as our son's skills and physical frame has grown. Rick is the best!

From the owner: Q Music is a local drum lesson and recording business based in the Sandy Hook area. Owner Rick…read moreQuintanal is a lifelong drummer who has many years of teaching, performing and recording experience. Contact Rick today for more information! By appointment only.

bought my son his first electric guitar here. Ken was very helpful in choosing something practical…read moreand within my budget. ever since my son has been taking lessons and his progress has been amazing. it's been a wonderful experience and my son looks forward to it weekly. we look forward to adding an acoustic guitar to his collection as his love of music grows with the support and encouragement he receives here.

I took my ten year old Taylor in for a set up. It was at a point where it was unplayable. After…read morecleaning, adjusting the rods and the saddle, along with new strings, it sounds and plays as good as new. Ken is knowledgeable and easy to work with. Nice selection of guitars and accessories. The fees were very reasonable. I will definitely be a repeat customer.