My flatmate- pre-moving in with boyfriend- played the sitar. So cool, I know. It was a lovely…read moreinstrument to hear wafting through the floor and looked incredible in the living room but was understandably hard to maintain. It is because of this sitar that I first entered Adaptatrap- in search of sitar strings. Boy! Does the shopkeeper/owner know his stuff! He was a mine of useful information about sitars, as well as all the other percussion items I picked up and played with. This is a brilliant place to go for an unusual gift, for something small and fun for kids (maraccas, small bongo drum, kazoo!) or for anyone who happens to play an unusual instrument. They stock some lovely African and South American instruments in here as well- really interesting stuff. The prices range from just a few pounds to a fair chunk- go and have a peek, the owner's passion is contagious.

If someone told you they'd just been to a shop called Adaptatrap, you'd not be crazy for thinking…read morethat it was a ridiculously niche shop focused on helping people who needed to tinker and customise or turn their mice and rat traps into something completely different. But...It is not. What Adaptatrap is though is probably the best shop in Brighton to look at/talk about/purchase percussion instruments. My old flatmate was really interested in African music and Adaptatrap was always his first port of call. He brought I think what was called a Tuning drum from their. which is an African drum where the tuning is changed by squeezing it (like a bagpipe, in a way). What a crazy instrument. If your into similar things, COME HERE.

My more independent streak want's to give this place less stars, and bang on about how the staff…read moreare unfriendly an aloof and this place just doesn't have a feel for the people like Badlands Guitars (which their is some truth in). The big BUT is though, that this place is simply the biggest and most wide ranging guitar shop in Brighton, and stocks the most things. Electrics, Acoustic, Basses, Amps, Keyboards, Stomp boxes, recording equipment, song books etc etc... will be found here. I was half expecting the store employee to eat me alive or stand around me whilst I played one of the guitars and point and laugh, as I had heard some less than good things about this place, but I was pleasantly surprised to be served by a nice, chilled out dude who was helpful and unpushy. I bought a direct jack to USB to record on garage band, though could have stayed for days just looking at the guitars and dreaming. If your wanting to get a starter electric guitar as well as a high end option, this place will no doubt come in handy due to the sheer amounts they have here. I would though recommend starting at Badlands and chatting to the owner first, as he can really spend a bit of time with you and maybe take you through things, in a less frantic and busy environment.

If anyones ever been to a guitar shop in the States, then they'll know that this shop is pretty…read moresimilar. Its pretty big as the place goes back a fair old way and there is just about evey different kind of guitar, amp or drum kit to chose from. I recently bought a Squire Telecaster from them and a little practice amp as I hadn't played for yonks and they were so helpful. No hard sales and no trying to impress you with long complicated solos. I do pop in now and again for the odd tip and bit of advice and they're always happy to help. Fantastic shop!

This is a lovely little music shop,Specialising in string instruments e.g. guitars, violens and…read morebanjos. they also have some novelty items from hello kitty etc. Also have drums and all the normal music store stuff.

Frankly I did not know these places existed any more, however here is one locally! I did try to…read morelearn to play but could not play in tune! Any way the sound of the Joanna is one that cannot be synthesised, by electronic devises , at least I think not!

I purchased my first violin from this establishment. It has lasted me for 12 years in good…read morecondition, so I would highly recommend this shop. It's main area of expertise is violins, violas and cellos, the stringed section of the orchestra. It provides all types of price variations on instruments, from entry level to more expensive models. You can also buy various other instruments such as saxophones and guitars. Musical accessories such as instrument cleaning objects and rosins are provided in store as well.

Their products are very disappointing. I recently bought a brand new violin which costed me £500 at…read morethis store, I was promised that it was in good condition and was efficient. Unfortunately, after the short period of a week the instrument completely fell apart without any notice, which lead to me missing a few lessons before my exam. It was very disappointing and I required a full refund. Moreover, the staff at this establishment did not give me much guidance on this matter. I would not buy any of their products again and I would strongly recommend that you find another establishment that will provide you with well working instruments.

This shop, nay, great shop crammed to the hilts with handcrafted guitars is one of the best I have…read morebeen to. The owner or sales assistant is very passionate about his craft and gives great advice for anyone looking to buy their first guitar. You will have to pay the price, but if you are serious about playing guitars, you will have to make a serious investment.

Ackerman music seems to be something of a hub of the Brighton classical, Jazz and academic music…read moretuition scene. It's no real surprise as despite being quite a musically diverse city Brighton's music shops have a tendency to be very guitar orientated. Ackerman Music is all about brass, string and wood wind though. They recently won Printed music retailer of the year award and they stock a good range of instruments too. The string side of things suffers a little from the student instrument approach though with brands like Stentor being at the fore of their stock. This is often to be expected of a shop of this nature though as higher end string instruments are expensive and carrying a stock of such a high value can be financially dangerous to smaller shops. In terms of service it's hard to fault Ackerman's, the staff is happy to answer any questions you may have and they can point you in the right direction of a specialist for anything that they are unable to attend to themselves. They do seem to cater to pretty much all potential needs though. They can do a great deal of repairs on site, they have a rental facility and of course they sell instruments, music and accessories.

Really helpful. Hired an instrument as a beginner for a more…read morethan fair price, then when I purchased it, they gave me half of what I'd paid for hire back against the price of a new instrument. Many thanks.

A super shop that serves a lot of different customer needs. From a good selection of Electric,…read moreClassical & Steel String guitars, to Bass, Ukulele's, Drums and Percussion, Keyboards, PA's, Lighting, Sheet Music/Tuition, and all kinds of the accessories and ancillary items we all need. The owner/manager is highly knowledgeable, always ready to help you, and is a bit of a guru with all sorts of setup and repair work. He has installed a complete set of pickups in two of my guitars and he did a top notch job at a truly competitive price.

Bought a lovely guitar from these guys. After 2 months a manufacturing issue arose in the…read moreelectronics. Guitar wa returned, repaired, action adjusted, fret board oiled and strap button added...all free of charge because I had been inconvenienced. This is a great shop full of expertise, good kit and great service.