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.

I called here looking for a mandolin but he didn't have any in stock. And then when I called back a…read moresecond time in a pre Christmas shopping frenzy mistake he was very polite and explained that I had just called there. If I ever need a guitar I'll go here first .

Scott at Big Johnson's Guitars is hands down the best (and friendliest) guitar tech I've worked…read morewith. I brought in two electric guitars to get work done - one just a basic set up, and the other several upgrades and a set up. Wow, was I impressed. The entire process was smooth and informative. When I discussed the work with Scott prior to dropping the guitars off, I could immediately tell he knew what I was looking for and how to achieve it. Then, as the work began, Scott sent me dozens of text messages with questions and helpful suggestions. He even included a ton of photos showing the expert level of work he was doing on my guitars. He was very transparent! The work he did was exceptional. He is clearly a master at what he does! Glad to have found a local guitar shop and guitar tech that I can trust!

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....

Very professional and knowledgeable. Piano sounds great after tuning. He was very attentive to the…read morepiano and made recommendations on how to keep it in top condition. Extremely punctual and up front about what he was doing and the prices. Easy to work with and very pleasant. The website makes it easy to book appointments and sends appointment reminders. I take that for granted in many other services, but most other piano services are behind. It was a nice surprise!

Our first piano tuning on our 100 year old Steinert baby grand was phenomenal!…read more Quality - Ben took the time needed to tune the piano and voice the specific hammers making the piano sing again. Almost bringing my wife and I back to the day we purchased the piano last year. As we only knew our piano was partially rebuilt 10 years ago, I also took the time to get Ben's opinion and he seemed really knowledgeable and appreciated the resources the previous owner put into the instrument. Price - Do I wish I could get more bang for my buck? Yes, but that's with everything I buy. After checking with a couple of places I settled with Ben because of the positive reviews along with his price point. Punctuality - I loved his no window appointment. Ben showed up exactly when I booked the appointment. Professionalism - Overall, I got a great understanding of our Steinert and where we want it to be in terms of play-ability in the near future. It was a pleasure to speak with Ben speak with and wished I had more money to have him "go thru" the piano. I did not feel pressured into any additional services which felt great. I honestly can't wait until the next appointment so he can further improve the condition of the piano.

Wow Sal and his son run a fine business of teaching, repairing and renting instruments to schools…read moreand private students. Very pleased to come across this shop of 65 years Veteran owned and well stocked with fine quality instruments. Very customer very friendly and fair prices. What a pleasure to be able to purchase my first electric Stratocaster guitar. A+

i stumbled upon this place from a paper my daughter brought home from school to sign her up for…read moreviolin. windsor music center was listed as a place to get supplies for instruments, and to use another company from mass to rent the violin. i called windsor music center and spoke on the phone with the nicest man who answered all of my questions and even told me they rent instruments as well!! after getting to the store, my daughter was fitted on the spot and we were able to rent the violin and take it home the same day! the rental rate was so fairly priced, and included insurance! the company in mass wanted almost 90 bucks a month plus ins!! i also was able to purchase a chin pad, the music book she needed and a music stand for an extremely affordable price! if your child needs music supplies or a rental instrument LOOK NO FURTHER- they haven't been apart of the community for 70yrs for nothing! shop local and support this amazing store!!!

I just finished up two months of guitar lessons here (Groupon deal), and it was a great experience…read more The staff are all incredibly friendly and accommodating. I was always greeted with smiles and friendly conversation when I arrived early for my lessons. I always felt right at home, from the first time I walked in and shared the comfy, worn-in leather chair with the dog, to my last lesson, where I met the owner's daughter, the adorably charming, vivacious Alexandra. It's really a comfortable, family-friendly place. Tim, my instructor, taught me so much. It was great to learn from someone so passionate about music and so excited to see the progress made by his students. He really gave you his full time, attention, and energy, which was completely contagious. In the past, I've been the type to give up if I'm not instantly good at something - well, Tim's unwavering encouragement and praise made me commit to stick with it and I'm glad I did! I still have a ways to go before I'd ever consider quitting my day job, but I feel like taking lessons here gave me a really solid foundation of skills and knowledge to build upon as I continue learning on my own. I'm hoping to really master all that I was taught and then head back for some more lessons in the future.

Gil is such a nice guy. I was visiting my parents and didn't bring my cello with me, and with…read morefingers crossed called Gil to see if he had an adult cello that I could rent. He took the time to fix the strings, supply new rosin for me, and tune the cello for me. He also made time to access my Dad's guitar to see if it was sellable or just something to donate. Very patient and friendly person. You never feel like he's rushed for time. Will definitely be back!!

I bought my nephew a package of guitar lessons and he loves it. Mike is very flexible has a great…read moreapproach. Thanks for the great experience!

As a beginner, I love going into Dynamic Percussion. I've made four separate trips to the store…read moreover the past few months, and Gus feels like an old family friend at this point. I had no intention of buying anything the first time I visited, and he still spent ten minutes patiently explaining how to change the heads on my new (to me) kit. Needless to say, when I eventually decided to swap out the heads I went back to the store and went over all of my options with Gus. Could I go to a huge chain store and get more of a selection? Possibly. But I'd much rather support a local small business where the people who work there know my name and take the time to work with me one-on-one to make sure I learn something new every time I come in and get a product that fits my needs.

Stopped by the new East Hartford location to fix my bass drum years after my last experience at the…read moreManchester location with a certain awful manager-type fellow. To my absolute delight, the staff was friendly and knowledgeable, threw in a drum key for free, and the old, doddering manager guy was nowhere to be seen. I'll be happy to return and continue paying the premium as long as I receive no more lip from the old angry manager fellow. He was a massive turn off.