I CAN"T BELIEVE IT'S NOT BUTTER! And that I didn't rate this place!…read more Growing up I would drive over here and play guitars, synths, and turntables. So FUN! FREE! Good place to for a free date night. One of the better guitar centers. It used to have tons of synths, and though not anymore, they still have lots of guitars. Kewl Great place to buy gear also and find new stuff. I wanna get a kick drum now

Either staff are incompetent, don't care about children, or severely under-qualified to work in…read moreAUDIO. I went in with my friend and his kid to check out microphones around 5:20 pm on August 14th. I'm wearing a green shirt and glasses. Please pull your footage. We started at the keyboards then made our way to the microphones. When we were looking for about 5 mins reviewing options. This blonde-haired Guitar Center "Employee" came to the iMac station area turned on a backup battery and immediately it started beeping. He was asked by my friend if there was anywhere else we could look at microphones and he gave a disgusting answer. Then if you pull up the footage from your side, you'll see the child visibly grab his head because of the loud sound. The dude went to the front desk and never returned. I can say so many DISGUSTING things about why this happened and why he would behave like that and not respond to a sensory issue occurring with a child. When confronting staff they did not give a rat's hairy asssssss. I DON'T CARE. Look at this

I have been doing business with this store since 1978. I have bought about 20 guitars from them and…read moremany pieces of equipment. Several repairs and many setups. Definitely the best place to go. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. I love the acoustic room. I love oddball guitars. You never know what you're going to find there. Rob is kind and professional. After all these years I consider him a friend. Go see him.

Had a nice visit with Rob and his assistant who is in the Jazz Band at Elmhurst College. Bought a…read morepair of FOH PA speakers and traded in some gear. Nice to see a good old fashioned neighborhood music store run by people who are passionate about music and very customer focused. My visit was probably one and a half hours before I made my decision. No rush and I took my time. I will be back!

Super friendly, enthusiastic and so helpful and encouraging!! My teen and I stopped in today and…read moreenjoyed hearing a customer play a beautiful guitar, picked up some new guitar strings, and enjoyed a chat with the person who I think is the owner. If not the owner then he is a really lovely and enthusiastic employee! I'm not a musician so it's hard for me to judge the quality of a guitar shop specifically, but my teen said "totally, 5 stars, that place is awesome." So there you go. I'll give 5 stars for enthusiasm and customer service and my teen gives 5 stars for having the right supplies for sale and general guitar-related awesomeness.

If you need a treasured instrument repaired - this is the place. If you're looking for music…read morelessons for an "unmotivated" student - they'll thrive here and become motivated to practice and more. Really! If it's anything "guitars" Park Avenue Music is "THE PLACE".

I was referred here by a family friend for guitar and vocals for my daughter and my son. I went in…read moreto check out the school a few weeks ago the two teachers I was referred to are no longer teaching there. I met who I am guessing is the manager his name was Adam or Alex? He tried to talk me into guitar with one of the other teachers but I was extremely surprised that the teachers are all kids. I was really excited that they opened up and are so close to my house however they want $300 a month to have a 22 year old teach your child. I also was not very excited by the fact that for $300 a month my children would not be learning any theory only music for the show that they would be putting on. When I asked if they could also throw theory and some structured learning in I was told if there is time after they work on the assigned songs that they would be allowed to do so. The man I was speaking with could sense my disdain and got very pushy and when he found out that my children have been in music lessons since they were 3 years old he became very adamant about me joining and talking about the show team and other performance programs my kids could be in, Normally I would be a proud mama bear to hear someone wanting my kids to be part of something so badly, but truthfully I do not want to pay for my children to be in a band I want to pay for my children to have lessons from an accomplished adult so they can learn to play better, not be put on a "show team" to play songs and never learn anything new. I felt as though I was at a used car lot the way the man was talking to me. I also just got a strange vibe off of him. He seemed burned out or like he may have been on something. Definitely not someone I would feel comfortable leaving my child with. I was super disappointed because I had heard such wonderful things about the vocal instructor and the guitar instructor, I was upset to find out that they had left the school, especially when they did not have sufficient teachers to fill their spots. All they could offer as replacement was early 20 somethings to replace them. Basically I got a very bad vibe off of the place. When I visited the only people who were there were the burnt out manager, the guitar teacher who is in his early 20's and the vocal instructor (who I had already been told was not sufficient and that you don't want her, you want to make sure you get the vocal keys teacher).. So all in all I would say skip school of rock glen ellyn and go to school of rock naperville. Thats what I ended up doing. The teachers there are of adult age and have resumes as opposed to the glen ellyn school where the teacher are in college and just working a job. If you go to their website do not be fooled in the staff section the guitar teacher who I was going there to try and sign up with is still on there as the music director which I feel is sneaky and misleading, he is not there anymore they just keep him on there to make them look like they have someone on staff that can actually teach music.

Last Spring we checked out school of rock for my son who was interested in playing drums. We…read moreweren't ready to commit to buying a drum set so we checked out the Rookies program. He had a blast and took to the drums like a fish out of water. Fast forward we enrolled him in Absolute Beginners camp in the summer - with a show on the Friday of the camp. We were amazed at how all the kids learned and preformed several songs after 1 week. Fall we enrolled in lessons and Performance Program. All the kids learn at an incredible rate with weekly one on one's as well as weekly 3 hour rehearsal with his group. I feel it would have taken years at a lower cost lesson only program for him to get to the level he's at in 5 months. In addition all of the staff and other kids are awesome. School of Rock will quickly become a second family for anyone who attends.

I am just leaving modern music and have to share my experience. I walked in and was immediately…read moregreeted by Zach. He asked how he could help me and I explained I had an older trumpet to sell. Zach called William over and William gave it a good inspection, call for second opinion and came back with a very fair offer. I am happy to be able to get a little bit of money for it and that someone else will have a chance to play it. I think it's a win for all. I would highly recommend modern music as I think they are a very reputable and honest business.

I dropped off some guitars for repair. I thought it was odd they didn't show me their work in the…read morestore like most places do, but when I got home, I realized why. One of the guitars needed a jack repaired with a nut that had to be constantly tightened. I got back a guitar in the same state, only they had put a washer in there that didn't solve the problem at all. Not sure how one would conclude that fixed the problem. Then another guitar needed a set up. The action was crazy high and so I went to the manufacturer's setup specs, and realized they didn't follow it at all: there wasn't enough relief, the saddle heights were crazy high, and the nut had not been properly cut/adjusted. There's a certain amount of subjectivity to setups, but this is the worst one I have received in some 30 years. I did a better job on my own. Would not go there again.

Veteran's Day, I'm playing Taps in 45 minutes at a nearby cemetery. Very special veteran, built…read moreair strips on embattled Pacific Islands during World War II as a SeeBee, lived a century and passed away last year. I grabbed my cornet WITHOUT valve oil in my case. I HAVE to apply valve oil before I play, it's a thing. I only find out I have no valve oil when I arrive, but thanks to YELP I find a music store that's only 12 minutes away. Thank you YELP. As I'm hopping out of the car and walking to the front entrance, I open up YELP to check in and notice it doesn't open for 10 minutes. A second horrified surprise, but as I'm standing in front of the locked door the owner walked up on the other side and opened up early for me. Quickly, well sort of quickly, sold me a bottle of Al Cass valve oil (it's one of the better brands) for a reasonable price and I was able to properly honor a special vet at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

I absolutely love Uncle Jon's. Jon Sr. I believe is the man that has worked on a few on my guitars…read more His work is exceptional and price friendly! He has fixed my Fender Strat when I thought it was beyond repair, he tuned up my PRS, and he completely hooked up my Ollandac. I had the Ollandoc custom made and when it arrived it needed lots of work. He adjusted the nut, straighten the neck, installed new Duncan 59 pickups on both the neck and bridge. The pick ups were a bit tricky because they are the 4 conductor model that needed to be wired up for straight humbucker, split coil, and parallel switching. UJM is the only place I trust to touch my babies and she sounds amazing now! The work is done fast, correct, cost effective, and you can tell they take pride in their work. Love the fact that they don't try to up sell you and they give great advise. Give the small guys a chance and stay away from big shop retailers that only care about $$$$. The staff if friendly and fun to talk too, UJM has a customer for life and I recommend them to anyone I talk too! Well done UJM!

Suburban music has the most knowledgable, helpful, patient staff. They carry so many things and…read moretheir prices are great. From drums to ukuleles.....they even have lessons! I've had a great experience every time I step foot in here. Don't buy it on Amazon. Buy it from an informed, local business with a stake in the community.

Both my kids have taken lessons here, piano, bass guitar, guitar and trombone. They are very…read moreflexible and have many great teacher! I would highly recommend them for beginners as well as music enthusiasts.

My kids have taken multiple music classes here over the past couple years., and I recently had my…read moreguitar restrung here too. I love this place, they provide so many services, they have talented and knowledgeable staff, and they deliver with high quality. I highly recommend!

After searching the Oak Park area in vain for my daughter's first oboe, we heard about Luscombe…read moreMusic. Not only did they have a number of nice student oboes (wood ones, not plastic), the store was clean, bright and well organized. A bit out of the way, but worth the trip. EDIT May '08: These folks are not so great to work with. When an instrument needs repair they will keep it for more than two weeks and not offer a replacement, then they have the chutzpah to charge the full month's rental fee.

This place is definitely worth the hype! Their customer service and repair is super fast and…read moreaffordable! The shop has an amazing selection of guitars and rare collections. Lastly their vast knowledge really helps you feel comfortable about your decision if you choose to buy.

the very best guitar shop I have ever dealt with ! and I've been around and had many other places…read moreto compare to. Paul and his people are superb. I couldn't be happier. honest people with fair prices and perfect service. you can't say more than that. Susan from Prescott Az

I spotted Sparky's one day as I drove down route 83. I had been wanting to sell or trade a 2016…read moreRickenbacker I owned (but rarely played) and after reading some very positive reviews decided to pay Sparky's a visit. I was interested in acquiring a Les Paul and had been considering the Heritage H-150 line which Sparky's carried. I was greeted warmly by the owner abundantly experienced Jim "Sparky" Kraus, showed him the Ric, explained what I was looking for, and he immediately set me up with a couple of guitars to demo. The showroom was comfortable and he gave me plenty of time to become acquainted with the guitars. After I had made my decision to go with the absolutely wonderful Heritage H-150, Jim, who is very pleasant and personable, we discussed options and value for trade-in. We went over what I was hoping for and Jim explained current market value of my Ric and what his personal expectations for resale were. Ultimately, I felt his offer was fair and he was honest and open with his reasoning. I left satisfied with a fantastic new guitar and even a new Sparky's t-shirt which I will proudly wear. I had a great experience and I wholeheartedly recommend at trip to Sparky's the next time you're in the market for a new axe!

Sparky's is a great boutique shop, with lots of selections and Jim has tons of experience to help…read moreyou sort out what you are looking for. It's about an hour drive for me, but I'm not going anywhere else for anything related to my guitars that I own. They also have events that I am looking forward to attending. Can't get any of this at the big box stores. Look them up and visit and you won't be disappointed. Tom O. Crystal Lake