This is in reference to an pre-pandemic incident that happened by in 2018. I was stuck in Washington Park, helping my wife with the booth for her organization. It was during a blues festival I think? I had some downtime and I remembered this store was across the street. I needed some new strings for my acoustic. I hadn't really shopped for music items in Quincy since Vegas Music closed death to the death of the owner (with the exception of maybe Quincy music supply?). I walked into this establishment and found the display. Behind the counter was a dark-haired woman about 60-years-old. All they had was D'Addario strings, of which I'm not a fan. I asked this lady if they carried Martin strings. Instead of simply saying "no," I received a lecture from this woman about how they refuse to carry Martin strings because they're made in Mexico. Now mind you, they had several guitars and other items in this shop NOT FUCKING MADE IN AMERICA. But whatever. So I picked up a set of bronze XLs. When I laid them on the counter and paid for them, she looked at me and said, "Those strings aren't very manly!" I really didn't know if she was trying to piss me off or what. I responded that I played XLs on my acoustic because I'd had several people tell me it puts less strain on the truss rod. She scoffed at this. I later found out this woman is the wife of the owner. He was already controversial for throwing a fit at a city council meeting. He ranted about somebody dumping a container of food in front of the shop door during the Dogwood Parade. Now I can see somebody being pissed off about this. But when you set up a music shop at this venue and you know they have these events every year, you're gonna have to expect things like that to happen. It makes me wonder why this guy wanted to set up a music shop at all. The reviews on other sites for these people are somewhat polarized. It's either people who sing their praises or people talking about how rude the staff is. I don't know what that's about, but I'm sure as hell not going in there again. read more

I have never been treated so rudely in my life. I went in the store with my grandson to purchase an item. Unfortunately we did not purchase an item. The clerk behind the desk didn't give my grandson a chance to finish putting on his mask before barking rudely "don't take another step until you put your mask on" I asked my grandson if he still wanted to shop at this store. He said yes. The rude clerk then made the comment "you can shop on the internet for all I care" I then said to my grandson let's go. I said good day and the clerk stated "good riddance. I am sorry in such a small town with limited choices that I should encounter such abrasive treatment. In sharing my story I have been told their is a fabulous music store in Hannibal Mo. a mere 20 minute drive. Needless to say I will make that drive before ever returning to this shop. read more

Sheryl and Rodney are the best! Always guide me in the right direction and never try to oversell to me. My 8 year old son is a student of Rodney's and he is excited to practice and learn. My son is shy but Rodney is fun, great with kids, and brings him out of his shell. read more

Terrible selection and service. Would be worthwhile to make the drive elsewhere. Guitar lessons also underwhelming

fairly priced when considering there's no shipping or wait time. selection is good for a small shop. missing that low background music for the feel, so it can feel a little unwelcoming with the silence. its also missing the "hey hows it goin" at the door, but you can plug in and play. would like to see this place become a spot for players, with the coffee shop next door. we really need that here in quincy. SSM will also be the ONLY guitar shop in quincy, once the music center is gone! Go buy some SH#T and take a little stress off of the store, so maybe the lady at the desk will lighten up a bit and we can have an Awesome Music Spot that we all want!!! read more

While the selection isn't anything you wouldn't find at a local pawn shop or secondhand store, the service is good and the repairs are of great quality. I have had repairs done at Second String, and overall, they do a fantastic job. But my most recent experience with them wasn't a good one. I had broken the input jack on my guitar, so I had them put a new one in. But when I got it back, the jack was very tight and stuck out of my guitar really far, almost 2cm. (I use a les paul style, and having a tube of metal sticking out of that model just looks goofy.) The new jack wasn't good though, and it shorted quite often. I got fed up with that and had them redo it, and the new one was much better, and it's lasted me about 7 months now. But when I got it back, the volume knob was chipped. They tried to tell me that it's fine because it only affects the aesthetic, which just made me upset, because either way, it was still broken. When I said that, they denied it and told me I must've broken it. I only made a big deal of it because speed knobs are expensive to replace, and the set I had on was $50. But every other time I've needed anything from them, they've come through. My bass and amp I purchased from them are still working perfectly, and it's been 6 years since I got them. The lessons are pretty good for the price and their accessory selection is very wide range. read more