Overall I like Spruce Tree music, but one must be aware that this store has its limitations. Visit this store if: - you already have experience with an instrument and are looking to purchase a high quality instrument - you are a beginner willing to invest in a high quality instrument - you are looking to refurbish an instrument and want a very honest answer whether it's worth the investment in terms of resale value Do not visit this store if: - you are not ready to invest a significant amount of money into an instrument - you are looking to get by on what you already own - you are looking to refurbish an instrument with sentimental value that may not be of high quality I've had good experiences coming in for guitar accessories. The gentleman who runs the shop is exceptionally knowledgable and has always made excellent recommendations. The woman behind the counter can be very pompous at times, but the good outweighed the bad in this case. On the other hand, I wanted a little bit of work done on an old violin I picked up cheap, just enough to get by while I learn the very basics and how to care for a violin. I'm not quite ready to invest in a good instrument for fear of harming it out of sheer ignorance. This store is not the place to go for "good enough". I understand the luthier wants to take pride in his work and to him that means all or nothing. read more

I'm conflicted about this. I've used Spruce Tree in the past for guitar work, and they did an excellent job... but that was maybe 8 or 10 years ago. NOW... Spruce Tree has become elitist as hell. Unless you're bringing in a $1000 or higher guitar, be prepared to have it INSULTED by Wil, the luthier, and for YOU to be treated like a mentally deficient child. Unless your guitar has C. F. Martin or Gibson on the headstock, go elsewhere. Lowly Yamahas are beneath the dignity of Wil to even touch. I knew full well what I wanted done, and all of it's implications. Wil flatly REFUSED to even consider doing the requested work, advising me that "this guitar is junk, and you shouldn't invest one dollar in it", and "I'm too stacked up with work to waste MY time and YOUR money on this!". If you want to have your instruments worked on, completed much more quickly, and be treated with some personal respect besides, I recommend a trip out to Dave's Guitar Shop in Fitchburg. I'm sorry to say that Spruce Tree has gone way downhill since my previous encounter... and the latest encounter will be my LAST. Wil does damned fine work, but I don't have to put up with this kind of trash talk to avail myself of his unquestionable talents. With great regret, I hereby state that I'll never set foot in Spruce Tree again. Wil may be a salty old curmudgeon, but so am I. Adios, Buddy... it was nice the first time, then it went bad. read more

A highly specific Madison institution. It hasnt changed much since I was a kid. It's a music store, but a very very specific music store. They deal almost exclusively in high end acoustic string instruments and their repair. It's not where I would go to buy a beginner to intermediate instrument. They have only a very small number of electric guitars/basses/etc, and NO non-string instruments. I am sure they can repair any stringed instrument, but I wouldnt take anything there that's not high end. They will probably tell you why it's not worth repairing, or that they dont have the time. That said, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone more knowledgeable, and they are more than willing to share their knowledge. Last time I brought something in for repair I got a 30 minute class on what he knew about it, what he didnt know about it, why he wasnt willing to take on the repair, and what my next steps were. They are also more than welcome to allow you to try any of the for sale instruments whether you are in the market or not. Someone else mentioned the dogs-- I didnt see them last time I was in but I remember that. Personally I like shops that have pets, although I am not allergic. read more

Spruce Tree Music & Repair - Musical Instrument Services Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I moved to the Madison area last year and Spruce tree has been my go-to for guitar setups. Nice people and they turn around a quality setup in 2 weeks. read more

I've been in the store a few times, first looking for a National resonator and then an Eastman mandolin. Their prices on instruments are as good or better than anywhere else, including online retailers. They also offer reasonable prices for quality trade-ins, unlike GC across town. I bought a great mandolin there that was setup perfectly. Frankly, I don't understand the reviews knocking various employee/owner attitudes. They've always been great to me and everyone else I've seen them interact with. The owner isn't afraid to offer opinions, but I've always seen the humor in them. However, this probably offends some of the college town snowflakes living in the area. read more

I called Spruce Tree and talked to Julia, who is very knowledgable about strings for instruments. Definitely knows a lot. She asked what kind of ukulele I was wanting restrung, I told her it was an Oscar Schmidt (it's an OU3), proceeded to tell me the many ways why those are junk. They don't sound good, they are made out of the wrong kind of wood, etc. Fine, yes, I am aware that it is neither the greatest nor most expensive ukulele in the world. I think it sounds pretty darn good, but opinions are like buttholes, we all have one. We discussed a very specific kind of string that I wanted, fluorocarbon strings, for my less than impressive ukulele. I still wanted these strings, so she said $7 for the strings, $10 for the labor and then tax. I said great, I'll be there in about 20 minutes. So I head on down there. Have you ever been in say like a jewelry store and you're not looking great or wearing your best, and the salesperson has a non-overt, but a detectable type of adverse attitude toward you? Same thing with this woman. I get there and take out my uke, hand it to her and at this point it is also too heavy for her liking. I am thinking Oh.My.God, I must be on Candid Camera. Then they don't have the strings we were talking about, LESS than AN HOUR BEFORE. Don't you think you could turn your head around and check, before I drive all the way there from VERONA? Sorry, but DUH. But gas is free (right?) and I have nothing better to do than waste my time, quite a bit of it apparently with construction messes on Fish Hatch I had to navigate. Maybe they do great work, who knows? But this lady's attitude sucked and oh my gosh, seriously? You didn't check for the strings that are right behind the counter knowing full well I am stopping in? No, really? really? *facepalm* Sorry about my pal good ol' Oscar. I don't feel the need to make any excuses for him. He is just like me, kinda crappy, but doing his best to be the best ukulele that he can be with what was given to him. I still want the strings, but I am not going back there. I am not and will never be a music snob. That kind of pettiness in no way represents what the spirit of music means to me. read more

Went in to purchase a set of strings and was lectured for 20 minutes about how warped my bridge is. The woman helping me literally repeated herself 4 or 5 times. In the end, I got what I came for, but due to the unwanted lecture, missed an event I had planned on going to. Also, they charge $10 or $12 to put on new strings for you. I think it should be complimentary considering how simple a task it is. Anyway, most of their stuff is pretty pricey. If you are a student musician who doesn't have a lot of money to spend, I would consider purchasing your supplies online. Note: they have two golden retrievers they just let wander around in the shop. They are very well behaved and love to be petted, but if you are allergic, this might not be the best place to go. read more

This was a great shop to visit on my trip to WI. I walked out with a very nice guitar. Knowable and helpful staff. They handled us three guys from Boston barging in on a winter night nicely. read more

Spruce Tree Music & Repair - Inside the store - Musical Instrument Services Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

In addition to specializing in acoustic guitars, Spruce Tree also covers instruments that have been largely neglected by guitar stores and band/orchestra retailers: mandolins, ukuleles, banjos, dulcimers, lap steels and harps. They've also got a bunch of violins and violas. In a sense, it's difficult to compare them to other stores because nobody else even has this stuff. I was just elated to have more than one or two choices for these instruments. I had a 80-year-old ukulele that needed some work to make it playable again. I felt really involved in the repair process. They informed me of the different repair options and replacement parts and helped me make choices that were within my budget. The uke plays great now, and I felt comfortable that this family heirloom was in good hands with them. The most common complaint I hear is some of the staff can be snobby and elitist. While I have never had any problems personally, I think there is some truth to that statement. read more

Spruce revived my boy friend's violin that was literally in pieces. Three months of fixing up and voila, the finished piece was a beautiful violin that could be sold for "$1,500 -$3,000." Wow, considering the amount my bf paid at a garage sale, near $400 repair price was well justified. And of course the sound coming out from this violin is fantastic! I'm assuming we were talking to the owner (he had that seniority look). He gave us the most sincere customer service. As soon as he figured out that we're two beginner fiddlers, he gave us good information on how to take care of the violin against varying weather, how to select chin pad, etc. I am very much satisfied with the service and impressed with the owner's knowledge on instruments. read more

Very competent repair department and a wonderful selection of high-end guitars and other bluegrass and folk instruments. They have some good student-model guitars there too from Arts & Luthiery ... cool Canadian instruments with solid wood tops. But the selection of Bourgeois was larger than you will see really anywhere near here. And my son was able to try out a very nice Spanish-made classical guitar. Lots of very impressive used hollowbody electrics and a few solid bodies. But this is more of a bluegrass than blues place when it comes to guitars. read more

I recently brought two guitars to Spruce Tree for set-up. One a high-end electric and the other a mid-high end acoustic. Both purchased new elsewhere and set-up beautifully initially. Both set-ups have changed slightly in the few years I owned them, as can be expected with guitars. They needed to be set-up by a professional, so I went to Spruce Tree. My style is blues and I requested a low string action on both guitars during the consultation. The staff complained about the manufacturer and neck joint on my acoustic. They anticipated a truss rod adjustment, strings and neck adjustment. For the electric they anticipated a truss rod adjustment, strings, intonation, and fret leveling. I was against the idea of fret leveling for such a new high-end ($4,500) electric guitar and asked them to do it ONLY if absolutely necessary. I provided a new set of strings for both guitars. I picked up both guitars and immediately realized that the staff never took my set-up requests into account. They set-up both according to their standard specifications, with high action especially towards the middle and upper part of the neck. I could have played slide on these guitars, the action was so high. They were insulted when I asked about it and only after tense discussion did they offer to make additional adjustments. In addition, during initial set-up they broke two strings from my new acoustic set and had the nerve to charge me for another new set of the same strings I brought. Also, they fret leveled all of the frets on the already perfect electric guitar, left file marks on all of them, and metal dust on the ebony fretboard. The electric guitar came back to me full of fingerprints and grime, no cleaning was done whatsoever. They were able to do a few quick fixes to the bridges and truss rods of each guitar to lower the action while I waited, but did not re-set intonation or the floating bridge on the electric, and the bridge on the acoustic is so low on the high-e side that I couldn't even play the string when I got the guitar home two hours later. Overall very poor experience with Spruce Tree, and I would not recommend. Expensive, long wait times, messy shop, and terrible customer service. Now I have to bring these guitars to another shop to fix the terrible set-ups done by Spruce Tree. read more

Expect to find an amazing collection of acoustic stringed instruments of all kinds and to get expert advice and repairs. I'd love to spend hours there playing with all the toys, but they don't cater to browsers, and I guess I can't blame them. They can be a tad dismissive if you bring in a cheap-o instrument for appraisal. But they have good quality instruments for beginners at fair prices, and the sky is the limit if you're looking for something special. I gladly support this shop! read more

This site won't even let me rate them without at least one star, but I would give them as many negative stars as I could. DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR BUSINESS!!!!!! I've been playing the guitar for over 13 years now. I have been to SO many different stores in various states throughout the U.S. and I've never thought I'd need to write a review on any of them until I visited this hell hole today. Firstly, the store has such inadequate lighting, and is so incredibly small and cramped. I went in there to have a rather rare acoustic appraised, and was greated by two slobbering dogs drooling all over my instrument.... I should have just turned around and left, as it only got worse from there. I was the only person in the shop, and there were three employees on various instruments and one on the phone talking rather loud. Not a single one gave me a winks notice until about fifteen minutes later. An elderly man yanked my guitar from my hands, and began to tell me how the company isn't worth a damn anymore and that he would look at it, but the chances of an honest appraisal were slim. Apparently you are able to work with customers and be incredibly biased towards just about anything. So he was looking it over, looking for any imperfections. He kept telling me there were scratches and dents when you could clearly see that it was just the wood grain and finish. He then said he didn't want to 'f*ck' with a piece of crap like that anymore and told me it would be better if I went to go see another shop. Yes, that is correct, that is how he treated me as a customer just looking for an honest opinion. I do not think a place like this should be in business, considering it seems like none of them even care about musical instruments. Their guitars are all dusty, some of the strings were even rusting. They don't even have the proper equipment everyone else has that you'd expect to see in a predominantly acoustical environment like a de-humidifier or anything. I STRONGLY urge anyone who is thinking about going there to reconsider, as you might have a very bad experience like I did. This place should be put out of business with how they interacted and conducted their 'business', if you can even call it that. You have been warned, and like others I should have read the yelp reviews first. read more

Worst customer service experience I've ever had. I'm a beginning guitar player and went in to buy new strings for a used guitar I picked up from a friend. These people wouldn't even sell me strings- told me my guitar wasn't worth putting money into (what, so I should buy one of your $600 guitars when I don't even know if I like to play?). The female owner was incredibly condescending, and the man mocked me for having paid money for a guitar from the '60s. I will never visit this store again. If you are a beginner, or you don't like being mocked and condescended to, steer clear read more

I took banjo lessons down at Spruce Tree a while back, and man...what a bunch of pricks. My instructor was great, but the guy who owns the place is unbearable. God forbid I have an instrument that was purchased somewhere else. And asking questions in that place is dangerous...because there are such things as dumb questions, kids, and the bearded asshole behind the counter will surely let you know. I think he's hiding the fact that he never learned to read. Two stars...solely on the unproven, but certainly portrayed quality of instruments for sale. read more

Great store. Yes the owner has his ways but come on, how often can a guy listen to someone play "stairway to heaven" and not want to puke! In my interactions with him he has always been honest to a fault. He says it like it is. As I generally play acoustic guitars this place is great. Expensive, not really when you consider the quality of the instruments. I used to think that once you got over $1000 the sound was not really better you just got a more ornate guitar. Was I wrong!. They carry a fine selection of guitars and National Resonators. Repairs may be a bit more expensive but hey, these guys work on guitars that cost thousands, they must have a pretty strong skill set! I don't think I would take a custom made guitar to Guitar Center and have some minimum wage monkey work on it! If you really love acoustic instruments this is the place! read more

I had a great experience trying out a number of banjos. I didn't feel pressured and took my time doing lots of comparisons, and ended up trading in my beginner model for a beautiful instrument with exactly the tone I was looking for. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable, including Traveler the dog! read more

As others mentioned, they are snobs there. Don't even mention electric guitars here, although they do sell. One of the "experts" there prettly much told me that all electric guitars sounded the same like "doesn't matter". I was thinking, "what a douchebag, acoustic elitist snob". Yes, they do know their stuff about acoustic instruments. I bought a 1967 Gibson acoustic there awhile ago. I ended up breaking the headstock off, (my 3 year helped). I should've taken to these guys right away. I tried to fix it myself, and really messed it up. read more

People are knowledgeable, like really knowledgeable, so I sit and listen, it's neat to see what you can learn from people doing this before I was born. Was able to try out instruments I obviously couldn't afford, but ended up walking out with an angelic sounding guitar for $199. Again, just amazing tone quality, and the people there were nice, they let you know stuff you may already know, but also learned stuff I had forgotten. And they don't sell junk. They don't know how, thank goodness. Admittedly though... you could tell they see a lot of people who don't know much, and treat new customers as such. But honestly detracted none from my excellent experience. read more

I love this store. I bought a vintage banjo here a while back and they were really helpful as I went through the process of trying a bunch of instruments and eventually settling on "the one." I've brought it in a couple times for adjustments and it's great to have them recognize me & the instrument (they really care about their instruments!). Their selection of instruments - new and used - is broad, and they are very knowledgeable about what they're doing. Madison is really lucky to have this gem of a folk instrument store! read more

I want to like this place, I really do, but every time I walk in here I feel like I'm just unwanted. The staff are always rude, and never very helpful. Its looks great from the outside, but I just don't go in any more. I don't know about guitars, but if you want to buy a violin/viola, go to Ralph Rabin, Lane's Lutherie, or Charles Pinckney. I have gone to all of them over the years and am always impressed, and they're all much friendlier! read more

this place has beautiful guitars. don't expect to pay less than a grand for anything in the store. also, don't play any skynryd in the joint. dude will not be impressed. kinda snobby but he really knows whats going on with acoustic instruments. he treats his guitars like little childrens... not to be abused. if you take something in to get fixed, expect to get your ass chewed for not treating your guitar like the lost ark. read more

Brought in my grandfather's violin -- bought back in the 1800s! -- and they did what I asked, when they said they would, and it wasn't too costly. Replaced the pegs, fixed a crack. Not sure what the choices available are for string fixing in Madison -- here of Ward-Brodt? I'm glad I went here. read more

Great place! After visiting several stores in town, fell in love with atmosphere here and end up buying my first descent guitar here. Owners patiently let me try different guitars, game me advises when I asked for one and left me alone when I needed time on my own to try guitars and figure out if the instrument feels right for me. I came back there about 2 years later as action on the guitar was a bit high - I am sure that it was out of warranty by this time, but they adjuster it for me for free. When I need some things guitar-related - I come here. They know they stuff, they respect their instruments, it just feels right. Very cool place. read more

Unfortunately, the owners of this establishment, while they may indeed do some semi-decent instrument repairs & sales, have no clue about customer service. IE, the customer is usually WRONG here. I have brought in several instruments to be repaired, only to be told that "an Ovation is not a real guitar" or "this viola is a piece of crap" just because they were not made in USA. I have a very close friend who attempted to buy a musical saw from them - he was also made to feel quite bad - very odd. I'm a professional musician, been in the industry over 30 years: life is too short to give your money to people that ultimately "don't get it" when it comes to being kind and cool to customers. Spruce Tree has made me (and several close friends) really mad more than a few times. The positive spin: I really recommend LANE'S LUTHERIE on the Beltline; Lane is wonderful, does superb work, and knows how to treat customers. Also, Chuck at Sound Logic (Atwood Ave) is excellent at guitar neck resets, fret jobs and setups. 2 excellent Madison choices there, and LARK IN THE MORNING is where I'd go to get the odd folk instruments ( http://larkinthemorning.com/ ). I can't recommend Spruce Tree (except to stay away from it), but for repairs/mods/unique fiddles and such I highly recommend Lane's at http://www.laneslutherie.com (608) 442-0315 read more

I went to Spruce Tree looking for a set of violin strings, and debating how much more money I would spend to buy them locally, compared to the prices I found online. Their strings were hardly more expensive ($45 for a set rather than $42 online), and it was such a pleasant vibe in the store! I had a nice interaction with the person behind the counter (? owner), and enjoyed the presence of a golden retriever or two on the floor. read more

In reference to the reviewer above, yes, they can be a little difficult on answering questions and I've been frustrated with reluctance to give a very rough approximate idea of what a repair could cost. However, my experiences there have been mostly positive. The owner adjusted the action on my banjo that I bought from Amazon for free. He also gave me some used ebony pegs for a project for free. They have an excellent selection of instructional books and I have received valuable advice on playing technique for free. They also are well stocked with accessories like slides, picks, and strings. It's a repair shop first and a retail store second and that does show, but it is also an excellent place to shop. read more

This is a store that I've wanted very much to like and give my business too, but I'm afraid I've had mostly bad experiences there. 1) There is a woman clerk in the employ of this store whom I've never, to my knowledge, seen but have spoken with several times over the phone She obviously knows very little about music but invariably communicates an air of supercilious hauteur. Her object is clearly not to assist you--or even to make a sale--but to lecture you, and she's pretty much always wrong. It's impossible to talk to her without becoming very aggravated. 2) I was once at Spruce Tree sold a cello string which broke immediately. I'd brought in the package from my last string, and the clerks there insisted that the one they sold me was comparable in every respect. They didn't furnish me with the package for the one they sold me, so I couldn't discover what it actually was, but whatever it was, it was clearly wrong. I was not refunded. (I eventually bought a replacement from Amazon and it worked fine.) 3) I had my cello bow rehaired from this store, and it came back with no rosin whatsoever. This means that when I tried playing it made no sound at all. I called the store back and was told to rub rosin on it, but no matter how much I rubbed nothing happened. I finally resorted to wrapping a lump of rosin in a paper towel, hammering it into powder, then sprinkling it on my bow. I later learned that when you rehair a bow, you're supposed to pre-rosin it. Spruce Tree didn't do this and seemed utterly ignorant of the problem. 4) There is another incident not worth going into, but in sum, it seems to me that Spruce Tree is incompetent in all matters having to do with classical music and has at least one thoroughly obnoxious and worthless long-term employee. read more