Quick story: My husband and I walked into an antique store on the North Side a few years back. We…read morewere not greeted, although we were closely watched (never know when someone might slip an a vintage ottoman into his coat...) Anyway, I noticed several framed black and white photos of old movie stars, and asked the suspicious owner the price. He laughed disdainfully and scoffed, "THOSE aren't for SALE." (What was I thinking?) The point? You will not receive this kind of treatment at A Sound Education. When you walk in, you will be greeted and made welcome by the owners, Patrick and Mike, even as they deal with other customers. You will not experience any attitude, as often happens when novices attempt to speak to experts. Your questions will be answered, any work you need done on an instrument will be completed quickly and with care, and you will leave knowing you will be back. In addition, the store offers lessons and has a good selection of guitars and other instruments, accessories, music, and things like amps that I will not attempt to expand upon. The most important point here, however, is that Patrick and Mike understand the importance of making all customers feel welcome and valued, and that is a rare trait.

Friendly and knowledgeable staff. I've steered away from big box stores because the service isn't…read morethere, guitar center take notes. I've purchased my last guitar there and had them service another. Great selection of new and used with fare trade in values for your instruments will keep you coming back. If you've been shopping in Chicago, I would strongly recommend swinging out and paying these guys a visit.

Actually called Elmhurst Records now. Small place but great selection and friendly staff. Go visit…read moreOzzy!

Pretty decent place, decent collection of records. You won't find a cutout section here, but a $5…read moresection. But it's right around the corner from Gem comics and Elmhurst in general, which has a great library

I had heard great things about Tully's work so when I decided that it was time to start playing…read moreagain, I took my mid-80s MIJ Telecaster to him for a setup (first one in way too long). Amazing. I already loved it but it now plays like the best guitar I've ever had (including Custom Shop stuff that I had before). I can't put the thing down. The amazing setup makes me want to play more and more. I've already dropped off another guitar and once that comes back I'll bring the next one

Tully is a gentleman & a scholar. Incredibly knowledgeable guitar repairman AND artist…read more My repair was quite minor in the grand scheme of things(jack replacement) but this guy can literally do it ALL. That includes building guitars from wood to soldering hardwires & cables. Dude is a WIZARD Thank you Tully! 10/10 would recommend. Will be back for any future repairs whatsoever.

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.

I'm going to give them a great review…read more As with service providers that are used over a period of time, results are uneven. What I value is a record of quality service on the overall. That's actually ahead of the game in this world. I initially found them looking for a shop that would route a guitar for a Floyd. They must be one of the few in the US who actually do the service. That's how I came to know of the business. Over time I have brought maybe...7? jobs to them. I use different guitar repair stores in the Milwaukee area for different things. I am very picky, so the "tougher" jobs end up with Third Coast. The most involved were having an old HM Strat Plek'd and a Dean V routed for a Floyd. They even transformed my LP Custom from a guitar that didn't stay in tune, to one that stays remarkably in tune. I would say the Owner Chris is confident and opinionated. AKA is knowledgeable. All great service providers are like this in my opinion. I have had much better luck going with people who do things the way they know how to do, them instead of chasing too much to please. He has also been very openly informative and has said a couple of key things that I have used going forward. I really have a very high recommendation for these guys. If it's a big job, this isn't Amazon. There are wait times. It's just part of the deal. I have had a few one day turn arounds. And the Floyd route took a while. But it was done right to spec. Dead on. The staff is excellent. I have had different guys work on different things to great results. They know what the F they're doing. It's why I drive down from the northern Milwaukee suburbs.

Great staff, top work, clean shop, timely response, and professional environment. Good price for…read morehigh quality results. Highly recommended! I had to set up my acoustic and replace pickups on my electric. They took the time to discuss options and explain the work.

Music Makers is one of the best if not the best studios around. They have great teachers and…read morestudents are paired up with the appropriate teacher for whichever level they are at in their music abilities. All ages and levels are welcome and it really is a supportive environment to learn or continue learning an instrument, voice and theater.

We adore MusicMakers Theatre - our daughter has been performing with the program for over 5 years…read more We love that it is family owned and operated and the personalized, flexible service we get from the administrators is wonderful. Micki, the theatre program director, is great with the kids and has been incredibly supportive of our daughter. The shows are always high quality and they typically have more than one cast which allows more kids the opportunity to have a part. They also accompany the shows with LIVE MUSIC which is pretty unusual for a children's theater program. Another benefit is the fact that the program draws kids from all over the area and our daughter has made a ton of friends who don't go to her school (she calls them her "theater friends"). Having another set of friends has really been a blessing with the ups and downs of middle school! We would recommend MusicMakers over and over again - it's fantastic!

I always have a great experience going to this place and leave learning something new aswell. Great…read morevalue too.

Looking for a new bike and don't care much about what you get besides price? This is that store…read more Want good customer service/specialization/helpful knowledge where you feel comfortable with a purchase, go somewhere else. I was planning on brining all my tune ups and spending thousands on a road/Tri bike here, not to include parts and accessories, but I'd much rather go somewhere where I know I'll be taken care of and feel good about my purchases. Tried supporting local businesses but when the local business doesn't offer much beyond tune ups and replacing an inner tube, what's the point. Also, why does it seem like everyone there is a high school kid. Good on them for working but it explains the lack of customer service, or training.

We LOVE BAMM! We have been with Miss Nina for years now. All the teachers we've met have been kind…read moreand compassionate. My kiddos love going and enjoy classes every week. They sing the songs at home often. It's the highlight of our week. I highly recommend it. Not only is it great for learning music, but also for developing skills like taking turns, multi-step processes, listening, etc. I would recommend it 10/10 to your littles!

Great for my son, Luka H. He looked forward to class every week and it helped him develop skills…read moresuch as rolling a ball, clapping, and learning to play peek a boo. Highly recommend signing your baby up! Thank you for everything Ms. Clara!