Having been a prof. musician in my not-so-well-spent youth, I then took some 3 decades off. In this past decade, I've managed to recapture most of my youthful high-level performance skills to a pretty satisfying degree. In fairness, though, I have to give a solid shout-out to the input of Howard Lee, at Tom Lee Music in Richmond (no relation I'm told), for his impeccable technical work on my Buffett clarinet, both in its initial prep for me to resume my playing, and in keeping the instrument in top-flight performance condition over the last 6-7 years of my rather frequent playing schedule. While I find Howard to be a "typical" Tom Lee employee (first patronised them through their Hong Kong store eons ago) -- like Howard, they are generally knowledgable, conscientious, customer committed and proud of the high-quality services that they provide. In the esoteric world of woodwind instrument maintenance and repair, however, Howard Lee stands out: I've encountered no one with higher standards, work ethic, and reliability, than Howard Lee -- a true musical repair artisan. read more

I was there looking to purchase a piano. There were 3 staff members sitting at their desks texting on their cell phones, and not one of them bothered to look up, never mind greet us or provide any service. I was there for 20 minutes, and was trying the pianos and making noise, so it's not like they didn't see or hear us! It's the worst service of any piano retail stores I've been to in the lower mainland. Do NOT shop there. read more

Called many music stores to ask about adjusting the truss rod on my electric guitar. Out of four Lower Mainland music stores I asked, three of them reported high prices for the guitar repair, or just slow turnaround (1 said it would take a whole month). Alex, however, at Tom Lee Music in Richmond, was so nice about it. I called in on a Saturday and he said he'd be able to help me if I dropped by. Within an hour, I was at the Tom Lee Music store. He helped me right away, and was super friendly, knowledgable, and professional. On top of that, since it was only a slight tweaking of the truss rod, he didn't charge me at all. So thankful for kind store employees like Alex, who provides efficient and great service and loves the work he does. read more

This is an older Tom Lee, big storefront, small selection. Came in to buy some recording equipment and came out empty handed. The service here is very poor. The problem is not that they don't know, it's that they know too much and think you know too little so they don't even bother. Asking questions is just a pain and makes you feel very degraded. Their sheet music is so unorganized! There was stuff all over the place, the staffs here need to start doing their jobs. I've never had this problem of not being able to find music EVER at another music store. Even when they checked the system they had a few copies in stock and they were misplaced! And never take music lessons from Tom Lee, they are unprofessional and just want to suck your money. Most of the teachers seem to be just RCM graduates with little to no experience. Better finding a private studio or going to a music school. read more

I've come here with a friend to help him get an electric piano as well as gone here alone to pick up a microphone. Both times, staff was very helpful and able to give us a summary of the strengths and weaknesses of products to an in-depth level. Lots of the staff are trained teachers in the instruments, and have used their products before, which is great so neophytes and experienced customers alike can get adequate help. What is very helpful is that they seem to really know products on a "bang for buck" basis. It was really useful because I didn't know what I was looking for in a microphone before coming to them, and even then they kind of gave me a bunch of more respectable, lower priced products as their top recommendations on overall value. A nice place. I think I will probably visit here more often. read more

Poor customer service. My family of three was greeted at the door with a hello, but no offer to help us find anything. We proceeded to the guitar section and looked at their wide selection of guitars. Unfortunately, no one came to help us even though there was only maybe one other customer in the store (and a few students coming and going). After 10 minutes of waiting, I stood at the front counter, expecting one of the 5 people behind this counter to acknowledge me. No one did even after standing there for 5 minutes. I had to stop a passing employee to get any attention. Then, I found out that the guitar I had called to confirm stock of, was in fact, out of stock, and the person on the phone who said he would put in an order from the warehouse for a few more to arrive in the afternoon, did not actually put in the order. This was my first and last experience with a Tom Lee Music store. I'm giving 2 stars for what seemed like a large selection of instruments and the fact that the salesperson apologized when I told him how disappointing my first visit to his store was. read more

I have dropped in here a few times and always have trouble getting any of the staff to help, or even make eye contact. Early this year I was shopping for a new Tele and stood in the store for 15 min and not one of the staff - and there were several - paid any attention to me. I was the only customer in the store. I finally shouted out "can someone please help me" and they all scrambled pointing to each other before someone reluctantly helped. I bought my guitar at L&M in Richmond where I find the service exceptional. read more

Came here initially looking for a GuZheng. What's a GuZheng? I was expecting them to ask. Lots of Pianos, Guitars and music sheets and note books. Couldn't find the Guzheng, but we did come back to get the "young-un" a nice green music stand for her new Guzheng lessons. If you are looking for anything musically related, Try out Tom Lee first. read more

Wanted to put a good word in for this Tom Lee store because my experiences have been positive here. I choose this Tom Lee location because it is off the beaten track (so less busy) and although medium in size, it is actually well stocked on many ends of the spectrum even for those of us who are particular with gear. I am into groove and effects boxes and found what I needed here. The staff is knowledgable and helpful and will get you where you need to go. I recently brought my kid here as they are getting into music and again, we were very happy with the service. If you are passing through Richmond or considering some new gear, check it out. read more

Unattentive service. Being one of the smaller Tom Lees, you sometimes can't find things specific items. Eh, I would rather go elsewhere for my music materials, to be honest. read more

Bring my two year old girl there for music lesson. a tiny little room with packing box laying around. a ugly female teacher with awful bad attitude. not impressed. Parents be aware! read more

I must say, the absolute best service I have ever received in a music store. From product quality to product knowledge from an amazing staff. These guys are no amateurs and are absolutely there for your full satisfaction. Clearly a dedicated and well managed establishment true to a musicians demand, and patient in every way no matter how difficult a task. The manager Dean a very well spoken leader with great direction towards his team and such great offers to fulfill any need. The young guy Oswin, a prolific guitar player with absolute care for his customers and a wide range of knowledge for any guitar or related questions. And Will, quite a character but there's nothing he can't answer for or help with, an absolute team player who is never held back and always happy to help. In simple terms, these guys are unbound by time and are there for you at any cost and will not stop to fulfill any request, however, it's clear they have computer problems. Their online services are a bit slow but of no fault is it there's. If they would replace their computers with fresh ones and up to date processing speed they would be 100%. Please support this store, they deserve the funding to replace their computers for a great service. Keep up the great work. read more

My most trusted store. Bought several guitars new & used. Nice setup and no issues which is a nice change as I've touched many terrible floyds passed off from other stores. Go have your musical needs met by a great bunch of dudes ! read more

I went to Tom Lee in Richmond to see what goodies they had. Will and another young guy were awesome. They left me alone in the amp room to sit and test a bunch of electrics. I like to compare back and forth. I ended up leaving with a very nice Fender. No pressure at all. Overall I like this store better than the one downtown as it is less crowded. Easy Skytrain ride on Canada line...I'll be back. read more

I can understand why this place gets low ratings in the customer service department. I will admit that I wasn't too pleased with the customer service or rather the lack of interest in my business, however, I needed a guitar tuner in an emergency for a recite coming up in a few weeks. My desperation got the best of me over logic. Thankfully I did my research before hand so that I knew what it was that I needed. I got a modest digital tuner for $17. read more

Since my last review a few days ago, Tom Lee's management contacted me and assured they took my comment seriously and the issue was brought up in their management meeting. Kudos for that! Not many businesses bother with what customers think of their business. So I added 2 stars for that. When I do go back to tom lee I will adjust my ratings accordingly. read more

I like to pop into Tom Lee on the odd occasion. Staff is super friendly but relaxed and give you space to look around. I generally don't like being pestered by sales people as I know what I want. But they are super helpful when you do ask questions. I always find good deals during their sales. read more

Terrible service! Our family want to get an electric keyboard and settled on one that is $799 because we don't want to spend too much$$$. A staff called Mark was EXTREMELY unhelpful and kept saying it has a very limited selection compared to the other more pricey ones. Of course we know that but we're not professionals and all we want to a simple one that has a few basic options. Even AFTER we bought it we went into Tom Lee to get a package that comes with the keyboard the Mark guy keeps brushing us off. Terribly horrible service by this Mark guy. Go to another Tom Lee for better respect! This guy needs to be trained on what's proper customer service. read more

I always come here to get piano books for my students. If I ask for help, the regular staff there are usually happy to help. They always have the stock I need, very rarely do I have to go to the Tom Lee Downtown. Best customer service of all the Tom Lee's in my opinion. read more

The staff is a mixed bag; some very helpful, some not motivated, some clueless. Frequently the items you want are not in stock. They will not check another TL location for availability, while discouraging you from going to another TL location. "They will not have it either, we'll get it from the warehouse." read more

Went into Tom Lee Music for the first time and I was just blown away. It is one HUGE store! I wanted to get an acoustic guitar to get back into playing. There was a big selection covering all styles and price points. The staff was very helpful and I was left to play with the several guitars he picked out for me based on my thoughts as to style and pricing. I found the one I like, a Seagull, and the staff put together some accessories and gig bag to go for an extremely amazing price. Definitely will come back to take some lessons also. read more

Came in this week to get my guitar restrung. A young man (Oswin?) helped me out with my service and immediately told me that I had some major issues with my older guitar. We then decided that it was time to get a new guitar, so he helped me out step by step and introduced me to many guitars in my price range. I ended up walking out with a great guitar at an affordable price. My only complaint would be that I wished the computer systems were a bit quicker (it literally took a few minutes to load a Google page), but that isn't really anyone's fault. read more

good selection and equipment ...But service wise, it's pretty bad. It's a bit confrontational and challenging towards customers. I had to deal with these type of service multiple times at various Tom Lee locations. Not sure how the reps were hired, seems anyone who can speak English and listen to music records can get a job here. McDonalds have better service than this. I will only go if I HAVE to, and I hope I won't have to read more

a friend of mine recommended that I try tom lee music store in Richmond when I was planning to buy a keyboard a few months ago ,am I glad that ended up buying my Yamaha 970 from mark. The knowledge this guy has about keyboards is unbelievable. and the service is superb . KEEP UP the good work mark . thanks read more

Recently, the handle to my guitar case broke, so I went to Tom Lee to see if they could do anything. When I got there, I talked with a staff and he politely told me that i could exchange it. He was very considerate over the whole situation, which made this a very good experience. All of the staff are very knowledgeable, helpful and courteous. I would recommend Tom Lee to everyone. read more

I recently purchased a Tyros keyboard from Tom Lee Music, Richmond store, and was extremely pleased with the service I received from the staff. In particular, I found Mark Wilburn an absolute "technical wizard" when it comes to understanding the nuances of the various keyboards and CVP pianos and has done a great job of helping me with my questions since my purchase. One of the great things are the monthly lessons he conducts with all his customers as well as sharing files to use with the keyboards. I can honestly say that I could not have been treated better. I would certainly recommend this store and the expertise Mark Wilburn offers to anyone looking for a keyboard or CVP piano to purchase. read more