The enthusiastic, passionate and knowledgeable staff know what instrument to try and buy. My…read morechildren play but I have no musical background so the staff asked the right questions to help me with the best instrument choice for us. My children could try the instruments in store and they were happy with our purchase. Aeolian Strings is the best music store for our family. Louise

Solid workmanship great products and advise on repairs…read moreBest selection of cellos around the city.

No better place in Calgary to buy guitars. I bought my first PRS guitar from them about 14 years…read moreago. I bought my Roland FP3. Also digital recording gear and a ton of accessories like the various Roland GT6, then GT10, Then GT100 and so on. Too much stuff to list. They've always given me the best service and been the most helpful. I've dealt with every other music store in the Calgary area but I always see these guys first if I'm looking for something as I know they'll give me the best service and support. Plus they've never hidden behind stupid policies but have always used common sense in solving any problems I've had with products they've sold me. They actually seem to value customers more than other music stores in Calgary. I've never been left dissatisfied with what they've done for me. After more than 15 years dealing with them I can't believe they still have some of the same staff.

Friendly and helpful staff, convenient location and a decent gear makes this a great addition to…read morethe community. Their guitar tech, Steve, is fantastic.

Great service and advice from Steve and his staff. Their guitar setups are awesome. I've had three…read moreguitars and basses fixed by Steve and folks.

Ive always had incredible service from R Guitars. The team…read morethere really go above and beyond on their work. They have a great warranty and the customer service is second to none. There is a reason why they are so busy, and that is because they are incredibly popular. I highly recommend this shop if you need a stringed instrument to sound and play better than new.

We are so grateful for MM. the staff and teachers have been amazing…read more front desk and school admin are always friendly patient and helpful. both our boys look forward to there lessons every week. Easy to recommend.

Instruments, books, records, lessons, rentals. How can you go wrong with a music store like that?…read more Music Makers is mostly known for their lessons. They offer lessons with pretty much every instrument, minus the harp. Yes, this means that you can take a lesson in drums, guitar, piano, flute, bass, keyboard, sax, clarinet, violin, and even the banjo and mandolin. Where else can you find a lesson on the banjo, besides the internet? This is probably one of the best music stores in the city. The workers, teachers and clientele are always extremely nice and very personable people. I never feel funny when I go in here, even if it's just to buy a gift for someone. They even let you rent out their own instruments so you can practice at home. The lessons are very thorough and range from novice to expert. So, whether you're looking to learn an instrument, or just pick up where you left off, Music Makers can help you accomplish your musical goals... and you'll have a little fun doing it!

Best guitar tech in Alberta bar none, and just a wonderful person with integrity and talent.read more

For serious musicians in this city, there is only one place to take your guitar to be fixed, and…read morethat's Mozell Guitar Service - located in the back of Axe Music on Macleod Trail. Mozell is an institution in Calgary who lives and breathes guitars and can fix their problems, while maintaining their mojo. The first time I tried Jim Mozell, he was located in the old Blackfoot trail location of Axe. He came out with his welding face-shield on, looking a little dishevelled and I thought - "It's the mechanic from Mad Max!" Jim has a no-nonsense, straight forward approach, he'll diagnose your issue, and then set it up so that your guitar plays the way it was built to be played. For the level of service you receive the price is very reasonable and I, personally, wouldn't let anyone else fool with my guitars.

This guitar store was discovered while waiting for my colleagues to arrive at a meeting in our…read moreoffice. I have wanted a guitar for many years and always felt it was such a luxury so I thought that day to throw caution to the wind and just go next door to peak. It doesn't hurt to browse. The owner there was so helpful; he explained that acoustic guitars were in the back room, in a special room that was acclimatized for the appropriate temperatures needed to house wooden guitars. Completely impressive! I walked to the room and saw them facing me in rows: Fenders, Washburn, Simon and Patricks and some of them almost winking at me. But what amazed me the most were the prices of the guitars. So well priced plus they also had tags of 10 or 20 percent discounts, I couldn't believe my eyes. I immediately needed to play each one, and listen to tone qualities, to feel how each guitar felt in my hands. The owner was so intuitive as well to give me space to experience this for myself and finally sensing I knew I had found one came back to the room and gave me an especially good price. When I left the guitar store, my colleagues had been waiting for me ouside the office door, as I guess I had been swept away with the time I spent in the store and I had the keys. It was obvious why I was late, they saw my new guitar purchase as we entered the office, I a little embarrassed at my shopping indulgence. I highly recommend this guitar store for your musical needs, extremely knowledgeable and friendly staff and the prices of wares their unbelievably affordable for the quality you are getting.

I've been drooling over the prospect of acquiring my first good quality instrument ever. And…read morerecently I mapped out a bunch of Calgary music shops for a Saturday "guitar quest". My first stop on my guitar tour was this Total Music Centre. I walked in and proceeded into the acoustic room, saw some interesting guitars, and decided to take my coat off (to avoid any zipper marks on the guitars) and try a few. I reached for one up high and was being careful as always. Well when I lifted it out of the hanger, the hanger lifted with it and then when I pulled the guitar away the hanger fell back into position and made a clunk. The guy working there, could have been the owner since I doubt staff would even care, came almost running in with a warning to be careful, thinking the noise he heard was me banging a guitar into something. I actually was so surprised that I wasn't even sure if I heard him right- I guess in my mind I knew I came with cash and intent to buy, that I'm a middle age family man in a decent income bracket, not some punk vandal. so I was probably in denial that he had actually greeted me with a warning. But it happened so quickly, and I had to gather my senses. Then he did that "can I help you with something" thing which is sort of a condescending hypnotic suggestion to get out of my store. The guy was very cold. And then he was ready to get back to the counter, he did it again- another warning. I'm thinking to myself, what is this guy's problem? And when I politely told him I was being very careful he just looked at me like he knew I was lying. I am not good in moments of confrontation like this. Let's just assume for a moment that I did accidentally bump guitars in the acoustic room (which I didn't)... The guitar I was trying out was a $500-ish made in China Washburn! First of all, it's not some rare vintage 1930s Gibson J45 or something. In fact I didn't see a single guitar in the room worth more than $700 or so- imagine if this guy worked at a real music store where they have $3000+ Martins and Taylors hanging on the wall. Secondly, it was a factory relic guitar! it was designed and built to look aged and distressed! So even if it had bumped into something, unless I el-kabonged it over an amplifier there's not a chance anyone would be able to tell. If he just properly assessed the situation and treated me like the potential customer I was, I might have actually bought something there. Instead I just was a bit shaken up so I decided to go back up front and try to talk to him before leaving. Maybe I could explain what the sound he heard was a bit better and he'll see in the short conversation that I am not some careless riff-raff. But as soon as he had returned to his counter, he picked up a phone call. I stood around waiting for a while by the counter, and I could hear from his end of the conversation that it obviously wasn't a customer. So, I waited there a while, maybe about 3 or 4 minutes, but he just kept talking on the phone, so I just left. I couldn't believe it. Anyways, I ended up buying a guitar later that same day at another store, so his loss. I very much go by feel when making any major purchases, and I think most other people do this too. When you are treated like dirt, they could have the nicest merchandise on earth, but there's no way you'd give them your business.

Jimmy is awsome and he has vintage equipment that is hard to find! Hes part of calgarys music scene…read morefor 50yrs and give him a visit it you need an amp accordion or a guitar thats not available everywhere! Its a museum almost!

I think he was ashamed, or he should have been that he didn't do the work on my guitar after over a…read moreyear, so lied and said he did and charged me. When I looked at it closer, it wasn't fixed and now he won't admit it. I haven't had to deal with this blatant dishonesty before from a business person.

"Come they told me Parumpapampum..."…read more Are you a little drummer boy or girl? Then head down to Beat It; if you are an avid percussionist then you will absolutely salivate when you enter this store. It's all about drums and cymbals and things that go bang in the night. The owner Bob is tremendous, he and a former band mate were there shooting the breeze; seems like they had a travelling band and comedy act in their day and are in the process of uploading some YouTube videos of the music as we spoke. Dave actually showed me the bass guitar he used when touring which is the style that Paul McCartney had except right handed. The place is lined with amazing drum kits, nice affordable beginner models and then they go up to the all collectible drum sets, they even have a drum kit that is the exact replica of Ringo Star's. What absolutely floored me are the drum kits from the turn of the century that line the upper back wall behind the cash register. Here you will see the golden oldies, drums hand painted oozing with nostalgia and a faint beat. Bob has a small selection of collectable music for sale plus some collectable radios that date back to the 50s. Bob certainly knows his stuff, and was so interesting to talk to I just wanted to stay in the store all day and hang out, but alas I had things to do so I had to BEAT IT. I love this store and what they offer... definitely one of Calgary's best.

After years of passing by in a vehicle and looking out at the storefront drum kit and the name…read more"Beat It" written in perfect Beatles font, I'm glad I finally went in to check this place out! Well... I turns out that it's a drum store, so get your mind out of the gutter! And then get into the store because it's lots of fun. If you're into vintage drum gear, this is the place to go. One-off, interesting used gear excites me way more than run-of-the-mill new stuff. Walking around Beat It is like walking around a musician's toy store and a museum at the same time. I decided to impulse buy a retro drum throne at a good price. I will always take a high quality piece of gear in used condition to a lower quality new piece at the same price. In the world of music gear, scratches just add character. The owner is a real friendly guy who you can't help but want to support. There aren't to many mom and pop music shops around and Beat It is (as far as I know) the only drum specific music store standing in the whole city. This alone is enough for me to want to support these guys.