amazing selection of pedals, guitars, basses, amps, general equipment and more…read more staff know their stuff and are more than willing to help you out. everything is reasonably priced but they need to make a living will be my go to music store for the foreseeable future

You folks are as kind as kind can be. You reunited me with my beloved guitar! AND you were very…read morehelpful in terms of cables, picks, AND most importantly, a used distortion pedal. A bit of, more than obvious, info- hey bozo, don't leave your guitar in your car! I'm extremely thankful, the other Mark White

I just wanted to thank you SO SO much for fixing my Gibson Les Paul. You did SUCH a good job that…read moreit sounds like it did when it was brand new nearly 20 years ago, NO ONE has done such a great job as you have. A thousand thank yous, I got completely lost in the moment playing it and it's been years since I experience that unless I was onstage in the zone. I'm thrilled my step father found you, your going to be my forever go to for anything regarding fixing my guitars. Price was VERY reasonable- in a world where everything is to much, you certainly are priced fair. Thank you.

I walked into Mike's, because I was in the market for an electric and live in the neighborhood…read more This was my first electric, but I knew I wanted something decent with good tone. I told the store owner what I was looking for, and he showed me what was in my price range. He also very kindly told me that I was welcome to try any of the guitars--even though I very clearly could not afford them! I thought that was cool! He left me alone to play the guitars. I was able to take my time--as I didn't really know what I was looking for. I was so happy with one of them, that I went ahead and bought it! I've had it for about 2 or 3 years now, and I still love it!

Good riddance to the armpit of woodwind stores. Overpriced, with rude, alpha-male poseur staff…read moretaking out their failed-musician-frustrations on the customers. They literally stand around in the back and laugh at how we know nothing. Good luck getting their holier-than-thou help. I've unfortunately purchased several horns from them because the choice of local vintage woodwind shops is limited. My most recent purchase was a 'The Martin' tenor sax. I knew I would have to pay a premium over a similar horn on ebay, but that was my choice as I wanted to test a few in person. One of the above-mentioned 'sales reps' reluctantly brought out 2 horns. When I asked him if I could use one of their practice booths (only one was occupied), he showed his annoyance and snapped, "just try it out here!" I'm a good player, so I have no qualms about busting it out in public, but I'm also cognizant about other customers. In any case, while I was trying to focus on testing the horns, my rep wanders away and another macho rep comes up to me and yells, "Hey Coltrane, what do you think you're doing playing on the floor?! do us all a favor and use one of the practice rooms!" Come on, which one is it, I thought to myself. I found the horn that I wanted, payed more than I wanted, and rushed out of the poorly lit, smelly sock of a store with a bad feeling. After a week however, I found that some shoddy repair on several of the pads had caused one to fall out and others were loosening with the moisture. (I had already fixed the octave key on my own). I took it back and politely asked them to repair it as I had paid a bundle for what was now a non-working instrument. They smugly said they would charge me minimum $1000 because the horn needed an complete overhaul and that's what you get for buying an old horn. Yes, this was 2 weeks after I had purchased it. Shocked, I walked out of the store and immediately searched Yelp and found Drinkwater Robert Woodwind Repair (review pending). He fixed the horn for $150 (7x less!) and with no credit to Rayburn, it now plays beautifully. I really hope the smug staff at Rayburn are serving out their bad karma playing empty hotels to disinterested audiences. Brick and mortar stores are important not only for allowing us to try and purchase vintage instruments, but for supporting the culture surrounding historical gear. Rayburn long held a monopoly and they abused their privilege.

Apparently Rayburn specializes in brass and woodwind instruments, and it seems like they're pretty…read morededicated to that. I wouldn't go here if you were looking for anything having to do with string instruments. I went there to get some new strings and some peg dope for my violin, which turned out to be a mistake. They did carry the peg dope, and the price was reasonable, but the general staff don't really know much about strings and I think they sell them as a side business. Usually strings are sold individually, but Rayburn sells them as a pack, and it costs more there to buy them individually. If you don't know exactly what you're looking for or need any kind of advice in buying something for a string instrument, go to a specialty shop instead. However, if you do know exactly what you're looking for, Rayburn probably has it. I just don't know if I'd recommend them based on my experience there, knowing that there are so many music stores in Boston.

I've had an incredible experience at Musician's Playground since I started last February. What…read morereally made the difference for me were the instructors Miles, Rocco, and Thomas, who helped me build the confidence to play the guitar more freely and start improvising in ways I never could before. They don't just teach you what to play, but how to think about music: the theory I should know, how to actually practice effectively, and how to keep learning beyond the classroom. There's a real emphasis on listening, rhythm, and interacting with the people around you, which completely changes how you approach playing. For me, it's gone from "can I play over this song?" to "I have ideas about what I can improvise here," and musically, that's one of the most freeing shifts I've experienced in my life. Also big shout out to Dave and Brooke at the front. They are always there to welcome everyone in and make sure you feel comfortable from the moment you walk in, which really sets the tone for the whole place. The variety of classes and sessions they offer means there's always something new to explore, and the value of the group classes and membership is honestly unmatched. Completely worth it. Everything is accessible, the instructors are fantastic, and the environment is genuinely welcoming. It's been an immense creative escape, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking to grow as a musician or just reconnect with music in a meaningful way. It's rare to find a place that makes you feel both challenged and completely at ease, but this is one of them. Boston, don't sleep on this hidden gem!

There are not a lot of recent reviews, so I thought I would add my experience in case it helps…read morepeople find what they need. I was excited to try piano lessons here but my experience was not client-centered. First, the person who connected with me about discussing what I need was going to call me on the phone but was inconsistent about scheduling. Then, although everybody was polite (if you discount my instructor asking me "no, but where are you *really* from"), the instructor I was matched with definitely did not start with where I was at and imposed their own perspective and agenda on me for how we would be learning because it's what they were familiar with. Also, during the lesson, the space was loud because people could be overheard singing. So, it was very difficult to hear the instructor and concentrate. Looking back, I think the person that I initially connected with to discuss what I was hoping for probably just wanted to make a sale instead of being straight up that perhaps what they had to offer did not match my needs.

I highly recommend visiting for clarinet / woodwind repair and maintenance. I would also give the…read moreMaestro a call if I was looking for a good quality pre-owned clarinet before going to a more generic musical instrument shop.

Over five years ago I had the fortune to find out about Maestro Woodwind. Since then I only trust…read morehim to work on my clarinets and saxophones, no one else. Georgiy is extremely professional and super friendly. He is an amazing human being, extremely knowledgeable in the arts of woodwinds repair, tuning and teaching. He does a quality job, with a fast turn around and fair pricing (he is very reasonable and honest, and you will never pay more than what's right for the job). I truly recommend Maestro Woodwind to all my colleagues and friends.

Oh my goodness, cheap thrills music, where do I even begin. One day I was in this wonderful store,…read moreand I was browsing through the delightful CD selection, when my eyes locked onto a beautiful sight; Crackwhore - Somebody Loves You. This CD is truly a blessing from the heavens and delivered to us via the prophet Robert. This is both the greatest album in history, and the greatest album of today. This is what happens when you search through a vault of precious 24 karat gold, and still manage to leave with the highest quality platinum. This CD ruined all other albums for me, nothing else even holds a candle. The beautiful singing, the masterful guitar work, the majestic drumming, God I can't even accurately describe how exquisite it is. I immediately wished to purchase this masterpiece, but as this work of art was so coveted, as at the time there was zero information easily findable on the internet, the store owner and I reached an agreement. We would do research on how much the CD originally sold for and I would later return to this treasure trove to agree on a price. 1 week later I made my return, and after discovering that it originally sold for an affordable 5 U.S dollars, the prophet Robert, in all of his wondrous generosity, let me have it for 10. That is the story of how I obtained the pinnacle of human expression in music form on one, inexpensive, incredible CD. Thank you for reading this section of feedback, and please consider visiting this establishment, as I can guarantee that you will leave a happy patron with the greatest music one could ever hear, except of course, for Crackwhore, as only I am lucky enough to have a copy of humanity's magnum opus.

This store is nothing short of amazing! It's jam packed, honestly overflowing, with records…read more There's little room to walk, and you might have a slightly hard time getting around someone, but that just adds to the fun for me! I found a ton of Joan Baez and Judy Collins, but this store has every genre imaginable. The owner is super knowledgeable and will happily tell you stories about his time in the record industry (ask about Cher at Tower Records). Overall, amazing store that's definitely worth a visit, just make sure you have plenty of time to explore!

As a beginner guitar player wanting to move onto their first nice guitar this was about as perfect…read moreof an experience I could have asked for. John the manager linked me up with Aiden who was beyond knowledge about guitars and the particular one I was interested in. He gave me in depth knowledge and honesty that made the process easy and I never felt in any way pressured to purchase. I could tell he really cared about making sure I had the right guitar for me, and spent a lot of time making sure that I knew the best ways to care for it and ensure it did everything I wanted it to. The store itself is the nicest guitar center I have been to and all of the departments were well stocked and welcoming. 10/10 recommend, the manager John was fantastic and Aiden was the best I could ask for!

Guess who got a new guitar for their birthday? The hubs!!! And good timing too as they were having…read morea Guitar-a-thon i.e. sale on select guitars. This store is huge with lots of selection of wide ranging guitars. You can try them - they have these plugin amp stations. The gentleman Glenno who helped us was great! He showed us the guitars that the hubs wanted to try out. He explained relevant things. We got to talking about music and playing in bands and he said he plays in a band called The Pitches - great name btw and that they were going to be playing a show in the near future. Anyway the hubs needed a second guitar and chose a beautiful teal-ish colored one. We also asked about a case and straps. They had a bag not case but the bag actually turned out to be pretty good and much better than we expected. Good quality and has backpack straps so it's easy to carry. We also picked out a strap - there were a lot to choose from - hubs chose a simple black one. Overall we were very satisfied with the store, the amazing selection of guitars and the friendly customer service! Glenno knew what he was talking about! We'll be back in case we need any other guitar supplies for sure!

A friend told me about Guitar Stop so I brought in my acoustic which had a bad case of fret buzz. I…read morethought it needed an entire setup (I'm still very much a beginner player). However, Jeanne made a minor adjustment to the truss rod and fixed my lousy stringing error and the buzz was gone. This cost me $5. I returned to the store the next day and Annette was extremely helpful and very patient with all my questions about a new electric guitar. I ended up purchasing my first electric with a great amp. They even include a free gig bag and six picks! Very cool. Overall, I'm very pleased with this family-owned store and will visit them again for my guitar needs. Thanks for reading and rock on!

I had a strange experience there with a guitar repair…read more Ten years ago I bought an acoustic guitar with a pickup at GuitarStop. A few months ago the pickup stoped working. I brought it in to Guitar Stop. Their technician examined the guitar, cleaned the dust out, and came to the conclusion that the pickup/preamp would need to be replaced. They gave me the customer service phone number of the guitar manufacturer, and said that because they were no longer distributing that brand, there was no way they could get the parts, or do anything else to help me. Even though I bought the guitar there, they told me I'm on my own. One odd experience was that the technician didn't talk to me. All this info was mediated to me by the people behind the counter. When I had a question, they would ask the tech, the tech would tell them, they'd tell me. It was odd to have a middleman coordinating. I then did what I didn't want to do: I brought the guitar to Guitar Center on Mass Ave, across from Berklee. The guitar technician came out, introduced himself to me, and walked me through all the options. A couple days later they called me and said the guitar was completely fixed. It was the wiring, the very thing that Guitar Stop claimed it wasn't. There was NOTHING WRONG with the pickup or preamp. It works/sounds beautiful now. When I brought this to the attention of Guitar Stop, they told me how "filthy" my guitar was, how their tech tried every everything, etc. They offered to refund me the $20 bench fee, but it feels picayune to accept that. I always want to support local business and not the "big retailers," but in this case, if I need any work on any guitar, I won't feel confident bringing it to Guitar Stop.

had a shipping hiccup with a high dollar guitar…read more contacted them and they made it right almost immediately. highly reccommended A+

These guys are knowledgeable, honest, and incredibly helpful. They have a nice mix of guitars in…read morehouse and all the maintenance gear you need. Very fast turn around on a set up.

Without a doubt, Wolf is the best Guitar tech that I have ever worked with....and, over the years,…read moreI have used them all in the Boston area. Wolf's experience and technique...not to mention his creativity in solving guitar / bass problems make him the ideal person to work on all of my guitars, 6 & 12 strings, electric & Acoustic, Bajo Quinto, Oud, Gypsy Jazz guitars, Shred Machines...etc... The only problem, is that there's only one of him!

I brought my guild acoustic to be set up here there was some slight string buzz on the second…read morestring. I came in to pick it up on the date I was told it would be done Which was 2 weeks after I had drop it off. I came there with a brand new Stratocaster literally right out of the box for an easy setup which I do with all my instrument. When I got there not only wasn't my guild ready he hadn't even touched it. It sat in a corner for two weeks. So I left the strat which I now regret and they'd call me when the guild was ready. A week and a half later I was told it was done. When I brought it in it had 11 gauge strings on it. He brought it out and the first thing I noticed was he put 12 gauge on it. This Is a tiny place with no area to play your instrument. I had to get on my knees in front of the counter to try it out. The next thing I noticed was the action was higher. I played it with the 12s and When it was time to change them I got the same brand of 12s. When I put them on they where literally touching the frets after the 7th fret. I couldn't play it after the 7th. I complained to Tony and was told to call Wolf and I did and said the issue seemed to be with the cut of the bridge. So I brought it back expecting to leave it off so he could fix the issue. it had only been 7 months he didn't remember me or my guitar. Then looks at it and asks me if I could wait a few minutes I said okay. I expected him to come back and tell me how long it would take to correct it. He brings it back to me and his solution was to stick a couple shims under the bridge which made the action even higher and the string buzz on the second string which was the original issue was even worse. I could have done that myself. They charged me 85 dollars for the setup and ruined a 900 dollar guitar. Not mention the fact that he talked me like I was an idiot who new nothing about my instrument. don't go there.