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Phenomenal shop that really personifies customer service! Pete is a great guy to deal and talk shop with. My guitar arrived safe, secure AND quickly. I can’t recommend DuBaldo enough, just give them a call or stop by already!

I’m not sure how long this review will be, but I will say upfront that buying a guitar from DuBaldo Music was a great experience, from day one until I took delivery of my instrument, and beyond!

I ordered an Alvarez-Yairi Honduran series (FYM66HD) guitar from Pete at DuBaldo music in April 2021.

For those reading this review in the somewhat distant future, allow me to set the scene a bit:

There was a LOT going on in the world during this time. The COVID Pandemic was still raging, and supply chains were snarled at every turn.

Ports were closed, dock workers and truckers were striking or working limited hours under delayed timelines. Parts availability was questionable at best, etc.

VERY long story short: The guitar had to be hand built in Japan, then shipped to the west coast, then shipped to St.Louis, MO, then shipped to DuBaldo Music in CT before I could take delivery. All the while, considering the conditions of the world as described above.

Pete, Lisa and everyone else at DuBaldo music helped me along at every stage, kept me updated, empathized with and tolerated my frequent calls for updates, contacted the distributor in St. Louis on my behalf, and were generally very pleasant to work with over a period of just over one full year.

I will not pretend that I wasn’t itching to receive my guitar, or that the extended delay didn’t bother me. It was a maddening wait!

But I want to make it crystal clear:

DuBaldo music did their absolute best to get it to me as quickly as possible, considering the extremely challenging circumstances. I can’t say enough about their customer service. It was exceptional at every stage!

When I made my order over the phone, Pete answered all my questions and made sure I was comfortable with what I was ordering as far as the specs were concerned. We made a deal on a VERY good price, and the wait began.

I won’t bore with the details, but between Japan and Connecticut there were numerous significant delays. Mostly unavoidable and one or two caused by decisions that St.Louis Music made, and/or failed to communicate ahead of time.

Pete and Lisa worked through all of this for me deftly, and professionally.

I am not local to the store. I live in DC, about 6 hours away. When the guitar finally arrived, there were 3 in the order, and Pete and Lisa let me know that I could have my pick of the three. Instead of having Pete play them for me over the phone and choosing from pictures, I decided to drive up and try them out in person, and drive it home myself.

Lisa and Nick were more than accommodating, and I was made to feel very comfortable while taking my time to decide. All 3 guitars were incredible instruments and it was a tough decision. Nick provided periodic feedback and assistance as I tried them over a period of about 3 hours. I never felt rushed, bothered, or unimportant. They made sure I was attended to but was not hovered over.

They knew exactly how to help a musician pick an instrument, and it is clear that they wanted to make sure I was equipped to make the right choice, and leave satisfied.

On the way out, as they knew I was a visitor, they even provided local restaurant recommendations, since I had mentioned that I was making my best effort to eat at great places while I was on the road.

I was, and am still, very happy with the decision I made, and with the entire experience of buying from DuBaldo music.

I cannot recommend them highly enough!

My only disappointment was that after a year of talking to him several times a month on the phone, I didn’t get to meet Pete in person, since he was out sick the day I visited.

Hopefully he’s feeling better now, and if I’m ever back in CT, I’ll be sure to stop in and thank him personally!

Thanks again to Lisa, Nick, Pete, and everyone at DuBaldo for a trying, long lasting,, but ultimately completely satisfying experience! The guitar is utterly amazing and will be with me forever, as will the experience of shopping with you.

That was likely the most pleasant guitar buying experience I have ever had. I could not recommend patronizing this amazing store more. Thank you so much!!

Great service

Hello James louchen looking band together starting my own band made last add more songs looking music musicians each position play. Dums led ELC getdr keebord 3 Man two ladies like at one more bongls need your help changes this band songwriter add more purduers equipment management upgrade my dumset songwriter band manager back up singersEffects sounds E Yvet all call

Super nice owner. Shared his knowledge about local music scene and programs. I am coming back!!!

Keith took great care of me! I’m a beginner guitar player and broke one of my strings, had no clue what to do. I purchased the strings there and he taught me how to put them on right in the store. He even tuned my guitar, and gave me some tips to keep it maintained. Service like that is RARELY found. TY Keith!!

A hidden gem UPSTAIRS. Don’t miss it. Dave the owner is great, and talented. Patrick Gill is the PREMIER guitar TECH in the whole northwest CT region. He works miracles at a very fair price. Excellent teachers, Will for piano and keyboards and Mike for guitar and bass. Better check them out. I only trust my guitars to Dave and Patrick. Won’t go anywhere else. Seriously.

Great honest shop here. Had a great online interaction with Dave via email. Want to know why I trust them? Because they talked me out of a purchase. Ha! Thanks again!

Woodbury Music is the best shop around of all of your instrument needs! The shop owner Dave, is both friendly & knowledgeable! I have gotten both common things done (fixing of saxophone keys) as well as unusual things done (fixing of a dulcimer bridge) and everyone has always been great! I have also taken lessons for almost three years now, and my teacher Mike is not only a dedicated teacher, but also a very talented professional. Stop by and check it out!

I brought a saxophone that wasn’t being used anymore to JC Music to sell on consignment. The gentleman who waited on me was very welcoming and took his time patiently explaining how the process worked. Although it did not sell within the first 6 months it was there, when I called they explained that they felt it would and to not worry. Within a few months I was pleasantly surprised to receive a decent check in the mail with a nice letter attached from Shawn. Thank you for your kindness, professionalism and service.

They have a range of teachers to learn music from! I’ve learned so much within the 2 years I’ve been there!

JC Music have sold my amplifier, clarinets, trumpet. They are very fair and courteous and works with you on getting the best price. I highly recommend using JC Music for you consignment items. Joe D., Cheshire, CT.

Would like to obtain some nice brushes and some type of top hat set used and very sturdy since I break percussion instruments all the time when I perform?

My son, Roberto Luis and Rosa live in Meriden. Are you far from the mall? I have spent a lot of time jamming in Puerto Rico to salsa, merengue, etc but my favorite is funk like Buddy Miles.

My grandson really enjoyed the music lessons and they are very professional and knowledgeable. Highly recommend them.

This was a horrible expierence. They need to get their stuff together, they had already-sold instruments on shelf. They had an amazing guitar sale and when I went to buy, it was already sold! They got my hopes high and let it down and I will not give them my money any longer.

Completely disappointed. I placed an order in store on a instrument that was never placed with JC music. The customer service was poorly displayed and the options they gave us was not acceptable. I asked to speak to the owner several times and would not get on the phone and made his new employee talk to me. I ended up going somewhere else that was amazing

Never have any of the literature or instrument parts I’m looking for. Took 3 months to repair a trombone. I tried to return an item and they wouldn’t give me back the cash to go to another place. The owner has blatantly disrespected my mother on several occasions and doesn’t have much knowledge of much of anything outside of rock music. As far as i’m concerned, this is the worst music store i’ve ever set foot in and would not recommend to anybody.

Great service!
Allowed me to trade in a Sax for Trumpet and gave me a very fair price on the Sax. Thank you Bethel Music

Really great place for anything music. Went there to have my daughters violin checked and was treated great. Staff was knowledgeable and nice. They explained alot to me and also made some great suggestions for the future. We will definately be coming back. Great job.

Had some issues with a trombone purchased at another store and Bethel Music agreed to work on it and contacted the manufacturer because it was warranty repairs. They even called the manufacturer and arranged for the horn to be sent back and replacement sent to us at no charge. Cant go wrong with Bethel Music.

Good info from employees

Instrument rentals are great for their prices

Just stopped by quick. Had a great hour. They are the best

Very friendly fast and efficient service! I love shopping local

Very helpful.

Excellent Quality of both service and instruments.

Fast and friendly service

We rented a viola from Rayburn. The first viola wasn’t put together right (something to do with the bridge). after switching to another viola we realized the bow doesn’t quite fit with the viola.
we rented from the music store in the center and it was a great experience but pricier. though Rayburn isn’t cheap either
they will be replacing the viola once more, lets see how it goes this time…

trying to reach the store for the past 5 months. they are not responding to email or phone call. The phone service is also disconnected now.
we are left with no response and no refund.

STAY AWAY from this company! I rented a cello early 2019. We returned the cello in Aug 2019 and are still getting billed for it! I’ve called and left messages since no one picks up the phone in the Milford office where I rented and returned the instrument. No call back and monthly payments for the cello are still getting charged off my bank card. Had to file a complaint with my bank to stop payments. Terrible terrible business practice!

Great service – they fixed my instrument while I waited, gave clear instructions on follow up care, and I was all set for my gig that night.

I needed small studio monitors for a Yamaha YDP 323, so that I could record it without wearing headphones. Matt recommended PreSonus Eris E4.5’s. What a great set of speakers! No hum or distortion and completely accurate. The price was also great, no more than online while shopping local. Great store, great staff. Thank you!

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Yo soy productor musical, puedo dar clases para básico y avanzado con introducción a mezcla y master

The sales team made it possible for me to afford a piano for my son

I signed up for a piano lesson trial online. Their site is very confusing and it’s not clear if the lesson is in-person and online. I called them, left a message but they never called me back. In the day/time of the lesson, I called them 3 times because I was having problems to contact the teacher. The guy who works there, Jim, clearly doesn’t have any customer service skills. He was rude and unpleasant. He didn’t make any effort to help me, told me a was confused and nobody else had problems. I just canceled the future lessons there. It’s easier just hire a private piano teacher. Hopefully I will never have to deal with this guy again.

I paid $80 for a setup on a guitar and got it back with the strings a mile off of the neck and the floyd rose studs so high out of the body I could park a car under it. The bridge pickup was raised until it was practically touching the strings and the neck pickup was lowered to below the pickup ring. The tech then told me that 10-52 strings don’t exist. They’re light top heavy bottom and aren’t even uncommon strings. Every time I go there they give bad advice and clearly don’t know what they’re talking about. My friend tried to buy a tubescreamer (basic overdrive) and they tried to sell him a phaser instead (completely different thing).

I would give Middlesex Music Academy a 0 if I was able to. I called to inquire about a $150 charge when I haven‘t been confirmed by John the guitar teacher. I made a request to Matt that Tuesday was my preference but John was booked so he scheduled Thursday at 6pm. I received a text and email from John yesterday that he had a conflict for Thursday and offered Friday. I responded via text/email that would not work and inquired if this was temporary or permanent to which I did not receive a response. I let John know this may not be a good fit then. I called today to have the charge refunded and Jim proceeded to call me names, saying I was yelling & screaming over the phone and I was being rude. No need to go into the dramatics but Jim needs a lesson in manners, telling the truth and understanding that being a manager does not give him the authority to behave poorly. Never once did I raise my voice but did correct Jim several times throughout the conversation all because i asked for a refund. Extremely unprofessional and a bad look for Middlesex Music all around. I will be taking my business elsewhere. Inexcusable & theater worthy performance by Jim today folks!!!

Came here for some guitar strings and the employee was super awesome

My daughter’s piano teacher in East Hampton recommended this store for the purchase of a piano. Thank you Gil for your help selecting one of your pianos. We purchased our piano several days before Christmas as a gift for my daughter. As it can be challenging to find delivery at the holidays, the store owner went out of his way to deliver the piano personally on Christmas Eve. The piano sounds wonderful and my daughter was thrilled. Thanks for the excellent service, wonderful piano, and beautiful music that now fills my home.

Really great place to stop by and get an instrument. The prices seem a bit higher but the quality is surely within the quality you’d expect.
I bought a ukulele here and the quality and sound lived up to the price.

Very knowledgeable and friendly.

My daughter is signed up for lessons and her teacher is great (I hear the others are as well). Just try not to deal with the guy that owns it.

I tried to return my daughter’s Viola due to the school no longer providing classes. It was a total nightmare to get an answer in regards to my credit. They are very irresponsible and I am very disappointed by the lack of care towards my return which was even misplaced! Mom and dad are not helpful at all and he should really look at keeping them home, they make things worse!

Arrived at 10:00am (they open at 10am, but not today). I waited and they finally arrived. All I needed was guitar strings, but they had none. What a waste of time.

Awesome place, great staff, very knowledgeable

Honest people work here and they do a good job repairing or maintaining gear. Inexpensive as well.

Michael is wonderful; so helpful! Although there’s plenty to choose from, if he doesn’t have what you need he will order it. If he doesn’t know an answer to your question,he will find it and get back to you. I’m so thankful to have this store 5 minutes from my home.

Staff is very friendly and knowledgable.

Ordered instrument for my son, was told to pick up the next day, went the following day to pick it up and it wasn’t there. Also bought a box of reefs for the instrument and was given the wrong kind. The gentleman that waited on us was polite, although he didn’t recognize us even though we had just been in the day before!

excellent store, good Fender Selection, nice acoustics, lessons, and school instruments.

Great service.

Everyone is helpful.
They have rare vinyl records.

Cool little music store with a certain old-school, pawn-shop vibe. Found a cool, used Kustom powered monitor/mixer and a short mic stand, useful items at a great discount. Enjoyable experience, since the staff was cool and helpful, letting me borrow a mic and cable to test my purchase before buying.

First, the employees were excellent; friendly and helpful. I was extremely disappointed in the store itself. This was basically a dark, messy pawn shop, not the store I was familiar with from years ago. My only reason to go back would be to pick through dusty items to find something I might be in search of, more of an adventure.

Went in to sell my cello, the woman that was working there was amazing and very professional. She had to call the owner to ask about the selling price. He had her look up what my model last sold for on eBay (it’s 2021 my dude) and there were no matches so he had nothing to go off of. I paid $1400 for it, I was looking for around $500. He wanted to give me $50. An absolute joke. I’m not looking for top dollar but I’m also not looking to get completely ripped off.

Total waste of my time

Was a dj for 30 years and bought and sold equipment all over Ct . I stopped in at lasalle music in east hartford it was a nightmare . Equipment from the seventies store a mess and the staff looked like a Grateful Dead fan with colored hair . So glad I moved on with my teaching at a high school

Had maintenance work done on my guitar here and Bobby did a fantastic job. Can’t recommend the place more for any guitar work.

I got a great deal on a pre-owned Gibson that was being sold on consignment. Bobby took care of me and the guitar is in FANTASTIC condition, as described. I am very happy with my purchase. Thank you!

Always friendly and courteous. I have never had a bad experience and refer everyone to them!

Good service, very nice staff and management!

I went needing a pack of guitar strings to find out that they were closed. Their hours online say 12-4 on Saturday. Their door said the same. Lights off no one answered the phone. The time I went you ask? 3:25. EDIT:I have since gone back and they have been very nice and kind. Which has let me to update my rating.

Everyone was insanely helpful from who I spoke to on the phone for customer support, to the guy that helped me out when I came to pick up the amp in store. Giuliano’s Music takes care of its customers. Will definitely be returning for anything else I need in the future.

I bought a Maton Mini from Blue Bus – great service, price and product. Will definitely go back to them again!

Just bought a Maton BB1200JH from this wonderful place. Old school customer service in the best way.

I bought a Maton guitar from Blue Bus. Excellent service, excellent product. I am highly satisfied and will go back to them for my future purchases.

Nice looking small shop with an interesting selection of off brand guitars. I always like when the smaller shops aren’t afraid to stock higher end gear. The selection of acoustic guitars especially. The pedal section could use some fleshing out.

Bought a Maton guitar ….. company doesn’t have a clue on how to set a guitar up….. I have purchased no less then 50 guitars been playing for 50 years…. this company shouldn’t be allowed to sell guitars much less Maton .

Needed one string for my son violin rental. The lady was trying to sell me on a pack of strings that I do not need.

Matty is knowledgable and always willing to help. This is also a great place to take lessons on your instrument of choice, whether you’re just starting out or already have some experience.

Matty shares his knowledge of guitar repair to the extent of being fair about what he can actually do and not do to help you. He is honorable to share what you can do yourself to facilitate the repair.
Please support locally owned businesses.

My son has learned alot from Matty. He loves going to play music with him.

Great service.

Dirty, stuff everywhere, completely disorganized.

My son has been taking guitar lessons with Don. He has been introduced to many artists and looks forward to his lessons. We chose the Music Garage because we wanted our son to learn the basics and build a foundation for playing guitar.

Extremely nice guy and definitely knowledgeable. Went in for a guitar set up, and he got it to me in a quick time and even spared me a few dollars when I went to pick it up. Definitely recommend!

I signed up through a coupon website for my four children. They enjoyed it very much!! I felt like my kids were in good, capable, knowledgeable hands and I would have continued lessons except for the distance, we live about 30 minutes away. Thank you Turnpike Music Garage!!

A little hard to find, but owner was very helpful in my search for a solid-woods Classical guitar. Looked at a very nice A/Yari. Has some nice guitars, but he is limited by space constraints. If the f-ups in Washington and the greedy sob’s on Wall St would all drop dead, this store would have a good chance of growing.

Had an excellent selection of strings. Plan on visiting again soon.

I got My sons cello at this store and the bridge was broken and the stand

We are very happy with Route 7’s sales and service. We recorded down in Nashville, TN earlier this year and Route 7 Music’s repair shop got our guitars and banjo setup and ready to record. We wont go anywhere else now.

Gary is a great drum instructor.

Very happy with the customer service and staff at Route 7 Music. They are a great bunch of guys, and our daughter has learned so much from Gary on drums. She loves the lessons, looks forward to them and actually likes practicing. Thanks for making learning an instrument a positive, fun experience!

Do not follow hours on door or website, very dissapointing 🙁

Great experience

My son takes lessons here. They are the best.

Wonderful place!!!! Totally solved my need. Walked away with TWO guitars…. both were just what I wanted (and needed)!!! Shop LOCAL!!!! You won’t be disappointed.

Meh

Nice shop

If you’re not looking to go too far to get musical instruments. Look no further. Expensive though. But if you don’t care about prices, go for it. Not much of a selection though.

This place is just awful. The owner is so rude to us that i will never go back. We rented an instrument from him because our normal music store didnt have the instrument and when the instrument broke he said it was our fault and that it wasnt covered and then bad mouthed our local music store.

After going to this place; I must say I will never go back there again. The owner is so rude and disrespectful. Its not even funny. The owner needs get off his anthropocentric state of mind.

Great place with a knowledgeable staff!

Very convenient location!

I bought an EVH Wolfgang Special from Joe at Greenwich music that was used that they listed on Reverb. Joe is a stand up guy and was honest about everything and loyal to the customer. I Would definitely buy from Greenwich Music again!!

We were kindly helped in the store, but we were buying a guitar for our son and we don’t live in the US. We were having problems with internet so we couldn’t research correctly at the moment, but they assured that the amp could be used in 220 current. We arrived home and we connected the amp and it didn’t work. So the amp was burned. Apart from that the price was a bit higher than the same thing in other stores, it’s not nice to pay 50 dollars more, but that is just business and anyone can charge what they want. It was our fault that we didn’t do a good research before buying. But the very kind person that assured us that it would work because he used to be an electrician, and it only needed a basic adapter, was totally wrong and now we are home and we lost an amp, so we paid extra for the set and it didn’t work. You were very kind indeed, but please if you are not sure about something, don’t sell it. Because we lost money and we can’t go back because we don’t live there.

It’s a nice place! It’s a bit small but otherwise it’s nice.

Terrible customer service. Called and said I would be by in 10 minutes for an emergency repair. Guy was nice on the phone. When I arrived 5 minutes early they had closed up and locked. Super helpful…

Rudest customer service I have ever encountered. The man I spoke to on the phone yelled and hung up on me. When my daughter went in person to drop off the instrument for repair at the agreed upon time, he remained upset and kicked my daughter out of the store. Strongly encourage anyone looking to have their instruments fixed to look elsewhere. Disappointing experience to say the least.

Their hours aren’t very convenient and I was having a guitar strung and I dropped it off and I didn’t get a call before the store closed and then they were closed the next day Sunday so I didn’t get my guitar until Monday and that was extremely inconvenient. They also have a very small selection of basses.Update, they aren’t even open a couple hours on the 4th of July so I won’t get my guitar till Tuesday I am very upset with this store.

They Rock highly recommended

Eric, the associate at Sam Ash, had a great deal of experience, took the time to look at several possibilities, and solved my audio problem with the most cost-efficient solution. Very much appreciated. Thank you!

Ordered a foot switch for a Dark Star amp. Even after being specific in regards to what am p it was, the wrong part came in. Sam Ash (guy at the counter in New Haven) “owned it”. He then made the solution very simple for us. Stuff happens. It is how a store reacts that will make a difference.

As a drummer they have alot of different name brands in stock and the staff actually know what they are talking about

Limited

No Gibson Acustic gutairs wanted a j45

Rude and didn’t give me the time of day to hear what I had to say or help me

Terrible experience barely any guitars and they were dirty

They are out of business.

Very nice selection. Their inventory covers the spectrum of all things musical. I went there for strings for my 6 string bass, they understandably only had sets for a 5 string.

People are passionate there ! I really enjoyed my time at this place ! Thanks again and I’ll be back soon for sure !

All you need when it comes to musical instruments.

Sales staff were not super knowledgable. We rented our son’s violin for school through them and billing was always an issue even though it was on monthly automatic payment. Glad the saga is over.

The prices are ok. The parking can be tough. The person working the desk was dismissive of my questions. Not a lot of inventory on display. They seem more about instruction.

Thank you for your service n attention. Thank guys for helping me to pick the perfect gift for my wife.

Very bad and rude customer service, hang up my phone.

Don’t rent any instrument from this place. People are very rude. Calling customer service takes forever to get someone on the phone. Unfriendly customer service, supervisors don’t want to talk to customers. Find another place to rent instruments for your children.

WARNING! WARNING TO PARENTS!! DO NOT USE THIS SHOP FOR RENTALS! Should be ZERO stars.

We rented from here for 5 years, the first 4 went off without a hitch. This year has been an absolute nightmare. We rented two instruments, same address, same name, same payment. ONE account had no issues, the other the local store put in the wrong address (where we have never lived). Over the last 4 months I have called their headquarters, left messages, emails, etc. trying to get a paper bill MAILED so that I could pay whatever was owed. They were incapable of sending this, and every time I called in could not even find the right account or would tell me everything was fine and they did not know why I was being contacted. When asked why they could not have looked at our other rental account for the correct information they were stunned into silence. Absolute incompetency from the sales staff all the way up to the billing department supervisor who assigned our missing “account” to a collections agency and then gave us the WRONG agency. Save yourself the trouble and stay far, far away from here.