Your Top-12 list of music shops in Central City

Super nice and helpful I needed a truss rod adjustment for my dads and they did it for free they they speak Spanish too awesome place I don’t know why it’s not more popular than what it is

Found everything I needed

I love this store! I was able to get my son’s last minute request for his viola book 2 for school here. None of the other stores had it. They had book one but not 2? Amazon couldn’t even ship it out for at least a week. It’s a great store to look around, it’s a treasure in central Phx!!

Good selection, constantly updated sheet music. Well organized

really great service but nothing is perfect

Interesting store with many options. There are many song books, instruments, and accesories available here. Certainly keeps that local shop, local owner/operator feel.

They didn’t help me they said I had to make 4 other drives to get it

CentralMusic purchase policy of NO REFUNDS NO RETURNS: bought a gig bag/very nice. Also bought, and am now stuck with, Kremona KNG classical guitar pickup: rubber on the plug end is brittle/cracking. I tape-wrapped it BECAUSE NO REFUNDS/NO RETURNS. However, I do apologize to you, Central Music, because I should have examined that pickup, should have said “rubber boot has breaks” or something to that effect. But I bought it the day before my wife’s funeral service where I was scheduled to play for a bit. So, I was a little pressed for time, grieving My Beautiful Wife’s passing, not thinking before I posted my comments about Central Music. So, I am sorry if I sounded rude, because that’s not who I am. On the bright side, your shop was open, item was available, product does work, and I wish I could read music better because you have lots of sheet music available and other gear for sale.

No tiene variedad de cuerdas,no ve de guitarras de calidad.

Lots of amps and guitars

Very helpful staff.

Great place for lessons, repairs, and gear!

Very helpful the information what’s good

The perfectly imperfect music store with a hometown feel.

literally 30 minutes b4 it was supposed to close me my mom and friend were trying to get in it was closed and we were looking in it was dirty that didn’t bother me it was just the fact there were no employees there 30 before close hours meaning it wasn’t we had just missed it meaning they had closed before hand

Store hours say 10 til 6 M thru S but they don’t follow them…..went by at 230 and no one showed up…..zero stars if I could

Was looking for a decent music store but this is not it. The place is dirty, and only carries used gear. The selection was very disappointing. Look elsewhere

Prompt, expert & courteous.

Nice shop. Chris is an excellent tech and very knowledgeable especially on vintage and antique instruments. Very good at saxophone, flute, clarinet and brass instruments

“I am overjoyed at how well my horns play after getting cleaned and repaired by Chris. He did an excellent job communicating what he was going to do to my saxophones and explained everything to me at a professional level. I was very confident leaving my saxophones in his care. After playing a gig at the Nash in Phoenix, AZ, I received dozens of compliments about my sound; I have never sounded better on my tenor sax! Thanks so much for restoring my ability to play music without limitations.”

They did a great job repairing my tuba. The staff was friendly and helpful.

Chris is very knowledgable about the repairs of most musical instruments. Since he is a sax player also he has exceptional knowledge in the repair of that instrument family. His prices are reasonable and he guarantee his work. I would strongly recommend him to fellow saxaphonist.

Chris the technician is extremely competent! Highly recommend!

Dope selection and great staff!

This place is the best, they have an amazing collection of underground house/techno as well as off-beat titles you would never think to look for online. Locally owned by the legend Cocoe who’s always there to point you in the right direction. Bring headphones to leverage listening stations. Best store in Phoenix IMO.

They were helpful thanks

Nice place. Cool patio out back. Focus on Prince music

Very nice store. It’s mostly a DJ / Producer store but does have some classic rock records. I ended up getting a John Lennon / plastic ono band record that was MINT. It was half of what I would have paid at my local store. The only reason I’m giving 4 stars is the owner wasn’t very attentive, only coming over when we were ready to pay. Also, my friend who doesn’t know anything about turntables was asking the owner some questions about his two turntables. The owner answered two questions then promptly said that’s all I give for free, you need to pay for my $50 class for more information. Little rude considering my friend had never even used a turntable before.

WOW !!!!!
What a blast from the PAST!!!

Have some good stuff, good little record shop. Would love to support but owner not wearing a mask or enforcing in store. Plenty of local shops to support which are. Probably won’t be back.

terrible shop, rude customer service

I’d just read that this shop was ranked in the top ten record stores in the country. All due respect, but I’m not sure it ranks in the top 10 in Arizona.

I travel a great deal for work and make it a point to visit record shops when I’m in town. Some good (NYC, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Burlington VT, San Diego and a few others) and some bad (Washington DC is one a city I visited recently).

Grand Street has a nice aesthetic and vibe but the selection was terrible and poorly arranged. Worst was that the inventory was very small and, from what I saw, filled with an obscure and “meh” selection.

The best shop I’ve visited, so far, is The In Groove. Michael is incredibly knowledgeable and a bit OCD (in a good way) about his inventory and quality. Slightly overpriced but I’ve NEVER purchase an album that was of poor quality. That’s impressive.

To be clear, I’m not interested in bashing record stores, and I’m not doing that with Grand Street Records, but they need to step up their game. Organize your inventory for god’s sake!

I truly wish them the best and hope they improve but, for now, The In Groove is the shop for selection and quality of used vinyl.

It pains me to say this, but even Zia Records is a better shop than Grand Street. Honestly, I didn’t find one album I wanted. To be clear, I WANTED to like Grand. I left empty handed and disappointed. One of the best in the country? Not even close. In Groove, Phoenix. Generation Records, NYC. Burlington Records, Vermont. Amoeba Records, Los Angeles. Brooklyn Record Exchange, Brooklyn, NY. Ghost of Eastside, Phoenix. All of these, and more, are FAR superior.

I’m really sorry but this store was a huge “meh”.

Very friendly with my Son

Always fast and courteous service. Not yo mention great prices!

Always receive great service. They didn’t have what i needed but made recommendations where i could find it.

Very helpful and knowledgable staff.

Not many places in town to shop for music equipment, the staff is helpful enough but expect to wait around for someone you can talk to.

Went close to xmas. Very busy but nice!

The lady behind the counter was not very knowledgeable nor was she helpful. I will not be returning for sure. Never been so disappointed at Guitar Center.

This place is so horrible at customer service.I am requesting a refund for my daughters lessons. I paid and they haven’t started her yet. Someone was supposed to call me back on Wednesday and eveytime I try to call back I get the run around..

I’m giving a two star because I went into Guitar Center looking for a microphone. I found what I needed and waited at the counter. There were two employees standing there having a conversation (about people they both knew) with another customer. I stood there “in line” behind this lady for 8 minutes before another customer walked up, to get “in line”. The one employee all of a sudden acknowledged the both of us. Finally asking me, what I needed. I work in the service industry (as a waitress). It was unprofessional to make “small talk” with this lady and not at least say, “we will be right with you”.. I had questions about it the gear I purchased, and didn’t feel comfortable asking, because I felt rushed and dismissed. I am self taught and could have used some guidance from the professionals at Guitar Center. 2 stars because I love guitar center, but this location’s employees need customer service training. I probably would have spent a lot more money if I was able to ask the questions I needed to. I will not be back to this location.

As I was leaving I stopped at the “Lessons Station.” I asked my question and he gave me a short answer. Once again not feeling comfortable asking more questions. It definitely felt as if those employees simply didn’t want MY money. And it’s no problem, I will spend MY money somewhere else.

I have been working with Boogie Music/Drum Alley for 6 years now. They have tremendous support for musicians and educators in the Valley who have reasonable expectations of prices and services. They have in many cases gone out of their way to help me get the job done for my program. They will special order anything you ask for. Their rental instruments are in good repair and tend to be better then I can afford to provide students when compared to school instruments. Their luthier (string repair technician) completely rebuilt one of my orchestra basses to better than it’s previous playing condition. I highly recommend this shop for anyone.

I took guitar lessons here fokr years and fhe staff is very friendly and professional. I am welcomed in every time when entering and giving great customer service.

Very helpful and knowledgeable. Great prices. We like supporting local neighborhood stores whenever possible.

They will not sell you small pieces for bass instruments (i.e. springs,valve corks, or other small parts) instead they insist on bringing the instrument to their repair shop (not really expensive to do either) but if you are a person like me who needs their instrument on the daily it would be more time efficient to just buy the piece and fix it my self.

I have been renting a flute from Boogie music for my daughter for 3 years now. DON’T believe the 100% return on all rental fees towards purchase of a new instrument! There are loopholes for them. Not 100% of the fee you pay a month is the rental fee, roughly 2/3 is. They also only will give you this credit if you are purchasing a higher end instrument. I will have to rent a flute from them for 8 years to pay for the 1000 dollar flute they will give me the credit on. They have a much cheaper flute on their websight, but say it is not American made and that one will not count towards the credit.
While they do have repair facilities and will fix anything broken, they have not done any maintenance or cleaning on this flute in 3 years and when asked if they would, I was told bring it in and they will check it out, but no maintenance is needed.
This flute has been fine for her in grade school, but I will need to pay for it almost all the way through high school to get the trade in they will do. Just be careful make sure your child wants to play an instrument forever before getting into the contract if you want to be able to get any trade in credit.

I got my first drum set from Boogie 20 years ago. They’ve been in business a long time! They have competitive pricing and a pretty good selection of great. I would suggest Boogie music over one of the larger chain music stores because of their competitive pricing, in-depth knowledge of their products, and quality customer server.

The person at the store followed me around the store the entire time and was super critical on how I played the guitars (which was not abusive or disrespectful). Made me not feel welcome or wanted. I would buy from anywhere else. Wish this was not true, I love little music stores.

Rude on phone

IDIOTS

Best store ever

Love this place and everything they have, great place to shop for movies, music and collectibles, I will visit this Zia Records Exchange soon! I would like to have a Zia Records near Avondale, hint, hint!

The best store for movies.

Good selection of records, decent prices.

Great selection of records and plenty of other stuff. Friendly staff, only drawback is the location. Not the best neighborhood, plan your trip during the day. Not much parking, but the light rail station is right next to the store.

Good selection of items. Some can be slightly overpriced. Especially when it comes to dvd/blu rays. Some of there more unique collectibles, are priced more favorably. Good place to go and see what you might find.

Asked for help getting a game from a locked case the girl said soon as the other employee came back she would come help me. Waited 10 minutes after the the employee returned. Walked around 10 minutes went back over to the case looked at her and still no help to be to make a purchase. Ended up at gamestop…SMH

Honesty Terrible experience in this shop! Went to sell a record in pristine condition with plastic wrapping on it. Gave it to the store clerk who “needed a few minutes to come up with a price”. Returned after walking around the store to a low offer i didn’t accept and got home only to realize he had torn the plastic wrapper off half my record !!! WHO DOES THAT? very unprofessional service in my opinion. Taking all my future business and records elsewhere!!

The store is Getto and some of the employees there are rude and will waste your time so they don’t have to do anything I wount go back in that store

Great service! Great selection. Freeze your credit card if you lack self control.

This is the kind of place you just want to hang out at and soak up a vibe while trying out different guitars and amps. I honestly wish I could have talked with the guys longer, but my twin boys were getting restless. I will DEFINITELY be going back.

Mike was very kind and well informed. Job well done on a bass restring and setup.

Better than Guitar Center!!!!

Great very good helped me out and explained things very well good prices.and good help i will go there 4 all my music need s thanks

It’s a guitar shop and lessons too. … my son teacher is great. …

I looked at a guitar and didnt buy it. The guy harrased me.

Always helpful and a much better inventory than any competitor. When you have a gig or recording session, you need to be able to walk out with what you need.

I worked for Sam Ash Music in Cincinnati, Ohio. Visited the Phoenix store as a customer and had a fantastic experience! Great Company

Ordered product on phone. Picked up in stock product in store the next day. While at store purchased another product, that was price-matched with no hassle. Will visit again.

Best music store in town

I’ve been in a few times, the staff has been fantastic.. very welcoming and helpful

We were able to find what we were looking for and on the budget we had set out.

Very limited stock and prices were much higher then guitar center or musician friend

As a store this is a lovely place. The other departments were nice. But I have no clue what happened to the DRUM department.
They have close to 15 electric kits set out and today when I went in to test some of them out, I could not. They were all broken, not properly plugged in, or half set up. The only kit I went in there to play was the new Roland electric because I am actually considering getting one. It was plugged in ready to go set up and everything and yet I still couldn’t play it because it was on display on a large stage and the employee told me serious offers only. Guess he didn’t want the commission.

The acoustic kits were in bad shape, out of tune, and the only acoustic kit I was told we are allowed to play is in the sound proof cymbal room. Before I went in I was told to “keep it down”…(Drums?) I proceed to go in there to play and they didn’t even have decent pedals or cymbals on the kit anyway. Whomever is in charge of this department should no longer be. The drum department is in need of some tender love and care. Sam Ash used to be a musician haven to come in and try stuff out and make some purchases.

This is the first time I have been in years and it will be years before I ever go back. I am heartbroken and so very disappointed.

Overpriced compared to what you can easily find online. Not enough selection.

Extremely Friendly staff. Plenty of inventory to browse, you’re almost guaranteed to walk out with something.

Best music store in Phoenix.

Highly recommend.

Local Phoenix shop & good used record selections to choose from. They also sell audio equipment. Their over all selection is limited to my liking, does not mean I haven’t found what I was looking for when it was in the store. Just know what you are looking for & I think your experience will be brighter here.

My favorite record store in Phoenix. The employees are nice and helpful. The shop is small, but their selection fits right into my taste. Not always the best for finding rarities, but for building a vinyl collection of high quality music this place is perfect.

Good used cd deals

buy more records. forget about the economy, you have to put more out there to get more in return. not only that, i would come down there more often. punk rules!!!

Parking very hard to find!

This location is great. Staff is very friendly and extremely knowledge. I have bought my guitar, amp and drum set from them. I would definitely recommend this location.

Took my son to get guitar strings. Employees were helpful and had smiles on theit faces. They always have a good selection. I guess people aren’t hoarding guitar strings!

Great customer service and knowledgeable Representatives

Nice looking new store. Layout is confusing compared to old location on Elliot Road. I suppose it’ll become less confusing over time.

Laid-back store. Was able to browse without feeling too rushed or observed.

Great staff, knowledgeable on the instruments. I do wish their uke selection was larger. Definitely never had an issue here!

Horrible service.. nobody had time to sell me guitar.. bought from another store the same day

Empty store. Going out of business?
Didn’t have Elixirs.

I wouldn’t recommend guitar center they always have the same stuff all the time just order online

The service was excellent. Guitar choices and attributes were explained well and staff was easy to deal with. Received good advice on the product that met my needs. Highly recommended. And lots of good choices too choose from.

Phil was great! Acoustic Vibes has a great selection with even better staff!

Great experience. Knowledgeable professionals that enjoy their work. Service and products are top shelf.

Nice acoustic design,
all acoustic guitars top shelf brands.

Best acoustic guitar selection I’ve seen

Best music store in the area to peruse some of the best acoustic instruments by selected boutique and mainstream builders. The stock is priced between $3 and $10k but the reward for spending more is finding the equivalent of a Steinway (beautiful tone, resonance and playability) in a steel or nylon string guitar. Cheaper instruments are available, but comparing them to the better ones is motivation to indulge yourself or reward yourself for hard work in getting better. Better sound makes you play at a higher level. Check this small store out!

Good selection, but weird atmosphere and left me feeling unwelcome. One might think such a ‘high’ tier guitar store would offer a ‘high’ tier experience, but that wasn’t the case for me. When I first entered the building I was met by a few older customers and employees and got nothing but a sour face by everyone just by opening the door, no greeting, nothing- super awkward, everybody literally stopped talking to look at me with an irritated look, as if I had interrupted something. I then had to excuse myself past the small gathering of what looked like employees talking to customers that wouldn’t move just to get to the first guitar room. I then was greeted by a salesman who instead of letting me tell him what I’m looking for, proceeds to go into a shpeel on all the different Martin models, basically making me interrupt him to tell what I’m looking for. The salesman also told me HD28s don’t come with dot inlays yet here I am looking at older models with them all over the internet. There was nobody else browsing the store in the guitar sections. I was then told I could play guitars, but the adjacent rooms are used for things like Banjo, which made it so I couldn’t even hear the guitars I was trying to play because somebody was in there clawing away. I really don’t think I’ll be visiting again, regardless of the selection. I’ll spend thousands of dollars somewhere else that takes every customer seriously. I went to Milano music right after and was treated respectfully and seriously without hesitation, and I didn’t need to schedule a high-pressure sales pitch and waste an hour of my time.

Very unfortunate visit, coming in to try out and buy a steel string guitar. We were greeted with passive aggressiveness and a magazine thrown across the main entrance before entering the guitar room from the shop keeper, young guy. incredibly rude and 0 customer service.
Made the whole stay unpleasant.
Monday 11:10am