Drexel Heights – Top 20 places for music shops20 recommended music shops in Drexel Heights

I have bought multiple guitars from Joe. He’s extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and very fair. Highly recommended

Best experience ever.

Joe paid me nearly double what any other shop in town offered for my vintage Gibson guitar. He was very communicative and friendly as well.

Boy have I missed this shop, nice to see they were just around the corner.. Best music store this side of the mississippi and on that side of the santa cruz..

Amazing selection, the charming staff were very open and direct in helping me find what I was looking for!

Easily the best music store I’ve ever been to! Took about 45 minutes to set up my guitar. The staff is courteous and knowledgeable. Highly recommended!

Was a great music store later .with alot of selection … And I had a problem with being over charged and the manager helped me with the problem and it was great costumer service…. Thank you

Very cramped space but they have lots of instruments and friendly staff. Very old school mom and pop feel. I’ve gone through them for school instruments for two of my children in band and recommend them.

There prices are fair, and you will always find what you need

This is a terrible store. The guy in charge is sleazy and their service is really bad. We went to a band rental night and this guy started yelling at everyone to come to his table. He really is embarrassing.

I’ve never had a store raise its price on an instrument while I was holding it. The owner torn the tag so quickly I almost dropped the guitar. “miss priced” $295 to $795. Repair person joked I should have bought it while I had the chance. Super unprofessional.

So I returned to Tucson after 20+ years and a lot has changed. Chicago music store skimmed down from the corner brick and mortar super store to a scaled down Store front and that’s just fine. And the staff pleasant enough.

I was in the market for a telecaster and they had a few that looked promising. I picked one up and reached in my pocket for a pick, and shockingly, had none.

I asked the associate for a pick who said “sorry, no picks are allowed.”

Let that sink in. This wasn’t a vintage, artist owned, custom painted or even an American telecaster. It was a MIM standard and they wouldn’t let me play the guitar with a pick. I laughed at first because I thought he was joking but then I saw they actually had a SIGN stating no picks. They were dead serious and were trying to sell guitars without letting guitarists pick at them.

2 stars for surviving the online wars and guitar center and the nice guy who was embarrassed at this obvious bizarro policy but who tried to sell it to me by telling me I could plug it in to an amp. yeah that’s like trying to sell me a tv with the sound muted. Naw bro, I’m good…

I just moved from Nashville where my local music shop had a 68 Gibson j45 that I played like I owned it because as they said when I first inquired about the guitar and cost (6 grand), “play it. That’s why it’s there.”

Cmon on. You’re damn near a Tucson institution for gear. Policies like that alienate musicians and nothing more. I don’t even wanna know what happens if you wanna try to play the drums… Jazz sticks and a timer no doubt.

Ugh. Someone correct me and tell me that was a prank on me or something dumb they only did for a day….

this Redbox was easy to rent from once I was able to find it.

Im not much for jewlery but i really like the pearl pieces i ordered. Overall the pieces are of good quality and you cant beat the price.

Great place to get your kiddo hooked on something GOOD. Very nice people, too.

This is the coolest music shop in tucson. A must see. Awesome owners, very friendly, and they let you jam.

Great employees loved the kid helping out there gotta start them early

Cool little shop, not that wheelchair friendly but I was still able to get around. The staff I interacted with was very knowledgeable and helpful just looking for a harp for my daughter and he helped get it set up and answered all my questions and my daughters.

This place needs a few more customers that are interested in older instruments. Nice people. Bought a older repaired guitar and gig bag. Perfect for someone who just wants to see if they like playing a guitar.

They repaired my 12 string guitar

Well, over the years I’ve bought, sold, and traded with Paul and really wouldn’t do so again. The last guitar I purchased there had broken tuner barrels and more important, his pricing and moods vary wildly. Certainly lots to look at, but no great shakes in terms of quality or pricing.

I am absolutely incredulous as to how condescendingly I was treated over the phone by this place. I arrived with my Taylor 312-CE looking to trade up and quite likely spend substantial chunk of money. I noticed the posting on the door that read (I may be paraphrasing) “masks required even for those vaccinated.” I have been twice jabbed with Pfizer, but no problem. I get it. I understand it. People may not be fully honest about their status and might contaminate others. I have zero issue complying with the policy The posting also read “do not knock; call to be granted entry” (again, I may be paraphrasing, but this was the gist). I keep a KN-95 with me in the car but couldn’t find it. Maybe it fell behind the seat or something. I ring their number. A woman answers. Convo goes like this: “Hi, I noticed you require masks even for the vaxxed, which I am fully, but I can’t seem to find mine here in my car….I’m here outside….do you happen to have any masks there inside the store that you could pass out to me”? (like logical, sensible merchants across town, the state, the country have in abundance in case you forgot or can’t find yours—sterile ones for the taking in boxes) “If not, I don’t live too far. I can run home, grab one and come back”. The woman on the phone raises her voice and says “NO YOU NEED TO WEAR A MASK” and abruptly hangs up!! Um, I think I got that part and more than amply communicated it back. Wow. And delivered with a tone of voice akin to Mrs. Gulch from Wizard of Oz. I was perfectly polite, acknowledged the policy and was willing to go out of my way to comply. This is not only ridiculously bad policy, but there was not even basic intelligible, lucid communication on her part. Not the conduct of a sound minded individual.

Now, for some background. I have never made any major purchases at Folk Shop. However, I have patronized them over years–even before I moved to Tucson. The first time, I was recording an album visiting from Austin in 2014 and needed a dobro capo. The engineer called around to Guitar Center and few other places. They didn’t even know what a dobro was, much less a dobro capo. Folk Shop to the rescue with a Paul Beard capo, just like the one I had forgotten and left back in TX! I’ve been there since for strings, straps, stainless steel slides etc. Never ever the slightest of problems. What happened today is totally inexcusable. I myself have been fastidious and a stickler about masking and distancing throughout the pandemic, but this kind of post-mandate fanaticism, illogic and outright meanness is beyond the pale. They certainly don’t want my money or any of my future business. To hell with this place. l’ll buy a guitar from Musician’s Friend before stepping foot in there, even though I prefer to shop locally.

Very rude disrespectful because I was asking for a part and I didn’t have a mask and I wasn’t trying to go in the place without permission and they were just very rude very very rude and I didn’t understand I was thrown off by it. Yelling at me for no reason all I wanted was a part I didn’t even try to go into shop told her I’d wait outside because I didn’t have a mask she slams door in my face. So I go get a mask and they won’t even deal with me I was the up most respectful and didn’t deserve that. Very very rude!!! I’ll never do business with them again.

They got great prices some pretty good quality gear and they’re really fair

Check it out

Interesting store. They have combined bikes and music in one store. I went there to buy bicycle tubes which they had. The store attendants were very helpful and friendly..

Nice small music store

good store..a tad overpriced on certain items… the staff is decent, there is one guy who always seems like he’s in bad mood he’s usually right at the front, his service could use some improvement, other than that neutral experience I guess, definitely not much of a welcoming vibe.

Way, way, way more than just buy/selling instruments!

They sold me a C trumpet that needed far more repairs than described. It had messy soldering all over it and a 2nd valve slide that was way to long(It was a generic slide someone had previously done a bad repair job on). I’m not sure if this is typically just a guitar shop or what, but wind players, avoid this place. I ended up selling the horn for way less than I paid, because no reasonable person would pay what I did after seeing it up close. Ended up buying a new one from a very knowledgeable store in San Jose. Lost about $400 when all was said and done, but at least I have a horn that functions without needing a copious number of repairs.

I’ve read the experiences of other customers at this store and can’t believe that I am having such a negative experience with these guys! Granted the mistake was made on my part, but after realizing what had happened and returning the instrument in good condition and trying to fix the mistake, my wages were garnished for twice the amount of what the instrument was worth that I had rented! $1315.76 and now two and a half years later after I had paid in full they are trying to garnish my wages again for another $100. All of this was done without communication, I made a mistake after moving to a new house and packing the instrument away and forgot about it. I returned the item when I came across it unpacking immediately without notice. I wasn’t expecting not having to pay something, but to come back after having paid in full and after such a long time makes me wonder if the customers are really the focus of this store!

When Selling, be Sure to look up your item on all price levels to know your stuff b4 going in or Todd will be sure to set-up his search to show you the least offer poss since he “Don’t know what a used instrument” like yours sells for.
1st time= Shame on You
2nd time= Shame on Me.. there won’t be a 2nd time.

Very helpful!

Friendly and very helpful.

Got a great deal on the gear I needed with helpful, friendly service. Highly recommended!

Friendly, knowledgeable staff.

I had a very positive experience at Instrumental Music. The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. Especially their instrument tech/luthier Cody, who helped to answer several questions I had about what paint/finishing products he would recommend on a DIY guitar build I am working on. (They didn’t carry any. Otherwise I would have made a purchase.)
My overall impression of the store is that it is geared towards the beginner/novice musician in that they had a wide variety of instruments in price ranges that were more towards the mid – lower end. And yet were still very good quality products from reputable manufacturers. And they offered lessons in store as well. The only small knock on the store I had would be the limited selection of manufacturers to choose from.
I would definitely recommend visiting their store though, whether you’re a beginner or pro. This was my first experience in their store and I will be back!

Excelente atención y hablan español

When I called to ask how much it would cost to replace violin strings, they said it was free and that I would only be charged for the new strings themselves. But when I brought the violins in, they charged me $25 per violin. Then, after a few days of practice on the newly stringed violins, one (of the two) violins irreparably broke at the base where the strings would attach, likely because they had negligently applied too much force in replacing the strings. In all, I paid them almost $100 to ruin one of my violins, which cost me $400 to replace. They are liars and at least when it comes to violins, they are also incompetent.

Had my violin taken in for string and bridge replacement because of old age. When given back they failed to consult if I wanted the gear pegs back on, nor did they fill my request of a new bridge. When taken to a second opinion they stated that the bridge was ready to collapse and was causing issue to the sound post.

This bad review concerns Maria Ferraz, piano teacher. Our initial meeting seemed positive and I felt comfortable with her with my three year old son. To make sure he was ready to be taught piano, according to her, we set another appointment the following Saturday. This time she wasn’t as nice and patient. I was outside the room while she stayed in the room with my son. To begin, my son is three. He is a very curious boy. This particular day he wasn’t wanting to sit and learn. As I peeled through the window, I saw Maria force his little hand to play the piano. My son resisted and just sat there staring up. She then yells at him, “What are you looking at? What are you looking at?” She turned to see if I was standing there and she just nodded her head. I opened the door and grabbed my son.

I also want to point out that she has a lot of pictures, posters, just stuff in her tiny room enough to distract anyone much more a three year old. Also, if she doesn’t have the patience it takes to teach a three year old, then you shouldn’t advertise that you do. And lastly, you have no right to yell at my son or any child who doesn’t have the ability to fully comprehend what is happening, what you are asking, or able to express his emotions with proper vocabulary to answer your ridiculous questions!

Beware of this woman and always keep an eye on your child when you are not in the room.

Great service and nice people

Only shop that has Mesa boogie tubes. Staff very helpful.

A wide selection if Fender Gear along with a plethora of other brands like Jackson and Gibson. Everything is pristine, and the staff is super friendly and helpful. Will definitely be back.

Has the sense of everyone there at one point of their lives was or is a musician, but nonetheless the service is quick to help. Always ready to answer any questions you may have. They have just about anything you may be looking for to specific parts to instruments. I love it! Everyone is friendly and knowledgeable to their field/musical expertise. Check ’em out.

These people know what they are talking about. Excellent selection of instruments and gadgets along with knowledgeable employees.

Great selection of new and used.

They had us standing outside in the heat and we called them standing out side the building

Closed early.

Came into Rainbow Guitars disgusted with Guitar Center and their customer service or rather lack there of!

I moved to Tucson from Las Vegas 1.5 years ago and I have found poor customer service to be pretty much pandemic in Tucson in all businesses including the medical field!

My experience went exactly like this…….I was at the door waiting for the store to open at 10:30 am. I practically had $4,000.00 in my hand to spend on a new or used guitar I’ve always wanted. They didn’t have a Gibson ES 335 in stock new or used and I asked about a 336 because I saw one online in their used inventory. The salesman who’s initials are “Stefin” told me they didn’t have any in stock so we looked for probably 30 minutes in the Gibson website and found a brand new one I liked and the salesman who’s initials are “Stefan” took my number and said he’d call me next week! So I went home and when I got there I called the store, asked for the salesman who I’ll still refer to as “Stefan” and asked him again about the ES 336 I saw online. He then looks and says “oh I didn’t know we had this in inventory.”

The salesman I won’t mention his name, didn’t know his inventory, didn’t research his inventory when asked, directed me to the brand new guitars online which is obviously more money to them and it’s been nearly 2 weeks now and I still haven’t heard from Rainbow Guitars and the MIA salesperson commonly referred to as “Stefan!”

High end guitars with low end customer service! And I come from a service oriented town! So either Harvey & his shop here is making so much money that they don’t need my $4,000.00 at the end of the year? or it’s just more atrocious customer service in this cowtown?!

I need to start a business and then have this town hire me to teach them all Customer Service!

HEAD’S WOULD ROLL!!! Starting with a certain sales associate who lost the business and it’s owner $$$$ FOUR GRAND $$$$ and any return business!

And I called this morning to speak to the owner, left my number and it’s 5 hours later and no call! So there you go! Lead by example is a great business practice!

The employees are knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. In addition, there are teachers available for various music lessons.

My son is currently renting an alto saxophone from Chicago music store. The prices are the best in town and have different price points depending on the quality of the instrument and your budget. The owner is incredibly generous and kind and made me feel really taken care of when we needed a part serviced. The employees are really welcoming and knowledgeable as well. Can’t recommend Chicago music store enough!

I love this store. I’ve been shopping here for 40 years. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. The store is clean and well-lit. They have a ton of inventory. And I always find what I need. This store is a Tucson treasure.

I talked to jim the repair guy and he was super helpful and knew exactly what I was talking about.

Helpful and friendly. Very knowledgeable about the product and give you space to look around.

Everyone was nice wish they would have returned the product I purchased tho.

Was doing rent to buy they gave me a broken instrument that didn’t work then I took it back the next day they accused me of breaking it then made me pay a hundred and fifty dollars to fix it even though I didn’t break it

For people who play guitar with left hand beware not the place for you to expensive but for people who play with there right hand good choice for you

Worst Music Store in Tucson. Don’t ever buy from them.

Exceeded my expectations. Gordon came very highly recommended to me by the folks at my local guitar store. You should have heard them gushing about Gordon, and now I know why. I took my Taylor 414 to Gordon to have it refretted and for a new nut and saddle. First, he quoted two weeks, which seemed reasonable to me, but he did it in two days! And what I got back was an instrument I did not know existed in my guitar. It has never played as well as it does now. Gordon is a highly skilled, deeply experienced luthier who obviously loves what he does and takes pleasure going above and beyond for his customers. His prices are very reasonable, and he’s also very friendly, has a great sense of humor, communicates clearly, returns messages promptly, and is a pleasure to interact with. I won’t take my guitars anywhere else. Thanks for doing such a wonderful job on my guitar, Gordon!

I’ve been playing acoustic guitar for over 50 years. For most of those years my 1956 D-18 Martin was my mainstay. A great guitar. A decade or two ago a dear friend introduced me to Gordon Groves by way of letting my play “Goldie”, his Groves custom. I was enraptured.
To abbreviate a lengthy story, Gordon has now built me (1) an extraordinary rosewood dreadnaught, (2) an equally extraordinary mesquite OM, and (3) a dazzling koa 00-12 with ridiculously beautiful abalone inlay. Each is an exceptional work of the luthier’s art, but most importantly each plays exquisitely. Their voices are far beyond what anyone might expect of each size/style. They’re simply amazing. Beautiful tone and astonishing projection. I keep promising my wife I’m finished buying guitars, but ….

I have owned and played custom steel-string guitars since 1976. Last year Gordon built a custom mesquite and Adirondack 14 fret OM for me. I can unequivocally say that this Groves guitar continually provides endless hours of pure playing pleasure. The sound is exquisite, the fret board ease and respond naive. And when I’m not playing it the guitar provides almost an equal pleasure as a pure work of the finest luthiers art just to look at: an exceedingly satisfying investment on every level.

Great sound quality, best sound engineer in Tucson hands down

Hands down great producer professional quality

Knowledgeable staff and great teachers. Went here to get some lessons for my son and was very impressed with the customer service and expertise of those on staff.

Nice store. Helpful worker. I wish I ordered that Alvarez though….

Amazing crew working here, super helpful and fantastic customer service. The most inviting music store I’ve ever been in.

Nice enough store. Employees seemed cool. Owned and operated by Guitar Center. I still prefer local when possible, but this place is nice.

my son had saxophone lessons scheduled about a week in advance so we showed up to our appointment only to have the front desk guy tell us that he supposedly called me and left me a voicemail telling me our instructor cancelled us. i had no missed calls or voicemails. i left work early to bring my son, wasted time and gas having to drive 30+ minutes to get here. very unprofessional.

Hired Mariachi Alegre for my parents Bday on 03/26/23, I just want to say WOW, George and his team 5 Mariachis total came on time, they started singing Las Mañanitas at the door as I requested to surprise my parents, My parents were so very happy at the end and not just them but it was a surprised for all the family, they did a great job, will definitely hire them again! Good business.
Claudia

They played at our wedding on Mount Lemon and were fantastic. Cannot recommend this duo enough!

I first heard Johny and Katie at Borderlands a year or two ago and was super excited to have them play at our wedding in March 2020. They are amazing! Very easy and nice to work with, flexible with song choices, and they made planning the music a breeze. We’re happy they were able to make our day even more special – highly recommend.

Katie and Johny played for our ceremony this February and did an absolutely AMAZING job. I was amazed at the work they put in to making our day special and felt that their pricing was very reasonable. They’re wonderful performers and everyone was giving their compliments the rest of the night.

They asked me what songs we wanted for each part of the ceremony and prepared their own versions. They requested no substitutions and made all of my requests work including Talking Heads and Labi Siffre. They were entirely professional and easy to communicate with throughout the whole process. I cannot recommend them more!

Thank you Katie and Johny!!