el Masroig: Overview of the top 8 music shops

Our 13 year old son has been taking private saxophone lessons at ” The Music Shop” for over 4 years, starting with Leo Liddle. Keith Wilson, a very talented musician took over as his teacher and we love his dedication and perseverance to help expand our son’s musical knowledge with the sax, while also making it fun. The expansion of his new location makes the updated atmosphere a wonderful learning environment, and also has great on site repair service.

Keith has has done maintenance on my flutes several times and at a reasonable cost. Now all my flutes play much better. He is a flute player himself and very personable. I’m grateful for him and the lovely music shop.

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

We recently decided to have our 13 year old son take drum lessons here. He loves it so much we bought him a Ludwig four piece set. Just installed it and he’s having a blast jamming out! Great atmosphere and quality service. Highly recommended.

I’m not a customer yet, but after my experience today I definitely will be. I arrived about a half hour to closing time and I was still greeted with kindness and an eagerness to help. Dennis really made my whole experience with looking to purchase a guitar and he went above and beyond my expectations. Unfortunately my expectations were set by experiencing being a woman in a Guitar Center, but Dennis showed me nothing but respect and he is very passionate about music and encouraging others to learn. If you’re looking for a comfortable and fun shopping experience, I couldn’t recommend this shop enough.

Great music store, helpful staff & if they don’t have it in stock, they can get it for you. It’s nice to have access to local shops versus Big box stores.

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.

Meh

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.

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.

The band camp is phenomenal!

Great place for lessons for all ages.

Wonderful staff! They fixed my daughter’s cello strings.

Very pleasant multi-faceted learning experience

Great place to hangout at and try different instruments. I really enjoyed the vibe and customer service!

Great selection of guitars new and used Fantastic local music store it’s a breath of fresh air to have something besides G.C around. Very knowledgeable staff and the owner is awesome.

I spoke with Shelley over the phone an had a wonderful experience! She was very knowledgeable about the brands and products they carry and provided me all the information I needed. Would recommend!

Interesting store with some interesting gear. They don’t seem to carry Fender or Gibson. They had a stomp box manufacturing class going on when I visited.

Purchased a guitar for 750, now walking out with 637. Unfortunately I was not told about a very unfair and sneaky return exchange policy until I had asked after already completing the purchase. Also could not see clearly a visible sign inside that states anything about a return policy. When I asked where the sign was upon trying to return this guitar he pointed to have a corner and I still did not see the sign. I do believe that a return policy sign should be at the register for full disclosure. The law does state you are entitled to a full refund if you are not told about the refund policy during the time of the transaction, which I was not informed of that. Limited selection and unfortunately subject to a very steep restocking fee or store credit, if you are a serious musician make sure you know this first as you know that buying instruments is quite expensive and it is hard to want to get locked into something that you do not truly love.

As one reviewer already stated. They have a terrible return policy especially with online purchases. Good store as long as you know you’re going to keep the item but who really knows, its musical gear, its hard to tell if your going to dig it or not until you play it with your rig. Returning a pedal (or probably anything) is just not worth it due the return fees. 2 stars because I received it pretty quickly but definitely wasn’t packed that well. Without a doubt this will be my last purchase from this store. There’s plenty of other great stores to choose from that won’t bend you over on return fees. **Edit for response to the owner** Yes you do clearly state your return fees online. “Small restocking fee” is a bit of an understatement…your restocking fee is 10%. If I pay $250 for a guitar pedal. Right off the bat you’re keeping $25 of my return. I couldn’t imagine purchasing a guitar online through your store.

The best small town music shop! I love how friendly everyone is there. Especially Scott, he is always very upbeat and knowledgeable. He looks out for the customer’s best interest. I would definitely recommend The Music Shop to anyone.

We had a great experience at the music shop in Southington. We went in to buy a guitar for our son. Tyler was really helpful and answered all our questions patiently. Thank you Tyler!

I’ve been doing business with Scott at the music shop for years, he knows about the needs of musicians and great on any repairs or just info on your current instrument. Will hopefully be doing many more years here.

Great place but website could be better such as pics of some used equipment. I’m a drummer and would like to see what they have for new and used cymbals,stands,drum kits etc. And prices. I have done business with them and always had a great experience the reason for three stars is the website doesn’t do the music shop justice. All and all great store great people.

The cellos were in not in good shape and we had to pay a luthiere to redo repairs that were poorly done when we received the instrument.

Brought an old ‘66 Fender in and they took 40 years off it over the weekend. My jaw is still on the ground in amazement.

I’ve been a patron of the Middlesex Music Academy for over a decade. This is the place. THIS, is the place. If you’re looking for a tutor, repair or an expert opinion/guidance about music, THIS, is the place. You are not going to get the same care or interaction elsewhere; THIS, is the place.

For instances, their “repair guy” Joe Stereo, is the best. I have trusted him with my most beloved gear and he has treated my gear as if it were his own. He is aces. He’s always gone above beyond the call of duty in every conceivable way. Joe has worked on more than a dozen of my
instruments and I have never been dissatisfied in anyway.

Matt, the store proprietor, is a seasoned musician. He and his dedicated staff are generous with their knowledge and willing to work with anyone on any budget or otherwise to achieve their goals. I can’t say enough about this homegrown and beautiful establishment.

The bottom line, if you’re looking for a music store where you can build a lasting and worthwhile relationship with, then look no further than the Middlesex Music Academy. THIS, is the place.

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.

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!!!

I was considering the purchase of a guitar for my grandsons birthday. I found the staff at Greenwich Music very helpful and courteous. They even offered a free lesson with the purchase. I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone looking for a musical instrument and/or music lessons. I did purchase a guitar, and his first”free” lesson is next week! Great place to shop.

A great store!

I can’t rate this place high enough. I am a guitar player and I love buying stuff from the real shops and not just the big warehouses out there (Guitar Center among others) and this place fits the bill. Great people who are willing to work with you and help you find what you need. Great prices too. I purchased a guitar from them and I will purchasing some other things from them as well. If you are in the market for good gear then check these guys out. Ask for Joe, as he will take care of you.

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

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.

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.

Great location. They don’t have boxes laying around. The Staff and teachers are great. Parking is rough, hoof it or pay up.

Quality store, professional staff, and especially helpful with younger students. Good programs for renting instruments, and they host lessons as well.

Wasn’t going in to buy but, the selection of guitars was great. The service was excellent and I was treated with respect, definitely will be going back whenever I need something!

Yeah it’s good!

Limited retail space, but the staff is helpful and knowledgeable. Music lessons are offered on site.

I have condensed my original rant down to the following- we really like our children’s teachers- but the front desk needs saving

Make sure you ask questions. I signed my son up for instrument lessons over the phone and the woman asked me if I preferred West Hartford or East Hartford. I chose the one closest to my home, on the day of the first lesson, I brought my son to the store for the lesson and they tell me its an online lesson. An ONLINE lesson? No one ever said a thing about an online lesson and why would you ask me which store Id like to go to if the lesson was online!?

Imagine spending your life blowing air into a piece of metal. Unbelievable

The worst company in the world!!!! If I can give anyone advice it would be to stay away from this place. Their thief’s and I will never do business with them again.