Matt is a great music enthusiast whose recording and teaching skills are awesome!
Thanks Matt, you ROCK from the heart
Had to get my guitar fixed. Matt took care of it right away and did a great job. Very friendly and knowledgeable. Would definitely recommend
I had my month-old acoustic guitar set-up by Matty. He lowered the strings, put lighter-gauge strings on, and rubbed a little oil on, too. All in one day, at a great price!!! It feels and sounds great! Also, he plays the guitar really well, and I’ll most likely take lessons from him.
Great service.
Dirty, stuff everywhere, completely disorganized.
3. Rayburn Music
Address: 22B Andover Dr, West Hartford, CT 06110 , Ellington , Connecticut , United States
Excellent Quality of both service and instruments.
Very friendly fast and efficient service! I love shopping local
Fast and friendly service
In store service is good but can never call the Hartford Rayburn Music. Electronic voice prompts to dial 0 for an attendant but when do so it says “Your call cannot be transferred” been a customer for about 3 years. Never could get done anything over phone. Have to visit store for everything.
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!
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.
4. La Salle Music & Sound
Address: 993 Main St #2233, East Hartford, CT 06108 , Ellington , Connecticut , United States
Our competitors think writing bad reviews is the best way to earn a customers business Buyer beware
Fred Pedemonti no longer works there,that is why the 5 stars. Fred is scum.
Everyone is helpful.
They have rare vinyl records.
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.
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
Total waste of my time
Ordered lugs for my snare. They sent me receipts and invoices and never shipped my lugs. I called and emailed multiple times and never got a response back after leaving numerous messages. Been 2 months and I still don’t have my lugs and am out $60.
5. DuBaldo Music Center
Address: 881 Main St, Manchester, CT 06040 , Ellington , Connecticut , United States
Great store! Love the selection of Ernie Ball Music Man instruments.
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!
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
6. Records – The Good Kind
Address: 435 Hartford Turnpike, Vernon, CT 06066 , Ellington , Connecticut , United States
One of the few remaining record shops left in Connecticut. They carry mostly used vinyl, CDs, cassettes, and even some eight tracks. There is also a selection of vintage stereo equipment.
Good section of gospel and tension .
So good. Savory!
I will SO be coming back here soon!
Reminds me of 1992.
If you love music and are partial to vinyl, you’ll LOVE this store. Ian has some incredibly rare records on hand, as well as crates full of both mainstream and esoteric selections for 3 bucks apiece, or 4 for $10! They’re all in GREAT shape, and cover EVERY genre of music there is. Prices throughout the store are very reasonable. When Homer Simpson said he was looking for “Records, The Good Kind,” this is what he meant!
Small selection but good prices
A very nice record shop.
The selection is great and the quality of disks is high.
The owner stands by his product too and is reasonable about purchases you aren’t satisfied with. (I personally have always been satisfied but a friend made a return with not hassle at all).
Prices are fair to a tiny bit high but not unreasonable at all.
Nice Store. Some pretty obscure stuff, lacking in anything other than records but the name of the place should say it all. Highlight was a really big selection of cheap records, went digging and found a few gems. Nice friendly staff and cool location.
You may like the selection. I certainly did. The owner was very pleasant to me until one of his employees was not. Should you opt to bring your own record tote, do NOT use it to carry what you are going to purchase around inside the store. I cannot emphasize enough how important this is.
This store does have a decent selection. However, their pricing is too high. You can do much better elsewhere with equal quality.
7. Music & Arts
Address: 989 Farmington Ave, West Hartford, CT 06107 , Ellington , Connecticut , United States
Really Love this place people are friendly, products are great and I purchased a snowblower a few years ago and its running perfect!
Very knowledgeable, helpful and courteous staff.
Love having a local ace for all our pet needs including chicken feed and gardening supplies for the season. Our dogs are treated with bones each visit and the staff is friendly and helpful.
Good costumer service, along with most of what you would need for your yard and garden. Great selection of cat and dog food too
Great service but prices are double the big box stores.
Been a long time customer since 2013; bought my John Deere x300 tractor brand new from here; serviced religiously every year by them for 8 years; no issues until 2021. A recent experience with the service department has convinced me to go elsewhere. I had an issue with my mower deck which caused me to bring it in for assessment. I am aware of the $50 assessment; which I had no issue with. I was told that my old mower deck was bad, blade shafts were bent, deck shell was rusted/bent; and required replacement. I was quote $1100 for this work. I confirmed that the replacement part came complete with a new deck, spindles, blades, belt…etc. Basically all new mowing parts. They did extend a discount for this because it was expensive and unexpected; bringing the cost down to $975; which I was appreciative of. I thought about buying it online where it was cheaper; but opted to buy/support local because they know the machine and have serviced it for so long. A couple weeks go by and hadn’t heard anything; so I call for a status check. I was told that everything would be ready soon. But John Deere sent them only the mower deck shell only without all the other parts. I was told not to worry and they would transfer all the old parts over from my old deck; which I was previously told was bad. I never authorized the use of the old parts; nor did they call me to inform me of the incomplete part coming in. I asked if there would be any discount because this is not what was agreed, and they said no. I asked if they had the other new parts on the shelf to make it right. They said yes, but that it would cost an additional couple hundred dollars. So I asked why they could not get the parts right from John Deere, and they said there was nothing they could do, there was a parts shortage, and it is what it is. Frustrated with this; I told them I don’t want the deck and that they could keep the bad one. This was not what was agreed upon from the beginning and that someone screwed up; and I was getting stuck with the bill and getting an incomplete repair. I never agreed to the use of the old parts which were supposedly bad. As long as this review is…I inquired with another John Deere dealer who ordered the parts; everything came as described; there was no parts shortage; and it was installed within 2 weeks for several hundred dollars less. My theory is someone ordered the wrong part and they didn’t want to eat the cost. It’s too bad, because they are the most conveniently located John Deere dealer in the area. They seemed a bit frustrated that I decided not to proceed; but there was a severe lack of communication on this job and I wasn’t going to get the short end of the stick on this. It’s not right. Does 8 years of customer loyalty mean anything? They tried to pull a fast one on me and screw me bad on this repair.
Disappointed . I have been a customer for over 20 years. I love the in store shopping experience for my gardening and pet needs. Lately, the customer service and friendly staff are hit or miss. Sadly today’s visit was another miss. The person checking me out was a long time employee. I requested a specific kind of rabbit food which was unavailable. She did offer other choices but was not clear if the item I needed was no longer being sold or was just out of stock. Typically, they special order or offer a timeframe for when they will be receiving the product in. Based on the attitude, I was not feeling comfortable asking if they would let me know when the product would be in. Rabbits have extremely sensitive digestive tracts so changing their food suddenly is not an option, especially for my 10 year old bunny. Both my daughter and I left the store feeling like our business was no longer valued and we would be finding a new place to shop.
they sold me a mower. once they recived the money the started to lie to me over and over. i feel that this might be the worst ran company in America or at least in the bottom 10. my mower has been in for the same warranty issue that its been in for in the past. As of today its been 34 days…
9. The Music Shop
Address: 405 Queen St, Southington, CT 06489 , Ellington , Connecticut , United States
Brought in a trumpet with a stick mouth piece. They were very nice and were able to remove the mouth piece quickly. Great customer service!
My kids have been going to The Music Shop for 8 years and their experience has been flawless. The ownership and instructors are very professional. The instructors personalize each lesson to keep the kids engaged in wanting to learn and practice on their own. There is no other place to go, stop here.
GREAT SERVICE !!!
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.
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.
10. Guitar Center
Address: 839 Queen St, Southington, CT 06489 , Ellington , Connecticut , United States
The people that worked at Guitar Center were very attentive and helped me with all of my questions and issues. One man at the front desk even helped me carry my equipment out to my car! It was a great experience;
Awesome staff great prices and selection
Same as the rest. I am thinking about getting lessons here will update my review to reflect if that happens, but they’re friendly and have the stuff I need.
Helpful but not very stocked on equipment
It’s a good place to buy music equipment, especially used stuff. Some staff are really helpful, others not so much.
Great place to buy musical instruments but sometimes has a limited selection of lower priced instruments like guitars.
I personally have had Nothing but bad experiences with g.c over the years, will not be spending anymore of my hard earn money at guitar center
Terrible customer service. I ordered an item on January 26. I was told the item would ship to the store in a couple days. I waited for a week and a half and i heard nothing. I called the store today and the lady that helped me (on January 26) said she would call the other store to see what the update was then she would call me back. I waited an hour then called the store back. The guy on the phone told me that the lady went on break. I told him to tell her to call me back once she got off break. 4 hours later and I received no call back. I finally called the store and asked for a refund. In addition to this hassle; I never received a confirmation email for the item ordered. So, yeah terrible service. I’ll never come back.
Prepare to get burnt selling or trading in used gear!!!!!!
11. George’s Music Center
Address: 905 New Harwinton Rd, Torrington, CT 06790 , Ellington , Connecticut , United States
Support your local music store! I was looking for an entry level guitar. George’s had the guitar I wanted at the same price as Guitar Center. Having tried GC, their service was horrible. George’s is a local gem.
I had a good experience here. They let me try allot of the guitars out and didn’t make me feel uncomfortable. I’ve been rushed in other music shops, but they let me take my time here. I felt at ease. I Ended up buying a Ibanez. Would recommend coming for beginner guitars and more expensive guitars. They have a little bit of everything.
Nice place , they have some guitars and other things in the low price range , but most is high priced , but service is great , and they they have teaching classes to .
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
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.
12. The Music Shop
Address: 22 Mc Dermott Ave, Torrington, CT 06790 , Ellington , Connecticut , United States
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.
Keith was very open and helpful during his purchase of my son’s used drum set. He explained everything clearly and followed through on his statements. Courteous and respectful throughout, he helped make the transaction pleasant. I would definitely return to his shop.
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!!
13. A Sound Choice
Address: 267 E Main St UNIT 3, Branford, CT 06405 , Ellington , Connecticut , United States
During this Virus Lock Down and sitting home in NJ playing guitar, I decided to buy a new guitar. I searched for the dealer’s carrying the guitar I wanted and came upon “A Sound Choice”. How lucky I was to come upon such a wonderful experience. Working with Ken, the store’s owner was a pleasure. Ken was what a retailer should be. The price and service were excellent. I received the guitar 24 hours later via UPS. “A Sound Choice” should be your choice.
Such a lovely place. He did a great job on adjusting my guitar. Such a good guy.
Awesome! Just went to Ken to get my Epiphone Dot adjusted and it sounds great. Also picked up a great gig bag for it. He’s outstanding and extremely knowledgeable. Also, lots of cool gear to pick from.
Ordered a guitar on Reverb and Ken always answered the phone and was very helpful throughout the process. I ordered a Larrivee OM-40 and it was listed as brand new but definitely had a dent and 2 scratches which was disappointing but overall a good experience with the process.
The guitar however has a terrible extreme buzzing noice, especially when playing on the first 7 frets of the 4th, 5th, and 6th strings…even when playing a single note and strum lightly…a terrible buzz. I can’t seem to figure out where it is coming from. I will have to take to a luthier which is unfortunate given that it is a brand new guitar. He did say he sanded the saddle down before shipping to lower the action, suspicious that is the problem.
Update: Took it into a luthier. The saddle had been sanded down, action too low, poor job with the setup. Had to build me a new saddle. New strings, and adjusted trust rod as well. Buzzing gone. Sounds and plays like a dream!
When I can I prefer to spend my money at mom -n- pop businesses and A Sound Choice is a great guitar shop. Knowledgeable and they have a great selection of music making products. The corporate guitar stores don’t always hire staff that even know what a treble clef is so my advice is spend your money here.
Very convenient
14. JC Music
Address: 529 W Main St, Meriden, CT 06451 , Ellington , Connecticut , United States
Kevin and Paul have been great to work with! My daughter loves her lessons and is really becoming a self described “band geek.” It is especially wonderful that she has been able to take piano and baritone lessons back to back, thus helping this momma reduce the chauffeur duties!
JC Music has excellent staff and teachers. They have a wonderful selection of products at very affordable prices. My daughter has been taking violin lessons for a few months now and I couldn’t be happier with the results.
Best place to purchase your instrument! Their consignment process is also great! It’s hard finding a good place to sell an instrument especially with all this social media going on nowadays, I’m not very tech saavy. I definitely recommend them for rental as well on instruments, my niece is at a camp for violin and they were extremely helpful on finding the right one that she is most comfortable with and the pricing is not bad at all!
My grandson really enjoyed the music lessons and they are very professional and knowledgeable. Highly recommend them.
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.
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
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.
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.
15. Middlesex Music Academy
Address: 440 Main St, Middletown, CT 06457 , Ellington , Connecticut , United States
Great place to learn how to play, excellent repair shop, and good prices on gear. Can’t ask for a better independently owned music shop.
I’ve had my son’s saxophone serviced here a few times, and not only do they do an excellent job, they also go above and beyond to be helpful. These people are compassionate about music! I’d never go anywhere else.
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!
The sales team made it possible for me to afford a piano for my son
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 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 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.
16. Westbury Music
Address: 686 Main St, Watertown, CT 06795 , Ellington , Connecticut , United States
I’ve been utilizing Westbury music for rentals or over 10 years. They are knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. They are no more costly than any other instrument rental company around. They have always been there to suggest options for my children and their interests.
My daughter took piano lessons from several places over the past few years. Her favorite of all the teachers was Pat at Westbury Music. She has a great formula that kept her engaged and not dreading her classes. Every week she looked forward to the lesson.
Honest people work here and they do a good job repairing or maintaining gear. Inexpensive as well.
excellent store, good Fender Selection, nice acoustics, lessons, and school instruments.
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!
17. Woodbury Music Shop
Address: 766 Main St S, Woodbury, CT 06798 , Ellington , Connecticut , United States
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!
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.
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!
18. Bethel Music Center – Instrument Sales, Rentals, Lessons and Repairs
Address: 273 Greenwood Ave #101, Bethel, CT 06801 , Ellington , Connecticut , United States
Competitively priced, a wide variety of sheet music, and great lessons.
Where else? Where else in the Danbury/Bethel area can you get all the music, Muzak, musique y musica Stuff and Expertise at all levels and for all genres that you may need?! Where, I ask you. Go ahead, try and tell me. But don’t try to tell me you’ll find nicer, more helpful staff than Sarah and Sophia and Juan and… Don’t even.
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.
Just stopped by quick. Had a great hour. They are the best
Instrument rentals are great for their prices
Good info from employees
19. Guitar Hangar – Lessons, Rentals, Repairs, and More
Address: 270 Federal Rd # 7, Brookfield, CT 06804 , Ellington , Connecticut , United States
Helpful! vintage gear, new gear… extremely reasonable and fair!
There aren’t enough people like Rick that still have the personality and simple goodness about them. The Guitar Hanger is not a “cheapo” store, but the friendliness and great service that Rick provides can make you feel that your shopping at a old friend’s store. Go there. Meet him. Try the equipment. There’s never any pressure.
I’ve used Guitar Hangar for my repairs, set ups, and purchases for years. Rick’s done some tricky rewiring work, radically improving one guitar, and even a simple set up always has my axes coming back smoother and faster. They’ve got a really nice selection of guitars, with some great inexpensive gear and some gorgeous high-end instruments.
owner is arrogant. store is filthy. selection is limited. looks like the music section of a pawn shop.
Horrible service the owner ignored me when I asked to play
Make sure that you buy your merchandise from inside the store !! Do not get it from EBAY because you will end up with trash..
20. Sam Ash Music Stores
Address: 95 Amity Rd, New Haven, CT 06515 , Ellington , Connecticut , United States
Bought a used guitar here… service was great and the guitar was great for the price .
Very personal service. Sam Ash in New Haven has always been a great place to see, play, and buy music and audio gear. Big store that feels like a neighborhood store. Big Jim in guitars and mgr Billy are the best!
I love going to Sam Ash in New Haven. And we live in Massachusetts. The friendly, knowledgeable staff helps me, without the pressure to “make a sale”, that I get in other places.
It is neat, and if they don’t have something, they can get it. My favorite music store by far.
The only thing I can actually complain about doesn’t even involve the staff or product. It’s hearing stairway to heaven…the breakdown…leading to no solo…if i have to sit listen then lets hear the solo! Anyways yeah…there’s other songs too. Very patient staff. Kind helpful and a sense of gratitude for the shared passion. Next to an an liquor store, need I day more? Hah nah there’s good burgers adjacent. Wow what a review right? Should be able to review reviews… gg
Great help available
Way better customer service than guitar center(you could learn alot GC) obviously the only thing I didn’t like was novice guitar players.
Not what it used to be.
My experience with Sam ash music was very bad there service down right sucks there staff is not business oriented what so ever they have no clue in what there looking at I would strongly recommend guitar center because they are the real deal located off RT 1 orange CT thank you
Drove 25 minutes to the store only to find out it doesn’t open until noon. Utterly rudiculous! Just close your doors for good if you’re going to have such restrictive hours!
