Your Top-20 list of music shops in Higganum

I have come to this store three times in the last few months… I honestly did not know they were here. These people are fantastic and their store is perfect. Every time I have come in to the store I am asked if I need help and when I state what I’m looking for, they take me right to the item. Perfect.

One of the workers there literally helped me jump start my car in a lightning storm so these guys are great people and deserve all the business. Grateful

Great local hardware store! They pack so much in to such a small location and the prices are the same as any place 10 times as big. What makes this place even better than the big box stores? I came in to get paint one day, sandpaper the next, and they recognized me and pulled my winter gloves out from behind the counter. I hadn’t even realized I’d forgotten them! I’ll be shopping here for a long time.

Good customer service and plenty to pick from

Chill place to hang! Best smoke shop, quality bongs quality smoke!

Good shop

Seems like a super cool place but it’s a lil awkward in there without music or anything

NEVER open on time, closes early frequently. Terrible at communicating business hours. When you can catch them open, quality products. watch out though, they will try to compensate you with dysfunctional merchandise.

Sold me a defective vape kit, then refused to make it right tonight.

I had a last-minute emergency repair needed for my flute right before a performance, and the staff at Middlesex Music Academy were all so kind and helpful. They fixed my flute in record time, and walked me through the whole process with the highest of professionalism. Thank you so much!

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!

Great service, Matt and Jim and the rest of the crew there are wonderful.

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

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 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.

Highest quality guitars, sold by a great staff at very competitive prices!

Excellent shop

Ian is excellent and the rest of the crew are excellent as well.
They are very knowledgeable about every instrument in the shop. Very customer friendly and will go the extra mile to make sure you are happy with your purchase.

Had a guitar cable when I needed it.

No prices listed

Not many mandolins

Thé Owners are lousy business

Went here for a quick Caligraphy tattoo on my forearm, George is a beast lol quick work, highly efficient, definitely be back here again for sure

Great prices, friendly staff, and walked away with two perfect tats! 9/10, would get inked again!

George is an excellent tattoo artist who does great work…however, if your not prepared to handle honest brutal feedback and get easily butt hurt don’t waist his time!!!!!!n to just hang out and talk about nothing

These guys are hilarious and they do great work.

My daughter got her bellybutton done here .Few weeks later we went back for her nose. I noticed a bump on her bellybutton and called them. He said it’s normal keloid and could be from irritation. We she had to take it out at the hospital and two days later we went back in to have it replaced. Well then he tells me it’s infected cuz there’s a keloid (which on phone said was normal). He told us how to care for it, come back and he would repierce it for FREE. Well since we were there she got an industrial. Well hubby took her back today and he CHARGED him 30$ .We even had the piercing. Next time don’t tell people you will do something free and not follow thru. She wants a tatoo there and I was going to have them finish my sleeve but not now!

Terrible…guy does what he wants and disregarded what I wanted…not very clean in there either…

Not very clean.

Benjamin summed up this business well. Highly rec’ed if you are looking for a no nonsense, old school barber.

Great

Always great hsircuts from Bill

Worst hair cut ever can’t even edge up or do a fade straight good barber for the circus

Cant do a haircut would not go to home went to him twice looked horrible nice guy but time for him to retire

Owner is a great guy, helpful, and knowledgeable. great selection of historic and new firearms.

Excellent new sporting goods store which sells outdoor gear, fishing equipment, as well as firearms and military items. Well worth a visit. Friendly helpful owner and staff.

Mike does a great job on repairs, both large and small. And he has a nice selection of new and used upright basses as well. I found him just on an internet search but have since come to rely on him for purchases and repairs as well as advice.

I’m in the midst of making a record at Dirt Floor right now. I was hooked from our very first meeting on the back porch of the log cabin studio overlooking the Connecticut River. Eric and Steve took time to understand my musical point of view as we talked about our favorite albums. They are an incredibly skilled and efficient team in full command of both the vintage gear and modern technology. At the same time, they nurture the creative elements of the project, making each song’s personality shine through. I cannot wait to hear the finished mix!!

Has the vibe of iconic Caribou Ranch Studio in its glory days. The log cabin studio, set high in a private wooded setting overlooking the CT River, inspires passionate musicians to create and record their best work.

I’ve worked on 2 albums at Dirt Floor over the last 3 years and I haven’t felt a more comfortable vibe in any other recording situation. The location, the scenery, the crew working in the studio just create a very relaxed and fun atmosphere which is so helpful when trying to record an album. I also cant express how happy I have been with the sound of the drum kit right from start. Very warm and natural sounding. Not compressed and fake like other larger studios. I highly recommend using Dirt Floor Recording & Production for any recording project you have

Very nice studio, great vibe. Needs new drum gear.

Unfortunately a terrible experience with Eric ! Do not waste your time with someone like Eric ! Unbelievable how this guy is still in business !

Mike’s a pro…

Mike arafeh is just awesome….. Made the whole experience a treat the recordings went well the mixdown was even better such a nice guy easy to work with and man does he know his stuff couldn’t be happier with the final product

Experienced, helpful

This is one of the best costume rental facilities in the country. The service, selection, and knowledgeable staff will exceed your expectations. Just visiting this costume rental facility is an incredible experience.

Great establishment with a helpful staff and reasonable prices. I was here last week, and JC was very helpful walking me through all the options for a new set of coated strings for my acoustic guitar — they have a large selection of strings, so the guidance was useful. I hear the lessons here are high quality, and I plan to return here to get my violin ‘tuned’ up.

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.

Thanks for the easy transaction and the great horn.

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.

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.

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.

Great service! Nice friendly owner

The Music Score is now at 2315 and under new management. The store offers lessons for all instruments (including vocal), rentals and purchases on all instruments (including pianos.) The Music Score includes workshops and classes, like Music Together for toddlers, Music Fun Time for small children, and more. Jazz Band is held on Wednesday nights, Open Mic every last Friday. Other fun times are held, like Karaoke, Music Movie night, and Game night. Events are held about four times a year like The Frozen Spring Thaw, Open Houses, Christmas parties, recitals, new years for kids, and more. This store has a little of everything and caters to people from newborns to senior citizens. When you walk in the door you are part of the family and the teachers, associates, and owners take pride in caring and educating. A true mom and pop shop who are part of the community and helping it grow.

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.

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.

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!

Nice peeps

I had some antique pistols to sell and they were very good to deal with. Gave me as good or better a price than others offered and they seemed very honest and up front.

Stopped in with my son and had a great experience. We will definitely be back in the near future. Very nice people and great prices

Very cool place. Lots of great antiques.

Great little shop. Had what I was looking for but there was some clutter so it took a while to find it. Other than that it was a good spot. Owner was polite and wouldn’t stop looking until he found what I needed. Thanks for helping.

Very rude!!! Wasted my time, started with us then kinda of then start dealing with someone else, to have to go rush somewhere. Wasted 3 hours of my time.

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…

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!

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.

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

Absolutely beautiful inside! Very friendly and knowledgeable staff and great selection of not only beer but Whiskey’s and wines and so much more!!

Large selection and nicely organized. Customer service was great!

The new owner was very kind and helpful! Renovations look great as well. Highly recommend.

The owner is very nice knows his wine and bourbon with high quality choices.
There is a large store nearby but I love the cozy little store!

This place is tiny but mighty! I love the mixed 4packs of high quality craft beer 16oz cans. (They have the solid 4 packs too). And the singles selection is killer. They have an awesome wine selection too. Easy to shop here.

Small store but decent selection