Top-16 of music shops in Irving Park

They fixed my guitar really quickly and prices are very reasonable. Highly recommend—good people!

Roger is my go to guy when it comes to my guitars.

Very knowledgeable!

Really nice shop. Great and unique selection of vintage gear: synths, guitars, basses, amps. Even records. Stop in and check it out.

Amazing experience. I found a 76 Les Paul Custom on Reverb that Rare Birds had listed. Called the shop and talked to Brian. He thoroughly explained how they ship and protect the guitars during shipping. I needed this guitar to get all the way to Phoenix AZ so I was definitely nervous. Needless to say the guitar was exactly as he stated it would be and set up the way I had requested. Thank you Brian and thank you Rare Birds!!! Amazing shop with great customer service.

Cool, unique music store carrying a wide selection of interesting instruments and gear. Owner had cool music recommendations, too!

The owner is a great guy who pays really well for trade ins. He works with you on the price of whatever you’re interested in and has a great selection.

I loved this place! If you’re a guitar player you have to check it out. They also have basses, some ukes and mandolins, a ton of amps, some vintage keyboards and synths and a good amount of pro audio gear (eq’s, compressors, preamps). The prices are great and there’s a good mix of used gear at different price points

Service was awesome.
They ensured I got what I was looking for.
Good vibes.
Just go.

Great prices, very knowledgeable owners and sales, small but great access to anything you need..
Great place for new Guitarists

Very cool guys! They’re not pushy, and they know their stuff. They’re prices were surprisingly good too. I thought for sure they’d be more expensive but they weren’t at all. They have my business for a while.

Good local shop.

But have come a few times on open days and we’re closed, be nice if setup email list with that news and new items in stock too.

Disappointed that they closed earlier than what is writen on the door. Drove through traffic for nothing. Call first before coming if its 2 hours before closing. 2 stars because I wasted my time. Decent prices though. You’ll never know what you can find.

This used to be my favorite spot. I bought a Riviera there a few months ago, a G&L ASAT about a year before that and a 70’s Twin Reverb there a couple years ago. Loved the place, cool down to earth rock and roller types who don’t mind stopping in back for a smoke. They actually MOVE gear too, it won’t be the same pieces every time you drop in! Now, I’m the type of guy who almost has his mind made up before stepping in the door so I just stop by for a few minutes specifically to buy something with cash in hand, not a tire kickin small talker, perfect customer, right?

Well, not anymore, not after what happened today.

I went in two days ago and found a synthesizer (cz3000) and made up my mind to buy it. But, I figured I’d see what they’d give me on a trade in for a nice keyboard I don’t use (Roland D50) and asked. One of the fellas said “yeah, we used to sell those used for 4 to six hundred but you have to come back Monday when the owner is here”

Cool, so I extend my rental car one more day, grab a few hundred bucks out of the ATM so I can buy the Casio even if they don’t want the D50, and make the trek up from West Town. I walk in, the same fella points me towards the owner. He says “are you looking to sell? I don’t really do these keyboards anymore” …even though there’s about 10 in the store. I say “well maybe a trade in or cash” He instructs me to put the keyboard on an amp to show him then says, naturally, “How much you looking for” …well, it’s 2015 and the only way to gauge market value of synths is eBay so I casually said “um, they go for 4 to 600 on eBay” expecting to reply with the standard I can only sell it for such and such low ball offer, which would have been okay with me cause I liked the place.

His response: ” I don’t want to even look at it, get it out of here” walks away and yells “I won’t give you ten ****ing dollars” then continues “I’m ****ing sick of this eBay ****.”

I didn’t ask for that, didn’t even commit to selling, I really just wanted the Casio at the slightly high price they had on it so I wouldn’t have to risk craigslist or shipping damages from buying online. So I just picked up my heavy D50 and walked out without playing his juvenile “who’s the bigger man” type of game. I’m upset I always recommended this place all my musician buddies but oh well, it is what it is.

Bob is a Chicago treasure! It’s worth going here just to chat with him. I always learn something and have found some serious gems in the bins when he gets a new collection in. I would say bring cash if possible. The register tends to confuse things.

I recommend that you make the trip to this wonderful little gem and I hope that it is open for years to come. Bob is extremely friendly, kind, knowledgable and helpful. The store is well organized with a huge selection of jazz and blues music in all formats. There is an excellent selection of vinyls, cds, tapes and 78s. One could easily spend a couple of hours looking through the music.

I will visit again for the atmosphere, the selection and the customer service. I recommend that you visit too!

A precious place for jazz and blues fans. Definitely worth a long visit. Has a wide selection of albums and CDs and even less common recording formats. What it has in friendliness and selection outweighs what it lacks in organization and effiency.

Excellent old school jazz and blues vinyl shop. Lots of used CDs too.

Good selection but better stories from Bob!

Lotta music !!

I’ve been to many, many violin repair shops in Chicago. Napoli is the best. Period. I’ve been going to this shop exclusively for the better part of 15 years and my violin sounds amazing because of Augustino.

I’ve recommended him to colleagues across the country and each of them have been utterly grateful for the quality of service and results.

One of the Best Luthier’s in the country!! Augustino as been my Luthier for over 30 years!! Phenomenal work!!

Carl Johnston violinist and member of Chicago Sinfonietta.

I recently sought out Augustino’s services for same day repair services on my violin. It was so grateful to find someone who was able to meet with me on such short notice. That alone would have been enough for me to be a satisfied client. However, in addition to efficiently and effectively resolving my issue, he was very personable, took the time to walk me through his approach: what he was checking for, why, details about my particular violin and bow, what to consider in the future. It was immediately clear to me that he is passionate about his craft and supporting people in their journey with music, no matter how novice they are. I not only had my violin repaired, I enjoyed an unexpectedly delightful interaction in an otherwise quotidian day. I look forward to the next time I seek out his expertise.

Estar ocasionalmente en un lugar de estos es muy emocionante, nos tocó ver como editan la música para videos.

A+ experience at Sound Vault Studios. Everything we wanted and expected based on the previous positive reviews. State of the art equipment. We recorded in studio A and everything was completed without a hitch. Thanks to the owner and entire Sound Vault team.

This is one of the best kept secrets in Chicago…fantastic studio, awesome rates, and an amazing bunch of folks to work with. My only regret is that I am unable to give them 10 stars here.

I tracked cello here and paid to have some of my stuff left in storage. Antonio the engineer was great, but the equipment and software is old and patched up. Mark the owner constantly disrupted our sessions. He also made me feel uncomfortable with I thought were pretty racist statements about the hip-hop act in the next room. This place, by prior reviews is pretty sketchy about recording copyrighted work, and trademark infringement. Also notice the good reviews here are from the owner and employees of the studio. Also notice that 1 and 2 star reviews have been removed. Mystery Street Recording company in Lakeview is a MUCH better place. I won’t come back to Sound Vault Studios.

I purchased a Martin 00-18 a couple days ago. The guitar is beautiful and plays great. I enjoyed browsing the many guitars you have to choose from. It would have been more difficult to choose, but I’ve been wanting a 00-18 for some time now. Thanks for your help. You have a great little store.

Great place , wonderful acoustics. Returned many times .

Beautiful customer service

Great show “Cherish the Ladies” we had balcony seats and the draft up there was terrible. I thought it was just me with my hood on and my husbands coat over my legs. When I looked around everyone was fully bundled up. Everyone had their coats on, earmuffs, mufflers. several of us asked that they turn down the fans but it never happened.

I was not at the store, but we did see a performance here. Good show, nice place.

I enjoyed the venue. It has an intimate feel without being crowded. The bar is fairly small, but has good prices. Would definitely consider this venue when looking for a concert again.

After being told I could have my 45 year old dulcimer restrung same day, I arrived, instrument in hand, to find out that it could only happen the following day. So again on day 2, I spent an hour on local Chicago transit – $10 – and returned to have the counter person tell me that they would not be able to do the work. He claimed he’d called me.
Turns out he called (leaving no message) minutes before I arrived at the store.
If you plan on doing anything more than buying an instrument, make sure you are dealing with an adult who has a grip on customer service.

Awesome customer service. Great gear selection

Friendly and knowledgeable people. Got a great deal on some used hardware. Can’t wait to get to making music with it.

I was lucky to call ahead ask about a pedal that I needed. They were kind to pull it for me as I raced to the store to pick it up as it was a gift…(the last one, too) Thank you!

Before I start with this, I want to say that I’ve been incredibly reluctant to leave a review that’s even remotely negative because the guys at the shop were very nice and I felt like the customer service I experienced from Ben in the repair shop was excellent. However, I was ultimately disappointed by the quality of the work performed on my guitar, and that’s all I want to highlight here.

I paid $110 for a fret leveling, $90 for pickup swap, and $9 for a string change for a Squier Classic Vibe baritone Telecaster. I absolutely loved the guitar and thought it was worth splurging on some nicer pickups. There was also some buzzing at certain frets on the higher strings, so they recommended a fret leveling, which I agreed to have done.

When I picked up the guitar, the action was super high and the bridge saddles were raised very high and were lopsided. The fret buzzing was gone, but I wasn’t really able to tell how much work was done on the frets (and which ones). The bridge and pickguard screws were chewed up and a couple of screws were cross-threaded. There was a big gash in the brand new neck pickup, which is frustrating considering that they’re $200 pickups.

There was also a lot of noise and crunching from the new pickups that I didn’t experience with the stock pickups. I wasn’t sure if it was a grounding issue, but I did bring the guitar back in and had it checked out again. I appreciate Ben being willing to do a quick once-over and troubleshoot the issue. He ended up adding some copper tape to the back of the pickguard and recommended that I also rub a dryer sheet across the pickguard if it started to happen again.

Dammmmmn, I wish I knew sooner that this place existed and was so close to me, but I’m certainly glad I know now. Tons of guitars, pedals, and amps, both new and used. Some really interesting pieces, and some super hard to find stuff. The staff is great, and unlike so many other music stores, they were not snobby, or condescending in any way. Very helpful, friendly and knowledgeable. This place is definitely worth checking out. I’m pretty sure that they do guitar lessons there as well.

Large selection of equipment for sale. Check out the synths

This shop charges ridiculous prices for gear and a lot of it isnt even serviced they are hoping the hipster musicians with mommy and daddys money can pay these stupid prices if you want to get ripped off go ahead!

I love their inventory whether it be guitars or pedals, some nice amps here and there; but I hate ordering through them. I like to support the local shops and i know they all charge msrp for things( they gotta make a buck) but when you have to wait 2 weeks for your order you paid in full up front…come on man. I might as well have ordered anywhere online for cheaper;5 days tops.

Pésimo. He ido a comprar una guitarra Seagull que estaba en la página web activa y no la tenían. Además la atención de los dependientes fue pésima por no decir que no era “atención” si no despachar a la gente, que por cierto no había gente.
It sucks

He was very helpful, patient and fair. Awesome !

Excellent personal customer service. You won’t get that at Guitar Center, I guarantee it. I bought an amp there last year that I STILL gig with. I have a locking trem on my guitar and changing the strings on that is a pain in the neck. These guys do an excellent job on changing my strings. I would NOT trust my guitar in anybody else’s hands. I hope these guys stay in business for a long time. SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL BUSINESS!!!!

Huge selection in a small shop, excellent service, great prices. The owner is very reasonable with buying, selling and trading. Definitely coming back again.

I love the music

This place is packed wall to wall floor to ceiling with gear new and used. It is like a museum. The owner John has been around for decades and is very knowledgeable. Check it out.

Best music instrument store in Chicago. Everytime i am there i feel my musician spirit is nurtured. The variety of instruments are very unique. Dont expect this to be your typical retail store experience, because this is beyond that.

Astonishing.

a treasure trove of unique instruments

Gotta love Andy’s! My wife and I are new to the city, but quickly found this GEM. This place is really great for world music lovers! They also have VERY good deals on Guitars and other standard instruments.

Professional

I ordered a bass from Andy’s Music online, and was was absolutely amazed by the experience. The shipping was fast, especially considering I live almost a thousand miles north of the store. I do wish they would choose a carrier other than FedEx, only because I needed to sign for my order and FedEx couldn’t provide me a set delivery date, but this isnt necessarily the fault of the store.

The bass itself needed a setup to resolve some fret buzz, but this is normal for brand new guitars. After that it played great! The controls are easy to use and I can can get a variety tones out of it.

What really topped off the experience was the hand-signed “thank you card I got in the mail a couple weeks after I recieved my order. If you want a great instrument and even better customer service, this is the store for you.

Downgraded to two stars. It’s close, which is convenient, but it’s impossible to tell when they’re actually open, or when they’ll answer their phone.

andy you good. you seemed to have despawned

I ordered some reeds and I didn’t receive what I ordered. I received NO RESPONSE to my phone call. I was ignored. I don’t recommend businesses that have poor customer service.