Lake Forest: Overview of the top 18 music shops

Smaller than other Guitar Centers that I’ve been to. Awesome staff that was more than willing to help out. Walked in and walked out with a new acoustic in less than 30 minutes.

Really helpful staff

guitar center has been great. I had to make a couple of exchanges to get the right guitar which I think I finally found. I began my guitar lessons last night with Alex and I’m feeling pretty positive so anyway I will see everybody there soon enough bye bye

Friendly staff smaller selection than other guitar center’s

Interesting experience. I hadn’t been to a GC in a couple years. Seems like they’re out of alot of things now and you have to back order. And the overall vibe is just lackluster. I wonder if that’s a reflection of the times and the music within these times. Just a thought. So I bought some speakers. ‍♂️

Ralph tuned up my guitar and it turned out great!

Said items were in stock when I called and put on hold but when I got there they never had stock item

Wasted my time and gas

I tried really hard to patient and kind with the newbie assisting me with my return. I was only returning a music stand out of my purchase of a new amp, new guitar and a couple guitar stands. The music stand is faulty and wobbly upon arrival so I figured I’d return this on a Tuesday night after work. I stood in line at the checkout/return where only 2 employees were helping the customers. To my luck- I got a newbie that didn’t know how to return the item and trust me I was totally cool with it because I’ve had a first job before as well. What really aggravated me was that no one came to her aid after 20 mins of fumbling around and the worst part was- I STILL HAVEN’T RECEIVED MY REFUND AFTER 2 WEEKS!!!

Standing at the checkout line with cash visibly in my hand ready to pay and I was offered “free” cables if I *signed up* for pro coverage. I agreed, then was guided to synchrony to open a card… Thinking this was part of the deal ( signing up ) I proceeded to open the card. I was then given a receipt folded with the total concealed.

I asked why the total was exactly the same cost as what the cables were and he explained to me that the coverage was the extra $50 cost, and the cables were thrown in.

Ok fine, no big deal… I’m not saving any money, or getting “free cables“ but I’m getting cables for buying the coverage which is fine just worded a bit weird…

But wait… if I could have payed cash why was I guided to synchrony to open a line of credit I did not ask for.

“well it makes no difference to us if you pay cash or card “ is what I was told after I questioned what had just happened.

Here’s the deal:

The sales staff and likely the store itself get an additional commission from customers taking out lines of credit, which in itself I have no issue with whatsoever. What I do have an issue with, is a business that ruses its customers into taking out lines of credit to make a few extra bucks. Had the sales associate just told me it helps him out I would have been fine with it, instead he tried to trick me by tying it into his sale.

I should mention that as soon as I began to question the transaction, the manager observing what was happening sauntered back into his office. Best case scenario; he was embarrassed about his sales forces ethics. Worst case scenario; he trained them this way, and would rather not deal with being called out.

This will have been my last visit to any guitar center

Rob was so helpful! I ordered a brand new Larrivee through him and I was amazed by his willingness to go out of his way to help me get my guitar. He drove from SoCal to the Larrivee warehouse to get my pickup installed and then hand delivered it to where it was most convenient for me. Very quick to respond to all of my emails, texts, and calls. Super impressed with the service here and I have and will continue to refer people to him!

Amazing Service ! Very happy with the prices and excellent selection! A+++

Rob hooked me up with the Bad Cat Lynx amplifier. He provided excellent customer service and fast shipping. I could not be more please with my experience with Rare Guitar Gallery!

Nice guitar for sale, i would have bought it until they said $165 for shipping. NO ONE charges that much to ship a guitar, and i could have sent it to them for about $45 . The “owner” talked to me on the phone as if i were an eighth grader. The guitar was overpriced as well.

great music teacher with well structured curriculum, flexible schedule, easy access and parking

We have had many great experiences here over the years. I am especially grateful for their support of the local Cub Scout and Girl Scout groups.

I go to this school and It is the best music school I have ever seen. They teach music theory as you progress through different levels.

Excuse me but is there certain age to join??? It’s hard to find it on your website….

I heard about glee music academy from my daughter’s bestfriend and they recommended them to me because I was in the middle of looking for a music school for my daughter and I was kind of worried because the last music school where I enrolled her was not really good. My daughter really loves music especially singing. I noticed that she has a talent but I just need to find the right school to develop her voice.

So I gave it a shot I called glee music academy and I spoke to Karen. Besides having a golden voice she is very friendly and very sweet. She is very detailed and very organized. She makes sure that my daughter is on track. Very patient. My daughter and I love her so much!!! She is very encouraging as well and that is why my daughter loved the school from day 1. This is our 3rd month I believe.

We take private guitar and love Kia. My child is very slow to warm up to people and Kia is very patient and a wonderful teacher

Glee offers expert instruction while providing numerous performance opportunities so you can hone your craft and get real world experience! Our daughter has grown as a vocalist and not only has improved in her range and control, she also has learned how to protect and properly use her “instrument”. Highly recommend!

Advise you to check the negative yelp honest reviews about this place so you know what you are getting yourself into.
Positive stars are for the good instructor.
I can’t say anything negative about the instructors but this is regarding their business practice. This establishment tries to hook anyone who has any interest in taking lessons to a strict contract. After you sign up for a paid trial lesson, before even walking through their doors, they sent 9 emails, a harassment phone call (guy said, I just saw you read the email) and a lesson reminder text message demanding you to sign the binding contract for regular lessons and to start billing you for the month. They track your emails to check if you read it. I felt harassed by this business. When you sign up for a lesson, you should get only 1 email to confirm the payment and lesson time and possibly 1 message close to appointment time as an reminder. Stop tracking people and allow future customers to decide on their own if they want to come back. I advise anyone who wants to try this place, not to sign the contract before trying it out. You do not have any legal obligation to sign anything before your paid trial. They give you only 24 hours to cancel the contract after the first trial lesson or else you will be stuck. I feel bad for employees who are associated with this kind of business behavior.

Way too money minded – worried to make money short term/ without any focus on customer / student . Would never recommend to send your kids to this academy.

Exelente músico me encanta cada vez que lo veo lo recomiendo

Gran músico 100% recomendable.
Éxito total para su celebración

Escelente servicio.

My 6 yo daughter goes to Music Around and has progressed so much within 5 months. We love miss Ella! She’s very encouraging and warming and my daughter responds to her very well. The rest of the staff are also very friendly and welcoming as well as accommodating! So far we’ve had a very great experience with this music studio! We’re looking forward to when our younger one starts her music lessons in the future too!

This is a great place to start for kids music journey. Ella is a patient teacher and the most important thing is she makes kids are interested in learning piano. I played piano when I was young, that’s why I was looking for a piano teacher for my 4 year old daughter who can give a correct way to start with piano. We are so lucky we found here and after tried the class my daughter loves there, she says she wants go there everyday. She also taking drum lessons there. As a mom I also love the environment of class. So clean and lovely! Thank you Ella and Peter.

I found Music Around when I went to see my dentist. I emailed them and enrolled in weekly 30 min piano lessons. Ella is a wonderful teacher! She’s very encouraging and patient. Peter is responsive and flexible when it comes to any changes I may need to make with my classes. I look forward to going to piano every week!

I love this place. I am a brand new guitar player at middle age and I had a TON of questions. The staff at other places were somewhat less than willing to spend time helping me learn new things and often gave me a derisive response. At Laguna Hills Music you can have a conversation with a patient expert and not a series of one word answers.

The staff at Laguna Hills Music is amazing. They have spent a lot of time with me, helping me get started on the right path. I decided to start lessons based on the kindness and honest effort to help me by the staff (Namely John). I am so happy I did… 2 months into my lessons and I am a lifer for this place. My instructor is patient and has a ton of useful tidbits to share. My lessons feel tailored to me and the prices of both lessons and instruments are extremely reasonable.

I appreciate Laguna Hills music for their part in this new endeavor I have taken on.

Awesome

I like the employee

My daughter has been interested in playing the piano for a long time but was always hesitant to take lessons. From day one, Ms. Debbie has been welcoming and warm and my daughter’s love of piano has only grown. Ms. Debbie always tries to be accommodating of everyone’s schedule and has always been easy to reach. She supplements the lessons with homework/games through online apps and rewards the students for reaching goals (i.e., trinkets, candy, etc.), which is fun especially for the younger ones. I would highly recommend Ms. Debbie!

After trying out 3 different piano classes, my 7 years old daughter insisted that she only wanted to go to Miss Debbie’s class. She is knowledgeable, kind and patient. We’re lucky to have found her.

My three children ages 20, 18 and 14 all have grown up in Debbie’s piano studio. We are probably one of her longest customers at this point. I wish I could remember when we started there but it was at least a decade ago and my youngest continues to take lessons as a high school freshman. That speaks volumes.

Her teaching is always evolving which keeps the kids interested. My kids have all enjoyed the experience because she understands busy lives so it was/is always a positive experience for them. They all have played multiple instruments but the piano has been at their core. It’s so fun to see the older kids sit down and play for fun when they are home or just to relieve some stress in their lives. Their piano lessons with Mrs. Reed have been a gift.

This is a great store for all of your music needs. I brought my violin for string repair and the pricing was very affordable. I went the other day to purchase a keyboard and Jesse helped me choose the best deal. The box was really heavy and he kindly carried it to my car. Very happy with my purchase and I’ll be back soon to buy more music! 🙂

Yay

This is a real music store. It is not guitar center, what you will find is trumpets, clarinets, and all sorts of instruments, you will also find the things at that afor mentioned store. The best part about shopping here is that you support a real music shop that all musicians can find gear and keep all forms of music alive. Staff is friendly and shop is bright and clean

I have yet to receive a refund for my children’s canceled classes in May. The instructor canceled three sessions each for my two kids, amounting to $222 in total. Shelton assured us that we would get a refund, but even after waiting until July, I still haven’t received it. When I reached out to him, he suggested contacting corporate, but I found his response unhelpful and indifferent.

I sent an email to the corporate team, but unfortunately, they never responded. This experience has been frustrating, and I strongly advise others to consider finding a different music studio with better instructors, management, and customer service. While I understand that unforeseen circumstances can occur, the lack of communication and delay in resolving the issue are unacceptable.
I sincerely hope that you won’t end up feeling the same regret I did.

I really want to give y’all a good rating, but I don’t understand how I can provide formal approval for my flute’s repairs, and then proceed to have to approve two more times over two more months because someone, somewhere keeps not actually putting the paperwork through? I expected a timesink since repairs take a while, but to have had my flute sitting WAITING for said lengthy repairs for more than two (three by now?) months despite me approving it three! separate! times! because someone just didn’t click a button is extremely disappointing!!!!

The good reviews here do not fall in line with my experience at all. And they sell instruments yet have no basic knowledge about them at all. Completely unhelpful