The staff is great here. Great selection on a wide variety of gear too.
Answered every question I had. Great service and selection
Workers are great they were very helpful and informative only reason they are not getting 5 stars is because they didn’t have any left handed guitars and I was told they only keep one or two in stock at a time so if your a lefty save yourself the trip and order online you’ll probably get a much better deal on a guitar you actually want other then that I really recommend this place.
Good guitar Tech. Geoffe Applebee
I always enjoy the people and the atmosphere.
They always ask to get a letter from my company when I purchase items with tax exempt certificate. I gave up to buy stuff for my school at GC.
I ordered a guitar in-store and they did the “online order” so the store can benefit from the sale and it can be shipped to our house directly.
I was promised by the manager of the store that I will get the guitar in 2 weeks because they need to order it. I was fine with it because I plan to use it on my friend’s wedding in 3 weeks that time so I knew that 2 weeks was more than enough to get the guitar.
I was very professional and asked him multiple times about the time frame and he assured me that 2 weeks will be the max and there’s a chance that it can be earlier than that.
Now, they charge me and shipped this guitar 4 months after?! After I totally forgot about it and NO ONE followed up on me at all.
I just found it outside our home today and I didn’t even open it.
Very poor customer service. I would let everyone I know not to do business in this place!
Customer service was unprofessional to say the least. Not sure why guitar center would hire people to represent the company in this fashion.
4. The Music Shoppe Inc.
Address: 27 E Marketview Dr, Champaign, IL 61820 , Lake of the Woods , Illinois , United States
We have been in here dozens of times over the last few years. Always veey friendly. Always patient and knowledgable. Employees take time with you…. you don’t feel rushed or pressured.
Our band director recommended The Music Shoppe. We had a wonderful experience! They answered all our questions in a timely manner, shared both the rental policy and purchase options, plus checking out was easy and efficient online!
Great place to work!
Nice staff, wonderful selection, higher end of the usual price range though.
It’s a good place for renting and buying instruments. They repair and provide loaner instruments.
Last time I came in here I had an employee make fun of me/my instrument because it wasn’t high end (which I knew). Now that I work on my own instruments I know better than to put up with snobby musicians like the one I dealt with here. Three stars because I can’t condemn the entire establishment because of one or two rude employees.
Absolutely the most unprofessional shop around ! Straight garbage
Looked at stuff for over 20 minutes without getting attention of any staff members on a very slow day. I literally was carrying a list of items I needed. Prices were way out of line. Selection was slightly better than Guitar Center.
I went in to have my saxophone serviced. The saxophone I play is pretty nice. I mentioned that I played it in marching band and the woman belittled me for playing a nice instrument in marching band. Sorry I don’t have an unlimited supply of saxophones.
5. Lake Of The Woods Bar & Liquors, Inc.
Address: 204 S Prairie View Rd, Mahomet, IL 61853 , Lake of the Woods , Illinois , United States
Always a great place to meet great locals. No complaints at all
GREAT TIME
Great little beer and a shot place, be sure to stop in.
Great beer and pool and employees
Didn’t have what I was looking for, again. Asked them to get it for me but only happened once. A lot of times don’t even have my second choice.
No one answers the phone, quite annoying when you live out of town and have to drive there to ask a question.
It’s dirty it’s noisy has scummy people
I’ve had better… you have to be on a list on the wall to play on the pool table. Someone always has a game in play, but they are never actually playing….just wasting time doing everything but playing. Bathrooms are terrible. Owner and bartenders were great…I don’t know if it’s the norm, but it happened to be a fairly “rowdy” night when we were there. Multiple altercations got broken up.
6. River’s Piano
Address: 2207 Rebecca Dr, Champaign, IL 61821 , Lake of the Woods , Illinois , United States
Great store . Mattoon is very lucky to have such a store. GREAT EMPLOYEES, INSTRUCTORS AND OF COURSE THE OWNER!!!
Not only was Sound Source incredibly professional and easy to communicate with, but they went above and beyond to make the buying experience convenient, fair, and memorable. The store itself is beautiful, but it’s the staff that brought a higher level of professionalism to the table: kind, informed, and around every corner making it comfortable. I will 100% be using this store again, and will make it a point to stop by the next time I’m in Illinois. Cannot say thank you enough for the new keys!
Love going there and stuff but idk if it was one of the employees or just a customer, but this older guy walked up to me and my friend and made a really rude comment about our colored hair “did you wake up late at a party or something?” How the actual heck would anyone think that is an ok thing to say?????
That was one of my favorite music stores to go to and now I’m not so sure, if it were an employee who sayid that. I’m pretty sure it was because he walked to the back after that. If you have colored hair and you take hate comments too seriously, be careful.
I remember your Christmas store at the Mall always used to eye the Bass in the box and now i am playing that a Jazz Bass i bought i am now in Tennessee so thanks for helping with my dreams
In the late 90s early 2000’s this was an awesome store. Used CD’s, Ppl who loved to talk about old bands and music culture, It was different. Mind you, they still have great instrument selection, and fair prices for a small business. Some staff is decent, some have the personality of a week old gym sock. I’d say if your local, pick up your kids first instrument there and support local small business. Idk if the lead dude from x-crush still works there, but he was awesome. but it’s a lottery.
My family came in just a few minutes ago and they were very ride to us. My boyfriend, who is normally a very strong person, just walked out of this place in tears because they made him feel embarrassed. Smh. Rude rude employees who act like musical elites.
So you want to call on the dude behind me in line and not even greet me or tell me to have a nice day? Poor way to run a business. The old white guy at the front is rude and inconsiderate. He chose to serve the man behind me in line, likely because I’m a woman, so congrats on losing not only my 42$ purchase I got refunded today; but all future purchases from my multi instrumentalist husband that has been a customer here for over 6 years. I’ll buy from Amazon before giving my money to rude old men. Do better. Hope it was worth it for that dudes 12 dollars worth of strings.
8. Piano Network of Champaign
Address: 1914 Round Barn Rd D, Champaign, IL 61820 , Lake of the Woods , Illinois , United States
I bought an Artist Yamaha C6 Concert Grand from currrent owners Matt & Larry Waldhoff, which I love and still play every weekend at the Possum Trot Supper Club. I purchased it in 1997 when they were with Samuels. Fortunately they asked me in March of 2016 to help represent Piano Network a great new store in Champaign. I am proud to work for them, offering World Class Yamaha Pianos, Allen Organs,and high quality and guaranteed gently used instruments.
Very nice place
Sue is the great manager. She introduced me a bunch of piano selections professionally. Also, this shop offers piano moving for piano buyers beween neighbors. The moving cost is very reasonable. I purchased a piano in town and paid $200 for moving with the Piano Network. I quoted other companies and asked around $600.
9. MADBone Inc.
Address: 1213 Cambridge Dr, Champaign, IL 61821 , Lake of the Woods , Illinois , United States
I took piano lessons from Mrs. Bell for nine years. She was an amazing teacher, both in piano and in life. She put a strong emphasis on technique but never let it get in the way of letting us play songs that we’re passionate about.
Was here for a wedding. Nice venue and even the bathrooms are nice for a pavilion type of place. The outer areas are nice to walk in when you need a break from inside, and the building is relatively soundproof.
A very calm park. The drive up to the place is also scenic. It is a nice place for picnic and spending a couple of hours.
They put a wonderful fireworks display.
Many areas to camp and walk. I love visiting after it rains!
Nice forest.
Nice peaceful atmosphere.
Only a low rating because we stopped specifically to see the bridge and had a hard time because there are NO signs AND, it wasn’t labeled on Google maps. I submitted a missing location for the bridge, so hopefully others will be able to find it. The park looked great though.
Fishing is terrible when we went
Never been there
14. M4LIK Music and Recordings
Address: 2001 N Mattis Ave #8811, Champaign, IL 61826 , Lake of the Woods , Illinois , United States
I’ve taken several electric guitars to Buddy for setup and maintenance. They do great work and are a pleasure doing business with. Highly recommend.
Can’t say enough good things about this place. Great products, great people, and a dog. That’s pretty much everything you could reasonably ask for. Additionally, though, the quality of the repair work is top notch. My 3-year-old somehow got his mitts on my vintage (1950’s) Gibson acoustic and cracked the headstock. After shedding a couple tears and overcoming the embarrassment of leaving it unattended with a 3-year-old in the house, we took it to Buddy & crew. They fixed it up better than I thought possible, both aesthetically and functionally. Sounds the same, feels the same, plays the same. We drive up from about 30 minutes away in Schaumburg and would not go anywhere else. Thanks guys!
Service, excellent. These folks know their stuff and can be trusted.
Very friendly, asked for advice on a project gave great direction. I will definitly come back to give them my business.
A very helpful and knowledgeable staff. A relaxed atmosphere with some really great looking guitars.
Buddy is an expert musician. His advice, insights, and customer service are worth the visit. I support this local shop because they offer value that I can’t get from the web or a large chain.
Its a long story. In the end it was a bad experience.
I think if I didn’t check up with them things could have been much worst.
I’m not doing any business with them and advise the same.
I called 45 minutes before they closed and was there about 25 to 30 minutes before they closed to get a guitar pick the lady with a dog looked at me walking out locked the door and got into her car and left mind you there was still about like I said 25 to 30 minutes left so if you’re gonna close at 8:30 put it on your page on Google that closing is at 8:30 and I’m still gonna buy a pick tomorrow because you’re the closest but that will probably be the last time I’m there and I will be returning the saxophone either Friday or the third
I debated posting a review or not, but I think I should if it’ll keep someone from having a bad experience. First off, the employees are super kind people. Couldn’t be happier with the staff. But unfortunately the work I received on my guitar was really poor. Took a guitar there, first time bringing them one of my instruments. Was told I could expect a turnaround in under a week. Ended up waiting almost 2 months. Honestly not a big deal, happens a lot with instrument repair. Got the guitar back. Took it out to play it and the truss rod cover is missing. Find it in the case and put it on. Turn the volume knob, it falls off. Have to spread the top of the pot and reinstall it. Start playing and there’s a weird oscillating noise from the amp. Find the output jack totally loose, have to take off the cover and tighten it. Screws for the cover are stripped in the body. This is a new guitar by the way. Notice the G string sits higher off the neck than all the others, very noticeably. Figured they would fix this when doing a setup but I guess not. Had to file the saddles out myself. Should have just done the job myself at this point. Ended up taking the guitar apart to make sure the wiring wasn’t as bad as the assembly and setup. Got it playing good now, but after paying for someone else to do it and then having to do it myself, it wasn’t worth it. I figured the extra time taken would have meant it was 100% ready to go when they called but apparently not. This was a mid range guitar so I’m not terribly upset about it, but if it was something really nice I would have definitely been upset. Take this into consideration before dropping off your favorite axe. Hope they learn to slow down and do quality work.
Vine Street was excellent to work with. They were accommodating, organized, and willing to go the extra mile. They learned two new songs for our wedding, and were willing to provide me with samples to practice the procession and recession. More important than anything, they are very talented and created the atmosphere we’d hoped for.
Vine Street played at my wedding and they made my day truly magical with their beautiful music. So kind and professional! Truly a magical performance, thanks again!
We hired Amanda Ramey to play our son’s wedding. She was excellent. Donnie and Alex worked with Amanda on the timing and the selections. We could not have been happier. I recommend her highly!
17. Lake of the Woods
Address: Mahomet Township, IL 61853 , Lake of the Woods , Illinois , United States
Assessment: ★★★★½
4.8/5 based on 9 evaluations.
Reviews
Family get together. Lots of space and plenty of food.
Very beautiful
Fishing, hiking and overall outdoor fun. You must try the museum and botanical garden on the west side of the park. This is part of the Champaign County Forest Preserve.
Beautiful park had a great time with family- took lots of family pics near bridge
18. YoYo’s Coffee & Bar
Address: 104 S Lombard St, Mahomet, IL 61853 , Lake of the Woods , Illinois , United States
Really nice and clean environment. Staff was friendly and the drinks are great from what I have had!
Great place
Nice environment, kid friendly, delicious frozen yogurt that tastes exactly like ice cream.
A very interesting venue with a nice assortment of self serve soft serve flavors, and toppings, sold by the ounce.
Nice atmosphere, good coffee
Very good frozen yogurt with a plethora of toppings.
I wouldn’t call it yogurt. It was more of an icy texture and the flavors were not very good. Won’t be going back.
Grandkids like it, but way too overpriced for the product served.
The yogurt here was very bland, there was no flavor in both the vegan and “regular” options. It was overpriced for the quality of the yogurt, overrated in my opinion.
Violin instructor was very knowledgeable. She adjusted to a different style of teaching to better suit my child. The shop is clean and the people who work there are very kind.
The owner is chill and knows how to fit an instrument to the player. Good atmosphere and knowledgeable staff. Be prepared though, this isn’t guitar center – only quality guitars on hand. If you’re a beginner, come here for lessons, not an instrument.
sad to have to change my review but after having dealt with this store more it seemed necessary
A week and a half later, I’m waiting on a repair that was supposed to take two days. They called on the day it was supposed to be done to say they just started working on it. Two days after that they called again to say it will be done in a week (or maybe less) due to a problem with the instrument that requires additional work. Today (a week later) they said it will be ready two weeks from the day I brought it in. While I can’t comment on the quality of the work because I still haven’t received it yet, I am disappointed with the service so far. I dislike dishonesty, excuses, and false promises. I can only hope that my instrument isn’t being butchered. I hope I’ll get it back and be able to add a positive update to this review. Unfortunately since they lied to me, I can’t trust them, so I’ll have to take it somewhere else to get it checked out after I get it back.
Update: I got the guitar back and had it checked out by a friend’s technician. He said it was in good shape, so I’ve decided to raise my rating by two stars. I won’t forget the bad communication and lack of transparency, so I don’t think I would bring an instrument here for repair a second time.
Reviews show that they are open but I cannot seem to find the correct times they are open I tried stopping in on a Saturday around 3 website and google said they were open. But they weren’t too
I bought two sets of acoustic guitar strings for around a $20 total and later received a $140 charge from the business. Bob said he would reach out to resolve the issue but has not yet after two weeks.
Bought an over priced patch cable to find out it doesn’t work.
Was looking for a specific pair of drumsticks that I needed. I walked in and took a look at the selection they had, and they didn’t have what I needed. I asked a staff member if they could help me out and he helped me figure out what pair I needed. He happened to be the drum instructor. While trying to find the specific pair, my mother who was with me told me that he made her feel uncomfortable because of the way he acted towards her. When they “ordered” it for me and they said it’ll be here in a week.
One week later, I called to see if it had arrived. They said no. I stopped by the next day to see if it arrived and the same instructor said they’ll stop by tomorrow and pick it up for me. (From whatever warehouse they get their stuff from). The next day, guess what? THEY DIDN’T HAVE IT.
Unbelievable service. Waste of time and effort. I ended up going to A-Major Music in Gurnee. Trust me, it is worth the drive and they are MUCH more friendlier and helpful there.
