Great team is always helpful. Amazing selection and atmosphere.
Best vintage giutar collection on the E-coast.great place to do business. New , used , vintage they have it all. Great place to shop.
Best selection of Guitars in the City
The drum shop should accommodate left handed player not be uniform in just right handed sets only…. what a ridiculous comment by the Drum Shop Tech
This is a guitarist’s heaven! Beautiful showrooms with a gorgeous collection of stringed instruments.
I, however, am a drummer. Still enjoyed my time here, but had way less to see or play. If you’re looking for drums, go to Vic’s.
Overpriced
Thieves! Do not use them. 6 month ordeal. Took 5 months to receive item. And it was canceled months prior. Tried to return item since I bought from a better source and after 20 emails and multiple phone calls they accept it. One problem, they never refunded the money. $136 wasted on these clowns. Worst place I have ever dealt with, musical or otherwise. Stay clear of David Azizinamini. The biggest jerk.
I was there today to buy strings…8 strings set and they haven’t even a one. We have 21st Century and people play other guitars then Fender and Gibson. That big music store should stock at least two or three brands of 8 strings sets.
Took my guitar in for a new set of pickups to be installed. When I took my guitar home I found that it was missing several screws from the back plate and one missing screw for the pickup selector. The back plate was all cracked and after a week the bridge pickup stopped working. When I took a look at the inside I could see it was a terrible soldering job that I had to fix. I am greatly disappointed in the poor workmanship and will never take any of my guitars here again.
4. Pro Musica Audio – Chicago’s Premiere Audio Specialists since 1983!
Address: 713 W Wrightwood Ave, Chicago, IL 60614 , Lincoln Park , Illinois , United States
I walked into the Lincoln Ave. shop in ’84 (the days of free parking)
I thought there was a live band playing, even after seeing the repro system.
Ken was gracious.
Be sure to check them out before investing in audio kit (sic Paul McGowan)
Ken and John are the most knowledgable guys I’ve met in 40 years of listening — about gear and music. I’ve never felt pressured — I’ve always felt like they worked hard to make the experience of buying/building a listening system as transparent as possible. I’ve never been disappointed with anything I’ve bought here. And their follow up/service (which is critical) has always been helpful and thorough. Can’t recommend them more highly.
Great!
My Momma said this as I boarded the bus for college: “Be wary of folks that make you ask how much something costs. It’s their way of separating the dumb coon hounds from the prized fox (who, by the way, closely resembles the proprietor.)” They used to say, “If you need to ask the price you obviously can’t afford it.” But those adages herald from a different time; when a person’s clothing underlined their heritage, their bloodline, and “open accounts.” Everything changed in the 90’s: billionaires wore the same clothes in bed as on the street. Now proprietors must approach a customer with a welcoming invitation, and listen to the customers desires. NOT AT PRO MUSICA! I walked-in last week, showed pictures of my office, gave distances from speaker to desk chair, all for nothing. When I scoffed at the current price for a tuner it was $2,000 +/- I bluntly asked to see anything under $1,000. One pair of 10.5″ x 6-3\4″ x 8″ Desktop Speakers for a little past $800. I was a toy; a caged dog teased simply to watch its rage; an idiot of Hi (End) Fi (Falstaff’s grunted dismissal of out-of-place action.) paying the $1,000+ cost of admission. Steer clear unless you can pronounce “Bulgari” correctly!
5. Paul Kogut Guitar
Address: 1646 W Julian St # A, Chicago, IL 60622 , Lincoln Park , Illinois , United States
I have NEVER seen a bad concert at the Old Town School. My last concert was Beausoleil, one of the planet’s best Cajun bands, led by the inimitable Michael Doucet. Fiddle tunes and Cajun waltzes, with room on the dance floor for plenty of couples made for a swinging, soulful evening!
The person l dealt with was very helpful. He was also very prompt in getting back with me. Old Town School Music had the best deal out there for the guitar l wanted…haven’t received the guitar yet but l expect it to be as high quality as the service at OTSM.
Great place with VERY helpful, experienced music loving volunteers, and great talent! This is the third time I have seen Peter and Jeremy, the second time here. I sat with a friend and his friend upstairs in the upper balcony, which did still have good views and sound. Unfortunately, though, there is a metal ‘fence’ at each end of the balcony, and it should be a little wider, since it makes it harder to get to the seats, if you’re ‘well endowed’, as I am.
Good selection of Martin guitars, sometimes sale pricing.
Cool staff and great selection.
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.
8. Cameo Lake Music
Address: 345 W Fullerton Pkwy, Chicago, IL 60614 , Lincoln Park , Illinois , United States
Recently moved into the area. Found this gem. Worked with John and he is top notch with helping you get what you need. Great prices too. Thanks, John
Super awesome place! Friendly and helpful guys will help you get whatever you need! Highly recommended
Has exactly what I’m looking for every time, at just the right price.
Great service
Staff is friendly. Nice little selection if you dig around. Unfortunately they are not consistent with purchasing used gear. But always good for a trade.
Cool little used gear shop. They did seem to have some new items, as my friend purchased an amplifier. The employee was nice and knowledgeable.
This place was a rip off. Purchased their 1 month 30 min guitar lessons on Groupon which was $60. I found it weird how Evolution Music was no longer available on Groupon shortly after my sons first day. Went before my 7 yr old started school and Josh still charged me the whole $120 without checking my Groupon and said we could extend his lessons for 3 months instead and was guaranteed my money back ANY TIME. A little later I started facing some personal problems along with my pregnancy and also my son was starting school. The latest lesson I believe is at 3 pm which was cutting it close. I asked for my money back and the manager refused. It really wasn’t even worth it at all. It would’ve been better if it was more than one day a week for a 30 min guitar lesson.
Bad setup.
11. Old Town School of Folk Music – Lincoln Park
Address: 909 W Armitage Ave, Chicago, IL 60614 , Lincoln Park , Illinois , United States
Wonderful place for people of all ages to take musical instrument or dance lessons. Had great experiences with the teachers.
Old Town School of Folk Music is a great place to learn how to play guitar. The program and teachers make it fun and easy to learn how to play, even if you have no experience. I’ve been taking group lessons from Mary Peterson for 2-1/2 years now and have so much fun learning how to play guitar. I miss playing with a group but the Zoom classes are great until we can all be at the school together again. If you’re on the fence about learning guitar, just do it!
wonderful teachers and learning environment
Excellent place to learn and enjoy music. Lucky and vibrant area with diversity and cultural vibe.
I love you
We are signed up for wiggle worms and we have been loving it. However, I wanted to see if we could drop-in for a Thursday class one week and the customer service I received when I inquired about this was AWFUL! She laughed at me and all she said was “that’s not how it works”. I have been very disappointed in the level of customer service all around. When we go into the music center the front desk is not friendly and they have rudely asked all parents to park strollers elsewhere instead of politely helping them to move their strollers into a more acceptable space. We pay a lot of money for each music session and I would’ve expected better customer service in every area.
12. Wargaski Violins
Address: 1705 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60622 , Lincoln Park , Illinois , United States
My oud needed a moderate repair and replacement of parts & pieces about 2 years ago. Paul did an outstanding job. Everything turned out better than it has ever been. I don’t even think the luthier could imagine such refinement and quality of sound out of his instrument. It’s been also holding up quite well over the time.
Easy to get to and Paul is always accessible
Have brought a couple of violins here. Excellent work always.
13. Rock N Roll Vintage & Synth City
Address: 4727 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60625 , Lincoln Park , Illinois , United States
amazing collection of vintage synths and drum machines in the city, their modular display is very large and awesome, hoping to come back again soon!!
This place has always been great and inviting. Absolutely love this place and have been coming here for years.
Good vibes and good inventory! Employees were super helpful.
Rock N Roll Vintage is the place. I’ve been buying modular synth stuff, and rare guitar parts from here – and finally a vintage guitar. The customer service here is second to none
Great layout and selection!
There are better places to go in the area for musical instruments and accessories, but this place has everything you would expect from a guitar shop. Be aware of their hours as I have tried to stop by on the way to or from work to find that they were closed.
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.
God I hate this place.
The owner ripped me off on gear when I was down on my luck..
I understand resale shops having to make a profit but this low class move will never be forgotten.
Becareful when you deal with them. They will burn you when your back is turned, and that’s a terrible feeling when you rip off musicians who don’t have money.
14. Parkwest Strings
Address: 1960 N Lincoln Park W Cook, Chicago, IL 60614 , Lincoln Park , Illinois , United States
From our first initial e-mail to our wedding day on 10/11/19, Songhea from Parkwest Strings has been one of our favorite vendors to work with by far. Songhea was extremely professional, personable, and thoughtful when helping plan our ceremony music. Our guests are still talking about how phenomenal the string trio sounded! We wanted contemporary music played during the ceremony and Songhea and her fellow musicians went above and beyond. Thank you for making our wedding ceremony so memorable!
We hired them for my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary party in 2017. The music was sublime and is still talked about!
15. Gramaphone Records
Address: 2843 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60657 , Lincoln Park , Illinois , United States
Has great selection of house,techno, and drum n bass. They are also very friendly.
Been coming here for years! Enjoyed my recent visit in honor of Record Store Day!
Great help from the staff… The guy who helped me happens to be an amazing international DJ himself. Great recommendations. I wish I lived in Chicago so I could be a regular!
I ❤ Gramaphone Records! Been coming here since the 80s amd always find somehting.
This record shop is everything to me.
Proper record store for as long as I can remember.
Been shopping here weekly since April 2021. Came in 9-28 and wanted to buy 3 records which totaled under 5 bucks. Guy at the register told me that they have a limit of 5 dollars if I wanted to pay with a card. I have never been told this or saw a sign which reflected that and I asked if he could be kind enough to ring me up today and next time I will be aware of the recent change in their payment policy. His response was that it wasn’t a change in policy but rather a rule they recently started to enforce. At which point, I took the only bill I had which was a 100 and I asked if they could change it so I can pay. His literal response was its ridiculous to change a 100 for 3 dollars worth of records. So it appeared that ringing up records under 5 dollars was too much trouble and changing my 100 was also too much of an issue. I put the records back and ended up leaving. Not sure why or when they started to treat their customers this way but no need to return.
On 8/14 I went to this record store for the first time and had an extremely disappointing experience. Upon entering the store there was a sign that stated “all bags must be checked”, when entering I wasn’t welcomed or greeted but told that my bag needed to be left at the front of the store. I asked about the sign saying that my bag only needed to be checked and the gentleman deflected my question. While talking with this employee I noticed multiple people throughout the store with bags far much larger than mine and asked why I was told something different but the employee kept deflecting and didn’t acknowledge or apologize for policing me before even browsing the store.
I wouldn’t recommend this establishment to anyone who identifies as a Black, the following store is in no way welcoming of us yet sells and profits off of our culture and creativity. I’d highly suggest patronizing business such as Hyde Park Record which is a Black owned store that far more inclusive and affordable!
I hope that this store takes the necessary actions towards being more welcoming to Black individuals.
I was happy when they reopened, I’ve been buying music here for years. Be sure you know as much as possible about your genre, and be prepared to search, because it seems to be an imposition for staff to do anything other than pointing to a huge case of CDs. I’ll return, when I have an hour to spare.
16. Diego Alonso | Flamenco and Classical Guitar Lessons & Performance | Online & Miami
I have had several good guitar instructors in the past, but Diego has impressed me the most. He meets you where you are and freely shares the wealth of knowledge he accumulated over his career. As a result, you advance quickly using the best techniques in the trade. He also has a positive supporting presence that leaves you feeling inspired after every session. I only wish I had started with Diego years ago.
I cannot recommend Diego Alonso and his Flamenco assemble enough! My school hosted them for an assembly in which they did two back-to-back (50 minute) performances for our k-5 students. The group is very professional, and the dancing, singing, and instrumental parts were all phenomenal. They also talked to kids about the different parts of flamenco, demonstrating each one and allowing the children to practice as well. It was a great mixture of performance and getting the students involved. All of the students, K-5, were very engaged and were raving about the assembly! I imagine this would be great for all students K through 12, and of course the teachers enjoyed it as well!
I have been taking classes with Diego for a little less than a year and I don’t think the five stars do enough justice to how good his lessons have been for me. I played a little, only chords, in the school choir when I was a kid; but Flamenco and Classical Spanish guitar has always been my passion, and always wanted to take lessons. Diego has made it smooth and easy to progress faster than I would have thought, but more importantly with structure and a great methodology. He is very detailed oriented, his lessons are clear, his recommendations to overcome challenges and the patience and method that he uses to teach, as a result of all his knowledge and academic preparation as well as his years of experience performing makes him a great professor. I am glad to be taking classes with Diego who has also reassured me, through his lessons, that it is never too late!
I cannot say enough great things about Brooke and her team of world-class instructors. At every step of the way, their aim is to put their students experience above all else, and to foster as much as possible a student’s love for music and their abilities to play. They offer regular recitals, expert service, and are some of the most wonderful musicians I’ve had the pleasure of working with!
I cannot say enough good things about Lessons by Brooke and Company: from the instructors to the owner herself, I have repeatedly referred my choral students’ families to Brooke. She is a consummate educator who personally screens all of her instructors for professionalism and competency.
LBB&C students have really wonderful opportunities (if they choose to participate) in addition to their weekly lessons. Did I mention these are IN-HOME lessons? So few music instructors travel to YOU, which used to be the ONLY way you got quality music lessons. Brooke tailors each instructor to each student. Brilliant. It’s just brilliant.
High marks across the board!
My son Michael has been enrolled in piano lessons with LBB&C for the past year and we could not be happier! Brooke’s professionalism and communication is top notch, and the studios willingness and ability to remain flexible with our hectic and ever changing schedules truly sets them above any other studio we’ve worked with!
Sadly, our first instructor had to leave us due to a change in her availability, but Brooke quickly came to us with a replacement option and we remained just as happy! I cannot recommend this business more!
At first this was a good experience with a very good instructor. Sadly my child’s instructor was replaced with someone with no enthusiasm, no personality and who routinely could not keep to a schedule. We stuck by for much longer than we should have due to my will to keep things as normal after a death in the family, but promises to replace the instructor were never met. He would often show up late or call to reschedule then there were missed classes that they wanted to reschedule instead of just refunding. This in top of other rather small irritants as the instructor car taking up the entire drive way and finally the office lack of follow through or professionalism. We have since found a new instructor it seems the last year under Brooke and Co has been a complete waste and I don’t think my daughter was taught anything of value even though Brooke kept progressing my child
Look elsewhere Brooke and Co almost destroyed my kid enthusiasm around playing the Piano. Refuse to make changes and just kept moving book to book. Even with all my complaints no one from the office ever came to observe this instructors methods.
I was finally was able to get over to the Fret 12 store in Chicago and was pleasantly surprised at all the great quality merchandise available. There’s a nice variety of PRS guitars for sale, better than the major music stores carry and I have my eye on some cool artwork for the home gallery. The store décor offers some cool memorabilia as well. The staff were truly professional, friendly, and helpful and access from the major highway was easy with ample parking. I’m 70 miles NW of Fret12 and look forward stopping back in soon. Great experience.
Great Customer Service and Quality Products!
Awesome place! Cool shop. Great venue!
20. Marsha’s Music
Address: 2257 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60614 , Lincoln Park , Illinois , United States
My 19 month old daughter loves going to Marsha’s Music! Would fully recommend to any young family.
I love Marsha’s Music and so does my 2 year old who has been going since he was 6 months old. The songs are easy and great for kids of all ages (including us adults who have fun with the harmonies and movements). My son loves when the props and instruments come out and he always wants to give Miss Marsha a hug after class. I don’t care if my child becomes musically inclined or not as an adult, but it is amazing to hear how quickly he picks up a tune and now sings most the words of the songs he really likes. I truly believe Marsha’s Music is responsible for giving him an ear for music at such a young age.
That’s an amazing music class for kids. I think there is no other music approaches for little kids which can compare to Marsha’s music. Kids have a lot of fun there. They play instruments appropriate for their age, such as drums, sticks, shakers. Sometimes they play “kitchen” instrument like empty bottles, spoons, milk boxes. They have a lot of fun and learn lots of things about music through the play. This class is a solid introduction to music. Teachers are very nice. We still listen come CD’s from different sessions.
