Left my mikro bass with these guys for a week and WOW. It’s crazy how experienced these cats are with instruments. Fair price and excellent service, even made a low end bass like mine just sing. Thanx guys, you rock!!
Tommy Shepard has been recommending music gear, working on and selling me guitars for more than 30 years! He has been and continues to be my most trusted resource. He is always honest, fair and stands behind his work which is always 1st rate!
I have recommended Tommy to countless fellow musicians and friends over the years. I continue to refer musicians from beginner to professional!
I you have a need, check him out! You will be glad you did!
Tom is the greatest. He has helped me with many guitars. Not only that, I bought a custom made guitar a few years back. Being lefthanded, I don’t get the opportunity to play many well crafted guitars.
It is a privilege to have one of his instruments and customized in the way I want.
Thank you Tom, for everything!
Great place for all you musical needs
T Shepard’s is a great shop, and Tom is a terrific, skilled, and knowledgeable guy.
The straps and strings and accouterments are top-notch.
And the selection of guitars for sale is interesting, diverse, and attractive.
Don’t be in a hurry, though, if you drop your guitar off for repairs.
And don’t expect a phone call or email to let you know about delays well past the implied pick-up date.
This is Mayberry, Andy.
Not Mount Pilot.
Mr Shepard doesn’t seem to understand how to correctly repair tuning stability issues.
He may want to consider the fact that a new customer doesn’t always mean new player. He insulted me when I told him ‘guitar will not stay in tune’ I’d like it repaired’ His response was “you mean it won’t stay in tune or you can’t get it in tune?” Wow.
Sir, I’ve been playing for 38 years. Im a seasoned player. I love music. And I would have loved to find a small shop to do business with instead of that behemoth Guitar Center. Speaking of GC, I only turned to them because this same Mr Shepard was rude to me on the phone last December when I was in the market for a new rig…I mean I’ve bought a Marshall amp, a full complement of pedals, And an American Standard Strat, a Gibson Les Paul. So maybe you should reconsider to whom you are rude in the future. I gave you a chance to earn my business and you blew it. Since last December, I’ve spent over $3000 at GC,and guys like you whine about GC all the time yet you don’t seem to understand why your own business is stuck off in the boondocks, or you constantly have to move around.
Just not the place to buy music
5. Gadsden Music Company – Huntsville
Address: 4800 Whitesburg Dr, Huntsville, AL 35802 , Madison County , Alabama , United States
They are always very helpful. They also don’t only have good products, but they have wonderful prices. I’ve bought guitar strings, flute cleaning rods, piccolo cleaning rods, a flute stand, a guitar stand, and guitar picks here. All of them have lasted and work really well.
Loved it
The Gadsden Music Company (the bandwagon of Huntsville) is an appealing and clean little music store. The fellows who run the place are friendly, helpful, and not at all pushy. I enjoy doing business there, and I am proud to support their store. They are friendly to the military, and I like that!!
Great experience renting for school. Good deal purchasing. Problems getting a repair.
The employee when my husband dropped it off was very rude, like we were inconveniencing them to need their services. They told us 2 weeks. After 4 weeks, I dropped by to check on status. They needed to order a part, but could patch it in the meantime. The employee I spoke to was an angel and gave me a cell number so that I could drop it off for repair before they opened, once the part came in. It has been a couple months and we haven’t heard from them.
Customer service has been hit & miss here, but they’re pretty much the only band instrument option in south Huntsville.
It was great.
Good place of selection and curtios people. Plenty of room and parking
Had a clarinet re-padded and new cork. It cost $186
The finished product seems good.
Issue:
They said it would take two weeks. I called after three weeks and they hadn’t even started it. So you may need to call them every few days.
When they did finish it they didn’t call me to let me know. It wasn’t until I called again that I found out it was finished. Feels a bit unorganized.
After speaking with the man at the Huntsville store and verifying they would open until 6; I arrived at 5:30 to find the doors locked.
Be careful calling and asking about their stock. If their phone isn’t answered locally in Huntsville, then it transfers to Birmingham or Gadsden. I called earlier in the week to discuss a purchase ($3,000 +/-) and was very pleased with the service, until I drove over an hour and was told the instruments we wanted to look at were in another location.
Don’t keep their promises with estimated time frames. I wasted my time driving there when I was told my guitar would be ready and restrung the next day at said time. Well I was there the next day and another man told me he doesn’t know what happened and that’s all he could do for me.
6. Millennium Music Inc
Address: 4218 Oakwood Ave NW, Huntsville, AL 35810 , Madison County , Alabama , United States
You never know what all these guys do till you ask..
Very good prices and affordable studio time
Friendly!
Friendly & knowledgeable
I want to come here but every time i come they’re closed
Dropped off one wedding tape to get converted and was told it’ll be done by Monday for my parents anniversary since last week. There wasn’t any updates it calls to us and we had to keep continuously calling each day and the one or two guys supposedly were out of town and then when he got back was out and never showed up back to the office to take care of it with no edits. Was told too the day to drop it off next door to give to them since the worker was wherever. It’s now Wednesday and still wasn’t even touched or looked at. The lady who worked there everyday was SUPER nice but won’t be doing services with them again.
Folks here are nice enough but they don’t have consistent business hours. Also Instrument repair is not efficient and they make it much harder than it should be.
People that run the place, running 2 different businesses in one office(hustling). Very little parking….
7. The Cigar Box Guitar Store
Address: 2211 Seminole Dr SW #106, Huntsville, AL 35805 , Madison County , Alabama , United States
This place was awesome! I never knew that cigar box guitars existed and they are so cool. The owner Luthier was so nice and friendly and took the time to teach us how to play.
We are definitely going back to visit and buy a cigar box guitar!
This store is simply amazing! Besides a place to go for all you cigar box guitar needs – it is a community gathering place where anyone can come, pick up and play an instrument, have free lessons in the most wonderful non judgmental environment. If I lived near by I would be there weekly to share the great vibe. This store is a blessing to the Huntsville community because they are the definition of community builders and sharing the love of making music. Not to mention the wonderful annual, longest running Cigar Box Festival in June they host!
Great community. Great people. I love the Cigar Box Guitar I purchased. Great craftsmanship. Jeff and Tara are great to work with!
Derek Brightwell
Stop going to big box stores! Small business can get you everything you need. Great customer service, the lady working there answered all my questions.
This place had the most knowledgeable staff and trade-in you like family they went to no ends to help the customer or me and my son and knew everything there was to know about what he wanted I recommend anybody that is interested in guitars to go there instead of one of the big conglomerates there are because their personable service is better than just somebody that doesn’t know what they’re talking about.
I’ve been going to the Fret Shop for guitars, lessons, and accessories for over 15 years. I’ve taken lessons from two different guitar instructors, and they were both absolutely wonderful. I wouldn’t purchase an instrument from any other place in town. These guys stand by their products, and their tech does an amazing job as well. I can’t recommend these guys enough.
Nice folks and a quaint, decent size of a guitar shop! Unfortunately the service didn’t blow me away. I dropped off a guitar to have it cleaned up and checked for intonation. I don’t think any of the saddles were even moved. I ended up having to intonate the strings myself when I got a decent tuner in front of me.
So if you are reading these I bet you see the polarity of the reviews. People seem to love it or hate it. The difference is who you deal with there. I’ve always seen 3 guys and one young lady. There is a big guy with a goatee who isn’t friendly at all and you can tell he gets annoyed if you play with an instrument. Then there is a pretty generic looking guy that does most of the repair work. He is the embodiment of the a*hole guitar shop/ comic book store type guy. You’re beneath him and he makes sure you know it. If you can get past these two the young lady is very nice, and I’ve seen her make women more comfortable in what is usually a very male atmosphere. She also seems to know most of the store’s products equally so if you are looking for a dulcimer ask her. The last guy is the only reason I still shop there. Tall, skinny dude with a Rock a Billy haorcut. Hands down one of the nicest people I have ever met in a store. He could not care less if you came in there without a dollar to your name or a single chord to play. He loves music and wants to spread that around. If anyone there had the skill to warrant being haughty it would be him, but he is the last one there to do anything other than brighten your day. I take friends in there who have social anxiety etc. or are just nervous because they don’t play and he puts them right at ease. I would love to write this place off, but one great employee can make a difference. He doesn’t even know the difference he has made with some of my Army buddies that can barely handle being out of the house, but thanks to him there is one place they can go feel like a regular guy perusing a store. When my son is old enough he is who I want him to take lessons from. Truthfully he deserves a better place to work at.
Would’ve been 5. Almost everyone was great, especially the guy that rang me up, and my experience was mostly enjoyable, but grey goatee was rude when I asked for his opinion on some Marshall amps.
This used to be a good guitar shop. Now, it’s mediocre at best. If you’re not in the market for either a Taylor acoustic guitar or something cheap that’s a bit overpriced, you’re wasting your time going in this store. The strings are double the price I pay online. I would pay a little more for local service, but I’m not going to pay double. They don’t have most of the stuff that they show on their website, and they have a lot of small items in the store that are not on their website. The service is not friendly at all. The man behind the counter should try a smile once in a while.
They better get it together or they’ll be going the way some of the other local shops went, and sooner rather than later. The franchise and online stores will swallow them whole.
$10 for a used box. I could understand that but saying you can’t spare 50 cents of bubble wrap because you ship too much? Sad. Next time I’ll go to the big box who said they’ll give me a box for free.
Terrible customer service. We bought a $400 guitar here and was told we would get a free alignment. We came back a few days later to get it and the man that we talked to very unhelpful and rude. We will not be recommending this place to anyone. We are very surprised by this behavior considering our contribution to their business during these tough times. Disappointed.
10. Hallman’s Music
Address: 1920 Sparkman Dr NW #2, Huntsville, AL 35816 , Madison County , Alabama , United States
Nancy Hallman is a patient, funny music teacher. She motivates my young teen to practice and play to her highest potential. She is an amazing teacher and my daughter thinks very highly of her.
Great people!!
I rented an alto saxophone from this place. It plays well and is very high quality. They are so kind and are very welcoming.
I appreciate that the owner works with a college student’s budget when tuning instruments.
I took my trumpet in to get a dent out of the valves, and without my consent the trumpet was chem cleaned. Any of the crud that was on the inside was gone (that could’ve been fixed by me washing it at home) and the debt was gone, but the cleaning stripped the lacquer off of the trumpet. Hallman’s refused to re-lacquer it unless we paid for it. I haven’t gone back since…
Lady was very rude, mean, and laughed at my mother tripping over a step.
This place is over rated and priced, PLEASE READ ALL FINE PRINT IN THE CONTRACT, THERE ARE NO REFUNDS ON RENTALS!!!!! I didn’t even have the instrument 18 hours never used and they would not refund me my money back. I feel tricked and scammed because of the fine print, please read and understand before you sign.
11. Tangled String Studios
Address: 2211 Seminole Dr SW, Huntsville, AL 35805 , Madison County , Alabama , United States
This place is awesome. We were walking around Lowe Mill, waiting for a concert to start, on The Dock, and happened onto this place (Tangled String Studios). There was a guy hanging around outside drinking a mimosa. He saw us and asked “want to come in and have one?” He continued by saying, “They are free!”
Just as we were about to walk in, the guy said “the producer from Outkast is talking, so just go in and be quiet, and listen,” he said all this with a smile on his face.
It was my birthday this night, so this was really cool to see.
Fantastic venue to hear local music.
Really cool music venue! Hope to visit again soon!
Absolutely love the place! Friendly atmosphere with super neat unique decor. The musical talent was awesome! I had a great time! With more ac I would give it five stars.
Been in a few times whoever attended to me didn’t take me seriously about wanting to purchase a guitar and moved on to the next person in before I could inquire
12. Danny Davis Guitars
Address: 2211 Seminole Dr SW, Huntsville, AL 35805 , Madison County , Alabama , United States
Danny has a great guitar shop in the Low Mill art district. If you enjoy music or guitars this is a must see destination. Danny puts great care and time into his craft and is happy to share his love of music with you. Be sure to stop by and say hello to him!
Quality, acoustic guitars that are constructed from various tone woods, have genuine sounds with true vibrations, that create rich tonalities; unmatched to any artificial laminated wood substitutes. Who would have imagined a Danny Davis guitar making me a better musician? I did flippantly and guess what … my dream came true.
Rick Bennet Wambsganss
Mountain Brook, Al
13. Maxwell’s Music
Address: 100 Jefferson St N suite 108, Huntsville, AL 35801 , Madison County , Alabama , United States
Great little spot downtown! Good selection and incredibly helpful people working there who are more than willing to answer any questions someone like me who’s new to vinyl might have. Definitely worth stopping by if you find yourself downtown one afternoon.
Owner is great, very knowledgeable. A lot of deep cuts.
Cool little record shop! A great place to find some hidden gems, or add to your collection with some rare covers.
Small space, very clean and fairly well organized. Vinyl and CDs available. Fair selection of vinyl – recommend hitting the ‘new arrival’ bins first as the sorted materials are very well picked through.
The owner is a true music lover and vinyl lover.
Alot of options but not well organized
This is embarrassing
Got kicked out for no reason, I went him and the stronger looking guy told me to “go fetch”.
Nice shop. Manager Denny and Jesse worked with me. The onsight repair was careful and done well.
Staff is always friendly and helpful. Seth was amazing tonight in helping my friend and I with speakers!
They have tons of instruments and equipment to try out. Acoustic, electric and bass guitars, amps, drums, sound boards, pianos and about anything else you can imagine. Prices are reasonable and you can spend the whole day here and it will seem like no time at all.
Meh. It’s a GC.
bought an amazing Marshall cab. Staff hovers a bit much, but they know their stuff. Great selection of guitars, need better amp selection.
Good selection of guitars and drums.
Same old guitars, different city
Poor customer service
Zero Stars!!! This store has zero regard for your product and your best interest. Once you purchase they do not care after that. Even after I provided them with sufficient information etc they were negligent on helping me. This also falls on their regional manager because a message was provided but they chose to ignore it. Will not do business with them ever again. Go to another music store & give them a chance instead of this store.
16. A B Stephens Music Inc
Address: 2828 Drake Ave SW A, Huntsville, AL 35805 , Madison County , Alabama , United States
Great selection of keyboards, guitars and other music accessories.
Very nice, professional, helpful, and knowledgeable staff. Good selection and prices.
Have used this place for almost 17 years! Great place for sheet music where you can try out the music before buying. Knowledgeable staff who are quite friendly!
This a piano shop and a music school with the friendliest of people. They do vocal lessons and i believe insturmental lessons.
Local business. Long open, since 1970’s at least.
Very friendly staff with a great music selection!
This review is for my experience *consigning* with A B Stephens. If you are a buyer, just know that as a customer myself, I have no complaints.
I consigned my piano with them in February of 2020. The pickup process was quick and easy and they were pleasant to work with. The piano sold in about 5 months.
Fast forward to now, and I’ve only just received my check for the sale, over a year later. I reached out to them multiple times prior to the sale for an update without any substantive response, and they failed to notify me of the sale to coordinate sending the check (I had recently moved) until I remembered to ask them again. To their credit, they were quick to solve the problem and Laurin was responsive and considerate given the circumstances. You’ll see her comment below reacting to my original review, which I’ve edited to reflect the conclusion of this situation.
If you consign with them and call regularly for updates, you will have no problems. If you expect them to have your information on hand and reach out proactively, you might have problems.
To A B Stephens – I support your business and I recognize that there was no ill intent. You expose yourself to a lot of risk when this happens, and I encourage you to improve your documentation tools to avoid it happening again. Customer relationship management (CRM) software is more accessible than ever; it’ll make your lives easier, your customers happier, and your business more resilient.
Worst customer service with regard to a player piano purchase. No help from AB Stevens agent or Tech they recommended. Do not return calls for assistance
Competitive pricing and expertise – shop local, folks. :). They were very helpful getting my daughter (7) started on her first instrument.
Best Owner!!
Excellent service and friendly owners!
It had a small collection of violins, basses, and other orchestral instruments.
Shopping for a Alto Sax for my daughter. Knowledgeable and helpful staff. Didn’t give a full review because no purchase was made at this time.
They appear to have a little bit of everything musical.
I had my trombone fixed here multiple times, and each time I’ve had to send it back because it was messed up even more. Upon returning my instrument, the owner said, ” I don’t know what happened from the time you picked it up Thursday and the time you brought it in on Friday,” implying that I was lying to him. Do not shop here for any reason, unless you want to deal with a disrespectful man who only cares about money and not about the quality of service or the fact that you have been without your instrument in class for 2 weeks. When I tried 3 times to talk to him but each time he was not there. DO NOT SHOP HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OMG! Mil is awesome. He performed at my outdoor brunch in the blistering heat. His selection of songs was great and he engaged the crowd. I highly recommend Mil for your next event!
