George is an excellent communicator and has a genuine passion for the guitars he sells! He truly wants to help his customers, and I highly recommend him and his store. The guitar arrived in perfect condition and exactly as described. I will definitely return to this store for future purchases!
Have gotten quite a few things from SS Vintage and have been blown away every time! They actually care about their gear.
“Our expertise is second to none”
“Impeccable service”
If you have an issue with your purchase, you will regret it. They have fundamentally poor expertise with regard to vintage, and they will weasel out of accountability.
Rude and over priced. I will never give you a dime!!
bought a vintage amp online and it arrived with a blown speaker.
dishonest seller – no stars
3. Chicago Music Exchange
Address: 3316 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60657 , North Center , Illinois , United States
Beat music store I’ve EVER been to. Super helpful and friendly
Total nirvana
Exelente
Great service. Huge selection. Pricey, but very high standards. Bought second hand Les Paul standard, honey-burst with one of a kind book matching for my son’s high school graduation present. The guys restrung, polished and threw in a bunch of swag. To save me Chicago sales tax they advised me to have it shipped back home to Michigan.
Aight.
Amazing selection of guitars. Pricey but unmatched display of instruments
Trade in policy is bait and switch. Talk on the phone they say X%, go to the store and then they say Y%. You would be better off going to Guitar Center.
The worst music store I’ve done business with. I’ve ordered 4 guitars with them for a total of over $2,000. TWO have shown up with damage. Zero help from their customer service. I’ve never had this issue with any other dealer.
Do yourself a favor and avoid these guys. They will send you a damaged instrument listed as “new” and jerk you around for a week sorting it out.
Furthermore, we finally agreed on a partial credit for one of the damaged items. Rather than discount the item and recalculate the tax (which is the law) they just took it out of the bottom line number and tried to make me eat the tax amount. What a shady business
Nice store and staff were polite so no issues there. My issue is that I had been looking for a specific bass new in the box (just my preference to not like one that has been handled/adjusted). While I live in Illinois it’s about an hour and half drive to the store so online I inquired if I wanted a specific new in box bass could I pick it up at the store. I was told no problem a new untouched one would be sent to the store and be ready the next day. Drove there (about an hour and half each way) and the box brought out clearly had been opened the bass repacked into the box, etc. Not sure if it was hanging in the store or used for online photos or what. While some may not agree with my preference on wanting a sealed never handled item it is what I was specifically told would be available and as it turned out was not available after making the trip back and forth to the store.
4. Rock N Roll Vintage & Synth City
Address: 4727 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60625 , North Center , Illinois , United States
Brought my guitar in to have the frets leveled. Dropped it off Friday, had it back Sunday and it’s playing the best it ever has
They beat everyone’s price on the Internet for the top end guitar pedal I was looking for! Thanks!
Unsurpassed selection of vintage tube amplifiers and analog synthesizers.
Honest and informative staff. Loaded with instruments
Would recommend the repair & setup services from them. Quick and quality work from them always. I have used them for all by guitars & bases since moving to the neighborhood. Ben is also great, because if it is a quick fix, he just does super fast for you, and gets you out the door.
Good service and will purchase marketable vintage goods..
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.
this place has a closet worth of gear.. almost nothing. I think they asked to check my diaper bag because I am not white.. don’t waste your time or money here.
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
5. Chicago Fret Works Guitar and Amp Repair
Address: 4229 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60618 , North Center , Illinois , United States
I bought a supposedly ‘new’ fender strat from guitar center… after playing it for a couple months something just seemed off. Brought it in and Dan showed me everything that he noticed, and recommended “the works” setup.
Guitar looks brand new and plays like brand new. No buzzing, no action issues. Work was done before estimated as well.
Incredible how big of a difference it made, from tone, to tune consistency along the frets…
Thanks!
Update: Had some issues initially but the owner reached out and made everything right! Will be back!
I recently had this shop craft a new nut & saddle for my classical guitar. This, of course, included a re-string and general setup to get it playing again. The work was done beautifully and I am very impressed with the playability of my instrument since then.
My only complaint about the repair is very minor. For some reason they took off the tape markers I made on the side of the neck. I can’t imagine why they would remove them, but whatever.
The reason it’s a 4 star review is because I wasn’t impressed with the customer service I received when I picked up my instrument.
I do NOT recommend this place. I sent 2 Instruments to them . A classical guitar for a professional setup / fret/ action ect. & an American Stratocaster to be relic’d. I spent well over $1,000 & the Classical guitar come back unplayable. The frets were sanded at such a deep angle you cannot chord the first strings at the frist fret without them sliding off of the neck. The action come back higher than it was when it was sent out. The list goes on. Its hard to believe for this kind of money they claimed they did anything. The Classical Guitar is now unplayable.
The Fender Strat they claimed to have done a relic job… i get it… you take a chance on not liking what comes back… but this looks like it was run over with a lawn mower… not relicd or aged… i immediately took it apart & purchased another body.
Money has never been an issue when it comes to instruments & studio for me, but this is by far the most horrifying experience i have ever had with an organization who claims to take pride in their work. It took me several months to figure out how to respond. Google Review is the best easiest solution to let folks know.
The website may look professional & inviting.. but do yourself a favor ~
Look elsewhere ~!
I wrote a review a year or so ago. Apparently, reviews can be removed, so here I am again. Social justice.
I had a guitar setup and pickups installed. The pickups still work, and the setup was great, but they damaged the studs of the bridge. This guitar has a wraparound bridge. It’s a hassle, but to adjust the height of the bridge, you need to loosen the strings to release the tension on the bridge. If you don’t you can damage the screws. Damaging the screws makes it easier to strip them in the future. They know this, everyone knows this. Chicago Fret Works will cut corners if they’re busy. They didn’t have the time to do it right. This is unfortunate. From my experience, you can’t be guaranteed quality work from Fret Works.
i brought my guitar to be looked at for repair, and it would cost to mush to fix it. And when i got home the guitar was not tuned, and the peg holding the b string in the bridge was broken off. No big deal tho.
6. Hanson Guitars
Address: 1811 W Berteau Ave, Chicago, IL 60613 , North Center , Illinois , United States
Bought the Cigna ST must be 10 years ago or so. Love the quality and feels “right” For the money you cannot go wrong. Bought mine at a guitar show in Arlington Tx and after stopping at their booth, it ruined me with the other vendors. I kept going back to them. They are awesome to chat with. You want a quality guitar you cannot go wrong.
7. A 440 Violin Shop
Address: 2222 W Roscoe St, Chicago, IL 60618 , North Center , Illinois , United States
Great; honestly thats all you need to know. Less expensive than amazon and a better deal. Customer service is top notch. Just go. See for yourself.
Very wonderful place, and very nice people. They really talk to you and give you very helpful information.
I had to get my violin repaired here and had it shipped to my house. Took almost 2 weeks but it was completely worth it. My violin sound still has it’s richness while the brightness is more powerful than ever!!! Also, they cleaned up the rosin residue and polished a few scratches out. Recommend this place!!!!
They love violins and they really really know what they’re doing. ( ˘ ³˘)♥
So knowledgeable about anything to do with a violin period. I was really impressed with how informative they were and how generous the guy who I spoked with was with his time.
I had a bad experience with dishonesty at A440. They misplaced the paperwork for my daughter’s violin, which we had rented to own and then paid off (the same day we rented to own my older daughter’s violin, of which they had a record). When I went to exchange our little one’s for a larger size, they looked endlessly for their own records, and then, unable to find them, only credited me for half the value of the violin we’d first rented and then bought. Even though they recognized the violin, case, and tags, as their own. I was with my child, tired and slightly distracted after a long day, and also dropping off another instrument for repair, so wasn’t paying as close attention as I apparently should have been (also I trusted that they were honest). When I returned home and chatted with my husband, he was baffled that they had charged me $240 for the new violin. He called them to ask why they’d credited us only half what the violin was worth and they first argued that equity doesn’t count (?) and then had no answer. He returned and they refunded part but not all of the difference – because it was their fault/mistake. I found this deeply irritating and also humiliating, but I thought I’d let it go since they refunded the difference when my husband argued it. Then today, looking through receipts I noticed that on the first dishonest bill – when they charged me the additional $240 for the new violin (which should have been free, as a trade in of equal value), they also doubled the tax they should have added to that bill. So another dishonest and, in my opinion, advantage-taking gesture. If you plan to do business here, be very very careful when you check out.
8. Stages Music Hall Inc
Address: 3730 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60613 , North Center , Illinois , United States
Boyfriend LOVED it! Got his drum sticks there for his birthday.
Good service
Very friendly people. Place looks great. Very clean.
Big selection available
I’m not a fan of GC. As an audio professional, I dread having to run in here to grab something last minute. Was in Chicago because the artist I work for was performing at slime fest. One of the local crew guys stepped on one of my custom cables and was forced to run here to grab some back ups. The audio department guys all talk to you and treat you like you know nothing and their arrogance is annoying. You work at GC. Get over yourself.
Finding parking is a pain
Rude condescending staff. I wish a alternative existed
Went in to pick up an amp i ordered, dude had no clue how to look it up on the computer.
I was uninformed on my pro coverage at the time of purchase
10. The Bass Dealer
Address: 4727 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60625 , North Center , Illinois , United States
I love this place because I’m always on the hunt for random VHS tapes. They have a whole wall, which makes my heart so happy. They have a huge collection of vinyl as well, cool t-shirts, and tons of pins (my favorite) for great prices. This is a great little store that I absolutely love browsing.
Tons of hard to find fringe entertainment at great prices! Expect the unexpected
Incredible selection at great prices
I want to love this place, but I’ve been disappointed a few too many times to give five stars. But any eclectic, independent record store is a good thing.
Quite an interesting store
Good place for vinyl, small selection.
The gentleman working the counter was incredibly helpful and nice , especially while helping a newcomer to the world of Vinyl and music collecting ( aka me ). The girl working the counter however, was not. She needs to work on her people skills.
The people there are not very friendly
i do not hold a small selection against the store but the style was quite limited. the ‘cheap’ records are below the main bins (standard practice) but the bins are so deep that even my 6’4 wingspan could not reach the depths. clerk was standoffish when i inquired about the music he played. overall an off putting experience. smallest jazz selection (as percentage of the whole store’s inventory) in chicago
12. Transient Sound
Address: 1803 W Byron St, Chicago, IL 60613 , North Center , Illinois , United States
These guys can do anything. They are truly masters of every aspect of music, foremost being engineering. I recommend on the highest possible terms.
Pierre – Naked Raygun
Very professional
What can I say about Vijay, Steve and the whole team at Transient? These guys are consummate professionals–immensely talented musicians, engineers and producers. They do it all behind the board and their instruments and so it incredibly well. My band The Right Now has done two full albums with TS and we couldn’t be happier with the results. Vijay and Steve worked overtime to make sure that we were satisfied with mixes and never made me feel like I was asking too much. They are true artists and easy to work with. We’ve also done a handful of overdubs with them and enjoyed those experiences too. I highly recommend working with Transient if you are looking to record professional, great music.
The studio was very small
Very weird. Tried getting a beat remade for a remix and told me it was plagiarism so they didn’t do it. Wouldn’t recommend.
Super friendly and helpful. I hung around for a while the first time I was here looking for an electric guitar. I decided not to buy one that day, but after I got one elsewhere, I came back to get an amp and other accessories. I’ll definitely be back again.
Made my 3rd 4th and 5th purchase from them today gotta love the local music store it’s an endangered species. I just get a bang out of all the stuff they have and the excellent pricing and customer service. Thanks!!!
Great service
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.
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.
Bad setup.
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.
16. Interstellar Space Records
Address: 2022 W Montrose Ave, Chicago, IL 60618 , North Center , Illinois , United States
This is my favorite record store in Chicago! So friendly and the best selection, all in great condition and for reasonable prices.
Love this new record store! The owner is friendly and knowledgeable. The selection was excellently curated. I thought the prices were very fair. The owner is great to talk to. I also found out he built every bin, shelf, and table in the store, which I found very impressive. Will definitely be back.
17. Century Mallet Instrument Services
Address: 1770 W Berteau Ave #204, Chicago, IL 60613 , North Center , Illinois , United States
I live in Kentucky and had a poorly tuned hand-made marimba with tremendous emotional value (made by my late father) and a son who loves music, so he used it. Then the pandemic hit and he had to stop live lessons. I tried to get virtual lessons for him but the notes were so off that wouldn’t work. After a lot of searching and phone calls, I found Century Mallet. I didn’t even know if the marimba could be fixed (it’s not even Rosewood) and I wasn’t sure it was worth the cost and effort to anyone but me. Andy not only took the time to figure out how to make it work, he did a great job and a very reasonable price. They certainly turned lemons into delicious lemonade and now my home is filled with beautiful Marimba music and I have a very happy son. I can not possibly say enough positive about my experience and Eric was incredibly helpful. Thank you Century Mallet!
Wonderful business with a wealth of information! Ask to speak with Eric if you want a super friendly and knowledgeable staff member who will respond promptly and show genuine interest in your workmanship!
Awesome place. Give these guys your money. Prompt and courteous service. Always there when you need them. Do it! Do it now!!!
18. Andy’s Music Chicago
Address: 3139 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60618 , North Center , Illinois , United States
pretty awesome pretty awesome just pretty awesome.
a treasure trove of unique instruments
Andrew Huang was here!
Professional
I love Andy’s. They have the coolest stuff here. I love just wasting time there. I bought a guitar there too and it was super reliable. I love it.
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.
This used to be my favorite music store but now the place has gone downhill.
This place appears to be closed. Tried calling several times multiple days and no response at the door
Waited at the door and no one would answer
19. LYRIQ Music School
Address: 1906 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613 , North Center , Illinois , United States
We have had a great experience at Lyriq. My daughter started piano and had progressed beyond what i could have imagined in only a few short months. The teachers are friendly and patient. They are flexible when we need to reschedule. We have been doing virtual lessons during the times of COVID and it has worked really well! The teacher is engaged and my daughter loves her weekly lessons!! We tried other places for lessons in the past and have found our music home!! My daughter wants to start voice lessons and my 5 year old son can’t wait to learn the guitar!!! Would recommend Lyriq to anyone!!!
My daughter is taking voice lessons at LYRIQ and has thrived! From finding the right fit for my daughter’s teacher to being extremely flexible in scheduling and fair in payment plans-the experience has been so positive. But I was so impressed with the recital at the end of the year and how my daughter grows in her voice abilities while there.
I heard rave reviews about Lyriq from our friends whose son is the same age as our daughter and started taking piano lessons this year. We bought our daughter a trial 4-pack lessons for her birthday since she wanted to try out both piano and guitar. It was a great way for her to get a feel for the teachers and the instruments. Sarah and her team have been welcoming and a pleasure to work with! She’s been great coordinating schedules and matching our daughter with a wonderful teacher, Mr. Evan. Although our daughter did like both piano and guitar , she ultimately chose piano and has been enjoying learning it so far! Also, the school is a beautiful space, clean, and well maintained. We’ve felt comfortable participating in in-person lessons and look forward to continuing through the school year.
20. Honey Jam
Address: 1800 W Berenice Ave, Chicago, IL 60613 , North Center , Illinois , United States
It was amazing the facility and customer service is amazing defintely going back and bring my clients here
Honey Jam has one of the most forward-thinking and skilled teams I have come across. Rashad, one of the engineers, has been a breeze to work with and he has satisfied my professional mixing/mastering needs time and time again. Highly recommended for anyone looking for not just a recording studio, but also a video crew and visual/creative team to bring your next project to fruition. The aesthetic and vibe is very welcoming and allows for full focus and ideas to be shared freely. They also love ALL types of people – no matter your identity, shape, size, etc – and always provide an open platform to express yourself so that they best understand you and how to make your project the best it can be for you and for your fans.
WOW the work this studio puts out is impressive to say the least. If you need music production, graphic design, or videographers these are the guys for you.
