Premium music shops of Owyhee County: Our Top-20 selection

Excellent repairs & service.

Lovely people! A great help! Very knowledgeable!

A place of historical importance. If you love old time music and the history of it. Stop in.

Knows alot about music.

We came here looking for a basic keyboard for our daughter who has multiple disabilities.

They did not have any basic keyboards, but they were so nice. They took the time to show us/ my daughter the Pianos and all the neat things they do.

The young man sat down and played a quick song, and the gentleman was such a pleasure giving us valuable information.

If I were a musician I would definitely buy from Welch.

Such wonderful people.

Piano recital

It apparently takes them 3 days just to put on 4 strings on a violin. Cool and pretty stuff just I think their taking their own time.

Knowledge and friendly people with out the hovering around constantly asking if you need anything.

Awesome baby grand pianos and many other instruments, very friendly staff

Do not youse there piano moving service. They chipped a good chunk of my piano, and didn’t take any responsibility for the incident! Go to Dorsey music, or any other store! JUST DONT LET WELCH MUSIC MOVE YOUR PIANO!

RENTER BEWARE! Insurance on rented instruments does not cover accidental damage. You are better off going to Dunkley and renting – their insurance DOES cover accidental damage. We found out the hard way and were first told that the insurance would cover the damage, then told it would not, and we were treated very rudely by the old guy who works there – I don’t think he can have a conversation without interrupting.

I went in with questions and the intention to purchase books. While waiting for the next available sales person I was going to check out the pianos. One of them asked me if I was going to buy a piano and I said no, and then they kicked me out. I’ll never come back.

Shopped and shopped for a good price on a Larrivee OM-40R Fast Neck. Then I stumbled upon one listed online from Tune-Up Guitars. I called Nick and questioned the price…not only was it the best price, he took off another 17% !!!!!
Tune-Up is my FIRST stop from now on…

I love thrift store finds and rough but nice-sounding cheap acoustics. But there’s nothing like aging an American (or Canadian) all-solid acoustic over a few decades. So I found this beautiful Larrivee parlor guitar at Tune Up Guitars and made a new friend and new favorite guitar shop! Nick did a nice set-up before sending it off and now I have three Larrivees, one to pass down to each of my chillins. I was a bit shocked that I felt so comfortable ordering a high-end guitar without playing it first but the price was awesome and Nick was easy to talk to. And I have NO regrets AT ALL for buying online. I know Larrivees and it sounds like I expected it would… only much more full and open. Somehow they’re getting better at building these! My only gripe – Nick is living MY dream of having his own guitar shop! Well, props to him for making it happen. I’ll happily take on the role of buying from him. Thanks man!

Tune Up Guitars sold me a beautiful Stratocaster. Nick was great to work with and the item was delivered to me exactly as described. I would definitely buy another guitar from Nick and Tune Up Guitars.

Dropped two guitars off to get some maintenance taken care of. Can’t be happier with the service! Both guitars play like new, the turn around was great, and the price was even better. I also love the fact they are open to 8pm!!!

Calling this establishment “mediocre” would be too much of a compliment. My brother went in to ask if the man had any guitar parts and was treated like an inconvenience. The man had his back to him the whole time, was very dry and rude and had awful customer service overall, once my brother asked about guitar lessons though is when the man perked up and became chatty. Only when money was in the conversation was he interested. I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone.

Great store

Best place in town for music equipment and recording services at The Chop Shop

It took a while to get parts for my amp shipped in but Andy kept in touch and did an amazing job. Purrs like a kitten now. Won’t take my gear anywhere else.

I remember, not too long ago Gigs Music Company was owned and operated by Rick and Debbie Schroeder. They had an impressive enventory. Then it changed hands you another great musician who worked for the Schroeders from the beginning and held it’s integrity. It seems those days are over. I’ve been there a few times lately and it saddens me to say it’s really gone down hill. To say the service is poor would be a understatement. The inventory lacks quantity and quality both. It’s definitely not getting a favorable critique from me. Three stars is more than generous in my view.

They don’t sell reeds…

The store is small, and the selection of instruments is not exactly large. Chances are, you’ll only find between 3 and 5 bass guitars for sale. There is usually an adequate amount of electric guitars to browse through though. Also, a fairly good selection of acoustic guitars. And, you’ll probably find some other instruments, like cigar box guitars, ukes and banjos.

If you are looking for used instruments and good deals, I think Gigs is worth visiting.

Andy, the store’s proprietor, is friendly, quite helpful, and easy to talk to. Several musicians I’ve talked with say he is a very good guitar tech.

There are one or more guitar teachers working there. I heard one was quite good, but I can’t remember his name, sorry. The teacher or teachers work with both adults and kids.

The worst thing about the store is sometimes people smoke in there. I don’t like being in an enclosed environment in which people are smoking. I tend not to stay long when I smell cigarette smoke. That’s just nasty, and discourages business.

If this store sold more bass guitars, and if no one ever smoked inside, I’ve be giving Gigs a 5 star rating instead of 4.

Stood there for almost 20 minutes waiting for the staff to get off of their “smoke break”. Then ignored for another 20. Then blown off for an additional 40 minutes.

Won’t be doing business there again.

Took a bass in for a jack resolder and pickgaurd replace. 10 months go on of having the utmost patience given while being told everytime I went in that “it’ll be ready in a couple days.” My guess is if you’re not a crusty 35 yr old prog metal 6 string bassist that the owner deems cool, you’ll stuff will never get fixed. I would’ve been better served learning how to solder myself. Go to 12th fret on Broadway instead.

Were supposed to open at 11, showed up at noon and waited 20 minutes and nobody showed up.

They are good!

Great mandolins by a super honest and thoughtful maker.

Guitar neck reset done expertly. Exceeded my expectations. I would highly recommend him.

Never been here before. Nice place w friendly staff to help you out!!! Gonna go back

So very pleased with the customer service I recieved. I was looking for a guitar for my husband for his birthday. Eric took his time helping me. As I am NOT musically inclined. He played several for me, explained the difference in style and sound. I walked out with a beautiful Taylor in my price range and my husband LOVES it. Thankyou Dorsey Music! You have a customer for life!

A little pricey but great quality

nice to walk around, very proud of there basics as it is al a bit over priced.

They are helpful and not pushy

Really neat shop. I enjoy looking around and seeing all the cool instruments. The staff was pretty helpful and finding what you need.

If I could put less than one star I would. 15 years ago I stopped going in to Dorsey music because the staff was rude and incompetent. Not to mention the incredibly high prices. Fast forward 15 years to yesterday when I decide to give them another chance thinking they have grown professionally in that time. How wrong I was to assume they may have taken the countless reviews about bad customer service and made the appropriate changes. Still rude, still incompetent. Still can’t comprehend the fact that anyone wanting to buy an electric guitar actually wants to plug the damn thing in and play it. I have to admit I got excited when I saw their ukulele selection. That excitement quickly subsided when I realized I paid less to have a company in Hawaii set up and ship a ukulele to my home in Idaho than I could purchase a lesser value uke in store at Dorseys. How is this business still open?

P.S. Well I appreciate your quick response to my review but rather than being sorry try being better. If a persistent problem such as your poor customer service has been allowed to go unchecked for so many years that shows us, as the consumers, that you truly don’t care about our experience. Not to say there isn’t good things about your store. The atmosphere alone is one reason to shop there. I’m not berated by 15 year olds playing Metallica songs at full volume like one experiences at Guitar Center. However I would suffer through that just to get an employee who gives off the impression that my business is wanted. I noticed on another review that you claim to price match. Does that include your own prices on your website? I tried to buy an instrument on your website for in store pickup. I was told by your customer service, after discovering the online price was less than the in store price, that that instrument “doesn’t exist” and that the price online was “a glitch”. If that’s what you consider quality customer service then I guess I’m now the one feeling sorry for you.

Poor customer service. Multiple staff members standing around chatting with each other and no one could be bothered to help.

I seriously hate this business. I wouldn’t buy a guitar pick from these shysters

Excellent home-town piano tuner. Did a great job on my old upright. Very nice to work with.

I bought the loveliest antique Steinway through Mike Lott at Pianos n Things this past September 2021. He had done some restoration work on it, including working on the pedals to ensure tht the felt was supple and not hard and compacted. It is a beautiful piano, had great ‘voice’ and was such a great purchase. Mike took the time to take photos and video of the piano when I was inquiring about purchasing it, and even had someone play music on it and took a video so that I could assess the piano’s workability long-distance. Then, Mike took the time to meet with my husband, when we wanted to inspect the piano, and answered all our myriad questions. Mike was so pleasant to deal with and friendly. He also delivered my piano to me about 350 miles away and was very professional about the delivery. Mike was true to his word and made sure that the piano received its first tuning after we bought it [after it was able to rest for a few months after delivery] at no cost to us. This whole purchase and experience with Mike and Pianos n Things was smooth, positive, and a pleasant experience. I would do business with him again in the future.

Mike drove all the way out to Nampa from Boise to tune my piano and did amazing. The piano is really old and he made it sound like it was brand new. He was very courteous and smart. He even played a few songs on the piano for my granddaughter and she loved it! Highly Recommend

Wakefield Music Academy has wonderful program music for any age. Their staff is friendly, and their price is affordable.
I recommend this place. You will find professional music lessons there.

Learning guitar after 50 is hard but Wakefield’s teacher Mr. Kirkland is experienced, challenging, and fun! Jam night is a relaxed setting to practice and learn for free!! If you are not sure about starting a new adventure in music go to a jam night and experience the teaching style relaxed and challenging.

Idahome has been such a good fit for. Y daughter! Tori the owner is professional and educated in what she is doing to include a huge heart for those she is working with. Very grateful to have this program!

Really goes above and beyond to make sure everything works as it should and is reliable for a fair price

I called yesterday to see if someone would show my kid a quick tempo on the drums before signing up for band next school year. Rick had her playing a 4/4 groove in 20 minutes and he joined in with a guitar at the end. She had a blast! He’s extremely knowledgeable and an awesome teacher. He also went over some guitar basics with me, explaining and demonstrating music theory and learning strategies. He showed me his snare drums, was honest with pricing, and recommended getting a cheaper set than he carried for learning, opposed to conning us into a purchase. By the end of it, we were there 20 minutes past closing. Love that Rick is all about the music versus the business of making money!

Good selection of equipment, guitars, pa and accessories. A good guy to deal with.

Rick is a great guy, and there’s always a gem or two hanging on the wall. Good prices, too!

I had Rick set up my guitar. He did a Fantastic job. Fast and reliable. One day service. I would Recommend him all who needs guitar service. AAA++++

Last Saturday I took my most prized possession to Rick, I paid to have a set up and new strings put on my Epiphone Les Paul 1960 Tribute pro. When I got it home I pulled it out and wanted to play it. I noticed right off the bat that Rick took a Utility knife or some other tool and shaved off the binding all around the fret board The fret board has gouges all the way around and the frets stick out and gouge your fret hand when you try to play it. My guitar is completely ruined! I haven’t slept in several days I’m so pissed. I in no way implied, asked for or mentioned that he do this to my guitar. I can’t even open the case it makes me so sick! I would not recommend Rick to anyone again. Rudy Rodriguez Nampa Idaho

I love Dunkley Music Store! Good selection of music, great staff, and very nice Steinway recital hall. I’m also very happy with their tuner’s work. I highly recommend this guy, who’s name is Jared Phelps, he knows what he is doing. He tunes my Kawai grand and it sounds great.

Yo the lady in the back that’s always with the guitars , absolute sweetheart, I come in quite often because I need the basic things like strings and such but she makes me feel so welcome and helped, I end up sticking around a little just playing some guitars and checking out some equipment, she always makes sure my needs are met and I can honestly say this place is very welcoming and family friendly , the only thing I could ever say about this place is it’s unfortunate they close so early because sometimes it’s hard to get there before they do , but other then that I honestly don’t think you’ll find better service anywhere else , thanks lady with the guitars which I should totally know your name by now !!

The two gentlemen that moved an Organ from my friends house to my house were absolute professionals not only were they strong they made sure the Organ was up and running and anything they move they put back
they were an absolute pleasure to have here so again thank you Dunkleys these two gentlemen were just “awesome”

Back when Dunkley’s was in-town in Boise, I was an avid customer…they always have been professional and friendly all-in-one! They still are.
All of my musical equipment, specifically my violin and flute for school orchestra/band, came from here. And I am impressed with it nowadays!
GOOO Dunkley Music!!!

I have bought a Kawai CN25 from Marion in a total of sale price of 600 plus 13 month renting period. Ends up with about 1645 U.S dollar. I am really happy with what I’ve purchased. And Marion is very nice on settling the deals with me.

Good selection, helpful staff.

I took my guitar to Dunkley Music to repair its broken bridge. A week passed without so much as a phone call or e-mail to give me an estimate for the work. I stopped in and an employee told me that they intended to give my guitar to an independent tech to fix it. Fine; no worries. Four weeks passed. FOUR WEEKS. No phone call, no e-mail. I finally returned to the store to get my guitar. A different employee greeted me and retrieved my guitar from among a dozen or so others, which were no doubt collecting dust while not being worked on. She said, “Let’s take a look and see that the work has been completed.” Shocker: it hadn’t. I told her that they had had five weeks now to at least take a look at it and give me an estimate. The fact that they hadn’t was a sure sign that they didn’t give a damn about me, my guitar, or my business. I would call the service terrible, but “non-existent” is a better descriptor.

Update: Just noticed I had a response. Must have missed the email on it. I hear what you are saying but telling me October when school starts in August is a no go.

I appreciate the response, but it has not changed my mind. If I cannot get service when I need it then I don’t need to spend other money there either. My review has done nothing for your rating. Just lets people know where we stand if we do not purchase or rent an instrument through you.

Flute Maintenance

If you bought your flute or are renting it from Dunkley, you are golden for maintenance. If you did not, they do not want your business. At least that is what I was told today when trying to take a flute in for maintenance. I called about a week before school let out to ask about this and was told to bring it in after a music camp. It was stated that it was not purchased through them at that time and they were willing to take it and do maintenance. It would be about three weeks.

Due to the large number of instruments for school I was told they would not accept any unless it was purchased or rented from them, but if I wanted to wait until October they would take it at that point. Shouldn’t school instruments be done before October???

Well thanks for your honesty and to the point wording of your message. I used to like coming in here, guess since my flute maintenance money is no good here neither is my other money.

Thanks for the direct message that if you are not a Dunkley instrument owner, you are not important.

Message received.

I hesitate to share this review because I’m sure they have quality product and talented professionals at Dunkley. However, both times I have visited the Boise location the customer service was non existent. I won’t speculate too much why (although I have my suspicions) but being completely ignored (not even made eye contact) by multiple employees for the entire duration of the visit is unacceptable service. I’ve heard from other people who’ve had the same experience. I’ll continue going to Dorsey music in Nampa for this reason.

……Store located JUST EAST OF TARGET….
Best choice for band & orchestra instrument rental….best price, repairs included!
Pianos, Guitars, Lowrey Play-For-Fun classes for seniors.
Always FRIENDLY service. All piano teacher books in stock…. New recital hall in 2015!!!
The Nampa store is part of Idaho’s LARGEST full-service music company.

Took my daughter in to get setup for her first ever violin. Shelby was awesome. Helped us with everything. Very friendly. And very fair! Thank you!

Friendly and helpful staff, answered all my questions and gave me a great reference for a guitar repair person, thanks!

Would not recommend. Very unwelcome vibes. Zero chill music store vibes lady just wanted us to leave the second we got ther. The lady I dealt with was rude and tried to gouge me for my money.

They go out of their way to help you find the music technology you need to make things work! Love Derek!

Their selection of musical instruments and music materials is awesome. Their customer service is friendly and knowledgeable. I also take piano lessons from an amazing lady. I highly recommend Dorsey Music!

Everyone that works here was so kind and helpful.

Everyone was nice and helpful

Good knowledgeable staff.

It’s okay

Just great

Staff needs to know when to hang up the cleats.

Feels like they prioritize by profit potential. About a year ago I asked about a new soundpost for my cello, at the suggestion of one of their staff members. They wanted to charge double what the local fiddle luthier quoted (he did a great job, quickly, and I felt good knowing that he personally did it instead of handing it off to a subordinate like Dorsey made me feel). Okay so not a huge deal. They are busy. Also since I live in Boise I’m not willing to drive 35 minutes and not know if they can even take my cello and give me a reasonable turnaround because it doesn’t seem feasible to have the post adjustment done even if I showed up the moment they open. Someone called me about a week later asking if I still wanted help. Too little too late.

This week I asked about having my tailpiece replaced with one I already have. I wanted to speak with their most experienced cello setup person because I was thinking if they are willing to spend the time making fine adjustments to my soundpost then I would be very happy. I was recommended to speak with Dave Hoffman via a Serenata player who said he did a great job. Dave was busy so I asked if he could call me back. 4 hours later I called back and was told he got my message but left and would be back soon. 24 hours later and still no callback. It really feels like this is being shirked because a tailpiece setup is not a very high value job. Either way, it’s bad customer service – at least give me a call letting me know when he expects to be able to have an actual conversation.

Fantastic service

Very helpful had what I needed which was keyboard pedals.

Great for information help.

Nice guitars. Staff mostly gets electric. Raises prices before sales.

Awesome place to get all of you music equipment

Very helpful staff, more instruments than just guitars

Requires the use of masks but doesn’t provide masks… Enough said

Way over priced. No place to try out gear.

I purchased my first and second guitar from them during high school. Later on I went back to sell one back to them. The manager said he couldn’t find a record of my purchase, or the serial number on their system, and accused me of stealing the guitar and trying to pawn it off. I’ll never buy anything from that location again.

I desperately had to find a string for a viola for my son. Rob was beyond helpful and got me squared away. I had no idea exactly what I needed but he was able to quickly figure it out and have me on my way. Awesome customer service and so very knowledgeable. I will definitely be coming back! Thank you guys!!!

I got an amazing parlor style acoustic for a great price. The staff was really helpful as I tried out at least a dozen guitars before I found what I wanted.

We survived a California wildfire in November and lost our house and everything in it. We stopped in 12th Fret and got a great deal on a vintage acoustic guitar for my husband’s bday gift. When the owner learned about our situation he offered our kids a gift too. The kindness of strangers is so touching. We only hope to pay this kindness forward.

Daryl sold the business to new owners and they are not very knowledgeable about guitar repairs or timely about getting back to you. I had to take my guitar repairs to somewhere else to get it done right. But being a local shop, they are still better than a chain store in many ways.

Used stuff !! Cheap…

Really bad service. I left and went to Guitar Center and spent $1700.00 at Guitar Center. Terrible place.

Found the place to be a mix of junk and overpriced items. Might be the only local music shop in town, but it won’t be getting my money, given the owner’s criminal history, not a great place for kids.

Multiple trips back for guitar work done improperly. Disappointment city. Find a luthier.