Top-9 of music shops in Redlands

I’ve been a customer at Redlands Guitar Shop 1998. Mike has a vast knowledge of guitar repair. He is my go-to guy whenever my guitars need fixing.

Super helpful and great guitar instructor.

They are nice and all know what they are talking about. Everyone there is experienced with guitars and isn’t out to get your money

Wonderful evening out

. good little family shop

Nice shop and affordable music lessons.

Had a fret level done, but all he did was shine the frets with steel wool and raise the action. Did not want to be confrontational so I let it go, $90 wasted plus the new strings charge tacked on. Also sold a nice guitar to this shop and they gouged me, flipped it for thousands, come to find out. Both times to same older guy. I believe the younger guy is more trustworthy.

I rarely write a scathing review, so I decided to sit on my experience here for about 3 months before finally deciding to write a review. Unfortunately, I also rarely have experiences which feel so belittling, I can’t let them go. My recent need for musical supply led me to remember the poor experience I had here….

I’m an avid guitar learner, fairly new to the scene, but not as a musician (I play piano and ukulele quite a bit). I came here looking for advice as a poor student who received an acoustic guitar for a gift, but was headed toward Flamenco style playing. I came here asking if it were possible to use nylon strings on my acoustic temporarily until I could afford a classical guitar to facilitate my style. It’s a noob question, but remember I was very new at the time.

First off, what I liked:
The place was clean, had a great selection, and nearly everything you could need in short order at a guitar store. They had more than just guitars, which I really liked, as I appreciate a wide variety of instruments. Someone had come in and was playing one of the guitars. Beautiful piece to whoever that was. The laid back atmosphere hit me instantly and I expected great things from a shop that rejected the corporate giant feel.

What wasn’t so hot:
Unfortunately, what I got was the complete opposite. I was asked if I needed help, and I told an older gentleman (probably in his late 50s early 60s) about my circumstance with my guitar, and halfway into my question, he cut me off and started talking to another employee. Note: this wasn’t the long winded version. I simply said I received an acoustic guitar, started playing flamenco, and wanted to know if I could switch out stri—…. That’s as far as I got. He called another employee over and speculated on what on object was on his counter for about a minute while I stood their awkwardly. He finally returned to our conversation, I posed the question, and he said, “No,” before returning to his conversation with the employee. He didn’t offer me any other service, and for all intent and purpose I was invisible.

Final Verdict:
Maybe this guy was having a bad day. Perhaps he wasn’t a regular employee. Perhaps he was the store owner. Who knows? All I know if that I left feeling stupid and an inconvenience to the gentleman. I loved his shop, but I find behavior to a customer who would have used his services and supplies (he’s the closest guitar place to me) 100% unacceptable for business image. If I ever return and find the service more palatable, I would gladly remove this negative review. But for the service I received….

I rate this business as 1 star and would NOT recommend using them in the future.

From other reviews, I can see this shop is normally a great shop in the community. I can only hope I find the same service at a later date.

Gouchy old man.

This place is awesome but I wish they would stay open a little longer tho.

Great selection, friendly staff, good prices. Don’t sleep on this spot

Appreciate a business like this anyday.

It’s ok place

amazing selection!

They surely have great collection of hard to find music. I love that place! The only thing that bothers me is that most of the time they don’t open according to their business hours. If you want to visit that place be sure to call them first, and make sure you get to speak with a living person not the voice machine.

The guy is a buttcrack and everything is overpriced even old scratched up vinyl.

Rude/bad customer service,when you ask to test listen to a record, their stereo system is messed up on purpose, and the records that aren’t in good quality are overpriced. the only good thing about this place is selection of music. I miss Kats Alley.

This place apparently took the record store day pledge but is violating it with price gouging. Selling $20 records for $45.

This music supply store has just what I need for my playing and my teaching others how to play guitar and piano. Very friendly and helpful.

These folks are wonderful to work with. Knowledgeable and respectful and just good people. Thanks much

Nick Rail Music store is a locally owned business that really cares about its customers.
They have done excellent adjustment and restringing of 2 or 3 of my guitars and also completely restored my flute recently. It’s so easy to play now!
They even ordered an instrument for me to try out to help me decide if it’s something I’d like, before I even consider purchasing it.
Their customer service is the best, the store is very clean and organized and they have an amazing variety of stock for a smaller music store. You won’t be disappointed by going there.

Adult musicians, do yourself a favor and save yourself the trip.

I play the alto sax and guitar and want to learn the violin–I always have. I lived 10 years in the DC area and am still not quite remembering where all the instrument shops are around here. But I have started my search around Redlands and am finding nothing by way of violins to try out. Everyone online says “You gotta try them in person. You gotta try them in person.” So you make special trips to these stores and they have nothing in stock.

Look, I’m not a stupid person. I know beginners tend to start on a beginning instrument when it comes to violin. But since no one in town has any violins (at least so far), I want to go straight to an intermediate instrument to save myself the headache for when I advance.

But the guy gives me the condescending “you’re a beginner lecture” on how beginners should start on a beginning instrument since my pitiful ears won’t hear any difference. Then he recommends I get a teacher before buying an instrument. But you know what, guy? You’re just trying to sell me the one Eastman you have in stock.

You. Don’t. Have. Any. Other. Instruments. In. Stock.

Come on! You want me to go get a teacher, waste his/her time waiting for you to order 2 or 3 (just 2 or 3?!) so I can try them out? And what if I don’t like those 2 or 3? We have to wait for more to come in? Then I say fairly dejected at how my pursuit of one measly violin is going in the Inland Empire, I say, “Ohhh… kay… I guess I’ll try later, then, I guess.” And the guy says, “Ok…” He just lets me walk out the door. I guess they got it that good over at Nick Rail.

I tell you what. Everyone online says to buy in person, don’t buy online, but the most helpful people ARE online. The quality information and help IS online.

Online is where I will buy an instrument. Forget supporting local business in this regard. Dude at Nick Rail: If the instrument breaks, I trust people online far more to take care of it for me than you. 🙂

Nick Rail Music is for kids and parents. Period. The sad thing is that going by their positive website and videos, I thought I might have found a good place to be a long-term in-house customer. haha

Do not go here. They wanted to charge 57.00 for cello strings that cost $10 online. They told us that they would love for us to show them where there were cheaper cello strings. They also said that normally they charge $114 dollars and they discounted it 40%. We looked online and saw that the same cello strings were only $10. They somehow couldn’t think of a cheaper string set that. $57! And that was discounted! If you want to get ripped off, then this is the place to go!

Real bad service and bad attitude

Very knowledgeable and great conversation

Lyndon Taylor is a talented and interesting craftsman! I learned a great deal from him. He has spent many years immersed in creative projects and his experience certainly shows in a big way. Thanks for your time and expertise Lyndon!

My violin had a big crack in it and I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get it repaired during the quarantine. Called up Taylor’s and got a hold of TJ and was able to drop off my violin with him and he repaired the crack and got me a better bridge and sound post.

I’ve been playing for days with no issues and it sounds great! Very happy with the results. It’s nice having someone local to go to rather than shipping it away somewhere.

Lyndon knows a lot about violins and clavichords.

Love this place. My 6 year old started at 4.5. This has got to be the best conservatory regionally for music instruction and theory. We drive about 40 minutes to get here and have no reservations about our commute — it is definitely worth every single minute. I highly recommend it.

Excellent Service, Superb Products and Equipment!

Hearing and seeing these authentic fully restored beauties in person. Only then can you appreciate these Vintage Hammonds.
But don’t just take my word for it check em out for yourself.

Great place for Hammond organs sales and service. Herve is a great guy and great player. You can see him YouTube.

Vintage Hammond Organs, Redlands, CA BEWARE of doing business with this company I was sold a defective Hammmond A100 and Leslie 145, Organ . After speaking to a couple of nationally known Hammond technicians they informed me that this company has a very bad nationally known reputation. Here is a quote from a nationally known Hammond tech and member of MITA ” Herve Thomas is known for throwing things together and hoping for the best. I honestly don’t know how he hasn’t been sued. Neither are countless others! He stopped doing church conventions because so many pastors are after him. I refuse to do warranty work for him”. These Hammond Technicians would not attempt to repair this A100 Organ Based on this companies poor reputation! Buyer beware! I Returned the organ as of 8/1/18 within 30 day return window. Still no refund of $6594 as of 10/30/18. Filed dispute with VISA and now Herve Thomas owes this amount to VISA and still hasn’t paid the refund. Warning don’t trust anything about this company. They have a pretty website..but don’t get sucked in by it like me!

There were 2 invoices ,,one for $250 and the other for $6594…
The $250 was refunded but as of 10/5/18 the $6594 hasn’t been refunded. If you read the owners response to this review he lied by saying that a refund had been issued. WHERE IS THE $6594 HERVE??
This guy is crooked and trying to get out of the main refund….buyer beware!!!!

10/11/18 HERVE THOMAS, AS OF TODAY PER YOUR SUGGESTION I CHECKED WITH VISA AND AS USUAL YOU ARE NOT BEING TRUTHFUL. A REFUND FOR THE INVOICE OF $6594 HAS NOT BEEN ISSUED OR PROCESSED LIKE YOU SAY IN YOUR RESPONSE TO MY REVIEW. THE MERCHANDISE WAS RETURNED AND IN YOUR POSSESSION IN A TIMELY FASHION….YOU ARE STILL WITHHOLDING THE REFUND.

I WILL CONTINUE TO UPDATE THIS REVIEW AND EXPOSE YOUR DISHONESTY HERVE THOMAS UNTIL YOU DO THE RIGHT THING AND ISSUE THE REFUND……BUYER BEWARE OF THIS CROOK!!!

HERVE, WHEN YOU REFUND THE $6594 I WILL ADJUST THIS REVIEW AND REMOVE IT.

AS OF 10/30/18 STILL NO REFUND OF $6594.

WELL HERVE, AS OF 1/27/19 STILL NO REFUND OF $6594. BEWARE OF HERVE THOMAS….I HATE TO SAY IT BUT THIS GUY IS A CROOK. SOLD ME A FAULTY ORGAN, I RETURNED IT WITHIN 30 DAYS AND STILL NO REFUND!!!!

AS OF 6/18/19 STILL NO REFUND OF $6594 AS PROMISED….YOU ARE A LIAR AND A CROOK.