The top 13 music shops in Ríotorto, United States

Chris at Ruth Guitars is pretty much the only person I trust w my gtrs. I play over 200 shows a year, and trust Chris w all my electronic work, set ups, he’s even lent me a couple custom made LG Series guitars for high profile gigs. His custom builds come standard w superior hardware including premium handwired pickups. From repairs to tone-shaping and beyond, Chris at Ruth Guitars always goes above expectations and over-delivers a product that is eye-catching, fun to play, sounds impossibly good, custom made to your specs, and affordable. Call him TODAY for any repair or maintenance, its getting cold out! You’ll want to get your hands on one of his numerous custom builds (If you can get it off his wall long enough I recommend the black LG model) and start spec’ing YOUR handmade custom model. Pictured below is the TC model w literally too many tonal options to list here. Your tonal palette is only limited by your own imagination. Chris can bring your dream sound to your hands! I wish I could give more than 5-stars!

So, I brought my project guitar to Ruth Guitars that I’ve been holding onto for years. I asked him to build it how he would like it. Oops! Turned out way better than I had ever thought! He was able to install the neck, wire in a crazy cool pick up, added strings and locking bar for the tuners. Superb work! I’ve played several of his guitars and they all have great action and are super comfortable! Highly recommended!

Music everywhere!

Very nice and helpful staff. Really know what they’re talking about. Very friendly environment to test out new gear. Very big selection too

Great service. great prices, excellent quality. My kids band get all instruments and electronics here. Drenched in Sin

Great staff. Very helpful. Alot of instruments
Just didn’t find what I wanted there.

Although we did not leave with our expectation(not their fault) they were very helpful and friendly. They have a great store

Good selection and fair prices.

Cool if you’re looking for music gear but terrible place to sell, all these guys do is low ball you and try to make as much profit on your gear as possible. Would give a better review if your employees weren’t so stuck up. They’ll be happy to take your money though anytime.

I brought a Martin GPC15ME a few years ago and it was mainly kept in storage. This is an $1800 guitar brand new. I went to this newish Duluth location hoping to get $1000 minimum which is less than 60% of new cost. They offered me $750. Don’t go here if you have a gem. Find another place.

I’m sure this will be looked at as the “just a bad experience review” but I’ll just lay it out and let you decide.

Monday – Brought my bass in to be setup. Waited about 2 and a half hours to be told that they don’t do setups in house. I was also told it would take at least a day.

Tuesday – called in in the afternoon and it still wasn’t picked up.

Wednesday – had a gig Wednesday night. Called at 1. Asked if my bass was picked up. I was told it wasn’t yet. I responded sayibng that I needed my bass for gig. Do not send it off. I show up at the store at 7pm that night to pick up my bass. The store clerks tell me that my bass was already picked… At 12 and whoever was wrong. The clerk tried to call the guy who does their setups and it went straight to voicemail. He told me that he could rush the setup and could have it back early Thursday. I decided to just to borrow my guitarist’s bass and pick up my bass Thursday.

Thursday – I show up to the shop at 7pm. My bass is behind the front desk waiting for me. I tell the clerk that I’m here to pick the bass up. He hands me the bass and tells me that i denied service so nothing was done with it. I left the shop with my bass in hand and never stepping foot in that shop again. I’m also sending my students elsewhere.

Update: my bass is chipped…

Great store, nice people.

Rocky is from the old school, but he is with the times. He offers competitive pricing, a large selection of items he can get quick, and he knows his stuff. He is very efficient and skilled in modifying, repairing and setting up guitars and basses.

He has always seemed as honest as the day is long and in my decades of knowing him, I have never experienced anything on the contrary. I highly recommend this place!

Great place to take up music lessons…

Do not in fact open at 10.

In 1971 I bought my guitar. It is now 45+ year old. I thought was fodder for the fireplace. Randy had it for a week and now it plays like the day I bought it.

Great selection

I loved going to the concert!

A great experience and affordable too.

Good people here. May be a bit expensive.

Cool spot with a great antique righty Gibson acoustic transformed into a lefty that I wish I could afford!

Had a Gibson SG refinished here and it was terrible. Very patchy and uneven coverage. Worst of all was the headstock. I am a little perplexed though, they have many great reviews and other great pictures. The folks there were nice, decent selection of guitars for sale, no other complaints. I’m not sure why my guitar came out so bad.

Terrible service and terrible work.
Would never recommend to anyone.
Stay away!

Great store and the owners are AWESOME people. If you need an instrument and or lessons hurry and check them out.

I can quickly see this music shop becoming my favorite in the area. It’s a small shop, but the selection is pretty good and Jerry is very friendly and knowledgable. The laid back atmosphere makes this a really good place to come try out instruments and explore. Music lessons and a recording space are also offered at this shop. I don’t have experience with either, but judging by the quality of service I received as a customer, I’d be willing to bet they’re both pretty good choices for anyone wanting to learn something new or lay down some tracks.

Great customer service and patient with my little one with lessons. Great selection of Instruments. Great people.

Neat little music shop with some quality products. Not a huge selection, but they have what you need.

I just dropped off my daughters trumpet for a stuck valve. I was promptly greeted with a friendly smile. When I get the horn back I will up date my review.

It’s pretty cool. Like the people there.

If you are into electric guitars, the selection is very limited, and even the ones in stock had problems.

Extremely helpful. The owner and staff are very personable and were very helpful when I wanted to try out a used pickup they were selling, which I own and use now. Great location and a relaxed environment in the store. They also offered good advice and practical suggestions when I was having trouble deciding on an amp purchase. A great local music store to keep and maintain in Athens.

Musician’s Warehouse is a great locally owned music store in Athens! I emailed the owner, Ed, about a bass I had been looking for – which I couldn’t find at any of the big box stores – and sure enough, Ed had it in stock! I drove two hours to get there. The location is very nice, parking is convenient, and the staff was very helpful! The price was excellent and they even let me play it for a couple hours before I made the decision…overall wonderful experience! I hope to do business with Musician’s Warehouse again soon!

Ed is the man! Hooks me up as always.

Check out the new location!

Could be a little more organized. Drum area needs more open space. And more displayed of items. Seems pretty congested.

Pretty good shop if you are in Athens. Much better selection of gear than their competitors in the area.

Poor selection. If you like grandpa guitars this is the place. Wouldnt recomend to any modern guitar players.

Dude I’m not sure what happened. The first floor is desolate (empty for everybody that’s currently reading this while dunk). I understand social distancing, but I’m I am attending Warehouse, I do not care about the current situation, I’m here to rave. Open the first floor for a mosh pit.

Really wanted to like this company. I was cheated and conned, and after a week with zero communication I contacted them. They fumbled around for another day or two then stated they couldn’t find the item. I was left empty handed and confused. No attempt at finding the item or ordering another. Nothing. Zip. C’mon guys!

Best experience I like how they are
Good service

My son damaged his saxophone 2 days before his Allstate Audition. How that happened is another story but I called Jackson music to see when it could be repaired. They told me it could take 2 to 3 days. I came the next morning and Doug, their repair guy, was gracious enough to come give it a quick evaluation on the spot. Although he was extremely busy between repairs for two different stores he told me he could fix it that same day. True to his word it was restored by end of day. Appreciate him going above and beyond!! This JM store has always provided great service to us!

Went in to get a valve part replaced, was in and out in less than 10 minutes! Great service!

Employees know there job but convenience is a -1

Great shop for band instruments as well as player instruments.
Good selection of accessories

Very friendly staff. They make you understand about the different instruments if you have no knowledge about it.

DO NOT GO HERE!! i went in to rent an instrument for my daughter for school and got such negativity from THE OWNER’S WIFE. First i was questioned because i only gave them my cell number and refused to give them my 13 year old daughters phone number. I got questioned 5 times if she was really my daughter simply because we have different last name and that was after i told her it was for my daughter. “Are you sure its your daughter?”. Then she said “i am going to be honest, this whole last name not matching throws up red flags for me” and gave me a weird look. I told her i will gladly go elsewhere and to put the stupid instrument back. I will not be questioned with such stupid questions that clearly have an underlying issue to them.

Everyone else was very polite and helpful so kudos to them , their service was good.

Overpriced

I can say with confidence that the Band and Orchestra repair shop and some really great Teachers are the ONLY REASON to give this company any of your money. You can trust your brass repairs to be flawless. Those are the only positive comments have.

Nice to buy a guitar and keyboards

I like that all the amps are plugged up and ready to go. No hassle in playing any guitar you want. Got my first prs for $20 a mo

If you’re in to playing music this is the place to go good people and if you need your guitar worked on this is the place to go talk to Jason a good man great place

Friendly and helpful staff. Pretty good selection of musical instruments. Free to roam and try out things without sales pressure. They also price match with local and online competitors.

Cool place, found the perfect quitar for my son 🙂 just watch out, they will try and make you spend every dime you got! I suggest going in and looking for what you want, don’t let them tell you what you need because they will undoubtedly pick you out the most expensive of what they have.

Clerk was very helpful; found everything we needed at a good price.

I really think they are prejudice. Especially the guy with the big holes in his ears. I have never felt so out of place without being able to scream at someone in my life. I noticed the white customers were asked what they needed.

Black customers spend your money somewhere else.

This place is ok for a box store feel. I have been here 3 times now and the staff seems like they care more about hanging out than helping customers. I got the feeling that I was bothering them when I asked questions or even when I went to check out. 0 stars for customer service.

I have an autistic child that plays guitar for a church. I drive about 63 miles one way to get to this location. My son was trying out acoustic/electric guitars to play at church as he’s just learning guitar. We took two back within two weeks time period; he has since learned that acoustic/electric guitars are not fun to play if you have fidgeting fingers. When we took back this past guitar we were told that even though the policy states that they can take bank guitars within 45 days that they have the right to deny a return. They did return it for us after letting us know about this but there has also been other comments made from this same person to which my son did not appreciate before today. I am a jobless woman who has no business trying to buy a guitar in the first place but I do it because of his job at church. I will be finding a place to shop at from now on where we are both welcomed to shop at.

I’ll mention off the top that Google maps parked me in front of a coffee shop that shares brick with Megatone. It’s there, just around the corner, facing the square.

Popped in at 18 til close on a Monday, stated I was there for a guitar tuner.. Found myself met with equal parts friendly and informative. Received full descriptions and pricing on at least four products before I interjected and said I’ll take the blue one.

I’m no officionado, but I did see some sort of interesting carbon fiberish guitar parked next to one with real funky hot rod flames on my way out. Pretty neat. Nice guy.

Very nice shop. Very helpful. Appeared to have a nice selection of instruments and accessories

Awesome shop with an awesome owner. Lots of vintage guitar and bass amps, and a nice selection of new and funky vintage instruments as well. Good vibes!

Despite receiving damaged item, supplying several pictures of clear damage, and messages from seller admitting it was damaged, they refused refund. Reviews from others with similar complaints also noted. Buyer beware.

Scammers. Associate Darryl is a nasty individual and scams his customers. Stay away from this business.

Staff isn’t honest

Nice store, great staff, bought my guitar there very nice selections, carry Reverand guitars which is great. Nice music shop overall

I normally don’t leave reviews, but I had such a great experience with Town Center Music that I had to leave one. I went in to get a restring for my Taylor, but the technician recommended that I have a fret dress instead. I was experiencing buzzing on my guitar especially when I was playing with a Capo, but I hadn’t realized it was my frets that was causing the issue.

John Michael was the technician for my guitar. I was hesitant at first due to the difference in price, but he did a fantastic job explaining why it was important. I trusted him and when I received the guitar, it was in absolutely great condition and played beautifully without any buzzing whatsoever! The fret dress comes with a standard set up and polish, and it was worth the money. It feels great to play and I love the finish. I recommend people to come to Town Center Music for any repairs!

Had a great experience here recently. I bought a Squire Telecaster online and although it played ok out of box, but the action was pretty high and the intonation was off especially when using a capo. I contemplated setting it up myself. However, I really didn’t want to mess it up. I took it to the store, and left it for setup. I was told it would be done in about a week. Well, they had it done in 5 days and it is like night and day. Action was lowered without causing any buzzing. And the intonation is spot on. I can use a capo down to the 4th or 5th feet and notes are right on.

This store has gained a loyal customer.

Much better store I not been here in a while the past manager was not a music guy or a manger known as a air head I will be back

Good

Taught my kids to play guitar

Not where u want to shop you find poorly trained staff and not music people I shopped here off and on for years . just not good pepole

AVOID AVIOD

High prices not helpful run by a guy who looks 40 and still in a garage band no music
background not open late any place better then here. Manger is clueless.

Store is dirty poor selection not real big

Helpful people.

What a great music store!

The guitar techs here are so helpful!! I had been having a lot of issues with my guitar, when I brought it in they were quickly able to diagnose and fix the problem. They were very patient to explain the procedure. Definitely gained a new loyal customer. Thank you!

I want to love this store but it seems like I’m constantly waiting for help when I go there. The dude at the music lessons desk is super helpful but I’ve had to wait for upwards of 10 minutes at the main counter prior to being helped.

Fun!

Great store. Not as big as some I have been in, but the staff is very helpful. I found a great deal on Musicians Friend and they matched the price and I didn’t have to wait for it to come in the mail. I’ve made several purchases there and have always been happy with the pricing and service.

I rather not say. But what I will say, if you knowledgable sales persons to talk to you, go to the Atlanta location. Customer service to ALL ppl is key.

It’s guitar center. I figure it was my own fault for buying anything more than picks or strings from guiTarget, but I bought a brand new Yamaha a/e to bring it home and find the electronics were completely nonfunctional. Never heard of a music shop that doesn’t test its gear— though it is a stretch to call guitar center a music shop. Thanks for the memories guiTarget.

My wife purchased an amplifier for me as an anniversary gift. We received the package on time, it was however a different , lower quality amp than the one purchased. Upon contacting the store, I was scoffed at and basically placated. I was told that the District manager was notified and now we wait. They aren’t even sure where they sent my amp.Not my first run in with ineptitude and incompetence at Guitar Center but, May very well be my last. Sweetwater, Sam Ash , AMS and Chicago Music Exchange have never acted this way. Customer service helps to insure that you don’t have to file bankruptcy every so many year.

I moved to this area in 1995. A drummer by trade, guitarist at heart. I was looking for a store that had that “Down Home” feel. Yes, we have the Guitar Center and frankly, the very first time I went in, due to my age at the time I guess, (39), I was treated liek a second class citizen, if you didn’t have long hair, dress like Steven Tyler, the noses went so high, it’s a wonder they didn’t get frostbite. I left with the same attitude as I was given, cocky and arrogant and I haven’t gone back EVER. I asked around and was told about Ken Stanton. Let me tell you few things, number one, they are as down to earth as can be. Their prices are competitive, but what I found is that they really reward loyalty, I get discounts from them these days that are probably deeper than any of their “Special” sales events, and I get invited to many of the special events. Several years ago I had a brush with identity theft on the eve of a live gig when I was expecting a delivery of a mixing board and a set of drum mic’s, cables, etc. They didn’t get shipped as a result and I was left hanging. I was getting a superb deal then suddenly, I am getting nothing and this live show is when? -TOMORROW ! I take my list of items I had “purchased” from a San Diego Vendor where I had a long standing and deeply discounted account to Ken Stanton. Bill and Paul bent over backwards to help me out in a jam. They had everything I needed, actually gave me a better deal then I was from my old friends in Cali – the gig went off the next day without a hitch. Now, I had already been coming there several years at that point, but that night, minutes before they closed, they came through in a huge way. I won’t go anywhere else. Every person there is genuinely a pro at what they do, from Pro-Audio, Drums and Percussion, to Guitars, I trust them, I buy from them on a regular basis, they are always eager to serve and I don’t buy their “top-of-the-line stuff, I can’t afford a $5000.00 guitar, or a $10,000.00 set of drums, they have that stuff there, but even though I buy the middle-of-the-road gear, they treat me like I was buying the high-end gear, and for that, I reward them back by being a loyal customer. You don’t get that “down home” genuine courtesy very much these days anywhere – but at Ken Stanton, it’s SOP. What can I say, I love all of these guys, they are awesome human beings and they treat everyone I see going in there with the same respect whether they are buying a $400.00 guitar, or a $20,000. PA System.

Ken Stanton Music is the bomb! The staff is always super helpful and very knowledgeable! I’ve bought from them for years. I also like that I am supporting an independent music store. Just browsing this place is a fun way to spend an hour.

Ken Stanton music has among the best customer service of any music store in the Southeast. Rather than pressuring you into a purchase they’ll help you match what you want to a good value.

They carry pro audio, band and orchestra, keyboards, and all the instruments to rock out.

The space is wheelchair accessible and during non covid times they’ve lessons in the store.

They are taking covid precautions with masks and barriers.

They always have the right drumsticks and reeds.

Much bigger than it’s cousin on Dallas Hwy. Has okay prices. The staff are fairly helpful. Nothing spectacular.

Recently started teaching myself guitar, after over 30 years owning one and never learning. My guitar needed new strings and they explained how to install them. Didn’t try to sell me anything else, although I’m sure they would’ve been more than happy to. Recently went into a Guitar Center and got horrible service; false advertising issue. I will return to Ken Stanton Music whenever necessary.

my favorite store to go to for guitar things but i guess they don’t actually need new employees like their sign says … submitted multiple applications and called/visited to ask about it numerous times and they always say they’ll check up on it and it goes no further. it would be nice if they would at least let me know that they’re not interested instead of me calling visiting and sending more applications for no reason.

Bought from them before. Went in with my daughter and God forbid a fledgling musician touch something. It’s not like she was beating on instruments. She was hardly touching them. If I can’t have polite customer service I might as well shop online.

Great customer service