I’ve been to lots of music stores and have had custom work done.
Neil is a very knowledgeable and skilled musician, luthier, sound engineer/tech, keyboard tech, and salesman. +++
Ben is likewise a very well trained brass instrument serviceman. Both are very friendly and eager to please customers with ultimate satisfaction. Got a question… just call them.
Neil’s a great guy,Specially when it comes to tube amps!.He can fix you right up!..
Good prices
The website says its open till 5 on Saturday not 3
Average music store
Good stuff just could be better with details and price
I had to have my horn sent to Alton because this tech in Centralia is discriminatory against people with disabilities. Had to drive two and a half hours 200 plus miles and no discount for a simple repair I will never use them again thinking about taking legal action.
3. Sound Source Music Center
Address: 1609 Broadway Ave E, Mattoon, IL 61938 , Saint Elmo , Illinois , United States
This place has awesome customer service. With the 30 warranty on all guitars on any issue without question or hesitation they will fix it. This place is refreshing and I for one am very happy and thankful to have a music store like this. I highly recommend going here for all music needs.
Not only was Sound Source incredibly professional and easy to communicate with, but they went above and beyond to make the buying experience convenient, fair, and memorable. The store itself is beautiful, but it’s the staff that brought a higher level of professionalism to the table: kind, informed, and around every corner making it comfortable. I will 100% be using this store again, and will make it a point to stop by the next time I’m in Illinois. Cannot say thank you enough for the new keys!
Great DJ services!
In the late 90s early 2000’s this was an awesome store. Used CD’s, Ppl who loved to talk about old bands and music culture, It was different. Mind you, they still have great instrument selection, and fair prices for a small business. Some staff is decent, some have the personality of a week old gym sock. I’d say if your local, pick up your kids first instrument there and support local small business. Idk if the lead dude from x-crush still works there, but he was awesome. but it’s a lottery.
I remember your Christmas store at the Mall always used to eye the Bass in the box and now i am playing that a Jazz Bass i bought i am now in Tennessee so thanks for helping with my dreams
Love going there and stuff but idk if it was one of the employees or just a customer, but this older guy walked up to me and my friend and made a really rude comment about our colored hair “did you wake up late at a party or something?” How the actual heck would anyone think that is an ok thing to say?????
That was one of my favorite music stores to go to and now I’m not so sure, if it were an employee who sayid that. I’m pretty sure it was because he walked to the back after that. If you have colored hair and you take hate comments too seriously, be careful.
So you want to call on the dude behind me in line and not even greet me or tell me to have a nice day? Poor way to run a business. The old white guy at the front is rude and inconsiderate. He chose to serve the man behind me in line, likely because I’m a woman, so congrats on losing not only my 42$ purchase I got refunded today; but all future purchases from my multi instrumentalist husband that has been a customer here for over 6 years. I’ll buy from Amazon before giving my money to rude old men. Do better. Hope it was worth it for that dudes 12 dollars worth of strings.
My family came in just a few minutes ago and they were very ride to us. My boyfriend, who is normally a very strong person, just walked out of this place in tears because they made him feel embarrassed. Smh. Rude rude employees who act like musical elites.
4. Perks Music
Address: 502 E 13th St, Centralia, IL 62801 , Saint Elmo , Illinois , United States
Great local spot for your musical needs. Sales staff was very helpful with instrument rental and other purchases for my elementary student orchestra checklist.
Super helpful and informed – and fun group of guys.
Really nice shop. Nice selection of non standard brands (I didn’t see any Gibson’s or Fenders while I was there). Good prices and the shop has a Luther available.
Lots of inventory and they are willing to deal
Fun shop for sure! Eye candy hanging on all the surrounding walls. The shop’s main focus is guitars so it’s definitely the place to go if that’s your go to instrument. Workers are knowledgeable and always very helpful. It’s no breaking news that guitar shops tend to give off awkward, intimidating vibes (understandably so when you visit any shop with high pricetagged merch) and I do have to try and hide my feelings of squirminess while there, but I enjoy going and will continue to.
I went in to get my guitar repaired, the staff members sat at the counter and talked and ignored me for several minutes. Then after they finally looked at my guitar it turned out to be a very expensive repair so I decided to just buy a new guitar. One would think this would be cue to start selling a guitar, instead they ignored me some more and made me feel awkward for playing any guitar they had. So I went to swing city music right down the road and they instantly came to help and found a guitar that was right for me.
After years of taking time off from playing music, band break up really made me step away, I’ve decided to look around for a new guitar and rig, have gone to Mojo’s, have purchase three terrific instruments from them in the past 15 years, never had a bad experience, today, however, was not the same. I walked into a store deflated of its prior pulse, I was seen and ignored, walked around looking for what would be my next stage guitar. Two employees, yet no time to greet, or attempt to make a sale, to show products, I even made an attempt by asking what’s new, even then not a singular spark of interest in my affairs with them was of significance. I walked out of there for the last time, sad to see such a place become so cold and uninviting.
6. The Music Shoppe Inc.
Address: 2940 Constitution Dr, Springfield, IL 62704 , Saint Elmo , Illinois , United States
A very nice place with so much equipment it’s awesome. I’d pick this place first if I were looking for anything music wise, I’d head here first.
This will always be “Daddy-o’s music shack” to me. Doug has been always been wonderful to work with, been buying stuff from em for over 10 years, same great place, new sign, and the boss might get a day off now.
Great prices and customer service
Selections ok but lacks depth if you follow… staff is okay but not engaging at all.
Staff is helpful and they have lots of instruments to view. One bad thing is that they always seem to make you feel like they are waiting for you to steal something. I realize there is lots of theft that happens but you don’t need to follow me around while I browse.
Very helpful staff was able to guide me right to the different snare heads needed making it a quick and easy stop!
This place will go the way of the rock shop if they keep treating customers like suspects.
It was not like this at the Stevenson location.
7. St Elmo
Address: Illinois 62458 , Saint Elmo , Illinois , United States
8. Halpin Music Company
Address: 88 Northport Dr, Alton, IL 62002 , Saint Elmo , Illinois , United States
Always super helpful, and always have what we need!
Small guitar section but affordable and nice place and location
Great Store, Great Staff, Great Products, Great Prices. Thank you again, Halpin, for all of your help !!!!!!
Good people and great service and prices
Nice place, friendly workers
Had just what I went for
3 weeks, to have simple repair done. Repair tech in Centralia is discriminatory against people with disabilities, and is a hateful man. He refused to work on my horn after it had been in the Centralia shop for two and a half weeks. They never called me about anything, I had to call them every time to find out any information about my horn. Left several messages that was never returned. Ended up having to have my horn worked on in the Alton shop, I had to to drive TWO and a HALF HOUR OVER 200 MI and pay full price for a repair with no discount even after the tech in Centralia was belligerent and derelict in his responsibilities to fix my sax after it was there for over 2 NEVER AGAIN
It seems as though the technicians that repair instruments can’t repair the instruments correctly without having to send them out for repairs. The customer has to tell and show what exactly is broken or needs repairs. Th oo bad they are the only musical instrument repair shop in Alton
Bad experience. Our band teacher left my daughters instrument there last Thursday. They never even touched it and her band recital is tomorrow. Their representative never bothered to contact the school or teacher. We drove all the way to Alton and took it to Miller’s Music on Swansea. He got it fixed enough to be ready for band recital that night! What a miracle worker. Halpins said it would take them weeks to get it fixed. OMG!
The clerk at Halpins offered an apology after I mentioned the situation. Nothing from the owners themselves. We don’t treat our own customers that way, speaking as a business owner. Sad to say, some businesses just don’t care.
9. Mike’s Music
Address: 816 E Main St A, Carbondale, IL 62901 , Saint Elmo , Illinois , United States
First time customer and had such a great experience. Tony answered all my repair questions and had both my guitars repaired promptly! He went above and beyond to make sure I could take them both home on the same day, fixing one right in front of me! Would definitely recommend this place to a friend!
They have been so helpful with questions and ordering parts for my Son’s instruments. They take the time to answer all of our questions and follow up quickly.
Plus they work with our local school district so pick up and dropoff are a breeze.
Great variety fast friendly professional service reasonably priced items
They have good rental violins. The strings are overpriced compared to the internet, understandably. Their violin selections for $1000-2000 is not great and overpriced for their quality compared to other violin shops I went to before. I have played for over 9 years.
I have to say I really liked The Music Shoppe! An excellent store.
I finally visited the shop to get a couple boxes of guitar strings. I just didn’t feel like ordering online. I want to see merchandise in-person!
Wonderful, friendly staff in the store. Great instrument selections.
The store was bigger than I thought, a pleasant surprise.
Make yourself feel good, check out an instrument for yourself, live…. talk to staff about what you’re looking for. Sorry, but I love these “real” businesses.
They’re expensive, the cables and accessories they sell will usually cost nearly twice in price, just go on reverb or guitarcenter and order online instead. Saving customers money. The place is fairly quiet for a music shop and they have great service and employees though, I just wouldn’t suggest buying any accessories or equipment stuff like cables for electric instruments.
Us as parents made a mistake about payments on my son’s sax so they did what there Right was and got it back so we went in and bought one from them paid it full out that same day we bought it they informed the music teacher to take it they were picking it up the following Friday so my son had it removed from him in front of his classmates just before his Christmas concert he was crushed at something he was looking forward in doing
we had receipt for sax which we paid cash for so with them doing this my son no longer wants to do band or music just because the people at the music shop if I could give them negative 5 star I would who would tell a music teacher to take away a sax that was paid for from a child for no reason at all I hope u go out of business?
