Premium music shops of Shackelford: Our Top-20 selection

Very friendly and knowledgeable!

Only place I go to get reeds for my granddaughter.

The Gottschalk Music Center’s repair staff was EXCELLENT in comparison to other stores in about a 15 mile radius. It was understandable, because it was the start of public school season, so i get that everybody was very busy with school instruments at this time. Gottschalk repair were the only people who obviously shared the same sentiment, and yet thoroughly gave me options and made me feel like i could trust their work, before i even knew the quality. Everyone told me I should drop 800 dollars on a complete over haul (for me, this is doable next year, but not right now. also, my horn was barely playable in its current state). Gottschalk told me it could be fixed up pretty good, but I should perhaps plan on a more extensive repair further down the line. I guess this is all it takes to win somebody’s trust. Thank you gottschalk for helping a customer feel like they have options with a piece of equipment they love. I will be coming back here, for 100% of my horn’s work, whenever I am back in town.

A little hard to find but the staff was great and informative

The best thing about Gottschalk Music is that they are very personable and will help you with your specific instrument and music needs. They will help with your specific questions and what you may need for your instruments. The repair specializes in brass (trumpet, trombone, French horn, baritone, tuba) and woodwind (flute, clarinet, saxophone, etc) instruments.

If you are looking for stringed instruments, accessories or advice – this is the place to go! Friendly service, very knowledgeable and excellent work. I wish I had found them sooner!

Owner make you feel like a family, I love this place.

Very honest and trustworthy place they know what they are doing and offer the best advice regarding the instrument.

I came in here with my daughter and Gary Vessel was very rude and creepy to her. I was asking about violins and trying to keep it normal but you can tell Gary does not have good customer service. Dont bring your kids here. I wish my daughter would have never met that man. Once we got in the car, my daughter said ” Daddy, I think that man Gary was so strange and he was so rude”. Dont waste your time here and definitely don’t bring your kids here to Gary.

The second star is simply because this establishment has a reputation for making good violins. The three missing stars are more about character, integrity, and the love of music itself. If I throw honesty into the mix, I really ought rate this shop as one star.

But such a harsh rating deserves clarity, so I will tell my tale. I entered this establishment with a violin in one hand and a ten year old girl hanging on the other hand. The girl, having never played violin, is in love with the instrument for all the beauty and happiness the instrument has inspired in her and she has determined to invest the thousands of hours required to master it. She is however, young and impulsive, so the violin in my other hand is a loaner, the best her school can provide, and it may not be a perfect instrument, but in the hands of a budding new violinist, it is the perfect tool to test the waters and determine how deep her dedication to the instrument goes. It does however need the care and attention of someone skilled enough to replace the bridge and put on a new string.

So here I stand as one of the patrons of this little shop filled with stringed instruments. My daughter is even more deeply enthralled and excited as she’s waited weeks to see this instrument come alive again. Four people stand in front of the shop, playing together. It sounds great. She squeezes my hand even tighter. She’s almost in tears of excitement as one of the players breaks away to help us.

That’s where this sweet scenario goes wrong. What I assume is an artist, takes the violin to a cluttered work table, “hmmm and hah’s” over it for a moment, then brings the violin back and states that the violin is unfixable and unplayable.

The little hand I’m holding gets a little limp. I begin to ask questions while he goes on showing me how the strings lay against the fingerboard and digging through a small box of different sized bridges. He makes measurements and attempts to demonstrate why this violin is of no value because he can’t lift the strings far enough off of the fingerboard to make it play perfectly.

I look down at my daughter and she is failing to hold back the tears. She buries her head in my shirt as she believes her school is out of violins and without a successful repair, she will not be able to take lessons.

The shopkeeper notices, and puts on a display of making one more attempt at repair before shaking his head and saying there’s no way to fix it…however, he does happen to rent violins. My instincts had already been firing off warnings, but the distinct stench of car salesmen hit my nostrils as his attempt at an upsell continued. Needless to say, I left. I took my daughter to the car and did my best to console her as she could no longer hold back her tears. Not being a violinist, I could not be sure if i had just been manipulated, or the violin truly was trash, so I took it out of the case. If it is “unfixable,” I thought, then something must be broken because even a cheap violin is designed to play, even if it is badly. Nothing was broken.

I thought through the experience in the store. He was making measurements but not holding the ruler all the way against the surfaces he was measuring. He was being dishonest, manipulating me, and trying to play my daughters heartbreak against me.

So, still not wishing to think badly of a person without knowing, I asked around. Come to find out, this guy isn’t the only violin expert in Modesto. How could he know that I know violinists? The violin is fixable. The bridges and fake measurements he was showing me were just that, fake.

His reputation for these kind of antics is well known in the community for exactly the type of experience I have just described.

In the end, the school had found funding for a couple of new violins, and one was offered to my daughter, along with a sweet promise to help her get caught up with the rest of the class when the new one arrives.

I’d drive a long way to go somewhere else. Dishonesty is dishonesty. Play straight if you want my business.

Ian did a great job on my trumpet. Was very happy, will go back again.

Great repair work

Great place to go for your musical needs!

Staff is really helpful

Went here for opening day as well as most recently today. It’s nice having a record shop downtown, and they have a wide selection. On top of this, they carry CD’s, cadettes, VHS, and old pop culture memorabilia all at an affordable price. Their is 3 little arcade machines, and 2 little pinball machines in the back which appear to be on free play. The employee(perhaps owner?) seems very friendly and will take your photo and give you a sticker when you make a purchase. On top of all of this, they’ll even buy old records off of you, if you have no need for them anymore. Highly recommend to anyone looking for that new album they just need in their lives.

Bought a few vinyls from here and I can honestly say the atmosphere there is super relaxed and the staff is friendly and not wanting me to hurry up and buy. Will go back again and they support local artist!!!

AWESOME FOR CUSTOMIZING YOUR DJ EQUIPMENT OR ELECTRONIC DRUM MACHINES. MY CHOICE WAS THE CHROMA CAPS FOR MY DENON DJ PRIME GO, DENON DJ PRIME 2, RANE 68, RANE 72MK2, AND RANE 70 A-TRAK EDITION.
A MUST SIT DOWN AND SEARCH TO ADD THAT FLAVOUR TO YOUR EQUIPMENT

Way better place to shop for DJ & production gear than guitar center. Their cables & midi fighter products are top notch quality!

La consola que compré para mi esposo está espectacular, el envío fue rápido y cuidadoso y la comunicación súper fluida! Estoy muy feliz con mi compra muchas gracias

Update: It ended up taking them nine days to fix my problem, all I needed was a Link to the new version which was not included in my purchase email for some reason. Raised my rating since they solved my problem.

I really like this company, unfortunately I bought a product last Wednesday (6 days ago) on the website, the software installed fine but doesn’t load properly I submitted a ticket and they haven’t been very responsive. I was told they would get back to me within 24 business hours but, I haven’t heard back in a few days. I wish I could use my new software 🙁

had a taylor set up super helpfull knows his buisness and very fair i will for sure be back when i need a guitar worked on i might even buy one of his builds great guy and fair on price

Called early morning and was able to make an appointment same day to get my guitars looked at. Works out of his home and has a dedicated space where he works on clients guitars. He was knowledgeable and patient with me. Even gave me a quick little education on what he was doing and how I can maintain my guitars intonation. Will update more once I get my guitar back but already feel comfortable with him and plan on bringing my guitar back in the near future for upgrades. Thanks Kevin!

A really enthusiastic, well-managed, encouraging, and fun teacher, he’s very good at what he does and was able to explain complicated theories to me by simplifying them with ease. His guitar and bass skills are immaculate, which inspires me to be just as good as him. Even though my time with him was short, he was able to teach me so much in such that short amount of time. Overall, as a person and teacher, I strongly recommend anyone looking to play guitar or bass take his lessons.

I took guitar lessons with Raul every week for about a year, and it was nothing but amazing! He’s extremely knowledgeable about music, and on top of that, a great teacher. Now I get to play music for my friends I recommend anyone searching for a good music instructor to take classes with Raul !!

Raul is an excellent musician and a supportive mentor! Professional and fun energy while creating those lasting memories and exploring music with those he works with

Muy bueno, profesional y confiable, se los recomiendo 100%

Recomiendo este grupo musical como uno de los mejores que están conquistando el mundo de la música. Grupo Fiero

Dope place fa sho. One of the only places that carrys planet of the grapes and def supports local artist

Everything u need n music CDs

I go there all the time. Great place.

It’s okay

Ok

It’s always closed and when look it up online it says that it’s open but when go there it’s close. They should fix their office hours

Worse experience, call no answer, drive by always closed!!

Siempre está cerrado

Great place to record your music.

Modesto Sound is a Non profit organization. My son has been luck to take classes ranging from setting up stages for live music/bands and how to work the boards that control the various equipment used to make a live stage come to life. So happy we found this organization!

Everyone I met was wonderful and I feel I really learned alot!

Great services of a small but professional recording studio. They cater to teenagers and really give a great experience for young recording musicians.

I really enjoyed seeing JB Webb at the local fair. He covered a wide range of artists including -Sinatra, George Strait, Echo and The Bunnymen (huh?), Neil Diamond, and many others. He hit on a few of Neil’s lesser played tunes (Love On The Rocks), but also the essentials (Sweet Caroline). We had a great time!

Great show and great variety of songs. John is very entertaining, has a great voice and you’re in for a fun evening listening to him.

JB was fabulous!! His voice is amazing! To me and all my friends he sounded just like Frank Sinatra if not better!!! I will hire him again in the future for sure!!! He was spot on Frank Sinatra and Engelbert Humperdinck

Roger Hanner is phenomenal!

Had a recording today for my kids and we were welcomed warmly though it’s Christmas eve and everyone is busy. The owner was professional and courteous yet friendly and good listener with the kids. I would really recommend for punctuality, courtesy, and friendliness.

So far i’ve done 2 projects with roger and both worked out great. His prices are great, his engineering skills are the best I’ve seen in this area and I’m looking forward to having him master some of my tracks. He has great mics, a great studio and Roger is a blast to work with.

Going to be Recording here soon..Hey,Hey, Roger!

Artist doing paint brush to music was there. It was awesome to visit during the Pandemic. Highly recommended

I’ve been a devoted customer since 1985. You’ll be pleased with the selection, intimate setting, and, friendly, knowledgeable staff.

My daughter has rented her cello here for the last 3+ years and now takes private lessons through the store. I cannot say enough about how happy we have been at Nicholson’s and we certainly plan on continuing.

My daughter says when she gets a few years older she wants to work there because it is such a happy place!

Good store with polite staff.

Very nice ambitious at Cafe and very knowledgeable & helping staff

Excellent, nice and simple.

The staff are very nice and attentive. They make sure that everyone is being help to the point of different staff asking the same person severely times. If you are in the neighborhood or you just need a friendly professional place that will take care of your stringed instrument (violin, guitar, viola, etc.) stop by to say hello.

It is unfortunate that I was not able to receive the great customer service others described on this store. I went in to ask questions and buy a guitar for my son. I waited 15 minutes to be helped. There were three people working as far as I could tell, and no one came to help or even said they would be right with me. After that length of time I felt uncomfortable and left. I’m not one to stand right at the counter and demand attention. I walked around and looked at each guitar displayed, but didn’t really know what to look for. It is a small store so I should have been noticed. Yes, they were busy and helping others but there were only three other customers in the shop. I will be buying my guitar somewhere else.

Bad service. They tried to sell me a $500 plus guitar when I insisted upon renting instead because I was taking classes at the community college. Will not be returning.

Rude and unprofessional people.

The best lights in the 209.

Buen trato al cliente muy bien

Great guy,awesome service! THAT’S THE STORE! HANDS DOWN

Never open

This is a wonderful store. Cameron is just an expert and is a joy to work with. Great store.

Excellent customer service and knowledgeable staff! Had everything we needed in one place and at affordable prices!

Wonderful experience, very friendly and helpful staff. They have a lot of knowledge of music and hardware!! A lot of really nice Quality instruments.
I highly recommend you stop in and take a look around. They have a staff of music teachers as well, available to teach many types of instruments.

Their music selection was a bit small but they had everything I needed at a very reasonable cost.

The line was crazy long and they were extremely under staffed.

Did not have a kazoo

Cool store

1 STOP DJ SHOP IS AWESOME. JASON HAS A GOOD SELECTION OF SERATO AND REGULAR VINYL. HE’S GOT A DJ SET UP RIGHT IN THE SHOP. VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE AND ONE OF THE LAST TRUE DJS!!!

Excellent, top notch!

I made an order for what appears to be a long sleeve sweatshirt or shirt but what I was sent a child could not get in it

My kids took piano lessons for a few years here. On a whim I signed up for voice lessons. At age 48. No music experience since elementary school violin. No talent to speak of. IT HAS BEEN SO MUCH FUN! Patrick is such a kind and inspiring teacher. Each week brings a new discovery. I feel like a kid again. Take a chance and start a new adventure. I am excited to start my next lesson tomorrow.

My daughter’s trumpet had 1 of the valves checking and sticking down. For no charge, he simply took the valve apart and adjusted the plastic piece which had rotated and it works like new. So polite and helpful and didn’t charge for his time to show me how to repair if it happens again.

Got some new strings on this baby and it’s sounds even better than in the store

Friendly staff and very helpful.

I rented a used violin for my son from the shop. They said the price was $199. The rental was $35 per month. after two months if you want to own the violin then they said they would deduct the rental amount from the original price. But when we want to buy the used violin they said the price is $299 which is hell more than a new violin. So would recommend not to rent or buy anything from this store.

My husband and I were extremely lucky to have him DJ our wedding.! Everyone loved the music! He’s an amazing person, very patient, and kind which is the kind of person you want to work with especially on your big day or any party.! Definitely recommend him!!

Marcos went above and beyond for our wedding this past weekend. I don’t think I left the dance floor once! All of our introductions, audio and everything went so smoothly, it was truly such a painless process. Don’t think twice about hiring anyone else for your DJ needs!

They were great! Very flexible and read the crowd really well 🙂