My son played so many trumpets……this is definitely not Sam Ash. The owner was attentive without being invasive and really helped my son narrow down his choices to three. Then he played each in the practice room as long as he wanted. My son finally decided on a Sonare 900 series and he could not be happier.
Bill is great
Great instruments at this store
Great service
I recommend it to all
2. Mad Music
Address: 6632 Central Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL 33707 , St. Petersburg , Florida , United States
First time guitar buyer. Rob spent over twenty minutes walking me through my purchase. He was knowledgeable, friendly, and applied no sales pressure. It was a great experience and I would shop here in the future.
I needed a mic cable and called the store .They were closed but the owner answered is phone and actually drove in to accomodate me.Great service.Thanks
A little shout out for Mad Music. I had a problem with an instrument and it would have been very easy for someone to tell me it would be a hundred dollar repair. Called Mad Music to see if they did repairs and over the phone, he told me how to fix the problem in about 5 minutes at no cost. He doesn’t know me. I was just a random stranger on the phone. That is a classy thing to do. Thanks Mad Music.
Guitars and selections ok
Great tambourine
I was looking for a pair of drum sticks ( more less i had been thinking about when i get around to a music store and i was sitting at a a craft and drink / dessert place and saw the MAD MUSIC sign & desided to trot over and peek inside it was. pretty interesting and I got my drum sticks so now that I am retired living with my adult daughter 38 and 15 year old son its operation pay back time but I took it at the. Gee that would be a really enjoyable healthy way to keep my wrist limber ! who said aging wasn’t going to be fun!
Very bad attitude from these guys without any fundamental on how to treat customers. The guy on the phone was extremely impolite … Great to have alternatives in St. Petersburg. byeeeee
I purchased a FENDER frontman25R guitar amplifier from the owner .He told me it was a red leather special edition. I traded the FENDER 25R in at a local music store they showed me online the amplifier Mad Music sold me sells for $90.00 I got $40.00 the amplifier. I’m very upset that I trusted the owner of Mad Music he grossly overcharged me I will never recommend anyone to buy from him. Mad Music totally screwed me over!
My closest friend purchased a guitar amplifier Fender front man 25R for $ 250.00 traded it in yesterday at a local music store, they informed him it was only worth $90.00 they said mad music took him to the cleaners, I was standing next to him. I would stay clear of this music store, all musicians!
3. Music Promo BHT
Address: 432 11th Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL 33701 , St. Petersburg , Florida , United States
Some awesome guitars. If quality is what your after. Thus IS the place to go!
Great place to chill. Friendly and very helpful staff. Very much a musicians guitar shop.
Cute instrument store with coffee shop inside. I came here for a St. Pete Girl Boss event, great venue!
I’m in guitar heaven
Nice place, a bit pricey. $50 for new strings. Pretty good selection.
Very vibey store and unwelcoming. No one really ever spoke to us. We came to spend money but decided to take our business elsewhere. They had a lot of nice stuff but no one ever asked if we wanted to play something. By the way, I think this may be my first review.
Went over the weekend to check this place out with my son. Who is an avid guitar player and has a pretty impressive collection. Went in to get some help/ tips on a guitar he just purchased and one of the gentlemen (the one with the skully in the pic) that work their is just snobby and was such a downer no help at all. Thank god my son didn’t really listen to anything he said or was discouraged cause that guy didn’t really know what he was talking about because we actually ended up finding what we needed somewhere else who was a more educated guitar player. Definitely don’t recommend this place for anything else other than nice location. I was truly disappointed. Do better guy.
If anyone needs great service and you can actually feel welcome and play guitars go to ST PETE GUITARS
Took my Taylor NS32ce here about a year ago at other location, I was having some buzzing and tuning issues and thought it needed an adjustment, Owner agreed and took a look at the guitar and decided it needed a new neck joint shim, he asked to complete the job in store right then, I thought this was weird, but had read reviews that it was a good shop and I believe that they were affiliated with Taylor working there in the past or something so I trusted his judgment. This was a poor decision on my part, I watched him do the entire job in front of me in about a hour, I tried to tune up and play the guitar in store seemed OK at the time, but couldn’t really get a good listen inside a busy shop. When I got home the guitar was trashed, would not stay in tune for anything and felt like the neck was completely out of place from the new shim. Deflated, I took it to Sam Ash in Clearwater and had the tech take a look he agreed with the faulty work and kept it for a couple weeks and when I got it back it played like a dream again. I wasted a $100 at this place. I see the good reviews and wish the shop the best of luck, but wanted to tell my experience.
5. Moe’st Everything Muse
Address: 5208 66th St N, St. Petersburg, FL 33709 , St. Petersburg , Florida , United States
Moe is awesome! Always there to help with anything you need! My fiance had a gig and his string broke and he was there after hours to fix it so he could still perform. Will definitely be back!
Moe has worked with some of the leading bands in the music industry and it shows in his selection of instruments! Stop in and give him a try!
Moe has a great supply of instruments and knowledge to fix equipment, I’ve had several instruments and different equipment fixed by him as well as purchasing some very cool instruments. He gets new things in all the time so you got to keep going back in!!
Lots of instruments to choose from
I know Moe personally and he will go the extra mile to make you happy and give you the best deal possible.
6. Groovehaven Music
Address: 2655 Fairfield Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL 33712 , St. Petersburg , Florida , United States
Rick was helpful, friendly, and FAST in helping me get some guitars shipped out of state! I hope to do business with him again in the future.
Great gear and guitars for sale. Everything played so good I got a couple of mine set up here. Quick turn around too. A+
Took my Les Paul to Rick for repairs and couldn’t be happier with the service. Repair was made on the spot, which saved me weeks of wait time I would expect from any other vender. Rick is super knowledgeable and a pleasure to talk to. He took the time to adjust the setup making the guitar much more playable. I will be going to Rick for any future service.
Great guy to talk with! Pointed me in the right direction on finding vintage guitars!
9. St Pete Guitars
Address: 6630 Gulf Blvd, St Pete Beach, FL 33706 , St. Petersburg , Florida , United States
Nicest people ever, great selection of guitars, loved the two i played definitely will have to try and come back. Highly recommend checking this store out.
One of the best guitar shops I’ve been to, Gretsch Baby!!!!
Owner Steve very sociable guy very knowledgeable, set up man and chief service department dude Lee always has a joke for you. A must-visit for the true the true picker
It has a lot of stuff to go look at
Happy new year!
I think this is a trickle down from the former “Stevie B’s” shop in downtown St. Pete. Been by the store several times only to find it closed. This is in the afternoon during weekday work hours. Hard to tell what it’s like when you can’t get in. I’d love to see what they have, but that is yet to come. Today is 12/25/20 so I know they will be home for Christmas.
Owner of this joint has two ears that he never learned to use.
This must be a hobby because 6hrs a day is a joke. People work etc..
Service I have had here has been above average. They have been willing to work with me and been very patient with me trying different guitars. I went in today with intent to buy and Lee had to be badgered into putting on a mask. He seemed less than thrilled to actually abide by his own stores standards and this really rubbed me the wrong way. I described to him that I wouldn’t be comfortable shopping with any individuals who did not have a proper mask on and if this wasn’t something achievable I would leave (noting that the store has a mask mandate). While I was shopping, a customer without a mask came in and Lee went right to being buds with him. I was very uncomfortable and just got up and left. Seems like a really neat store but I just don’t wish to shop somewhere I cannot feel safe in.
10. Granville Guitars
Address: 4705 95th St N, St. Petersburg, FL 33708 , St. Petersburg , Florida , United States
Not a typical guitar store with kids playing loud. Easy in and out. Happy with the work they did.
A Rockstar rated #1 in the world at what he does recommended me this place, and I was not disappointed! Scooter is a super luthier and tech who solved all my stresses with my gear. This isn’t just a Guitar Center. It’s a wizard’s laboratory that is connected to an awesome studio to boot!!!
The quality of the work is unbelievable good. Scooter restored a 42 year old Guitar that was not in the best of shape, and it looks and plays like it just came out of the Gibson Custom Shop. Pricing was very fair, and attention to detail was outstanding. I am picky and would highly recommend.
Thanks
Mike Mickie
11. Bananas Records: Audio Equipment /Sales
Address: 2243 16th Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL 33713 , St. Petersburg , Florida , United States
Purchase a turntable there and it didn’t work to the back and dug replaced it no questions asked great service I’m happy with my new used turntable then I walked across the street and picked up some vinyl
I’ve been coming here for 6 years and I’ve never had a bad time. The staff is super friendly and knowledgeable!
Everyone is so nice!!! And most stuff is $5 (the older records)
Good spot.
Great selection and well organized up front. The bargain section in back is a bit overwhelming, you really have to be dedicated to go through it all.
Literally one of the largest record stores you will ever go to but surprisingly not over whelming because it is very well organized by artist at least in the main store. Also great prices. Mainly older and used records but usually in good shape. My loners synrd record was scratched for “Tuesday’s gone” but other than that no problems and I’ve bought like 30 records from them.
Let me start by saying that this review is for the equipment warehouse and not the music store. I love the music store and will continue to purchase from them.
The Audio Equipment warehouse is where I have concerns. It’s an amazing mass of vintage audio equipment. Unfortunately, it is non-air conditioned and some of the equipment has been there for a long time. Doug, the owner, runs this section of the business. I have stopped a few times and noticed for a while a tube amp that was priced at $649 but he did not know the condition of it or much about it. He offered 2 weeks return with no problems. While that is nice, I asked if I could listen to it. He said that he couldn’t really do that because it would take a lot of work. He said he would have to hook up a preamp, source of music, speakers… I told him I would be glad to help but he chuckled and said “are you going to take responsibility for that?” I told him it was not that difficult. A couple of speakers and I could use my phone to provide both the source and volume control. I said, all we would need is a patch cable 1/8″ to RCA and I asked him if he had it. He laughed at the idea that I would be actually asking for that. To that I just said “never mind” How can anyone try to sell high end components and not even be willing to accommodate a request to listen to it. He basically laughed at the absurdity of asking for a demo.
Used 2 love this place, sure endless stock of records BUT: overpriced, overhyped and stinks like crap in there. Attitude of the owners and some of the help is unacceptable. Bottom line: fair trade never, over pay always!
They will sell you broken stuff for a very expensive
12. Planet Retro Records
Address: 226 Dr M.L.K. Jr St N, St. Petersburg, FL 33705 , St. Petersburg , Florida , United States
I love this record store! Every time I go there I leave with a bunch of records. The used records are great quality at really good prices. Nice selection of new records too!
Ordered a record to have shipped to Tennessee and got it in two days! Super helpful and responded to messages quickly. I love this store and I’ll 100% be back when I’m back in Florida!
Solid knowledgeable dude runs this place. No hugs allowed.
Awesome place. Totally reminds me of being a kid….all the records my father had…….we used to use them as Frisbys (the chipped ones) and I was a pro at playing the records even at 4 years old. I could line up the needle on the track perfectly. Nice store, good parking area, pretty clean place and very knowledgeable staff makes for a return visit in the future.
Thanks Retro Records for a taste of nostalgia.
Nice selection of all types of music. Staff is helpful and laid back
You must carefully go through everything to find anything collectable, and there aren’t many of those. I found some 80s rock hiding in the heavy metal section. Prices are average. Could use a new arrivals box right in front.
This record store gets a second star because it’s a beautiful building in a beautiful neighborhood. As for the store, this is my opinion and my experience:
First, you should know I am not a “collector” and don’t mind even old, beat up records as long as they can play with no skips. They don’t need to be pretty, and they can sound like they’ve been kept under a bed in a garage with no cover.
I came upon this place by accident and was so happy because the murals are amazing and the selection took my breath away. One of my errands that day included another record store I won’t name to pick up a specific record. I didn’t have much time so I was so happy Planet Retro had it as well as a few other records I picked up.
Then … then, I say … I saw some holy freaking grails (to me) in the bargain bin. I was about to double my stack of purchases and asked if there was a listening station (NOT a deal breaker, I’m a risk taker) like some other used record stores have.
I got an angry lecture from the guy behind the counter. “No, you’re on your own” was somewhere toward the beginning of his rant which ended with “if you’re looking for perfect, you have no business in the bargain section!”
As I’ve made clear, I’m not a collector. I am a customer, however. A stranger. If this guy had just said, “No” I would still have bought at least a few of the bargains. But, really, that statement made me so mad — just like I am the judge of whether a record is worth $30-$50 to me, I think I should be the one to decide if a record is worth $1 or $3.
Of course, it isn’t my business and, in a way, he’s correct but there’s no reason to be a jerk about it.
Not only did I not buy any of the bargain records I sadly put back but I then put back the other records I was going to buy.
Decent store. Had a pretty good selection of fan made bootlegs. Wouldn’t let me use the bathroom even though I spent 200 bucks there. Also wouldn’t sell me a bootleg of Lana del Rey because he was saving it for record store day.
We got there and the place was closed but we had checked before driving there and it was supposed to be open
13. Ronald Sachs Violins
Address: 4155 5th Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL 33713 , St. Petersburg , Florida , United States
I’m thrilled at the work Ron did on my cello. He recommended some repairs and new parts (nut, bridge, resurface fingerboard) that I knew I needed. I was on the fence about his additional recommendation which was a rather major structural repair, but I went for it and could not be happier that I did. It opened up potential in the sound of the instrument that I suspected was there, but had never heard. Ron was thorough in his explanations and recommendations, and kindly fit me into schedule on short notice as I’m moving out of state. His shop is also really cool, and he is super knowledgeable, and has a large stock of bows and instruments. From my experience, I highly recommend Ron if you’re thinking about repairs large and small, or buying student or professional instruments and bows. Appraisals too!
St. Petersburg has a new Sach’s 5th Avenue! If you want to buy/sell/repair a violin, viola, cello, bass or any accessories you hit the jackpot here! I was amazed as soon as I opened the front door. From the instant warmth of a beautiful display of instruments to the exceptional personal greeting from Ron himself, I was in awe. This guy is so talented and definately has a gift for his craft. His workshop area made me think of Geppetto, the woodcarver and creator of Pinocchio. Just simply exceptional in every way!
As a professional cellist in the Tampa Bay community for more than 30 years, I’m so glad to have Ronald Sachs in the area where I am confident that my cello will get excellent attention. It now sounds better than ever thanks to Ron’s repair work and expert adjustments.
Customer service is friendly and highly educational. He carefully explains what your instrument needs and why.
Great
Ok
14. The Disc Exchange
Address: 6712 Central Ave, St. Petersburg, FL 33707 , St. Petersburg , Florida , United States
I absolutely recommend this store! Really nice, amazing and patient guy working there and he’s very helpful! I always leave the store being satisfied. 🙂
Few remaining old school CD shops. The owner is cool he’ll talk music with you all day, if he doesn’t have something he’ll order it for you.
A lot of inventory here, but not all is accessible. The owner is very knowledgeable, however, about where things are. So just ask!
Was verympressed with the various selection of vinyl.
Nick was a great help! Great to talk to and very knowledgeable! We bought a few CDs and when we got home we realized we already had one of them. The next day we went back and Nick let us swap it for a different CD without any issues!! We will definitely buy from here again!
Good selection but needs to organize and his prices are a little high but overall I liked it
Over priced records that are not in good shape. Good luck walking through the place because there is stuff all over. He is a nice guy but of all the records stores in st pete this one is the last place I would go. Refuse to a 17 dollars for a used record
I COILD GET FOR 5 dollars elsewhere.
Completely disorganized. Every isle is stacked waist high with shipping boxes full of records so the CD racks are inaccessible. Don’t bother going here, go to Sound Exchange instead, they have an online inventory as well.
Thousands of records, mostly 1-2$ dollar items, priced between 5-15$. But if you dig hard enough you can find value. A good spot for someone looking to build a collection and for whom money is not a priority. Owner also has a range of new items and more commercial records which seemed to be priced nearer market rates. If you are looking for these types of items as good a spot as many. 2 or 3 stars, worth a visit for a vinyl collector, but probably not the 1st spot to go to in St Pete.
Hands down the best presets I’ve stumbled across! The most exciting part about them is the ability to learn how to mix vocals by seeing what each individual plugin is doing in the vocal chain Jordan provided. Best tip is to mix and match the tonal EQs and compressors and create your very own personal preset! GO BAYWOOD!!!!
This website is amazing. Exactly what I was looking for. I will be buying more products. I feel like having so many custom made presets will do wonders for me.
Thank you Baywood!!!!
had help getting the right vocal presets i needed by an employee named zach. very good customer service. 🙂
16. TrueFire
Address: 2500 Emerson Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL 33712 , St. Petersburg , Florida , United States
Great online guitar and bass courses ! (and actually a lot more : singing, banjo, theory…) ! Another reviewer said that their jam packs are not included in the all access plan, OK true… But, come on, ALL the courses ARE and you already have for more than a lifetime to watch and learn. Plus : A lot of backing tracks are available in the courses themselves. I find that calling the all access pass a scam is a bit rude especially when you have access to courses by world class players such as Robben Ford, Joe Bonamassa, Kirk Fletcher (blues), Pat Martino, Frank Vignola (jazz, hard bop), Tommy Emmanuel, Martin Taylor (Fingerpicking), Josh Smith, Greg Koch… the list seems to never end. By the way the “lesser known” instructors are all top notch too ! I also really like Andrew Ford’s bass courses he’s super cool. (If like me you didn’t know him, he played with Al Jarreau, Whitney Houston and a lot of other super stars of the music business). Honestly , to me the Truefire all access pass feels like Christmas but every day ! The only thing you REALLY NEED with the pass is a lot of focus. I would strongly advice to take one to maximum three courses at a time and to take the time to end them before beginning anything else. Besides that I’m just so grateful to everybody at Truefire and to live in a world where we have access to this level of musical knowledge from anywhere in the world. Again, thanks so much for your incredible work !
Great guitar course materials and customer service is 2nd to none.
Great courses!
SCAM ALERT
I subscribed to their “all access” annual account & discovered their “jam packs” are NOT INCLUDED in the price. This is not “all access”. To me this is deceptive advertising to sell you additional products. I called the company and they have refunded my money.
Don’t fall for this scam!
17. Daddy Kool Records
Address: 2606 Fairfield Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL 33712 , St. Petersburg , Florida , United States
The area of this location is in a great spot. They typically have events going on at The Factory. I went in to donate some records. I was assisted with bringing in the records and it was so easy.
Great selection of used records at reasonable prices. Vinyl was in good condition
Fun place to wander through, so much stock its crazy, Nice friendly knowledgeable staff.
Check out the ‘New-Old’ Dadddy Kool space @ The Factory St Pete! Great selections and wonderful people 🙂
A great spot for records, CDs and more. Great selection and a friendly staff.
I hate the new location. It’s hard to find and confusing, but once you’ve navigated the downtown labyrinth and made your way, Daddy Kool Records still keeps their front door locked and requires you call from their doorstep to be let inside.
As someone who suffers from right ear deafness, I find it disgusting that DK expects people to call from a porch that sits next to their AC condenser (screaming at 100+ decibels). Mask up or be cast out.
Great store with excellent selection and prices and staff!
If I could give it zero stars I would
18. Bananas Records: CDs, DVDs & Vinyl
Address: 2887 22nd Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL 33713 , St. Petersburg , Florida , United States
I love bananas records score some cool albums there . Will be back again.
Full disclosure I only visited the back room to watch a punk rock show, but any record store that hosts punk shows is cool
It was amazing, my brother expressed how I felt in this under cover photo I took of him. Very much a sensory overload if vintage everything. I loved it alot and I will be back !
Good store, worth a visit, but be prepared for sticker shock. Their vinyl is definitely all on the high end. Your best bet is the bargain room if you can take the heat.
You never know what you will find. Just don’t go with only a list.
Nice selection. Prices are a bit high compared to competitors.
They are insisting on masking. I wrote a prior detailed explanation of my experience but it seems to have disappeared.
I will just say, that there are many other record stores that don’t have an attitude problem and leave it at that.
Not a fan, always closed before 7pm. I’ll stay with Sound Exchange Tampa Bay, they are great, organized, knowledgeable across all genres and best of all are open till 8pm.
If you’re looking for records this might be the place. However during a recent visit to a local record shop, Doug, the owner of Banana Records, picked up some records, and asked if there was a way he could convince us to use the bathroom. The stores bathroom is in a restricted area and the plumbing for the whole plaza is out. When this was explained to him he became frustrated and taunted the store and cashier. He claimed he owned a real record store and began to behave in an unacceptable manner. He belittled her and the owner of the store. This is someone who takes advantage of small stores and employees, I can’t imagine how he runs his business.
