Fretted Instrument Workshop

Great selection of new and used guitars… the owner is friendly and great at pinpointing the right guitar or gear for your specific needs and desired sound. As a touring musician based out of the Valley, I’m so grateful to have such a great source of instruments and information right down the road!

I am not sure why people are complaining about the owner wiping guitars down after being played. I have bought a few guitars here (both new and vintage) and I am glad they care enough about the guitars to wipe them down. That’s the most bizarre damn criticism I have ever heard about a music store. In any event, it’s a cool location and they usually have an impressive collection of new and vintage acoustic guitars. I have been there several times and been allowed to play anything I wanted with no hassle and nobody looking over my shoulder the whole time. Staff is friendly and knowledgable. One of the best acoustic guitar rooms in the Valley.

The owner is a prick. Each time I picked up a guitar and played it he ran over and wiped it down. All the negative reviews I agree with 100%
Are you looking for a better experience in buying a guitar:
Spindrift Guitars in New London, Ct
The Music Emporium in Lexington, Ma

Love the selection and have always found Tony to be friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. Don’t know what the others are talking about.

Usually when I read user reviews, I throw away the really good ones and the really bad ones. But I feel I need to add to the bad reviews so you won’t think there is just one malcontent out there. Just to reiterate what’s been said, the owner has insured I will never buy anything here ever again. He’s got some nice axes, but his attitude BLOWS. I’m a 50-​something professional, and he treated me like I was a child. You are not doing ME a favor by letting me browse your shop. I really, REALLY try to support the local guy, I try to avoid places like Guitar Center, but I don’t know how this guy stays in business. Given a choice, I’d buy from Guitar Center.

Visually this is a beautiful shop to visit. The old building is awesome, there are some great instruments and accessories to purview. The staff who I chatted with most of the time were very nice and helpful.
The shop has been there a very long time, I remember it from my college days in the early 80’s.
Edit: Okay, rather than an update I think I’ll heavily modify this review. Which was more of a rant about Tony than a fair review of the store. I stripped out the vitriol, which didn’t leave much behind.
So, starting again…
I guess one of my main problems here is that I want to spend 10 or 15 minutes at least, playing an instrument. And the instrument in question was a resonator. They are loud. And it’s definitely annoying to sit in a shop listening to someone else torturing an instrument. So maybe you could use a closet or something where one can do that. Because I was ready to buy, and I did buy, a few weeks later. From the Emporium.
My original review was only a couple of years old, the actual visit that set me off goes back a good 7 or 8 years now. So you obviously left a very bad taste in my mouth. Thanks for acknowledging my review. I’ll have to think about whether I can step foot in your shop again though. In part because I could’ve handled this a little better myself.
Edit2: I see someone else was bothered by Tony’s wiping down of the instruments. I can see exactly why he does that. I wasn’t bothering with my shiny National Style 1, and now it has all sorts of tarnish on it. Flitz — Nat Reso recommends this product — doesn’t help if you let it go too long.

Fretted Instrument Workshop is one of only a few shops in Massachusetts that carries high end classical guitars.
Stop in here if you are from the area or plan a trip out if you live in the boston and CT areas. Their staff varies in knowledgeability but with so few places to get a chance to play classical guitars in the $ 2 – 7,000 range it is worth it.
Pass