Daddy’s Junky Music Stores

I bought a guitar from Daddy’s not long ago and they showed their gratitude by reducing it to a piece of kindling when I paid them to do a set up.
If you ever have the urge to fork over $ 55 to have Daddy’s set up your guitar, just make like Jimi Hendrix and set your guitar on fire — same result and it saves you money…
Oh, and this place has a terrible attitude problem. And I’m not speaking of the «dogged indifference» of Guitar Center minions. No, folks, this is just an outright, pervasive nastiness that seems to infuse each and every employee here.
They are at their worst when you ask to try a guitar. Judging by the response, you’d think they just opened the bathroom door and found you jerking off inside.
But then I guess I’d be pretty pissed off if I worked here, too.

I called this location up to ask about selling a used saxophone. The person who answered (Jeff?) was very polite and helpful. After speaking with someone else, he told me they probably wouldn’t be able to offer much for it unless it was in mint condition. He advised me I would get a much better price if I sold it myself through ebay/​craigslist. Not a profound insight, but I appreciated their honesty.

Quick update: I heard that Daddy’s has recently lost their ability to sell new Gibson gear. Looks like the manufacturers are starting to get as fed up with Daddy’s as everyone else is. This place is such a joke.

Being a student of music for years, Daddy’s Junk Music, oops, i mean Daddy’s Junky Music, is conveniently placed, and should win the heart of the town right?
No. If I recall, on every occasion I’ve come here, I’ve been treated like I’m lower than shit. Though, they shouldn’t be judged solely on customer service right?
Their guitar and amp selection is subpar at best, some gems here and there, if you’re willing to dig through a pile of shit to find the small diamond. It’s hard for them to compete though, with the super guitar chain «Guitar Center» close by.
If that’s the case, they have to have perfected things that could differentiate them, like customer service or trade in value right? Nope. I remember going in to trade one of my guitars after getting confirmation over phone and email it would fetch me a good $ 300.
I came, was treated like shit at the door, and then the scumbag behind the counter picked up the guitar, and gave it back, telling me to take my business elsewhere.
Overall, if you’re some sort of masochist who enjoys being treated and punished, Daddy’s gonna be riiight for you. If you’re like the rest of us, your hard earned money is best taken else where.

Wow, how did I never review this place?
Oh yeah, because it sucks.
I’ve been going to Daddy’s for 13 years but only as necessary because even as a drunken college student I knew that the prices were too high and I deserved to be treated better than that.
The only really positive thing I can say about this «shop» is that their management knows exactly the people they’re looking for and do an amazing job locating those types and paying them to ignore you.
How the hell this joint has stayed in business for longer than I’ve been in Boston is a real head scratcher. Seriously, this place should be studied in business schools. You could teach an entire class about it; it would be called «What not to do and how to inexplicably succeed»
Hey Wharton. Yeah, I just created your next class.
Pay me, bitches.

I am raising my rating to two stars, only because I bought a sweet danelectro 63 reissue bass for a really good price at the west springfield location. The guy that helped me there was great. There was a 30 day hold on the guitar because it was used. I bought it and they made the plan to have it shipped to the boston store for free since getting back to west springfield wasn’t convenient for me. I thought that was nice. What wasn’t nice was that the employee who was helping me told me that my danelectro that I just picked up was ugly. it was awkward and unnecessary.

Back in high school this place was kind of like a holy pilgrimage to find cool used pedals and maybe a guitar or amp for a special occasion.
It slowly dawned on me, over the years, that there are a few helpful sort of nerdy music guys who won’t give you much attitude but will still sell hard.
Then there are the total douchebags who are the people who gave «rockstar» the connotation it has today (i.e an edgy dickhead celebrity attitude that marketing agencies and HR departments have co-​opted).
Usually a business is a reflection of its leadership and so I think we all know who the biggest douchebag of all is in this store…

The Daddy’s in Dedham is staffed by helpful people who have always treated me right. While their prices are not always comparable with GC, the store is more convenient for me.

I have never been a visitor of the Boston Daddy’s. I do occasionally shop at Daddy’s in Salem, NH, Portsmouth, NH, and Peabody. It is retail biz, folks. They often act like jerks because they are trying to sell you anything they can to make their quota. They probably hire the creepy sales clerks who may be great musicians but customer service? they know nothing.
Got complaints? write to their corporate office, their district manager will be on them, they do NOT want to lose business. FYI — Guitar Center is no better, really.

They have alright selections and prices (what you would expect, at least) and what not, but these people hover over you so bad it’s infuriating. The one portly fellow with the wacky hair always speaks in the overly animated concerned-​about-​your-​musical-​needs voice and the guy with the black hair that looks high perpetually is the most stuck up guy I’ve ever met in a music store (that’s saying a lot). When asked where I could catch a good local metal show (I had just moved here) he informed me that that style of music wasn’t popular around here. HA.

Daddy’s used to be a treasure trove of strange, cheap, and weird gear. Prior to craigslist/​eBay, it was a like a clearinghouse for all the used instruments in New England. Now I think they sell all that stuff online, and the storefront has become a grim collection of over-​priced low-​end stuff.
The staff has become increasingly mercenary and unhelpful. Buying a pack of guitar strings is like getting a prescription filled, and buying anything more expensive is like shopping for a used car. It’s not a fun place to go anymore.

PLEASE DON’T GO HERE! Daddy’s is the biggest piece of crap ever. We rented music equipment from them for a big concert benefit we were having and they forgot cords, provided no support and took 2 hours to put all of our stuff together. We were late to our event and had to start late because everything was such a mess — we had to pay someone else to borrow their cords and put it together.
Also, everyone working here has an awful attitude and are terribly unhelpful.

Good place for used knock off guitar brands and amps.
If you’re looking for a beginner acoustic, don’t go here. The selection of lower-​end acoustics is weak, even though they have a great wall full of Taylors (not for beginners).

So I always made do with this place when I went to school across the street because it was way more convenient than guitar center or rummaging through ebay.
But in the last 4 years, the quality of gear and the uniqueness of the gear that Daddy’s has has gone down exponentially. I remember being able to find really interesting synths, percussion and a wide selection of microphones and mixers and now they seem to have stooped to generalized brands and whatnot. AND it’s more expensive that if you bought those same generalized brands at GC!
sorry Daddy’s, really not cutting it lately

Daddy’s can really be a mixed bag but I find that you can normally find something that you can use here. Their selection of guitar tends to be fairly solid but you don’t always get very much help when you are shopping around.
With their electronic and recording gear their selection can seem a bit sparse however I often find something that will fit the bill.
What I like about daddy’s is that they do a good job of carrying varied instrument products do if you need to get new reeds, a mouth piece of a couple of sticks it’s a safe bet.
Not my top choice for music stores but one that I prefer for the random items.

This place is a mistake, pure and simple. This last year they jacked up their prices on very basic items (I paid $ 10 for a set of average Ernie Ball slinky guitar strings) and they tried to make it seem like they were giving you a deal by having you pay another $ 20 for an annual Daddy’s member savings whereby you would pay 10% less or something to that effect on all future purchases. Basically, it’s all a grand ploy to make it seem like you’re saving money when they’re effectively date-​raping you. The guitars as well are over-​priced, but being right next to the Berklee School of Music, some ignorant college kids can think they’re getting a deal when Daddy’s is really jacking up their guitar prices way too high. I once saw a used Gibson LP Studio «on clearance» for around $ 1200. The guitar retails NEW at that price.
Once I bought a set of guitar strings from Daddy’s and started to set up my guitar when I realized that the strings that were sold to me were for one of those odd Steinberger guitars that need special strings. The guy at the store picked them out when I asked for regular strings and he didn’t know the difference. I tried to return the strings, but was denied by some store clerk since they were already opened. «What am I supposed to do with open strings?» he asked. «WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WHEN YOU SELL ME THE WRONG PRODUCT?»
On another event, I needed some repair work on my guitar. My guitar is not in pristine condition. It has several nicks and scratches, but most of them are hard to find. When I picked up my guitar after it had been worked on, I found BLUE PEN INK covering the biggest ding. My guitar had been doodled on by the guitar tech, most likely because he thought he caused the scratch and was trying to save himself by coloring it blue just like my guitar’s finish. When I asked the man what the hell was he thinking he replied «I dunno». Clearly, an award-​winning staff on hand at this place.
I will never set foot inside the store again. I suggest you do the same.

I find it funny that they have my name as Trish Fupercalifragilisticixpyalladoscious in their computer. Seriously though? Last time I checked out one of my receipts, my last name was over 20 characters and included an x.
Anyway…
I guess I always find a time when the cocky and intimidating workers are on their lunch breaks at Wendy’s? There are about 3 – 4 people here that I think are really nice, although I’m kind of indifferent about the store. I’ve mainly come in for strings or to browse. I remember hitting a huge speed bump in my writing and looking for a sign from somewhere to keep me going. I walked in to browse and was immediately drawn to a keyboard. I don’t play that much anymore but I love to eff around and improvise every now and then. I had about $ 100 in my bank account and considered it a sign that the keyboard was $ 90. Sometimes I believe in fate and have messed up priorities. but the Ramen noodles that week never tasted so delicious. ;) haha
OH and I almost forgot, one of the first times I went here a guy at the register totally restrung my guitar for free AFTER it took me awhile to pick out strings. He definitely sensed my confusion and was willing to help a girl out. What can I say? I really stink at stringing guitars.

I’m no expert on musical gear, and maybe that’s why I don’t hate Daddy’s, but I got a cheap (and pretty!) and decent used guitar here with no hassle. The salespeople were totally friendly to me, and they knew their stuff. (Even though I don’t, I brought someone who knows guitars with me to check it out and he didn’t have any qualms with anything they said.) I also had fun messing around in the guitar room where no one could hear me suck.
Maybe this place is only good for spoiled girls who can spend their pay checks on frivolous stuff like shiny blue $ 60 used guitars and sweet kicks from Bodega and not good enough for the seeeerious musician.
I dunno. Worked for me.

The new gear is a ripoff, the used gear is a ripoff, their trade-​in value is a ripoff, their rental gear is a ripoff. Hard to pin down a salesperson most of the time. Daddy’s is New England’s friendly local shitty chain music store, currently in the long, slow process of being starved to death by Guitar Center. If you have a choice, go somewhere else. You have a choice.

This place has gone to the proverbial shitter recently. I recall when they used to have the entire wooden room dedicated to nothing but synthesizers/​keyboards etc. Now all we (synth players) get is a dumpy little selection of preset Yamaha crap, and some overpriced, dated used Korg and Roland workstations. Occasionally you might see a fun Korg box, but it’s far cry how they used to be 7 years (!!!) ago.
Their mixer department kind of sucks, and compared to Guitar Center, they’ve really got nothing as far as PA gear.
They do have ONE redeemable thing to them, and that’s the Alien costume (from the movie) that gets wheeled around and collects dust.
Seriously, go to Guitar Center.