Guitar Stop

They got what I need. When ever I need something, for example new strings or a strap button, I know to come here. Are there cheaper places? May be, but these guys stock everything that an amateur musician like me needs.
And then, they are all unpretentiously helpful. Good advise without ever being condescending. Good place for a music lover who doesn’t like to travel to Berkeley.

This place sucks. Terribly limited, overpriced selection and terrible customer service.

Not a fan at all. They have some nice guitars, but anything you find in this store could be found much cheaper anywhere else. Not to mention the lady who works there isn’t the most friendly and doesn’t like customers playing the instruments. Will probably not come back

I’ve been dealing with this store off and on for years. I bought a child’s size acoustic for my daughter years ago. I bought a new Telecaster from them a year and a half back. They gave me a good trade in deal and a fair price. I stop in now and again for accessories. Usually there are one of two people there, I think maybe sisters, and they are just terrific to deal with. No pretense or intimidation. Prices are fair, and even if in some cases slightly higher than chains or online, there’s nothing like real, knowledgable people. Great store.

I’ve been a casual player for years — never have taken guitar that far, but have it around and pick it up now and then. I have a reasonable acoustic guitar that had been sitting around home a few years and needed some adjustment (a «setup» as I see it is referred to). Sitting near the radiator for a couple winters didn’t do it any good.
They did a great job with it at Guitar Stop, no more buzz on the strings when I play it, and it plays very nicely now. And they came in significantly less on their price than the estimate. They care about what their doing and are knowledgable in my viewpoint. A bonus: I found a small but nicely focused selection of ukulele books (my current instrument of choice) and picked one up while I was there. Very pleased.

It’s about a 4 minute walk from the Porter square station, quite convenient. Nice selection of guitars, including archtops, which were what I was looking for. The staff was friendly and approachable. And the price for the Ibanez I picked up was great. Very satisfied with my experience there.

I’ve been playing guitar for a long time but needed to finally integrate some theory in order to get better. I’ve had a blast and have learned so much from richey tally. He’s so laid back and very knowledgeable, and is very patient. The other people at the store are very sweet and know a lot about their products. Max the dog is there to greet everyone who walks in, which is lovely.

I feel strongly about their lessons. I did a few in an effort to break into a new genre of music and found their approach very disappointing. There was no structure or curriculum. The instructor remembered me but never referred to the last session and usually started the new session with «what do you want to do today?» I made it known from the beginning that I wanted to understand the nuts and bolts of the genre, why things work together, and what I can do to get better, but I never could get that out of them. Instead I learned a bunch of licks that I could have learned on youtube.
Plus, parking is miserable miserable miserable.

I am more of a casual music fan than a musician, but I’ve been several times with friends, and was always impressed by the place. The staff are helpful and engaged, but not pushy, which is rare thing to find in a music store! (By contrast, every Sam Ash I ever had the misfortune of patronizing during my tenure as a high school band geek seemed to be entirely staffed by a combination of sketchy salesman and lazy potheads.) They have a nice selection of affordable quality, and they don’t mind letting you test drive something at your leisure.

I’ve mostly got good things to say about «Guitar Stop». In some respects this shop achieves brilliance…
The first thing that you need to understand about «Guitar Stop» is that they are pretty much a Fender Music Group (Fender, Squire, Gretsch) shop as far as electrics are concerned, though they have some Ibanez gear, too.
So if you are a fan of Gibson, Epiphone, or something else entirely… they probably aren’t your bag and as I fall into this category they probably won’t be selling me a guitar anytime soon.
Anyhow, here’s the stuff I really like about Guitar Stop…
— If you live within the Fender Music Group «multiverse», I think you’ll find that their prices for new gear are competitive with the big box stores like Guitar Center.
— They really do have an impressive lefty guitar selection for a small shop. Honestly, it’s as good/​better than the selection at Guitar Center on Boylston St.
— I’m definitely a fan of their guitar lesson program. Some people think $ 45/​hour is steep. Really folks… it isn’t. And the 2 teachers I’ve had lessons with have been very, very helpful.
— The store is reasonably well-​organized. Seriously, you can find shit here using only your eyes.
— The inexpensive” house” guitar picks (i.e. the picks with Guitar Center’s logo & phone # on them) are seriously awesome and can’t be beaten for the money anywhere.
The only area that could benefit from some improvement is customer service. They are a reasonably helpful & courteous lot but most of their employees are quite young and aren’t terribly knowlegable. For example, eac time I’ve asked if they stock single strings — I’ve been told they don’t (but they actually do). And the owner is a bit skittish… I always have the impression she’s worried that I’m going to pull out a 9 mm Glock the moment her back is turned.
At the end of the day, though, I can give Guitar Stop an enthusiastic endorsement for reasons other than simply wanting to subsidize locally-​owned businesses.

I came to Guitar Stop knowing I wanted to buy something. I wanted a high (ish) quality but affordable guitar for a beginner (since I only knew one chord going in). I was immediately comfortable after seeing the adorable dog Max who apparently hangs out and spreads joy. I told the woman behind the counter what I was looking for, a solid acoustic within my price range, and a hard shell case. She showed me a few guitars, making sure they were all within my budget, and told me the differences between them. She was very helpful without making me feel like an idiot for not knowing much. I ended up going with a slightly more expensive guitar (still within my budget!) and found out that they also give lessons, even one lesson if you just want a little help. All in all, I can say that I didn’t feel pressured or upsold, I felt like they really took care of me and wanted me to be happy. I’m so pleased with the guitar I chose and I can proudly say I’ve learned some more chords!

I bring all of my gear here for set-​ups, intonating, and basic repairs. Everytime the do a great job for a reasonable price. They often will go out of their way to fix stuff that I wasn’t willing to spend any $ on (missing volume knobs, etc…) for no charge. The last time I was there the woman working wasn’t as nice as usual, but we all have off days. Haven’t purchased gear here, but I would be willing if they had something I was looking for.

Great start to my second (or is it third?) try at learning the guitar, with lessons from Travis. Wait, you want me to change chords AND do a complicated strum? Hang on, here we go!
Thanks, Guitar Stop.
[Drafted in March, still true today]

I wish Guitar Stop was better, they are the closest Guitar Shop to my apartment and family owned, which you don’t see much anymore. But I’ve given them three chances and each time the customer service gets worse, and this most recent time I had them work on my guitar and I am not happy at all with the results.
First time I went into Guitar Stop I was presented with sales pressure, I was just looking around, already had a few guitars and just checking out this shop since I recently moved to the area. I can deal with someone trying to sell me everything I look at or touch, I’m used to it. I bought a few accessories and then found them drastically cheaper at other local shops a few weeks later (tuner, stands, etc.)
Second time I went into Guitar Stop was with specific questions and a laundry list of things to buy. I was shocked at their lack of pickups to purchase for upgrading my stock guitar. I asked the lady if I should use a glass slide or a metal slide because I wanted to experiment with different styles of music and she had no idea and suggested I buy both and figure it out. I was also told in a «I’m write you’re wrong, and I refuse to accept you could be right» tone that my string selection was completely wrong for my guitar and that my guitar should not be played with those strings. Well, MANY Rockabilly/​Country as well as Surf players use Flatwound Strings on non-​hollowbody guitars, And what do I play? Rockabilly/​Country and Surf. I even argued back that the nut was custom made for me by a guitar maker so I could use that exact brand/​model of flatwound strings since I liked how they sounded so much. A custom job that cost me $ 130. Ever play a vintage Fender? you only got flatwound strings pre 1960, I play vintage music, I play it on a modern guitar with a vintage amp, I like my sound to be vintage. I work retail, just make the customer happy and don’t act like a know it all okay? Its okay to suggest but in the end give them what they want.
The Third and now last time I went to Guitar Stop I had my strings changed and a setup done which includes neck adjust and action adjust. The action was set so freaking high it was unbearable. Its like they took the allen wrenches and adjusted everything as high as it could possibly go, except the High E string which was so low it rubbed my bridge pickup. I ended up having to pay someone else to fix their mistake.

I’m sorry, Guitar Stop, I want to love you, but now that Cambridge Music Center is gone, you’re my closest local music store, and really, you’re not the one for me.
The shop has plenty of guitars. Hence the name. But I’m not a guitar player. I’m into mandolin and banjo and just about anything outside the box, and Guitar Stop, while they advertise their multi-​instrumentalism, are really just into the monolithic guitar. When I first started banjo, I came in for fingerpicks and a starter book. The woman couldn’t explain the difference between frailing and picking (I didn’t know… I had only started playing a day or two before), and the only book they had was a book of 3-​chord sing-​along songs (think «Michael, row your boat ashore») for banjo, uke, and guitar. No tabs, licks, instructional material at all. Sad.
I got my fingerpicks and headed out. If I ever venture into the already-​saturated world of guitar, I’ll try, try again. I do appreciate that this store is giving a home-​grown alternative to Daddy’s and Guitar Center. And really, I guess I should have expected as much from a place called «Guitar Stop.» I just was hoping for something more.

I really like local guitar stores. They’re a dying breed, and I’m all about conserving our fragile economic ecosystem.
While I’ve never bought a guitar from here, I’ve come here many times to buy boxes to ship guitars that I sadly had to sell. The woman was always really nice, and while I’m not a fan of paying 10.00 for a box, they always have them and take pretty good care to get me one that will fit the guitar properly.
Anyway, This is one of the few music stores I *really* like and highly reccomend. No BS, just good service.

Big fan of Guitar Stop. I bought a Telecaster there a few years ago, and I go back now and then for set-​ups and intonation and that sort of thing (not really my area of expertise). The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. Their turnaround is really quick for set-​ups, and they’ll call you when it’s ready — I’ve had other guitar stores completely forget this part.