The Upper Bout

I could go on & on, but suffice it to say, that the Upper Bout is an amazing guitar shop. The staff share their joy and love of the instruments with both amateurs and professionals. And an amazing inventory of guitars; from entry level to gorgeous guitars with boys & girls with a serious case of guitar love. Gibsons, Martins, Taylors, etc. and an amazing array of used stuff too. Great prices as well!

I love the atmosphere of the place, it is very relaxing and I came in when there was no one else around. I found the guitar I was looking for and Brian helped set me up on an amp that I used at home. He listened to my music style and recommended some other guitars for me to try. After considering some the other guitars, I decided I would get the first one I tried, and asked what recording stuff I should get. He recommended what products he used and he checked out my stuff.
Brian was really helpful, and he is a really friendly person and if I have any questions, problems, or if I want to buy something else, I will definitely come back.

This place is absolutely awesome and the customer service was top-​notch.
As a beginner, I am pretty uneducated when it comes to my guitar. My guitar teacher suggested I get the action lowered on my guitar so I called around town trying to get quotes and time frames on such a procedure. Unfortunately, I did not have very good experiences calling various places around town. But, fortunately, I was referred to Upper Bout by two experienced guitarists and I decided to pop in on my lunch break today.
I had no idea what to expect, but the minute I walked into the store, I was greeted warmly and was surprised that they fixed my guitar right on the spot! Ricky was amazing. He took the time to explain to me each and every thing he was doing to my guitar, educated me on various aspects regarding the make of guitar, and even eased my concerns about the scary noises my guitar was making as he made adjustments. As if that wasn’t enough, he made my guitar sing AND the price was totally reasonable (especially compared to many of the places I called)! I was so incredibly pleased with the experience that I will continue to refer people here and will continue to take them my business.
Thank you to Ricky and The Upper Bout for the good experience! You guys are great and I will be spreading the word!

Really really impressed with the dynamic of this shop.
The owner, Ricky and his wife, Ila, are really choosy about their selection and have a wide selection of handsome electrics.
I’ve asked Brian and Andrew there to help big-​brother me along and help me cultivate a more feminine voice. Asthma is new for me, along with some loss of hearing, and I find myself short of breath, trying to top the other sounds because I am insecure that I’m not being heard acoustically.
I have good intentions to take a voice lesson or two from Felix Chan, so wish me luck.
Lots of good, solid equipment and nothing junky about it.
Very helpful and kind staff.
Lots of comfortable places to sit and play your heart out.

Every time I visit this place, it just gets better.
First, their selection keeps expanding. As a Gibson and Orange lover, I am in heaven walking into this place. Decent selection of used stuff as well (was sad to NOT see the Ibanez lawsuit les paul rip off in there this last time, but hope that means it sold!).
By far the best atmosphere of any music shop in town. Has a very «Chicago Music Exchange» vibe, with couches and chairs set up in classy little arrangements, wood floors, and bare brick walls. It definitely has the feel of a higher end boutique shop, which is cool. Contrast that with the fact that the staff is extremely unpretentious, affable, and inviting. Everytime I’ve been in there, the employees have repeatedly asked if I want to play anything (which… yes, I want to play everything). Short haired blond lady, small shaved head guy, and taller brown haired guy all just seem completely approachable and like they’re as happy to talk shop as I am. Love the staff there.
Overall, this is a shop that I hope sticks around. I will definitely be making the effort to abstain from the online giants in favor of supporting these guys.