Chicago Music Exchange Reviews

This is in my opinion the holy grail of guitar stores

A beautiful and well-stocked shop.
As I was walking around the store, I was kind enough to take care of my bag.
Is the shop logo mark pick and maracas on the counter? When asked how much ?, he answered free. If you look closely, you can get some used picks in commemoration.

If you like guitars, drums, basses, pedals, etc. Welcome to heaven

Visited for the first time last week and the place is truly an amazing sight to behold if you are guitar/bass/music enthusiast. I was in the market for a new bass and found just that. I worked with Marc and he was super nice and helpful. Really took good care of me through the whole process. A few days after my purchase, I mistook a user error for a possible issue with my new bass. I spoke with Marc about it and he explained to me my issue and what I was doing wrong. He wasn't upset about my clear lack of knowledge and didn't make me feel stupid. He actually encouraged me to come to them with any questions and said "this is why we are here man". Super nice guy and store is awesome. Will 100% be back! Thanks Marc!

Plenty of guitars and services. Doesn't cater much to left-hand hand players.

Great music store. If you have more than $1k+ to spend.

Buying or not, it is a worthy experience to visit and try out such a wide variety of guitars without any one hovering over you. I enjoyed my visit coming from out of town.

A big company with a bad attitude, they own reverb too and these guys just puff there little chest and try and boss everyone around online as well as sell guitars for way more than they are worth. The place is full of stiff cats who think they are better than you. This is like the Guitar Center of Used gear. Awesome gear but bad service and respect. STAY AWAY

Staff is great, salespeople are great at helping you find the right instrument without being pushy. Always a great time to go window shopping, or chat with the staff about what you're considering for your next instrument. Really cant recommend this place enough. If you're a musician, it's a fun place to go to buy or browse.

This place is amazing, the staff are cooperative and there's a great vibe just from the get-go. They let you try out equipment and the processing takes a little over 2 minutes. This place is a great guitar store and a great guitar equipment store.

Fantastic shop. Great staff and amazing selection and location.

CME is the best guitar store we've ever been to and we've been to guitar stores all over the world! Zach, Pete and Andie were awesome - the customer service was out of this world and when they found out I was there on my birthday, they gave us free t shirts! As a Mom who follows her family to music stores, I can tell you this one is the top. Not only is it an aesthetically pleasing store, the people are crazy nice and they were so generous with the guitars, letting our son play a 1960 Strat! Of course that was the highlight of his trip to Chicago. Don't miss this place if you're into music......or if you're a Mom whose family is into music ;)

A total treasure for Chicago and a destination for any guitarist. Staff knows their stuff. There are multiple amp rooms for play testing but on peak hours you'll be waiting to get one. They often have exclusive guitars with companies you can only get here. They put out great content on Youtube and are the same company that created Reverb (I believe). If you love guitars, it's a must see. They also have a drum room and are actively working on a synth section, which I'm very much looking forward to.

Just this week I purchased a Bass. They had a wider section on what I was looking for in comparison to other dealers. I called for information and the staff was great. Shipping was just as promised. This place will get my business for years to come.

Simply put, this is the biggest, sexiest music shop in the world. Any level of musician could spend hours in this shop. If you like music, it's fun to just go in and have a look around. Also has a great repair shop.

Love coming here. The most I've bought is a capo because I haven't made any big guitar purchases in a bit but they have the small stuff for upkeep and play as well as a great collection of guitars. It definitely is a place where you can go and play a bunch of guitars that usually wouldn't be at other stores. It's a nice mix of used and new guitars, so if you're looking for something that's a little hard to find I would definitely check this place out.

I drove up from Virginia to visit CME and buy my first Les Paul for my birthday, and my experience could not have been better. They, of course, have an incredible selection of guitars, but their customer service is what really shines. Jon took care of me and made sure I felt great about the red Les Paul Classic I left with.

I really appreciate CME and Jon making this birthday one I will always remember.

I highly recommend a visit if you are a current or aspiring guitarist!

Amazing retailer...love all the information, videos, and great pictures of each guitar. The staff is friendly and knowledgable, highly recommend and love the guitar I purchased from them!

Chicago Music Exchange--CME-- was recommended to me by an accomplished Michigan guitar player who'd bought gear there and by a Guitar store owner up in Milwaukee, a cousin of a good friend. A beginning/intermediate guitar player, I found myself with more time to practice and wanted to find a guitar and amp that would sound like the voicings in my head. Along the way, I probably tried dozens of amps, but I kept coming back to CME.

I was very impressed with the help I received from CME and especially from David Azininamini who was extraordinarily patient and gave me the help I'd expect from my brother or best friend. In the end, he identified the guitar and amp that worked best, and delivered them to me for very reasonable prices. Alex and their chief technician Brian also were very supportive and helpful. All the folks there seem to play very capable guitar, but they took this neophyte seriously and there was no haughtiness or condensention of the sort you sometimes find in music shops. I am lobbing in calls to the folks who recommended CME with a couple hearty thank you's. I was very glad they sent me there. If I need gear again, that's where I'll go.

Beautiful music supply store ,,, vey weel recomended ; excellent music instruments selection but they didn't have what i was looking for eventhough item was pointed out to be available in this store ; that's the reason i didn't give 5 's ,,,

Great store, selection and service. We went in to look at acoustic guitars and had a great experience of trying out different brands, sizes, designs, woods. There were spaces to play and here the differences and the staff struck the perfect balance between helpful and leaving us alone to play think and choose.

I am beyond thrilled with Zach at the Music Exchange. A new saddle and re-stringing of my ukulele at no charge. Thanks!

Great place made even greater by friendly and knowledgeable staff

Pretty much professional people working there, honest.

Amps, guitars, pedals galore, and incredible customer service. I was really hoping to see more Reverend Guitars though.

Huge selection of guitars, and a lot of nice ones at that. Also a great selection of amplifiers for guitar vintage and modern. friendly staff hey for a guitar or music fan what's not to like. It's fortunate there are places like this still around with all the online shopping competition.

Been to the shop a couple of times. They have a great selection of instruments in stock!

These guys aren't taking repairs right now, but offered a virtual repair session. It was a guitar I bought at an auction - so not even theirs - and the tech helped me fix over the phone. Kind of amazing. I've bought a number of instruments here and they now have a lifetime customer. Nice job, guys!

Awesome shop!!! Travelled from Sydney and I work in Guitar Factory Gladesville and this shop was mind blowing, friendly non-smug attitude and mountains of kick ass guitars.

Bought a beautiful Gibson 12-string with a salesperson I spoke with then texted with to complete the order. Easy, honest, dependable, and I still can't believe I spent $3,000 not just over the phone, but in a text message! Everything from there was a simple phone call and the details were handled precisely has he said they would be. Can't wait to get down there to see the store!

Yeah I gotta say the service is great and I all WAYS walk out with what I needed ,I hope the Chicago music exchange is here to stay ,I will be back ,THANKS for being here for all of US

Da bomb. I love that my Lakeview bike shop is a neighbor to this gem. come on..
Bikes and music..
I mean when I ride my bike with my ukelele on my back...la dolce vida

Just played spent 2 hrs playing some sweet pedals, and came away with some classics. Thanks CME

Really awesome store. Best selection of guitars I've been in the presence of. Friendly staff. Check them out on YouTube, great channel.

Extremely knowledgable and friendly staff. The store front is gorgeous....the walls are adorned with gorgeous guitars. Grab a pick at the door and check something out! One of the best guitar shopping experiences in the city. Highly Recommend.

One of my favorite guitar shops in the US. Always a danger for your wallet to walk in there. I'm currently 3/3 for buying a guitar when I go here. This past time I have David A helping me out and he probably pulled down 15 guitars for me. Really friendly crew and very knowledgable. Highly recommend stopping by if you're in town.

This place is amazing. Great selection of new and vintage. Extremely knowledgeable staff that is genuinely helpful. Some really interesting CME exclusive instruments designed by players for players. Prices are competitive and often can be shipped for free.

Wish more music shops were like this in Australia. I love the blues. Don't hear enough blues except when I jam with backing tracks Eric Clapton style, BB King. Guitars are nearly 3 times the price in Australian dollars fender, Gibson etc.

Ordered a guitar only to be notified that the product "Oversold" a day later. I would absolutely never buy anything from that store ever again.I called the store for explanation, and the person told me that they actually sold the guitar a day before it was listed on reverb and I literally purchased 5 min after the reverb listing went live.

Fantastic customer service. Always ships very quickly.

Guitar as advertised.Great guitar!Nice store,do a great job.They inspect every guitar they sell and stand behind their work and are extremely dependable when it comes to instrument description...as i said,instrument was exactly as described...I couldn't be happier.Thanks Chicago Music Exchange for a great buying experience.....

Fantastic store. A must-visit for musical visitors to Chicago. Tons of high end gear. Full service repair shop downstairs. Very good prices on low and high end stuff. Helpful staff. Also, one great thing is the quality of the isolation rooms.

I bought a pedalboard kit and the brackets for the power supply covered the outputs because they were intended for other models. This pairing was in every bundle they had available online (and after I pointed it out, they were photoshopped out of every product picture online while the price stayed the same and universal brackets were offered as a separate purchase). I wanted to use the brackets to avoid drilling into the face of the board from the bottom.

I called multiple times and instead of hearing the concern about the brackets covering the outputs, each time they tried to explain to me how a power supply is attached to a pedalboard, as if that was what I must be calling about. And each time I had to state over and over that the brackets were wrong, and each time had to wait for them to hear me.

After the third go-through of this, someone sent me universal brackets, which weren't compatible with my pedalboard. Mind you, I had just purchased the pedalboard from them too, so they had that order and model right in front of them while we were talking on the phone, and I reiterated it to be sure. It's now been weeks of this, and I just started a refund, which I was hoping to avoid because I have a suspicion it's not going to go well.

I really want to like this place, however every experience has gotten worse and worse; the employees here are incredibly rude.

Visited this place about a year ago.The best guitar store and awesome show room! Worth the trip!

I am like a kid in a candy store here. The guys are super cool. Its like they really encourage you to come in and play.

Extremely happy with their service.
They shipped me guitar parts I was searching for that nobody else had in stock. My order arrived quickly and hassle free. Can't wait to visit and purchase a guitar there someday.

People were amazing and super friendly! Extremely knowledgeable about music, guitars, pretty much everything in there.

Beautiful display of guitars and basses. Thought there'd be more than just those two, but it's a gorgeous historic place and it's definitely worth checking out.

What can I say? Incredible selection of really expensive guitars.

Crazy amazing destination shop. The acoustic guitar room is to die for!

Lots of neat gear here. Worth the trip if you're not from the Chicago area.

Beautifully designed guitar shop. Floor to ceiling guitars. Diverse selection of make and models including many custom and independent guitars. There are private rooms were you can try instruments out. I wish they carried more bass guitars though.

This is the best music store I have ever gone to. I love the set up. The way there are rare and vintage inatruments just laying aroumd is so cool. They have really cool rooms where you can plug in and shred. My favorite part was the acoustic guitar room. I saw some incredible instruments. My friend loved the drum area too. He bought a new snare.

I ordered a bass from and them and the listing didn t match what I received. This was my first experience with them. Totally disappointed. (Update) It s been over a month since I talked to them and nothing has happened. (Update 2) Finally, after 6 weeks, I got the right bass in! Thanks for all of your help!

One of the largest music stores, especially in Chicago. This store is 3 levels, main floor has all the instruments, accessories, gear on . Top floor is private and basement is repair shop. The drum store is connected to this side of the store also. There was plenty of staff to assist and help. They were all very educated and experienced, also fun to talk with. They allow you to test out the instruments. They do have a store policy prohibiting any bags passed the front door door , which includes purses . So either leave your purse or be prepared to surrender it to the front cash staff. Overall very cool store

Beautiful store layout, excellent demo rooms. Zach was helpful setting me up with a fender Blues jr. Loved the speaker love the service. A must stop for all musicians beginner or veteran.

Can not beat selection and prices are Fair, stop in and rock on

I cannot say enough great things about this place! They have a fabulous selection of gorgeous musical instruments, new and vintage. One of the guys that staffs CME, Dan, is particular helpful in assisting you to pick out the right piece for you without pressuring you to spend your rent instead. Just looking at these beautiful, stringed works of art is worth the trip.

The BEST music store in Chicago. Large selection of guitars and equipment.

High, non-negotiable prices, but wide range of products.

Unbelievable space! Incredible selection of a full range of quality instruments.

Awesome help for my daughter and me when we were getting her first electric guitar.

This place rocks! The staff is super cool and they'll let you crank guitars and amps you'll never be able to afford. Would visit again 100%

This is one of the coolest guitar stores I've ever been to, so much to see and buy!!

Literal heaven for any guitarist or bass player. Drum store next door too.

Three different shops. Guitar shop bassment bass shop and drum shop all under one roof. Staff are players so they know their instruments. Also has a great fix it shop.

WHAT AN AWESOME EXPERIENCE!!! THEY SENT ME FREE GIFTS!!! I ordered some star picks, and they sent two, AWESOME STICKERS, and this super sick guitar pick with "Chicago Music Exchange" on it! The pick was the same color and size as the ones I ordered. I don't know if that was intentional, or a match made in heaven. I recommend this place HIGHLY to anyone doing any sort of music business. It seems like they REALLY value their customer base.

Cool place. Really helpful and friendly staff. I could spend an entire day here.

I have only dealt with CME online/email but the experiences have been consistently bad. I bought a used Les Paul from them and the wiring was so wrong it buzzed from not being grounded right and certain setting did not make noise at all. They denied it and said I was wrong, until I sent pictures and shipped it back to them. Even the refund process took forever, calling them multiple times with little success until serious threats with my credit card company we're brought in. Next, they wanted to make it up to me by giving a discount on my next purchase. I tried to communicate with the staff and they were relatively knowledgeable about their stocks but when I was ready to order, they were bad communicators and kept giving me wrong time periods for when they could get product to me. Seems like it is a manufacturer/supplier relationship issue. Ultimately, I've learned one thing: CME isn't getting a penny of my money whethee they offer me a discount or not because they don't care about me as a customer.

Great selection, helpful staff, got a great deal on a guitar. Wish there was closer parking , but the walk was worth the experience!!!

Thieves! Do not use them. 6 month ordeal. Took 5 months to receive item. And it was canceled months prior. Tried to return item since I bought from a better source and after 20 emails and multiple phone calls they accept it. One problem, they never refunded the money. $136 wasted on these clowns. Worst place I have ever dealt with, musical or otherwise. Stay clear of David Azizinamini. The biggest jerk.

Amazing store, but from a lefty perspective, I've seen more to choose from at my local pawn shop. Beautiful store though. Online sales are great as well. From my experience anyway.

I have been a customer for several years, and have only great things to say about every aspect of this amazing store and staff. This review is to shine a light on the guys in the basement. One of the best features of CME is the team in the Repair Dept., specifically, Phil Glodek. After the first time I took a guitar to Phil I was immediately impressed by his knowledge, passion and true care for my instrument and me, the player. I have turned to him for many routine tweeks and upgrades, and a couple of major repairs that were nothing short of artwork - Phil is a master in my eyes and I can't recommend him more highly. But he recently impressed me on an entirely new level by calling me out of the blue during this Covid-19 crisis, just to check in, let me know that CME is staying strong, and hoped all was well with me, my family, and my guitars. Not a sales call - just checking in. How cool is that!? Thank you Phil and CME!!! You guys raise the bar even when you're working from home.

One of the very best guitar buying experiences I've ever had and I've done business with some of the best dealers in the US. I had a special order and Karl saw to every detail from ordering to delivery. It was perfect. If you're in the Chicago area or you are an online customer Chicago Music Exchange will go above and beyond to serve your needs!

Everybody was helpful and not pushy to sell you something!