Chicago Music Exchange Reviews

I cannot say enough good things about CME. I have bought several items from their Reverb store and the products have always been in BETTER condition than described, and they always show up no more than two days after my purchase. I recently bought a Pedaltrain Classic 2 and it showed up in two days. It was listed as MINT condition and when it got here, it was brand new. They also send over a bag of goodies. Thank you guys. Top notch.

This place is not your average guitar shop. Lots of vintage and rare pieces here. Lots of open space allowing the customer to feel like they are playing a guitar as if they were at home.

I could spend all day there playing all the guitars.

They have most everything any musician could need. Also, repair service was very quick to keep a touring band on the road.

First time here. Everyone I walked into this store was very helpful. Scott was friendly and assisted in helping me find the right bass amp for my price range. He even went above and beyond to ask if I needed any accessories. He made me feel like there was love for the music and not just selling equipment.
This is a nice change unlike the other commercial big store that will be unnamed looked at me like I was there to steal something.
Thanks Scott and CME for showing appreciation for the art of music!

This place is truly amazing. One of the best collections of vintage guitars I have ever seen, in an amazing space, staffed by incredibly helpful, friendly, and knowledgeable people.

I don't have to tell you it's great! It's a legendary place.

What can I say? One of the greatest guitar shops on the planet. And I ve been to A LOT. Amazing, knowledgeable staff, and can t beat the neighborhood and location.

Very helpful and friendly staff. Loved looking at everything there is to look at and getting the chance to play some verynfine instruments

My quickest visit to a musical instrument store. Told them what I needed, they found it & I was on my way. When I have more time I will spend it there one day. Amazing selection of gear.

If you play guitar I guess this would be the place to hang out. If you are a drummer you might want to find somewhere else to go. They have the drum dept. jammed in a tiny space an 1/8 the size of the guitar area. I think the acoustic guitar room might be larger than the drum room. So unless you know what you want this might not be the place to start looking for gear. I have not tried Vic's Drum Shop yet but I do believe from what I have heard, that this is the place for drummers period. Nothing against CME, but for drummers there isnt a whole lot of good here.

Part music shop, part museum in a gorgeous store front. You can spend hours in here. CME is always a great place to visit and salivate over some quality gear (especially the vintage stuff). I bought an Ampeg bass cab from here, and the staff was helpful. Prices are good and a little bit better than what you'd expect for a music store.

Service Department review - Phil was top notch. Very knowledgable about wiring, excellent communication on timing & most importantly, my Strat plays like BUTTER. Highly recommended for setups & consult!!

Recently bought an acoustic at CMS. They have a great selection of beginner through professional level instruments. Karl has been outstanding! I've sent numerous questions to him via email before and after I came in to buy and he has been accommodating and helpful. Since I purchased the guitar, they have offered string changes, action adjustments and other services. They also give you 30 days to trade the instrument in for another if you change your mind...which I did.

Best guitar store in the country that I ve been to.

I've been there many years ago, but I've never seen a store so stocked in my life, and then they are extremely available.
You can try all the vintage guitars you want!
Highly recommended!
Without a doubt the best shop I have seen. There is not an amplifier, an effect or a guitar that they don't have !!

Has to be the best guitar store in the country. Shopping/playing/walking around in there is a unique experience. The staff is incredibly nice, knowledgeable and willing to help.

Very cool guitar shop.....love that you are able to try out any of them!!

Such an awesome store. Looks awesome. Great instrument selection. Pretty cool staff.

Incredibly knowledgeable and friendly staff at Drum Exchange. Great selection of high-quality gear. I frequently drive an hour to come here instead of going to my local Guitar Center because of the excellent, helpful staff and quality inventory selection.

Amazing selection and very helpful and friendly staff.

I got the best deal Ive ever had on a Gibson Les Paul Standard Floor Model. They were very nice and really wanted to work with me to help me get the guitar I wanted. Can't ask for more than that.

I go to Chicago for work a few times per year, and each trip I make time to visit this store. The selection of gear is unparalleled; the space is elegant, warm and inviting; the staff are always so welcoming, friendly and helpful. Fantastic establishment.

Was in Chicago for a class and made time to visit CME. Had seen YouTube videos but they don't capture the space or the vibe. Amazing inventory of acoustic and electric guitars, effects pedals, amps -- new & vintage. Better yet, there are a few comfy couches where you can chill & chat. Recommended. There's also a decent Starbucks close by.

Went to pick up drum skins staff very helpful and courteous also good prizes

This is an awesome place. New. Vintage. It's all there. Staff is super helpful and knowledgable .

I purchased a guitar online and received it with really bad fret buzz. I brought the guitar into Sam Ash to correct the fret buzz, but it had no improvement or correction to the buzz when I picked it up a week later. Sam Ash charged me $30. I then walked the guitar into Chicago Music Exchange, and one of their repair guys fixed the buzz right then and there for no charge at all. The guitar plays beautifully now and no fret buzz. This is my go to place for any instrument repair going forward.

Overwhelming, really. Everybody's favorites, and lots of them, as well as vintage gear and some quirky new stuff. Too much for everything to be set up and tuned, so talk to staff and have them tune something up while you play one you found in tune.

Knowledgeable folk, a veritable play place of music

Great prices and attention to detail, delivered a fantastic instrument to me and could not have asked for any part of the experience to have gone better. Will come back for future purchases- cheers!

CME and Pedaltrain are the best! Had an issue with a PT Volto and CME's return policy at long expired but CME (Liz) and PT (Paul) both stepped up and took care of the problem! World Class Service and Support!

First time I came in to check out some synths and was informed that half of the rooms power was out and the synth guy was out of town for a few days. The drum guy got the synth I was interested running after me pushing him a bit. However he had no knowledge of how to work the synth so I held out. Got a guitar as a Christmas gift. We are local to Chicago so my family member called and made sure it was there when we were informed it had to come from the warehouse and when she went in the next day they sold the guitar on amazon. They had a different color so it worked out I suppose. Today I placed an order online for in store pick up and when I called to confirm they had it. They said it would not be in until tomorrow. Again, not ideal but it is what it is. I had three instruments I wanted to drop off for repair and when I got there I was informed that they were not taking repairs. Two hours round trip for nothing. There should be something online stating that it will not be same day pick up and that they are not accepting repairs at this time.

The guitar I got is set up well and the inventory is awesome. I do think I ve just had a stroke of bad luck with the store.

Love the selection of instruments. The layout is also absolutely gorgeous!

These guys really know what they are doing. Don t forget to check out the lower level as well! I saw so many guitar techs fix things in action, it s honestly quite amazing. Let alone the superb guitar collection in store. Great place to test out a couple guitars and mingle for a bit. Thumbs up for putting lots of sofas in store! Really just a friendly place overall. Must see if you are a guitar/bass player and you are visiting the city.

Amazing music store with tons of new and used gear. They have the largest guitar selection that I have ever seen. Prices sometimes tend to be on the high side but once in awhile you can find a great deal. They even have a few museum prices like a mint condition guitar from the 1930s that is worth over 50k..

I needed a new string for my acoustic guitar and it was replaced for free. That was very nice of them. I highly recommend this place to any musician. Outstanding customer service. Nothing but smiles and politeness everywhere. Store has a good setting and vibe on the inside. Keep up the great work guys!

Iconic store and awesome customer service. Love just being able to visit

Google is tough. Character limit is harsh. The gist? CME sold my customer ordered, deposit made guitar to someone else. No phone calls to me, no contact of any sort.

Before I say anything else, I truly wish I was writing the complete opposite of this. I am so jealous of the positive reviews, the people that had a good experience, and those that will shop again at Chicago Music Exchange. Sadly, I get to be a part of the one percent that was treated like absolute and utter garbage at the end. I wish I got to sit here and write a glowing review of the new Nash guitar S63 that I wanted so badly but that just isn t the case sometimes. I m not sure how this review is going to come across, so maybe use it as a guideline of how not to let yourself be treated. Here is a timeline of my experience with Chicago Music Exchange.
September 2018 I initiated contact with Chicago Music Exchange through the online portal, I was connected to a salesman. I spoke of my interest in a Nash S63, rosewood neck in Lake Placid Blue over Three Tone Sunburst. I have a maple neck Strat and I have wanted a LPB with rosewood ever since I saw Jimmy Page play it on the DVD for How the West Was Won. The salesman and I traded some comments and questions, and I asked him to work me up a price. He came with a few days later after consulting with the special orders department. On 9/22 he sent me a sales order with the specs and I called him the following afternoon, per his request, to put down a deposit of $1250 in line with company policy. We had a very pleasant conversation on the phone and he told me three to five month lead time. Sounded great to me, this was my first custom guitar purchase and, as a result, I wanted to do it right. I asked for no price breaks and did not care about the lead time. This was going to be my guitar and I was willing to wait for it.
Feb 1st I sent the original salesman an email that morning. He was so professional and pleasant, it was supposed to be a great day for me. Well, as I left work, I had not received an email. Alarm bells go off. So I called Chicago Music Exchange shortly before their closing time. Immediately understood this was not going to be what I thought. Here is a short list of the phone calls over the next five days.
Feb 1 PM Call and am informed immediately that my salesman doesn t work there anymore. No problem, that s how it goes. Manager tells me he needs a few days to figure out and that he would take control of the situation and call me first thing Monday. I immediately called my friend and told him that I think they sold my guitar to someone else.
Feb 4th No one calls me first thing Monday. I call Chicago Music Exchange around 3 pm, I am told by the manager that was going to take full control that he had passed it off to someone else and they would call me. They didn t. I called back a few hours later and the inventory manager tells me he has bad news. My custom ordered, deposit made, five month lead time guitar had been sold to someone else.
Feb 6th Two days later, I have to call Chicago Music Exchange yet again to get answers. No one has called me. No one has explained anything to me. The inventory manager was in some sort of meeting when I called, around 3 pm. I am told that perhaps, just perhaps they could get the guitar to me in a minimum of four weeks but there would be no price difference. They didn t have lots of sway at Nash as it was put to me. I called back at 5:30 and am told by the Bass Guru Sales Manager that he had been paging the other manager for two hours and didn t get any response. Paging? Is this 2002 all over again? I stop this manager mid sentence and tell him I want my money back. He says OK and hangs up on me. I kid you not, I had to call back and give this rude guy my bank info so he could process my return.

Might as well be a hands on guitar museum. Every instrument in this place is worth selling your soul over. Amazing.

I bought my marshall studio vintage amp head from CME, they were the only place I could find that had it in stock. They gave me a great deal on the price and the amp arrived in 3 days and was packed very well.
Super happy with my purchase.

Astonishing inventory of new and vintage guitars and amps.

This is a nice boutique to find acoustic and electric guitars. The staff, however, are not as approachable as I would like. I asked one guy to help me with a guitar, which required him to go to the back room. I waited for 15 minutes just to find him in the front helping another customer. Needless to say that it's off putting to see them cater to certain people. I hope his behavior doesn't reflect the ethos of the shop.

If you're looking a place full of music and where you can test what you plan to buy here is your place. Great place even only for visit.

This is my third time making a purchase. Every item that I have purchased has been satisfactory, shipping is great, and always arrives ahead of estimated delivery time.

This place makes me feel the way I did when I was 8 years old and stepped into a comic book shop for the first time

I bought a guitar from these guys about a week ago and they were great. I live in North Carolina and they shipped the guitar for free. They also had the best price I've seen on the guitar. It was set-up perfect, with intonation perfect. I had a problem with the guitar which was not there fault (manufacturer fault). They took care of it and are getting the part now.

My ES 335 2016 Gibson Cherry Floor Model came in promised mint condition. Thank you. I am very pleased.

Online shopped due to COVID slowing down the supply chain and found what will suit my needs at Chicago Music Exchange. They had the Eastman PCH model, exactly what I wanted in appearance and tonewoods, that I can keep on my boat.
Pretty nice padded gig bag and free shipping. But the thing I was impressed with was the proffesionalism involved from my initial contact, then speaking with their acoustic specialist, Karl. He took the order, let me pay over phone with him and made sure it was packed and ready for UPS. All in a 40 minute window to ensure I received it a day earlier. Over packed is a better term. Nice job !
Couldn't be happier overall with everything and it made it to the PNW unscathed.

Excellent care, spectacular instruments and guitars to dream

Chicago Music Exchange rocks! These guys are the best. They are knowledgeable, helpful, and very customer friendly. I've bought a couple guitars there now and they always take great care of me. Alex is my guy! You don't have to be a Rock Star to get Rock Star service at a very fair price.

Great people their to help select the perfect guitar from the wide variety of options they have

Zach is a Legend in my House. He not only helped me out with my purchase, but also stepped up big time when we had some shipping miscommunication. I'm not sure how he did it, but he was able to pull off some kind of holiday miracle and rush ship the guitar so my daughter could have it Christmas morning. 2020 was tough, but Zach and Chicago Music Exchange really helped my family end the year on a positive note pun intended. We will be buying from CME again. Thank you, Zach. I owe you a beer or a coffee or a post-covid hug: Your choice.

The most extensive guitar selection I've seen. Definitely worth the drive if you are an enthusiast.

It seems like a cool place. I think I would start here first because it's a local company. The only thing I would appreciate is a list up front of the microphones currently in stock because the customer associate let me know that there were more microphones in the back, but that is not a good help.

This is the best store in the Midwest. Actually probably the best store on the earth. I think if Jesus owned a store, this would be it.

Excellent customer service. Great selection of guitars.

A huge variety of bases, guitars, and amps. The synthesizer room is great too.

Very thankful for my experience last week at the store. It was my fist time ever visiting. Extraordinary customer service and ofcourse gear! Was able to acquire Ravi Sitar effect pedal in a expedited service with the help of rep. Alex L. & Affirm over the weekend. Highly recommend Alex! Also visited downstairs in the used gear/ bass section. Very knowledgeable and patient and all around awesome cool people's! Go check for yourself , dont just take my word for it. Cheers & rock on!

I ve only ordered online, so haven t been to the shop yet. It was a long trip for my guitar but it arrived safe and sound! The packing was professional and flawless. Very happy about my purchase and would love to visit in person when it becomes possible :)

HUGE selection, both new and vintage. They have some real works of art in there.

I have been taking my guitars to Dr Phil in the shop at the exchange for at least 8 years now. Anyone who's a true working player understands having your guitars worked on is quite personal and require a measure of trust.

I have 9 different (both stop tails & floating bridge) guitars that either Dr. Phil or one of his associates downstairs have worked on, and I refuse to take my "children" anywhere else.

In all my time doing business with them I've been treated like royalty every time i walk through the door. And to go beyond the call of duty when this CV-19 business started, Dr. Phil fought tooth and nail to get a hold of me just to check in on me and my family.

Ladies and gents he's the real thing.

If your taste lies in delicious vintage guitars and amps then you simply must see the showroom. If you're a player and need a trusted place to have your guitar balanced, just come in and go downstairs.

If you've read this far, then you know who to ask for

The only instruments I ever played were trumpet and piano, and I know almost nothing about "cool" instruments like guitars! So I was already pretty nervous walking in to get a holiday gift for my brother. But fortunately the sales rep, Zach, came to my rescue! He was knowledgeable about the guitar accessory I came in for, and was patient with me and my newbie questions. He definitely made an uncomfortable situation for me a positive experience. If I'm ever in need of guitar or drum help, I'll be sure to come back! Thanks, Zach!

This is an excellent musical instrument store with an excellent selection, including many high-end, and some vintage, offerings

The Drum Exchange is the best! Rob, Ryan, and all the guys are awesome and very helpful. In addition to all the cymbals, snares, hardware, and accessories that I've purchased over the last 5 years, they really saved me when some gear was stolen out of my car and I had a big festival show. Customer for life!

My boyfriend's absolute FAVORITE shop! Cannot count how many Saturdays we've spent here. I recently purchased a beautiful gibson for his 40th birthday and the staff could not have been more HELPFUL! They made all the best recommendations and my boyfriend was NOT disappointed. They also have an awesome exchange policy in case you don't "bond" with your purchase. Highly recommend!

One of the best shoos in the city. Kind and knowledgeable staff.

I ve been in tons of music stores, but this was THE BEST customer service I ve ever experienced. I shopped in the drum department this past week and was shocked by the level of excellence and knowledge each staff member had. They were extremely friendly, helpful, and went above and beyond to accommodate me. Great job to the management team for hiring a great team.

Great selection of guitars, basses, and amps. Employees are friendly and helpful. Just a great store in general.

This is Dreamland for any guitar player. Prices are a bit out of my league but the staff is very cool. Gone are the cork-sniffers. Staff was helpful and answered any questions thrown at them.