Chicago Music Exchange Reviews

This place rocks Kyle in drums was so helpful and knowledgeable. Saw me messing with some cymbals and immediately brought out stands so I could try them out. Told him what I was looking for and started helping me pair up cymbals to make a stack. We did come up with something awesome in the end. Keep it up guys.

I visit chicago ALOT! I was looking for a guitar so a friend recommended this place. What a huge selection of guitars they have and the sales person really helped me choose the right one for me. Thank you!

Karl was great!. Allowed me to test many guitars before I chose my new partner. He also changed the strings for new ones as an included service. Thank you!

Great to deal with. Got a really good deal, so much better than expected. Would return to buy stuff from these guys for sure!

Huge selection of guitars and basses. The drum shop is a bit small.

5 stars for such a good place to buy music gears, customer service is really good. Alex was able to answer all my questions and helped my transaction went through smoothly. The guitar was arrived with well packaged with fragile sticker on the box. No flaw at all. Would recommend. If you're looking to buy music gears or instruments just come to here. They will match any price that you have, if not it should be negotiable. Fast shipping also !!

Anything and everything you could want related to guitars and basses.

This place was everything its' legend would have tou believe about it. They have all sorts of new and used everything. If you've ever wanted to play it, chances are they have it. Nice staff, huge shop.

Super helpful staff. Outstanding collection of guitars. Literally every major brand of electric guitars going back to the beginning. For example, saw several late 50's and early 60's Silvertone guitars which were the Sears brand. Was my dad's first guitar in 1959. Saw a $15k Robbie Roberson "Last Waltz" guitar built by Todd Krause. Bronze dipped!

They do have some very nice entry level guitars but most of these guitars are vintage or vintage reproductions that are very valuable. I found the pricing pretty much on point and the sales experience was great, testing my new purchase through a '66 Fender Super Deluxe. Ended up with a new white Fender Tele 60's edition with the pau ferro fret board. I also got a free t-shirt and free shipping to my home.

I feel obligated to mention the young salesman who helped me, Alex Latus. First class guy. Super accommodating. Excellent understanding of what I wanted and picked out three Tele's that all met my criteria. Attn mgmt: He should get a raise.

Can't wait to come back in the future and purchase another guitar at this Chicago mecca.

Good selection. Mildly uncomfortable vibe coming from the staff. Guitar department guys can be douchebags

David A was a great help in getting my hands on the new EarthQuakerDevices Afterneath pedal when no one else had it in stock. Will mos def buy from them again!

Greatest music store in Illinois! If you are a student at school of Rock, you can get a 10% discount on every purchase! And the staff is so helpful. If you need anything they'll have it, and if they don't, they'll order it right up for you. And if you are in the drum shop, hit up Matt or Rob, they always take care of me.

Excellent selection, the "bassment" is a rare treat

CMS really has no rival I have ever found! Your interested in guitars amps pedals and drums and you're in Chicago you have to alot a few hours to visiting. The rarest vintage Les Pauls, teles, strats, custom shop from every great guitar company, boutique amps and pedals. Sit in a room with a great guitar and discover why the money for this level of gear is worth it to you..or not. The accoustic room has vintage Martins, Gibson's..pull down a Dreadnought and feel the resonance of a great instrument.
Interested in A boutique pedal? The musician staff will set you up for a test drive.
Find something you have to own? They will cut you the best deal possible. Change your mind being it back..no problem.
Repairs? The staff in the basement are awesome.
This is a crack house for the guitar aficionado. Don't deny yourself a visit.

CME is spacious, well stocked and organized. Super friendly and helpful staff.

THE store for bass and drum guitars. It s like heaven! Except you must have a big budget. Not a lot of instruments under $ 1000

Awesome place. You can play any guitar you want, no matter how much it costs. It's also not uncommon to bump elbows with touring bands and celebrities.

This store has done the impossible: beat Guitar Center s monopoly. The store is filled with great guitar, the staff is knowledgeable. The best part is that they do not mind talking to you at all, even if you got a few white hair and no tattoos. We are professional musicians and that s where we shop now.

Ordered guitar by 2;30pm - I stressed the fact that I needed it shipped the same day. however it did not shipped when requested. it takes 2 days for shipments from CME to me so If it would have shipped the day I wanted I would have had it by the day I needed it. Now they just tell me they are sorry and if I want next day it will $100. I even asked if they could split the difference but no........I will more than likely buy again from them but probably do back to dealing with Joel.......

Extremely helpful and thoughtful staff willing to make your visit fun and easy. Great selection of vintage and new gear, both high-end and starter levels. Quick repairs and setups.

I bought a bass guitar, and this is the best guitar shop I have ever ben to.

First-class customer service, photo file of the Les Paul ultra complete and shielded shipment !

Having spent 27 years in the pinnacle of customer service-5-star hotels and resorts, I can attest that the customer service here is fantastic. Always happy to answer questions, and there is tons of knowledge in this store!!! I am super grateful I live in another state or I would be broke:)

An unbelievable display of dreams guitars. Nice guys to boot!

Best place to Shop for Gear. The Customer Service and NON Condescending attitudes are refreshing for intermediate and beginner musicians like myself. Great Place to Browse too. I don't feel guilty spending my Money at CME

Great musical shop in the heart of the North side. They have everything from $200 to tens of thousands of dollars on the shelf. They allow and encourage everyone to play any instrument. Their main focus is on guitars and carry most top brands. Great and friendly service waits for you.

Updated Review: There were some roadbumps with my order as I'm sure occasionally happens with every business. CME went above and beyond to make things right with me.

Lots of guitars, punny basement, huge acoustic room, great place overall!

Easily the best guitar store I've ever been to. Just about anything you've ever seen is in this store and they are cool about letting you play their stuff. The only reason I left is because they were closing.

Just received a completely destroyed drum head. It was shoved into a box just too small to fit the drumhead. Some genius employee thought it was a good idea to shove it in there... Guess I learned my lesson, will have to go to the nearest music store next time.

Traded in for a Custom Shop Duotone strat 2012. I have never been this impressed with a guitar within a few hours of playing it. Guitar was packaged and shipped with extra care. Scott, Jason, Karl, and Jon were a huge help throughout the trade process. You definitely get the best trade in value for your used instruments here. Kind, caring, and helpful staff. Willing to go the extra mile for the customer if you need it. Highly recommend Chicago Music Exchange.
Thanks for everything you guys do.

Awesome guitar store with an awesome supply of guitars.

Love visiting Chicago Music Exchange when I m in town! Their friendly and extremely knowledgable staff are always eager to help in any way they can! They don t just work there, they all love music. Definitely consider stopping by if you re in the Chicago area.

Great Selection of Electric Guitars & Basses, Knowledgeable Friendly Staff.A Musician's Toy Store!

What an overwhelming experience of guitars and drums! Super nice crew and a really clean, well organized place. Never have I seen so many Gibsons on one wall! Awesome experience and prices are comparable to the other stores.

Great place for high end and boutique gear. If you are looking for something more garden variety, there's not a lot here. Really nice stuff and great staff. Kind of busy, parking is difficult.

This is paradise for any musician! I don't live close to it, but I will make the trip to go here. They don't have the average inventory, they have the extraordinary inventory. You can walk through and stare at the instruments 3-4 times, and find something new each time! Beautiful place!

I mean, hands down, this is the best guitar shop I can ever remember. I'll always remember the sound of the stereo, the dim of the soft lights, the scent of your guitars, that I played with my fingers, And the time on the clock? When i realized it was so late? And this hobby we shared together? The Amps were great, the music rooms were open, and I played every guitar you let me. With your guitars on my knee, you told me I could buy any one I wanted, and you meant it. And I knew that you meant it.

Great equipment. Competitive prices. Beautiful store.

Just ordered an amp from Amazon from Chicago Music Exchange and decided I wanted to get another amp. I was very worried at first but after contacting them they had sent my refund to Amazon the same day. Excellent staff and workers there... highly recommend them! Big thank you to the guys at Chicago Music!

Rob is one of the coolest guys I have met in Chicago, Matt and Ryan are also very friendly and helpful when it comes to customer service. The selection is incredible, I love the cymbal room. Also the CME house gear is pretty dope. Also love the agop cymbals & love how low these guys tune their drums
Highly recommended, must stop in when passing through! A huge step up from andy s

Has every style guitar and amp along with a variety of other musical gear.
Very cool store

This music store is like the the Willy Wonka Factory of guitar/music stores. I have never been to another quite like it. Customer service is great and there are several private playing rooms where you can try out basically any instrument and/or accessory that peaks your curiosity.

Cool guitars and you can play them!!! Ask for a room and pick your amp and guitar and you can jam out. ALso get your guitar tuned up if you need to.

Anything you are looking for, they have it. Staff is friendly, the guitars and basses are plenty, and the store is awesome.

Best place I know for buying new or used equipment. They have a lot of really neat brands that you don't see other places.

Lucky enough to be there when Boutique Guitar Showcase was in store... amazing works of art some of the guitars were. Staff was friendly. Place was clean and inviting.

A really nice place with tons of vintage style instruments to choose from, as well as some excellent modern style gems, some of them even being in the boutique range. If you're looking for a more modern style shredder guitar (like I tend to prefer), this wouldn't be the very first place I'd point you to in terms of choices, but I'd still suggest any guitar fanatic at least take a look around in this place, or just go in to chill out and listen to some guitar playing. The atmosphere is wonderful!

One of the best music stores I've ever been to. Huge inventory and you can play a lot of instruments before you buy... or not.

As good as it gets. From the inventory , the service, and knowledge. All the salesman are friendly and want to help. The store manager Alex has been their forever and a wonderful leader. Service department great. Prices are fair and selection is unbelievable.

Great selection of guitars friendly workers and very knowledgeable as well

Best variety of instruments and pedals I've ever come across in Chicago. Beautiful store. I got good discounts compared to the competitors' normal price. Good service and with specific rooms to test instruments or pedals.

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