The Music Emporium, Inc., Altoona PA

Sent my wife to grab me some new strings. Got the ernie ball 7 string super slinky. I'm sure it's not the shops fault but the pack was missing number 52 out of the package. Not a huge deal I can use the one I still have but would suck if that's the only one I needed lol.

The best experience in awhile, Sidney was polite and helpful. Plus a huge score we found the viola my daughter needed

Guitars, drums, pianos, pool tables, scale trains, and western wear! It's a one stop shop for a handful of my favorite things! Definitely stop in if you're in the area. It's such a unique store.

Great customer service and good times! Stop in for strings and caught up with an old friend!

Good little hometown vibe music store. Staff is kind and very helpful. Some items seem a little over priced, compared to reverb and such, but other than that, its a great. Independently owned music store, definitely not run of the mill, also.the guitar tech is amazing, helpful, and very knowledgeable in his expertise from Luther work, to setups, he's a beast.

This past week was my daughters sweet 16, with that in mind, I wanted to get her a "dream guitar" level of instrument (she plays acoustic). I went down to the Emporium hoping to find "the one". She's already got a pretty nice little Yamaha that she has been playing a couple of years, but I wanted something that would WOW her.

To make a really long story, a short story. I ended up finding an absolutely BEAUTUFL Breedlove Concertina. Rick (owner of the store) did me solid #1 with the sale.but that is not why I am writing this review. I am writing this review because of what happened a couple of days later when I gave my daughter the beautiful guitar. Which is that we realized that something was not right, the neck had an ever so slight warp in it down by the body (not the bow that is common and fixable with a truss adjustment) this was a legit, really weird warp. I should have caught it when I was playing it, but to be honest I didn't look it over as good as I should have.

At any rate, the neck was warped and I was SICK about it. I took the guitar back to the store.no BS, no fuss, nothing but apologies and class. The guys at the store agreed that the neck was warped, apologized for the issue, told me to come back and talk to the owner (he wasn't in). 2 Days later I went back in and talked to the owner, he was apologetic. Gave me a refund, again, no fuss, no BS, nothing but class.

I don't write reviews as a general rule and I don't really make a judgement on things when a transaction goes smooth. I make judgements when things DON'T go smooth, that is when you see the true nature of a business, that is when people show their true colors. I was bummed about the guitar but I don't hold that against the store, they sell a pile of instruments, I don't expect them to go over every guitar they sell with a fine tooth comb before they sell them. Stuff happens.it's how a business acts when things go wrong that make them a stand up business, a class act.

Rick and the guys cemented my business by handling the whole deal with class. And as a side note. I ended up saving the day by finding another Breedlove dealer who had the EXACT same guitar in stock, so I went and got it.for a hundred bucks more than what I paid at Emporium the first time.

Emporium has been and will continue to be my "go to" spot. These guys rock.

The staff was very helpful. I needed a few specific items and they helped me find exactly what I needed. I was able to get in and out very quickly. Plus, they sell trains! I love trains.

Quick and friendly customer service. Set us up for instrument repair service and answered all my questions.