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Downtown Sounds
4.8 ★★★★★ 181 Google reviews · Guitar & music store in Northampton, Massachusetts
Instruments including guitars, drums, and keyboards, plus lessons and repair services.
Plan your visit
- Repairs & setups a repair bench comes up in reviews and the store's own info — call ahead for turnaround, since good techs run a queue
- Buys & trades used gear they buy, trade, or consign used instruments — bring the case and any original parts, and expect trade credit to beat the cash offer
- Lessons lessons come up in reviews and the store's own info — call about openings, instruments taught, and rates before the first visit
- Today see hours ·
- Phone (413) 586-0998
- Website downtownsounds.com
Hours
| Monday | 11 AM–7 PM |
| Tuesday | 11 AM–7 PM |
| Wednesday | 11 AM–7 PM |
| Thursday | 11 AM–7 PM |
| Friday | 11 AM–6 PM |
| Saturday | 11 AM–6 PM |
| Sunday | 12–5 PM |
What's on the wall
“Howard was very knowledgeable and professional in repairing my Marshall JTM 60 amp!”
“They sent me their used garbage, instead of the new guitar I had ordered.”
“I have visited Downtown Sounds to buy/trade/sell instruments, have service and repairs, and to purchase accessories like strings, reeds, picks, and replacement parts.”
“I walked in nervous, scared, and unsure if I could even play music… I walked out excited to play my new banjo.”
Brands they deal
“Howard was very knowledgeable and professional in repairing my Marshall JTM 60 amp!”
What players say again and again
“Also I was told I have 2 months to get it set up to my liking if needed.”
“I'm so happy with an excellent job done in a reasonable time at a fair price!”
“The staff are great; they know their stuff and they never make me feel like I need to prove my street-cred in order to feel welcome in the store.”
“He, and the rest of the staff were incredibly helpful and filled me with confidence.”
From the reviews
Downtown Sounds is where I go when I need guitar work, and I love shopping there too. The staff are great; they know their stuff and they never make me feel like I need to prove my street-cred in order to feel welcome in the store.
I have a terminally ill young son. He wanted to be a guitarist when he grew up. But, he's not going to get that chance. He wanted a guitar. I figured a Tenor Guitar would be perfect, because they are small, light-weight, and have very narrow necks for his small hands.
I recently bought a used bass at Downtown Sounds. The staff was extremely helpful, set me up in a room to try out the instrument, didn’t bother me the whole time. When I was done I was asked how I liked it and the guy answered my questions with thoughtful and knowledgeable answers.
Absolutely 5 stars. I went last night, annoyingly close to closing time, but instead of getting even a hint of annoyance(which I felt wouldve been justified) I felt welcomed into the store. And I was taught so much about what was wrong with my guitar in those minutes, the worker didn’t have to tell me all these things.
Selling or trading gear at Downtown Sounds
Downtown Sounds comes up for buying and trading used gear — confirmed on their own site. Two things make the trip go better. First, bring the whole package: the case or gig bag, the original tremolo arm or bridge parts, the paperwork if you have it — a complete rig is worth real money more than a bare instrument, and it saves the back-and-forth of "can you bring the case in?" Second, know that trade credit almost always beats the cash offer, usually by a healthy margin — if you're upgrading anyway, price your old gear as a trade against the new one before you take cash. Either way, expect the offer to be below what the gear sells for on the wall; the gap is the store's margin for setup, warranty, and sitting on it until the right buyer walks in.
Lessons at Downtown Sounds
Reviews and the store's own info mention lessons at Downtown Sounds. If you're signing up a beginner (or restarting yourself), a quick call ahead answers the three things that matter: which instruments they teach, whether the schedule has openings at the time you actually need, and what a first lesson costs. There's no wrong first guitar — a good teacher will happily work with whatever you walk in with, and a shop that teaches usually keeps affordable starter instruments on hand for exactly this reason.
Guitar stores near Downtown Sounds
Mill River Music and Guitars
4.8 ★★★★★ 209 reviews
Friendly boutique store with a wide array of guitars and amps including used models, plus pedals.
Healy Guitars
5 ★★★★★ 61 reviews
Guitar store offering repairs, modifications, and setups, as well as custom-built electric guitars and basses.