02/29/08

Great local music resource

by jonlcollins

I'm a long time musician (semi-pro). I'm all ways on the lookout for good deals and also in need of advice; with the huge array of equipment thats out there. I've gone into Avenue N on several occasions for advice and never been steered wrong. Recently I was looking for a second electric Bass and stopped in. They had a G&L tribute series bass on the wall for what seemed like a reasonable price. after doing some research I returned, played the guitar and checked it out thoroughly, And after talking to the owner, who gave me more valuable info and cut me an even better price, I bought it.

Nice, knowledgeable staff and good quality merch at a reasonable price.

09/27/07

Great shop, great staff, and the best repair work in the city

by telebuckers

Ave N is a great little shop. They have a nice selection of vintage guitars and a very knowledgeable staff. They are also the only shop I know of in the city that carries Bare Knuckle pickups which is a boutique pickup maker from england that sound incredible. As for repairs- the repairman- Dave Johnson- does some of the highest quality work I've seen for the best prices around. I've also had a guitar built by him- and another one on the way because the first one just crushed my vintage f*nders. All in all, Avenue N is a great shop you should definitely check out.

09/24/07

Great Guitar Shop on North Ave.

by michaelcau

This is an excellent shop with a wonderful staff. Everyone is knowledgeable and courteous. I had my 1980 Guild D-50 repaired by Dave Johnson and he did a wonderful job. I have brought him several electric guitars and basses with electronic problems and he solved every one. The showroom is amazing! Some great vintage guitars and they just got in a new line of handmade acoustic guitars from Europe called Stonebridge. Check them out, I did and they are great.

• Pros: They are the best people
• Cons: parking can be difficult on the weekends

09/20/07

great new shop in Wicker Park

by paulatchison

great new shop in Wicker Park- friendly and knowledgable staff.

Lots of cool guitars,especially great acoustic guitar selection.

I like the look of the place, nice stage with old theatre curtains,classic LP covers framed on the wall etc....

must see for guitar people!

09/19/07

cool guitars, good people, nice place for lessons in the city!

by firebirdfrenzy

Cool place. Hasn't been around for very long, but the people really seem to know their stuff. They've got a nice little wall full of vintage guitars and one of the guys who works there knows more about Rickenbackers than anybody else I've ever met.

If you're looking for a place for lessons in the city, this is the place. Their teachers really know their stuff and know how to help you understand. Go take some lessons from these guys.

• Pros: great place with great people and great guitars
• Cons: small shop, so quantity isn't that of a warehouse place

09/19/07

Best service and attention to individual needs and preferences.

by lsemmel

Best guitar store in Chicago, probably the Midwest! The staff is experienced, knowledgeable and extremely helpful. I went in to have my vintage Gibson 335 re-fretted. They explained the the pros and cons of such a repair on a vintage instrument. I decided to go ahead and have the work done. Not only was the work beautifully executed, but it was also completed in less than a week! I can't say enough good things about Dave Johnson, their guitar technician. If you need your guitar repaired and you should definitely go to Avenue N Guitars.

07/12/07

Avenue N Guitars

by kcos

Great selection of guitars, and the staff are very helpful and knowledgeable. They went out of their way to help when a (very nice) guitar they sold me later developed a minor problem.

07/11/07

Avenue N Guitars

by abbesauniere

Terrible service and extremely incompetent repair person( Dave Johnson). Brought a Les Paul in for a pickups install. Pickups were clearly labeled "bridge" and "neck"...Dave managed to install them in the wrong positions. No prob. Returned to have the pickups pulled and placed in a 2nd guitar(SG) at my expense. Again, placed in the wrong positions!! I also had him install a brand new set of pickups in the Les Paul during the same visit. Brought the guitar home only to find the guitar had no output/signal. Opened the control cavity to find cold solder joints and sloppy soldering work in general! Wasted a week's worth of my time and several trips back and forth to the shop!! Go to Specimen, Schroeder, or any of the several COMPETENT and SKILLED repair people in the neighborhood, but AVOID AVE N!!

Editorial Review

by Contributor

With lessons and classes and a wide variety of guitars to choose from, this neighborhood store is Chicago's guitar one-stop.