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The banjo reviews database is here to help educate people before they purchase an instrument. Of course, this is not meant to be a substitute for playing the instrument yourself!

7210 reviews in the archive.

elderly Instruments Music Store Reviews

Submitted by HighLonesomeF5 (see all reviews from this person) on 1/14/2025

Overall Comments

I was interested in selling my custom Bourgeois 00, all Cuban Mahogany.  Sent the info to Elderly along with a link to a YouTube video showing the original dealer reviewing my guitar.  The "appraiser" sent back a link to a expired Reverb ad with the statement that there is a new model of my guitar available and based the price accordingly.  The problem is that Reverb ad was from the Bourgeois dealer reviewing my guitar.  The ad even had the same video that I sent to Elderly. Apparently the appraiser from Elderly never bothered to look at the info I sent or compare it to the  Reverb add.   I know my guitar is no where near a Holy Grail but at the same time it was not a run-of-the-mill factory built Martin or Taylor.  It was a custom made guitar from Bourgeois.  Guitars of all Cuban Mahogany are pretty rare and the appraiser should have been aware of that or taken the time to learn about Cuban Mahogany.   I expect poor service from a chain music store, not a specialty shop.  

Overall Rating: 3

Submitted by embrizzle (see all reviews from this person) on 2/10/2019

Overall Comments

Elderly Instruments was buzzing when I went in, but I was helped quickly and efficiently. The guy behind the counter was very helpful, had a good knowledge of what would be a good product (pickup for my open-backed banjo) for me despite not being a banjo-player himself. He gave me several options with the pros and cons of each, and gave me plenty of time to think over my purchase. I made the trip to Lansing from Ann Arbor specifically to go Elderly Instruments, and it was well worth it!

Overall Rating: 10

Submitted by john houston (see all reviews from this person) on 4/24/2018

Overall Comments

Elderly Instruments offers an amazing selection of banjos ... check them out!

 

Overall Rating: 10

Submitted by WiscRick (see all reviews from this person) on 3/27/2017

Overall Comments

Overall Rating: 9

Submitted by jato109 (see all reviews from this person) on 9/8/2013

Overall Comments

Overall Rating: 10

Submitted by Schendricks (see all reviews from this person) on 8/15/2013

Overall Comments

New banjo player, first business with Elderly. I ordered three sets of Aquila reds, a Shubb Deluxe capo, a Reagan fifth string capo, and Ken Perlman's book Clawhammer Style Banjo.

The website was navigable and cooperative, the shipping was free (!), and the package arrived with no problems, two days after I ordered the goods. Couldn't be happier with this service.

Overall Rating: 10

Submitted by Claw Hammered (see all reviews from this person) on 11/5/2012

Overall Comments

It is hard to give just one score on this so I will break it down based on my experiences both via internet orders and in person
Customer Service in person .
I would say is inconsistent I can give it a (5). I have been treated with kindness, neglect, and down right rudeness all in one visit. Most of the sales staff is quite good. However, they do have at least one employee who actually cost them quite a sale on my last visit being completely rude to me and everyone else as it approached closing time. I will spare the details.
Follow up.
Excellent I give it a (10). If you have an issue and let them know. The Owner and Managers do get involved to attempt to rectify the issue.
Follow Through.
Inconsistent to good. I give it a (7). Its my experience that most have followed through with what they say and what you request. However on my recent transaction I requested information on two different banjos and got no response back from them so I ended up buying elsewhere.
Instrument set up
(10) Based upon what I have played in the store and have bought they know what they are doing when setting up a banjo.
Website
I give a (10). They actually have one of the better sites I have found. Its easy to use and has been accurate for my needs.
Delivery
(10) The order fill and shipping times have been excellent.

Summary. I do think this is a decent place to do business. They do have some inconsistencies on the sales floor and I hope they get or have gotten those worked out. Customer Service and follow through are extremely important to me as they require human interaction. If you know this going in and scout the salespeople you should have a good experience. They also have a better instrument selection than most.
I have tried to give an accurate score based up my experiences. I hope that an accurate review is a helpful tool for both buyers and sellers.

Overall Rating: 7

Submitted by kmwaters (see all reviews from this person) on 7/9/2012

Overall Comments

Minor error in filling my order. I emailed them from the website on a Sunday. By 9 Monday morning I had a reply from them that the correction was being made and the product was going out that day. These folks are on top of it. I give them a "10" in an age where responsiveness and good customer service is becoming endangered.

Overall Rating: 10

Submitted by nikosmanias (see all reviews from this person) on 4/20/2012

Overall Comments

I would like to share my experience with the customer service department .
After my comments about the RK-75and all the factory craftsmanship failures,I asked if I could return it and get a Bishline Cimarron instead.
They accepted without questions and they took the freight charges on their account.
I have to point out that all the people I contacted at Elderly's were very kind and helpful.
I received my Cimaron with the setup I asked for and I'm glad to have a real US made Banjo.
I' m thru with imported brands, they don't keep their promisses as advertised.
Again , thumbs up to Elderly and their staff.

Overall Rating: 10

Submitted by f#dead (see all reviews from this person) on 4/18/2012

Overall Comments

I have made several online purchases w/ Elderly Instruments. I've bought strings, capos and tuners among other things. Always FAST to ship. Always correct orders, reasonable prices and top notch customer service when needed.
I recently purchased a clip-on tuner. For some reason this particular tuner didn't perform as advertised. One email to Corey and a replacement tuner was sent FAST. No further questions asked. The 2nd tuner works perfectly.
Thnx Elderly

Overall Rating: 10

Submitted by pernicketylad (see all reviews from this person) on 3/24/2012

Overall Comments

It is refreshing to know that some businesses still put such a premium on customer service.
I’ll recount my experience with Elderly.
I decided to treat myself to 4 CDs recently and found that Elderly offered the best price.
I mistakenly understood that parcels worth 50 Euro or under didn’t get charged value-added-tax or customs so I carefully made sure that the value of the CDs didn’t exceed that amount. The total purchase price was 48 Euros.
To put it mildly I was very disappointed when the lady at my local post office told me that I had to pay an additional 17 Euros to take my parcel home…..11 Euro value-added-tax and 6 Euro handling charge (of course a post office should charge you extra for actually “handling” your post). It works out that you do get charged value-added-tax at 23% for anything worth in excess of 22 Euro. Most of the time these charges are not applied at all.
At any rate I couldn’t justify spending 17 Euros extra on 4 CDs so I requested that they send them back. I thought I’d then get Elderly to send the CDs to a friend of mine in America who kindly agreed to listen to them (immediately and dramatically reducing their value) before sending them on to me.
To cut an already long story short the CDs travelled, via the postal service’s lost and found section (where it would have stayed had I not persisted and made 3 phone calls a month later), to a PO Box in Malmo Sweden?????????????????
Unbelievable.
Anyway, back to Elderly…..if you’re still with me.
Today I received an email from Corey at Elderly. I had also been dealing with Dawn who was very patient with me and my queries.
The upshot of it is this:
Elderly have agreed to replace my order for free.
I did not request this.
Above and beyond what you could expect of any business.
They essentially fixed a problem they were not responsible for in the interest of their customer.
Touch of class.

Overall Rating: 10

Submitted by Blackpete (see all reviews from this person) on 1/10/2012

Overall Comments

I bought a set of picks and a tuner from Elderly. The tuner did not work properly, turned out it was the battery, and there was a sizing problem with the picks also not caused by the store (see review for Fred Kelly Freedom picks). It was too expensive to post these items back to the USA as I live in NZ, but get this - Elderly accepted me at my word and sent two new picks and a tuner at their expense.
When I need a new banjo or anything else, this is the store for me. Good old-fashioned service, fast. Can't ask for more than that.

Overall Rating: 10

Submitted by pjxndvm (see all reviews from this person) on 6/25/2011

Overall Comments

I have been dealing with Elderly Instruments since the 1970's when I was stationed overseas. I ordered all my LPs and banjos and books from them. That was 1977. I came back to Michigan, went to MSU for 8 years and Elderly was only 5 minutes away. I have bought banjos from them, one Martin D28, and a Kentucky Mandolin and am looking at a Sullivan V35. To me, there is no other place to shop. Period. Despite getting larger, they have kept the personal touch alive and well. I hope as my business grows that I can do as good of a job as Stan has at keeping things personal, inviting and friendly. If I could rate them a 20, I would.

Overall Rating: 10

Submitted by ltjgcag (see all reviews from this person) on 7/27/2010

Overall Comments

Elderly Instruments has been wonderful to deal with. Reasonable shipping prices. VERY fast shipping. Orders have always been processed no later than the next day. The one time, I did receive the wrong finger picks I ordered, a quick phone call was all it took, and they had the correct picks sent out. No questions - no hassle!

Overall Rating: 10

Submitted by Viper (see all reviews from this person) on 1/19/2009

Overall Comments

Great selection of parts, accessories and learning material. Easy-to-use website. Fast shipping (my package arrived in two days with cheapest option!) with sturdy packaging. No complaints, and I'll definitely order from Elderly again.

Overall Rating: 10

Submitted by OSCAR82AA (see all reviews from this person) on 10/11/2008

Overall Comments

I have only good things to say about Elderly.
They are always fast and correct when ordering on-line.
And if you ever get the chance, go there. You will love it.

Overall Rating: 10

Submitted by JAVink (see all reviews from this person) on 9/15/2008

Overall Comments

I have used the luthiers at Elderly for two separate occasions and have received fantastic service both times.

The first time was when I accidently snapped the peghead off of my Gold Star. The repairman finished the repair in half the time he said it would take and the banjo looked good as new.

The second time was just for a standard set-up and I am more than pleased with the way the banjo sounded afterwards. The luthier (Kjell) even did some minor frett leveling at no cost to me.

Overall Rating: 10

Submitted by Kevin B (see all reviews from this person) on 10/26/2007

Overall Comments

Great super fast service. I was able to get all four of the Flatt and Scruggs DVD's for a little over $60. In this case they beat Amazon by nearly $20 and the box was here in two days. Real happy with Elderly.

Overall Rating: 10

Submitted by matrixbanjo (see all reviews from this person) on 10/17/2007

Overall Comments

I've been a regular customer of Elderlys for about 20 years. It's the only place I get all my instrument strings. Very knowledgeable, and respectful.

Overall Rating: 10

Submitted by john bange (see all reviews from this person) on 10/15/2007

Overall Comments

huge parts resource, great instrument pricing, very fast shipping...been big help

Overall Rating: 10

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