Detroit Guitar — Local services in Birmingham

Fellow GC employee here. leaving two stars because the guy with long hair was very polite and did his job very well, I would’ve left one if it wasn’t for him. To start I needed a new guitar for a gig and was looking for something a little more pricey and well setup. I had been adamantly recommended to this store by a friend. I walked in and explained my situation to the store employee and he proceeded to help me out with picking out a new guitar. I settled on a telecaster. It came with very high action and I assumed I could take it home do a setup and everything would be good. Apparently the frets had oxidized and sprouted so badly that the guitar was barely playable at 5/64ths on the high e string and was ringing out after truss rod adjustments. There was black gunk under the frets and they had been very scratchy. I brought it in and they told me it was “normal” due to the radius of the fingerboard. I’ve played guitars for years and have never had this bad of an action issue. And the worst part about this is that they are still selling it!!! It’s there right now it is the polar white telecaster. I tell them I don’t have two weeks to wait on getting my guitar fixed as I have a gig so they allowed me to choose something else. So I went with a PRS SE silver sky just for my gig and it worked great. When purchasing the silver sky I told the employee that I would be returning the guitar again to upgrade to a very expensive guitar (pro II Strat) after my gig and asked if It would be ok to return it for store credit when I came back, and they said it was fine. Lo and behold I come back to get myself an American professional 2 Strat. The employee with long hair had been helping me find my guitar and as I’m playing through the amp another employee walks in the room. Short guy with grey hair, and then takes over in helping me find my guitar. Not a problem but was a little confused. He then tells me in a very stern tone that I will no longer be allowed to return items and that this is the last guitar I will get. By this point I am confused because they had no problem telling me it wasn’t an issue about a week prior. He then continues to rush me through my selection which eventually just made me get an MIJ Strat for cheaper than the American professional because I simply did not want to waste any more money or time on this store. As a guitar center employee I wouldn’t treat customers like this, so when it happens at a high end store it becomes a complete buzz kill. Like I said I know my situation was a tough one being that I had a gig, however that employee made no effort to be an employee which made me upset at the situation. If the employee who had helped me first told me in a polite manner, I would’ve walked out of there with an almost $1700 guitar however I basically just used the rest of my store credit and some extra cash. If you see any more reviews of this store on employees who have an uncaring attitude, it is probably that guy. I hate leaving bad reviews and would love to maintain a genuine relationship with the store, but this was too much. I understand people have bad days too so if they contact me I’m willing to hear them out. P.S. they only have like 4 brands in store if you’re looking for variety go to Huber breese or...

Detroit Guitar is a gem. Even though my last two visits have been to sell guitars / gear, I can’t help but find myself picking out my future guitar or amp purchase…

Guitar shops have been a sanctuary for me since I was a kid in the 80’s/90’s. Back then, my version of “doom scrolling” was racing into the music stores in my local area (St. Louis) to see what new and magical stringed instrument adorned the display walls. I usually only left with a copy of Guitar Magazine, but sauntering up and down the rows of Strats, Tele’s, acoustic guitars - feeling the rush of excitement as I imagined all the feelings I could pour into the fresh strings and ripe tonewood - always conjured a rush of dopamine.

Detroit Guitar is that kind of place for me. It’s inviting, climate controlled, and friendly. Warm, you know? It’s too easy to get lost in the mastery of the instruments. Lately I’ve been drawn to the Collings lineup, but I also can’t pull myself away from the M2M Gibson Custom Shop pieces I become giddy over. And the unique Fender Custom Shop pieces you won’t find anywhere else - I love that one-of-kind experience.

There is no shortage of fine instruments here, all managed by knowledgeable staff as in love with guitars as I am.

The consignment deals are fair - and I don’t miss trying to manage that myself on Reverb or FB Marketplace or, whatever (CL, etc.).

Go visit them today and make it a HNGD (happy new guitar day) for you or...

I'm in my 70's. Been playing Gibson's since the middle '60's. The 50's and 60's Gibson's feel and sound 'real' to me. I have a several of them that I bought long ago. Got a super nice '52 no serial but no LP with humbuckers. I bought a Gibson Custom '59 Les Paul Standard Reissue Dirty Lemon Burst Murphy Lab Light Aged from Detroit Guitar. About the same aging as my '59 ES330TD with a similar neck. But the action is quite a bit below what I thought was possible. Sound is similar to my '62 Explorer but both sweeter and harder depending on volume setting. Detroit Guitar told me all that in slightly different ways. The Guitar exceeds what they described. The guitar arrived in perfect condition 2 business days after the order, no issues at all with shipping or packing. As I was told by Andrew at Detroit Guitar, this is truly a superb guitar. The magazines and Gibson are correct. Gibson is making its finest guitars now. The guitar far exceeds my expectations and is quite a bit better than the local 2013 Duane Allman Artist I had been looking at. Even if the Allman was priced at say $6k or $7k and not $17k on Reverb I would have chosen this one. Doing business with Detroit Guitar was smooth, personal and professional.

Thank-You...