Appalachian Bluegrass Shoppe — Local services in Catonsville

I was having trouble finding a ukulele instructor locally. I had been wanting to get back into music after a years long hiatus, but it took a lot for me to actually pursue this seriously. After contacting a couple of other places from which I got no response, I reached out to Appalachian Bluegrass for private lessons hoping they could accommodate me. They were easy to get in touch with, and scheduled my first lesson less than a week later. I was really looking forward to it. I drove straight from work in Baltimore City and arrived at the shop 20 minutes earlier than I expected to. No big deal. I was happy to wait. I checked in with the front desk employee, paid for the month of July (5 lessons), then browsed the shop. It was 5 minutes past my lesson's start time and I was not yet called for my lesson, which I thought was strange, but I was excited so I remained patient. 10 minutes went by, and I could hear the student before me still practicing. I wished they'd have told me if the lesson was going long, but whatever. 25 minutes after my lesson was supposed to have started, the student and instructor came out. The instructor grabbed his things, said goodbye, and was literally walking out the door. The front desk employee stopped him and asked if he knew he had another lesson, gesturing to me (who'd been sitting there like an idiot). The instructor hasn't known, and the front desk employee told me that the scheduling person had forgotten to tell him, even though I was written into the schedule. The instructor said, "Can you stick around for 15 minutes? We can do one real quick." Not what I wanted to hear. I paid for a 30 minute lesson starting at 7:30, not a 15 minute lesson starting at 8:00. I was tired. I had been waiting. I did not want to feel rushed or like my lesson was inconveniencing anyone. I had to get home to my family. Instead of offering to refund me, they suggested we make next week's lesson an hour long, using the money I'd paid for this week's lesson. Also not what I wanted to hear. I showed up for my lesson, and they were not prepared. My time, like theirs, has value. After going back and forth with it, I eventually just asked for a full refund for all 5 lessons. Not a great first impression. It's a shame because I was unable to find another comparable shop who could see me after 7 PM and is relatively close to me and teaches ukulele. I was at first feeling vulnerable about my skill level and getting back into something I'd given up a while ago, and at the end of a long day left feeling forgettable and...

Dear Owner, I was just reading up on your store...after the fact. The first review I saw was from a very unhappy gentleman. Strangely, I felt the way he did after leaving your shop. I did however leave my Taylor for repairs, but I also told my wife I felt like punching your clerk in the mouth. I almost said at one point, "Maybe I should go out and come in again"? I'm in customer service, and I can't begin to tell you just how short, curt, and annoyed he seemed to be with me when all I wanted was some help with a set-up. I didn't get his name, but he left me standing there in the doorway with guitar in hand for at least 2 minutes before he ever opened his mouth and acknowledged my presence. When he did I felt like I was being scolded and talked down to... not like a customer who's guitar needed some love, and someone who had been playing for 40 years! I've been here before, a few years ago and don't remember feeling this way then. I also don't remember prices being so high or turnaround taking so long. I was quoted $65-95 and 10-12 business days for completion. Wow. I can only hope for the best. Like the other guy said, I must've caught them on a bad day... Sincerely, Uncertainty

Dear Emory, Thank you so much! This review should serve as a retraction to my last... Formerly, I was (uncertain) but not anymore. Anyone can have a bad day. Apparently that was the case the last time I visited the Bluegrass Shoppe. The employee in question went as far as to call me and apologize for their behavior. Kudos for that, and no hard feelings! The work that was done to my Taylor far-outweighs any reservations I may have had. For whatever reason, it has never played the way I expect a Taylor to play... until now. Emory adjusted the neck, did a little fret work, and put on Custom Lights. It plays like a dream and I am no longer wrestling an alligator on stage! I have a 12-string that I'll be bringing by in the near future as well. Emory's not just a craftsman, but a nice guy as well. I would highly recommend his work to anyone who's guitar needs some TLC. They are honest, capable, and trustworthy (They kept the cost down, and got it back to me in like 3 days). It's a joy to play it again! I'll be back... and thanks...

The worst. I usually dont leave negative feedback unless its deserved and ive kept quiet about their poor work but I've been so displeased with the service I paid for. I brought my Gretsch hollowbody in for a set up because the guitar kept going out of tune when I'd play it for any amount of time. It just wouldn't hold. I heard Appalachian Bluegrass was one of the better shops in the area so I decided to bring them my Gretsch and get the guitar set up. They said they can have my guitar set up in a week or so. I also asked them to tell me what gauge the strings were on my Gretsch because I really liked the feel/weight of the strings the Gretsch came with. Several days past and they called to say it was serviced and ready for pick up. I got to the shop I can tell you nothing was done to my guitar. The same issues were still there. The G string was still going flat. The guitar tuning still won't hold and If you even looked at the Bigsby trem bar the guitar would lose its tuning. And when he guy laid the guitar on the counter i immeditaely saw the guitar had dust on the pickups AND they never told me what gauge strings I had on the Gretsch. Not a mention of the gauge even though the guy wrote a note on the ticket that I requested the string info. They didn't work on my guitar. So I paid for a service that was never done to my Gretsch. Any guitar owner can relate when I say that they dont just trust leaving their prize guitars with just anyone. I trusted Appalachian Bluegrass to work on my Gretsch Hollow body and Appalachian...