Musicians Discount Center — Local services in Cutler Bay

Allow me to preface this review by saying I am an ex-employee. Some time has passed since my departure, and I think I am prepared to give a detailed review with a little more intimacy than the average customer.

There is no better place in south Miami for vintage records, used gear and unique or hard to find stuff - bar none. The staff was, and still is, made up of die-hard music nerds and get just as excited as the customers do over cool records and instruments. The prices are extremely fair, and from what I've seen and heard, are indeed the most affordable, especially for the records and the used stuff. Guys with fat stacks or big gear buys were almost always given a nice discount.

The new instrument selection is excellent and the management makes sure to have models for all price ranges. They always made sure to ask the lower employees about their opinion on what should be in stock at the store (not just what was running low, mind you, but what the store should be selling).

If, for whatever reason, the store didnt have something (rare going, because the store is deceptively big), the staff would immediately set about finding out if we could get it, and if so, how fast.

I don't think, during my entire 1½ year time at MDC, that I ever saw a customer's phone call get missed or ignored.

They have recorders. Recorders are always in the store. If the recorders are running out, an order is immediately placed for more recorders.

The store is WELL LIT and full of people, which is a beautiful and welcome change from GC and Sam Ash which seem to be designed with silence and darkness in mind. Very cool for a planetarium, but when you want to see the true color and/or sound of an instrument, a realistic setting is of the utmost importance. As an employee, I hated the bright lights, but for customers it made everything dazzling and made sure you know exactly what the product looks like. It makes a difference!

There are some shortcomings. The parking can be intimidating but there are always empty spaces, even though it doesn't look like it. They dont sell modern records, nor do they sell software (all kinds of studio stuff, but no software). The hours are a little tight, but if you make it inside the store then they will help you. Try as hard as I can, that's really all I can come up with as being flaws from a customers perspective.

The best in...

Recently, I went in to purchase a replacement adapter that I bought from them a couple of months earlier. It came apart from my own doing, so I wanted to buy another one from the same place I bought it from to begin with. When i walked in, i showed them the EXACT same adapter I purchased FROM THEIR STORE a couple of months earlier.

I brought it home, and it wasn't working properly, no big deal, but i wanted to exchange it and get one that works. I made sure my cable and my device wasn't the problem because I tested them both separately, and they worked fine. The problem was with the adapter.

I walk in and they make eye contact with me but don't help me, even when he's just standing behind the register. Strange, but alright, I'll signal them, maybe its an off day for them.When I tell the salesperson my problem, they immediately turn it on me, saying they sell a lot of those unites, and that its my device that's broken. If that's the case, then why was it working with the adapter that I just bought from you guys a couple months earlier?

They don't do returns, so if you buy something from them and it doesn't work, tough luck. I ended up spending a little more for the actual cable, but I don't really mind that, its more about how they ignored my presence, and then when they did assist me, the salesperson flipped the situation on me as if it was my fault and they didn't have a faulty product.

You're better off going to guitar center/Sam Ash for the peace of mind. At least if your purchase doesn't work, you can get a full refund. I came here when I did because it was closer, but i'll take the drive to the GC in Kendall or the Sam Ash in Dolphin for my...

Basically I came here to kill some time and see what this store had to offer, the store was much bigger than I expected, they had a lot of different instruments, lots of guitars, guitar amps, dj stage lighting and effects, different types of drums, I even saw quite a few vinyl records. The seems to have basically everything you may need if you are a musician or wanting to explore and get into a new hobby, you are allowed to play with the merchandise or I assume you can, I was playing with a few things and nobody said anything, actually speaking about nobody saying anything reminds me that nobody never acknowledged me while I was here, I would have been nice to have been greeted or ask if maybe I needed any assistance or even a goodbye have a nice day as I made my way to the door. The employees are basically playing with the instruments as well and maybe didn't even notice I came into the store. I don't know how this business normally operates, maybe this is normal for this place, I just wasn't used to that. Anyways, all in all, not a bad place to explore and see if they have what your looking for or simply come to kill some time as I did...