Lafayette Music

I am a professional musician, and have gone to Lafayette music a few times for various things. It is geared toward marching band and student musicians primarily. I inquired about rehairing my bow, mainly looking for a recommendation and they suggested I just buy a new bow rather than rehair it. Any string player would know how absurd that is! I also looked at their child-sized violins for sale, and they are indeed a lot more expensive than other music stores: entry level violins for $400! The clerk also was very condescending and wanted to know why I thought I knew anything about sizing string instruments. Apparently a lifetime of playing, a music degree, and a decade of teaching don't qualify me to know my child needs a 1/4 size violin. I want this business to stick around and survive, but they must mend some of their bad business practices and educate themselves about the instruments and local luthiers/professionals. more

Do not rent instruments or do business here! I gave them access to my checking account for an instrument rental and they deduct unauthorized amounts after the monthly payment is made. Nut oly that. They tried to collect sales tax on the instrument after the contract was already signed stating that I owed $54.00 because they forgot to add sales tax. The only reason the issue was resolved after they supposedly could not find my file to see why an unauthorized charge was placed on my debit card was because my credit union investigated this matter. Then they are saying the used trombone I rented was new. This store shouldn't even be in business! Needless to say, the trombone is being returned and I am taking my business to a reputable music store from here on out! more

The whole time in the store, I was skeptical on how long I should stay before I just leave. The older woman (I assume she's running the store) was treating customers like they didn't matter to her. She ran around like a chicken with her head cut off. In between scrambling from customer to customer, she made snappy, mean remarks to the young adults she has working there. Every time I go in the store, it seems they have a new set of employees. The older gentleman shuffled through the store, grunting and mumbling curse words. My son even mentioned something to me about their actions. The younger employees were great, but I felt terrible for them. The instruments were a decent price, but "new" instruments were obviously used. That's false advertisement if you ask me. The store also had very little space. It was like someone had tried to cram as much useless junk into the front of the store as possible. I got a glimpse of the back room, and there were files (I'm assuming customer files) piled up and ready to topple over. That was the last straw for me, and I ended up leaving. Pros: Younger employees seemed to know how to run the place better than the older couple. Cons: The woman is a witch. I will probably never step foot in the store again, and I have told many of my friends with children in band programs to stay away from the store. Terrible expectations are being set from the two that should be the most professional. Mediocre instruments being labeled as new? Come on. Overall: Just go somewhere else and save yourself the stress. more

My son has been taking guitar lessons at this store for 3 years. His teacher is excellent, and the store employees are friendly and knowledgeable. We bought his guitar at the store too. They have a good selection of new and used guitars. They also carry lots of music books and accessories. We've been coming to the store almost every week for 3 years, and I would highly recommend it. more

I visited there for the first time recently, as my kid needed an instrument for the school band. I was lucky and got there early after school and beat the subsequent rush. However, that didn't prevent the woman who was initially helping me from putting me on hold while she tried to help the next 30 people in line. After standing there for about 20 minutes waiting for her to return to me, a different employee came over and completed my transaction. I felt rushed and annoyed, as the phone was jangling the entire time I was in the store. I ended up "renting to own" an instrument that the employee pulled from the back room. Normally I would have preferred selecting my own instrument out, but I was assured that this was the best one available. So, how do I know that? I would have enjoyed viewing what was available and seeing if one looked better cosmetically over another, but this wasn't an option. Funny way to do business, if you ask me! more

This is your typical small music store. They sell sheet music, strings, replacement parts, instruments, etc. It's not a big store or a fancy store, but it covers all the basics. It's handy to have nearby when you need something and don't want to drive out of town to get it. The employees seem to be friendly and helpful. more