Staff has ALWAYS been very helpful.The staff is as helpful as you are respectful, hey that’s fair. always find what i need, if I can’t I ask, surprise they know where things are kept in the store. i posted james dean photo, because he’s hot!

Staff was unhelpful and kept me off made conversation to answer the phone so I left! I wont be returning!They appeared to have zero interest in doing anything for me with my violin 😡

Cant thank the guitar tech enough! He fixed a crack in my guitar body and saved me at least $600 compared to a competitor. Great service, was professional and very quick. Couldnt recommend more!!!

Amazing experience. Customer service was great thanks to an employee named Calin who gave me honest opinions on products and brands and was always open to give me a hand. Ended up buying a guitar, amp, and some accessories and dont regret a thing! Fantastic store!

Great folks to shop from, great prices, great selection, and absolutely top notch customer service. Couldn’t recommend more!

Great service from the moment you walk in. They have practice room to try out flutes and I spent almost an hour last time trying out several models and price ranges.I like the way they organize their sheet music; both by instrument and by genre (see photos).The staff was very helpful in directing me towards a silver flute tarnish-remover (polish) that doesnt produce the tiny grain scratches which I hate to see on my Yamaha Allegro 471H (all silver). Even though they dont have it for sale in the store, he looked up the type of tarnish-remover which they use in their repair shop and showed me the brand & name online on his computer screen and told me where I could get it -- great help and outgoing customer service!!Well done!

Great service. Friendly and knowledgeable.

Walked in today to buy local and was let down once again. I asked about a drum snare strap and was told nothing like that in stock. I asked about ordering one...cause I always try to buy local and was told seven weeks wait time. Unacceptable. I could have one from Amazon by Monday. Save your time dealing with these guys and just shop Amazon. Unless you like to wait....

Staff is always super helpful, had a pedal i wanted to try before I got it (Boss Sy-1 Synth guitar pedal) and didnt have a demo so they pulled out their display and let me try it. Also bought both of my current guitars from there (Epiphone Casino guitar semi-hollow and ibanez 4-string Bass, both candy red)Excellent staff, excellent guitars and excellent accessories!

Felt like a burden being in the store. Associates felt the need to protect the instruments, not sell them.

Great inventory, good prices and great service. Jared helped me pick out an acoustic bass with amp and accessories, just what I needed. Such a pleasant experience, especially after two disastrous visits to the big store with initials GC. Ill make the drive again (5 hours each way) next time Im in the market for a good instrument.

Great service and knowledgeable staff. Made my experience super 👌.

Great staff and teachers, Ive gotta say. They are all just so nice and welcoming. They do a superb job fixing up anything you bring in there. 5 stars :)

Although I have never been to the store, I recently made an online purchase and I must say their customer service is top notch. I ordered a dw cymbal stacker that was unfortunately missing the piece that I needed to mount it to my stand. I emailed them about the issue and Justin almost immediately responded, apologized, and informed me he would be contacting dw to see what they could do about it. Within 48 hours a new stacker was delivered to me directly from dw. Thanks again! If Im ever up that way, Ill definitely stop in and check out the store!

I brought in my old Guild acoustic guitar, with worn down frets. Morty is a master guitar craftsman, and a nice guy. He did a beautiful job on the frets and set-up. For a very reasonable price. This place will be my home store from here on in. Really nice, knowledgeable people.

I would give this place a zero if I could. Helping a customer without a mask on and not asking him to leave or put one on. Yall are absolutely disgusting and I hope you go out of business.

The staff here are awesome and very helpful. I picked up a yamaha 62iii alto sax and the manager was patient and gave me the sax for a good price.

Low pressure knowledgeable salespeople made my purchase a pleasure.

If you are in the shop to buy new gear, price and service is tolerable. If you are looking to trade gear and get a fair price look elsewhere. Nothing more than sleazy used car salesmen looking to take advantage of the next unsuspecting person who doesn’t know what gear sells for. Please save yourself time and heartache and go anywhere but here.Edit: after seeing the response from the owner, there needs to be a little clarification. First of all, Hugo Helmer sold these Taylor guitars in 2016 for a price right around $3,200. After tax, you are walking out the door for just under $3,500. There was a sales associate helping me look at new gear. When I told him the deal I was looking to make (a Vox amp and a PRS Vela) the store associate said let me work on this and left me in the guitar room for 15 minutes. After getting tired of waiting I walked up to the front counter and asked what the situation was. The sales associate (who I found out is the owners son) said that he talked to the boss and $1,600 was the best they could do. Apparently asking the sales associate to personally talk to the boss is considered “verbally lashing out”...it only seems reasonable that if the boss is making the call on the trade in value that maybe I should be able to talk to him!? Why would I want to spend my time trying to strike a deal with a sales associate if they don’t have the power to make a decision? Anyway, after being told 2 or 3 times that talking to the boss on the phone is not an option, I grabbed my instrument and walked out the front door. All that to say, if you give your customer a reason to look somewhere else, they probably will. I recently purchased a Martin guitar from Hugo, a handful of tuners, strings, some humidification packs, picks, etc. Now that I know how much Hugo Helmer values my patronage, I will be ordering from Sweetwater. I won’t have to pay for shipping, I won’t have to pay a small premium on items because they are a small town shop, and finally I won’t have to deal with a dismissive sales staff, locked instrument rooms, and a company that offered a trade in value that is half of what the instrument cost. Oh, and obviously Hugo is making money on that Vox amp and the PRS Vela at their amazing discounted prices, because they wouldn’t sell things for less than they have in them...there were countless ways that this deal could have been made. Playing the game and trying to make a deal work for me (I believe they wanted me to pay an extra $300 on top) was the difference between making me a loyal customer. Instead, they have lost a customer for life, and it seems that they are a bit shocked that someone would call them on the carpet. It seems that they are treating their customers just like Guitar Center would. I guess I just expected better out of a “hometown guy” who runs a music store.

Very good ace to get great music and the team is very helpful. Getting lessons from John has been great and hes funny.Im enjoying my lessons.

Amazing store with a huge selection, helpful staff and they have contractors that provide lessons. If they dont have what my kid needs, they are always quick to find it and order it for us!

LOVE this store! The employees all are super friendly and really get to know you!!Such helpful and kind people! Cant say enough!!

They are the reason brick and mortar stores should get our business. I bought 2 guitars there today and they were incredibly helpful. Almost every guitar I tried out they did a custom setup for me with their guitar tech. There was no pressure to buy the most expensive guitar in the lot and they helped me tracked down the guitar I needed to complete a project. If you are thinking about buying online, please go here and support them. It will pay off ten fold because you will find the right instrument and have their support if you need it.

A real music store!

I was in Burlington from out of town on business, and dropped by to take a quick peek and see what they had. Although I didnt stay for too long since the store was about to close for the day, I did browse for a bit. Hugo Helmer Music certainly has a very nice collection of electric guitars Ive seen so far in WA State.I liked the fact that I was greeted immediately by a friendly and attentive staff member. I saw a number of guitars that definitely interested me, although I didnt buy anything more than some small supplies at the time. If the time comes and finances allow, I would be willing to drive the 112 miles from Lakewood to pick up a guitar here.

The selection is great and the staff were professional and helpful, not condisending like some music stores. Rooms to test play the merch. On the way out a staff member said Enjoy that man. I will definitely be back.

The store is huge with a larger inventory displayed so nicely. Staff friendly and knowledgeable. Will go back again.

Hugo Helmer is the best! I feel lucky to have such a well stocked and knowledgeable place for every musical need. Thanks guys.

If youre tired of wearing a mask go here. They are letting an anti masker pick up and hold their mics right now

Helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly...it is always a pleasure to walk in like a kid in a candy store...

Worst customer service Ive ever had. We came in, I knew exactly what I was looking for (guitar strings) one guy came over and helped right away. After he grabbed the strings and took them to the counter we decided to look around for a minute, my husband wanted to try the drum sets but there were no demo sticks. Upon request we were informed that we had to buy them. I asked why and the girl behind the counter said that it was because they only wanted people who actually wanted to buy a drum kit to play them.First of all: RUDE.Second of all: We WERE looking to buy a drum kit, not right that second but we had been shopping around at several different stores and testing which sets were the best bang for our buck etc.Lastly: I was already a paying customer who had shown respect to all the instruments we had fiddled with, there was absolutely no reason to think that we would treat the drum kit with anything but the same about of respect.This is MUSIC store. Anyone who is a musician knows that once you play one instrument the desire to learn another is strong, and being treated lesser than made sure that we never want to come back. The icing on the cake was when this older gentleman came in dressed in his nice clothes and posh haircut their whole attitude was TOTALLY different. This gentleman got treated with respect, received a lovely greeting and and pleasant have a great day! While we didnt even get a surly thanks for coming in. Anyone who knows anything about customer service knows that a simple greeting and good day can turn mediocre service into a decent experience.It wasnt the fact that we had to buy drum sticks in order to just test the kit, it was the way we were treated throughout the entire experience.I repeat: worst customer service I have EVER received.

Great selection of of quality instruments! I went looking for a Fender American telecaster and boy was I a happy man when I walked in the guitar room they had performers, professiosals, elites, ultras, maple fretboards, rosewood fretboards,they had it with all the different finishes. It was clear I was getting a new guitar that day lol great store

Talk about people that know about instruments, thats the place.

Thy put up with me and I love this store. 11/10. As a avid musician having a store this size in a area of Washington this small is great. Always will thy have a quality selection as well as knowledgeable employees. Thanks to the whole group for making Hugo my local place to shop for over a decade.

Always get more service then I need from very friendly staff. The prices are almost always better than guitar center. They have a few closed rooms so you can usually find somewhere quiet to try out an instrument. They even helped a relative pick out an instrument as a gift for me that was both a good choice and not very expensive.

I came for my first time because I needed a trumpet, I walked in and there was somebody at the front ready to help, they got me exactly the trumpet I was looking for, and all the books and cleaning supplies too! I recommend here, and anyone who says this place isn’t good is wrong

Hugo Helmer is the best. I have recently taken up the mandolin. They had a nice mandolin with a good sound and at a great price, so I bought it. I have been very happy with it. When I need additional equipment I will be sure to shop Hugo Helmer. Great staff and great instruments. I really like Hugo Helmer music.

Completely dissatisfied.8 years ago I first entered this store to peruse instruments for my first daughter who was coming of age to join the school orchestra. I was hounded... glared at, basically treated like a cockroach or a thief to be watched instead of a mother entering the world of music for the first time.I left... swearing never to go there again. I found The Music Shoppe, a delightful shop with an extremely friendly and efficient owner. From her I bought a violin, cello, and a clarinet. But then she retired.Grudgingly, I returned to Hugo Helmer. My musicians still need their supplies, and I’ve two more up and coming. I’ll probably be buying a Viola, flute, trumpet, and (maybe) a standing bass in the next few years.Things were going tolerably, until yesterday. I returned an unused overpriced item. I had paid with a debit card which had long since cleared... but they *insisted* on putting the money back on the card rather than just handing me the cash as I would have preferred.Now I’m told it will take up to a WEEK for me to get my money back? Bad business. Looks like my future musical business will be taken to Kennely Keys in Anacortes.The Hell with Hugo Helmer.

Great store and great people! Pricing as good as any online stores. I bought my first Gibson from Hugo Helmer in the 70s and a whole bunch of stuff since. I am a Hugo Helmer fan for life!

Just wanted to say thanks to the entire staff at Hugos for always making me feel welcomed. And on a more personal note Id like to thank Joe for always having the time to deal with my musical needs. He goes above and beyond to help me out with questions and gear. Highly recommend Hugos to everyone.

Moved out here from CA and needed my music fix. Boy this is the place! The employees really know their stuff and are very helpful. I highly recommend Hugo Helmer Music for everyone in the Skagit area to visit and see how professional and knowledgeable they are.

I have bought a couple of guitars from Hugo Helmer and each time it was a great experience. They were very helpful and the staff knows their products well and were ready to help when I neede them.I have been in there before and I told the salesperson that I am not ready to buy and they still were very helpful with answering my questions and showing me the products they had.I will continue to shop at Hugo Helmer for my future music needs.

Dropped off my clarinet to have it repaired and was told that it will be looked at and an estimate provided. If work was then done, it would be $35/hr. I ended up not having the work done (they didnt think they could handle it) and was hit with an $85 bill when nothing was fixed (billed @$70/hr). In my book, this is dishonest. If you are going to charge $85 to provide an estimate, be honest and upfront about it.

Ive made some great deals with these guys long before some of the employees have been there and when they were on the West Side Surely is a local shop which is nice but I find nothing bad to say. Have had them fix the head on my Takamine twice through the years. Its stronger because of it. I normally go 4 stars with things but why should I . Im a happy camper here and will continue dealing with them. Maybe a couple bad reviews from others but many times you need to go in there with a purpose and know what you are talking about. Like any business dont expect them to cure all your ills but they will try. The rest of the time you just need to deal with it.

Great place, the people are extremely nice, if you ask for a certain part and you say what for(Mine was wing nuts for a PDP cymbal stand) and they took one out of the package to make sure they weren’t selling me the wrong size.

I frequent this music store, and prefer it to shops in Bellingham. The staff is friendly, helpful and very laid back. Ive also gotten some really good deals from them from gear thats been on the floor a while. They have an AMAZING selection of Fender guitar parts. You can literally find a replacement for any part of a Stratocaster or Telecaster. I also recently bought an American Telecaster from them, and the order came quickly from Fender, and they set it up and called me the moment it arrived. I prefer this shop to Guitar Center because they will match Guitar Center/Musicians Friends prices, and they are a family owned, small business doing it right. Id much rather give them my money, than Guitar Center because they arent a chain.

Brad was so helpful and patient today.Our interaction couldnt have been better!Highly Recommended!

Im rating the current guitar tech, Morty. He really did a great job working on my Martin 000-18 GE. A very good tech and an intersting guy.

Really helpful, friendly staff, and a good selection of instruments and hardware.

The people bad mouthing this buisness are not musicians! I have shopped all over, online and bigger chain stores. These people DO know what they are selling and are very helpful ALWAYS in the 10 years I have been going in there, and this has been the expirence of all my friends and bandmates as well. They MATCH anyones prices, so to say they are overpriced is stupid. I doubt they would have been around for 75 years if they were near as crappy as these idiots have said.lol

Great selection for a small town music store!

In and out under ten minutes to repair jack on my guitar for $10 ..Please support your local music store!

Great staffGreat teachersBest place to shop

Joe is awesome.

Great music store

Go see a Callan. Extremely helpful. Went above and beyond. Best customer service I’ve had this year. Staff was helpful. And Callan went above and beyond. I even spent more money than I intended just Because he was so helpful. Will be getting all my music supplies from Callan at this location