Really great people who care about music and musicians. A music store that truly caters to the gigging musician with top notch instruments that are priced reasonably... No gouging going on here! These guys are just awesome. Thank you for the amazing Ludwig Hammered Bronze Snare Drum. It was priced fairly and the shipping was reasonable. The drum was expertly packaged to withstand the delivery process and it arrived in perfect shape, just as described. This was a really fantastic buying experience. Its a gem! 5 Stars!!!

This place is incredible. Here you can find all kind of instruments for playing music. There are a huge variety of options. Very cleaned and organized. The staff is wonderful. They gave us very good suggestions about what we were looking for. For someone who enjoys playing an instrument and is in search of a good one, I think this is the right place. Everyone was keeping social distancing and wearing a mask. This is important nowadays.

Its now the most reasonably-priced instrument (drums, amps, keys guitars, acoustics, pedals, etc) store in the PNW that sells a ton of affordable vintage (70s stuff, 80s stuff occasional 60s), as where every other music store is now either Guitar Center (with all new stuff) OR shops selling 50s and 60s guitars worth in the tens of thousands of dollars.It is truly unfortunate that there arent more stores like this around anymore.

The manager I spoke with on the phone was pretty condescending when he was explaining what used instruments are worth. I have owned over a hundred guitars in the last decade so I know what market value is. I figured I would give these guys a shot but don’t appreciate how I was spoken to. I have spoken with other stores who may not have provided me the evaluation I wanted but we’re not condescending.I notice how the owner responds to these reviews and this will not change my opinion in the least. As a business owner myself instead of sarcastically responding to comments maybe he could take note and try to improve the store. You don’t always have to agree with customers yet to consistently shake off feedback is a red flag to me.They did not have a good selection either and having researched many used gear it seems overpriced. Anyways if you enjoy this place it’s fine but I won’t trade in my gear here as many other people have said low all evaluations even considering retail/ wholesale and profit margins.

Bought a guitar + case for the summer. I got a reasonable return price and the buy back process was quick and easy. Nice staff too, definitely recommend this place!

Went in looking for a tuning machine for my old Takamine and they had a great deal on a set of barely used Grovers. For the first time in a dozen years, I can tune my guitar without using a pair of pliers!Good sized store, good selection, helpful staff. Exactly the sort of place every musician needs.

Went in first to browse, then a second time to buy one of their guitars. The staff were super helpful throughout and very knowledgeable. I called in at one point to ask questions and they were happy to answer them. Their prices are reasonable as well. Overall, a great experience with a great local shop.

Best place in Seattle to shop for vintage used gear. I fully intend to support by purchasing a piece. I encourage you to do the same. We need this place to have patronage to keep it!

This store is an absolute gem for any musicians in the Seattle area. While there are other great local music stores like American Music, no other store carries anywhere near the amount of unique and custom secondhand instruments they do. Trading musician also has woodwinds, brass, and violin family instruments in addition to keys/guitar/bass/drums/electronics.

The staff here is remarkably helpful, honest, and patient and theres a wide variety of guitars and other instruments. They let me play different guitars for literally hours and answered all my questions. They have guitars from about $200 to thousands so theres something for everyone.Ideal place to buy used instruments or gear - got a guitar case for only $50 and an amp for only $40.Highly recommend!

Hands down the best shop in Seattle for all things music. I’ve never had a bad experience and always feel welcome in the store.

Bought a guitar from them a week or two ago and Im still impressed. The employees really know their stuff and theyre super chill. Not only is the store itself homey to any musician, but the employees make it so much better by their kind and welcoming personalities. They have a wide selection of instruments, equipment, and accessories. You can never go wrong with The Trading Musician.

Love the atmosphere in this place. As soon as you walk in, you can feel instantly that youre surrounded by people that really love music. All music stores are great, but there is something magical about a place with a common love at its core instead of corporate greed, you know?

I have been coming to The Trading Musician for many years and always find delightful surprises here. Great staff and selection of instruments. Support a fantastic local business!

Best ever friendly solved my problem fast and cheap. Wish I could remember the guys name who fixed my tuning peg!😁😁

A fun place to look for bargains of used instruments in very good condition. Bargains do exist and it is nice to see them open again after being closed for awhile. Glad they are still with us! - Dont forget to check upstairs for percussion instruments - they have some unique new percussion elements as well. - Definitely worth the hassle to find a parking place on the street.

Great place for used equipment. Ver friendly atmosphere and help. Highly recommended!

Steve in the drum department helped us build a drum set for our grandsons they are handicap and grampa is a drummer from back when the drummer was the best part of the 70s,80,,,& k90s. Ty so much Jeff and Renae Allen

What a great store, providing IRL service, hands on music discovery! Instruments of all kinds, amps, speakers, pretty much everything you can think of an repair and tune up service as well. Go hang out, compare mics, keyboards, guitars, beat on a variety of drum kits, try before you buy! Have fun! :)

Definitely chill atmosphere, staff jam hard, lots of odds and ends definitely some noteworthy equipment in this store. Used to window shopping, so it is a killer establishment when you answer to no man or quota, do and let do.

Fair pricing. Solid selection. Nice staff. Great experience.

Been there a few times now to trade or buy and they have always been friendly and helpful. Tons of fun new and used gear.

The best music store in seattle. They have everything you need. I promise.

The best place to come chill with your musical friends !! Definitely gonna go again !! Full of character and really friendly staff

Always stop in when Im in Seattle, great service and selection

Great staff, right gear, good prices!

Always helpful but never hovering. Great insight on many different types of audio equipment. Helped me get a synth and guitar pedal that I use on just about every track now!

The staff was super friendly and gave me the chance to try out the instruments that I was interested in. Prices are fair in there and they have a lot of stuff. Settled on this one and it sounds great. Stoked

Nice music store, new and used. Average prices. Still doing covid precautions.

These people are patient and wonderful. Lovely rotating selection, and lots of parts and fun things. They are also very forgiving!! I managed to break a string on a guitar because I didnt know how a floyd rose works, and they were nothing but kind.

So nice, no pressure.

LOVE this place! Good prices, good selection, guitar and strings downstairs huge drum room upstairs. They also gave me the name and number of the best person to fix my tablas in the NW. Love this place and you will too

Amazing place, great selection of instruments of all kinds. Their guitars especially are fantastic. Also, they will accept a lot of things for sale or trade! They will definitely be getting my business for as long as I live in Seattle.

Staff rocked, I dont have enough money for all that I want from here. Ill be back...

From one musician to another, get here the first chance you get. They truly are about trading and will give you a fair deal on anything buying or selling. Theyll be upfront, welcoming and unpretentious and answer questions if you have them. Their selection is the best of vintage and if you have a price range, they can find you something good. If youre looking for a real specific part, you might at least give them a call. Go in if you need a project, or just to browse. They have an entire floor for percussion, and a great acoustic instrument room. Hella synths and pedals too. Wear a mask and sanitize your hands on the way in and browse safely during quarantine. Never, ever leave disappointed. Never, ever go to the Wal-Mart of music stores down the street, where you cant get any of what I mention here.

I needed a small, quick fix for my guitar and they took care of on the spot for a great price!

Overpriced gear. Used to get repairs done here but the guy who was good is now gone. Place smells like cigarette smoke.

Loved the drumset collection, some good deals to be had if youre in the market. Lots of space to move around, unlike some music stores Ive been to.

What a great place to find virtually any musical instrument or accessories you need. We came in to browse and left with a new guitar, balalaika and some other goodies.A Seattle institution located near Green Lake and the University of Washington.Great service and a wide selection make this the go to place for all youre musical needs!

The trading musician is a wonderful place for that special someone in your life who loves to play guitar...all kinds of guitars electric, acoustic, or bass...they have drums, amps, fiddles just to name a few..so stop bye today and see what they have online at the trading musician

This place has an incredible selection! Employees go out of their way to answer questions and help you out. They give their honest opinions about gear and value, which is so important. Never felt like I was being upsold, actually was downsold to a cheaper product, which the employee even made me a deal on and it was perfect for my needs! Support your local music store, check this place out!

These guys are totally helpful and awesome

I love this place. Have bought 2 guitars here in the last couple of months. They have a good selection of new and used instruments and they are always cool and throw in a couple packs of strings or a free case. Really appreciate these guys.

Locally owned, friendly service, great knowledge of their work and the local music scene. Lots of unusual used stuff, too!

Lots of music gear.Helpfull staff.Easy access by bus.

Hands down the second best place in wa to get good equipment with helpful staff. If forgot the name of that other place in the area that sells stereo equipment that place is no.1

Friendly staff, great selection, you can always test stuff out and they even fixed my guitar for free! Best music shop in town

Super cool, chill place with tons of antique/used and new gear. Guitars, band equipment, basses, amps, and keyboards. Its like a one stop shop with so many other options like records and accessories for anything music!Super knowledgeable staff and really great vibe.

Ive been playing the drums my whole life and was visiting the lower 48 this last week. I have been in search of a 60s era Slingerland rack tom and they just so happened to have a few to choose from. This place is a gem and I dont feel that its appreciated enough. Thank you for all your help!

A treasure trove of all sorts of gear especially synth and electronics!

As far as I know, this is the only independent musical instrument store in Seattle. Huge selection for such a small space. Fantastic used and vintage collection!

Lots of amazingly fun stuff. Everyone is always very nice. Even when theyre very busy. Great place.

All the folx here are super awesome, friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. There is always a great selection of equipment no matter what you need and the pricing is great!

Very helpful staff. Fast and excellent service. I will be back.

I love this shop. Trading Musician has all the soul and feeling that music shops used to before all the small shops started closing. Used parts, vintage amps and guitars. Their acoustic room is cool, too. Also, dont miss the drum section, upstairs. Parking can be right in the city. Please be respectful of the neighborhood.Edit: shop, not ship. Oops.

Great selection. Knowledgeable staff

Never went there just walked by.

Wide variety of instruments available and helpful staff make this a fun place to visit! Main thing to bear in mind is most things cant be sold officially within 30 days of them being received / available for sale, so you may end up buying something and need to wait a few weeks to take it home. Well worth a trip for any (aspiring) musicians in the area.

Favorite place in the world. Good vibes, always weird stuff, always deals.

Tried calling several times to find a distortion pedal and trade in my amp. They just pick up and hang up every time. If they cant be bothered to actually answer the phone, then Ill take my business elsewhere. Ive been a customer here before, but I wont be in the future.

I had a problem with my acoustic guitar related to amplification. They solved it for me. Employees there are excellent.

These guys are fantastic. I always feel like they are just people who love instruments. Half the time when I go in there, I just have some obscure question that I couldnt find an answer to online, and they give me a bunch of tips.Also used instruments always feel better. Show this place some love.

Great store!!

They got it all, good price and friendly people...the drummer upstairs named Remy is super good and kind...kind of freaks me out but other than that its sweet

First time buyer, Im on the East Coast. Purchased a pedal online that got here way quicker than expected, great packing, and better than described pedal. Thanks Trading Musician!

Sam was super helpful with my ukelele strings! He went beyond the call of duty to restring my ukelele and it was much appreciated!

The staff here are very knowledgeable while also speaking in approachable terms for beginners. We went in looking for a starting snare drum for our daughter and they set us up with the perfect used drum, they didnt try to upsell us at all, totally worked within our set limits. They had lots of great stuff at a variety of price points.

If your going here to get parts for your guitar better have it with you other wise theyll talk you into buying the wrong part I am just saying? I learned my lesson the expensive way

Good quality instruments also a good selection of wires and adapters etc.

Interesting inventory, good prices, and friendly staff.

This place is outstanding for the variety of usable vintage music gear they have and for the helpful staff. I was visiting town and thought I would check them out. While they did not have the bridge part for the vintage Harmony guitar I am refurbishing, they worked really hard trying to see if they had something that would be useful. If I’m in Seattle again, I will absolutely make room in my luggage for some treasure I will find here! Seattle is lucky to have a store like this.

Nice cozy local shop for used musical gear.

Brought down some old instruments, one a bit obscure, that needed a new home. They were quick to answer my phone call and all of my questions, and when I came to the store processed my instruments in a timely fashion. I felt I was paid fairly for what I traded in, and I am happy to know some old instruments will find a new home. Happily recommended for second-hand instrument trading.

Great selection of used items. Very helpful staff. Laid back vibe. Come here if you’re just starting out or a seasoned vet.

Knowledgeable and musician friendly!I bought my bass from these guys and they were really great about answering my questions and letting me try out several before I made my choice. Lots of great equipment and their prices wont leave a dent in your wallet. New and used stuff, even project pieces. Youll find something youre looking for here.

Favorite music store ever. Constantly changing stock due to trade-ins and buys make this place interesting with every visit. The staff are super knowledgeable, the items they find are true gems, but theyll also find you an instrument, a part, or whatever you need within your price range.

I came in and got everything I was looking for. everyone there was extremely knowledgeable, kind, and helpful. I’m SO IMPRESSED. Bought a keyboard and I am so happy with everything they had to offer. If you are a musician this is a MUST go place.

Always a fun an interesting selection for whatever your instrument may be. Staff is super helpful and willing to assist! Fixed two old vintage pedals I had in 10 minutes for a super great price. These guys know what theyre doing! Check em out, you wont be disappointed!

Yes thank you for telling me your whole knowledge of guitar strings. I just asked if these were Spanish guitar strings.

Rock Band plays music every day of the week ALL DAY ERR DAY and drives me nuts -- I want to explode. I dont know how this thing was able to be zoned along with residential in the same place at the same time.

Awesome place

Nice people always willing to help out musicians with their gear needs. Good deals on trades and trade-ins also.

Super helpful staff who are friendly and knowledgeable. My son and I have been here several times and purchased various equipment. Every time he visits, they are always eager to help him find what hes looking for. Great variety and options for every budget. A Seattle favorite.

This place has pretty good deals on used music equipment. Got some violin and guitar strings there recently and one of the guit strings broke during installation. They replaced it no questions asked. Everybody here appears to be decent, customers and staff alike.

Love the nostalgia.

I love this place. I always come across vintage equipment in this store that I have never seen before. There is almost always something new on the shelf every time I visit. The staff has always been pleasant and helpful and they play cool music on their stereo. My only complaint (and this is really small) is that they dont have a good selection of really thin guitar picks with grips on them. I can get them elsewhere but would like any excuse to visit this store.

Is this the best place to get both your staple fear and funky hard to find guitars and goodies? Yes. Weve bought acoustics, electrics, drum gear, pedals, the whole nine yards here. The door deals and sidewalk sales are some of the only things in Seattle thats still get me excited to leave the house.

A couple nice acoustic basses when I went in

These folks have been great to me since the early 90s, but today was over the top. Short version: I just wanted some new strings put on my acoustic (I hate doing this myself = well worth $15). While they were getting started, I headed into the best room in the world where all the beautiful acoustic guitars live. I picked up a mahogany six string that had much lower action than my finger killing beast, yet was not buzzy at all. I asked if mine could be adjusted, and Dustin (who is ambidextrous) was summoned. He played the one I admired, took a quick look at mine and said, No problem. Forty five minutes, and only forty-five dollars later, I had my guitar back with brand new strings and an amazing new play-ability! My guitar feels and sounds amazing. This will absolutely change the way I play and write.If youve got callouses like elephant feet but still find your fingers hurting sooner than you like, come talk to these nice people.Thanks very much,Bill

One of the things I most admire about this music shop is that you arent assaulted by the employees the moment you walk in; they allow the customer to fumble about on their own. Their selection of basses (my particular preference) are decent, with a narrow, but unusual selection of left-handed instruments. They often have good basses at reasonable prices, and the occasional ancient Fender (priced accordingly). For those that like to beat on things like chimpanzees, they have an entire floor of drums and percussion. Parking can be bothersome, but the place is worth a go.

Awesome store to jam out. Great people & atmosphere. I like to stop by when I get the chance every now and again as they always have something interesting

Killer music store. Went in to get my guitar repaired--repair staff here is very good. Excellent instrument selection at reasonable prices, definitely recommend stopping in

Ive never walked out of this place without finding like 5 or 10 things I wanted to buy.

Prices are fair, staff is helpful you just need to ask. You could get more money and pay less on Craigslist but for the ease paying a bit more or getting a bit less can be worth it. My favorite place for used gear in Seattle.

Good folks who take pride in their gear

This place has one of the best repair guys in the Seattle area and decent selection of vintage guitars.

Awesome selection of used instruments as well as a wide range of different kinds of musical stuff.

Great place to find used equipment. Ive been here a few times and love the vibe. The staff are very knowledgable and friendly. Highly recommend this place if you have an interest in guitars.

I love this place, awesome spot to shop at, great prices and some cool items you could buy.

Always great. Nice staff, great deals on used gear, fair prices for used stuff sold.