Elderly Instruments

Elderly instruments is the premiere stringed instrument store in the state of Michigan barre none (sic on purpose)…. Have visited for years. Housed in an old building that adds to the vibe. With a repair shop and ability to appraise as well. Many consigned instruments, new, used and crazy vintage. We saw a 1927 upright bass that looked like a mandolin built by Gibson! Even has a dedicated lefty room for people like me. Gibson, Fender, Taylor, Martin are just a few of the countless brands. They even have a cool amplifier room for bass and electrics, as well as a small acoustic amp room. Lots of pedals, strings and accoutrements to boot. Great helpful staff!!

Traded in a guitar for an amp at Elderly the other day. The process was easy and everything was explained well during the appraisal process. The sales staff are the friendliest people at any store I've been to. And, as always, an amazing selection! The location is also ideal-I was able to meet some friends for lunch nearby during the appraisal process.

I've purchased multiple guitars here and have recommended this place to multiple people. If you are looking for a selection of high end guitars in Michigan, this is the place. That being said, they do not have their act together. I had multiple issues with my last purchase and pickup installation. The first time with the shop was very sloppy on a very nice brand new guitar and I had to bring the guitar back a second time to get it done correctly. To add salt to the wound, they just emailed saying they forgot to charge me for a purchase like a year ago and were trying to recollect payment. I did pay for everything and remember it very well because I payed ahead over the phone. It took them multiple people to figure out how to take payment on the phone. When I arrived, they couldn't find the payment they had just taken and it took them another 2/3 hours to sort it out. Now, a year later, they are looking for the payment again. It cleared on my card. I went with 3 stars because they do have legit guitars and they are super nice. They just need to get the back end sorted.

Elderly manages to strike a balance between being exceptionally knowledgeable and inviting and unpretentious. It can be intimidating in a space with so many experts, but all the staff we encountered were friendly and helpful. They know their stuff, have a great selection, and are very helpful.

Exceptional inventory. Friendly and experienced service. Fair appraisers. A professional musician told me there're only a handful of places across the country that can offer the variety of the highest quality folk stringed instruments and their parts as well as the support for them. Elderly is the only one in the Midwest and, for me, was the best in the country for the banjo I wanted. I bought it without playing it based on a helpful and detailed phone conversation with Elderly staff that was later corroborated by demos and other experts online. I couldn't be happier with the purchase in terms of tone, playability, and affordability. Part of the affordability involved a trade-in, which was more efficient, amiable, and reasonable than any I've experienced locally. I'm a multi-instrumentalist and will definitely be buying my next instrument from Elderly. (Update: After a year, I get many compliments about the tone of this banjo. A friend who's a regional touring pro called it a "cannon" and said he could "play this all day long.")