Sandy’s Music

Really sad, crappy store with a sparse selection and everything covered with dust and ash. I always want to go there and support a local mom and pop store that celebrates Cambridge’s folky past, but they are closed almost every time I try to go. On the 1 out of 10 visits when I do get in, I am quickly reminded that I would never buy anything there because the entire store and everything in it reeks of cigarette smoke. I never last more than a few minutes in there. I literally walk in, look at all the lame gear on the wall, take one breath and go «Oh, yeah, that’s why I never come in here» and walk right out. How they pay their rent every month is one of the great mysteries of life.

Came in here today for some ukulele strings. I had called in a few days ago to ask what they had and went in today It only occurred to me to check the tuning of the strings when I was down the block and was bummed to find it was D and not the standard C. My fault for not checking, but when you only carry one brand, you’d imagine it wouldn’t be an alternate tuning.
Again, I should have checked before I left the store, but I still wish that when I was asking questions on the phone, I’d been informed so I would have found another option.
All that being said, it looked like they had some good stuff and the guy working there didn’t give me any trouble returning the strings. This just doesn’t seem like the place I’ll go for ukulele supplies.

This is a really great little mom and pop shop. It’s definitely rough around the edges but that didn’t bother me. Sandy, the guy that owns the store, was probably a hippy back in the day and I found him to be friendly in a gruff sort of way. I know others have complained that Sandy isn’t friendly but I found him to be so. I think he’s the sort of person that you have to be friendly to him if you want him to be friendly back. I found his gruffness charming personally. His prices seemed reasonable at least for what I was buying which was a new capo. I’m not sure about the instrument prices. He didn’t have a huge variety but he did have some beautiful old banjos above that counter that he said were from the thirties. A good little stop I think if you’re running short of picks, tuners and the like.

Consider this local music shop for quick fixes for your basic instrumental needs. (i.e. individual guitar strings, tuners, capos, etc). They cater mostly for acoustic stringed instruments like ukeles, guitar, banjos and all. Yes, this is a small shop that’s a little rough around its edges… but what independent music store isn’t like that? It’s got character.

Small shop, and I agree with the other reviews that say that the guy behind the counter was terrible at customer service. He barely said hi to us when we walked in and never asked if we needed help. I tested out a banjo they had on the floor, which was pretty well maintained. Didn’t try any of the guitars or basses, mostly because most of their electrics were cheap off-​brands like the budget Kramers that MusicYo sold. Not the greatest selection, though they have a few banjos hanging behind the counter.

For a long time I suspected that the pile of refuse covering the floor of Sandy’s conceals a trapdoor that leads to an underground bookmaking operation, because it was otherwise a mystery to me as to how «Sandy’s» stays in business.
Then I realized that the singular and not insignificant virtue of Sandy’s is that they sell *single* guitar strings — which is simply wonderful for a player who is forever breaking his 10 string.
Otherwise, there doesn’t seem to be a lot to redeem this place. The customer service is an unpleasant mix of «indifferent» and «suspicious» the prices are not particularly good and having examined the setup on a couple of the used guitars on their wall I have no faith whatsoever in their ability to properly setup a guitar.
One reviewer cited character oozing from the walls; no, I fear it’s something else. There is a point where unkempt becomes filthy…
Banjo and mandolin players might find something here that they can appreciate but outside of the ability to purchase individual guitar strings there isn’t much here that I find worthwhile.

I’m a musician who works closeby, and I love small music shops like this.
HOWEVER…BOTH times I’ve been in there, the guy behind the counter was downright awful when it comes to customer service and downright common courtesy. I asked him a couple of questions, and he scowled at me and gave a couple of really short answers. He didn’t want my business at all. I started to buy something, which was around $ 6, with my credit card, and he said «We like to keep it around $ 10.»
«Okay, I don’t have cash, only a credit card.»
And he just glared at me until I walked out.
Awkward and crappy. I wouldn’t recommend ANYBODY spending their money there after that crap-​tastic experience.
I don’t care who you are, if you’re working with people, show some common courtesy and respect. You’ll go out of business QUICKLY if you keep this up.

What goes good with coffee?
I come out of the T stop, grab my coffee and I’m meandering about not doing much, figure I’ll jaunt down to Weirdo records and look to see if they have anything I absolutely need. Nope, keep walking and see Sandy’s music.
I enter the store look around, there’s an old man tinkering with this that or the other and he gives me the head nod to at least acknowledge I’m there. And that’s when I see it, the perfect compliment to my grande dark roast, a bright yellow, plastic Kazoo. Don’t ask me why, I do play other instruments, but for some reason, that buck and some change kazoo was calling to me from it’s cozy plastic tub.
Now, you may think one would be embarrased to be a mid thirties male buying a kazoo, and perhaps I made some banter about this or that. But the old guy tinkering around put it bluntly, «Man, sometimes you just gotta have fun.»
And after that I knew all my guitar strings, drumsticks, or other random stuff I buy for whichever instrument my ADD brain wants to play at the moment (Kazoo included) would come from this store. He knew what he was talking about, answered my questions with clarity (about some of the other instruments I asked him about), and I honestly believe he didn’t care that I walked out of his store with a bright yellow kazoo.
Great things come in tiny packages, this store is certainly one of them.

i thought i’d already reviewed this place, shame on me! as a lover of vintage instruments, this is where i go to get them serviced as needed. ive been to other local shops where they look at me like i’m crazy for bringing in an old instrument and wanting to make it playable rather then just buying a new one. sandy and his luthier, mike, understand the sentimental value of vintage pieces. the work mike has done for me has not been disappointing and the prices are fair. the place itself is full of character and always has some unique pieces for sale.

I bought a mandolin online and brought it into Sandy’s to have them check it out. I explained that I had played guitar for 30 years and knew nothing about mandolins and asked them to make sure that the instrument was sound.
They were really great to me, I bought a few accessories that I needed, the person behind the counter was really helpful made some suggestions and I was pleased with with the service and attention I received there.
Props to Sandy’s and staff!

Some musicians will wear vintage «The Beatles» t-​shirts. Some will wear «Pink Floyd» or «The Ramones». And then there are those who wear ones that say «Old-​Time is the new Punk Rock: More Banjo, Less Pants.»
This is where you find all of the above. (Well, really, mostly the latter.)
Sandy’s is a goldmine… it’s oozing from the cramped little walls with character, the greatest part being Sandy himself, an awkward little man who’s been in the business a long time. He always seems a bit disoriented when I talk to him, as though he’s just teleported there from a rocking chair on an backwoods Appalachian porch. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m a young, outgoing woman — we’re probably not his main clientèle.
Now that I think of it, who is Sandy’s clientèle? There’s never really anyone in the shop, but I hear that on Monday nights there’s a jamboree. Once I get better at my banjo frailing, you’ll find me there for sure.
But for the review that you’re waiting for — Sandy’s got everything you need — accessories, very reasonably-​priced repairs, and pretty much every awesome stringed instrument you could want. Koa ukulele? Check. Taterbug mandolin? Check. Banjos galore? Check. The place is like a shrine to the 70’s folk music era which still lives strong in some hearts… even those of ours not old enough to remember it.

So check it. You want to play bluegrass? You make friends with Sandy.
You put up with his attitude and gruff demeanor and general lack of patience and you get the most knowledgeable guy on banjos, mandolins and quality acoustic guitars in the city.
He’ll sit in front of his computer and talk bluegrass and instruments all day long with you even if you don’t buy anything. He’ll bluntly point out that you should buy something but won’t give you shit when you don’t.
Don’t piss him off. Everyone who knows bluegrass and goes to the Cantab for Bluegrass is friends with him and you’re better off making friends.
Next closest is wood and strings in lexington which is manned by a somewhat elitist son-​of-​a-​biotch (chunky young guy in glasses).
Sandy won’t take discover card. He’ll throw it back at you if you try to pay with it.

Today I went to Sandy’s music in Cambridge to try and sell my mandolin. I had talked to the owner, Sandy, and explained about the damage to the instrument. He told me to bring it by and said the damage (a split in the butt part of the neck) was easily repaired with glue and a clamp and that it was common on instruments of this quality.
So today I brought it in. Sandy wasn’t there. Instead an employee in his 40’s with a goatee and glasses dealt with me. He asked what I wanted pointing out the split and I said I would take whatever I could get. He said «Well, it’s hard for us because you know we either have to fix it or sell it damaged (duh!) and it’s electric but nobody cares that it’s electric.»
I said «It still intones perfectly and sounds great electric.» He told me nobody cares about that stuff. «Surely,» I said, «some people must care how it sounds.» He looked like he was about to say something and then thought better of it and told me curtly that he was not interested in buying the instrument.
I walked out, thought about it for a second and came back in. I civilly asked him «Why give me such an attitude? I shop here frequently and I wasn’t trying to argue with you. In fact I was going to take whatever you offered, so why were you so short?» He literally started shouting at me that he had to deal with «shitty customers» like me all day long and that I was arguing with him (which I really wasn’t). «I’m sick of shitty customers like you trying to tell me my business. We don’t want your fucking mandolin and we don’t want your business. Take it elsewhere.»
I don’t even know how to react at this point. I’ve never been talked to like that by somebody in a shop and certainly not with so little provocation. I might seem like an argumentative prick online but when it comes to service professionals I’m always polite since I work as a waiter.
The instrument selection here can be good (although don’t waste your money on a flying V ukulele), and Sandy is really fun to talk to. Go in and deal with him or the other guy with all the tattoos. I really hesitate to bring my business there after the way I was treated.

My purchase violates the «things that are always bad in music» thread. but I’m gonna write this review anyway. haha
So I had to leave Boston for a few months a couple years ago and I couldn’t bring my guitar. I was going to be fairly isolated and I wanted to have some sort of music in life. so I decided. I wanted a harmonica (one of the few packable things). Walking past Sandy’s one day, I decided to head in. The old guy working (Sandy?) was a bit stand offish when I asked for a harmonica. but when I told him about my trip and how I had to leave my guitar behind, he perked up. I guess he was deciding whether or not I was a real musician. He hooked me up with a harmonica, suggested a book, and told me to come back if I needed any stuff for my guitar. I’ve been a fan of Sandy’s ever since.
You can’t help but salivate when you take a look at the instruments on the wall. I want one. I want them all. haha. How about a bartering system? The Andean bamboo flute I got from Stella Bella. for that shiny new mandolin over there? No? Cool. errr. yeah.
I’ve walked by during the jam session, but Sandy’s is so small and there seems to be some serious musicians, so I’ve never gone in. Anyone want to venture in? I’d crapsicle myself if I had to play but I’d love to watch.

I have a confession. I was in a «band» in college. Don’t even ask me what I played.
We didn’t have a name, we didn’t perform anywhere, but we spent Saturday afternoons playing at my friend’s house in Cambridge until we were music-​ed out.
My ex is a guitarist, and we used to come to Sandy’s sometime for strings and other accessories. This is a total dive of a shop and can look very shady to some people. However, this store is a product of one man’s passion for music. Here you’ll find very cool instruments of many kinds, music and a cool collection of guitars.
So stop wasting your time at Guitar Center and get to Sandy’s.

Here’s a small equation for you — it’s not hard to understand and I think you’ll find it’s true:
White Flying-​V Ukulele in store window = 5 stars
Maths lesson is over.
Recess!

Quality, not quantity is the secret to success at Sandy’s Music store. This shrine of musical eccentricities sports a terrific assortment of banjos, electric and acoustic guitars, mandolins, fiddles, and ukuleles. They also have a great collection of folk records and cds as well as sheet music books.
But what really sets Sandy’s apart from other music stores is the banjo-​playing, chain-​smoking owner, Sandy Sheehan. Interested in old-​time music, Celtic, bluegrass, blues and Cajun music since the 1960s, he started Sandy’s Music in 1970 to buy, sell, and repair instruments and sell recordings.
Every Monday night there’s a jam session at the store, and several times a year Sandy invites musician friends to Johnny D’s in Davis Square for an old-​time music night. Sandy also hosts a traditional folk show on WUMB (91.1 fm), which he started in 1986.
Sandy’s isnt just another music store, it’s a folk institution.

I’m on a quest for a mandolin, and after a few failed attempts (the hours couldn’t be any less convenient for me) I finally made it in here. It looks tiny from the outside, but I was surprised when standing in the middle of it to realize just how tiny it actually is. It’s exactly the kind of store I love, though; everything looks like it has just the perfect amount of wear on it, is so well lived in. It’s the kind of store I’d love to spend hours hanging out in, but that’s really just not possible with the size and layout. My five minute visit felt sufficient.
The mandolins were quite nice, and started at $ 135 which I find more than reasonable. There were also some pretty interesting custom ukes on sale for as little as $ 30. What really had me drooling was a Dobro-​style resonator guitar unassumingly propped up near the counter. Of course, it cost about a month’s rent, but the idea of subletting and living in a T station for a month did cross my mind.
The guy working either hated his life or mine, not sure which, but he clearly knew what he was talking about when I began asking questions so I didn’t much mind.
I will definitely be back here, possibly even to pick up one of those beautiful mandolins after I’ve done a bit more research and shopping around. Will report back, et cetera.

A very cool find to reveal to only your coolest, most music-​loving friends. A ton of cheap records with great covers make excellent room decorations, and a friendly atmosphere with great background music lets you disappear into your own little world of symphonic happiness.

Sandy’s Music is a little hole in the wall store located between Central and Harvard squares. The place is completed packed with guitars, banjos, mandolins, and other instruments of every kind. They also carry song books, cds, and accessories. They offer appraisals and lessons too! They have expensive instruments and cheap instruments.
This is really the only place to go in the Boston area if you play the banjo and need some finger picks!
The store has an awesome atmosphere and friendly staff. highly recommended!