Rainbow Music

Not a spectacular store.
Nice selection, but way overpriced.
They don’t offer any reasonable prices for trades from my conversation with them.
The staff has a pronounced «I’m cooler than you» attitude.
(There was a black dude working there with a cut off flannel shirt the day I was there, who I kind of got the urge to punch to be honest.)
There are better options within an hour’s drive. K&S music in Williamsport for example.
Unless these guys have exactly what you want and you can’t find it elsewhere, don’t even bother unless you just want to try out some gear and find it cheaper elsewhere.

My recent visit to Rainbow Music was positive. I thought both Mic and Chris were friendly and helpful. I was looking for a ukulele for my husband, Mic sat down with me and played a couple of the instruments, so I could compare the sound. No pressure, no rush, no negativity, all around a really great experience.

I love local music shops (as opposed to Guitar Center and Sam Ash) and understand their importance to the local music scene and the local economy, which is why I try to spend my money there as opposed to Amazon and the larger retailers.
I went to Rainbow looking for a guitar and the staff took forever to even acknowledge my presence, and were rude and unhelpful. I’m sure they get a ton of college students who just come into BS and browse, but that’s to be expected when you are literally across the street from campus.
I’m new to the area, and a professional musician of 20+ years. In the past 16 months, I have performed in 12 countries and played twice at Carnegie Hall. I don’t expect any special treatment, but I am a serious musician and this is my livelihood.
Each time I’ve been back since then, same story. I’ve spent over $ 600 there and each time the same salesman acts like he doesn’t know me.
Like the other Unilocal reviewers, I’m surprised they’re still in business. I’d rather support my local music shop but feel less guilty about trying to find what I need on Amazon.
Rainbow: local musicians would love to see you get your act together. We’d prefer to sing your praises rather than crap on you, but you’re asking for it. You are wasting a valuable opportunity to become a locus for quality instruments and instruction and help revive and sustain the regional music scene.

Rude and very unhelpful. I will drive to lewistown, Altoona, or Johnstown rather than take my business here again.

I am a professional musician, instructor, and repairman with 40+ years of experience. I am new to the area and looking for music stores for supplies and to possibly instruct or do woodwind repairs. My recent experience at Rainbow Music insures that I will never go there again; nor will I ever recommend students or associates go there. Instead of welcoming me and my wife and inviting us to look around, we were hounded and made to feel unwelcome. The staff member, Mick, was very rude and unhelpful.
I have worked in, and contracted with, many music stores for most of my life, and I have never experienced anything as unprofessional as this. Don’t know how they remain in business.

Let me start out by saying 1 star is 1 star too many!
In town for the holidays and wanted to stop in for my brother and I to get some guitar pedals.
First of all, we wandered around the store with not even as much as a hello for at least 20 minutes. We decided what pedals we wanted to try and asked if we could play through similar guitars to what we both owned. When we asked to play a Firebird and a Les Paul, the owner, Bill (who looks like Bruce Vilance) said «This is getting ridiculous» and asked his sales person to take care of us. I just assumed that the sales guy, (who was dressed like Nickleback’s magician…) actually would agree that when buying sound equipment, its important to play through as close to your setup as possible, but he thought we should play through $ 100 crap.
The «so called» sales guy was visibly annoyed and made the comment «just play through anything with a hum bucker» I asked Bill if he was the owner and asked if he always let his employees talk to customer’s like this? He replied that they get a lot of High School and College aged kids in there that waste his time. (Really Bill, you dumb fcuk, you have a music store in the middle of 105,000 students)
Its a wonder this store is still even in business with the way Bill is. I would suggest going to Music Mart on Beaver Ave. a few blocks away… where they are nice and helpful whether you buy or not.
MESSAGE TO BILL:
YOU ARE A GIANT A$$HOLE AND I WISH NOTHING MORE FOR YOU TO CONTINUE TO LOSE BUSINESS AND FOR YOU TO CLOSE UP YOUR SHOP.
DO MUSIC A FAVOR AND CLOSE YOUR DOORS OR AT LEAST APPRICATE THE PEOPLE THAT KEEP YOUR $HITTY BUSINESS OPEN.

Wow. I guess I shouldn’t really be surprised to not find a single review of this place — what is surprising is that the store is still in business.
If there were an award for worst customer service in town, this place would easily score in the top 3. I suppose that’s some sort of an achievement.
I’ve been there twice in the last couple of years, and the last time was most definitely The Last Time.
Don’t expect the «staff» to acknowledge your presence in the store, b/​c they won’t. Customers are just an irksome interruption from staring blankly into space all afternoon or chatting with your buddy.
The first time I went here, I spent about half an hour completely uninterrupted — sorry, unassisted — in the guitar section of the store.
Last time, I was looking for a solution that required a little more than handing over a product. But these dudes clearly have better things to do.
Thankfully, there is the Music Mart — the diametrically opposite of this store.