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Can anyone recommend any good smaller guitar stores that offer quality/expert service and actually care about selling someone a good instrument? I'm tired of giving my money to the big stores and feeling like I just stepped out of Home Depot when I leave.

I live near Chicago, but anything within a 100-mile radius is ok.
Thanks.

Anyone else from the area?

Make N Music

Where do you live? I live in the NW suburbs, and a guitar store Phat Cat Guitars just opened up not too far from my house. Its on Randall Road just north of 72, across from Woodmans. I've popped in there a couple of times, very nice folks and they seem quite knowledgable. I haven't had anything done by them yet though.

Chicago area is pretty broad. I'm in Wheaton. There is Modern Music in Lisle and Hix Music in Aurora/Naperville. Those are all I really know of. Mom and pops are few and far between since we now have six GCs in the area.

There's tons of great shops!

Specimen Guitars
Tommy's Rock amp; Roll Cafe
The Music Store
GC
Sam Ash

and a few more. If you can check in your yellow pages, I bet there's tons of them. I used to live by the music go round on Milwakee, and there's like a whole bunch of guitar stores that are pretty close to each other.