Macari's

Sarah_B

As a total beginner I needed all the help I could get - I sure went to the right place . Everyone is so impressed with my guitar ( An Aria ) and says it was a total bargain . If it wasn't for the very helpful staff at Macari's I would have bought something totally different . I'm going back for my next one when I'm a virtuoso !!!!!
If there's a downside it's just that the selection is a little overwhelming, but honestly - talk to the people there and you'll be fine.

Twelvestrum

I was recently looking for dealerships who sold FAITH acoustic guitars and via the Faith website I identified two dealers on or near the Charing Cross Road who looked interesting. I'd heard of Macaris and so, when I had to travel down to London, I paid them a visit. My first (and second) impressions were not what I expected.

The downstairs department where they display acoustics was certainly well stocked, so much so that it was quite tricky to access any instruments that were high up on the wall or at the back of displays where there was a severe risk of starting a domino-like reaction if you lifted out one guitar and accidentally touched another. But what really put me off was the dust. Many guitars had a thin grey film of dust on them and as a few of these were Martin guitars costing wallet-busting amounts of cash, I was not impressed. Maybe I just went on a day when their cleaner was having an off-moment ... but you don't get dust like that overnight.

Also (unlike Bryants or several other shops I visited), many guitars were poorly tuned. Obviously tunings drift, but some guitars were so out of tune that I doubt if they'd ever been properly done in the first place.

Not all instruments were like that - but there were enough to put me off and send me back upstairs and off in search of somewhere better.

I wouldn't go there again.

guitarnut

I bought a 5 neck guitar off these guys and was treated like a king ! They tuned and set up every neck while i waited then packed and sent it to my house free of charge !!!!!
Ok , I know I'm slightly insane anyway but it was great to be served well with none of the guitar widdling elitist nonsense of Denmark Street .