Switched On

What else needs to be said? These guys are the absolute best. They treat customers who don’t know anything about electronic equipment just the same, or sometimes better!, than people bringing in their crazy expensive vintage stuff for repairs. Oh, and of course, they know their stuff, and will take however long they have to explain it and help you understand. Sure, on some stuff they’re not the lowest prices you will find, but they stand behind everything they sell and more importantly, they will help you get back to what’s important faster — making music!

They fixed my broken SE 5600a tube microphone in half an hour!
It’s been a paper weight for almost 2 years and SE was no help. Switched On took it on and fixed it in less than a month, and only half a day once they had the time to care for it.
Honest team with fair prices that kept me updated as they worked. Will return for any repair work and, of course, to play with all the fun sound toys ;)

Pricey, but worth it. Easily the best synth shop in the south.

I had a great experience at Switched On yesterday.
Having just moved to Austin, Texas where I don’t know many people I convinced myself it was time to buy a synthesizer and take on a new project. I was very close to buying a Korg DS-​8 online, but upon finding out about Switched On and its reputation as a retailer (and super convent location!), I decided I should go and browse their offerings before committing to purchase a synthesizer over the internet. So glad I did.
The two guys who assisted me were kind and helpful. I believe that I knew a modest bit about synthesizers already, but admittedly I am a beginner who would need real assistance when selecting a machine. The guy who helped me was excited to be able to share his ideas and knowledge of the different machines with me, this was invaluable to a customer in my position.
Based on the preferences I had stated, and my shallow experience with synthesizers in general, he was able to suggest to me a synth (Korg DW-​8000) that offered more depth than the one I was looking at online for only ~$ 50 more, that would be a good «first synth» for me, and had the type of sounds I liked. After demoing the product (again, helpful, relaxed, easy to communicate with retail staff) I had decided to buy the synth off top. They also offer a half-​now, half-​later kind of deal where you can pay up half if you don’t have the cash on you (I declined, but thats cool still).
Brought it home that night (with the original manual! in solid condition for a paperback from the late 80s), and was happy with the purchase. I can say that their assessment as a synth which would offer legitimate depth while still being good for a beginner was indeed accurate. I had fun beginning to learn the machine, feeling that I won’t become bored 3 months from now, but also knowing now that I’m not in over my head.
ALSO the best part is that closed at 6pm that day, I walked in the door at ~5:15pm, and they were way cool with helping me out even though they could have been closing the store and going about their day. Huge plus that they wanted to help me out and not just make a quick sale off a person who know less about synths, and a huge plus that they made me feel comfortable/​happy customer when they could’ve asked me to take a hike.
Will return

Awful experience was a loyal customer till today. I was told they would purchase my modules but after i drive over an hour there they tell me connection cables are needed instead of over the phone. The clerk was nice but far to inflexible. Wasted time and little care for customers.

Love this place. A couple years back, they saved my Juno 106 after several voice chips failed, and it has been going strong ever since. If I could, I would go in and buy everything in the store. This is the place you go when you want to find awesome/​rare synthesizers that you won’t see on the shelves of guitar center.

came here to repair my Kawai MP6. There was a minor issue with the repair, and they made it right on the spot without charging me anything extra. Michael and the techs there are the shiyot!

These ninjas totally restored the GF’s D-​50 after it had spent three years in an Austin attic. Corroded arteries. Kudos on the excellence! She got to play the song «butts» w/​her butt while playing in the awesome ATX based Sailor Poon. There’s a quick gif of it on insta @marc_be. It’s worth a watch. Anyway, I will now entrust all my electronic repair needs to Switched On from now on. Y’all are about to have to repair my Synares, Headrush pedal, theremin, and V-​drum brain. Get ready. Austin attics are rough on the gear y’all!

Cool place, great gear, great place to have anything keys related get serviced. Can’t complain, it’s top notch!

One of the many reasons I love Austin is this store. Without a doubt one of the best synth shops in the country. Excellent selection, shop set up, staff, and some of the most talented techs in the world. I’ve bought several synths from them and had all of them serviced by them more than once over the years and every time they do an outstanding job in a reasonable amount of time. I can’t say enough good things about these guys; I didn’t know what it meant to make love to a machine before walking through their doors.

Easily the best place to get any type of musical electronic repair. I took in a Tascam 32 that I bought off ebay and they fixed it up better than I expected, and they have some of the coolest synth gadgetry to experiment with in the main part of the place. A+

I’ve bought quite a few synths from Switched On over the years and I really can only say good things from them. When you walk in, everything is set up so that you can try it out and the staff can always answer just about any question you have.
The prices are reasonable and because they are also a repair shop, you can be sure that the used gear has been tested and fixed if necessary. It’s also nice having somewhere local that you can get repairs done. I have a vintage Korg Trident II that they tuned up for me and I certainly wouldn’t feel comfortable shipping out to some random repair shop.
The only downside to this place is that you will buy more than you expected because they have so much cool stuff!

I had the privilege of placing a phone order for an Oberheim Matrix 6. I’m not sure who actually assisted me on the phone but they were very patient and informative when I asked questions about the product.
Further, I wanted to place the order over the phone instead of online because I don’t really trust making large transactions online. They were more than happy to accommodate me even though there were people banging away on the synths in the background.
My matrix 6 arrived double wrapped and in excellent condition for something that had prob gigged through the 80s. I love my purchase and I think you will be happy with yours.