Performance Music Center

I just had a set up done on my guitar and had my nut slotted for 10’s, something that I’ve wanted to do since getting the guitar new last year. I spoke with Joe and he was fantastic to work with. The price was fair and the results are terrific.
I went in with my daughter who plays Ukulele and Joe was nice enough to explain to her the different types and also showed us some amazing acoustic guitars from Breedlove.
I’ll definitely come back and work with them again.

Visited for the first time today and was impressed. Joe was friendly, informative and very generous with his time even though it was clear I was just browsing. Great selection of a wide variety of guitar brands and the best selection of G&Ls I’ve ever seen (as well as a handful of beautiful Heritage guitars). There are guitars here I’ve never seen anywhere else. Prices are right there with big box or online stores, but the guitars are in much better condition — I’d feel very comfortable buying one of the more expensive guitars knowing it wasn’t left out to be used and abused along with the beginner instruments (which is why I’ve never bought anything «new» from GC — it’s definitely used, and worse, used by people who don’t own it).
I’ve been in a lot of guitar stores, some great and some not so great. This is one I plan to come back to because it had gear I wanted to buy priced competitively and sold by people who know their stuff. And also because I really enjoyed hanging out there for a bit.
(The only reason I didn’t give five stars is because I didn’t see a huge selection of used gear, which is my sweet spot, but they certainly did have some and there’s a good chance I missed more.)

I’ve had good and not so great experiences here. I generally come for some useful information and a few small accessory purchases. I can understand qualms of those that have expressed frustration… just try to remember that sometimes the problems we have with others are problems we may have with ourselves.
Give the guys a break and take it upon yourself to have a better experience so you can get back to rocking!!!

Best music store in the Boston area! Great costumer service and great teacher! I have been learning guitar and Cris is great, I highly recommend this place!!!

I found the review from David to be very accurate. When I was in high school, every kid I knew that took guitar lessons hated Joe and his instructors would always quit because of the way they were treated.
Joe is well known to bully customers and employees. That’s been known for years, maybe that’s why he’s now in a smaller location than he once was.

Short version:
My daughter took lessons at Performance Music Center for 9 months. I bought a drum set there as well. They received more than $ 1000 from me over that time, & had none of what happened below had transpired, I might have ended up paying them an additional $ 15,000 over the next 10 years. I regret every penny & recommend you never enter this store for any reason. Joe Mullens, the owner, is a bully who will be glad to take your money & be just as glad to tell you that you are wrong if you have any complaints. Should you disagree he will get aggressive & make you feel unsafe. None of this is an exaggeration. Stay away from this place.
Long version:
My daughter began lessons there last summer (in 2012). A few months later the instructor was out for roughly 6 of 8 weeks. The substitute didn’t have a real plan for building her skills & we were just strung along with the idea that the usual instructor would be back soon. It was also annoying because the cancellation policy for students is fairly strict. I tried to address this with the store owner & he only said that he provides a «qualified substitute» when the instructor isn’t available. I said that a substitute isn’t there every week. A substitute is temporary. He repeated the qualified substitute line. I protested again, & he repeated the qualified substitute line & added that «with [the] quality of instructors, you should expect this» — meaning, for them to have jobs which take them away from lessons. When I am paying for a lesson with an instructor, I expect to see that instructor, & if they are of such high quality, it stands to reason that the substitute is not as high quality. This was lost on him as he addressed me dismissively.
(The actual instructor was great. It’s just unfortunate that the store he works at is owned by a giant jerk who doesn’t really value customers.)
Afterward, I wrote on FourSquare «Lesson policy is draconian with respect to cancellations. Yet instructors can miss weeks at a time. But wait, it’s a ‘qualified substitute’ and ‘for this caliber of instruction you should expect this.’» Pithy, but it was two exact quotes from the owner, Joe Mullens.
Several lessons later, after the instructor was back & things had gone smoothly for a while, I walked in & asked a question about payment for the month. The owner looked at me coldly & started getting the paperwork. As I wrote my check, he sarcastically remarked «Thanks for the review on Unilocal.That really helps this business & all the hardworking people who work here.» I was silent (in part because I was taken aback & in part because I had never published a review on Unilocal — later I realized he must’ve meant FourSquare.) He went on, «If you have a problem with me, take it up with me instead of posting something on the internet.» I finished writing the check & mumbled «ok.» Seems he’d conveniently forgotten that I had taken this up with him & he just didn’t give a crap at the time.
I went to get a coffee & took some deep breaths. I decided to try to clear the air with him. So I walked back & said, «Can we have a conversation about this?»
«Yes.»
“What exactly was inaccurate about my review?”
«That is beside the point!» He began rambling, & I only recall pieces of what he said. His voice rose, it dripped with sarcasm & anger & every sentence ended with a finger jab at my chest. He said «I talked to [the instructor] & if he didn’t like your daughter, I would’ve thrown your ass out of here!» He continued rambling as I continued to be shocked about what was happening. He eventually said something like «You hurt the business of the people who work here.»
I replied, «How does what you are doing right now help your business?» This made him angrier & he began to raise his voice further and jab his finger closer. I put up my hands & said, «Ok, you don’t want to actually talk about it.» Then I tried to walk away.
He said, «If you want to have a conversation about it, then we’re going to have a conversation about it!» Then he rushed from behind the desk. I retreated & he continued to walk towards me jabbing his finger at me with each sentence. I was concerned he was going to throw a punch, but knowing that my 7-​year-​old was in a room 8 feet away, I sat down in the waiting area & tried to disengage. He stood less than a foot from me pointing his finger at my face. I got the impression that he wanted me to ask him to step outside or give him an excuse to hit me. He called me an «internet tough guy» & proceeded to throw personal insults at me for a while. Finally he walked away. Shaken, I waited for my daughter & we left.
After that we found a new instructor. I can’t support the business of a borderline psycho whose idea of customer service is to tell you you’re wrong and if you dispute that to become nearly violent. This business deserves to fail. If you ever have a problem with him, expect condescension or outright aggression. This is not a safe place to take your kids.

Very rude service from joe everytime I WENT there. very hesitant and letting people try equipment out and made me not feel welcome there with his attitude frorm the minute I walked in. they have very over priced gear and accessories compared to Guitarcenter. i would give this place a lower score but it wont let me. if you want advice where to shop id tell you go to guitarcenter or another music shop cause this place SUCKS!

Great store for such a small town. I didn’t expect to find G&L, Godin and Gibson in a small main street store. Prices are alright or at least comparable to the big stores and the service is great.
Their selection may not be as big as Guitar Center but they do have a few gems in the store. I have my eye on that SWR 4×10 combo.
:)

I have been going here for years… over the years I’ve had lessons, rented gear (once), tried instruments, bought a guitar, etc. Joe and Seitu are good guys and I highly recommend the place.

So every time I go in there I get an evil eye. If you ask to play an instrument, you get a huffy attitude and they polish the shit out of the thing as if it were a Ferarri dealership.
Every time I go there they tell be how great G&L is, and how they’re the #1 distributor of G&L in the world. Maybe if I gave a shit, that would be impressive.
However, since they’re so meticulous about keeping their shelve selection pristine, I’m giving them two stars. The missing 3 stars are for their attitude on life, which might have something to do with the fact that they work at a guitar store in a mini-​minimall.

Picked up my second Telecaster here, a blue 98 Mexican model. Very good instrument and the staff at Performance Music helped get it set up and tuned the right way. Extensive stock of instruments, all in excellent condition and they don’t mind if you take a lot of time to find out which one suits you best.
Service is impressive… they know their products and understand when to be helpful and when to let the customer have some space. Salespeople are also players, yet are very good at figuring out the purchaser’s level of expertise and how best to communicate with them. Prices for Fender products are super-​reasonable, considering that they’re located withing Route 128. Of special note is the large inventory of amps, easily one of the better selections in the Greater Boston area. This will definately be my first stop next time I’m buying a new guitar.