Company Details

Great service prompt easy to use, as described. Could have included a more precise description of the condition of the instrument, it could have been cleaned, as it was a bit grubby (flute, used), not a problem for me as I am an experienced musician and used to servicing instruments.

Was able to get an idea of what I'd be getting from the reviews. Music came really quickly. Nice to have updates as to the progress of the delivery.

Excellent and quick service as always. Good information re delivery provided, and I am very happy with the Two Ecodear Treble Recorders that I have purchased.

Thank the Lord for rain!

My unusual request for a poster was handled really well and with excellent service

As a beginner the shop/ staff could have been a bit overwhelming and even intimidating....but not all all. Staff were kind and accommodating and answered some pretty daft questions from me very patiently. I was pleased with my purchases - both online and in person and now I just need to get some practice in!

They have a lot to offer. And a great service!

Great choice of musical instruments …….. however due to Brexit and the EU Customs regulations ……. they are now simply over-priced. The UK freight charges are also ridiculously slow and expensive. Pre-Brexit I have purchased several instruments from the Early Music Shop ……. now I buy exclusively from the Netherlands, Germany and France

Good products, excellent service from knowledgeable staff. And where else can one obtain a secondhand crumhorn?

Poorly packaged for mailing, the book arrived with pages torn and bent.

I bought a tuning meter for my harpsichord back in February and I couldn’t get it to work because it didn’t pick up the sound of the notes.

Informed and intelligent service from the whole team!

Helpful, knowledgeable staff

I don't know why this has been sent to me......I have not shopped with you lately. J

Very helpful advice by email and then my lovely recorder arrived just as promised. Good to see that they have a great range of music too.

excellent product quick delivery

This regards my purchase of a 7 Course Renaissance Lute from The Early Music Shop. I have owned dozens and dozens of instruments in the last four decades, ranging from production electric guitars to coveted acoustic instruments sold to collectors. The J. Wood 7 Course Lute is a fine instrument. It is well constructed, sharp looking in appearance and, best of all, has a wonderful resonance. Upon arrival, I played the lute well into the wee hours of the morning and my wife said she could hear it - through three walls, a closed door and 30 feet of house. When properly played, it projects well. I come from playing guitar, eventually solely classical guitar, and venturing into the lute. The J. Wood 7 Course Lute is an appropriate investment for one who intends to undertake a more serious and disciplined study of the lute. I am picky about my instruments. I feel confident learning the lute on this instrument and I can see that, with proper care, it will last a lifetime. The manager, Alfie, worked tirelessly and regularly communicated to get the instrument shipped and through U.S. Customs. Here are a few first impressions and tips for those contemplating this purchase: 1. There is plenty of music out there for 6, 7 and 8 course lutes. French and Italian tablature is intuitive and there's a lot of it, if you look. 2. When you get your lute, be patient and methodical. If you're a guitar player, at first, the lute is going to seem bouncy, loose and delicate. The strings are still stretching. Because the strings were stretching, I played it and retuned for about eight hours before I could get into fine tuning. Once you nail the tuning, the instrument sounds incredible. (It's a sound you can't get with capo-ing a guitar.) Tip: If you have serious tuning to do, face the soundboard toward you while the instrument rests vertically on your thigh (i.e., upright) and that will give you the best interaction with the pegbox. Holding the lute in playing position and trying to tune can be frustrating if you are doing formative tuning. 3. Dealing with EMS: I ultimately had a very good interaction with EMS. EMS is obviously a niche business and there is ebb and flow with respect to how busy they get. If you don't feel like you're getting the attention you need, be patient and tactfully persistent. It has been my experience that they will get back to you if they can't deal with your concern immediately. Alfie and Pete were great in getting this instrument from the U.K. to the U.S. 4. The semi-rigid case is very good. UPS (the shipper) was - predictably - unkind to the box. The lute arrived in perfect shape thanks to the semi-rigid case. 5. Holding the lute: While a strap might be used, I found that my footrest (for classical guitar) worked great when placed under my right foot (rather than the left). The instrument is properly propped up and comfortable. The package included is great. The publications of The Lute Society are intriguing and have excellent academic presentation. Lastly, I found the extra set of strings in the front pocket of the case. So, if you don't find them in the box, don't despair. I am happy to have started the journey with the lute and I would definitely do business with EMS again.

Orders #56635 and #56632 Posted orders on a bunch of Aquila strings . I changed the order to add some stuff. They confirmed the changes made by me. Problem was it took them about a week to answer my emails, perhaps because they’re a small business. That made me suspicious, afraid of not receiving my stuff and that caused me to make a hasty and unfair assessment of the business. In fact, they had already shipped all of it when I first reviewed them, only I didn’t know it since I did not hear from them. Anyhow, only thing they could improve is this issue of response time for email inquiry. Other than that, great store: good price, nice stock, fast shipping, friendly staff, most of all Alfie. Please forgive me for being so hasty! Tks for all

Asked three times about a used instrument they sell, but no answer at all but one that seamed autogenerated and that told me to buy the item I had looked at. Info at the instrument is none, just that one should ask for details, which I did. And as said: I asked three times, in different ways (formmail, answer to one email they in fact DID answer about something else, and one other email. So much time spent for nothing. I could have closed that window to do something else. Do you not want to sell? I am just glad I did not progress. If not even bothering to anser prebuy questions, what about if there will be any problems. Nope.

I had an issue with the way a flute was packaged. There was initially no response to my email to EMS but I have just received a friendly reply from Alfie the manager. He will look into the matter and in the meantime has sent a refund which is appreciated. I feel reassured that the company will honour any subsequent warranties and provide proper customer care to customers, who often make expensive purchases and can righfully expect proper follow up if needed. Alfie's response has been helpful on this occasion. (The initial delay in replying was due to a number of activities arising at this time of year, trade fairs and so on.)