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Wakefield Music Wakefield Music was established by Dennis Costa in 1991 at it's original location at 56 Main Street in South Kingstown, Rhode Island in the space previously occupied by Axelrod Music. Despite it's small space, the shop provided various services including lessons, repairs, band instrument rentals and assorted products including guitars, band/orchestral instruments, sheet music, books and even records.

The store relocated next store at 58 Main St. a couple of years later and expanded it's inventory to include digital pianos, drums, mandolins, banjos, ukuleles, drums, 4 extra teaching studios, more sheet music, cassette tapes and video.
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A minimum of 10% restocking fee may be applied for refunds or exchanges depending on the condition of the item and its packaging. Items must be in the exact condition as purchased. Receipt of purchase necessary. Refund given using the same method of payment you used for the original transaction. Items returned within 30 days of purchase may be converted as store credit on your customer account or exchanged for an equal or larger value item.
Guitars, like many instruments, speak for themselves. They wait for the right musician to come along and understand them. It is only when they are truly appreciated that magic happens. At Wakefield Music we offer a broad and personally selected range of steel & nylon string acoustics. Both student and professional instruments are available to see, feel and hear in our showroom.
We routinely stock a wide range of banjos, mandolins, ukuleles and more. Our featured brands for banjos are Deering, Goodtime, Goldtone, and Savannah and we offer both resonator and non resonator models. For mandolins we feature Eastman, Kentucky, Gretsch, Savannah and more. All of our instruments are geared for both the professional and student musicians.
Wrap Yamaha's renown keyboard technology in a lightweight, portable package, and you've got a true piano sound built for endless hours of musical learning and fun. Compact enough for some of the snuggest living spaces, our line of 61, 76 and 88-key Yamaha portable keyboards and digital pianos offer computer-ready capability with touch-sensitive keys and a wide array of voices and rhythm styles.
Reviews (20)
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Richard Levy
Jan 29, 2022
We are so fortunate to have Wakefield Music in our neighborhood. If you are looking for sheet music this store has a great selection. Staff always extremely helpful and knowledgeable.
Vardan Mnatsakanian
Nov 25, 2021
I love music. I am musician in play keyboard and drums i was in a band 6 years experience. Drummer. In band. And other
Draconian Overlord
Sep 15, 2021
Bought my first fender squire bullet here in 95,i t was red. I immediately returned it for a black one. also one of the tuning pegs was out of line. I was picky even as a beginner, I also attended 3 lessons here which helped me by letting me watch a pro guitarist and then seeing how he approached playing and hos movements. Quality gear!
Alfred Speredelozzi
Sep 09, 2021
Very helpful local music store. They go out of their way to get you what you need. My clarinet playing child (as well as my wife) and my flute playing child have been in here often for music, supplies or repairs. It really helps to have a local music store in our community!
Rik Berghorn
Aug 11, 2021
I'm teaching myself to play guitar. I brought it to Wakefield music to have it tuned. D check out the guitar to see if there were any issues and tuned then showed me how to tune it. He told me about stings. He happily gave me a great guitar education. Thanks D!
Caroline A.
Mar 31, 2021
I came here to find a particular book of guitar music and found exactly what I was looking for plus more. The man who helped me was very knowledgable and very friendly. It's a ways away from where I live but even so I want to go back; I liked it that much!
Denise Or Linda
Dec 11, 2019
Wakefield Music is a rare find. Excellent service and very knowledgeable people. Great selection of music. Instruments range in price and sound, and there is usually one or more unusual instruments, like a Balalaika, or a vintage instrument, like a baritone uke. I have bought several instruments there and have put some on consignment. I find Denis to be very fair and honest. There are also workshops offered periodically. I always enjoy going there, which tends to be quite often.
Peter B.
Aug 06, 2019
I stopped in to have a guitar restrung and some adjustments were needed. John was extremely professional. Very helpful. I also purchased an amp and songbook. John provided the answers I needed. These are very nice people who will help you get it done when it comes to acoustic guitars. I will be back.
Philip Dyer
Jun 23, 2019
Buying my guitar from Denis and the team gave me joy. I wanted a new guitar for pleasure and the purchase experience was the first step in that. Now, every time I pick it up, I am happy because I am reminded of that warm and intimate experience. Your guitar is not a commodity. Philip Dyer
Darren A.
Sep 28, 2018
These folks are helpful, humble, and will find solutions to your needs. Each time I've gone there, they are super cool and helped me out with a good solution or product. I suck at gear and don't have the drive or time to fix my own stuff. No ego or Guitar Center type testosterone. Shop local!
Walter Casagrande
Apr 21, 2018
Really nice shop. The guitar tech spent over an hour speaking with me about a recent purchase and letting me A/B it versus some Martin they had in stock. Got some great advice and didn't feel pressured to buy something I wasn't ready to commit to. Worth a visit and support.
Satchel Pantera
Apr 01, 2018
VERY overpriced and limited stock. I try to support local business when I can but it looks like I'll continue to shop at big box Guitar Center. WM is a good place for a novice musician that's just learning and has money to blow.
Grant Maloy S.
Feb 14, 2018
Fantastic alternative to the big box stores. Neighborhood place with great service and knowledgable people working there. You'll get the kind of service that the chain stores simply cannot or will not.
Marsha G.
Sep 06, 2017
I would give Wakefield Music Company at least seven stars. Over the years they have consistently been professional, friendly, knowledgeable and extremely patient in conducting business with a frequently indecisive musical wannabe/wish-I-were. It's a place I feel comfortable going. What really impressed me was when I asked the owner's opinion about which of two guitars sounded better and he recommended the lower priced one, giving me ample time and space to decide for myself.

If I'm thinking about buying an instrument, Wakefield Music is where I go to get it, and really important to a dabbler like me: I can ask them ANYTHING about music, even the most simple, basic question, and they will give a dignified answer in a way that never makes me (the customer) feel "less-than." I highly recommend them. Seven stars it is!
Lauren O.
Jul 01, 2017
TLDR: It was the guitar selection (and their sale prices) that got me interested in buying, but it was the sales associate's enthusiasm and passion that made me buy a guitar from their particular store. Support local RI small businesses! I was visiting Rhode Island from Maryland this weekend and found this local business. It was so refreshing to walk into a music store that reminded me of my local guitar shop from home!

You can really feel the friendly local vibe resonate through the room, especially when there are customers playing a riff or two in the guitar section. I was helped by a lovely woman named Sandol while browsing, and she immediately knew what kind of guitar I wanted and led me right to it. I was impressed that the store had the 3/4 size Yamaha acoustic-electric I was searching for, and they even had it in three more different styles!

It was so awesome finding the exact model I wanted with my wood color choice. Sandol was very knowledgeable and was able to refer some products that I have not tried with my guitars yet, like the unique - and more importantly, super affordable on my vacation budget - Dunlop Elastic Capo, & even threw in a guitar pick or two for my gig bag since I didn't bring any with me. 100% would reccomend.
Tim B.
Feb 09, 2017
I initially went to Wakefield Music with my bandmate looking for an acoustic guitar and what a great experience. They have a good selection of guitars including quality used guitars and encourage you to play them. Over several months we revisited and finally settled on a used Guild which as perfect for my bandmate and she did a very fair trade-in/upgrade with them. John is a great luthier as well as being knowledgable and honest about the pros and cons of different makes and models.

He also tuned up 3 of our guitars over the last year and I was able to sit with him on one and do it live to get just the right adjustments to my Taylor 814. Really a great and valuable shop to have in the area for musicians.
Ken C.
Nov 25, 2016
Pleasant neighborhood music shop for instruments (save pianos!) and sheet music. The proprietor is kindly, attentive, and knowledgeable about his wares. He gave us his honest opinions about brands, makes, and models, explained the differences between them, and never tried to push a pricier brand over a lower-cost brand -- he sold us on quality of sound, design, and ease of use, and not on price.

That being said, he demonstrated introductory instruments vs. higher-end ones, and it was great to hear which had mellower or brighter sounds -- and clearly showed that higher price did not equate with better sound! We left with our purchases happy with the knowledge that we got the one that best fit our needs and price points.
Peter M.
Mar 31, 2016
I had been saving money for a while to buy an American made, solid wood Taylor. Finally, I had enough money, and all I needed to do was to find a guitar. I never buy guitars without playing them first, so I needed to find a store that had a good selection. Other stores (including the larger chains) were hit or miss (and mostly they were a miss). Then I visited Wakefield Music.

They had a great range of Taylor models, as well as Martin and other brands. I was able to play several models that I had only read about online. The owner and staff didn't pressure me to buy, and they were very helpful and knowledgeable. I had enough money to buy my Taylor as well as a Martin Dreadnought Junior (which serves great as a parlor guitar). They made some quick adjustments to the Martin to suit my taste, and I was on my way. Wakefield Music is definitely my music store of choice.
Donny T.
Aug 09, 2015
Nice, helpful shop owner who knows what's going on musically in the area. This isn't just a place to sit down and play "Stairway, " and I imagine you can get some good advice on musical instruments and the scene in Rhode Island there.
Christian L.
Mar 04, 2015
I always have a great time stopping here. John is a very friendly, knowledgable luthier and can fix just about everything you bring him. The prices BEAT guitar center's prices because setup by John is always included. That saves you $80 off the top right there. I haven't tried any of their lessons but their selection of guitars is very nice. You'll find brands in here that you won't see in most music stores. Saw a Walden in here once and a few great strats.