Horn Trader Music OKC

Just visiting this place is an incredible adventure, regardless of whether you get what you are looking for, buy or not; By the way, just indicate what you wanted and I found everything I asked for at a reasonable price in just 7 minutes. The old man doesn't wear a happy face, mean-spirited to say the least, but quite helpful.

Fascinating & Frustrating
These guys wouldn't know customer service if it bit them on the rear. I just forked over $40 for a cornet repair. Didn't have a mouthpiece so the counter guy, that I just handed cash, told me I could test it at home. Amazing huh? Not a mouthpiece in the whole horn music store. All I needed was a part anyway but I let them "repair" it because I like to support local businesses NOT THESE GUYS ANYMORE!!! The dude, no. Dude is too cool for these clowns The dud was rushing me out the door fast enough to make your head spin. These old crusty warm overs must be retired. They can't be doing this for real money. The collection of instruments is amazing and I respect not wanting just any yeahoo off the streets touching the instruments, but a cash paying customer who is obviously a musician? Look up unfriendly and rude in the dictionary. You will find pictures of these losers.

An absolutely wonderful selection of affordable instruments, as well some more unusual and rare ones. Wonderful service and very reasonable prices. This store has quite a large selection of tubas, which you don't usually see In most music stores. Walking inside is a very magical experience, as soon as you step in your surrounded by a hall of instrument cases. I would definitely recommend mend this to someone looking for instrument repair or looking for a new instrument entirely, you won't be disappointed.

Good selection of instrument. Friendly service.Wish they had more uke choices.

Their space is incredible; every inch is packed with interesting (and often eclectic) instruments. Rows of upright basses, interestingly colored vintage guitars, shelves of accordions, and myriad other instruments line the shop. One thing I'm not crazy about is their aversion to let musicians try their instruments, though.

20 years ago, I bought my first good electric guitar, a Paul Reed Smith CE 24. I walked into my local music store (in Virginia) and asked to try out the model I wanted to buy. The man rudely asked, "You gonna buy it?" Although I had $1300 cash in my pocket and was planning to buy that very guitar, I said "No" and left, choosing to buy the guitar at a Maryland dealer. Customers simply shouldn't be treated that way.

At Horn Trader, a very similar thing happened. I've been playing the theremin for a little while now, and I'd been looking to upgrade to a Moog Etherwave. Surprisingly, Horn Trader had the very model I was looking for, at a great price! Unfortunately, when I asked the guy if I could try it out, he said no! I don't know of any musician who'd buy an instrument without playing it first, so this really surprised me.

I had a similar experience when I asked about one of their pedals: The guy insisted that he play the guitar as I adjust the pedal. If you think about it, this is ridiculous! I don't want to know what the pedal sounds like while some guy plays through it -- I want to know what it sounds like when I play through it!

Although I try to put money into the local economy whenever possible, it looks like I'll be getting my theremin at Guitar Center. At least they let people try out their instruments!

UPDATE: I eventually got the theremin from Guitar Center, and I love it. Had I tried it out at Horn Trader, I certainly would've bought it. Hopefully someone from Horn Trader reads this, and learns from their mistake; by not letting people try out instruments, you're actually losing business!

This is my very favorite store to buy musical instruments at. They sell new, used, and refurbished musical instruments. They have everything any starving (and lets face it, with gas prices this high....) musician could want. I personally purchased an old 70's Ludwig drumset for $325. They are extremely knowledgable and informative on your needs. And (yes there's more) they will buy back your old insturments, help fix anything you need, and are just cool people in general.

I understand the skepticism, with there being all the online music sites that sell musical things at ridiculously low prices, but sometimes it's worth shopping at the local business'. I appreciate all they've done for me and my wife, and they will continue to get my business. They should gain your as well. And if not, it's worth going to see all the old vintage drumsets, for a drum fanatic like myself.

They have tons of vintage instruments. But make sure you bring your check book, because you won't be finding any "good deals" here. You're going to pay top dollar for whatever you buy. Tons of nice drum sets, but like I said, unless you're specifically looking for vintage drums and know what they're worth and the going price, don't go in there thinking you're going to find a steal of a deal because it's not going to happen.

My 15, 9 year old sons and I were driving thru OK city looking for music stuff. Horn Trader popped up and I was stoke so we went there. 5:00 p.m. The guy at was busy with a lady who had a rough old flute a no-name violin. I assumed trades? I also notiice a long haired teenager playing several bass guitars. The old man at the counter asked us to wait. We began to look around. My boys were forewarned not to touch anything. The counter guy took tome to tell us not to to touch anything. What nerve! Mind you, the stringy haired teen is still grabbing random basses to try. We found a stool for my youngest to sit down and at this time, my youngest coughed a couple of times. The old man again interupted his sale to tell me to tell him to cover his mouth. Again, some nerve. Can you see where this is going? At this point, approximately 5:15 p.m, I politely asked if I should bring in my trades. The old man said yes, so we went to fetch them. We came back in and set them on the back counter where a largish man came to look, and I assume appraise them for trade-in. We told him that we wanted to buy a Cousenon flugelhorn. The trades I presented were a Martin Indana (the model nomenclature, not the cheaper Indiana Band Instrument Co. version) pro alto sax in near perfect shape, a really nice, hand bult Emerson open hole, B foot flute, and a Beuscher Aristocrat Bb trumpet in amazing condition. The 4th instrument was an old wooden clarinet that I had hoped he would help me identify and maybe give me a little trade for it. (I have since ID'd as a pre-R13 Buffet-Crampon, his loss, lol!) The man would not offer any amount for my stuff! At which point, I noticed the old man counting money from the teen wish-he-was-a bass player's mother (I had put 2 and 2 together.)and putting her flute and fiddle behind the counter. I asked the big man again to offer anythingfor my stuff. His response was that he had too many of everthing and that his flutes and clarinets started at $15. Ok, what can one expect to get for $15? Certainly nothing Emerson! I was appalled that he wouldn't give any figure for anything, pointing out that I had just seen them take in 2 crappy student models from the lady. I'm guessing they stole them under the guise of a trade, hmmm? I simply stated that my combination of trades was worth at least some trade plus I was willing to give cash! Still no offer. If you look these up, you'll find that I was offering a huge profit towards an overpriced flugelhorn anyway. Anyway, time now around 5:40, I told the big guy that I was still intersted in a flugel. The old man was finished ripping off the lady and long haird son and came back to us. Not "Thanks for waiting. How may I help you?" as one would expect from a professional business, but "It's a quarter til 5. We don't have much time We close at six." My blood began to simmer! Mind you, my 9 year old is still perched on the same stool all this time. I told the old man that we had been patiently waiting all this time. Again, he reiterated the time. Anyway, I asked to see a silver Cousenon flugel, priced at $1299. He brought it down and opened the case. I reached for it and the old man blocked my hand. He handed me a pair of filthy white gloves and said that they didn't allow handling with bare hands. I gave the gloves to Cody, who already had his mouthpiece out. The man then told me I would have to pay first, then play. I laughed hysterically as my blood began to come to a full boil and proceeded to blast him for the insanity of this visit! We patiently waited for 45 minutes just to be insulted on our trades, chastised like little kids, and hurried out as if we didn't matter! I asked the big man if he would take my Rolex, worth many times the cost of the not nearly perfect, overpriced flugel. And I laughed again and proceeded to proclaim how honored I had been to enter their hallowed halls but how ashamed and disenchanted I was to to have stopped to be treated in such a way. Shame on them! Pitifully misnamed "Horn Trader", run from these idiots like they have the plague! FYI, we were carrying around $30,000 in horns on that stop and were on the last leg of a 4200 mile trumpet buying safari. We had added a couple of trumpets to our collection of world class instruments. I guess the old Buick we drove in was enough to prejudge us. A pity...for them! Never have I endured such lousy customer service! I you wish to see my credibility, I've been Qwadfather on eBay for 13 years and am respected on Trumpetmasters and Trumpet Herald as the Bugle Bandito! Feel free to call or text me @ 575-496-9159 to inquire about a fine instrument from someone who does care or maybe just to ask for advice on picking out a horn. I love to chat with like minds and it's my passion to help kids get to play. And my doors don't close at 6, in fact, they never close. Call me. Play on and God bless.

Once I told a guy in Seattle I was from Oklahoma and he said, "Whoa, do you know the Horn Trader?" Turns out this dude was a roadie for some really major bands and they would always hope that they would get a stop or a gig in OKC so they could go to Horn Trader. Apparently Green Day and Smashing Pumpkins and meany others have shopped there. Scott knows his stuff and Casey, his son, lives upstairs and runs a really great show called Acoustic Oklahoma. Good Oklahoma family business.