I bought a Fipple recorder as part of my campaign to keep arthritic fingers moving. It’s great. Makes a good sound but best of all the holes at the foot of the instrument are perfectly placed for my... See more
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They carry more obscure parts and instruments that are hard to get from other places. The delivery took a bit longer than expected, but that might be just because of the current global crises, so can'... See more
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I got in contact with The Early Music Shop and was put through to the Snape Maltings branch. The member of staff (I think her name was Esther) was fantastic! She went above and beyond to check the rec... See more
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The recorder bag I bought was exactly as described and fits all my recorders snugly. Shipping from the UK was reasonable, and the package arrived quickly. I would buy from this company again. I... See more
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Company details
- Music Store
- Musical Instrument Rental Service
- Musical Instrument Repair Shop
- Musical Instrument Store
- Sheet Music Store
- Used Musical Instrument Store
Written by the company
The Early Music Shop is the largest source of historical musical instruments worldwide. We are an independent music shop specialising in Early Music instruments, accessories and printed music. Our expert staff have years of experience helping you to find the perfect instrument for you!
Contact info
The Early Music Shop, Salts Mill, Victoria Road, BD18 3LA, Shipley, United Kingdom
- +44 1274 288100
- hello@earlymusicshop.com
- earlymusicshop.com
4.7
Excellent
1K reviews
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This company invites their customers to review, whether positive or negative
Replied to 79% of negative reviews
Typically replies within 1 month
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Reply from The Early Music Shop
Apologies that you needed to chase, we try our very best to keep customers updated with communications, especially where delays are concerned. But we're glad you like the product, and thank you for your custom.
Very helpful and friendly
Very helpful and friendly. Expert advice in helping me to choose an instrument
11 April 2026
Reply from The Early Music Shop
Thanks for letting us know.
Reply from The Early Music Shop
Thank you for your custom!
No or very response from customer service
Their homepage is fantastic, unfortunately is their internal processes not as good. No or very slow response from their customer service. And very slow shipping of products they have in stock, despite their promise of being very fast.
9 April 2026
Reply from The Early Music Shop
Thank you for your feedback - we’re glad the website made a strong first impression, but it’s clearly frustrating that the experience didn’t carry through to service and delivery.
We’re sorry for the slow response and dispatch on items that were showing as in stock, that’s not the standard we aim for. We’re currently reviewing our internal processes to make sure communication is clearer and orders move more quickly.
If you’re happy to get in touch with your order details, we’d really like to look into what happened here and put it right.
Excellent communication and fast…
Excellent communication and fast shipping. Instrument arrived in tiptop shape.
7 April 2026
Reply from The Early Music Shop
That's good to hear, thanks for your feedback.
I got what I wanted and didn't have to…
I got what I wanted and didn't have to wait long. I was out but they left it where I asked them to. I struggle with technology so won't add more
6 April 2026
Reply from The Early Music Shop
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, it means a lot.
I have a tuneful Giso tenor recorder
I have a tuneful Giso tenor recorder, thanks to this shop making it available for my arthritic fingers.
26 September 2025
Reply from The Early Music Shop
So pleased we were able to help. Enjoy your new instrument!
The book I bought wasn’t very well…
The book I bought wasn’t very well protected, so its corners were already damaged.
3 April 2026
Reply from The Early Music Shop
Thank you for your feedback, and I’m sorry the book didn’t arrive in better condition.
We do our best to package items securely, so it’s disappointing to hear this wasn’t the case here. If you haven’t already been in touch, please do contact us - we’d be happy to put things right.
Prompt shipping and nice products
My recorders were shipped promptly and are very nice instruments, I shall enjoy playing again.
30 March 2026
Reply from The Early Music Shop
Lovely to hear this, thank you for your comments.
Excellent quality
The Lute that I bought from the Early Music shop is excellent, beautifully finished, and packaged to withstand the most averse transport conditions; it arrived without a scratch. Everything is there, lute, tutorial, free membership of the Lute Society, now I only have to do is learn to play the lute...
10 April 2026
Reply from The Early Music Shop
That’s lovely to hear - thank you for taking the time to share this. We’re delighted the lute arrived safely and that everything was just as it should be.
Enjoy the journey of learning to play - it's a rewarding one, even if a little challenging at first! If we can help along the way, do feel free to get in touch.
Excellent stock in Monmouth
Peter greeted me by name, as he always does, at the Easter Early Music Course in Monmouth. He had an amazing stock of instruments and accessories with him including the very bass viol strings I needed. It was a small transaction, but it was good to have a short chat with him - he was my first point of contact with EMS for years (decades?) and he remains so. Personal contact means a lot.
2 April 2026
Reply from The Early Music Shop
Thank you for your kind words. I’ll make sure Peter sees this - he’ll really appreciate it.
We’re glad he had just what you needed, and it’s always nice to have a chance for a quick chat too. Long-standing connections like this mean a great deal to us too!
Overall very happy
Initially I was disappointed that my odered recorder just hadn't been shipped.
When calling the Early Music Shop I learned that the recorder I ordered was no longer produced in the ordered colours.
However, Alfie went above and beyond found me an alternative recorder in my favourite colour.
When this arrived without the cleaning mob that should have been included Alfie promptly sent the missing item. So overall very happy with their customer service.
11 April 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from The Early Music Shop
Thank you for your feedback, and for your patience while we got everything sorted.
We’re sorry for the initial disappointment with the recorder, but I’m glad Alfie was able to find a suitable alternative, and in your preferred colour too. Thanks as well for flagging the missing cleaning rod; pleased we could put that right quickly.
We really appreciate your support and are glad you’re happy overall.
SIGO tenor head joints can fit easily.
Delivery was sooner than expected.
The new SIGO tenor head joint is a much crisper design than the original and it fits the existing body - bought last year, perfectly. The fit is much improved from the original version. Both heads play equally well. It’s a pity Kunath couldn’t make the two parts of the instrument fit properly in the first place. I have heard from other players that the previous head is a very tight fit and difficult to align with the body.
30 March 2026
Reply from The Early Music Shop
Great to hear the delivery arrived ahead of schedule, and that the new SIGO head joint is working so well with your existing body.
You’re absolutely right about the earlier version: we’d had similar feedback from a number of players regarding the tight fit and alignment. It’s good to see Kunath has now refined the design, and even better that the updated head integrates cleanly while maintaining the same playing quality.
Thanks for taking the time to share such a detailed and helpful review. It’s really valuable for other players considering the upgrade.
RAPID DELIVERY OF ORDERED ITEM
26 March 2026
Reply from The Early Music Shop
Excellent. Thank you for the feedback!
Reply from The Early Music Shop
Good to hear, thank you.
High quality products and great customer service
I live in the U.S.A. and have ordered three Recorders and a wooden stand to place them on in between practice. All arrived in good time and without damage. The Recorders are all great quality and in tune. The customer service was also very professional and responded promptly.
23 March 2026
Reply from The Early Music Shop
Thank you for your feedback, we're glad to hear that everything arrived safely and you are enjoying your products. Do let us know if we can help with anything in the future.
Very helpful team that responded…
Very helpful team that responded quickly when I asked them not to include the invoice in the parcel as this was a present.
25 March 2026
Reply from The Early Music Shop
Glad we could help! Hope the present was well received.
Slow customer service
Slow customer service. I had ordered strings that were out of stock but the company never notified me and I waited over 2 months. Finally after following up many times they gave me a refund.
24 March 2026
Reply from The Early Music Shop
We’re very sorry about this. You should have been notified straight away that the strings were out of stock.
Having to chase us, and waiting that long, isn’t the level of service we aim to provide. While we’re glad we were able to refund you, we recognise the experience wasn’t good enough.
Thank you for your patience
This Zen-On 415Hz has a nice tone but the intonation dramatically changes after playing for a while which may be caused by moisture produced.
This Zen-On 415Hz is an affordable entry into playing with this tuning.
The recorder has a good tone quality.
One surprise is that the intonation will suddenly go out from low A to G. The interval becomes a semi tone rather than a tone. Also the higher A to Bb interval becomes very flat. I only only surmise that this is caused by it getting water logged after playing for a while.
It will settle back to normal but it's annoying when it happens. It'd be a problem when performing!
24 March 2026
Reply from The Early Music Shop
Thank you for your thoughtful and detailed feedback. It’s really helpful, and we’re glad to hear you’re enjoying the tone overall.
What you’re describing can sometimes happen as moisture builds up during playing, particularly on certain notes. Regularly clearing the windway and giving the instrument a short rest can help.
If it continues, do feel free to get in touch with us - we’d be very happy to advise further.
Customer service par excellence and perfect product for my needs
Excellent advice given on the phone and I was really listened to with regard to my needs for a bag to transport flageolets and recorders. I’m delighted with the product - its functionality, quality and aesthetics.
24 March 2026
Reply from The Early Music Shop
Very happy we could assist with this, and that the bag is working well for you. Do let us know if we can help in the future.
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