McNeela Instruments Reviews 

Great communication from the team and always happy to help and follow up any questions I had. They made the buying and shipping to a different country very smooth and easy. The instrument was very well packaged and tracked through shipping. I highly recommend this lovely business.

I currently live in Japan and have always wanted a Bodhran. I was so happy that I was able to purchase on and have it shipped to me. The Bodhran is great! I received the package product so was provided with a full set of tippers and even a cream to maintain the drum skin. Just a great product and service!

I purchased a whistle from McNeela which had a defect, the response from customer services couldn’t have been better and the replacement whistle is perfect.

Good selection of high quality bodhrans, quick delivery, good communications and customer service.

Super fast delivery. The bouzouki is wonderful. Well made and sounds great. I love it.

I am very disappointed to hear that my new supposedly Irish banjo was actually made in China.
I was also charged £103 import duty. It wasn’t pointed out when I ordered it.
Wish I hadn’t bought it.

I have been so impressed with McNeela's customer service. I ordered an instrument and there was unfortunately a minor issue with it on arrival. Communication to get the item returned was excellent, with courier costs refunded promptly and no issues throughout. Ultimately, issues with customs etc. meant it was best to seek a refund, rather than receive a replacement, and, again, McNeela's service was brilliant! I would recommend them to anyone.

I recently sent in our concertina we purchased from McNeela for repairs and they were great to work with. Prompt customer service, transparent processing, and quick turnaround.

I bought a new C#/D McNeela button accordion in February 2026 directly from the company. It’s small & compact, very light, and it has a lovely sound. It came with a sturdy bag which was a bonus. I found the accordion quite stiff to use initially and had an ache in my left shoulder for a few days! The ache in my shoulder is gone now but the accordion still feels stiff to use, but I am told that this is to be expected with new accordions and that it will become more “loose” the more it is used. There is a slight squeaky noise occasionally when I use the bellows button but it’s not a major issue for me. I bought the accordion on-line and I found the whole process easy to use. The accordion was delivered in a well-wrapped box and arrived in perfect condition on schedule. I’m a beginner/lower intermediate player and I’m very happy with it and I look forward to playing it for many years to come.

Good communication and flute arrived quickly. Nice quality beginner flute and Jack has been great at providing information. Now to hope can get to grips with playing it but free 3 months access to Tom Dooley lessons will at least get me on my way.
Would buy from them again

From the wonderful selection of instruments, to the reasonable prices, to the responsiveness of the staff, to Padraic’s delightful musical emails — getting my new mandolin from McNeela was a great pleasure. It made its way across the ocean in perfect condition, and I couldn’t be happier with it!

I ordered two whistles back in August 2025. But U.S. tariffs got in the way, and I ended up getting a refund. McNeela always responded so I knew it wasn't their fault. I asked about ordering in March 2026, and they assured me things were worked out with the tariffs. I ordered and got them in about one week. McNeela always responded to my emails the next day. And the whistles are beautiful. Thank you.

I placed an order for a tin whistle for our aging Dad who has been an avid whistle player all his life and has been recently diagnosed with Alzhiemers. Due to a special offer on the website I was worried my order would be delayed & not reach us in time for our celebration. I reached out to the team and they generously ensured my package arrived in time. Thank you so much for making an old sailor very happy

I placed four international orders from McNeela and the last was a real problem. McNeela did THEIR job as usual and got the bodhran to The States in 2- Days (and paid priority shipping and Trumps tariffs!). But FEDEX lost track of it here. Radio silence with FEDEX. The whole time it was stuck in customs for 2 Weeks!. McNeela sent the paperwork correctly but kept in constant contact. They did their job and continued to monitor it and sheperd the product through in spite of US Customs and FEDEX incompetence. I know of no other company that goes to such lengths
as McNeela to be responsible and keep the customer first. Above-and beyond in every way!

I ordered a C and D whistle…..really love the C after always playing a D. Really good quality and feel. My first order went missing and when I contacted McNeela they immediately gave me a choice of a refund or replacement. I opted for replacement as I was really looking to receiving the whistle. It still took close to 4 weeks but not because of them. Really worth the wait. And now I’m enjoying all of the multitude of whistle tones that they send out and the Masterclass.
Sherie

I've never experienced a set of whistles that can hit the upper octave with minimal breath support like the Wild. It's as if you will it, and it does the rest. Thanks McNeela!

I bought the Maestro violin from them back in January when it was discounted but due to tariffs and customs I couldn't get it, so they refunded me the money and then sent me a discount code so I could re-buy it at the same price. I did that and managed to get through customs. It sounds great and their support system is top-notch. They are very responsive and actually helpful.

We bought a beautiful flute for our son. It plays beautifully. He was very happy with it. We need some adjustments done afterwards and customer service was first class.

Warning for UK customers!!! If you spend £135 or more you will spend significant amount on custom charges. When adding items in my shopping basket, estimated costs were £133. However due to currency conversion I ended paying just over £136, this led to a custom charge of £47.17! It would have been good customer service if some warning had been given, but there was non. Item also arrived late, took 10 days. Happy with item itself but would definitely not use McNeela again.

I purchased an electric violin from them, when it arrived, the pickup was terrible and having it turned on within 3 meters of any electronics caused terrible oscillations through any output format. I contacted support, sent them videos went around and around with them, only for them to tell me it's fine and refuse a refund. Not sure how I'm supposed to play an electronic instrument that can't be around electricity, but I won't be ordering from them again.