Rudy was great to work with and made my daughters birthday perfect and complete. He was so knowledgeable and went out of his way to make sure we got exactly what we were looking for. And Josh was great as well. He was so easy to work with. Highly recommend a visit to Palen if you are looking to purchase a musical instrument or lessons. They have great staff and instructors.

We love shopping at and taking lessons from Palen. They’re always positive and helpful with anything we need. Highly recommend.

The staff at Palen is amazing! Very kind and hard working. Always taking time to hear your wants/needs and directing you to better options that aren’t out of your price range. Would definitely recommend for repairs, i got my bass repaired for low cost and in efficient time. Always looking forward to going into the store to sample pedals and other basses.

I’ve never had a bad experience with this place. The store is always well stocked with great things to inspire creativity and the staff are always willing to get you where you need to be. Without ever over reaching or trying to “sell” you. They are consistently helpful and friendly and above all try their best to create a relationship with their customers rather than a quick buck. Avoid the big box guitar shops and come by Palen to get a personal touch without any sales pressure or push.

Palen Music, the staff are very helpful,kind, and friendly. They welcome you with open arms! Great people! Thank you.

Best music shop in town, staffed by friendly and knowledgeable folks. Great selection of products at competitive prices. Service is fantastic and I have been a return customer for several years as a result. Austin Wilson is running a good shop over there.

The clerk that helped me was VERY helpful! She was concerned about assisting me in finding what I need and was clearly very knowledgeable, not only about music in general but also in what she had in stock. She was also a very pleasant individual. I will definitely give them repeat business.

Palen Music Center made it so easy for this first time band parent to get everything we needed! They automatically added the book and supplies requested by our program to our cart and got my son’s new trumpet to him so fast! Was so pleased!

Fantastic staff and customer service. Very relaxing and laid back environment. Lots of awesome instruments to check out. Highly recommend if you’re looking to find a nice acoustic or electric instrument to take home!

We had our instrument rental night at school last night. It was a smooth process and very informative. Palen Representative reviewed all aspects of renting to buying of an instrument. Very reasonable and would recommend to others.

Best place for guitar stuff in Mid-Missouri. INCREDIBLY helpful and knowledgeable, and friendly staff, especially Bradley and Elza. Capable of helping customers make an informed decision, without being pushy or overbearing. Excellent selection and fair prices for players just starting out, or for players whove been at it for decades. Palen Columbia, MO is where its at!

Only got a 4 star b/c of price to rent to own was a little pricey. Palen Music Center were great to work with very polite and had great info. Really wanted to help the child with their instruments.

I did not have an appointment. I walked in and asked to buy a baritone for my son and set up a lease agreement. Staff was nice and made sure I had everything needed for band. He was very familiar with my school and the current and past band teachers who taught there. I had a good expirence with them.

Good selection, prices are pretty standard. Great staff! Ezra went above and beyond the call of duty! Had some really nice guitars...

Came in looking for advice/help finding a good fuzz pedal, staff was super helpful and hooked me up with exactly what I was looking for.

Palen music is my favorite place! everyone there is just super helpful Bradley Hutchinson is the Best at helping me find what I want. Wont go anywhere else Palen Music is like a 2nd home to me where I can feel the most comfortable while enjoying my shopping experience.

It was such an easy process working with Austin at the Columbia, MO location. I was interested in purchasing a few guitars for veterans at the VA hospital and Austin worked with me and a few other contacts at the VA to put together an estimate for what we needed, he ordered it, and within a little over a week, I picked up everything from the store. Austin took the time to show me everything I was picking up. I highly recommend giving them your business if you are looking for anything in this area! Thank you again and I look forward to doing more business with Palen Music Center in the near future!

Went in to find cello rosin for my daughter. The same rosin on Amazon? $10.35. Palen? $3.99!!

The staff was very helpful. They made me feel at home.

The staff is a very pleasant group of people! Their love of music is quite apparent and makes the whole experience enjoyable.

Ehhhh decent. Couldn’t give me any room to haggle because I bought a “consignment” guitar. I got jipped by around 200. Nice employees but if they really wanted to do something maybe they would’ve??? They also said they would clean it up for me when I bought it but that didn’t happen... could’ve been happier. Atleast I got a free soft case :l

After several years away from playing an instrument Palen Music Center did a fantastic job of getting me set up with a flute. I was able to rent the instrument until I decided for certain. Would recommend any adult considering a re-entry to playing an instrument start here

I have been going to Palen for a few years now. They are my go to guitar store! They always have cool gear. The sales personnel are always very friendly and knowledgeable.I take lessons there as well. The instructors are very knowledgeable. They make guitar lessons fun and positive! Really a great music store!

Easy to set up payments. Cello was ready to go when they said it would be.

I absolutely Love the staff at Palen Music Columbia Missouri you would be hard pressed to find a more kind as well as informed staffThey are always ready to help quick with a smile or kind word and never comes off as fake. If you are looking for a particular piece of gear they are ready to get that gear in your hands...if its music your wanting to makePalen is the place....😎👍 Joe

Love this place!! Started out just asking some questions and buying strings for my guitar earlier this year....the staff was so helpful, I could do a phone order and pickup, and so I just kept coming in...last week I bought a cute Ukelele and then could not pass up putting a down payment on my dream guitar...I am so excited...thank you Palen for helping this gal reach her musical dreams!! The Palen Columbia team is really great!!

Representative was very professional and accomidating. Could use more than 1 at these school locations. Takes long to process everyone with only 1. Instrument was very good quality.

My two daughters have used Palen Music Center for their band classes, so we have to do it with our last kid joining music too, really happy with what they have to offer

I’ve been going to Palen for the last 4 or 5 years for essentially all my music related needs. All the guys there are super helpful and knowledgeable, and make sure to help you get whats best for you. But In the past few years, both Bradley and Elza have gone above and beyond time and time again and really make you feel like a part of the family. I would recommend that anyone who has any sort of musical needs go and support this local shop and the great work that the guys do there.

Whats not to like about the extremely helpful, friendly, and knowledgeable crew down at Palen Music? Elza, Bradley, Brent, the whole gang is always eager to talk about local music, show off the latest prize pedals, or just point you in the right direction to help solve any gear needs (or desires). Giveem a go even if you dont know what you are looking for... odds are they have it.

I received a text asking me to leave a review so I am going to be honest .I thought it was rather expensive for a school activity . I am currently searching other options.We participated in band at a different school and it wasn’t near as much to rent an instrument.

We’ve been coming in since day one of being a band and always had an incredible experience.

Palen Music Center- Columbia, MO saved the day!! We had an upcoming band concert and a middle schooler practicing hard when suddenly our saxophone was making terrible noises. I went at 10am opening and explained our situation and urgency to the staff, who could not have been more helpful and understanding. They shuttled it over to Ryan, their technician, who immediately identified the problem and fixed it. Knowing we had a concert coming, and a stressed out little musician wanting to practice, they were able to get it back to me the same day!! AMAZING. So thankful for these talented folks who love music and those who love music, too. Thank you!! Thank you!!

Staff very friendly. Process was smooth.

Good selection of merchandise and a knowledgeable staff. Thanks!

Austin was great helping us find just the right clarinet to help a high school girl living in poverty that lost her mom last year! Music is her comfort zone and since her current instrument was beyond repair this charity helped provide her a hand up to get her through this difficult time! Thank you, Palen Music Center-Columbia!

Thanks to Austin Smith for helping to make my Dream of Owning a Cordoba C-12 a Reality!Thankful that Central Missouri finally has a Cordoba dealer!Great Job guys!

Wonderful customer service! Excellent products. I would buy from this store again. I love ❤️ my new piano!!

Great place to shop school music instruments and supplys

PMC helped locate and order a music book I have been unable to find.

Super friendly and informative

Palen Music is a great Missouri family owned store that is full service for band and orchestra as well as the weekend/semi pro rock musician. Representatives who travel to schools each week are mostly all former music teachers so they have a great perspective to help teachers but most importantly parents. They seek to make sure they have an accurate list of what each school wants the beginner student to have when they start. The inventory they rent and sell is high quality meaning your student wont be sidelined much at all with something broken(if it does need repairs thats included in your rental and they provide a loaner during the repair)! If you would rather not come in person they can rent to you online and deliver to school for your child. They are following all current guidelines to ensure you get a clean and sanitized instrument. If youre a new band parent take the easy way and let Palen guide you rather than try to navigate it alone trying to figure out what all this stuff is you are supposed to acquire!

I have been a customer of Palen Music Center for 17 years and have always been treated fairly, helped efficiently and have been happy with every interaction. They truly care for their customers! I am now a band director and Palen Music Center has been a staple to our band program both in quality and service! They offer excellent rental and step up instruments for my students! Their maintenance and replacement plan is unbeatable As well as their repair! I will always suggest Palen Music for your instrument needs!

I have been a musician for over 35 years and been a professional musician at times. I have been to many different music stores over the years and do not enjoy high pressure sales tactics OR sales reps who know less about the products I am seeking than I do or who make things up just to make a sale!!! With that said, that was NOT my experience at Palen Music Center in Columbia, Missouri.My wife and I went into Palen (CoMO) today to put our hands and eyes on a specific Taylor Acoustic Guitar and an intermediate cello. I called ahead and made arrangements to come in and see some things with Bradley H. in the store. When my wife and I got there, Bradley H. was ready to help us. He had already pulled some items off the shelf for us to make sure they were ready for our visit. Bradley was knowledgeable, considerate, professional and willing to help us. He did not try to upsell us. Instead, he took the time to actually listen to our needs/wants and musical goals and find us the gear that would fulfill those goals. Bradley made us feel like the most important customers in the store. He took the time to answer all of our questions and let us play several instruments. In so doing, Bradley provided my wife and I with the best customer service experience we have ever had in a music store. Bradley did not pressure us, and seemed to have a good knowledge base of all kinds of instruments.Bradley worked with us on set-ups (included) and bottom line prices to get some deals that BEAT the online stores. When it was all said and done, Bradley and Palen helped us walk away VERY HAPPY having purchased a stunning, dark-stained, Maple Leaf strings Canonici Celestina 4/4 Cello Outfit AND a gorgeous Satin, Honey Burst finish Taylor 717e Builders Edition Acoustic Guitar. Both of these instruments have been our Dream Instruments for a while and we had no idea we would find them both in Columbia, Missouri, at prices, and customer service values that blew the doors off of the big online stores. It made my wife and I happy to shop local, too.Thank you, Bradley and all the Palen Music Center Family for making our music gear dreams come true.

Ive always been treated with respect and courtesy at palen music in columbia, mo. every service ive requested has been carried out perfectly for me. great bunch of guys and tremendous customer service...Ill be in soon!

They were so helpful!

I was just playing my newest Taylor Guitar....just happens to be a 12 string Grand Symphony Cutaway. Thanks to Nate White I’m a happy camper! Your service was great my friend. Love the sound this baby puts out! You guys have a awesome friendly staff that is such a joy to visit with every time I walk in your door. If you want to take lessons, these are the folks I’d see.

Palen Music has always been a pleasure to work with. They have a talented staff that really knows and loves music. As a company they are looking at ways to strengthen music education, by providing support and resources to teachers like me. Their rental program is easy to use and provides parents and students the tools they need to start down the road of success. The rental program also has a good variety of options to help meet the needs of a family budget. I also like that they can pick up broken and damaged instruments from the school, and in most cases loan out an instrument so the kids have something to play while their instrument is getting fixed and Palen’s repair shop. This really helps out the busy band director and busy parent focus on the kids rather than the driving the instrument to a shop. 5 stars all the way!

Outstanding service always!

Bradley is one of the nicest and helpful people I have met

Showed up at 10 am on Saturday and was warmly welcomed by all staff. Answered all of my questions and walked out with a new amp.

Wonderful store, nice selection and great people. Very kind, knowledgeable, welcoming and very helpful. Love the store and the vibe, I will he going back regularly. Thank you!!

I have worked with the staff at Palen for a couple of years and they have been easy to work with and very helpful! They provide quality instruments, and as a band director, this is extremely important for beginner students. Palen Music goes above and beyond to make sure students have what they need for band.

Great service

I’ve been working with Palen Music Center for 20 years. The product lines and service are excellent. I consider Palen an essential part of my school program.

I wish I could leave more stars. My experience at Palen Music Center was better than any other music store I have ever been to. The employees were incredibly kind, knowledgeable, and accommodating. They really got to know me as a customer, why I was looking for the guitar I was looking for, and how they could help make my purchase the best that they could. They helped me get an incredible guitar while staying in budget by taking off the tax and even giving me a free gig bag and tuner. I will definitely visit Palen again!

Great place and a lot of selection. Awesome employees who are always available for help and also very nice.

Very good service every time from them. They are always very helpful in finding what I need, even if its oddball equipment thats been long forgotten. Very friendly staff that are happy to let you try out instruments and accessories before you buy them.Im never disappointed walking out of the shop, because they will always try to help the best they can.

This is the most Awesome place...these guys know everything you need to know..great service and great prices...awesome with kids and instruments

Very nice staff members and clean and cozy store. Went in to have a guitar string fixed and they did so right away. I expected to have to drop off and return later to pick up! Very nice and quick customer service. Much appreciated. Will for sure be a customer again!

So thankful we chose Palen! I have 3 daughters. They were so nervous about having male instructors but they just love those guys. They have fun each time they are there! The front desk staff is great too!

Been doing business with them for 8+ years, always very helpful and good prices.

This is coming from a guitar gear customer!!!Ive been to a lot of guitar shops (my uncle actually owns one), and these guys are the most knowledgeable about gear Ive found in the state. Most of the time when I go into a shop, I know more about the gear they have than the guys selling it, but that isnt the case here. Best part about it is that they never push anything on you, and they let the product do the talking for itself. And let me tell you, the boutique gear and brands they carry are some of the best out there.

I cannot say enough about how helpful and friendly and easy to work with the folks are at Palen. Bradley, Nate, Alec and Tanner have been so helpful and kind to me throughout the years. I am not a phenomenal musician, but Ive never felt did anyone look down on me or treated me differently when I went in. If youre looking for a music shop to do all of your business, this is it!

The sales staff over here are great! Bradley, Elza, Scott and the team always work hard to get me connected to the right gear!

Excellent service and nice selection of instruments. I ordered something from there that was accidentally sent to the wrong store and they drove there to get it and bring it to me. Thats dedication to customer service!

These people are doing it right. Over the years I’ve bought 4 guitars, a synthesizer, cables, way too many guitar pedals, and just about every other music related odd and end you can think of. The experience has always been consistently the same- killer. Fair prices, flexible payment plans, and solid customer service. Today I had a last second emergency when the neck on my guitar shifted and I needed my truss rod loosened for it to be playable. Called Palen and Brent (the resident guitar tech) sorted me out in 5 minutes flat- with very little notice. It made a huge difference for me. Shop here!!!

I cannot express enough how helpful the staff are to my musical needs. I have bought two high dollar pieces of equipment and they are wonderful. I even had to have one serviced once and they took exceptional care of me. They really know their stuff and help without being pushy.

I buy all of my Gibsons, pedals, and accessories from Palen! Great staff, could hang out there for days! Highly recommended if you need help, or just want to pick up gear for a good price.

Just left this store. Not one employee offered to assist me. They were too busy yukking it up with their bros.Great selection, but Amazon has the same thing and you wont get ignored.Hint for local businesses; you want my business you should probably focus on customer service. You arent the only game in town.

Palen in CoMo is great. Great staff.

Super professional yet a kicked back atmosphere. Some music stores are so pretentious but its not like that here. They know their stuff and are so helpful and knowledgeable. Great prices too. Elza (not sure if I spelled it right) and Nate were awesome tonight. Well be back soon.

We went in to browse and get an idea of guitars for our young son who is showing interest. A very helpful employee took our son aside to get a feel of what music he likes and showed us some other types of instruments we never would have come across without his guidance. I was very impressed with his customer service taking time out of his day to share helpful info but without the pressure to buy that day. We will be back.

Ive known Nate and Tanner for quite some time and this staff has always been there for me no matter what gear I am looking for. Its a no pressure to buy environment and they know their stuff. Thanks fellas for treating me so professionally over the years!

They have a nice selection of instruments and accessories, maybe a little on the expensive side, but I dont have much to compare it to. However, customer service is great. I stopped in a couple months ago looking for some violin strings, one of the fellas grabbed a pack for me, I paid for it, and I walked out the door with it. When I got home I realized the pack was already open, and 2 of the 4 strings were missing. So, I got in the truck and headed back to the shop, hoping to at least get the 2 missing strings. Upon explaining what happened and presenting my receipt, the gentleman grabbed a box of the most expensive strings, (mine were the cheapest) and gave them to me, free of charge, as well as letting me keep the 2 strings that I already had. Im by no means a music shop aficionado, but I know great customer service when I see it. I will continue to spend money at Palen.

My son takes drum lessons here. Great place! Offers a lot of different things and the guys are great to work with. Just wish they had some used gear.

Very professional

Such good news today from my 🌟daughter Emma.She s been playing guitar for about three years and slowly progressing .She started taking lessons today for the first time with Jack Falby just today and when I got home from work she was so excited to tell me of how amazing her lesson was . Thanks you 🌟Jack Falby and Palen Music.

Always helpful when Im in store and always willing to give help, advice, or just talk music.

Great tech! Great speed. Great work.

The atmosphere at Palen is very friendly and fun. The staff is extremely knowledgeable and wants to help you, as their customer, leave knowing more about your instrument than when you came in.

One of the larger stores around Columbia and higher quality products in the area. Palen been around a long time. If want that dream telecaster or that Gibson Les Paul they have a large selection. Also a large selection of different types ofeffect pedals, and amplifiers. The staff their are very knowledgeable. Also Nate, and Ed their know their equipotent. The only thing they do not have is a repair center.

Good products, friendly knowledgeable staff.

We always feel welcome & at home, great family atmosphere, everyone is very friendly, helpful & knowledgeable.

An amazing staff! New, used, rentals, lessons!

Always fun to pop in for a look at the guitars!

Staff are extremely knowledgeable and willing to help.

EXCELLENT SERVICE

Nice guitars, good customer service