MUMBAI: Musician shopping for instruments could be equivalent to a woman shopping for jewellery-sacrosanct. Thus, reaching the right dealer turns out to be extremely important. Mumbai has multiple shops and manufacturers of musical instruments that cater to all kinds of music. Let’s have a look at the top five.

Furtados Music : Now owned by a Goan Family since 1959, is actually an iconic chain of shops for musical instruments, with a presence in Mumbai for over 150 years. It has five branches in Mumbai itself, and many across the nation. There is nothing related to music that you won’t find in here. From pianos to cable wires, the range is awesome. There isn’t a music aficionado who hasn’t been here.  They have two specialised branches-Furtados BX and Furtados Keys. BX has specialised and limited editions of guitars, while Keys have everything to do with harmony. Also, you can grab your instrument and go learn at Furtados Music School itself.

Haribhau Vishwanath Co: A trusted name in the realm of classical music, Haribhau Vishwanath is one stop solution for all kinds of Indian Classical Music. Beyond buying instruments here, one can go there for consultation, maintenance, repair of a damaged instrument. Also, they don’t only manufacture or repair but also export classical music instruments across the world.

Haridas Vhatkar : A family that is into making only one musical instrument, tabla hails from Miraj and tabla making is their family business. The first two generations manufactured tablas from Miraj itself. However, the third generation with Haridas Vhatkar made its presence in Mumbai. Haridas was brought to Mumbai with a desire to make tablas for the God of tabla, Ustad Zakir Hussain. He came to Mumbai and started working with one of the oldest instrument makers in Mumbai Hari Bhau Vishwanath. Slowly his talent got recognised by every tabla legend from Ustad Allarakhaji, to Pandit Yogesh Samsi. Finally, his dream came true when Ustad Zakir Hussain asked him to make tablas for him. Today, he is the “go to” person for every table player-established or budding.

Bhargava’s Musik : Known for their excellent customer relations, Bhargava’s Musik is one of the oldest musical instruments chain stores in Mumbai. It offers a wide range of instruments from western to Indian. The chain is known to guide a novice with their first purchase of the instrument. Apart from offering instruments like Piano to Ukulele and Indian instruments like Sitar and Dilruba, Bhargava’s Musik is known for post-sales upkeep of the instrument too. Located in Western and Central Mumbai, Bhargava’s Musik is the most sought-after dealer for a musical instrument.

SoundMonk Musical Instrument Store : SoundMonk Musical Instrument Store, is one of its kind, to have both E-stores as well as a physical store (apart from Furtados). SoundMonk has a range of instruments at affordable prices. They are also the authorised dealers for Boss, Roland, and ESP.  The instruments, accessories, and a drop-down menu to rent the instruments too makes this brand one of the most loved ones among musicians.