At Route 7 music, you will find 14 teachers, 10 student teachers, 400 students, 1.6 guitars to every student, a staff with treble clefs for pupils and some truly remarkable service. Route 7 can set you up with a new instrument, teach you how to play it and send you to HotRod 6-strings Custom Shop around the back if you need a repair. Route 7’s inventory is stellar and the staff’s collective knowledge is through the roof, but no one will ever push you for a sale.

“This is a player’s shop,” said owner Phil Forbes. “We don’t work on commission here, so if you don’t buy something, we’ll live another day.”

There are a few guitars at Route 7 you won’t find anywhere else. They are the only Fender dealer in the area and one of five Benedetto guitar suppliers in the entire United States.

“You really have to be able to play jazz to carry the Benedetto,” Forbes said.
An avid guitarist himself, Forbes was granted Benedetto stockdom with the aid of friend and fellow jazz guitarist Joe Beck. Route 7 also sells Martin guitars (now in their 175th year) Eastman, Gretsch, Schecter and Heritage guitars, the original Gibsons. The company changed over in 1985, and aside from a new name, the only difference between the two guitars is that the Heritage costs one-third the price of a Gibson.
Route 7 also carries drums, keyboards, amplifiers, rental instruments and the full gamut of accessories. You can also find rare and vintage instruments in their ebay store, which can be accessed through the Route 7 website,rt7music.com. Lessons are available for guitar, bass, drums, piano, violin, saxophone, vocals or anything you’re looking to study. A month’s worth of weekly sessions costs $125, and you can take a trial lesson for $29.
    Forbes has been teaching since he was 19 and has been playing guitar since he was 14. Forbes admits he started late, but once he did begin to play it was serious, and he was practicing for 12 to 13 hours a day. Early on he studied with Sal Salvador, who then sent Forbes to jazz master Johnny Smith for lessons.

“Chick Corea sometimes called while I was there,” Forbes remarked. Forbes graduated from the music program at WestConn and has studied and collaborated with many of the greats, including John Abercrombie and Joe Diorio. “I am always learning,” said Forbes. “I have no ego, no preconception about my playing. I’ll never be done.”

All humbleness aside, Forbes is an extremely knowledgeable and dexterous guitarist. He has written two books, one on the seven-string guitar and another that many of the Route 7 instructors use, “Guitar Concepts for the Beginner”. Route 7 has been around for seven years in various locations. In 2001, Forbes taught out of a condo down the road, but as time went on his student base outgrew the space. Route 7 eventually became a place to buy instruments as well as take lessons, and even now Forbes is eyeing the space next door to create more room for the crescendo of business.
Route 7 offers a number of unique products and packages: Chris Tatalias, owner of HotRod 6-Strings, runs a five-day Build Your Own Guitar camp, where 8 students are instructed in building their own Stratocaster. The cost is $399, and the guitar comes with a strap, gig bag and a discount on lessons. Plans are in the works to offer the camp once a month.

For youngsters who want to play, Route 7 offers pint-size guitars with four lessons for $95, thanks to a partnership with i95. And if you like ice cream, you can get a coupon in-store for a few scoops of RocknRoll at Il Bacio Ice Cream on Germantown Road.
Whether you’re an aspiring musician, a seasoned professional or you have a mysterious desire to stare at rows and rows of beautiful guitars, Route 7 Music is definitely a place you should visit.

Route 7 Music is located at 355 Federal Road in Brookfield. Give a call at (203) 775-6377. Doors are open Monday through Thursday from 11am to 9pm, Friday 11am to 7pm, and Saturday 11am to 4pm.