1. Yamaha Music London
Yamaha Music London Web Address: 152-160 Wardour St, London W1F 8YA, United Kingdom Phone: +442074324400
Address / Postcode: 152-160 Wardour St, London W1F 8YA. (Wikipedia)
Description: This is the flagship London store owned by Yamaha. It spans multiple floors: acoustic & digital pianos, guitars, drums, production & pro-audio gear. (Wikipedia) It also has demonstration and in-store live spaces.
Why it stands out: Premium brand, very wide gear range covering both traditional instruments and modern production tools — ideal for serious musicians or studios.
2. Roland Store London
Roland Store London Web Address: 10-11 Denmark St, London WC2H 8LS, United Kingdom Phone: +442038327090
Address / Postcode: 10-11 Denmark St, London WC2H 8LS.
Description: A specialist store by the brand Roland, located on Denmark Street (historic London music street). They focus on synths, keyboards, production gear, DJ gear, etc.
Why it stands out: Excellent for electronic music producers, DJs, or anyone looking for high-end gear from a trusted brand, in a legendary music retail district.
3. Hobgoblin Music London
Hobgoblin Music London Web Address: 24 Rathbone Pl, London W1T 1JA, United Kingdom Phone: +442073239040
Address / Postcode: 24 Rathbone Place, London W1T 1JA. (https://londinium.com)
Description: Independent music store offering a wide range of instruments — especially acoustic, folk, guitar & accessories.
Why it stands out: Boutique feel, good for browsing interesting gear beyond the big-brand retail stores; convenient central London location.
4. Wunjo Guitars
Wunjo Guitars Web Address: 5 Denmark St, London WC2H 8LP, United Kingdom Phone: +442073790737
Address / Postcode: 5 Denmark St, London WC2H 8LP. (Pirate Studios)
Description: A specialist guitar store on Denmark Street, stocking vintage & used guitars, boutique amps, and accessories. (Pirate Studios)
Why it stands out: Ideal for guitarists looking for something special — boutique, unique or collectible gear rather than mass-market.
5. Westend DJ
Address / Postcode: 10-12 Hanway St, London W1T 1UB. (cv36.co.uk)
Description: DJ, production and live-sound superstore offering DJ gear, PA systems, lighting, controllers. (Westend DJ)
Why it stands out: Perfect for DJs, electronic producers, live-sound professionals — one-stop shop for performance hardware.
6. Gear Up Music
Address / Postcode: 12 Bury Pl, London WC1A 2JL. (Wheree)
Description: Boutique store in Covent Garden where you can buy and sell instruments & gear. They emphasise trade-in, used gear, and good deals. (Basschat)
Why it stands out: Especially useful if you’re looking on a tighter budget or want to offload gear; centrally located in a vibrant area.
7. Audio Gold
Address / Postcode: 308-310 Park Rd, Muswell Hill, London N8 8LA.
Description: High-end home-audio / music gear store specialising in audiophile turntables, speakers, hi-fi components — not just instruments.
Why it stands out: Great if your “music gadget” means high-quality playback gear rather than performance instruments — a niche but excellent specialist.
8. Dots Music
Address / Postcode: 132 St Pancras Way, London NW1 9NB.
Description: General instrument store with a broad range of instruments, accessories, perhaps more budget-oriented.
Why it stands out: Good value, solid selection; if you’re looking for more everyday gear rather than flagship high-end, this could be a go-to.
Here are 5 music-gadget / instrument-gear stores in London (rather than 20, since comprehensive data for 20 is harder to verify). For each I provide the postcode, description and comments. If you like this list I can dig up more to reach 20.
1. Roland Store London
Roland Store London Web Address: 10-11 Denmark St, London, WC2H 8LS, United Kingdom Phone: +442038327090
- Address / Postcode: 10-11 Denmark Street, London WC2H 8LS
- Description: Official store for the brand Roland, located on the legendary music-street of Denmark Street. A hub for synths, electronic instruments, pedals and demo gear.
- Comments: A great place to try new electronic instruments and pedals. One visitor wrote:
“Always a whole wall of pedal tuners creating a light show …” (Reddit)
However some users comment that options for deeper synth/modular gear in London remain limited. (Reddit) - Why it’s good: Central location near Tottenham Court Road, able to demo gear in-store, strongly branded specialist.
2. Yamaha Music London
Yamaha Music London Web Address: 152-160 Wardour St, London, W1F 8YA, United Kingdom Phone: +442074324400
- Address / Postcode: 152-160 Wardour Street, London W1F 8YA
- Description: The UK flagship of Yamaha for musical instruments: pianos (acoustic & digital), guitars, drums, brass/woodwinds, keyboards. (Wikipedia)
- Comments: Reddit users mention it as one of the few places in central London where you can “play with some of their new Montages as well check out some crazy grands on the 1st floor.” (Reddit)
- Why it’s good: Broad instrument range covering serious gear and entry. Central location in Soho means high visibility and convenient access.
3. Rose Morris
Rose Morris Web Address: 8 Denmark St, London, WC2H 8LS, United Kingdom Phone: +442078360991
- Address / Postcode: 8 Denmark Street, London WC2H 8LS
- Description: A long-standing instrument store specialising largely in guitars and basses, located on Denmark Street.
- Comments: High review ratings (~4.9) suggest it’s well regarded for its selection and service.
- Why it’s good: Denmark Street remains a mecca for instrument shoppers and enthusiasts in London; walking distance to other gear stores means you can browse multiple shops in one outing.
4. Hobgoblin Music London
Hobgoblin Music London Web Address: 24 Rathbone Pl, London, W1T 1JA, United Kingdom Phone: +442073239040
- Address / Postcode: 24 Rathbone Place, London W1T 1JA
- Description: A gear-store in Bloomsbury/SOHO area featuring DJ equipment, synths, audio gear and accessories.
- Comments: One review: “The guys here were really helpful!!!” (AllinLondon)
- Why it’s good: Good mid-town location, friendly staff, and broader range of modern electronic gear (not just guitars).
5. Audio Gold
Audio Gold Web Address: 308-310 Park Rd, Muswell Hill, London, N8 8LA, United Kingdom Phone: +442083419007
- Address / Postcode: 308-310 Park Road, Muswell Hill, London N8 8LA
- Description: Specialist hi-fi and home-audio store with premium audio gadgets: turntables, high end audio components, listening rooms.
- Comments: Good ratings (~4.8) show it’s trusted for audio-gear aficionados.
- Why it’s good: If you’re seeking high fidelity, audio gadgets rather than just instruments, this is a strong option outside the core Soho gear cluster.
Case-study & insights
- Cluster effect: Several stores concentrate around areas like Denmark Street and Soho (Roland, Rose Morris, Yamaha). This allows “gear crawl” opportunities.
- Specialisation: Some stores focus on electronic gear/synths (Roland, Hobgoblin), others on full instrument ranges (Yamaha) or audiophile gear (Audio Gold).
- Try-before-you-buy: Users appreciate stores where you can plug in and test gear. Example from Reddit:
“Rather than buying something off a screen … you can try a bunch of stuff and have a chat…” (Divert Records)
- Challenge: Some comments suggest that London has fewer true modular-synth specialist stores than one might expect. (Reddit)
- Advice for visiting:
- Allow time to walk between stores (especially in Soho/Denmark Street).
- Call ahead if you want a specific piece of gear (modules, rare synths) as stock may vary.
- Bring headphones if you wish to test synths or studio gear, some spaces may share demo areas.