McNeela Instruments Reviews 

454
TrustScore 4.5 out of 5

4.6

While we don't verify specific claims because reviewers' opinions are their own, we may label reviews as "Verified" when we can confirm a business interaction took place. Read more

To protect platform integrity, every review on our platform—verified or not—is screened by our 24/7 automated software. This technology is designed to identify and remove content that breaches our guidelines, including reviews that are not based on a genuine experience. We recognise we may not catch everything, and you can flag anything you think we may have missed. Read more

Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Considering 124 reviews, reviewers overwhelmingly had a great experience with this company. Customers frequently mention that the musical instruments are beautifully crafted, offering wonderful tone quality and a very satisfying experience. People also deeply appreciate the remarkably fast shipping times, secure packaging, and helpful guidance provided through extra online lessons. However, some reviewers were not happy with severe postal delivery delays and occasional communication hurdles during the ordering process. A few other people also felt that certain products required extra mechanical adjustments, professional setup, or brought unexpected import fees upon delivery. Consumers noted these minor setbacks can occasionally impact an otherwise smooth and pleasant musical purchasing journey.

What people talk about most

Product

Consumers find product to be positive, highlighting the exquisite details and precision craftsmanship of the... See more

Quality

Reviewers highlight positive aspects of quality, expressing immense satisfaction with the top-notch... See more

Delivery service

Reviewers express high satisfaction regarding the fast and reliable delivery service. Consumers frequently... See more

User experience

People report positive experiences with user_experience, highlighting a painless purchase process and... See more

Customer service

Customers had positive experiences with customer_service, highlighting professional, helpful, and responsive... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Just recently got back into playing the whistle and i wanted a d that was better than my old set but without spending too much in case I just stopped again. The mcNeela aerflo is perfect, nice overbl... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Dealt with McNeela Music twice, first bought a low whistle case last summer. Then, in november I ordered a keyed Irish flute. I hoped it would make some of the chromatics in Scandinavian folk music e... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I recently purchased the Cygnet Irish Rosewood Flute. WOW, I am so impressed! It is beautifully crafted and came in a very durable, nice case which includes a built-in hydrometer. I live in the U.S... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Stuart Evans I was inspired by the many YouTube videos from both Mcneela people and private players… specifically Shaun Laverty playing Slan le Maigh. When I received the Wild D whistle, I was not... See more



Contact info

4.6

Excellent

TrustScore 4.5 out of 5

454 reviews

5-star
4-star
3-star
2-star
1-star

No recent history of asking for reviews

This company hasn't invited customers recently, so reviews may not be representative

Replied to 50% of negative reviews

Typically replies within 2 weeks

How this company uses Trustpilot

See how their reviews and ratings are sourced, scored, and moderated.

4.6

All reviews

(454)

130 reviews in the last 12 months

Write a review
Companies on Trustpilot aren't allowed to offer incentives or pay to hide reviews. Reviews are the opinions of individual users and not of Trustpilot. Read more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Shocking Delivery Experience & Subsequent Customer Service

I write this review following multiple emails requesting a refund after failure to deliver, so they have had sufficient opportunity to put things right.
I ordered a whistle for a birthday present, paid express delivery (3 days) and was looking forward to receive my sale discount which I never received.
I am still awaiting delivery 27/9/25 wh8ch was the date of the birthday for whom it was bought and the tracking states its not moved from An post Irish Post since the 16th. Each time I requested a full refund including the express delivery surcharge this was refused stating that they could not issue a refund until 2/10/25 but agreed that An Post service had been poor.
If I could give a zero star rating I would.
I will never buy one of their products again. Shocking company!

16 September 2025
Unprompted review
McNeela Instruments logo

Reply from McNeela Instruments

Hi Philip, Thank you for your feedback. We’re very sorry for the frustration caused by the delayed delivery of your tin whistle. I can see your correspondence with our team, your order was shipped promptly but unfortunately got caught in widespread international postal delays affecting both An Post and ParcelForce after the new US trade tariffs came into effect in September. It was a crazy time, with most carriers in a state of paralysis, struggling to move parcels anywhere! As noted during our communication, we needed to wait for confirmation from the carrier before processing any refund, as required under EU consumer law and our refund policy. Thankfully, I can see your whistle was successfully delivered on 7th October 2025, so you did receive it in the end, much later than expected, and we understand how disappointing that must have been. We have since improved how we manage delays to make things smoother for customers in future.

- McNeela Team

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I bought the Liberty banjo as a gift…

I bought the Liberty banjo as a gift for my son. I know nothing about banjos but he's been playing for a while. I was super nervous because it was coming from overseas and sometimes things look way nicer on a website. It totally exceeded my expectations. It's gorgeous. All the details are exquisite and it's kind of a work of art. To me it sounds beautiful (I mean.... it's a banjo and it STILL sounds great to me so that's something.... sorry banjo players, please don't get mad that I said that). My son confirms it is an excellent instrument and he loves playing it. Sorry I can't give more details about how it sounds because I'm not a musician but he is and I trust his judgement. Also, the customer service with this company is amazing. I had a few questions and they answered right away, by real humans, not bots. The banjo was so carefully packaged and it arrived quickly, in perfect condition... I've never seen so much bubble wrap. I will definitely buy another instrument from this company. My daughter says she wants to learn to play Mandolin. I'll play my uke, we can be like the Partridge Family :) Thank You McNeela

2 April 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great Customer Service

I was very pleased with the way Daniele ,from Customer Service ,handled my concern. She really listened to what I said and came up with a very generous way to fix the problem.

24 June 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I am very pleased with my new mandolin…

I am very pleased with my new mandolin (A - style "Premium" in Sunburst) from McNeela Instruments. As a beginner it is perfect for what I need, and after set up, it has a strong, bright, and resonant sound. It is very playable. The "absolute beginners" book is good quality as well. The book is more devoted to bluegrass. The instrument sounds good when playing Bluegrass or more traditional Celtic/Irish songs.

1 July 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The start of a beautiful musical friendship !

From my first point of contact with McNeela Instruments I found the service provided exceeded my expectations. I purchased a Wren Concertina at Christmas and accessed the on line tuition. A beautiful concertina that is easy to play ! The after care has been incredibly supportive and I feel very valued as a customer. My experience as shown me that I can confidently go on and purchase other quality instruments from McNeela and receive exceptional after care. Very highly recommended.

24 June 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

My new favourite!

Purchasing an instrument on-line can be an iffy experience — especially when one has a good ear and wants an instrument that lives up to the claims made by the makers. My new A-whistle is absolutely beautiful in tuning, tone, weight and looks. I have a collection of whistles and the McNeela whistle is now my new favourite. Thanks so much to Daniele for the superb customer service after the initial shipping kerfuffle. You know how to raise the bar for customer support! I’ll be back ;-).

11 June 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

A Great Group of People Dedicated to Their Craft

I now have three instruments from McNeela Instruments -- 2 Irish flutes and a tin whistle -- and enjoy all three of them immensely. Research led me to them, and I'm very glad it did. Great quality, prompt delivery, and outstanding customer service. I recently traveled over the pond to visit their store in person. The visit confirmed all my positive impressions and more. A wonderful group of people who are dedicated to their craft!

4 June 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Honest service

My first time order with McNeela arrived (a bodhran case). The case was great quality but it was the wrong size. McNeela Music was prompt with a very satisfactory response that demonstrated their sound business integrity.

3 June 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

D Wild Whistle Purchase

I bought a D Wild whistle, which arrived in US very promptly. I was immediately impressed with the quality of the whistle and the canvas case. The whistle seems to be well tuned and beautiful and I was impressed with the comfortable heft of it. Not my first whistle, but a lot of time has passed, so I am taking the McNeela course, which appears to be very worthwhile.

13 May 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Disappointing customer service

Disappointing customer service. We received an out-of-tune tin whistle. Had to email a video as proof of tuning issues before returning the whistle at my own expense in order to receive a refund. When I pointed this out, I received no response from McNeela’s. The least I would expect is for the postage to be covered. Unsatisfactory customer service

28 March 2025
Unprompted review
McNeela Instruments logo

Reply from McNeela Instruments

Hi Anna,
Thank you for your feedback.

When we received the video you kindly sent, after reviewing it, we felt that the whistle you received did not meet our quality standards and felt it was best to offer you a replacement or a full refund.

We would also like to confirm that you were issued a full refund for your order. Additionally, we have now reimbursed the €4 return shipping fee to you via PayPal, my sincere apologies for the delay.
As part of our commitment to quality and customer support, we always ask customers to provide a video if they encounter tuning or performance issues. This helps us to assess the problem accurately and offer tailored advice or a possible solution.

Thank you again for your order and for taking the time to share your feedback.

Kindest regards,
Emma

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I have been very disappointed with the…

I have been very disappointed with the quality of the strings and also the after sales services.
I have bot the Virtuoso violin on 26th Mar which received the violin on 2nd Apr and the A strong broken on 6th Apr, I was very surprised if that's newly setup. the worst thing is when I wrote an email on 7th Apr, the services desk replied and told me the replacement would be sent right away, on today when I am writing this comment 2nd May, I still don't see any replacement which I am just living in London

2 May 2025
Unprompted review
McNeela Instruments logo

Reply from McNeela Instruments

Dear Arion.

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience, and please accept our sincere apologies for the frustration and disappointment you've encountered.

We completely understand how upsetting it must be to experience issues so soon after receiving your Virtuoso instrument, and we regret that this has overshadowed what should have been a positive experience.
We have looked into your case and we want to reassure you that every follow-up message you sent was responded to in a timely manner, and we truly appreciate your patience throughout this process.

As noted in our previous correspondence, the initial replacement A string we sent unfortunately appears to have been lost in the postal system—something that is, regrettably, outside of our control, but nonetheless very disappointing for everyone involved.

To resolve this, we promptly sent a second replacement string, which is currently en route to you.

The new tracking number is CA638718075IE. According to the most recent tracking update, the package arrived at Heathrow Airport yesterday (1st May) and is now making its way through the UK postal service. We are monitoring its progress closely and hope it will reach you very soon.

We care deeply about the quality of our instruments and pride ourselves on our customer service, so it’s disheartening to hear that we've fallen short of your expectations.

Please know that we are doing everything we can to rectify this issue for you.

Thank you again for your patience and understanding.

Warm regards,

Emma

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

McNeela wooden button accordions

Bought a 2 voice wooden McNeela Irish BC button accordion few years ago. It plays well and fast, and it has a nice soft sound.
Few years later I had some issue with a damaged part that needed a fix. I got the support I need from McNeela customer service and they helped me to resolve my issue. Thank you very much Emma for being so helpful!

3 December 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Incredible service & incredible product

Incredible service & incredible product

Really nice business to support with such great products. There was an issue with my address and they went to great lengths to make sure my order still arrived. Will buy from again. And I enjoy the newsletters with music to learn!

12 December 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Initially an incomplete item. Matter resolved.

I initially had an issue with McNeela. We bought an McNeela Digital Piano (Full Size 88 Key) and I realised that we were missing some small parts (fixings) and I couldn't get a reply from the company.

I am happy to say that once McNeela did get in touch we resolved the issue to our mutual satisfaction.

My daughter has been using the keyboard/piano daily since and is very happy. The keys are specially weighted to give the feel of proper piano and it works very well.

29 November 2024
Unprompted review

The Trustpilot Experience

Anyone can write a Trustpilot review. People who write reviews have ownership to edit or delete them at any time, and they’ll be displayed as long as an account is active.

We use dedicated people and clever technology to safeguard our platform. Find out how we combat fake reviews.

Learn about Trustpilot’s review process.

Here are 8 tips for writing great reviews.

Verification can help ensure real people are writing the reviews you read on Trustpilot.

Offering incentives for reviews or asking for them selectively can bias the TrustScore, which goes against our guidelines.

Take a closer look