Discover the top 20 music shops in Brookdale

Robie takes great care in the repairs he makes on all of my fractional size instruments I give to kids I work with in SLV. He also really know his fiddles and made some modifications to two instruments that made then sound 10× better.

Robie’s Fiddle and Banjo Shop is the only place to go in the Santa Cruz Mountains for expert handcrafted repairs and to purchase beautifully refurbished instruments.

For reference, I am a private piano teacher with a BA in music. I play both classical and jazz piano and play multiple hours of piano every day.

I cannot recommend this store enough. I had Jeff Potter tuning my pianos for years as I rented houses and went through free pianos over many years. He became too busy and recommended his apprentice, Robin Whitehouse who is also amazing and whos passion really shows when he talks about the history of the pianos, his knowledge when tuning, and general love for his job.

When I moved out of California and finally purchased a house in Nevada I drove back to CA and visited many large piano stores. The state of the pianos I saw was pitiful. Brand new pianos that were not tuned, overpriced old pianos that needed A LOT of work.

Then I went to Santa Cruz Piano. I tell people it is like if you bought a used car from a mechanic(SCP), versus a used car lot(big piano stores). Robin took an hour out of his day to show me around and let me play all of the pianos, telling me about each one until I settled on a Yamaha C7. I loved every piano at their shop, and would have been happy with ANY of them! I cannot say the same for the stores I had visited previously, where I might be only content spending way too much.

After fixing out the financial details, I paid to have it moved from Santa Cruz to Nevada. This was maybe 6 months ago and I can still say I have not played a piano I like more.

Please, if you are piano shopping, compare the pianos at SC Piano to any “used car lot” style piano stores and I promise you will be glad you did.

super knowledgeable, great value

Jeff was great! Super helpful… knowledgeable and pleasant. Not at all pushy.

Knowledgeable and friendly staff. So Santa Cruz

These guys are a lot of help. Good prices on guitars

I recently went to rent a violin for my 12 year old. The guy helping us was very helpful and the price was fair. Overall it was a nice experience.

Great music store you’ll never know what you’ll find here prices are great

Starving musicians can’t afford this place. Some cool things on the shelf.

first time to this location, as i usually go to the one in santa clara, near where my parents live. it’s always a cool store to go to with cheap and funky stuff as well as some new stuff.

service is always a good balance of courteous without being obtrusive. you can try out instruments without being bothered or harassed, but you need to be cognizant of not being that guy who cranks up and just noodles unnecessarily.

there isn’t a lot of stock these days, but that’s with nearly every music store. the santa cruz store had some cool yamaha revstar guitars, which were pretty cool. also, the location is near a bunch of other things within walking distance, so you can spend a few hours walking around and doing stuff.

OUT OF BUSINESS! This was a regular stop for me for years, whenever I would be in Santa Cruz (4-6 times a year). I see a mention of “Guitar Center” (?) on this thread….ugh! “Another one bites the dust” 🙁

WAS a 25 year vet of yhe santa clara store
Never again, Santa Cruz .
Since the new location attitude is all you get.
They knew clearly my purchase history and would not do business.
I never post, iim making an exception for these rude children.

Pretentious rude and condescending lol blows my mind

These guys are incredible

Amazing first class acoustic instruments!

My husband and I went on a mission to find his perfect guitar for a big birthday for him. I can easily say after visiting numerous music stores in the greater SF Bay Area (including the infamous Gryphon in Palo Alto) that Sylvan Music is by far the best music store for guitars, ukuleles, violins, etc. in the greater SF Bay Area. There are numerous reasons for this – (1) they have the broadest and best selection of guitars from beautiful boutique handmade guitars, such as Santa Cruz Guitars and Goodall Guitars, to more widely known and distributed guitars such as Taylor, Martins and more affordable entry level guitars, (2) they leave you alone and let you play the guitars (or any of their instruments) you are interested in for however long you’d like (after nicely checking in with you to see if you need any assistance), (3) there are numerous places in the store where you can sit and play, (4) the staff are friendly, knowledgeable and just all around awesome, (5) they have the best Luthiers who prep the instruments and do repairs for customers and (6) they are a Santa Cruz local legend being there for 40 years with an laid back and great vibe despite the extremely costly inventory. In addition, they have the best selection of Ukuleles from basic affordable to handmade Hawaiian Ukuleles.

We ended up finding my husband’s truly perfect guitar and a beautiful Hawaiian Ukulele for me at Sylvan Music. We could not be happier with the choices, service and people with whom we interacted. If you are a musician of a guitar, ukulele or other stringed instrument (check out their website), Sylvan Music is a destination in its own right and when you leave, check out the handmade chocolates just a few stores away and then take a trip to the beach! Finally, their location is easily found and there is ample parking just behind the store.

They sold me a great guitar and made it play awesome.my grandfather recommended this store and I’m proud to State he was correct. I had to trade up and spend more and take it back in a few (3) times and make sure I got a good deal (that’s why four out of five stars) but they eventually made me a proud owner of a great guitar.

Super nice and my violin looks great with jts new strings

Its a good place to get strings… Cost a little much for me

Customer service was poor, but we had the constant attention of the owner constantly asking if we needed something, as almost they had the suspicion of us stealing. This is a guitar store only and ukuleles. The orchestra instruments are only available to rent. Both of the employees were very annoyed with our presence. We left very quickly as the store was unsettling.

Not helpful with violin, violas, cellos. Not recommended for those looking for set ups or bow rehair.

The old guy with grey hair is RUDE and Stingy. T

Drove in from Idaho. Heard the place was legendary. Went in to buy a Santa Cruz guitar, had 6k of cash in my pocket. Indeed there is nice stuff in there, but the arrogance of the employees is a joke. All of them huddled around the computer or on their phones. Asked the kid at the front desk a question about a pedal and he just stared and went back to his phone. Lame. I will find another place to buy a Santa Cruz guitar. Do not waste your time.

cool relaxed shop with great customer service

Best music store with kind instrument technicians for repairs… beautiful quality guitars ✨

Walked in by accident while visiting Santa Cruz just because I love guitar shops and trying guitars in general. What a fortunate discovery ! After a couple of minutes looking at various second hand guitars, Dave (the owner I guess) engaged in a very friendly and somehow nicely surrealist discussion and ended up letting me try a few of his old Martins from the 50s and 60s which obviously I couldn’t afford but it was one of these great moments meeting random people who happen to be great persons. For the mood and the guitars but obviously for the people inside this shop is definitely a great place for musicians.

So very dissatisfied buyer beware

Tried to sell some guitars and other music equipment here on consignment. When it had been a couple months and nothing had sold, I went in to get the equipment back and sell it on craigslist. They had “misplaced” both of my guitar cases and all three guitar cables, which they gave me a little bit of cash for as a consolation. They did sell my digitech but did not pay me for almost two months from when it sold. Some of the employees are super helpful and this may be a good music store in some aspects but the lack of integrity in the consignment department made me feel obligated to let people know to avoid it.

Lousy customer service. every time I go in there to shop, I get kicked out of rooms, or asked to move from a certain spot. I’m a customer too!

New start up! Friendly people

Frank and Kathy are super helpful and knowledgeable. I won’t go anywhere in town.

Great atmosphere, very helpful and I love the fact that you can try out the items. Thank you for your excellent service!!

Knowledgeable owner also repairs guitars

Only place that has a great selection of Blueridge guitars. Some are all solid wood.
Also has nice electrics. No one else has Blueridge like this place.

after 6 years of living in Santa Cruz, I decide to visit. checked hours on google here. drive over and they are closed for 2+ weeks. maybe I’ll visit again in another 6 years. seems a great way to build your customer base. why didn’t you post that you are closed on google?

Is this place closed for good? I’m here during hour but it’s closed

The Pavane arrangement is just superb. A very thoughtful and inspiring arrangement with subtle lines and harmony well displayed all along the work. In my opinion, the best rendering of the piece, even better than orchestral and camera arrangements I’ve listened to. Congratulations to those incredible pianists and long live Brillante Piano Duo!!

“Your website is outstanding. It’s beautiful and easy to navigate. The entire process of choosing music, purchasing and downloading was quick and easy. I especially like that you have readily accessible recordings of the music. That is so valuable. The photography and videos of your music were wonderful.” – Merla

Best public relations in the trade! They actually write back! The music is beautiful, with passages for both players to shine. I bought O Holy Night to play with my son and can’t wait for Christmas. Now, could we have How Great Thou Art in 4 hands 1 piano?

When you are ready for a Martin acoustic,this is the place to go.The staff knows their product, and they won’t be happy , until you are happy.My guitar of a lifetime was the Martin HD-28.If you are looking for a fine instrument, Richard,Tom,and the rest of the Union Grove staff,will be there to help you. I’ve bought a Martin vintage 12 string,and my new HD-28 in the last two years. Great instruments,and a great store.Thanks for being in Santa Cruz !

They’re really nice and knowledgeable. Got a mic stand for my Theremini and they throw in an adapter for nothing! Definitely will do my future purchases here, it’s local and it’s better than online shopping in every sense.

All the guys and gal is always friendly and extremely knowledgeable. Every time I go here they have been very helpful, resourceful, and honest. I’ve gone in a couple of times wanting one thing and asked them about it, but they recommend something that will work better for what I’m looking for and they’ve always be right about why the other item is better than the one I wanted.

Staff is always friendly. Wish there was a little more selection.

The kids loved it!

Very knowledgeable staff. The prices are a little higher than other stores around for the same item, but they also have more higher end items. Almost exclusively guitars, very little of any other instrument.

I’m an older woman who plays electric guitar. Have purchased top-line new guitars there and sold some equipment there, and they did the job. But I have never been comfortable there. The boss is angry, curt and dismissive and the staff doesn’t seem relaxed or happy. There are unwritten rules about how long you can stay, what you can touch etc. Not for me any more.

I really tried to give this place a chance. When I ask for help, the staff gives me the distinct feeling that I am wasting their time. The selection is not good, and quite frankly I did not feel welcomed any of the times I have gone there.

I called asking to hold a guitar I really liked a lot until I could get there THAT SAME DAY…they said ok, no problem, it is on hold only for me. When I arrived THAT DAY a salesman said they sold it THAT MORNING. I felt very disappointed.