John is super nice and always takes care of me when I go in for any reason. Great store, great service.
Excellent experience here. John helped me set up my bass and put new strings on. He was super knowledgeable and helpful. Overall, good prices and selection. Plus there is a really cool shop dog that hangs in the store.
John adjusted my guitar’s action in minutes free of charge. Beautiful shop, amazing service, great person. Thanks John!
The store is nice, local and is very friendly. When I was in there, it seemed like a very classic guitar store but had some decent extra vibe to it. I actually saw signatures on specific guitars and thought that was pretty cool.
I noticed that a number of folks complained about the prices… yep they’re high. It’s a small mom & pop that would have a hard time competing with the Guitar centers of the world… But if you ask them to match the price… they will. I bought a few cymbals & a fender amp there… I asked them to match the price… no real magic.. Where they don’t quite make the grade is on selection compared to a Guitar center, hence the three stars.
Great atmosphere in the store, but I felt like I shouldn’t have had to pay $22 for guitar strings…
rude staff bad store no selection
The owner continuously hovered next to me, telling me how great his product was (which turned out to be hogwash), and hurrying me on, rather than allowing me to examine the merchandise on my own and come to my own conclusions. He bullied me into a sale and charged me a ridiculously high price for a poor quality, defective product that I wouldn’t have bought, had I been given the time and space to examine it on my own. It was an expensive lesson learned. This guy is more interested in money than he is in helping you get a good product at a fair price and earning your repeat business. I won’t go back here.
I remember years ago when this place used to be Abinante Music. My uncle used to manage it. I visited the store one time when helping a blind friend that does business with them on transportation to the store. After my experience with this store….. i will never return.
3. Redbox
Address: 425 Canyon Del Rey Blvd, Del Rey Oaks, CA 93940 , Del Rey Oaks , California , United States
Awesome place if you want music and especially vinyl. They have a great selection of posters which I grabbed on my last trip there.
Very friendly and knowledgeable.
All new vynyl. Not my cup of tea, though has a nice vibe. A lot of folks hanging out, discussing music.
I like Siren Record store. Their only product is new vinyl records (and a few posters). A big selection of albums, box sets and a few 45’s available. Just about anything new is here. Prices are competitive with other stores that might sell a few new records. My only real complaint is that records are priced on printed booklets available for viewing….which means you have to look up the price of anything you might be interested in. If your just casually looking through stock it can be a bit if a hassle. The disparity in record prices can be pretty significant from one to another. I tend to be a value shopper so it’s a slow process for me. Service is quite good once I’ve made my selections. Otherwise a great record store.
Nice selection of records. Pricing is a bit tricky. Have to look up the LP on a printed list to find its price. Kind of cumbersome to say the least.
Rude and seemingly dishonest.
HORRIBLE, THESE PEOPLE ALSO OPERATE INTERNET SALES UNDER THE NAME RAREWAVES US & RAREWAVES UK, EXPLAINS THE “F” RATING WITH THE BBB
Very good selection: all new and popular albums. After reading other people’s reviews I figured they’d be the same price online so I decided I’d check this place out. They were right in the sense that no vinyl had a set price on it. When you ring out, the cashier doesn’t even tell you how much each one is just tells you your total. They overcharged around $10 or more on every vinyl. It wasn’t until I had to ask the cashier myself how much it was that they gave me the correct pricing. Cool place I guess but because of the overpriced records, I recommend just buying them online as it would save you a considerable amount of money. Will not be returning.
5. KurtHeisig Music
Address: 512 Polk St, Monterey, CA 93940 , Del Rey Oaks , California , United States
We loved this shop. The owner was very helpful and knowledgeable about many kinds of music. An accomplished flutist, he also gave our daughter a tutorial lesson on the flute. We bought our daughter’s latest flute from this shop.
Kurt did a great job of overhauling the Selmer Series 9 clarinet I purchased on eBay. I had gotten a great deal on the horn, but it had been terribly neglected by the previous owner, and arrived in an unplayable state. I had hoped to at least be able to get a note out of it to see if it had a decent tone, so I could decide if it would be worth the money to fix it. Unfortunately, the horn was in such bad shape it wouldn’t even stay together. Since I’d had Kurt work on another clarinet in the past, and he’d done a good job, I decided to take a leap of faith and see if he could do anything with this one. I suspect he fixed it better than it was when new because at one point he’d completed most of it, and asked me to give it a try. It sounded fine, but he thought he could improve the tone by making some adjustments to the tone holes. He asked for my approval for the procedure since this wasn’t something we’d talked about beforehand, and he would need to physically remove a small amount of the wood to do this. When I returned to pick it up after he completed the procedure, the tone had improved significantly, and I didn’t need to blow as hard to achieve it. This was several years ago, and he’s fixed a few minor issues since at very reasonable cost- usually while I wait. I’m writing this review now because I only just found it was possible to write a review.
I’d like to add that Kurt and I play in band together. I knew he was a good player, but last semester I found out how good. He ordinarily plays bari sax in band, but last semester he was a featured soloist on alto sax. The kind of piece where the soloist plays at the front of the stage, and the band is merely the accompaniment. I told him after the concert that it was the sweetest sound I’d ever heard from a saxophone.
Kurt is incredible! I called Kurt to check out a new instrument I’d purchased on Ebay based on other reviews and his history with other esteemed musicians like Steve Adelstein and Claude Gordon, and I can’t put into words how happy I am that I did!
Kurt knows his stuff, and makes whatever is currently existing BETTER.
After meeting with him and looking over my newly purchased instrument, I decided to leave my older (yet loved!) instrument with Kurt to “freshen up” as well. He understands the instrument more than modern makers and corrected an ongoing issue other specialists couldn’t. He gets the physics involved in the instrument – it’s insane!
I also decided to take lessons with Kurt, since I’d played for a little over 20 years, but felt like I had plateaued. My first lesson was eye-opening. In the first two measures, he’d stopped me with suggestions on interpretation I’d never been able to think of on my own. Kurt doesn’t just teach how to play music, but how to interpret and portray music to an audience. He has completely lived up to my expectations, blown me away, and more!
Lastly, Kurt’s pricing is old school in the best possible way. My “half-hour” lesson is really the time it takes – some weeks, an hour; other weeks, two and a half hours.
Kurt cares about supporting up and coming musicians with the lessons of accomplished musicians. I not only get his guidance, but the guidance of those astounding musicians Kurt has had the honor and pleasure of working with. I am forever grateful for his knowledge and experience!
Thank you, Kurt!
I find this to be a gem of the Bay Area. The owner is extremely personable, knowledgeable and is a business I have no problem supporting by patronage.
Kurt is flute knowledgeable and that is remarkable. His experience lies in Saxophones as he is an experienced player.
Don’t get trapped in a 2 hour conversation you won’t want to have.
6. Recycled Records
Address: 604 Lighthouse Ave, Monterey, CA 93940 , Del Rey Oaks , California , United States
Nice little record shop with a good selection and a good price range.
I love to come visit this shop each time I come down to Monterey. I can usually find something of interest every time I come.
This place is amazing, a small business that deserves support. There’s a wide variety of CDs, albums, 45s, plus a decent selection of DVDs and (even) 8-track tapes (!), all reasonably priced. My son insists we visit there every time we’re in Monterey, I readily agree.
Good finds today, appropriately pricing.
Small but well curated offerings.
Nice old style used record store. They do have a few new issues but it is first and foremost a used retailer. Records are not in sleeves for the most part so many have wear from shoppers thumbing through them. Prices are ok. Some good bargains and some a bit over priced. If your looking for some lost treasure you might want to check it out.
I guess it depends on what you’re looking for but this place doesn’t hit it for me. Prices are high – especially on the “collectible” records. Which BTW are kept separately from the jackets so if you want to look at something, you have to ask. They seem nice enough but it doesn’t wow me.
No. Don’t go to this place. First off, I couldn’t find anyone to help me for 10 minutes. When I did get help, the owner is cranky and isn’t friendly. I asked for help and he blew me off. Not to mention, the store was messy and it smelled. I won’t come back.
If it weren’t for the fact that I traveled more than 2 hours to visit Monterey and then spent 2 hours looking through the store, I wouldn’t have given a dime of my money to this shop. I have never encountered another human being with such a lack of common decency as the owner of this record store.
7. Trading4s Studio
Address: 1516 Hilby Ave, Seaside, CA 93955 , Del Rey Oaks , California , United States
Hear & Now sound production did a phenomenal job of producing our Earth Day celebration! This was the first time in our twelve-year history to have a professional sound crew and it took our annual celebration to the next level. Kevin and his team were professional, knowledgeable, and totally dedicated to creating a beautiful vibe for our community gathering. The program included speakers, a jazz combo, a youth chorus, dancers, and a high-energy Trashion fashion show. They did an excellent job of keeping the jam-packed, three-hour program on schedule, and kept the audience of approximately 500 engaged throughout the afternoon. I look forward to partnering with Kevin and his crew next year and I highly recommend Hear & Now sound productions for any event.
As a producer of the recent (April 15, 2023) hugely successful Monterey Museum of Art’s Inaugural Block Party, I am writing to say BRAVO to the Hear & Now AV team. Kevin and his team handled the sound set up, quality and running of the music stage for our 4-hour outdoor event. Not only were they effective and efficient for the performers (from solo music to spoken word and dance to large groups of 8 musicians), but I got many compliments from the 3000 plus guests and vendors that the sound balance was great throughout. Not too loud, but crystal clear and full sounding. MMA will be back again next year with Hear & Now Monterey as a partner in successful production!
Honestly, super impressed and appreciative of Kevin and his crew! We ran a banquet in a gymnasium and they spruced it up with some great lighting and audio, which made the evening that much better. Also, their quotes came in at a much better value than many others in the area. Highly recommend!
11. Music Zone
Address: 3112 Del Monte Blvd, Marina, CA 93933 , Del Rey Oaks , California , United States
always like coming here as the store has good variety. also, really nice and helps me out when I would like to make a request.
nice local record store, great place to buy spare guitar strings too!
This store has a wide variety of CD’s, cassettes, and vinyl records to choose from. And while the selection is great, I felt as if me and my aunt were ignored by the owners and/or workers in this store. It felt as if they didn’t even know we were even there and did not even mention anything as simple as a hello or anything. They were simply too busy talking with others about other things. It confuses me since others who entered the store were greeted upon entering, but me and my aunt were not acknowledged at all. Me and my aunt ended up leaving without buying anything, but that shouldn’t prevent you from checking out their store, there is a great selection of music there, I just did not like the experience that we had.
12. Bookmark Music
Address: 307 Forest Ave, Pacific Grove, CA 93950 , Del Rey Oaks , California , United States
I’m happy I found this music store in town!
Sweet nice guitars for sale and tons of music books and accessories like tuners, guitar strings, drumsticks, composer wands.
They have a very good selection of ukes to pick from and were very helpful in assisting me in making my choice. They have done a superb job of quality control so all their ukes are set up very well. Thanks
The rumors about a gremlin infestation are true. This store relies on gremlin labor to avoid paying benefits.
Great selection. Very friendly and helpful.
Good selection. The customer service may be poor at times, so I would recommend having an idea or a list of items to support your search efforts. The sheet music is very disorganized, so I would plan to spend a few extra minutes searching for genre labels.
Great music selection for classical music. Friendly service.
Required to sanitize my hands before entering her shop. I did not enter her shop! ( Had my vaccine, both.)4/12/23 No one wearing a mask in shop. There was no greeting hello etc just pointing to a bottle of sanitizer and saying you need to sanitize your hands first. I have been playing for 30 years and never handle someone else’s guitar or musical equipment unless my hands are washed. Just flat out rude. Seemed more concerned with flirting with the person at the counter. This is why more and more people are ordering on line. I always give locals in Pacific Grove first shot at my business and if a bad experience like with you , I order on line. Because of on line business, store ownes should be going above and beyond. On line is providing better prices, service and slection. Will be going to Amazon for my musical needs. As I was leaving your store I found a bag of marbles just outside of your door? Look familiar?
13. New Dawn Studios Film-Hd Video
Address: 2700 Garden Rd, Monterey, CA 93940 , Del Rey Oaks , California , United States
Really nice selection of used records, much much better than your average booth at an antique mall (and rivaling some other close-by shops). All genres are mixed in a simple A>Z format.
Condition for the ones I looked at (and bought) was quite good, and prices are fair. Can’t say how often they re-stock, but it was a nice dig on a quick visit from out of town!
15. Acoustic Spanish Guitarist Music Weddings – Jay Alvarez
Address: Pacific St, Monterey, CA 93940 , Del Rey Oaks , California , United States
I got a vary good deal on a drum set,david who works there is the man!!!!
They sold me an excellent instrument for my school band.
Me gustaría que subieran fotos de mas acordeones porfabor me interesa uno para mi esposo y ber los precios Dios le bendiga
Hh
Son amables
I have gone in there 4 times in the last six weeks. Recently, I took up the trumpet again after being away from the instrument for 30 years. I bought myself a student model that has worked well these last few months but now I am looking to upgrade my trumpet from the student model to a King Silver Flair 2055t. As I stated above, I have gone into this establishment several times, explained what I was looking for and was told someone would call. Nobody ever has. With customer service like this, I find it to be simply amazing that they are still in business. The only reason I gave them one star is because I can’t give them zero.
…
You say that you have tried to call me but yet there are no messages on my phone. I will not contact you again and I certainly will not ever be back in your store.
I walked in and I had to say hi to them because the two men standing there just stared at me without saying anything. I got a weird vibe from this place. Definitely not stepping foot in this store again.
Mal servicio!…….que decepción, antes había otra personal amable que te ayudaba! El nuevo ni siquiera te saluda. Iba comprar una guitarra con amplificador pero por mal atencion me fui a otro lugar, Nunca volvería a ese lugar, tienen que atender bien a los clientes.
18. Whackabilly Music
Address: 1056 Seventh St, Monterey, CA 93940 , Del Rey Oaks , California , United States
She’s so much fun and perfect for kids of all ages. I used to watch her perform when I was a little girl. Unfortunately I don’t live in the area anymore so my son hasn’t yet had a chance to see her. I highly recommend buying her music and seeing her perform.
20. Real to Reel Recording Studio
Address: 679 Redwood Ave ste d, Sand City, CA 93955 , Del Rey Oaks , California , United States
