Contents
- 1. Music Go Round
- 2. Geddes Music Brentwood
- 3. JAMS Music
- 4. The Starving Musician – Berkeley
- 5. The Starving Musician – SANTA CLARA
- 6. Subway Guitars
- 7. Music Village
- 8. Berkeley Musical Instrument Exchange
- 9. Lamorinda Music
- 10. C & L Music
- 11. Music Village
- 12. Tall Toad Music
- 13. Union Grove Music
- 14. Guitar Wars
- 15. Park Avenue Music Center
- 16. Guitar Shop
- 17. Guitar Center
- 18. Music Exchange | Piano Store in Dublin, CA
- 19. Ingram and Brauns Musik Shoppe
- 20. Keith Holland Guitars
1. Music Go Round
Address: 944 W Robinhood Dr, Stockton, CA 95207 , Dogtown , California , United States
Phone: (209) 473-6868
Assessment: ★★★★☆
4.3/5 based on 197 evaluations.
Site web: http://www.musicgoroundstockton.com/
Business hours:
Reviews
Super friendly and a wonderful guitar lessons. Also you can buy used instruments. We bought a drum set there..loved it.
Just bought another cool guitar! Ya gotta keep going back, always different stuff! Great staff.
Always what you need for a fair price
Do not purchase from this store! (see update below)
I purchased a product online and was told that it would be priority shipped via usps (1-3 days). I called each day to ensure they had actually shipped the product ande the staff outright lied to me. The product did not even leave the store until 4 days AFTER They lied and said they shipped it and was not shipped priority.
The product was ordered in PLENTY TIME to arrive on time for the event but because of the employees incompetence and outright lies the event was ruined.
**UPDATE**
After speaking to the store manager they were able to provide a partial refund which considering the situation was a reasonable offer. I have made this a 3 star review as there is clearly still an issue with the way staff handle shipping though I think that this will probably improve with some training and better internal communication.
Small store with new and used musical equipment. Repairs and lessons available.
Limited selection.
Limited selection.
It is okay but does not have a great selection But the economy is not great right now People are nice friendly needs to improve.
They took 5 days to ship a small package. The label was created but the package was not given to USPS until 5 days later. I called on the 3rd and they told me USPS had not picked it up. I called again on the 5th day and they told me the package was dropped at USPS the day after the purchase which is a lie. Take responsibility for not shipping the item instead of bluntly lying.
This place is a ripoff. The tubes for my $700 amp cost $130 a set and they offered me $200 for this tsl601 marshall
Went in to get a few items, the service was mediocre at best. Guy behind the counter was not friendly at all. I hope his day gets better.
2. Geddes Music Brentwood
Address: 625 1st St, Brentwood, CA 94513 , Dogtown , California , United States
Phone: (925) 634-6684
Assessment: ★★★★½
4.7/5 based on 17 evaluations.
Site web: http://www.geddesmusicstore.com/
Business hours:
Reviews
Everyone is so friendly and helpful..
We bought an electric guitar for our granddaughter and they helped her out with trying each one until she was happy with the one she was getting.
Thumbs up to this business and we will be back…
We bought an electric guitar for our granddaughter and they helped her out with trying each one until she was happy with the one she was getting.
Thumbs up to this business and we will be back…
Awesome staff, great prices, wide selection of guitars and other instruments new and used. Go get some strings or a guitar or something. Gotta support your local music store
Friendly and well stocked music store, central location for the Brentwood area. Some gems of guitars, too! Nice stuff.
Nice local music shop, helpfull employees and good product
3. JAMS Music
Address: 7282 San Ramon Rd, Dublin, CA 94568 , Dogtown , California , United States
Phone: (925) 828-5267
Assessment: ★★★★½
4.8/5 based on 208 evaluations.
Site web: http://www.jamsmusicdublin.com/
Business hours:
Reviews
Excellent service and work adjusting my Taylor acoustic. Fast too!
Fantastic selection of guitars, great pricing, great customer service. Best music shop in the tri valley
We brought a guitar from them. Very helpful people.
Repairs typically take 10 business days but staff is relatively knowledgeable and they have a wide selection of material
I have been bringing my guitars here for a few years , the guitar tech is knowledgeable and conscientious. I learn something new each time I’m there, I would consider him one of the best in the bay area. The Staff knows the products they carry and is friendly.
It’s helpful to have a store like this in the area, but service leaves something to be desired. Customers should be served in the order they come in, not based upon how pushy they are. A simple “who’s next” goes a long way
Brought a bass with a maxed out truss rod to see if they could put a spacer in it. Their repair guy called me a few days later telling me that the truss rod was fine, and that it just needed a proper setup. I go get it and in the shop it looked fine with the action a bit high but okay, but when I got home I discovered that it was tuned half tone down, so no wonder it was fine: less tension, less bow. When properly tuned it still had the problem. So, don’t trust your repairs or setups to this store.
We’ve heard good things about this place so we thought of giving it a try. We went there to rent an instrument but they said the one they have is being repaired. We asked for a return call once it becomes available so we can get it. Five days later and still no call so we decided to call them. Then they said it’s no longer available as someone else already got it.
4. The Starving Musician – Berkeley
Address: 2474 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94704 , Dogtown , California , United States
Phone: (510) 841-2648
Assessment: ★★★★☆
4.4/5 based on 184 evaluations.
Site web: http://www.starvingmusician.com/cart2
Business hours:
Reviews
Had some questions about an Amp today and was quite pleased with the responses because did some investigation afterwards and the staff were completely correct. Also was fortunate to hear some really good guitar from a gentleman inside. Playing before buying I’m sure. All around Great Experience!!
great off brand guitars, and a great number of yamaha acoustics and electrics.
I went to 2 GC locations recently for V5 5a Barrel Tip sticks, and they told me they were ‘discontinued.’ I knew this wasn’t true, and Starving Musician had em. Lots of good gear at great prices, knowledgeable staff with real local rep.
Friendly local shop
I sold a guitar that I’d bought for $250, but I only got $40 for it. At the time, I needed the money badly enough that I took it.
Large selection of lower end guitars and basses, plus strings, cables, band instrument supplies and pedals. Some cool used amps, but the guitars are garage band quality. Prices are not so competitive, and I’m not sure if the service here warrants the extra expense. But if you want to avoid the Guitar Center corporate thing, this is your only real alternative in Berkeley. Well, there’s Subway, but that’s really on the fringe.
Wanted to stay and check out the store, but this is the most pretentious place I’ve ever been in my entire life (with the exception of one of the employees with a fro. He was cool). Lacked good vibes.
Went to see if they have any used amplifier I was talking with my friend for a little bit then the guy came to me and said they don’t have any inventory I was looking for, and he asked me to leave the store using body language, some one told me to go and check if they had any used amplifier but they ask me to leave the store for no reason
I won’t recommend this store if you’re not going to face same issue
This is not a place to go if you’re looking to be treated well and want to be able to take your time with choosing stuff like guitars or other instruments. My friends and I have gone in a few times looking at guitars to possibly buy, and have also spent a few hundred dollars there collectively in the past few months, but at this point I would give negative stars if I could, because the owner is just a huge jerk. He kept rushing us saying things like “ok five minutes guys” and “I’m trying to run a business here so you cant stay if you’re not gonna buy anything” about 10 minutes after I bought $70 worth of stuff! He also claimed that I was taking up time he could be using on other customers, even though none of us asked anyone working there for help. There were only 2 other people in the store anyway! There is almost no space to walk in this store and if you accidentally bump into stuff the owner will get mad at you too. Basically there is no getting along with him and it has ruined my experience there to the point that there is no point in going anymore. He has done this kind of stuff before but this time he was even more rude than usual. I dont think that the owner understands that most people want to look around before they spend several hundred dollars on something. Ive tried to be polite to him in the past but I just can’t anymore. My friends and I have been treated with nothing but hostility by the owner. The employees are very helpful and friendly but the owner clearly doesnt want to deal with anyone who stays in the store for more than a few minutes. You’ll have a much better time going to the Guitar Center at the Emeryville public market. The staff are much more friendly and there is a much better selection of stuff with comparable, and often even better prices. Once again, the employees of the starving musician are very friendly and helpful but that’s not enough to make up for the rudeness and hostility of the owner who is almost always there.
5. The Starving Musician – SANTA CLARA
Address: 3939 Stevens Creek Blvd, Santa Clara, CA 95051 , Dogtown , California , United States
Phone: (408) 554-9041
Assessment: ★★★★½
4.6/5 based on 763 evaluations.
Site web: http://www.starvingmusician.com/
Business hours:
Reviews
My favorite music store. Staff are always friendly and helpful. Bought my Seagull acoustic guitar, a nice hardshell case and many other things at this store, which is now even closer to where I live in San Jose.
The best when you’re looking for musical equipment new and used.
Good place for buying selling music equipment quick service and fair deals
Not so pleasant experience
Extremely helpful staff, you may shop here without pressure to buy
I would say that there a lot of good stuffs conpared on other guitar store
I brought a 1956 Fender Villager 12 string guitar to the Starving Musician in Santa Clara on Stevens Creek today. They were very impersonal very opinionated and basically told me that the guitar was not from 1956. They offered me 100 for the guitar and case. I told them they were wrong that I looked up the instrument online and it’s worth a lot more . Basically The older man and the younger guy both mishandled the whole appraisal. They never looked up the serial number . I went to Guitar Wars on Senter Ave in San Jose and they looked up the serial number on line and said it’s from 1956 !! They offered me 200 credit or 175 cash. TWICE AS MUCH !!
No one offered any help their instruments were dirty
I was selling piece of equipment that I called in about prior to going down there and when I got there didn’t have the right equipment to just machine up so it was a big waste of time and gas
6. Subway Guitars
Address: 1800 Cedar St, Berkeley, CA 94703 , Dogtown , California , United States
Assessment: ★★★★½
4.6/5 based on 101 evaluations.
Site web: http://www.fatdawg.com/dawgpress/
Business hours:
Reviews
I haven’t been there in nearly 30 years as I live in Maine and don’t get to CA anymore. However, I visited there once and ordered a 9 string guitar! It was made from NOS parts and featured a Danelectro long horn body and Silvertone neck. It had a single coil in the neck position and a humbucker with coil splitting in the bridge. The extra strings were double course on the G, B, and E strings. I had it for a few years and finally traded it although I probably should have kept it. They did a good job assembling it; it just didn’t sit very well in my lap. But if you want a cool one of a kind guitar, these guys can build it for you!
Amazing place !
Very friendly and feels cozy.
Great eclectic collection of older guitars in a small shop. Fun to place to browse and friendly laid back atmosphere to try different guitars.
I can’t decide whether it’s great or shocking or ?? that a place like this can still exist in the 21st century… from a business standpoint it’s a mess (the guy who helped me didn’t seem to know where anything was, not surprising given the chaos of their nonexistent filing system), and the ambience is definitely vintage stoner (the guy did take time to talk to me about what needed doing to the guitar, which was nice). I was a little dubious of whether they’d ever be able to find my guitar again, let alone perform the service needed within a reasonable time frame, but amazingly, he called me two days later and told me it was ready to pick up, and they did a good job for a very reasonable price, so clearly something’s going right. They also let me take the guitar trusting that I would mail them a check because I didn’t have enough cash (which was unnecessarily nice of them) and because they don’t take credit cards (sweetly vs frustratingly (?) antiquated). I mailed them the check the same day, and it was cashed shortly thereafter, but they just called me to ask whether I had mailed them the check yet, so, again, see comments above re: the filing system. Not the usual bright shiny Customer Shopping Experience you get at more upmarket places, but definitely a breath of fresh air in its own grubby eccentric way 😉 Recommend to anyone who dislikes shopping malls.
Amazing shop. These are real pros. I had the pleasure of going in there once time in person for a decent $500 purchase and would do business there if i lived in the area (or even passed through regularly). I used to look at the old webpage and drool. But then a few years ago i was looking for something in particular .. they used to have shipping containers full of stuff they would go through or so they claimed… so I called to ask for a callback if they ever came across something. I felt very condescended to while staff member wrote my contact info in ‘the big book’, talking to me like i was a 5year-old asking Santa for a rocketship. Nothing crazy or rare, just a specific mainstream model from the 60s. Three months later after no call back, the exact guitar i was asking about appears on the webpage and had been sold before I saw it. oh well. i was ready to fly a cross the country to come pick it up, and haven’t looked at the webpage since until today and was reminded of this. love the shop, but will also feel forever miffed.
Too small to really try out a guitar, lots of loafers. Did not see any amazing vintage guitars, mostly beater guitars in terrible shape. As I was leaving, someone managed to pull themselves away from a very dismal conversation to ask me if I needed any help 🙂
Sorry, a major flunk.
Sorry, a major flunk.
One positive- I did notice a few nice vintage tube amps…
I talked on the phone with fatdog from North Carolina. We agreed to meet at the shop on Tuesday.
So, I spent a total of 80 bucks to just get out there and back. Not counting the cross country flight, hotel ,etc.
Fatdog said he had many options for me due to bone cancer in my right arm. 5 SGs to be specific.
Fatdog was not only not there but the guy working there couldn’t get him on the phone and knew nothing about the inventory.
I found one worthless SG.
Most of what I saw were pieces of crap.
Too bad because musical instruments should be fun, amazing……etc. I don’t need mint.
Sorry, I can’t stand those who show no respect to cancer patients with limited time in this beautiful are.
Spend your hard earned money elsewhere.
Same old shack it’s always been. Weird cast off parts that are comically installed. Rectangular pickups in trapezoidal routs? Place is the epitome of a junk shop. It’s like visiting a zoo where the zebra is a spray painted donkey.
7. Music Village
Address: 5885 Santa Teresa Blvd, San Jose, CA 95123 , Dogtown , California , United States
Phone: (408) 629-1812
Assessment: ★★★★½
4.7/5 based on 126 evaluations.
Site web: http://www.musvil.com/
Business hours:
Reviews
I stopped by for information on a repair job. They provided excellent information and additional resources for work not offered here. Music Village is a great resourse for South Bay musicians.
Beat Music store ever.
Has great collections and well received and guided
Smooth
For all your music needs. They also have great gifts for your music lover.
I was looking to see if they sold used musical instruments. It may be my older age holding me back, but I couldn’t easily find the information I was looking for. Other music stores have websites that seem easier to navigate, to me.
Overall staff could be a bit friendlier and way more professional. To start, the older gentlemen working here can be a bit stuffy. Once I asked one of the guys behind the counter who was ringing me up(short dark blonde hair, blue eyes, about mid 20s/30s[not the guy with a beanie]) if he could process payment for two items separately(I am a teacher and frequently purchase books for my students and have their parents reimburse me), and he loudly let out an exasperated sigh, letting me know he was clearly annoyed, then asked if he could just make two copies of my receipt in a somewhat indignant tone. There is also one very elderly gentlemen who is very, very quiet and seems to not like eye contact and/or smiling. An incident I should also mention is that once when I paid at the counter, a different male employee(I believe his name is Luis) told me I was “very beautiful” as he handed me my items and receipt. It made me extremely uncomfortable because I am not there to find a date, nor am I interested. Very unprofessional and neither the time or the place. As a teacher, I just want to be able to take my time browsing the store comfortably without worrying about whether an employee is eyeing me. That was the last straw for me-being that this is the closest sheet music store to me at a 20 min drive, it was pretty much my only choice aside from the Branham location. However, nowadays I make the extra effort to drive 15 more mins. to the Branham location instead-friendlier staff, and I don’t have to worry about employees checking me out while I’m browsing the shop.
8. Berkeley Musical Instrument Exchange
Address: 2923 Adeline St, Berkeley, CA 94703 , Dogtown , California , United States
Phone: (510) 548-7538
Assessment: ★★★★½
4.8/5 based on 38 evaluations.
Site web: https://berkeleymusic.com/
Business hours:
Reviews
Very nice select of Acoustic, hand made, and folk guitars. I loved the website, these look like great instruments.
Just bought two guitars, a Montalvo flamenco and acoustic Guild. Love the friendly service and low key atmosphere. Not many choices but great quality.
Best guitar shop in the East Bay. William, the shop owner, is straightforward and goes out of his way to ensure that you find the best guitar for you. Fair prices and you can tell he isn’t just trying to sell you an instrument that isn’t the right fit. Very willing to support with repairs or adjustments, even months after a sale. Highly recommend!
Nice little used instrument store. Really neat to see the workshop visible in the back.
9. Lamorinda Music
Address: 81 Lafayette Cir, Lafayette, CA 94549 , Dogtown , California , United States
Phone: (925) 385-0963
Assessment: ★★★★½
4.9/5 based on 136 evaluations.
Site web: https://www.lamorindamusic.com/
Business hours:
Reviews
The staff is very knowledgeable. They are experienced musicians and know what they are talking about. We needed help with a clarinet, they had the part and help put it on. No problems! I have told several other band parents about this place. I’ll be back.
So helpful with taking care of our instruments (guitar and flute.) Wonderful service!
We needed help in choosing an instrument for our daughter. Boy were these guys helpful. Not only do they know what they’re doing, they’re super friendly. FYI, if you rent an instrument from them, it’s done “rent to own”. They also rent out music studios to teachers so your kid can come here and take lessons.
Sam has helped us out to pick right a digital piano for my girl. I know nothing about the instrument, so he put enough time to explain all the options for us.
I was wonderfully helped. For a small shop it had a decent selection and decent prices
The place has helpful staff and great collection of musical instruments.
Boo
10. C & L Music
Address: 2395 Monument Blvd # B, Concord, CA 94520 , Dogtown , California , United States
Phone: (925) 686-6122
Assessment: ★★★★½
4.5/5 based on 65 evaluations.
Business hours:
Reviews
Very friendly employees. Pretty reasonable rate for renting a trumpet. Cannot complain and i highly recommend this place.
They are honestly the most friendly helpful people. They can fix basically anything wrong with any type of instrument you play.
They even replaced my bari sax key pads for free when i took it in to fix a whole different problem it had!!
They even replaced my bari sax key pads for free when i took it in to fix a whole different problem it had!!
Magnifica tienda de tesoros.
The store was better before Covid. It was all open and had a large selection. Now they have most of the store closed off and the lights aren’t all on. Call before you go to make sure they have what your looking for. The owners are knowledgeable.
Great place for kids in school music programs and musicians beyond that age.
I was happy until the saxophone broke 3 weeks after renting it. I thought We were getting an instrument in good shape but apparently it was not the case.
Also, the lady at the store is very nice until you ask them to expedite the repair process or question them why they take so long to fix the instrument that never should have broken in first time if it was inspected and sterilized not too long ago.
She was a rude on the phone and she just think that talking to my daughter’s teacher will solve any inconvenience. It does not, because my daughter can’t practice without the saxophone so the one that they should be concern is about my girl missing practice time and getting behind. Sad moment for a middle schooler
Also, the lady at the store is very nice until you ask them to expedite the repair process or question them why they take so long to fix the instrument that never should have broken in first time if it was inspected and sterilized not too long ago.
She was a rude on the phone and she just think that talking to my daughter’s teacher will solve any inconvenience. It does not, because my daughter can’t practice without the saxophone so the one that they should be concern is about my girl missing practice time and getting behind. Sad moment for a middle schooler
Cranky old man with no concept of customer service.
Deserves zero stars. Can’t go in the store. All they offer are a few junky used books outside. Only good as a walk up window if all you want is a box of reeds. I won’t be returning and won’t be recommending this dive. Go anywhere else.
Complete trash, terrible sevice. They don’t have a wide selection of books that actually matter when trying to become a great musician. Over priced on everything, buy everything online. They don’t know how to properly repair instruments. I took ina saxophone that I bought from them and they didn’t fix everything. I told them the pads were sticky and they didn’t fix them. Quality of the instruments they sell is extremely low. I wouldn’t recommend to people that actually care about creating music.
11. Music Village
Address: 2971 Union Ave, San Jose, CA 95124 , Dogtown , California , United States
Phone: (408) 377-2504
Assessment: ★★★★½
4.7/5 based on 96 evaluations.
Site web: http://www.musvil.com/
Business hours:
Reviews
My son wants to start learning guitar and my family had an older guitar that needed new strings. Eesha at Music Village was incredibly helpful at helping us determine what strings would work best for my son in that he was just going to start learning. Most impressively, she was able to restring the guitar while we perused all the musical offerings the store has to offer. Eesha even cleaned the guitar up after restringing it! The price of the new strings and service fee of getting it restrung were also very reasonable.
Best music books place around here
These people do good work and offer excellent customer service. Even when they don’t have an answer, they take the time to find out and research it. Support your local businesses!
Good place to get guitar strings
I completely trust these guys with my guitars. Caleb has done incredible set up and repair work for me for years. I play aggressively and my guitars stay in tune perfectly. He’s a musician as well and understands how to make guitars perform at their best.
Helpful staff. Good vibe. Massive selection of sheet music books and I saw books on topics like electronic music production. One wing of the store is a music school.
I recently rented a flute for my son. My son tried the flute at the store and it seemed ok. My son came home and practiced it and it had problem. We went back and they tried to repair. My son went to the class and the Flute teacher said that the Flute is leaking and asked us to return it. I rented it on Sat. and returned it on Monday. The still charged even though we mentioned that the flute was bad.
DO NOT RENT FLUTE FROM HERE. Also they charge very high for repair charges. I compared our son’s flute for repair between their shop and another shop. They were expensive by $200.
I will neve go back there.
12. Tall Toad Music
Address: 43 Petaluma Blvd N, Petaluma, CA 94952 , Dogtown , California , United States
Phone: (707) 765-6807
Assessment: ★★★★½
4.8/5 based on 21 evaluations.
Site web: http://www.talltoadmusic.com/
Business hours:
Reviews
Very helpful and very knowledgeable staff. Really dig the customer service.
It’s my favorite vintage shop. I’ve been going here since I started playing, 20 years ago, and they’ve always been very kind, welcoming, and have the best selection of cool vintage and new instruments. I stop in whenever I can.
Wonderful customer service
I don’t much like these guys. I worked right around the corner from them and saw them regularly. Fake would be a good way to describe them. Also the manager told me I could drop my guitar off (his idea) before they opened because I wouldn’t be able to leave work until after they’d be closed. I brought the guitar by a week later before they opened and he didn’t remember me. He gave me an attitude, just staring at me and pointing at their open time printed on the window. If you’ve got a personality best kept to a cubicle in the basement maybe you shouldn’t be involved in customer service, in any capacity.
13. Union Grove Music
Address: 1574 Soquel Dr ste g, Santa Cruz, CA 95065 , Dogtown , California , United States
Phone: (831) 427-0670
Assessment: ★★★½☆
3.8/5 based on 22 evaluations.
Site web: http://www.uniongrovemusic.com/
Business hours:
Reviews
I love it
Good
I love this place. The guitar repairs are superb and nobody knows vintage instruments like these guys.
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 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.
Came in with a fat wad of cash to by a new guitar and the older woman that is always there walked up to me and said, “If you aren’t going to buy anything you shouldn’t be in here.” My guess is she assumed that, based on my appearance, I was just another 20 something about to play all the guitars and leave. This is was not the first, but it was the last time I received bad service there as I have never returned.
14. Guitar Wars
Address: 4110 Monterey Hwy, San Jose, CA 95111 , Dogtown , California , United States
Phone: (408) 226-2562
Assessment: ★★★★½
4.5/5 based on 39 evaluations.
Site web: https://www.facebook.com/pages/GUITAR-WARS/340055712789806
Business hours:
Reviews
The selection is pretty great for the size! The owners are friendly and knowledge and the prices are fair! Stop by to just see what’s new!
There a amazing good price there service are amazing I’m going to start going there again there deserves more then five stars
Definitely go here for repairs and pedals. They have a small (but nice) guitar selection. I took my Bullet Strat in for an upgrade, they definitely improved the playability with the setup, and my new pickups were installed for a great price. Took my SG in for the same treatment, definitely looking forward to the results.
Really diverse selection of mostly used equipment. Old and new, some good or interesting finds. The staff was friendly and helpful. The store has star wars themed decor throughout–not just a poster or millennium falcon model here and there, but really well done doors, panels, counters with lights and effects built in and hiding all over the place, some was near movie set quality. It’s a fun visit. There’s quite a bit of stuff around, so you have to look hard to find the gems. The strip mall it’s in had a very sketchy feel, but I’m glad I went in.
Very small guitar shop, but friendly owner and fair prices. Came across some nice Teton guitars in here and had to pick one up. These guys are the only local Teton dealer.
They sold me a $60 guitar amp for $135. Then they forgot to send me the chord that comes with it. Then they have the balls to send me a chord that won’t even reach my wall outlet.
Do not trust this shop they sell broken gear online and deny refunds even though the items are described as working. Horrible shop.
They sold me a amp on reverb in “excellent condition” covered in dust scratches and buzzing sound and denied me a refund not trust worthy and doesn’t knew what excellent means.
15. Park Avenue Music Center
Address: 1717 Park Ave, San Jose, CA 95126 , Dogtown , California , United States
Phone: (408) 279-5100
Assessment: ★★★★☆
4.2/5 based on 50 evaluations.
Site web: http://1717parkmusic.com/
Business hours:
Reviews
Great time @ Park Ave. Music. Picked up some horns for my horn students to try out. Eric was a great help!
Large brass inventory. Parking a bit tight.
He was very nice and kind to me. There was a problem with my son’s trumpet. I brought it to this store, and he repaired within minutes.
The instruments are great. The attitude and service are not so much. Maybe it was just a bad day.
Nice small music store that had a French horn we could rent. They were very helpful in helping to find a private teacher and have lesson rooms adjacent to them.
Stefen did a wonderful job getting my Strat set up. Plays better than it has in years. Looking forward to continuing to have my guitars worked on here and I highly recommend Stefen for any work you need done.
Drove down to make a purchase, but the store decided to close early–even though we had discussed with an employee we would be coming down to buy a clarinet. I’d phone ahead and get strong assurances they will actually be open if you’re driving any distance.
Park Avenue sells defected/used items as ‘new’. Do not buy an item from here and expect to return it if you find a problem with it. They tried to charge me over $500 in a ‘restocking fee’ for an item that they shipped. Claimed they had photos of it undamaged but they never provided them. Had to file a credit card fraud report against them to recover the funds they decided to keep.
Waited 3 weeks for a trumpet mouthpiece for it never to ship. I called to get assurance I’d get it before my gig and when I called back they told me it still never left the store so I had to cancel the order. They didn’t even care to contact me to give me details about the issue. Save your time and buy elsewhere.
16. Guitar Shop
Address: 926 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95062 , Dogtown , California , United States
Phone: (831) 454-8692
Assessment: ★★★★½
4.8/5 based on 59 evaluations.
Site web: https://guitarshopsantacruz.com/
Business hours:
Reviews
Took my Tele in for a setup and Steve had done a wonderful job, he’s a real pro. He’d been recommended to me by More Music and had recommended him to a friend (who also had a rave review). Steve helped me out a few years ago getting some humbucker covers I needed, he didn’t have to do that. I’ll be a customer for life.
I purchased a Taylor 814ce in 2013 and always felt that it just wasn’t quite right. I took it to the Taylor certified shop in Palo Alto a couple of months ago to see what could be done and was told that there was nothing wrong. A couple of weeks ago I found Steve Crisp at his “The Guitar Shop” and after talking with him brought it in for his opinion.
He went through it and the result was that I now feel like it plays and sounds like it always should have. I feel like I have a new guitar! It plays like butter. It sounds great. I couldn’t be more pleased.
These people absolutely rock. I highly recommend this place for all your instrument’s needs. To not give this place a shot to take care of even the small things concerning even a violin is folly on your part. Their knowledge is extensive. I have a 1963 Gibson EB hollow body bass with all of the original wiring, and these guys made it sound like it was just built. Awesome place!!!
Professional
Nice little place, a little slow on the customer service.
Quality merchandise, was surprised how low some of the prices were.
Recommended.
Quality merchandise, was surprised how low some of the prices were.
Recommended.
I had the feeling that this wasn’t a legitimate business. The guy knows his guitar strings and he didn’t rip me off or anything, but I won’t visit again.
Didn’t return phone, email/website inquiry from a week ago…nobody is that bitchen. At least return a message letting me know you’re to busy and cool to accept more business work…
17. Guitar Center
Address: 3677 Stevens Creek Blvd, Santa Clara, CA 95051 , Dogtown , California , United States
Phone: (408) 249-0455
Assessment: ★★★★☆
4.2/5 based on 1707 evaluations.
Site web: https://stores.guitarcenter.com/ca/santaclara/222?source=4GOA5AJBA
Business hours:
Reviews
Great service
Nice associates, rn limiting to 10 customers in the store at a time but line moves quickly. Workers seem relaxed and store clean
It’s really fun to just sit down and pick up a guitar and start playing. Or ply the keyboards or drums
Slow service bought headphones got them home found garbage in the box along with hair in the ear cups
Good place
My husband likes going here.
I was there rn about to buy a takamine guitar and we got kicked out 10 min in my friends and I were testing the guitars and some shaved head bum with glasses kicked us out
No one offered help or talked with me about my needs. Very unhelpful.
Just left. Waited for help. Stood under the St Vincent looking around clearly needing help. Even jokingly called out “help help!” (Though very softly). One guy walked past me twice in a row.
Is it because I’m a lady? Maybe, but there were other people nearby not being asked if they needed anything.
I was very tempted to climb up the darn “authorized personnel only” ladder directly next to the guitar I wanted.
Instead I bailed.
I’m gonna buy something online (not from guitar center) even though the whole point of coming in is to get a feel for the instrument.
Is it because I’m a lady? Maybe, but there were other people nearby not being asked if they needed anything.
I was very tempted to climb up the darn “authorized personnel only” ladder directly next to the guitar I wanted.
Instead I bailed.
I’m gonna buy something online (not from guitar center) even though the whole point of coming in is to get a feel for the instrument.
Edit:
Thanks to the customers who commented on my “Rockstar Hair” – I appreciate it.
18. Music Exchange | Piano Store in Dublin, CA
Address: 7704 Dublin Blvd, Dublin, CA 94568 , Dogtown , California , United States
Phone: (925) 828-3442
Assessment: ★★★★½
4.6/5 based on 31 evaluations.
Site web: https://muex.com/?utm_source=GBP&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=Dublin_website
Business hours:
Reviews
This is where you should buy your piano. The owners are great people, super friendly and helpful. They helped us find a beautiful used piano that fit our budget.
Great experience of buying a piano. Gary is very knowledgeable and helpful. Excellent customer service. Piano got delivered the next day.
This is a Yamaha dealership. You will get lots of Yamaha pianos and some other grand pianos as well. High end pianos mostly. Appointment has to be taken to visit this shop in these Covid times.
Gary and Mary are pleasant and helpful. Pianos are a big purchase item and it’s nice to have people who will take the time to guide through the process. Ultimately I purchased a used piano through a private owner, but wouldn’t hesitate to make a deal with Music Exchange if the circumstances warranted.
Nice showroom with lots of beautiful pianos. Gary was super helpful. Only complaint is they only carry Yamaha digitals, so can’t compare to their brands. That said I think Yamaha makes me of the best.
I like this store a lot. I’m from out of town but when I visit they’re nice enough to let me play on any of their pianos. They don’t sell sheet music but have a few books you can use while playing.
Be careful of this place, especially the after sale service. I bought a piano a year ago and it started to have quality issue, which I called the store several times to request the service under warranty. The store had many excuses and did not schedule the service or provided me updates for weeks. People there are very impatient and impolite when I called to check the service request status.
It is really sad that I have to give a 1 star review but all support ends after you have made a purchase. They say that if you buy a piano from them, the first tuning is free. We got our piano from them almost a year ago. After calling numerous times, and trying to get our piano tuned, and giving my phone number as well, I have never gotten an update or a call back. Every time, Ron, who is very nice to talk to, will say he will get someone and then nothing – no call back, no update. This has been extremely frustrating. I have been patient and understand there is some labor shortage etc due to Covid, but this takes the cake. I wish I had gone with a different business to buy our piano
19. Ingram and Brauns Musik Shoppe
Address: 3160 Santa Rita Rd # B4, Pleasanton, CA 94566 , Dogtown , California , United States
Phone: (925) 462-3667
Assessment: ★★★★½
4.5/5 based on 37 evaluations.
Site web: http://www.ibmusik.com/
Business hours:
Reviews
Nice friendly people, very knowledgeable, and helped me with my problem and had me out the door happy and on my way with in minutes ready to play my instrument. Will definitely return for further purchases.
Came in on a busy Sun morning to rent a violin for my daughter. Very efficient – rental agreement was online and quick. They let us choose between two violins, but we’re newbies and didn’t know the difference. Bought a shoulder pad for $20 and adjustable music stand for $12– I think it was cheaper than Amazon. Pretty happy to support a local business, especially when the service is excellent. I felt the rental price was reasonable, too at $20/month
Ingram and Brauns Pleasanton’s staff member’s Max and Nico are top rate professional staff second to none!! Very keen and EXCEPTIONAL customer and product service no matter what! That’s it after my last awesome visit to this store I am beyond convinced that their is no need to go anywhere else when the BEST music shop to be found anywhere is right here in town!!! Check him out you will be so glad you did GUARANTEED!!
I’m super happy I found a rental instrument/ music shop in Pleasanton. It’s a cute mom and pop store. It’s a pretty popular place for locals and parents who wanna rent instruments for their kids. It gets pretty busy.. so be prepared to wait for help from someone, esp when it’s school season. The location is convenient. There’s music lessons here as well.
Zero star. I was there with my child. I believe it’s the owner’s son that I spoke with. Pure sarcasm. Was very sarcastic towards me in-front of another customer. Staff was much more respectful and responsive in answering to our inquiries. He could just answered us properly instead he was very rude.
We have been standing in line for at least 15-20 mins. The guy behind the counter is talking and chatting about when he was in high school, showing the customer different damaged violins, and literally taking forever. I can tell that the gentlemen behind the counter are super friendly and customer oriented, but there is a long line. We have all been waiting forever!!!
I thought this place was better around this area. Now I found out that they are very greedy. I rented a flute for the whole school year. As the school ends, I returned on the same day when my billing cycle starts. Spoke to the owner who answered my phone as well. Apparently, I was auto charged around 5:30am in the morning but I returned the instrument at 3pm. Though they got the instrument back, he told me that he won’t refund for the fact that I was late for few hours and still charged for the whole month. It doesn’t sound fair to me at all. I would think twice before I go to this store again.
20. Keith Holland Guitars
Address: 16905 Roberts Rd, Los Gatos, CA 95032 , Dogtown , California , United States
Phone: (408) 395-0767
Assessment: ★★★★½
4.8/5 based on 28 evaluations.
Site web: http://keithhollandguitars.com/
Business hours:
Reviews
This Guitar shop is one of a kind,
Great selection of beautiful Guitars all over the place, i had no idea how large the place is on the inside. Thy have a bunch of instruments repair rooms and music classes in the back. and they even repair speakers and bulid custom
Looking at this place from the outside one can never guess how much more thy got going on on inside. Must check this place out.
Great selection of beautiful Guitars all over the place, i had no idea how large the place is on the inside. Thy have a bunch of instruments repair rooms and music classes in the back. and they even repair speakers and bulid custom
Looking at this place from the outside one can never guess how much more thy got going on on inside. Must check this place out.
Wonderful custom guitars and friendly service.
Very helpful staff and excellent work. This is the type of shop you want to be a customer of, the real deal here.
Beautiful guitars, friendly staff, and an extensive display of guitar parts for repairs or builds.
