Spent time playing guitars with a friend. Staff was super kind and helpful, no problems at all. Will definitely be visiting again.
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
Always helpful, friendly customer service! Well stocked with all things music, and very supportive of the local community.
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.
Friendly place and, if you want a ukele, this is there placed to go.
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?
Great selection of guitars. Definitely a little something for everyone. Not huge but very well curated. Also the owner is super nice.
Bought a guitar that looked like Kurt Cobain might have puked on it. Love it
Kind and helpful staff. Quick communication, and a good selection of 4-6 stringed gear. Cheers!
When people say their prices are bad here, they should have looked a little deeper into things. I may not know music that well, but I do know basic business practices, and that got me out the door with a cheap, brand new guitar. I was in the market for my first guitar, and yes they were all a little expensive, BUT I had seen the sign outside their glass doors that says “we match or beat any price.” Boom. Done. You can’t lose when a place has a sign like that. Sometimes you gotta do a little research to get what you want (in this case, look at prices online at other stores), and then ask for what you want, instead of just taking in-store prices As the final word.
Great atmosphere in the store, but I felt like I shouldn’t have had to pay $22 for guitar strings…
Nice variety of instruments, and I’m sure the lessons are good too.
Scam place. Tried to sell me a $7 Snark tuner for $30
Sells used guitars for new price. Very rude owner, not just to me but other customers/coworkers as well. He isn’t always at the shop and doesn’t trust his employees to make sound selling and buying decisions when he’s not there, so doing business with them is difficult. Ragged on my guitar saying it wouldn’t go for $800 but when I took it off consignment the price tag read $949. I got an angry call about taking it off consignment.
Owner left a really sour taste even before the angry call. Not coming back.
Cool guitars though!
Smallest and worst music store I’ve ever been too. I went for cables once and all he had was demo cables. He needs to sell to someone interested in the business. More than half the store is closed off and empty. They have literally no strings. The guy can’t set up a guitar. He doesn’t have the right tools to work on guitars. He just seems lazy. Absolutely ridiculous experience there. Ill never get anything there again.
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.
Incredibly easy to work with. Vast array of quality merchandise. Fair, honest, responsive. Richard is a true professional and knows his stuff. Handled a significant transaction flawlessly and got the guitar in my hands cross country expeditiously and at a reasonable cost. Highly recommended!
The kids loved it!
Staff is always friendly. Wish there was a little more selection.
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 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’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.
Look, I get it. You’re right in the middle of downtown where all the vagrants pass through, but the attitude has got to go. I used to occasionally stop in here whenever I needed strings, picks, etc. And every time I felt like I wasn’t welcome. Avoid like the plague
11. California Music Co
Address: 7565 Monterey Hwy, Gilroy, CA 95020 , Elkhorn , California , United States
My experience was wonderful — Paul checked and played through the amp I was considering, then called back to confirm it was gig-ready. Expertly packed, it arrived safely and in just a few hours I knew it was the amp of my dreams. Played it on a gig Friday night, and I couldn’t be more pleased. Thanks for all the help, MGR!!
Great shop. We love it.
Cool place. Most things look to he in ok shape. A little high on prices for used gear but hey they have to make enough to stay open
Nice guitar. Fast service and shipping. Thanks!
Cool concept, kind of a high-end pawn shop for music equipment. Great selection of guitars and amplifiers. The staff was friendly and helpful. I look forward to returning
Bought a Saga Masterclone banjo from here. Neck was loose. Would not tune right. Took off the neck and put it on right. It still had buzzing and intonation problems. Tried adjusting it out but no go. The banjo has a great tone and I wanted it to work. I was assured that the banjo was ready to play before I bought it. Took it to a shop to find the problem and was told the truss rod was stripped out. I already suspected that. Let them know and no answer. They knew this was defective but sold it anyway. My order number is #M142824. Beware. They won’t stand behind their products. If it’s good when you get it fine. If it ain’t, your screwed. I would give them no stars.
2 times aI buy online
2 times I had to call and after telling me the guitar is being put in the back for shipping and telling me how nice the guitar looks they canceled my order so ether the employee decide to keep my guitar for him self or decide to big fat sell them to some one after he lie about getting it ready for shipping for me !
Im supper mad at this liars hope they go out of business!
I purchased a casio keyboard for my son birthday last month! The keyboard did not last a month! Very disappointed it stopped working! I went into the store to let them know what happened and all they can say is sorry! Don’t ever purchase anything from them..
The workers ver nice and best music store in the Central Valley 10/10 recommend. Have a good day :).
Our first choice for all our family’s musical needs. Knowledgeable and friendly staff.
Jay and Elliot are awesome and deserve a raise! I’ll be coming back for a uke!
Good deals
Very helpful bought pics n capo looking for next guitar
This a two part review. The first part is about the Merced store. My purpose in visiting the store was to get my flute overhauled. The store was nice. Staff were helpful and competent. My flute was sent to the Gottschalk store in Clovis where they do their repair work. I arranged to have my flute shipped back, since it would save me a three hour drive. I give the Merced store 4+ stars as they did everything right.
As to the repair work, not so happy. For one, I was without my flute for over five weeks. When I received my flute it looked beautiful, but there was a major problem. One of the keys stuck and it would not loosen up. Secondly, the G note was harder to play than I remembered (in all three octaves). Overall the pitch of my instrument was a little on the sharp side. I would rate the repair shop with 2 stars. Five weeks and an incomplete overhaul! I wonder if they even played the flute before sending it back to the Merced store. Granted, all the parts were redone and the body looked like new, but…
I had no desire to drive to Merced, so I visited my local shop and the owner sent my flute to a retired guy who repairs instruments. Two days later, my flute was done. All the issues were corrected and my flute played perfectly. I would have used the local guy to begin with, but the job was too big for him.
The selection of instruments is lacking, but they do have enough to show off. My main concern lies with the employees, they make you feel very unwelcomed here. If you are just browing a certain section, they will basically tell you to buy something or get out. Then if they’re not harassing a customer, when you go up and try to get help they will flee to the back room and ignore you making you wait for hours.
Not my cup of tea. It was akward fun the moment we walked in. When I asked for the items I needed and explained my situation, I was told to find it elsewhere basically or drive to another city an hour away to get it from their repairman. That’s pretty much standard for someone who doesn’t carry your need, but the way we were dismissed was just really awkward. The clerk was way too interested in talking to her friend who was playing guitar rather than helping customers. Thank you, no.
The were very rude I just needed help with what reed size to get and the guy was very rude
15. The Music Store
Address: 4815 Granite Dr, Rocklin, CA 95677 , Elkhorn , California , United States
Has amazing lessons from really nice and good teachers. Also sells a variety of instruments
Dalton was extremely helpful and knowledgeable, and guided us well about our child’s trumpet. In general, we love the reasonable instrument rental cost and quality of the instruments.
Will recommend the store to others.
My daughter’s trumpet had 1 of the valves checking and sticking down. For no charge, he simply took the valve apart and adjusted the plastic piece which had rotated and it works like new. So polite and helpful and didn’t charge for his time to show me how to repair if it happens again.
Friendly staff and very helpful.
I rented a used violin for my son from the shop. They said the price was $199. The rental was $35 per month. after two months if you want to own the violin then they said they would deduct the rental amount from the original price. But when we want to buy the used violin they said the price is $299 which is hell more than a new violin. So would recommend not to rent or buy anything from this store.
16. 101 Red Barn
Address: 1000 US-101, Aromas, CA 95004 , Elkhorn , California , United States
Great flea market. Only one near that sells beer so you can drink and shop at the same time. Tons of vendors and different products. Basic food choices. Great produce.
Buen lugar
Muy mal trato al cliente
It wasn’t a flea market. A swapmeet that’s just for Hispanic community. $6 parking
Went for the antique store hut its closed for renovations and they dont know when it will be opening. The Flea market is still going on though.
17. Recycled Records
Address: 604 Lighthouse Ave, Monterey, CA 93940 , Elkhorn , California , United States
This place rocks..literally. I always find something i am looking for and they keep bringing in the good stuff!
Lots and lots of vinyls and old ones too!!
Small but well curated offerings.
Great place to recycle your CDs and LPS and support a local downtown business.
Really like the mood of the place, there’s always music playing and the people there know whats up regarding to music and records. The prices are unmatched and the workers are honest about some records (if they are scratched or skip etc.). Pretty rare vinyl too for collectors!
Store is very messy and used records are usually pretty beat with laughable asking prices. Owner has a major attitude like people owe him something for existing. He has no sense of building community and is kind of a jerk. I try to spend money here but dealing with the owner is not worth it. If you’re gonna support a local record store I’d advise checking out Bob at Vinyl Revolution so you can talk to someone that is actually passionate about music and knows his records.
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.
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.
18. Kline Music
Address: 2200 Sutterville Rd, Sacramento, CA 95822 , Elkhorn , California , United States
If you play an instrument this is a great store. They also offer lessons.
As a professional touring musician and saxophonist, I was in a jam while in Sacramento and needed an instrument repair tech to take a look at my horn. Fortunately Tom was able to assess the issue and replace several pads on my upper stack. It was done in a very timely manner and for a good price. He got my horn back in nice playing condition. Couldn’t recommend his repair services more!
Kline’s shop has a very impressive selection of a vast range of instruments. It’s so refreshing to know that these places still exist and ultimately have a way better selection than somewhere like guitar center.
It’s a crowded little music shop. Fair selection of guitars, drum kit supplies, music for piano and guitar.
Good store, with decent instruments. Only reason its 4 stars is bc some of their prices are crazy. Also bc I saw what was supposed to be an Indian style wood flute.. that had too simplistic of carvings and no feathers, for an outrageous price of almost $300. As someone half Indian that really irked me, but it’s a personal thing and nothing the store is doing wrong.
Damn. Hella unique instruments from many cultures across the world. Can’t believe I haven’t been shopping here all along.
So my account was hacked under my nose and gave this place a 5 star review raving about some drummer Tony. I’ve never been to this shop but I’ve seen it driving by. Scuzzy business.
Customer service is awful
I was looking for advice on a item and maybe I wasn’t clear enough. But I felt rushed to make my decision.
19. The Power Plant Coffee
Address: 7990 CA-1, Moss Landing, CA 95039 , Elkhorn , California , United States
The mocha was delicious! And a very interesting place to look around.
Awesome service, great coffee and food selection. Perfect stop for refreshments
Everything about this place is delightful from the decor to the coffee and food to the plants and gifts available in the shop. Friendly service and everything is locally sourced. Definitely a great place to go with a friend or even your kids for a little date.
Just what the area needs, only thing missing is the service, not welcoming, not friendly, no acknowledgement coming or going. This is the most important part of any business!
Good coffee and cool plant shop attached. Definitely on the pricier side for food, but was pretty good. On Saturdays in the summer they have vendors out front selling delicious foods (bread, almonds, etc.) Overall worth a stop if passing through and want a coffee.
Coffee, plants and yoga mats.
Closed way before they are supposed to. Not a good start for a business that just opened. As a commuter it was great to have them open. I was not greeted well when I tried to enter before they are supposed to close. Likely won’t bother with them anymore. It’s a shame.
Ordered an iced matcha and they gave me a hot one but when I told them it was supposed to be iced I’m more than sure they just took the hot one and poured it over ice and it is the worst matcha I’ve ever had even after adding more honey.
Insanely expensive. $7 for a latte ! They have baseball hats for $48 lol. I don’t see what the hype is about, prices shouldn’t be so high in the middle of nowhere.
20. Cockroach Rhythm Recording
Address: 25 Waugh Rd, Royal Oaks, CA 95076 , Elkhorn , California , United States
