Friendly staff and ecclectic assortment of instruments! I am a collector of world instruments and love shops like this which offer a wider variety than your standard wall of boring guitars and one ukulele. Glad they’re here!
Staff was very helpful and knowledgeable!
Great Service!! Friendly!!
Nice instrument. Closed when sing reads open.
Cozy place, new and used instruments, variety of sheet music, they also suggested cello lessons.
I came in to sell my 2013 gibson. Right when i walked into the store i was greeted by a lady who worked there who immediately said “sorry, not interested”. She didn’t even take a look at the guitar. I’m a little annoyed that the front of their store says “buy-sell-rentals” but it doesnt seem like they buy anything. Drove all the way here for nothing…
Fraudulent. I rented an instrument for my daughter’s school year then returned it. They continued to charge my card so I called them and they said they would stop charging and refund me. They didn’t and continued to charge me. Then 3 months later ($350 extra in EXTRA rental fees) and I call them and they say they don’t have the instrument! They want me to pay for it! Absolutely insane. Don’t EVER use them.
Musical instruments shop with a few sound proofed rooms in the back for lessons. They carry unknown brands and charge a premium for rental, even for elementary students.
2. Soz
3. B Street Music & Recording
Address: 1745 Adrian Rd #8, Burlingame, CA 94010 , Hillsborough , California , United States
I’ve bought many guitars and other instruments from them. I’ve always gotten better prices here than anywhere else.
I went by here yesterday because I had just bought a guitar at a pawn shop. Peter hooked me up with some basic education and everything else I needed. A little hard to find at the new location, but worth the effort.
I have a very pleasant experience with this local shop while buying a digital Yamaha piano. Gary is very knowledgeable, and he treats you well. The offer he gave me was significantly lower than any other authorized dealer in the market, (both online and local). Sorry to hear that they had to downsize their shop, but they will be my to-go stop for any future musical instrument needs.
Friendly and they know their stuff.
tiny tiny shop. sad to see they downsized and the people renting musical instruments etc. has declined over the years.
4. Steve Swan Guitars
Address: 1519 Old Bayshore Hwy, Burlingame, CA 94010 , Hillsborough , California , United States
I’ve dealt with Steve for years, have never had an experience other than above and beyond… to the negative reviews – I highly doubt your experiences. Shop is appointment only… inconspicuous location. Have seen Steve deal with my private students and parents first hand – I’ve come along for every purchase – 10 double basses in the last 4 years or so, everyone has been happy with both the purchase and shopping experience. Steve will continue to be the only place I send my students. Thank you Steve!!
We bought an upright bass here and couldn’t have been more pleased. The selection is amazing, and Steve was helpful and patient.
The store does still exist but it’s a bit difficult to find.
Fine instruments in person and on the web
I put my guitar on consignment with Steve about 2 years ago. He lent it out for long spans of time without my permission and eventually sold it without informing me. Then he said he needed the money for his own bills, so he couldn’t pay me. He’s obviously got problems that should keep anyone from trusting him. I’m taking him to small claims court over it.
5. Guitar Center
Address: 53 W Hillsdale Blvd Suite A, San Mateo, CA 94403 , Hillsborough , California , United States
Big choice of quality instruments. Staff are helpful.
Very knowledgeable about products we were purchasing
It’s too bad that we can’t go into guitar center due to Covid-19
My 4 year old son and I love going here because they encourage him to find his inner musician. I have also bought my favorite uke and guitar from here.
Nice and quiet.
They didn’t have what I was looking for! A headphone adapter from mini to 1/4″ screw on!
古典吉他很少
Eu estava na loja com meu marido segurando o violão, o vendedor pegou ele da minha mão e vendeu para outra pessoa! Parabéns pelo nível dos funcionários de vocês, eles são uma vergonha! Fatalidade!!!!
Staff was disrespectful. 3 staff were in the cashier area. I went to the closer register where 2 white men were talking. They had their backs to me but when they turned and saw an Asian, they both walked away. The third staff who looked Asian then called me to his register which was farther. I am disabled and have difficulty walking.
6. California Guitars
Address: 121 Industrial Rd Unit 5, Belmont, CA 94002 , Hillsborough , California , United States
Grant is incredible! Super friendly, with tons of experience and totally fair pricing for a small shop
I brought my Ibanez in for a little work and was very impressed with Grant’s knowledge & professionalism. Right off the rip he told me that if I was sticking around that he would not only allow me to watch, but teach me how to do what needed to be done. We had an excellent conversation about our musical influences and the wonderful state of California. Grant is a personable guy and does top quality work for a solid price. I couldn’t recommend a tech higher.
Grant is very friendly and seems to know his guitars. Cool little place with all the tools needed for custom repairs.
7. Burlingame Music School
Address: 1501 Old Bayshore Hwy, Burlingame, CA 94010 , Hillsborough , California , United States
I studied piano for several years, before entering BMS. Irina Is the best teacher I ever had. She is supportive and encouraging of her students. I am progressing a lot since I started with Irina. She is very knowledgeable.
I recommend Irina if you are serious in progressing with your piano performance.
We absolutely LOVE BMS and Irina. She is the most kind and patient teacher. She does her best to accommodate when she can and is helpful and empathetic. My children have excelled so much at piano from her teachings. Any time someone asks me for a music school referral, I always refer them to BMS.
Great place for get a great music education. Teachers are great musicians ready to inspire your kid.
I recently had the pleasure of immersing myself in the enchanting world of Xueyao’s best musician, and I can confidently declare it a mesmerizing and unforgettable experience. This artist’s ability to weave intricate melodies and evoke deep emotions through their music is nothing short of extraordinary.
From the very first notes, it became evident that Xueyao’s best musician possesses an innate gift for storytelling through sound. Each composition is a carefully crafted narrative that takes listeners on a sonic journey through a myriad of emotions and landscapes. Whether it’s the hauntingly ethereal tones that evoke a sense of longing or the upbeat rhythms that ignite a surge of joy, this musician’s versatility is truly remarkable.
Never have I seen such a talented and charismatic performer.
Gonna be honest, I was a bit skeptical when I bought the tickets this, but I was blown away.
Give him a chance, and you will not regret it.
You will be dancing and feeling the joy of music.
Up close, he is very friendly and humble, taking time to interact with fans.
Never have I been so impressed with an experience.
Gonna say it loud and clear: he is the best musician of his generation.
Let me just tell you.
You will not… be… let…
Down.
What more can you say? He really is the best musician
Disappointed with the music. Don’t go!!
Unreachable
9. Wonderful Music School
Address: Vallejo Ct, Millbrae, CA 94030 , Hillsborough , California , United States
Last week, I bought a 1/2 size violin from Ken Su Violin, recommended by our teacher. Ken Su violin let us try three different violins for a week. The service was very good and the sound of the violin is good as well comparing to other well-known brand. You also have an option to trade-in for upgrading your future violin. If you are looking for a professional workshop for good violins, I recommend Ken Su violin.
I recently purchased a fine violin from LA, but there was some issue with the setup so the sound and response were not at its optimum. I took it to Ken and he quickly identified the issue. He replaced the soundpost, fixed the loose tailpiece and setup the proper string length. Now my violin becomes much more responsive and the sound also opens up by a lot! He really brought out the potential of the violin. The charge was also very reasonable.
Very friendly luthier, allowed me to try on multiple violins and gave useful tips on how to do the maintenance and care. Always responsive with questions and after-sale service.
We went in for purchasing bigger size violin, the employee, didn’t let my daughter tried on any of the violins, insisted that we trust him for picking the violin and pressured us to purchase. We didn’t realize the violin is a poor quality one until my daughter played it at home.
Went back to Ken Su for return the next day, the employee insisted that my daughter did play the violin before(how is holding the violin for sizing considered playing?). Ken Su then acted hostile in front of my kids and our violin teacher who accompanied us, BLAMED me for not trying the violin.
My kids had been renting and then purchasing his violins & viola for the past 5 years. I thought we could trust him that all his instruments are of good quality.
We will not be going back.
My student was pressured into buying a violin without the option to try it (she is advanced enough to make her own decisions and would have brought it to me for approval). Ken su’s assistant played them for her and let her only hold it before saying that this was a good instrument. She came home and did not like the tone and found it to be lower quality than her previous instrument so I accompanied them for a return. Ken su’s assistant lied to me and told me that she had played on it and that the mom seemed happy when she left the previous day and tried to deny them a return. I was asked what took them so long (they bought it before closing the previous day, and it was an hour after opening on the following day when we were all in). The return eventually got sorted out, but Ken demanded that my student’s mom admit that she was wrong, which she only did so he wasn’t more aggressive.
I have a lot of students rent instruments from Ken Su, but this experience makes me unable to continue suggesting this as a viable option. I don’t want my students to be denied the option to play on their upgraded instruments nor do I want employees pressuring them to buy instruments.
Ken later apologized to me in a private message, saying if he knew it was one of my students then he would have pulled out the “good instruments.” Seriously?! Everyone should receive the same quality shopping experience.
Furthermore, I tried posting this several times on yelp and encouraged my student to do the same, but our review was taken down each time. Why can’t we speak openly about what happened?
12. World Class Pianos
Address: 1471 Burlingame Ave, Burlingame, CA 94010 , Hillsborough , California , United States
Walked by the store with no appointment, Benjamin welcomed us with professional introduction for various model/brand of both upright and grand pianos. He has a wealth of knowledge about pianos for sure!
I would most definitely want to work with him for my next new piano!
Call for information about a grand piano, owner was very short and hung up on me. Extremely unprofessional, he acted like I was trying to solicit something when I was just trying to gather some information.
Do business with someone more reputable.
I and my husband were shopping for digital piano and were comparing different brands. We tried to discuss different options and brands but the owner was so rude and absolutely not listening that we left. I have never experienced such level of service before.
Got a great piano at an incredible price!I’ve this place!
Just strolled in as an outta towner.. was still treated with the utmost genuine and practical piano talk, learned fascinating details of Kawai and pianos in general. Very knowledgeable and sincere manager.
I restarted to play piano during pandemic, and it’s time to upgrade after playing for 8 months. I did lots of research, and watched all the review videos on YouTube. Nothing can compare to touch and feel the real keyboard. It’s a great place to visit. Bozkurt is very professional, and willing to share. Great service, great price. I won’t forget the day when I decided to buy the piano 🙂
Has pianos and lessons.
Bozkurt switched a customer’s Brand NEW piano for a used Floor Model piano and told me “DELIVER IT TO THE COSTUMER AND DONT SAY ANYTHING”… While I was working there as a Delivery Driver I noticed his tricks to get over on customer’s a save money. When ever you buy a piano MAKE A REQUEST FOR THE NEW PIANO SERIAL NUMBER. Dont get Ripped Off.
Not a happy place. After visiting another store, these guys were not as bad as I first thought.
Limited selection of piano and the staff was not rushing customer out even with appointment.
15. Magic People Studio
Address: 1475 Rollins Rd, Burlingame, CA 94010 , Hillsborough , California , United States
Ubicado en uno de los lugares mas emblematicos de SF, esta tienda es un muy lindo lugar para visitar.
A piece of history on Haight Street. Helpful staff and a great selection of instruments. They carry acoustic guitars at a wide range of prices. I hope they can stay!
I think this is one of the best music stores in town. Good service, they are really friendly every time I go in, and always seem to have all the really cool stuff you can’t find at chain stores.
I was looking for this other used DVD store in the Haight, but I guess they closed their doors so we ended up here just walking by. They have tons of DVD’s, though some of the pricing was odd. They had better deals with box series. They have both new and used so you have to pay attention to what you’re getting. I like the way they organized the movies in categories and also had a series and BBC section.
My brother and I found the store by accident while visiting San Francisco. The staff was kind giving us freedom to try the instruments, explore the store and its stuff, and was very helpful to my brother giving advice about keyboards and stuff.
Terrible prices and worse service.
I live 6 blocks away from this music store. Rude and arrogant.
I go back every five years or so to see if they have changed for the better, they haven’t. I still regret giving them money 25 years ago.
Horrible service, over priced equipment and when i went in for electrical help with my guitar they were so disrespectful to me that i had to leave.
17. The Starving Musician – Berkeley
Address: 2474 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94704 , Hillsborough , California , United States
Such a helpful store. They answered all of my questions even when I didn’t fully understand how to ask them. Beautiful little shop with nice guys.
Go here. Great rotating collection of new and used gear. Find that pedal you read about online used and pay for it with the best layaway policy in the Bay Area.
They got it all , good service , etc.
Nice vintage bass gear.
Good selection but was told after about an hour to “wrap it up” dude couldn’t even make eye contact. Rude, was looking for a new rig and possibly another guitar…I’ll just go to watermelon in Davis, better selection anyways
Good gear!
They deal in stolen goods. Then they make the victims buy their stuff back
This store has sales people that do not know their products. I asked all 3 store employees for help and all 3 said they knew nothing about the products. They also no longer support music teachers. They do not provide discounts. Their policys are not in writing. This is a bad business.
The selection of gear is nice and all, but the staff was very rude. Assumed I wasn’t interested in purchasing and basically told me to stop playing an instrument that I was seriously considering buying. Definitely will not go back or recommend.
18. West Valley Music
Address: 300 W El Camino Real, Mountain View, CA 94040 , Hillsborough , California , United States
The helpful and kind staff teach and guide you through everything you need.
Great experience
i take lessons there! it’s a great store and i love it
It’s a bit cramped, but the shop houses many musical instruments for purchase or rent as well as an array of soundproof booths for practicing! Some classes exist for some of the instruments at different levels.
Friendly, helpful and knowledgeable staff.
Place to buy or lease instrument for kids school music classes
Took my flute collection in for a possible tune up. Was told that all but one of the flutes were unplayable. Guess my looks or money weren’t what they accepted there. Took my ‘non playable’ flutes, and commenced to use them to busk, there in downtown Mtn View. Odd that they were declared unplayable, yet I was playing at least one of them not 30 minutes later. Care to explain West Valley Music staff ?
19. Berkeley Musical Instrument Exchange
Address: 2923 Adeline St, Berkeley, CA 94703 , Hillsborough , California , United States
Really friendly place with lots of acoustic, classical, and flamenco guitars and other stringed instruments like ukulele, tres, Cuatro, mandolin, violin, banjo etc.
Dude was well spoken on the repairs I needed. Super grateful ha
Great acoustic instruments, I own 2 of their Flamenco Guitars. Super helpful and friendly store staffed by a Berkeley family.
Nice little used instrument store. Really neat to see the workshop visible in the back.
Mister Q is non-stop entertainment. We first met him through our preschool, but have seen him numerous times at local libraries, birthday parties (both in person and virtual, including for our own children) and community events. Each show is different though he is sure to include some crowd favorites, either his riff on a classic or pop hit or something he knows will get the kids and families moving. He’s a great entertainer and we’re glad that he can continue to share his talents and passion with a new community of families.
We had Mister Q at my twins’ 3rd birthday party. He was engaging, fun, and very talented. The kids enjoyed using all the instruments he brought along and they loved singing and dancing to songs he played. He even brought bubbles. What’s a party without bubbles?!! So happy I found him to come make our celebration complete!!
As an Infant/Toddler Teacher, Thursdays with Mr. Q were a highlight of the week. He had the ability to keep these young children entertained and engaged for a half hour. That is no easy task. Our Center in California misses Music Time with Mr. Q. If you are looking to book an awesome experience, look no further.
Mr Q taught music and my old preschool and I attended some birthday parties he entertained at. He is always professional and child oriented. He gets the children singing and dancing and sometimes the adults also.
