Noe Valley: Overview of the top 5 music shops

Cool spot with some good deals.

Had a wonderful experience renting an electric guitar and amp from Russo Music!!

When I was picking up the instrument, a teacher at the school showed me how to tune the guitar, hold it correctly, and even play some beginner chords. Everyone was very nice and welcoming.

This is also the only place in San Francisco that allowed me rent the guitar month to month with no minimum months. The process of renting the guitar was quick and easy. After renting the guitar for several months and practicing, I feel confident going to a guitar store and buying a guitar that works for me!

I am excited to come back to Russo Music to rent again or take music lessons!

The best music lessons in San Francisco! Nicole, one of the owners, is an extremely professional, talented individual. I also recommend them for instrument rentals in San Francisco. Thank you Russo Music!

Update 8/2019: things have much improved this year!

Great teachers in a terribly mismanaged shop. I’ve been going here for piano lessons for more than a year, and things have been getting markedly worse. One teacher didn’t show up last week, I still can’t figure out why: they no longer have someone at the front desk, so nobody picks up the phone and there is no voicemail; the person who usually answers emails has apparently been on vacation for the past few weeks without any backup, so it’s been impossible to schedule anything. A couple of months ago I noticed that I had accidentally not paid for my lessons for several months (!). I paid them back based on my own accounting, but it’s pretty clear they are not keeping track.

This is where we go to get strings for my son’s guitars, he also enjoys playing a little everytime we go.

I don’t normally write a review for a place from which I didn’t buy anything, but the front desk blond lady was exceptionally rude when I stopped in. Jokes on me for trying to browse a local music shop to get something for my trumpet? I guess I’ll take her advice and “just get it online”. Yeesh.

What an absolutely horrible experience. I came in with the intention of renting a bass guitar and inquiring about lessons. I reached out by phone to get details and was messaged by text. I replied about my interest and got a lame short answer on price. I waited for the advertised store hours and made the 45min drive. I stepped inside and there was no assistance. While I was waiting some short stubby pregnant woman came prancing in. It appeared to me that she was a parent to one of the kids. I decided to step out for a quick walk on the street because I attended the junior high around the corner and also sold newspapers on this street after school. This was a huge throwback for me.

I returned 20min later to find this stubby angry pregnant woman was an employee or something else, maybe store manager. I really do not care which or her role. Her demeanor to me was so freaking rude and un inviting. I sat down to wait for her to finish with a child lesson. Then she spoke to me in such a demeaning manner about doing business by appointment. I told her that it would have been nice if she had told me that with the text. Her smug remark was that i should have told her that I would be going in today. Isn’t that the lamest response ever?

What a despicable and ugly person she is when I’m trying to give her my business. I was really looking forward to the opportunity to start music lessons at 50yrs old. And this is the experience I get for trying to give to a small business in my old neighborhood? Jesus. I rechecked their website and found no mention about by appointment only. This place, her in particular, absolutely sucks. I hope they go out of business soon enough or get bought by a respectable owner.

If you want respectable music lessons and service check out Manor Music in Pacifica. Plenty of parking. They are awesome. It’s just that they don’t rent music equipment otherwise I’d be there without a second thought. I had my son take drum lessons with them. That’s how I know.

I was looking for a replacement cartridge for my record player. Tim was super helpful.

Tim is a true professional. He has a passion for music. He is honest and provides you the necessary information so you can make a good decision. It’s all about the music, not the equipment

Highly recommended!

The owner, Tim, is an extremely knowledgable audiophile and music lover. He runs his shop the old-fashioned way, inviting you to listen leisurely to all sorts of music on different high quality systems. He knows what he is doing and is also generous with his time, helping to design systems and willing to make make house visits. Definitely worth a visit.

Donald M

Zero stars! I must not have met Tim,, but a crabby, unhelpful and dismissive person who said he was the owner. Google says “in store shopping”, and I wanted to shop locally, so I drive 5 miles, to be told its “appointment only.” He didn’t ask me what I was shopping for, as I could’ve conducted my business mostly, at the door. There was nobody else in the shop except for one person, eating, obviously a friend not a customer. I said why don’t you just let me come in (I’m vaccinated) as there’s nobody inside. No. Go away; not even a “can you come back in 15 minutes when my friend finishes eating?” THIS is why places like this deserve to be put out of business by Amazon! He just lost a potential large sale.

I spent hours here. The owners are super friendly and knowledgeable. They have a great selection of modules and some hard to get classic synths. Definitely a must for synth geeks and collectors.

Great place for synth hardware and inspiration. People who work there are super helpful.

Great shop with synthesizers and a couple Eurorack systems set up for customers to try out. They have the Eurorack modules in a glass case so you feel like you’re picking out a fancy watch at a department store or a nice pipe at a head shop.

They may not have the gear that you might be looking for, but they make up for in expertise with their repairs & knowledge.

A literally dusty, dirty place selling mostly cheap Chinese products. I literally got an allergic reaction from whatever’s floating in the air here. Creepy old owner either ignores you completely, or tries to hard sell you into buying one of his junk. He’s a know-nothing who talks like he knows his stuff, but no one in the biz actually says anything good about him. I was literally walking on 24th Street the other day, and the guys in front of me were saying how terrible this place is. You’d be better off going to Guitar Center – they at least have better junk, a return policy, and their store doesn’t look like a rat’s nest. And there’s another music store (Russo) in the neighborhood that’s at least clean and friendly, and children seem safe there.