I certainly want to give credit where credit is due. I am quite an old guy now, and I want to eventually leave my Martin and my Taylor acoustic guitars as memorabilia for my family. A friend of mine suggested that I add my signature to each of those guitars. I had no idea how to do that because I didn’t want to simply sign each with a permanent felt pen. I contacted a number of music stores for guidance, but no one knew what to say about it – until I called Patrick’s Music. The owner of Patrick’s Music suggested that I consider going to a trophy shop about perhaps getting that done. I would have never thought about this, as no one else did. But due to Patrick’s advice I decided to contact Sunnyside Trophy Shop, and very fortunately they were able to place a laser signature on each guitar. This is very valuable to me and my family, so I must thank Patrick again for his influence and advice. Because without that, I would’ve never known what to do about getting that permanently done!
The staff went above and beyond for me. Very helpful and knowledgeable. 10/10 recommend.
Check them out!
Freakin amazing they blessed me with a gorgeous violin and I’m gonna get therapy from them asap (aka drum lessons)
Patrick the owner is a great guy. He knows the various schools and school districts in the Fresno area and he knows how to size your child up with the right instrument for the school district they are in.
Great staff greeted me once I came in the door.
they don’t answer the phone
2. American Music Co
Address: 2597 E Ashlan Ave, Fresno, CA 93726 , Parlier , California , United States
I purchased a Fender Telecaster from American Music Co. The guitar was shipped quickly to Boston and was received sooner than expected. When I spoke to the representative he answered all my questions and sent pictures of the guitar. I was very pleased with my purchase and would recommend checking them out for your music needs.
Is a good place to get what you need for your music needs
They were nice
Pretty decent people in the business, and also they get a good supply of musical instruments. Good place.
Looks run down. 1 hr conversation with a guy who was way to into his bass
Nice little music store. Lag guitars!
Terrible customer service! Won’t step foot in there again. Left without buying anything. Decided to go to Patrick’s where they were extremely helpful and considerate. Employee insisted that I was being sarcastic, which I wasn’t. He told me that masks make it easy for people to be sarcastic. All I asked is if they had guitar strings. He then said all they do is sell guitars and no strings. So idk who was being sarcastic. I asked an honest question since at first glance I didn’t notice any. Bad, bad, baaaad!!
I was not there , sorry .
As inflexible as it gets. I was trying to rent a cello for a funeral but because we were from out of town they could not work with us. I even tried to give them a credit card for the cost of a new cello and the manager said they just could not do it: they have a way of doing business and there is no flexibility.
I then called Patrick’s Music and they worked it out in about 5 minutes. Go to Patrick’s.
3. Independent Music and Thrift
Address: 214 N Douty St, Hanford, CA 93230 , Parlier , California , United States
Wonderful musicians and great service with great ppl very Respectful and kind.. always have what I need, and a place where you can be inspired with the Love of music and wonderful vibes
Miss thumbing thru crates? Check this place out. Some Goldies in there
The staff was very helpful and ready to assist our needs also have available music lessons ☺️
Friendly staff but small selection of instruments.
Nice staff
Pretty nice store though plenty could disagree
I truly don’t understand how this place stays in business. They’re always closed. Last time I tried to shop there, they were closed and door locked at 1:30pm. But their was a guy inside playing a guitar. Just jammimg away. Myself and two others were knocking on the door…and he just looks at us with a look of “we are brothering him”. Last three attempts at trying to frequent this shop ended up in this matter. I will never again attempt to shop this store, nor will I ever suggest this place to anyone. In fact I’m going to make it a point to bad mouth this place as much as I can. Plus they have very unprofessioinal political handwritten signs in windows which is in very poor taste.
Told me he was better than guitar center because he’s a metal expert.
I just keep calling and they don’t answer and last time I was there I didn’t see a closed sign and the door was looked. I don’t want to leave a bad review but I just have to.
4. Gottschalk Music Center
Address: 328 Pollasky Ave, Clovis, CA 93612 , Parlier , California , United States
The people helping me at the front counter were great. Smiles on their faces, greeted me right away. Super knowledgeable, and helpful. Lifetime customer earned
Great friendly service, great location, downtown Clovis. Book orders sometimes take a bit too long, but due to Covid it’s understandable. I would recommend this business to anyone.
Great place. Has been in the community forever.It’s mostly a store to sell instruments and give music lessons. Teachers are hot and miss. Some good some not. Has shrunk the amount of sheet music and books. Plus the personnel has a lack of knowledge regarding their music and instruments.
Had what I needed to teach my new piano student! Cashier was very short and rude. Could not make eye contact and was on her cell phone texting. I’ve been shopping here for years and never had a customer experience like that.
Good Afternoon, I dropped my daughter’s trumpet off August 19, 2019. I was told by the staff, the instrument would be ready Friday, August 23. I stopped pass the music store, Monday morning, August 26, to get a status on the instrument. I was told the trumpet was not ready. I called Tuesday afternoon, August 27, and was told the trumpet was not ready. I am a value costumer, who value other people time and would like the same in return. Unfortunately, it does not happen. If the instrument was not going to be ready for pick-up on the day provided by the staff (Friday 23 August), courtesy calls should be made informing the customer a status on their “drop off” instruments. More than a week has past, the instrument has not been touched or cleaned. Gottschalk Music Store customer service skills are being executed poorly and unprofessional.
The work done to the violin was completed the next day that was good but the hospitality was the worst. My daughter had an emergency, she needed to find a bathroom, guick. The young man said no she could not use theirs and directed her down the street. This just broke my heart. My daughter would have had an accident had it not been for the understanding people at the restaurant across the street.
Avoid giving your email address to this small business. They don’t use a system where you can unsubscribe. They have an old fashion email list, and you can reply to it it either. My son played an instrument for 3 weeks and gave it up. I have been receiving emails from them for 3 years since with no way to removed it. Completely annoying.
5. Guitar Center
Address: 5330 N Blackstone Ave, Fresno, CA 93710 , Parlier , California , United States
Love all the gear they have, and that a lot of it you can try out for yourself. I got a gorgeous bass guitar, and also got some guitars for my sis here 🙂
If you want to learn to play instrument
They know……guitar..yeah
El lugar favorito de Mi hijo Francisco Robledo
Muy bien amables y buen lugar
Para comprar instrumentos
Nice people always like going there.
The staff is very helpful and they do everything they can to accommodate. While they have a vast selection, music is such a particular experience for each different individual that I often find they do not have the exact item I’m looking for. However, they will always do everything they can to help me find it.
They never have the merchandise that I want tell me that I can order it well if I wanted to order it I wouldn’t even go to the store and then their prices are absorbitant nothing is is in my price range it’s all priced out of I think then the price range that’s affordable to me because I can go to other outfits like Amazon and save a lot more money and they’ve always got what I want and I get it when I want it and that’s all I have to say weekend and I go there and then once again I’m disenchanted so this time I’ve made up my mind I don’t need to go there anymore
This is the worst Guitar Center I have ever been to. It’s poorly stocked, and the staff is I’ll informed, or they just don’t care. The keyboard section is filthy, and what few keywords they do have are covered with greasy fingerprints and or dust.
I like to support brick and mortar stores, but I think I’ll be forced to purchase online. Very sad.
15 years I haven’t played music, I ordered a practice amp ONLINE , had to wait 24 hours for a lazy milinial to get and start the transaction. That was the first visit.
The second visit was to pick out some bass strings from there very small selection. Next was to purchase a guitar stand and look at an acostic guitar for my child , again NO PRICES posted , No one at each dept. and associates huddled together. The guy before me waited the whole time I was there to pick up a guitar ….this is typical milinial B.S
The guy in percussion was on his phone as we walked in the Percussion dept , I remember back in the day they would offer drums sticks ask you for help NOT ONE PERSON IN ANY DEPARTMENT OFFERED THIS. I’m so glad Amazon is here in Fresno.
6. Parlier Auto Parts
Address: 610 Tulare St, Parlier, CA 93648 , Parlier , California , United States
Every time we’ve been in we get excellent customer service! My father left me his guitar but it had a broken headstock and other damage. He unbelievably restored it to its 1950s condition! I’m eternally grateful!
Best place for guitar work. Dan is extremely experienced and does great work
This is a great place Dan greeted me with enthusiasm even though I am just getting back into my guitar playing. Never mind it was a $200 guitar. Heard my question, and told me I just needed him to “set it up”. Best money I ever spent. Really improved the sound and ease of playing. Did it in a couple of hours and I was able to pick it up, without missing a day of playing.
Treated me like I was a pro and had a $20, 000 guitar. Obviously he loves doing what he does. Couldn’t be happier
Took my amp there for a Bias with my own $120 quad matched tubes. Tech called me back saying he dropped n “broke” one of my quad matched tubes so he’ll replace them. He replaced them with “new” tubes…but the brand name(Apex) stickers on the”new” tubes are falling off. Never seen that on brand new tubes. Oh and it took them 2 weeks. 2 weeks to turn my modern hi-gain amp into a blues combo amp. I know the amp tech didn’t even “test” my amp. How do I know? All my volume, bass,mid,treble, gain settings stayed exactly the same as where I left them. Why was my “broken” tubes not returned to me? And why wasn’t there a receipt for the new ones that are falling apart? Very unprofessional.
Unprofessionally running business they were closed early then business hour
8. White’s Music Center
Address: 100 E Caldwell Ave, Visalia, CA 93277 , Parlier , California , United States
Wonderful staff ! Great homely store and my #1 choice for musicians and band members / directors .
Very helpful when picking out an instrument and got a complimentary tuner with my purchase. Also very convenient because I changed my mind on the instrument I wanted and they were able to put the money I already spent towards something else. Recommend renting an instrument to build rent credit, whatever you spent renting you’ll get off the price when you buy it.
Great service! Wish there was more selection but their wide expanse of all types of musical knowledge is unmatched in the area.
I have been going to White’s off and on for maybe 20 years? Some long-time staff are cool and extremely helpful, and I have also walked out when I was ready to lay down 7 to 800 bucks on a guitar because of the rude sales clerk they had at that time. They are the last of the local “mom & pop” music stores we’ve had in town over the years. I avoid Guitar Center with a passion and prefer to go to White’s when I can but, similar to Wal-Mart & Lowe’s compared to Ace hardware & your local department store (which there are few left), it’s hard to pay 5 bucks for an item you can get for 2 at the mega box store. Overall I like White’s but I have had a few bad experiences there (however the people who were rude seem to pass through, Guitar Center is almost ALWAYS rude as if it is corporate policy) in my experience.
Very knowledgeable. Direct!
Never has anything in stock. Had to go to Guitar Center’s Percussion Department for what I needed.
I ordered a piano book from this store and was told it would be there in two days. When I called to see if it was in I was told to call back. Well it’s been about 10 days and no book. when I called to ask about it the guy said still not in,.when I said do I need to go somewhere else to get it, the jerk says sure we’ll just cancel your order. Thanks a lot for wasting ten days of my life and now my granddaughter has to go to piano practice two weeks in a row without the supplies she needs!
Be careful of the instrument rental contracts here, very shady. There are many other options to rent instruments from places nearby, and I would recommend going with a place like Guitar Center over this one if you want an honest and straightforward agreement. We were told by the owner, Robert, at a rental night that we pay monthly on the balance until the value of the instrument is paid off. When automatic payments stopped getting charged, we assumed it was because the instrument was paid off. After a year, we got a notice from a collections agency saying we owed almost $1000 in rental charges, without any prior notification from Whites music that there was still any kind of balance on the account. Whites music claimed that the reason charges had stopped was that the expiration date on the card expired, and that we would have needed to go in and state that we wanted to own the instrument or we would continue to be charged for renting. The owner, Robert, was very rude to us on the phone and hung up on us when we asked questions about the music contracts. Other workers there said the person in charge of sending out notifications of the account being past due had recently been fired and refused to say anything else about the notifications not being sent out. One worker, Joseph, stated, “Are you in the habit of not reading the fine print on contracts?” in response to inquiries. If you rent from this company, you need to read carefully and keep careful records. Their contracts are set up in a way to take advantage of people, with a stipulation in fine print saying that you have to take additional measures then what is told to you on first signing. Furthermore, they are not afraid to lie about their services or speak unkindly to customers. It is apparent that Robert sees his business as a way to make money and that is all. He does not care about his customers, and he doesn’t care to run an honest business.
Update: After reading the owner’s reply, you should know that they did not lose money on this deal. This is a shady comment in itself, because they are referring to a small fee that was paid to the collections agency for them taking on the account. White’s Music received a payment in rental fees of over $400 from myself and the trumpet was returned to account for the other fees. They made hundreds of dollars as a result of this deal, not including the value of the trumpet which they can now rent out again. The owner also mentions the contract continuously as a reason why it is okay to behave the way they did. My dilemma has, and continues to be, that I received no notification of any late fees before being sent to collections. This dilemma was never responded to and the owner did not make up for this oversight. This company did not go out of it’s way to help me with this matter. They took a lot of money from me and did it in a dishonest way. If you notice, the owner makes no mention of hanging up on me, being rude, or the comment made by the employee about how I should have read the fine print on the contract more carefully. This business believes that it is established and it’s long-standing history with the community can make up for poor practices, and that as long as something is written into a binding contract, they can swindle people however they want. Just because this company once had an honest reputation in years past does not mean it continues to be that way.
9. Harvard House
Address: 90 E Escalon Ave #112, Fresno, CA 93710 , Parlier , California , United States
I always loved coming here when I was younger. Went to get some Christmas shopping done when I was in town. Found a unique cowbell with one of my favorite drummers autographs! Helpful staff and great inventory!
One of the best shops on the west coast…great store great crew!!
Dana was very knowledgeable and very helpful when I inquired about hang drums.
The guys are great they help me on my last tour long time ago and I don’t know if they knew or not but I left my phone in there after I got mesmerized but all the acoustics thank you yeah
Great selection, friendly staff, AC not on or on low because we were perspiring! We’d have stayed longer but it was uncomfortable! We were ready to shop!
I ride a bike skateboard on occasion. This place doesn’t accommodate. They actually kicked me out and refused service
Never seen a professional drum shop as frugal as Bentley’s Drum Shop.
I purchased a cymbal from them and had retuned it still under the store warranty for a replacement due to a few small cracks. It took them almost a year to get the cymbal replaced. I was wondering why it took so long after 5 months. So I made a call. The owner claimed that I already came in to pick it up. I told him to check his paper work on his end. He called back and said yes it’s still processing and didn’t even apologize. Wow after 5 months and still processing? Just got a call today to go pick up the cymbal. And they want to charge me for shipping. Again it was still under store warranty. They should of just replaced it with no questions asked.
Always supported them. But after this experience of how the shop owner handled this. Im no longer supporting this drum shop any more.
Unfortunately you can’t go in the store if you have a bike or a skateboard. ♂️
11. Jeff’s Music
Address: 342 N Porter Rd, Porterville, CA 93257 , Parlier , California , United States
lessons didn’t work out till next time see to soon
Friendly, very knowledgeable owner that was easy to talk to.
Very helpful
It’s ok it’s just they don’t have the regular staff when u need gutair stings put on.
Fair prices and decent selection. Friendly and helpful staff will try and procure what you need if not carried.
Very nice folks just thought Prices a little high
I am not satisfied with Jeff’s Music store at all! In December of last year, I purchased a set of Peavey mics as a gift to our church. During our first worship service, we noticed that the one mic kept going off. Thinking it was probably the battery, we replaced the battery. Did fine for a short while and then went off again. The repeated changing of the battery caused the cover to break. I took the Mic back to Jeff to see if they would replace 2 weeks later. He kept the mics for 2 weeks while he said he would contact Peavey to see if they would replace it. After repeatedly calling and going by to check on it, I was told that the button on the Mic was broken and Peavey wouldn’t replace it. My thing is that I purchased the Mic from Jeff and not Peavey! I returned it within 30 days of purchase and was told “Sorry, there’s nothing I can do.” I’m sorry I ever spent the $513 for the mics there! And the $500 drum set last Christmas! And also the $85 a month drum lessons I spend on every month. I will not be purchasing anything more from Jeff’s Music. He does not stand behind his products that he sells. I will go to Visalia next time.
12. parlier california
Address: 13581 7th St, Parlier, CA 93648 , Parlier , California , United States
13. Charles Hansen Pianos
Address: 20721 Ave 164, Porterville, CA 93257 , Parlier , California , United States
John helped me find a nice case for a 12 string. Nailed it on the first attempt. Gave me some advice about caring for a 12 string. He also found a 12 string capo for me. This is a good location with plenty of parking
They have a great selection of musical instruments & you can learn from music teachers here.
Let me post poster for It Can’t Happen Here.
This weekend I came into Manor to pick up some sheet music for inspiration. I picked up a few older books from the back of the store, and I was surprised that they charged the original cover print price (~$20 per book) on books printed in 1995.. I should have spoken up at the time, but the more I thought about it the more I wanted to know if this was a mistake? !
The owner Sarah is all about customer service. Young staff.
Nice little place. When we visited, the person working didn’t seem very knowledgeable about the instruments. But the store itself was very cute
Terrible attitude. Not helpful. Never go back again!
16. The Monterey Music Store
Address: 419 Alvarado St, Monterey, CA 93940 , Parlier , California , United States
Excellent personable service. John is super friendly and extremely knowledgeable. Will be a customer for life.
John is super helpful every time. The last time I went in, he adjusted the string height free of charge while talking music and instruments with me. I didn’t know this because its not on the Jackson guitar website, but he can distribute their stuff. I will be ordering from them next time. Thanks John!
Very friendly environment
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.
Nice variety of instruments, and I’m sure the lessons are good too.
Not huge array for piano/keyboard. But great guitar selection.
rude staff bad store no selection
All they have is budget instruments at collector prices.
Stay away if you want something well made with a decent price, this place is a rip off.
Wow what a waste of time . This place sucks, poor service, bad attitudes. Go anywhere else, just not there.
17. Bookmark Music
Address: 307 Forest Ave, Pacific Grove, CA 93950 , Parlier , California , United States
Spent time playing guitars with a friend. Staff was super kind and helpful, no problems at all. Will definitely be visiting again.
Very helpful lady I wanted 2 songs for my daughter and she got them within 5 minutes amazing job
Always helpful, friendly customer service! Well stocked with all things music, and very supportive of the local community.
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?
18. The Starving Musician – Berkeley
Address: 2474 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94704 , Parlier , California , United States
Great place, the staff is friendly and helpful and they have new gear about every 2 weeks.
Knowledgeable staff was happy to answer my questions. Good selection of guitars, drums, harmonicas, and a few other instruments and gear. New or used, it’s a bargain here.
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.
Good gear!
Nice vintage bass gear.
Didn’t buy my gear lol
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.
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.
19. Cigarette Outlet
Address: 2829 Whitson St, Selma, CA 93662 , Parlier , California , United States
Cheapest smokes around town and the cashier is very courteous!
Easy to find
Best prices around
When the employee can’t even bother to greet customers or speak because he’s to busy on the cell phone it reminds me why I now go to selmas finest smoke shop….
Do they carry cigars?
Every time I come in here. I feel harassed. The guy there always asks me if i have a boyfriend and approaches me way too close. He’s rude and aggressive, verbally. Girls shouldn’t feel unsafe being there because the guy doesn’t know to act
20. Reedley Smoke Shop
Address: 793 N Reed Ave, Reedley, CA 93654 , Parlier , California , United States
Really convenient spot to stop in for my favorite items
They have super cool Products! The new owner really improved the shop! This is the best smoke shop in Reedley. The employee Steven is super friendly, patient, and Helpful! 10/10
Best shop in town
Tady si kupuji doutníky. Cena od 3 dolarů výše. Já kupuji ty za osm $. Prodece při plavení neuměl počítat a chtěl mi vrátit o 10 $ míň. Musel se naučit počítat….
They had some cbd but not large selection. Just gummies and some other snacks.
The dude that works there shouldnt be.
Cashier is disrespectful, He would rather talk to his buddy than help a customer
