Your Top-20 list of music shops in San Diego County

I have never had a bad experience here. Everyone is super helpful, extremely knowledgeable, and honest. Kevin Smith and Brian Disney over in the drums and brass and woodwind are always polite and pleasure to work with.

Sam ash picks up where guitar center lacks. Huge selection to choose from. I used to shop at guitar center, not anymore

Traded in my drum gear for a new keyboard. Zach in drums was very helpful. Great service and knowledgeable staff. I’m gonna miss this Sam Ash when I move.

Quality new and shiny instruments, a helpful and friendly staff with lots of deals on various equipment. This store seemed to have it all together with a well put together store…the bathrooms were decent as well. With ample parking out front, it’s worth a visit.

Wes is very helpful, the gentleman before him sold me an item that was opened already and missing pieces . They switched it for a new one .

It’s great seeing the store that has been well stocked and I’m not able to get out much with the current setting healthwise but I sure enjoyed getting what I needed and knowing it would be there as a guitar player! It must be really tough right now keeping the doors open so all my best to you at Sam Ash

Manager is useless and disrespectful I would never buy anything here.

Not very friendly. Went to do a return and the guy was growling in anger the whole time.

No prices on items without asking. High end acoustics being scratched up by idiots with no customer assistance.
I Asked questions about some gear, and the burn-out-stoner-wanna-be-rock-star employee just wandered off.
Guitar Center is the worst music store on earth……I hope Sam Ash isn’t trying to emulate them ….smh.

Cool music store with an excellent selection if instruments and consignment amps.

I had a great first guitar lesson from Mike today. He was super encouraging, extremely knowledgeable and just an easy guy to learn from 🙂 Highly recommend him

Friendly staff, good prices, and I liked their selections of gear.

Very small shop but packed full of instruments. Just due to the size of the shop, the selection of strings and picks ect. Was limited. I will definitely be going back. I would much rather support small businesses like this one Vs. Guitar Center.

Small mom and pa shop. They have used guitars too. People working were not the friendliest here in Ramona. Prices were higher I noticed on many things.

Great price, great service.

Terry, was a pleasure to work with. We ordered a Romero Creations guitarlele from Terry, sight unseen, and of course (like any good salesmen would) he told us we would love it. Once we received the new guitarlele, we are very pleased. Not only with the Romero Creations guitarlele, but also, that we had to put our trust in Terry and he delivered in all aspects, just like he said he would. A Big Thanks to Terry and Staff.

Arrived today and I love it!!! Terry Carter Music Store went above and beyond. Thank you!

I enjoyed my first visit

I ordered some heavy, Herco, guitar thumb picks. They are just what I needed and wanted. However, the ad made it sound like I would get a pack that included several picks, with different colors. I was very disappointed when they arrived and it was only 1 pack with 3 picks. I think $7.99 is pretty expensive for just 3 picks.

Ukulele arrived packaged well and on time.

it has been 6 days and I still have not received my strings I will never buy another thing from you I EVEN HAD TO PAY FOR SHIPPING! ! !

The shop is overpriced and the owner is shady as hell. If you even do the most basic of comparison shopping, you’ll see how much he’s trying to take advantage of ukulele players.

Carter’s NOT the only game in town and uke players deserve better.

Well product said ukelele humidification system and ended up just humidification pouches that are way too big for ukelele sound hole only able to put in case with instrument wasn’t really what I was looking for thought they’d be smaller I’ll use till I find something better like Dadario guitar type with humidity pouches shipping was kinda slow also I guess their a bit smaller than guitar ones not much though

This place is amazing! I had lots of questions at 9pm on a Friday night and didn’t think they would answer on the chat but to my surprise they answered all my questions! Now that’s awesome customer service!

My daughter has been taking piano lessons from Mr. Khajavi for about 3 years, and my daughter’s learning has far surpassed my expectations! Mr. Khajavi has decades of international professional experience and life wisdom which he imparts to his students. He is professional and has an ability to establish genuine rapport with his students. His desire is to create excellent pianists, while at the same time creating a level of integrity and character in his students that is not commonplace in today’s youth. I have seen this transformation in my own daughter (in her music and character) I cannot offer enough praise for Mr. Khajavi as a piano teacher and individual!!

Loved my lesson with Tristan. He’s knowledgeable, has exactly the expertise I was looking for, and is a great teacher.

Best place to rent a musical instruments.

Bertrand’s Music Store offers a wide variety of instruments, each possessing various learning possibilities, and every path featuring time and nurture to help us achieve our music goals. Thanks so much to Bertrand’s for inspiring me to play!

Great customer service but their prices are high.

Updated after getting a feedback.

We just brought the violin (Fiddler Apprentice violin) 4 months ago. It costs $350. It’s not cheap one for beginners and My daughter’s violin teacher recommended it.

The Peg box was broken because someone stepped on the peg box accidentally in my daughter’s school. so I glued it and thought that we could use this by fixing the broken one peg. I contacted Fiddler shop and then they kindly suggested for free fixing it with only shipping fee. ($65) but I thought that we could fix this with any local repair shop with about $15~20. so I bought the replacement peg from Fiddler shop.

After searching repair store nearby my home, we visited with new replacement peg on Saturday (1/25) noon and heard that it would cost $15~20 for the replacement but they needed to inspect it by a technician and they would contact within 4 days. but I got their call on next Thursday(1/31) while staying outside so I called back on Friday. I expected to get their call by Wednesday. Okay, One or two day late is not a problem.

The technician requested me that he should fix both the peg box and the peg broken to have the violin fully repaired. He don’t want to fix the peg only. It costs about $120 on both. and he mentioned that this violin was a poor and cheap one. and he suggested to use their rental service instead of fixing that.

The only I wanted was to replace the broken peg with mine. I know you’re such an artist and don’t want to fix the broken peg with the glued peg box but I was very disappointed with his unpleasant words to me.

Thanks for your refund.
—–
Visited this store to fix one of violin peg broken by accident. They got $10 for deposit and called me after 5 days later and requested $66 for fix. (I already provided peg replacements to them) The violin costs $250 at fiddlershop. I’m going to visit other repair store.

Slow and uninformed information. If I wasn’t so strapped for time, I would have walked out. They sound like they were doing me a favor for them to answer some questions. I will look for options to take my business else where.

As a student who’s played saxophone and other instruments for over 10 years now I’m actually really upset a place like this exists. Before I get onto why, I do want to state for these looking into lessons at this place that the teachers who teach here also generally teach outside of this place as well. The only reason most of them do is because it is a place where they have designated practice rooms. They do not generally work “for” them as they just generally use the rooms. For the business I have much to say. First off a majority of the items they sell are so ridiculously overpriced. Most mouthpieces, reeds, and even instruments are so much cheaper online for the exact same product. I pay about $30 for a box of 10 reeds online and they charge almost 45-50 last time I was there. Their renting instruments is ridiculous especially when you can mostly borrow them from schools. I am most upset by their repair work. Their “technicians” are just employees who play the instrument and have little to no training in repairing them unless they have done so outside of work. Sometimes they don’t even play the instrument they are working on, and half the time they don’t even fix the issue or even do it well! For the prices they charge and the very long time you have to wait without your instrument you would think that they have an actual technician look at it but no! I would highly recommend taking your business to Nick Rail’s music. They have instruments, reeds, and mouthpieces as well as lesson teachers but most importantly they have an actual technician they do business with to repair your instrument! They do charge a bit more than what he would charge since they do have to take your instrument down to Santee but it is not much. Also if you ask or even if you don’t know the issue and they can’t tell generally what it is in store he calls you and explains the issue so you understand and tells you the price and asks if it is okay. Please do not come to this location for anything other than if your lesson teacher only teaches here. They call themselves “family owned” like it helps them seem friendly and small music store but they are not. I am deeply disappointed in the fact that something this broken has made its way into making money off of unknowing adults with children interested in music.

Awesome because it had all the muscal stuff I needed

I brought my son in to find a guitar teacher. The staff was very nice and helped me find everything I needed to get started with lessons. They helped us pick out a good beginning guitar that was the right size for him for a reasonable amount and the teacher has been fantastic so far. Great store for students, I would highly recommend them.

These guys have very reasonable prices on guitars, electric pianos and even had a banjo available. Ray was great at telling us about all the lessons available and all the great equipment they have.

Small shop with a large selection of sheets/tabs, a selection of guitars/ukuleles, and a room for music lessons in the back. Went in looking to see if they had any amps. Staff there at the moment (piano player & oboe player) were not knowledgeable about guitars or amps, but I got help from other guitar players who were hanging out there. I found an amp that I liked, but it didn’t have a price tag or box with it, so I asked the oboe player (don’t remember name… Max? young guy) about the price. He immediately started looking for the box/price in the guitar section and in the back, and then he got on the phone for a while to ask someone about it. Eventually he found out that the price was normally $110, but the box was still missing. Because of the box missing, they knocked the price down to $90! I appreciated him spending so much time helping me, and the discount they gave. Overall a good experience. Might come back for lessons!

They are a great local store with some friendly and helpfull staff. The music lessons and instrument rentals are very reasonable and their instructors are encouraging and patient.

So-so. They didn’t have 2A 250V fuse for a Fender Amp. Poor selection of instruments. Other than that, the staff guy was very knowledgeable and helpful.

Called ahead to make sure this store had the drum sticks my son needed for band. They confirmed they had them and quoted me $30-40. I drove all the way from Escondido in traffic to get them. Upon arrival the clerk informs me that she misquoted me and the sticks are actually $50 and they wouldn’t honor the quote. As a musician and a previous music instrument store clerk, I can say with certainty that this kind of behavior will make Music Central and any other store like them the newest victim of GC in no time.

Just stopped by because I needed some drumsticks, literally the worst and most limited selection of drumsticks I have seen in a music store. This is why people buy online or go to guitar center.

I had bass shipped from out of state and as you can guess it looked like Ace Ventura delivered it. Fretboard coming off the neck. Took it to Dale after a lot of running around, he was awesome, got it fixed up and playing great. Fast service, good price. Definitely recommend!!

I live next door…thanks for the parking lot

These guys are great for renting instruments for middle school band. They are helpful and super accommodating. Would highly recommend them.

good place to rent instruments

Good service and knowledgeable staff.

Very helpful employees.

I have them 2 months with my saxophone and they did not check it out

Very helpful and knowledgeable about vintage guitars and others type of instruments. Extremely please with their expertise.

Good selection of instruments and amps.

Taking the time to get to know your customers is important.

Brandon holds it together well.

Very professional. And very helpful and knowledgeable.

I always enjoy small businesses that provide outstanding customer service & a down home vibe that takes me back to Santee in the past. I had them repair a busted string & setup the 12 string. Very happy with the repair, turn around time & total cost was very reasonable.

Muy buen stock de guitarras usadas, las nuevas básicamente Fender no mucha variedad.

Had the neck of my electric guitar fixed, the results are amazing, can’t even see where the fracture was. Excellent looking shop, has acoustics, drums, assorted guitars and music production equipment. I enjoy the personable interaction with the shop staff. Best experience when compared to the other super music centers.

This placed rocked!! Great service and great prices!!!

This store sells things online and holds off shipping trying to get higher prices for it and then cancels your order. Don’t buy from them unless you go in person I guess.

I would avoid shopping online with this store there customer service is two faced.

Just got there to pick up a tube amp. Drove all the way from PB. Grey haired guy was sitting there and playing the guitar behind the counter the whole time. I didn’t wanna interrupt him waited for him to be helpful but he kept playing. I said thank you as I am walking outta store he didn’t even say nothing. I Would never be back again for sure.

What’s problem with those people who works at the music stores. 🙂

-Monday 2:05 pm

Kevin is a very talented sax player and gives a great fun performance ! He loves to interact with the audience ! Everyone should see him play .

I went to my friend Emil’s recent wedding and this sax rocked! As we entered the dinner ballroom, Kevin was playing a fun style of jazz music, and pop songs on his sax (instrumentals). His sax and his backing tracks sounded great on the DJ’s pro sound system, and people were dancing when he played upbeat tunes like Love Somebody by Maroon 5.

Kevin was great! We ended up having a pandemic wedding of 10 people in May and hoped to still have live music even at a distance for our processional down the aisle. Originally we were to have a string quartet which was no longer possible. Kevin was very responsive and professional as well as flexible with our various changes in plans, showed up early, and played Canon in D for us on the sax! It was amazing and perfect. He was able to go with it as I (as the bride) did not know when it was time to go as the chapel doors were closed, and he kept playing seamlessly. Didn’t know a sax could sound so gorgeous in a chapel wedding! We also didn’t have anyone really coordinating details anymore (and I certainly did not think about this) so I was also thankful that he asked me what the wedding colors were and what attire as he would dress to match the theme – he definitely dressed the part and looked and sounded great for us and our live-streamed ceremony. Thanks, Kevin! Highly recommend him.

Very helpful and knowledgeable about guitars. The owner is honest and cares for helping the customer make an informed decision based on your budget. Especially accommodating during COVID. He takes good care of his products. 5/5 great place for purchasing higher end guitars. Love my new Furch Blue Masters Series.

I was looking to try a Laveree and found Doug on the internet. I stopped by his hard to find shop and spent a great hour with him sorting through guitars till we found one that fit my taste , needs and budget. Not a Laravee. The shop is sort of unusual as he down sized due to covid. I had a great time and will return in a few days to make my final decision. No pressure sales technique and very very helpful.
After returning to all the local shops to revisit there gear I returned to Doug’s shop and purchased a Furch that was superior in every way to the Martin’s,Gibsons and Taylor’s I had tried elsewhere.
Thanks for your time and expertise.

Fantastic Spot, love what Doug is doing. Very comfortable environment and top notch instruments. Definitely take the time to Swing by this one

Went there to Explore the wide variety of High end Acoustics, but unfortunately they were closed and you need to schedule an appointment. I will look to make an appointment next time in town. I was really interested in some Boucher Models they advertised.

Good shop

Doug, I don’t need to be heard. I need others to understand your ethics so that they can make good choices on where to spend their money. I never mentioned color. I simply said I ordered the wrong mandolin. My husband wanted a 915 because of the tuners – color was not an issue for him. I accidentally ordered a 815. You said you didn’t have a 915 and that’s when you stated it wouldn’t be good business to do the return. I did tell you about my husbands health issues and you did rudely hang up on me. You didn’t even give me the option of paying the insurance and the shipping. I would have been very happy to do so. I never expected you to lose money. The mandolin is still in the original package unopened. If you care to make it right, please let me know.

​Furthermore,​ the sticker on the box says “due to the risk of humidity changes and to reduce the risk of damage to your hand-crafted instrument – please do not open this box for 24 hours. This lets the instrument acclimate to the weather changes in your local area.” Unless someone is local it is impossible to meet your return deadline. If your intent is not to take returns, I recommend changing your website to state that.

I wish I had read YELP reviews before I purchased from you.

Buyers beware….don’t order from this company. I ordered a mandolin as a surprise for my husband and accidentally ordered the wrong model. The mandolin is still in the box and unopened. I missed the 2 day return policy by a few days because my husband has been seriously ill in the hospital with heart issues. I called Doug Law JR and told him my dilemma. He informed me that the return policy was 2 days and that it would not be good business to accept the return. Then he hung up on me! I am beyond disappointed with the way I was talked to and treated.

I if you want to be a rock star, start from here !!!))

Matt was awesome and very helpful trying to get me into the guitar I was looking for.
They ended up not having exactly what I wanted today, but still had a great experience and would definitely come back to purchase from these guys!

Incredibly helpful staff. Jeff and Rick were generous both with their time, expertise, and guiding me to the perfect instrument for a far more than reasonable price. They have the largest inventory of Seagull guitars in the area, and this alone merits a visit to witness the awesome sound and North American craftsmanship of this brand. As others have said, just stop by, preferably without an agenda because this is a place to learn and buy from the best!

Good selection but setups take two weeks. Not good if in a hurry

Knowledgeable when it came to questions about specific guitars

This is my husband’s and my favorite guitar shop in San Diego. Mark and the man who runs the front (can’t recall his name) are friendly and incredibly helpful. They also have a really good selection of ukuleles and amps as well. The only downside is that it’s a little shop so when it gets busy it gets cramped fast.

Nice little shop. If your into Fender, plenty. Mostly fender amps. I asked for a hard shell case for a gretch g5420 t hollwbody they recommended a soft bag??? Aaah No. I also asked if they had any or could order a schecter c6. They said no. You come out with your final. D.

Didn’t like the service

I recently visited Mark’s Guitar to have my instrument repaired and set up. When I initially dropped it off, I was told it would take a couple of weeks to complete the work. However, my experience with the shop left much to be desired.

After patiently waiting for two weeks without receiving any updates or communication from the shop, I decided to reach out to them. To my disappointment, I was told that they would start working on it “in the next few days.” I continued to wait, and after another week had passed, I called them once more, only to be informed that my instrument would be worked on “next week.”

Feeling frustrated and concerned about the lack of progress and communication, I eventually decided to visit the shop in person to pick up my instrument. Unfortunately, I received no explanation or apology for the delays from any of the staff members.

If you cherish your beloved instrument and expect timely and professional service, I would recommend exploring other options before considering Mark’s Guitar for repairs and setups. Communication and customer service appear to be lacking in this establishment, which can be a significant inconvenience for musicians in need of reliable and efficient service.

I always receive great service from Chad or Angel. Great guys who know their stuff

Excellent staff

De todo un poco

Watch for sales. String/stick club is a great deal.

Solo. Ingles

Bought tons of stuff there. sometimes you get excellent help, other times a grudging old hair metal dude finds you a guitar cable. I’m not a fan of warranties, so I NEVER get it. And I love the 30 day trial period and use it. Returned many guitar pedals that didn’t get the job done and kept a few that did. Unfortunately, like Amazon, they’ve knocked smaller stores out of business, but not all. For repairs, I recommend Moze in La Mesa. They absolutely rock.

I bought a used Fender bass head online from this location, it was listed as being in good condition. When it arrived and I plugged it in it wouldn’t turn on, I checked the line and speaker fuses and they were both blown and looked like they had been for a long time.. I went to an auto parts store and bought new 2A and 4A fuses, installed them and it fired right up… how do you not check the equipment you sell to see if it’s working before you sell it? It worked out for me because I have electronics experience and I knew how to diagnose it.. c’mon guys, you have to check stuff.

Customer service is terrible. I placed an order online and it said for same day pick up but it’ve been two days and I haven’t received the email that said my order was ready so i called to cancel my order and they put me on hold for forever

Used to love guitar center but the last several times I’ve gone I’ve waited over 30 min to get a representative just left instead because no one was ready to help. Customer representatives don’t seem incentived to provide quality service and unfortunately this translates to me placing orders on Sweetwater, Reverb and Amazon instead. Hope this helps as feedback to guitar center to beef up their customer service!

My friend and I each purchase drums last December. The quality was top shelf. The hand carved wood of the base is exquisite. Most importantly, these instruments sound amazing! Ignacio was a true pro sharing the benefits of each piece so we could make the best decision around which drum fit. Highly recommend.

I couldn’t be happier with the djembe I got from Mundo Music! Ignacio is so knowledgeable and talented that it’s always a pleasure learning from and chatting with him about all types of music.

I don’t even know where to start, this business has been a really magical experience for me. I bought my first djembe, and the quality is top notch! soon after, I found out that they offered some lessons and it was so cool! The instructor has been very patient and very easy to learn from. He really breaks down the mechanics very well. Also, it’s nice hearing a lot about the history of certain musical instruments as well. He is very knowledgeable. It’s just a cool place to just enjoy this kind of art. Highly recommend getting in touch with them if you love music. I feel there is something for everyone.

Stopped in while on vacation, great shop with a comfortable inviting vibe for a vintage stocked store, will definitely recommend and follow on reverb for their choice gear selection. If you are nearby I highly recommend Imperial!

Wow! We needed this in San Diego sooooo much!!!! I’m so excited I had the chance to pop in for a visit this Friday. The void for a good Sell and Trade spot was very strong and lemme tell ya, if you guys are into some high end used guitars this shop is for you! huge collection already!!! The staff was extremely nice and knowledgeable. This shop plain and simple ROCKS!!!

Really cozy spot full of great gear. Came in searching for a combo amp, came out happy with a JC-50. The attendant Tyler was super cool and clearly passionate about music and gear. Incredible vibes, highly recommend!

Good selection, no deals.

I purchased an Austin electric guitar and other supplies including a strap, gig bag, mini amp, and cord from David. I also asked for an intro lesson because I’d never played the electric guitar before. David gave me a good introduction to the instrument. The electric guitar is new snd great quality, and I’m happy to have a beautiful new instrument like that. Thanks!

Horrible!

Awful experience for my mother! This man berated my mother for not knowing how to play piano flawlessly on her fourth lesson EVER. Being a piano player myself after 10 years of lessons with the sweetest and most patient teacher, I cannot believe this man. He screamed at my mother until she left in the middle of her lesson walking out in tears. Do not take lessons from this man unless you are a fan of inpatient, condescending, entitled men that will scream at you and take your money with no regard for your well-being. Mind you, he has still not apologized or reached out to my mother following this incident. There are so many wonderful piano instructors out there that will treat you with patience and kindness, and this man is not one of them!