Top-20 of music shops in Saranap

Great piano store! Downtown walnut creek, walk-in friendly. Many good options. Yamaha, vintage Steinways. Some of them were above my budget, but Manager Carson still allowed me to play the pianos.

Great customer service from Carson, who gave me a personalized recommendation and tour. They’ve been around for 50 years and the price on the instrument I purchased was $500 lower than Sweetwater, Guitar Center, etc, which you might not expect from a dealer. The acoustic piano inventory is incredible too, and having that extra level of knowledge coming from people who actually play makes a big difference.

Wonderful piano store with a great selection. Manager, Carson very nice and informative. If you are looking to purchase a piano, this is the place to shop!

I try Music Xchange branch in Walnut Creek was, unfortunately, a frustrating experience. After attempting to schedule a virtual appointment, I was looking forward to getting information about pianos available within my budget. However, things did not go as expected.

Upon scheduling a virtual appointment on the store’s website, I received no response whatsoever. I decided to call the branch directly to resolve my query, but to my surprise, the lady who attended to me seemed unaware of my previously booked appointment. This initial lack of coordination left me feeling bewildered and neglected.

Finally, I received a call later on, but my hope for a more satisfying experience quickly faded. The salesperson who contacted me appeared unwilling to make any further effort or provide the information I needed. The conversation was brief and unhelpful, leaving me with more unanswered questions. I have to insist asking for the info like pushing.

What frustrated me the most was the feeling that, in order to get the information I needed about piano options within my budget, I had to go to the branch in person. Unfortunately, I do not have the time required for an in-person visit, making this limitation a disappointment.

Acquiring a piano is a significant decision that requires careful attention and good guidance. I had hoped that Music Xchange would provide me with a more positive and accessible experience. The lack of response to my virtual appointment and the salesperson’s lack of effort to assist me online left me with a negative impression.

While my experience was unsatisfactory, each individual may have a different experience, so it’s important for prospective customers to research and evaluate the store according to their own needs and expectations.

I’m so glad there is an alternative to larger record stores in the bay area. (I love them too, but just saying) This place has a great variety of new vinyl. Plus a nice selection of used records as well. My sons barber told us about this shop. (Thanks, Wes) As my son continues to grow his collection, he will learn the beauty of supporting his local record shop.

Great shop, local business, excellent service. Cory took the time to help my son pick out and build his first skateboard. May have been able to save a few $ purchasing online, but the knowledge and experience of the employees is priceless.

Studio skate rebellion!

I never been to that place

My friend wanted to go here for Record Store Day. He was looking for a specific record. Unfortunately they sold out of the one he wanted. The staff was helpful, they were willing to order it for my friend. But we’re from LA and we were just visiting for the holiday. The store was a cool with lots of vinyl, skateboards and books. You should check this place out.

Nice little shop.

A really nice store filled with awesome records that pretty much no one can afford. The new vinyl selection is amazing, but be sure to cash in a few savings bonds on the way down there. Almost nothing I looked at was under 35 dollars. And the small poorly organized used section was no better. Records in fair condition priced at 40 dollars. Ridiculous and highly disappointing. I was going to buy the new Hendrix Live at the LA forum Lp, but I just couldn’t bring myself to support this store. Sorry. I won’t be going back.

Best place to rent a harp in California!!!! Helpful staff!!! Great harps and accessories!! This place is a total gem!!!

Gerry is the most knowledgeable person when it comes to harps. He gave me great recommendations and not to mention such a sweetheart to talk to! I highly recommend the store and gerry!

I purchased a lovely harp from Harpsetc. Excellent service, caring and professional. My new harp arrived way across the USA in record time and mint condition.

If you are in the market for a beautiful piano go see Justin or Victoria they are the best.

Manager is very nice and extremely knowledgeable about pianos

I had a fantastic time at the Disney Steinway Spiriocast event last afternoon. Justin Levitt, Steinway manager, kept me in great company. He also performed his own piece, which I believe I helped name. I’m looking forward to my next visit!

Classy place, beautiful pianos. Lots of light. Nice location too

好的交通地點，很多鋼琴展示。

The manager of the store did to not let me play any piano at all because “other customers were getting disturbed”, which was weird because I found all the others playing. I did wait and I found that it was just me who the rule applied to. All the others were playing as they like. He also didn’t feel like giving me any attention. May be because I was young, brown, single guy and rest of them were with families. I waited a full 35 mins and he still didn’t let me play. He also suggested “may be you should come again later.” I left the place and went to the Music Exchange store on the next street where I was not only treated well, but also allowed to play as I like. I ended up buying a piano from there. Sorry Steinway Piano gallery, you lost a customer and will lose many as I suggested many to not come here. Thank you.

Nice staff and wonderful selection of instruments and music books.

Friendly and great service!

I was looking for a ukelele that I couldn’t find *anywhere* and this place had it. They were super friendly in answering my questions and helping me order my baritone ukulele. They even went above and beyond in replacing the strings and with setup!

I certainly am not going elsewhere for ukulele needs! You won’t be disappointed

The place has helpful staff and great collection of musical instruments.

I was wonderfully helped. For a small shop it had a decent selection and decent prices

Great customer service and repair

Boo

Ara has taught my daughter Maggie for 2 years now. She started piano at age 12 and has really enjoyed her lessons and is letting her musical talent blossom. Ara is 5 stars for sure!

I started learning piano from Mr.Ara at the age 42 and I couldn’t be happier! Mr.Ara is a very knowledgeable and patient teacher. He directs me so well during our sessions and the homework that he requires me to do at home is undoubtedly helpful. He has a positive attitude which makes me to work harder and wait every week for our class. His new location is in a very convenient and cozy. I truly love to thank Mr. Ara million times for everything he has taught me!

I have very much enjoyed taking lessons from Ara and would recommend him to everyone of any age or skill level interested in learning piano.

Sam is a wonderful teacher, who does a beautiful job at bringing out the confidence and skill in each of his students. His patience is boundless. Sam is wonderful at encouraging and providing feedback in a positive manner. His willingness to listen and incorporate the child’s interest is evident in the music chosen to perform. My son Joshua has shared with me that Sam is bis favorite teacher! That says it all for me! Thank you Sam for all you do!

I have been a student in his studio for over 10 years and continue to learn from him remotely during these pandemic days. He has engraved in me a passion for percussion that I now cannot live without. Even after all the years with him, I find new musical discoveries each lesson and learn to have fun in failing and trying again. I highly recommend his studio for students of all levels—from complete beginners to virtuosic percussionists!

Sam has been teaching my son, who is on the spectrum, for about 3 years. It has been a wonderful experience, he taught my son how to play multiple instruments. If you have a child on the spectrum and want to introduce music into their lives, I can think of no better teacher than Sam.

This place helps instill a love of truly good music in my child and a passion for learning guitar (and other instruments). Love them!

Awesome Facility, Awesome Experience!

Russ was super helpful and made me feel welcomed.

Jackson was awesome to work with for my very first vocal lesson and made me feel confident and excited to learn how to sing!

My 15 year old son just wrapped up a week long summer camp program for 60s and 70s rock. The program really helped him sharpen his guitar skills and practice performing with other musicians. The instructors are cool, engaging and supportive teachers. My son had a fantastic time playing his electric guitar with his bandmates. Baby Cage is so metal!

Took a $60 Uber ride to get out here while on a work trip, and man was it worth it. Stunning guitars for every kind of player, you’ll definitely find at least one that you connect with. Steve seems like a great guy too, it was fun chatting! I wish I had a shop like this near me. Such a wonderful experience!

Yes, the other reviews are correct. Great selection of guitars, odd hours, but Stevie is as gracious as he is talented. If you’re in the area and you like guitars, check it out.

Short version: I bought a guitar here in the spring of 2015. Up to this point in my 44yrs, this was by far the single best shopping experience of my life. The owner, Stevie Coyle, is gracious and patient (even after opening the store outside of normal hours for some indecisive guy he doesn’t know from Adam). Nice range of unique guitars and an owner who can help you along your guitar path, wherever you find yourself currently. I highly, highly recommend a visit.

The longer version: I was on a string of work trips in 2015 and I drove 2 hours out of my way one afternoon in hopes of playing some guitars, maybe buying one. The shop was closed but at the urging of the neighboring store’s owner(?) I tapped on the window to get the other owner’s attention (who was inside in the dark on a PC). After finishing up an online guitar lesson, Stevie opened his shop for me and introduced himself. He allowed me to look around for about 20 minutes until his next lesson was to begin. At the end of the 20-minutes I expected to get the boot, instead, Stevie helped me transport 4 interesting guitars to a back stage area where I could mess with them without interrupting his lesson. Throughout the next hour he occasionally found time to pop in and check on me, each time bringing at least one more guitar seemingly in line with what I was playing or looking at when he had last left the room…all knowing that I was mostly just window shopping while homesick.

By the time his lesson ended I was intent upon buying something from him. Partly due to his kindness, but really the guitars he was handing me were amazing. I couldn’t decide on one, and kept offering to let him close up and go home (and hoping I could return before leaving CA). Not only did he not allow me to bow out for him, and not only was he patient, he started coming up with creative ways to help me make a decision. My favorite being 20+minutes of me sitting eyes-closed while he set guitars in my hands to play blindly. Allowing me to hear them without distraction of style/finish etc. He played my top 3 (5, 7?) guitars for me, all amazingly. Never any pressure, occasionally even side tracking with interesting guitar or shopping related stories, seemingly to say I needn’t feel pressured.

Eventually I chose a Corcoran, paid him for it and to pack and send it back to my home in MI. And then, apparently because his kindness knows no bounds, Stevie allowed me to take the guitar in hand and play it while in CA for the next few days, agreeing to meet up with me later, closer to where I’d be at that point. That meeting interrupted a rehearsal session (Dead Flowers, I think), he took the guitar back and shipped it home for me such that it arrived only a day or two after I did.

I certainly cannot promise anyone an experience like mine (maybe he felt the same kinship I did), but I’m nearly certain that there are others out there with a similar story about him. Just a great shop, and great guy.

The Corcoran I bought remains my favorite guitar to date, second in guitars I’ve played only to another I played that night (also a Corcoran I believe), but that one was some 2k above my price range.

Stevie, if you read this, I’m sorry I haven’t taken the time to write it sooner (I actually thought I had!). I hope your doing well.

Sweetest teacher ever!

I absolutely love this place. The customer service is fantastic – everyone there is willing to talk with you about gear or anything else. They serviced my J Bass after another local shop screwed it up pretty badly with a truss rod adjustment. Great communication on the repair and my bass came back like it was brand new. Highly recommend.

I recently bought, first, a G&L Blues Boy, and after a few days of playing it I brought it back in to assess the neck. I was not completely happy with it, although I liked the guitar overall. After having a good conversation with Dave Tyler about various aspects he showed me a PRS Standard 24 which I much preferred because of its neck. I also really liked the sound with its unique pickup splitting arrangement. Dave quickly determined that I could simply swap out the PRS for the G&L. I left the store a very happy customer and remain so. Really loving the instrument.

I cannot say how great this place is for us. We have been going to them since 2017 for our music needs. They will listen, communicate and guide you on all your music requirements. Great customer service! So happy to support local business in our neighborhood.

I rented an clarinet with an agreement to use the rental credit towards the purchase of instrument . The shop did honor the agreement and rater quoted higher price to cover up the rental credit

Movies

Amy is the best oboe teacher for beginning students in the Bay Area! She is very kind and encouraging and sets goals tailored to each student. I am now a professional oboist and would not be where I am if it wasn’t for her!

Great quality and service

Wonderful family-run business with friendly, helpful staff. They service instruments for many school districts and do repairs quickly on instruments with fair prices.

Great family store and wonderful service i had my alto Saxophone repaired there and was also able to get all my accessories there too … The best in Concord California… In the Philippines right now and will be sure to be back there soon to say hello

The store was better before Covid. It was all open and had a large selection. Now they have most of the store closed off and the lights aren’t all on. Call before you go to make sure they have what your looking for. The owners are knowledgeable.

Great place for kids in school music programs and musicians beyond that age.

I was happy until the saxophone broke 3 weeks after renting it. I thought We were getting an instrument in good shape but apparently it was not the case.
Also, the lady at the store is very nice until you ask them to expedite the repair process or question them why they take so long to fix the instrument that never should have broken in first time if it was inspected and sterilized not too long ago.
She was a rude on the phone and she just think that talking to my daughter’s teacher will solve any inconvenience. It does not, because my daughter can’t practice without the saxophone so the one that they should be concern is about my girl missing practice time and getting behind. Sad moment for a middle schooler

Complete trash, terrible sevice. They don’t have a wide selection of books that actually matter when trying to become a great musician. Over priced on everything, buy everything online. They don’t know how to properly repair instruments. I took ina saxophone that I bought from them and they didn’t fix everything. I told them the pads were sticky and they didn’t fix them. Quality of the instruments they sell is extremely low. I wouldn’t recommend to people that actually care about creating music.

Deserves zero stars. Can’t go in the store. All they offer are a few junky used books outside. Only good as a walk up window if all you want is a box of reeds. I won’t be returning and won’t be recommending this dive. Go anywhere else.

Cranky old man with no concept of customer service.

We’ve been going to Village Music School for about a year now and have been very happy. Our piano instructor Abby is awesome – super sweet, patient, and encouraging to my little one! And recitals are always positive and fun. Love this place!

Great store!

They are super friendly, helpful, and the repair work is fantastic. Adam has fixed two ukuleles for me, one of which was kind of a long shot (and turned out so much better than I could have expected), and just did a quick fix on my guitar that has me ecstatic. Very clear about what was possible, and was clear up front about pricing.

It’s also a great place if you’re looking for new gear or instruments. No pressure… when they first opened right before the pandemic, I went with a friend and played instruments for about an hour, with nothing but help from the staff. That was a major reason why I went back to them when I _was_ financially ready for my guitar.

Awesome staff! Warm ambience, and decent prices. This was also Moira’s favorite spot to visit.

Great little gem of a place. Go get an instrument and learn to play it.

I’ve enjoyed each visit and was assisted with my needs with courtesy and professional experienced staff.

This is our neighborhood used and new instrument store. Same for amplifiers. Come here for strings and electronic tuners. They facilitate all kinds of music instructions and sell printed materials. Last time we went in I waited for my sons on the couch as they got lost on keyboard and other toys.

It’s pretty incredible that there is a NEW Barnes and Noble up the block from the location of the old store. Like everyone I now appreciate Barnes and Noble unapologetically as the last chain book store standing so it’s heartening to see this brand new shop. It’s a one story affair, seeks pretty clearly modeled over similar stores in London in terms of the design influence. But hey, a new Barnes and Noble is great.

Quiet, clean, ample seating. Needs coffee bar

Store was very clean and there layout was easy to follow. Also, staff were lovely and chatty! Will definitely go back

Nice clean little store. No inside tables for drinking the coffee sold here, but plenty of bar height space in front of the windows for the local students.

One of the few left in the Bay Area. This location is not as large as others, and it carries mostly best sellers (e.g. NYT, Oprah) books, magazines, cards, and stationary. Lots of parking garages so it’s easy to zip in/out.

It’s nice to see a bookstore, but this one is nothing like the old days. The space is rather small, and the collection seems limited.

The worst experience with the rudest staff I’ve ever experienced. I’ll never return.

I have been to Barnard’s and Noble’s child section many times and have been extremely disappointed by the customer service. The people who work there in the children’s section have a terrible attitude, they are not polite, they never smile and look annoyed at the kids. Aside from this, the selection of books and games for the kids is great. Unfortunately, it’s not enough to make up for the attitude of the employees. I would not recommend anyone to visit this section unless they can put up with poor customer service.