With free mini-concerts with top artists, and a wide selection of great guitars, you have no reason not to visit this great shop. Tell Reuben that GUY sent you.
Old style did a great job setting up my Stratocaster and installing new pickups. It plays and sounds beautiful and was done within a week. Definitely recommend taking your guitar here.
If you’re into old guitars not because of their market value but because of their sound and feel this is the place to go, hands down.
Changed this review because I know Old Style is a small indie shop trying to get by …
Seems like a cool shop with cool folks who were having a bad day. They got annoyed at me playing for less than 30 minutes on a shop-built guitar … You’d think they want to sell those.
Tourists: This is probably a good shop for repairs, but not playing and trying instruments. I like a guitar store that will just let you play and try for a long while, especially if you’re a courteous player who knows how to handle guitars.
Locals: hit this place up for repairs, rare gems, and Fender-style custom builds!
Nice and quaint, staff knowledgeable
On April 18th I brought my guitar in to have some binding repair work done on the fret board. They said to just leave it and in a couple of days someone would call me back with an estimate and scheduling of the labor. No one called so
I called back a couple of times and no one picked
up. I even drove by to stop and knock on the door during business hours.
Crickets…….
On a hunch today I stopped by again and walked into The Old Style Guitar Shop. When I came in they said the were closed for business. Of course they were.
They were ready to move everything outta there Pronto! Every musical instrument that had a case was on the floor ready to go out the front door.
I asked for my own guitar which they found in a
pile of other steel strings and headed back home.
I’m so glad I dropped in today. I doubt if they will be there for very long.
did a bad job twice on set ups. open string buzzing both times, why i went back the second time i have no idea. the intonation lasted about a month. these were both on american made gibsons.
the last one i got they stuffed card stock under the bridge saddles and left it hanging out. they did not ask me before charging me if it was ok to this hack DIY style repair yet charged me full price.
they also sold me what they said were flat wound strings but when i got them out of the package they were regular round wound.
AND on top of being amateurs, they are argumentative and arrogant. perhaps to cover up that they only sort of know what they doing?
Wow this place is worse than I thought too getto
2. Mikaleno’ Guitar Setups & Repairs
Address: 440 N Coronado St, Los Angeles, CA 90026 , Silver Lake , California , United States
I took an ancient Stella Harmony parlor guitar from the 60s to Michael, and he brought it back to life. Fast work, great price, and he was incredibly informative throughout the whole process. I learned a bunch.
So happy I took my guitars to Mikaleno. He’s the real deal. Beyond his decades of experience, he’s a perfectionist, and puts it all into every instrument that he touches. He got 2 of my guitars from terrible and basically unplayable, to feeling so incredible… it’s wild!! From now on, I’m only taking my guitars to him. Guitar center is for the peasants
Affordable! Good service and fast turnaround- thank you!!
3. Rockaway Records
Address: 2395 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039 , Silver Lake , California , United States
Le disquaire de Los Angeles, sympa, plein de vinyles et autres objets collector !
Great selection
great place been coming since 1980. Gary is cool and andy is great..always great stuff
Good place to find used CDs. Sometimes their introverted customers are sort of rude when you want to look for something while digging thru their pile.
Cool store i found a couple of rare vinyls but not much of a selection
Great place for rare stuff
Sad to see this store close, but there’s too much easy money in insanely overpriced “collectibles” for them to bother with retail anymore. Thanks for all the fun over the years…I’ll miss you.
dopness
Vinyl is too expensive
4. Mount Analog
Address: 2217 Hyperion Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027 , Silver Lake , California , United States
The best curated record store ever. I would consider this a museum of sorts, as well. Such a delight to find many obscure items that you never knew existed. Just go!
Really nice listening area by the front windows. Go in the evening when the sun is setting and it’s an amazing place to sit, look out at the street and listen to your records.
Friendly staff who’s always willing to help find the hard/rare stuff you’re looking for. Their selection is meticulously curated to be unique with always some good gems. Definitely my favorite record store. Alot of work goes into this store and it shows.
Nice place. Their selection is super esoteric though.
Quite possibly the worst customer service I have ever encountered, on 1/13/15. Went in to buy a few mailers to send some LP’s out. The girl was very rude and tried to charge me twice as much as the the last guy I bought from, two days prior. Her response, when I told her what I paid two days ago, ( While she rolled her eyes at me) Well he made a mistake! Thanks, but no thanks, to self-entitled brats, that work your store. I’ll go the other record store on York from now on. You never know who walks into your store, keep that in mind! I’ll make sure everyone I know in the music industry, avoids this store! This is why the little guys go out of business. I support local business all the way. If our local business can’t be nice, they don’t deserve our business.
Pretty sure this place has closed. Went there today and couldn’t find it.
5. Cosmic Vinyl Cafe
Address: 2149 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026 , Silver Lake , California , United States
Great selection, convenient location and great staff. A good experience every time I’m in.
Good selection of new and used records. Some real rarities and obscure stuff. Great coffee too.
Great place, very good selection. The only problem is parking around the store is sometimes hard to come by.
Ot sklep z używanymi winylami, niczym się nie wyróżniający. Można tu znaleźć coś ciekawego w dobrej cenie, ale nie ma płyn nowych (nieużywanych). Płyty są niestety brudne i wymagają mycia po kupieniu. Niektóre płyty są schowane bardzo głęboko i ciężko je przeglądać. Myślę, że warto poszukać innego sklepu.
Nice variety of vinyl, nice staff, easy to find free parking close by.
Seemed like a really rad place and expected it to be rad but attitude of person behind the counter ruined it. Person was very rude, even after purchasing
Not Very Cosmic
I recall coming to Cosmic Vinyl years ago when it was a record store that also sold coffee. Must have been different ownership then as it used to be a couple of older guys behind the counter and working the floor. Now it appears to be more or less a hipster coffee house that also sells records. That said, the coffee is “okay” and the record selection about the same, with some better copies in new arrivals bin mostly.
Hit or miss on this place. Could be better.
UPDATE:. Happened three times now. Hours says they close at 9pm. I show up at 7pm, and was turned away as they “were closing early.” Whatever.
6. Sam Ash Music Stores
Address: 7360 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046 , Silver Lake , California , United States
Excellent service in-store and with their online sales. Quick and easy help with an eBay used amp I purchased.
Ace was wonderful – very helpful;…. We got what we needed!
I first went to the Guitar Center, across the street, and they were helpful, but didn’t have many 88 key controllers out for me to try or even look at. Shok, who’s an experienced music producer, helped me at Sam Ash and showed me the keyboard/controllers I was looking for. He also answered my questions with the insight and experience I was looking for. He gave me his personal phone number and we texted back and forth a few times to help me with my decision. On Saturday, he gave a free class as well at the store. The experience was what I needed. I thank everyone there, esp. Shok.
Great Music store!
Almacen musical muy completo.
Helpful, formerly staff and giant selection.
Good saleperson but when it comes to customer service very bad. Rude ob iPhone calls and no giving appreciation to the customer. For selling good but not for backup service. My guitar has been for almost two months and not been received a courtesy call. And when Icalled very rude people answeted. Bad customer service
Es triste que una tienda como esa,no te haga valida la garantia y te cobre cuando aun tienes media vida de garantia y o pagas o no te reparan por algo que es defecto del instrumento.
Hello.
I was bought tenor Mark 6 Selmar at your shop at 17 May.
I hope believe your recommand and explain. But
I was bought too expensive than korea.
Anyway. I have a question.
What is means the number on saxphone body .
like that MO 674973
MADE IN FRANCE
(?)RLV.S.G.D.G.920653
US.PAT+2710558
US.PAT+2846917
M 179545
I m waiting your answer.
Thank you for your answer and I want know e-mail on saxophone parter.
Choi B. K. from Airlines in Korea
7. Caveman Vintage Music
Address: 3231 N Main St, Los Angeles, CA 90031 , Silver Lake , California , United States
Great store with lots of rare equipment, fair prices, and a very friendly owner. It was easy to find street parking on a weekday. The stock varies all the time, so come here willing to be surprised.
Very good place for guitar lovers.
I LOVED this shop. If you’re into vinyl definitely don’t sleep on this locations. One of the few record stores in LA that sells actual vintage vinyl and not just new pressings of older music, which has become the standard given it’s rise in popularity. It’s well organized with a decent selection and very reasonable prices. Bigger artists get their own section which is helpful (the Beatles, Elvis etc). Also a great collection of 70s rock. The shop owner was very knowledgeable, helpful and welcoming and made it a very enjoyable visit. They also sell vintage cassette tapes, amps, record players, receivers, electric and acoustic guitars and other music equipment.
This place has got a cool vibe, a nice selection of vintage amps and you cant beat the customer service. But I think prices are a bit on the high side and that brings the rating down. Just my opinion.
Cool place
Good variety of vintage instruments, worth a visit for any musician. They have a large record selection too.
8. Nomadic Guitar Repairs And Lessons
Address: 2575 N San Fernando Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90065 , Silver Lake , California , United States
Just got my Jazzmaster back from Steven set up wonderfully. Excellent value, work and super nice guy. Highly recommended!
Steve took care of my Gibson Les Paul Special ‘77 so well with the new wiring kit. It came back like a fresh guitar!
Handed Steven a guitar that made low to no sound and he fixed it up in about 2 weeks. I was 100% satisfied and would recommend him to anyone looking to fix a guitar very well! Very friendly and overall a good experience.
I’m giving this repair guy a three only because when you pick up your guitar the repair guy isn’t there Incase you have an issue with something on the spot he isn’t there to fix the issue….I feel that when you take a guitar to someone the repair person should be there so that you can try your guitar there infront of them so if anything isn’t right they can make it right on the spot and not have to go home and come back to fix it. In my case I didn’t like my guitar action and he wasn’t there to let him Know so that it would be fixed on the spot. I did let him know through text but I live far from the repair shop and would have to drive back out there to fix it. Something that could have been avoided had the repair guy been there when I picked up my guitar… Lol you talk about COVID protocol? There’was other people working in the store during this so called protocol. You should always be on site in case there’s an unhappy customer.
Had a great experience here in the pro audio section. If anyone needs advice or assistance, ask for Ward – he is the man and the wizard in pro audio!
Great work, solid price. Both my basses were cleanup real good & sound fantastic. They also did a Stratocaster for me recently & made it shine & sound the way it is supposed to! You won’t be disappointed in their work, no doubt.
I took my guitar in a few weeks ago to have it set up and the sprouting frets dressed. Steve at Nomadic had it for two weeks and then I needed it back expecting the work to be done. But when I got there Steve claimed he had done the frets but they were still plenty sharp. Plus I discovered that the loose volume and tone knobs were still loose when I got it back home. So I doubt even the set up was done even though it sounds okay. Steve did say I could bring the guitar back for more work if I wasn’t happy after playing it for a while. I decided to let it go and consider it a lesson learned. I’ve had better service at Guitar Center. Steve is nice enough guy but the price is high for what I received. Which was not much. I think he is stretched too thin and needs more help. I decided to order a fret dressing Kit from StewMac and just do it myself. It’s not rocket science and there are plenty of YouTube videos to assist.
Bad setup, and what an arrogant repsonse. I wasted my money on getting my guitar set up here and went elsewhere. You’re sad dude, can’t even take truthful criticism. Update – I’m not going to war with you Steve. You’re updaing your reponse after I did contact you – you were nothing but overly mean and defensive. You must be a straight up narcissist to believe you as a public entity are immune to criticism or sometimes doing a bad job. That’s like McDonald’s replying to a review of a bad meal by saying, well the customer should’ve came to us and giving us a chance to remedy. No, actually I have the freedom as a consumer to take my business elsewhere, which I did – and I’m glad for doing so. Learn to take criticism, get a business location that isn’t in a rehearsal room, get a POS system vs. having to pay with PayPal or Venmo.
Scum
9. Piano Teacher | Natalie Ross
Address: 3015 Fernwood Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90039 , Silver Lake , California , United States
I look forward to my lesson with Natalie every week. Truly an amazing person and teacher. No matter if my lesson is in person or online, it’s always a blast. I have learned so much since my first lesson 10 years ago, and I couldn’t have picked a better teacher to guide me on my piano journey.
I’ve never been this happy with my progress! Natalie has helped me to focus on technical skills and theory in a fun way I didn’t think was possible before. I’m having a blast learning from Natalie, she has been my all time favourite piano teacher.
A truly great, inspiring, incredibly patient, encouraging, and inspiring teacher.
10. Mad Hatter Studios
Address: 2635 Griffith Park Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039 , Silver Lake , California , United States
Yeah these guys are awesome! Super cool, very helpful, and professional. Highly recommended!
I woke up and my phone had decided to turn into a brick overnight and I tried a hard reset and nothing worked. So I went on the apple site and Mikey’s hook up came up as an authorized dealer.
I think Mikey was working as well as one other guy who was the one that helped me. He was so friendly and was able to fix the issue on the phone. He even let me stay and let the cloud upload the important items on their Wi-Fi.
Will definitely come back if I need anything computer/record/tech related.
Also recommend going here vs. the Apple Store as I find the Mikey’s more helpful and less of a zoo than the Apple Store.
They gave me a recommendation to check in with apple regarding my issue. This saved me 500$ on repair, in which case i would have just gotten a new MacBook. So essentially they saved me 1000$! Now i can keep using my old device with entirely new keyboard and battery. Perfect service, would always come back here & can’t recommend them enough.
Just left there. Tried to take my IMAC to get repaired which hasn’t been booting up for a while. When I took it in, the person working the desk (not a technician) tried to boot it up, after about 2 mins, he said he would ask the technician. Without even coming out to look at the computer the technician told the person working the desk that it was a “firmware lock issue, from whoever owns or previously owned the computer. Like a job or company. And that I would have to show proof of purchase to get it worked on.” I told him that was impossible because I bought the computer brand new from Apple. Once I showed him proof of such, and expressed the most important goal of mine was to retrieve the files on the IMAC, he went back to talk to the technician again. He then came out and said the technician said “since it’s a firmware lock, they couldn’t save the files and would completely wipe the drive.” Again, the technician never even looked at the computer, and Im 1000% Sure the issue is NOT a firmware lock. The guy at the front desk was nice and at least tried to show an effort to brainstorm other solutions. I drove across town to go here because of the good reviews here on google, and this is literally the first google review I’ve ever left, But am obviously disappointed there was almost zero attempt to see what the issue was. I will find a place to fix it, and I will follow up on this post with pictures and documentation that the issue is not a firmware lock.
Apple support referred me here for a repair but they completely wasted my time and made me think my device was not repairable. Went to the actual apple store and had no problems there.
Nightmare customer service and bad technicians. Spoke to Mikey himself and he was unapologetic about wiping five years of my data with no heads up. The original email from the technician, Justin, stated clearly that my data was fine and would be transferred when they installed the new logic board. I proceeded with the repair assuming he was telling the truth. I took home a completely wiped computer. There was no other communication besides letting me know that my computer was ready to be picked up. Total cost was about $1500.
They refunded the labor (about 200 bucks) after 30 minutes of painfully difficult conversation where Mikey refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing because it was “an Apple issue” with the T2 security chip. I’m sure it was – but at no point was I ever informed or given the chance to make a decision on my own. They just proceeded haphazardly, assuming everything would be fine and that I’d just deal with it if it was not.
I highly suggest avoiding this place at all costs. There are so many other repair places in Los Angeles.
12. Marina Music Center
Address: 4564 S Centinela Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90066 , Silver Lake , California , United States
This is the real deal. Alex is a wealth of information. It’s what a music shop is supposed to look like, with stuff everywhere and gems all over. Check it out.
Great spot with an eclectic mix of instruments, amplifiers and fx. Definitely worth a stop if you are looking for a unique, used instrument.
I will be doing a lot of business here in the future. I feel at home in this store and the owner helped me find my lost wallet next door. He is a real man.
Weird place
Unimpressed. Asked for advice. They didn’t have the part Ineeded, so they were not interested. That’s a capital mistake and shows true colors.
Amazing instruments and amos here. Owner knows so much about each guitar/amp/accessory.
Was trying a guitar out and was asked to leave if Im not buying. Left a bad taste in my mouth. Beautiful guitars but I dont think Ill come back after that.
If I could give 0 stars, I would.
Came in for fretboard oil, they said they didn’t have any. Cool, no problem. I asked if I could simply browse around the store to look and admire the guitars, & the owner/employee said “look around but you’re not gonna find oil here.”
I tried to look at the guitars in the entrance but he and another associate? were blocking the way, they both stared at me and the owner? said look around the rest of the store then come back as if it were ME who was in the way.
If you like going to mom & pop shops where the owners treat you with no dignity and like an unwelcome guest, this is the perfect spot for you.
Very nice owners, barefoot. I felt an instant connection of our old souls. Filled with rare old instruments. Very personable.
13. Zargarian Music Center
Address: 1423 1/2 W Kenneth Rd, Glendale, CA 91201 , Silver Lake , California , United States
Very helpful and knowledgeable. I would highly recommend this place for your music needs.
This is a very great place to get your instruments and accessories! I would rather buy from here than from a larger store!
What a wonderful.experienxe I had today with the owner of zargarian music .
Such knowledge of all types.of music and instruments I bought a 500$ dollar guitar and I felt like I just spent 2.000
If you.are.in glendale.amd into.playing music this should be in of yourfirst.placed to go to buy gear
Mike meng
Small, dusty, employee or owner was hovering over me, which was very awkward because it was the size of a small room. A few unknown guitars.
14. Silver Lake Smoke Shop
Address: Los Angeles, CA 90026 , Silver Lake , California , United States
Great customer service! Manuk and Harut are great! Always in a great mood!
Silver lake smoke shop is my primary go to place! Arsen is such great help as he referred some great quality products that we tried and really enjoyed. We always recommend this place to anyone who has needs for a smoke shop.
Expensive but cool shop
Friendly owner and staff willing to answer any question you have.
Zero customer service. The guy at the counter took offence when I asked for help.
I got the impression I shouldn’t be in there, wasting his time, if I didn’t already know exactly what I wanted. Pathetic.
Didn’t get my refund after placing an online order
Bought two products from this place tested them IN THE STORE both were busted and the merchant refused give me a different one. So bad so bad.
15. Record Safari
Address: 3222 Los Feliz Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039 , Silver Lake , California , United States
Record Safari In Atwater Village Is A Beautiful & Eclectic Music Store We Visited On Record Store Day And Found An Array Of Great Vinyl The Crew Is Awesome Thank You Record Safari For All You Do For The Music & Vinyl Enthusiasts
Great Record store!
Amazing newish record store, co owned by Goldenvoice founder Paul Tollett. They specialize in used vinyl. They often post rare and valuable records on their Instagram without a price so if you want to know whats up check there. Has kind of an odd location just on the far side of the la River coming across from Los feliz/silverlake, look for parking as soon as you cross the bridge.
Popular spot with a great selection of used and new vinyl. More reasonably priced than most these days. Will go back when I have more time.
This place is fantastic! My partner & I stumbled across it today while in town for vacation and found a lot of great stuff. We were both really impressed with the selection of new and used vinyl, and couldn’t believe how EXTREMELY reasonable their prices were (especially by LA standards). It also looks like they have a lot of stuff that’s still to be priced and put out for sale, and I really envy the locals who can shop here regularly. My only complaint would be that a lot of records were filed in the wrong genre, but that wouldn’t stop me from coming back. (Okay, second smaller complaint: maybe get a sign for the door?) Seriously, though, if you’re into buying records and not just looking for something specific, do yourself a favor and set aside some time; they’ve got a lot of stuff and it’ll take you like at least an hour to do it justice.
Terrible organization.
Lots of records but if you come in looking for any particular artist there is no hope.
Not alphabetized, no labels complete chaos.
Also, staff was bumping Taylor swift the entire time I was in there.
Terrible. Take notes from Seattle/Portland shops & organize your store.
16. Adam’s Music
Address: 11742 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064 , Silver Lake , California , United States
Just came to browse and try out a piano. Even though I said I wasn’t there to buy anything the employee happily answered my questions and gave me advice. Super friendly and clearly knew his stuff.
Always get a great service.
Real, knowledgeable people. Best place to pick your instrument. Very accommodating with rentals.
A band geek’s paradise!
Rented a banjo here for a week, great prices and it was an easy process. The customer service was fine, but no one went out of their way to make it an exceptional experience. I would go back, though.
I rented a bass guitar for one month, everything went fine. Prices are average and service is good. I definitely would recommend it.
17. Jacknife Records & Tapes
Address: 3149 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039 , Silver Lake , California , United States
Don’t let its small size fool you, it’s merchandise is top quality, and the staff super friendly.
Small but well curated shop. Excellent selection of CDs and cassettes. Well stocked with soul.
Knowledgeable and friendly staff/owners.
Great little store with an excellent selection of cassettes. The only issue is that some items are a bit overpriced.
Very small but a fun dig.
Great selection. Tapes are way overpriced.
While I love most record stores, this one has a smaller selection and higher prices than most of the other record stores in the area. It’s not awful but it’s not great. All the discounted $5 records would be in the dollar bin anywhere else (or at Goodwill). The rest of the prices are similarly marked up. Probably won’t be going back when there are much better places in Echo Park and Highland Park.
I try to support small businesses, especially during a pandemic, but I was shocked to see the proprietor not wearing a mask inside the store as he came up to me to ask if I needed help. However, every customer inside was wearing one. Their Google business listing says masks are required. I left right after. We are still in a pandemic–it’s not over!
Was sold a defective vintage Marantz receiver. Supposedly it was renovated, but it turned iut to be defective. Good selection of records but beware of audio gear.
18. Silverlake Conservatory of Music
Address: 4652 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027 , Silver Lake , California , United States
Blown away at the gorgeous facilities and courteous staff. Seems to be a popular spot for both kids and adults interested in more formally learning music.
Had a great experience taking my 5 year old daughter there for an intro to music class.
My wife knew this is the member of Red Hot Chili Peppers Flea’s conservatory. Very impressive after just a few minutes in the lobby. My wife purchased items related to her drumming, the woman at the register was very personable and knowledgeable.
silverlake’s website says the lot is for students during business hours only
Unprofessional front desk staff. Requested rationale for policies and was given illogical answers.
Asked for email of Director of conservatory and was told they couldn’t give that out and the front desk women who were working there were smirking.
Very disappointed
Very rude.
I tried contacting them about lessons and attempted to some get some basic background information on the specific teachers they have (education, how long they’ve been teaching, professional experience, areas of focus, etc.)
Not only did they refuse to give me ANY information on ANY of their teachers, they
wouldn’t even disclose a list of names of the teachers they had so I could research myself. They wouldn’t even respond to my 2nd email.
Wow!!
19. Songsmith LA
Address: 4532 Fountain Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90029 , Silver Lake , California , United States
The song writing workshop is excellent. Everyone gets a chance to perform or play a song and as a group we discuss it in detail. John brings a wealth of knowledge and good suggestions.
Songsmith is such a great safe space to share and listen to music for musicians and music-lovers alike. The teachers are super talented and patient too; always willing to go the extra mile to help artists learn voice and create their own music.
Bobby is the real deal! He understands every aspect of the creative process, everything from musicianship, vocals, songwriting, you name it! Not only is he knowledgeable, he’s the kindest, most diplomatic, encouraging man. I really enjoy the supportive creative community he creates where like-minded people can share ideas, give constructive criticism, and cheer each other on to be the best that we can be. We need more of that, and I totally appreciate that he provides that!
