one of a kind guitar store - patronize them!…read more I've bought remotely from them for years and its always good, talk to someone on the phone to be clear on stuff

10 years ago as a bum I bought a guitar for $40 here and it was damn fine. Good people. Later sold…read morethat same guitar in much worse shape to someone else for $40 and some weed, and I regret it now because it sounded so good. I'll definitely be coming back soon for some repairs on some nicer guitars and maybe grab another beater.

Love the shop. I do my best to shop here when I am in the east bay…read more Good mix of old and new guitars, nice amps. They have a work bench for repairs. Staff are friendly and accommodating. Since Leo's and Starving went out of business, shops like this need and deserve support. It's better than doom scrolling Reverb. I can usually pick up an interesting and used pedal for a few bucks. Instant fun!

As others have said, this is a great little shop. Nice selection of guitars, fairly priced, as…read morewell as amps, pedals and all the accessories you would need. Johnny is cool and will answer all your questions and let you try out anything that interests you. They do great setup and repair work as well. Johnny gets rave reviews for his skills and knowledge. I wanted to give props to their excellent amp repair tech, Steve "Doc" Boyd. Amp repair is tricky. There aren't that many places you can go without traveling some distance. Nobody can give you much info over the phone. You often have to make the calculation as to whether the amp is worth repairing or not. You often have no idea as to the cost involved and the time required to fix it. With these guys, you leave your amp at the store and Steve usually gets to it within a few days and calls, texts or emails you pretty quickly with his assessment of the problem. He will give you your options in an honest and straightforward manor. He's a very personable and friendly guy who is really easy to work with. This was my experience: I brought a very nice small Swart hand wired tube amp in with a problem with some crackling and popping as well as the reverb not working. I had checked and replaced the tubes, cables, and the reverb tank and still not fixed the problem. Uh, Oh, this was way above my skill level and involved detailed knowledge of the circuitry and soldering skills that wouldn't make things a real mess. Steve has extensive experience at testing amps and he diagnosed the problems, stayed in touch with me on the repairs and returned the amp to me very quickly for what I felt was a very fair price. They also have a guy who takes smaller amp enclosures and mods them into great little practice and small gigging amps that are thoroughly checked out if that's what you might be looking for. These guys are local Oakland guys with a commitment to the community and they deserve our support. I was totally happy with their service and will continue to be a returning customer. Highly recommend! Tom F

ELVIS IS BACK BABY!…read more Drum specialist Elvis Katic spent serious time with me trying to procure a small niche item. He took the lead on problem solving issues with the manufacturer/distributor, then ended up going beyond above-and-beyond to make sure I got what I was looking for. It's great to find someone who genuinely wants to see people thrive and do their thing musically. If you're ever in Emeryville come through and visit a legend.

Love the variety of instruments ( not just guitars) and especially love the ability to play…read moreinstruments to your hearts content.... including some higher priced models without even asking salesperson! On the other hand; if you need knowledgeable and attentive personal help.... I am not so sure ( eg. I told salesperson I really enjoyed the sound of the new Taylor designed Circa 74 acoustic amp; he said "Oh yeah.. that is because it is a tube amp." He is wrong... it is not a tube amp; it is solid state.

We were referred to Lark in the morning by another music shop. We had an old autoharp we needed…read moretuned and possibly repaired. Thorn the manager put us in touch with Steve. We brought the autoharp and a guitar in for repair. Steve examined both carefully. He explained what he discovered and what work he would do. He was friendly and very informative. We left the autoharp and guitar with him to repair. The price he quoted us seemed reasonable and fair.

Excelente store!! So many instruments from different parts of the world. A true gem! From a tres…read morecubano - to native flutes and world percussion.

So far so good! My son is in our trial month for piano lessons. His teacher is Akiko, and she's…read morebeen great so far! She's been fun and engaging, and very patient. The stickers help. :) To start, I had a phone consultation with Jamie, who was very sweet and we had a good conversation about our goals. She recommended Akiko and I think she was spot on. We're excited to continue!

My teenage son took lessons with Nish for three years and it has been a phenomenal learning…read moreexperience for him. He learned not just the mechanics of playing, but music theory, song writing, blending his style with other instruments and endless advice about guitar, music, and performing. Nish was able to guide my son through so many aspects of guitar and music, I'm truly impressed. We're moving, otherwise the lessons would continue.

Got my guitar restrung here. The service was excellent and fast. They have a wide range of guitars,…read moreincluding less expensive ones. I appreciated that considering where we live.

Love these guys! I've bought two beautiful instruments from them and the experience both times was…read morefantastic. They are very chill, supportive, and helpful. It's a beautiful place to find just the right guitar :) And they have a fantastic selection of ukulele's and baritone ukulele's as well!

Buying an oud has been a longtime dream of mine, and I finally decided to take the first step…read more After some research, I came across Timbre Folk & Baroque and visited the store yesterday. From the moment I walked in, I felt welcomed. I had the pleasure of meeting Mark and his daughter -- both were incredibly kind, knowledgeable, and genuinely passionate about what they do. They took the time to patiently answer all of my questions, without ever making me feel rushed or pressured to buy anything. That level of honesty and respect is rare these days, especially in retail. It was clear to me that they care more about helping people find the right instrument than just making a sale. If you're looking for a place where you can trust the people behind the counter, this is it. I'm truly grateful places like this still exist. Thank you, Mark!

Easy to work with, responsive, knowledgeable. Convenient location. Fixed my husband's old guitar…read moreand also will be taking lessons with Pete!

Amazing store. Adam is a master guitar repairman! He helped repair and glue the seams of my son's…read moreMartin.

Very helpful staff. We were looking to get my son his first electric guitar and they were so…read moreknowledgeable and we're not pushy at all. I felt the used guitars were very reasonable and great quality. Such a cool little shop so happy to support a small business.

Stewart stopped answering my calls after he fixed my guitar and never answered my email…read more I used another phone to call him and he answered. He blocked my number. How good is the warranty for one year if he stops communicating. He is a nice guy but for my new guitar I decided to go the Mountain Music on Piedmont Ave Oakland. Adam did a great job on my new Cordoba My name is Garfield

Stellar workmanship and a totally nice guy. He brought down the action in my 1918 L3 to a highly…read moreplayable level without sacrificing bass - not an easy job. There's nobody else on his level in the east bay as far as I know.

Gary is one of the most skilled guitar technicians and one of the NICEST people I ever met in this…read morebusiness. No job too big or small, he and his skilled staff NEVER snobby. I've known him since I was 18 years old before I got my first record deal. His shop was located in the alley along with the store Real Guitars. Behind Guitar Center when it was on South Van Ness in San Francisco. He also known as the tech to the "stars" constantly doing work over the years for people like Joe Satriani, Journey and others. He is the BEST !!!?

If you live in the Bay Area and you need guitar work, you are very fortunate to be able to have…read morework done by Gary. He's a legend in the business, yet he is down to earth and just an all-around solid guy. The work that I needed done was only minor electrical re-wiring, but Gary treated me like a valued customer and made sure I was happy with the work before I left his shop. I would not hesitate to return for any future work. 100% satisfied.