Brought my Martin DX-1 in for a string change, setup, and minor fretboard cleaning. Spoke with Mitch who recommended a few minor adjustments as well. I was expecting it to take a couple of days, but just a couple of hours later it was already done! I picked it up the next day, and the guitar plays and sounds better than it has in years! Also a bargain price, very happy with the setup! I'll be bringing all of my guitars here from now on. When bringing in an instrument for service, be sure to call first to make sure the guitar tech is available. This is also mentioned on their website, but just be sure to call. read more

Smaller store but a great selection of guitars. I hear there's live music here too (there's a little stage in the back of the store). Parking's a little difficult but not too bad. Check them out if you're in the area! read more

Boulevard is a chill spot that's been here forever. I took my first voice lessons here long ago and they were super reasonable. Just a low key staple in Culver for your music needs. read more

I've been trying to get a guitar that's under warranty repaired by Boulevard for several years. I've brought the guitar to the store and was told that the repair guy was out and they can only take work in when Doug, the repair guy, is present. This was after Doug telling me to drop it off anytime. I've bought 4 guitars from Boulevard and now I really regret it. read more

Boulevard Music is an excellent small business that serviced my child's alto saxophone in less than a week. Thoughtful, thorough and easy to work with. We will be back! read more

A sub par repair department. Non-accountable owner for inefficient, absent repair techs. I like to support small businesses in general, but fortunately we still have much more reasonable & qualified options in the area for quality repair work. Boulevard will take your money, but won't stand behind their work. read more

Boulevard Music is an amazing music shop and venue. I've been there several times for small, intimate concerts and just love the place. They have always been incredibly accommodating to musicians, and have an amazing selection of instruments. read more

Boulevard Music is a wonderful local music shop. After missing the deadline to rent an instrument from our school for the CCUSD music program, we needed to rent an instrument on our own and found it here. I spoke with several local music shops on the west side. Boulevard Music was by far the most responsive and knowledgeable. The pricing was on par with all other shops. Stephen is detailed and thoughtful. He explained all the details of the rental, pricing, expectations, etc. Transparency is clearly a pillar of this business. Three months later, our trumpet rental has been great. In addition, my kiddo started trumpet lessons here. The trumpet teacher, Bruce, is fantastic so far. He made my kiddo feel comfortable and confident as a very beginning trumpet player in his first lesson. My kiddo left the lesson saying "I loved that." We are so grateful to have such a lovely music resource right here in our community. read more

Went and saw the Transatlantic Guitar Trio last weekend. I can't say enough good things about that group, so I won't even try. I'm still smiling from the memory. As far as the venue, it's as bare-bones as you'd expect from a retail space morphed into a hundred seat concert space. We were in the fifth row. The sound was excellent. I've had the opportunity to be in a band that has played here a couple of times. Gary is an excellent host. read more

Very small place with very good musicians first time there and we lived in this area for 50 years we found a hidden gem

Excellent service from Boulevard Music! Sometimes you find a gem that happens to be 5 minutes from where you live! A friend goes here for guitar service and he recommended them to me. I needed to get my floyd trem worked on (and was hoping to get my guitar back in less than 3 days). These guys did really great work and had my guitar back to me the next day! bonus! read more

Would not take my guitar here ever again for guitar repair I do not recommend them for guitar repair. I dropped my guitar in February of this year. They told me it would take 3 to 4 months. I said no problem. It's August. They did not do the repairs they did not call me. They did not communicate, the information I got was what glue to use so that I can repair it myself so disappointing. Avoid this place. read more

The clerk was rude to me. I was going to ask them how much to set up my 12 string guitar but he was rude to me

I'm just so glad places like this exist, and I hope they're around for a long long time. I needed my guitar restrung but didn't realize that it was more broken than I expected. They went above and beyond and found the exact specific part it needed. They then fixed my neck and restrung my guitar extremely fast. I can't remember the person's name at the front desk that helped me...Andrew? Patrick? I'm not sure but he was extremely kind and knowledgeable. Thank you Andrew/Patrick! Side note: I took piano lessons here as a kid because I lived around the block. Thank you Gary if you're still around, music is still a big part of my life in no small part thanks to you read more

Exactly the type of local music instrument and lessons store you want in your neighborhood. The staff makes you feel like a member of the community and not just a sales target. They want to get it right and will work with you until you are satisfied. Doug will expertly take care of any instrument repairs you may have to boot. They don't carry all of the guitar brands but the Martin selection in particular is very good. read more

Took my guitar in for a set-up and to add some modifications. Doug did an incredible job and had it completed within a quick turn-around. Beyond pleased with the finished result. read more

Boulevard Music - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Culver City, California

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LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this wonderful treasure of a neighborhood music shop! I came here panicking with a broken guitar string, they replaced it instantly for 8 dollars, replied everything, plus tuned the guitar for free! Customer service and prices here are amazing and old-fashioned. It's wonderful to have a local music store like this with such kind, knowledgeable, helpful, good-hearted wizards behind the counter. Really seasoned professionals work here. Always helpful in store and on the phone. Great selection of things in the shop. Also bought an amazing guitar case here, really well priced. Can't wait to come back. This is the best music shop in LA! read more

Very nice manager Steven and my harmonica lessons are going well too. Chris is very patient with me and helping me make progress.

A lovely neighborhood music store that has a great selection of guitars. They also give piano and guitar music lessons. (Maybe violin too?) The staff is knowledgeable, friendly, and super down to earth. They have a parking lot on the side and there's usually street parking too. I'm lucky enough to live in Culver City so I just walk over. read more

Boulevard Music - Got a sweet ukulele at Boulevard Music in Culver City. - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Culver City, California

Boulevard Music is the best! Their repair shop did a wonderful job on a 50+y/o guitar that needed some attention. They fixed the problem and when I got it back, it looked and played great. The concerts are top notch and host world class performers. The shop is clean and is a perfect venue for a show. Many thanks to Gary and Doug for the professional assistance with my guitar repair. Don't forget to check out the terrific concert performances. Bob Barrett read more

Pablo de Harmonee Kat stopped by to pick up a(nother) fine harmonica, and had a fine time giving an impromptu concert. Steve, store associate extrodinare, was all ears! read more

This is not only an updated report on the outstanding service I received and continue to receive from Boulevard Music and their outstanding staff, but Martin Guitar's stellar warranty support for their customers. I had to return once again to have my HD-28V worked on for a similar binding glue issue in a different area on my guitar. This is a known problem with certain years of Martin guitars. Doug from Boulevard took great care and made my guitar as good as new, yet again. What a rock star. Thanks so much! I highly recommend Boulevard Music! If you're in the area, this should be your first stop for your acoustic guitar needs, and if not, it's worth the trek. Cheers! read more

What a wonderful place to go shopping for guitars and musical equipment... Also a great place for live concerts... We highly recommend!

Really fun small venue for the 1950s band Big Daddy. Older crowd with a smattering of millennials. Very congenial group. Minimal refreshments. read more

Boulevard Music - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Culver City, California

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Yesterday I took my newly purchased Fender Telecaster Special edition to store, they look at it and set it up in about 30 minutes, it plays perfectly right now, extremely knowledgable. They are authorized service center and they know what they are doing. read more

Came here to buy a guitar tuner and have since been back to buy a new guitar and a ukelele. They're super friendly and I never felt like they were trying to for a sale. Every time I've left they ask me what have I been listening to and we end up chatting about music. Highly recommend this place. read more

Stopped by Boulevard for the first time after reading reviews and was very happy with my experience. Great service and prices and Luke did a great job restringing, tuning up and cleaning both my acoustic and electric guitars. I will be back! read more

I've had Boulevard set up a couple of guitars for me, but when I wanted a new telecaster I really didn't think of them first. I went to GC and Sam Ash and all the usual places and played as many teles as I could. When I thought I knew what I wanted, I dropped by Boulevard to see if they could order it for me. I'm so glad I did. They had what I wanted in stock and at a better price than the big stores. The kicker is that I didn't really love the guitar I thought I wanted. They then went to the back and took two more guitars out of boxes for me to try. If you've ever tried out guitars in a Guitar Center, you'll know what a crappy experience that can be. No service to speak of and three other people playing heavy metal licks on top of each other :) Boulevard Music is the opposite of all that. Personalized service in a quiet setting. The bonus is: prices are the same or better. I ultimately bought a Squier Classic Vibe, even though I was thinking about a much pricier Baja Telecaster. Sitting quietly and playing all the guitars gave me a chance to really see how they sounded and played. Thank you Boulevard, Steve and Aaron! read more

Boulevard Music is a perfect example of why we all need to support local shops. (If we ignore them, they'll go away, and that's a bad thing.) You could go to Guitar Center and drown in walls of guitars, but you're likely to end up with some surly sales kid who could not care less about you or why you're there. You won't get personal attention or their time. I walked into Boulevard Music with an old Strat and wanted a new set of strings. Aaron immediately helped me, checked the gauge and then -- without me even asking -- offered to line up the bridge, adjust the springs, and set the intonation... at no charge! They didn't try to upsell me or anything; they just helped. He did it just for the love of music and a sense of service. I now have a new, local guitar shop to which I am very happy to give my business. read more

Boulevard music is an oasis of music, musical instruments and the people who love all those things. My granddaughter and I have been there a total of three times to buy her a bass guitar, and I think it was Steve who helped us and guided us to the right one,how to hold the bass and what we needed to get her started. Since then, including yesterday, everyone who has helped us by phone or otherwise have been the utmost in customer service and knowledge. I am buying a keyboard blindly so that I can get through this time more creatively and was on the phone with the owner not only talking about the differences in keyboards, but just about life as it stands now. It was a very grace-filled conversation. I will pick up the keyboard, and the other things I ordered soon with instructions on how to keep us both safe. To end the conversation with humor, he said...I have my tape measure...don't try anything funny! :-) I'm happy to be able to do my part in keeping this awesome place going! read more

I was having trouble with an amp I bought off reverb and Doug fixed it right up at a very reasonable price. Felt good going to a neighborhood spot and not guitar center or some specialist way out in the valley. All my repairs will go here from now on. read more

This is a awesome store.... my brother and I went , just to look....you know, most places either pressure you...or ignore you totally..but these guys did neither. It was a truly comfortable experience. From this point on every ukulele I purchase will be from these guys!!! read more

Boulevard Music is a very capable music store full of friendly and experienced musicians. I wanted to get back into Guitar and enrolled for the beginning group class - I am definitely an intermediate player but was encouraged by the staff to take the class. I was happy to do it. I ended up only taking a few classes and not returning because I didn't feel like I was getting much out of it. The instructor was very talented and interesting to listen to, but it was all information I already knew. Next time I will look into private or an intermediate class. Give it a try! They have a great selection of instruments and will help you with any issues you have. The classes are reasonable! read more

First time here, wont be my last. I came in because my 8 year old got her mouthpiece stuck in her trumpet. Before I arrived I called to see if they could offer me any assistance. I was greeted pleasantly and told that "they could have a look and see what could be done." When I arrived I was greeted by two young men. They instantly knew who I was and assisted me! Aaron and Alec offered great conversation and got the mouthpiece out! Aaoron went the extra mile and cleaned the trumpet for me to insure it's proper function. They were wonderful. Excellent customer service is rare these days so when I find "gems" I definitely feel they should be recognized. Keep it up! Hope to see you both again when I bring my daughter in for lessons.... read more

I really wanted to like this place. The location is very convenient for me, it's a good space, and all the employees are very friendly. The problem with this place is, that the owner Gary manages all the operations so If any issues arise, you need to deal with him directly. His customer service skills, to put it mildly, are absolutely horrible. I purchased a Martin D15 From Boulevard Music and had them install a LR Baggs Anthem pickup system in the guitar. After the install, there was an issue with a thumping sound on the B string. It was really noticeable when plugging into a PA system. It sounded like kick drum playing along with every note picked on the B string. Kind of defeats the whole purpose of having electronics in your guitar, if you can't play through a PA system. After two months of dealing with this issue, and the third trip back to the shop, I spent some time with the luthier in the shop as he played my guitar, through an amp. Eventually he heard the thumping sound on my guitar. At this point we decided to replace the pickup to a LR Baggs Element. At this point Gary said it would be a straight swap, even though the Element is priced $30 less than the Anthem. Pretty much an unprofessional practice on his behalf, but it didn't stop there. A few hours later, the luthier called me and said the new pickup made the issue worse, and he would talk to the owner Gary about the issue. A few days later I get a call from Gary, once again denying there is an issue with the guitar. How did it go from his luthier admitting there is an issue, and it getting worse, to there being no issue at all? Really weird and unethical business practice. Continually denying a problem exists, like some how that would make it go away. Gary made all kinds of excuses, talking to me like i'm a child, saying "there's nothing wrong with the guitar" blaming it on my playing style and a bunch of other bullshit, I won't get into. Weird that none of my other three acoustic/electrics have that problem, even with my playing style. I've been playing guitar for over 40 years, I think by now I can tell if there's an issue with a guitar. I ended up calling Martin Guitar customer service. They said it was most likely an issue with the saddle, or possibly a loose brace and any repairs were covered under warranty. I had a gig coming up, and didn't have the time to bring it to another shop. I picked up a new saddle, sanded it fit, and replaced the pickup with a K&K system. Problem solved, and it took me about an hour to fix it myself. As far as I know, the saddle is part of the guitar, right? Gary could have easily spent his time fixing the issue, getting paid under warranty from Martin, and making a new customer happy. Instead he choose to deny, that there was an issue, and make the transaction a pretty painful experience for me. No apologies, nothing! read more

The store responded about kicking my child out of drum lessons below. Their comments are inaccurate. I reached out to correct their inaccuracies, but they ignored me. I was not told my son was kicked out for "cancellations." I was told he was kicked out because there was another student who wanted to come every week as opposed to bi-weekly. Bi-weekly lessons had been our mutually agreed-upon arrangement. Regarding cancellations: The shop does not allow same-day cancellations for lessons. This was not explained to me up front. They did not explain it when I signed up. When my child was sick and we called to cancel in the morning, 8 hours before his lesson, nobody told me they would be taking our $35 ticket. Two weeks later, when we showed up, I was out of tickets. I thought the lack of communication about policies is problematic. Not allowing kids to miss because of illness seemed like a weird policy that deserved a more thorough explanation than a fine print line-item on a sign-up sheet. In this instance, they agreed and offered to comp the lesson. For the next months of lessons. We followed the cancellation policy perfectly. If we were going to miss, we called more than 24 hours in advance. Once, I forgot to call until the day of. So they took $35 away. I did not complain. The policy had been explained to me. It was fair. In addition, I was mindful of the income loss to the drum teacher from missing lessons. Every time we cancelled (which was a few times over the summer due to travel), I requested a makeup time. Every time, the drum teacher told me he would call to set one up. He never called. At best, he was being unprofessional; at worst, he was lying. Why have a policy that you kick kids out for following? Why kick someone out who was trying to reach out to soften the financial impact of missed lessons? Why lie about these things on yelp? The whole thing is shady. Avoid taking lessons here if you're looking to work with honest, caring people. read more

Great shop for acoustic stringed instruments. Really nice staff, no hard selling, solid setups, and peripherals. Had several good experiences with them. Recommended. read more

Great local music shop. They have everything you could want for the most part...guitar picks, music stands, ukuleles, amps. The staff is friendly and helpful...not intimidating or annoying. They offer classes! And in general love and support music. They have little showcase things too, I hear. I haven't been yet, but am looking forward to going. Parking has never been an issue for me. I usually pull right up front to the metered parking. It's all along Sepulveda. read more

I don't get down to the West Side too often, but when I do, I usually try to stop in at Boulevard Music. I just got a great new guitar from them, and feel compelled to drop a note about them. I think that a lot of people still don't know that they are there. They have an amazing selection of instruments, and not just guitars. I've bought a lot of accessories and percussion gadgets as well. The store is a bit cluttered, but if you can't find something, they will help you. While they have a selection of electrics and amps, the store really specializes in acoustic instruments, and the staff are very knowledgeable about them, especially Gary, the owner, who is also an incredible guitar player. One of the things I like is that they have no problem ordering something for me it they don't have it in stock, while still giving me a great price. They also have concerts in the store nearly every weekend with top musicians of ever type, and have a complete upstairs school with lessons in nearly every type of instrument, and a good repair department. It just like the old-time music stores I used to go to in my youth! Keep it up, guys, and I'll keep shopping there. read more

My spouse gifted me a couple of private lessons at Boulevard Music. I think she was tired of listening to me trying to teach myself. I had been playing for about 3 years and never had the desire to take lessons because I thought that anything I needed to learn I could learn for free online. I was wrong. Here is a SHORT list of things you won't learn online. Coming in late on chords. Raising your fingers to high, slowing you down. Not accenting the notes properly. Moving too many fingers when changing chords. Using alternative finger placement for quicker chord change. INSTANT FEED BACK! Position, timing, going too fast, going too slow, and ..... I have taken five lessons and have learned more in those five one hour lessons then I did in a year of online instruction. My instructor is Mr. Stan Ayeroff, our initial meeting on the phone was less then ten minutes, and yet when we met in person he came equipped with a montage of songs that were right in line with my interests. I told him I had never finger picked, but would love to learn, and he expertly took the reins. It's just five weeks later and I'm finger picking my way through Dylan's "Don't think Twice, It's Alright" If you are looking to start playing, improve your playing, or are just looking for feedback, go to Boulevard Music, they have the talent you need. read more