I've gone in a couple of times to get my guitars and basses fixed and/or set up. Everybody at Centaur is incredibly kind, well-informed, and professional. And their service prices are a steal! I'm surprised that everybody I know isn't there all of the time. Highly recommended. read more

I love this shop. Welcoming, friendly, and totally zero-pressure. I bought a $250 guitar here several months ago and the staff treat me like a high roller whenever I come in. They'll answer any question, and no question is too silly or embarrassing. Perfect for new guitarists (like me) and advanced players as well. Will recommend anytime. read more

Great place. They worked on an acoustic guitar of mine recently and really made it shine. Their luthier definitely knows his craft. Very casual vibe to the place too, and a cool-ness you wont find in the big box retailer version of musical instrument stores. read more

These guys are awesome. They are very down to earth and no B.S. Unlike other stores where you get pretentious hipsters and garage-sale-like picked over gear, these guys are older (hey that's a compliment to maturity and integrity!) have nice gear and an interesting selection of old guitars and amps and fair prices (unlike another vintage amp store in town). read more

This place is what a guitar shop is supposed to feel like. Incredible selection of guitars, pedals both new and vintage. The guy who helped me was great, friendly and knowledgeable and graciously let me make some rather obnoxious noise while I tried out some pedals. I could spend a lot of time and money in a shop like that. read more

Such a good spot. Staff is tremendously helpful and super nice. Jared found the perfect amp for me. I'll definitely be going back for all my guitar needs. read more

At 6pm on Sunday 8/8/2010 my granddaughter - a novice guitar player - was about to play for a birthday party. Just before her performance she was devastated when a string broke on her new instrument. We found Centaur Guitar on Yelp and found that they were still open. We went there hoping they could help and were overwhelmed with their kindness. The staff replaced the string, showing my granddaughter how it was done, and made her feel much better about herself. A grand experience, even for Sweet Portland. Thanks, Centaur!!! read more

For my brief stay in Portland, these were the some of the nicest people I met. They carry some fun stuff, have reasonable prices and they're easy to talk to. What else could you ask for? read more

Cool music store in Portland. Nice to find a place that isn't all attitude and ignorance. Wish we had a decent store like this up in Longview. Anyway, worth checking out if you're ever in Portland. read more

These guys are building quite a reputation as the last guitar shop on the planet that doesn't treat you like garbage. I have only had good experiences so far after needing their help about 5 times now. After a lifetime of bad experiences at other places I will take my business there before anybody else. A minor amp repair that would have taken 2 weeks somewhere else and probably would have cost 200 bucks cost me a beer and took about 20 minutes at Centaur. Thats the kinda place I wanna support! Check it out! P.S. Coolest/weirdest pedal selection around, lots of boutique awesomeness to suit your nerdy needs. read more

I am a 55 year old woman with gray hair who has played guitar for 45 years. I wanted to add a classical to my collection. I walk into big box GC and am either ignored or talked down to like a child. Centaur talked to me as if I had a brain and sold me a sweet sounding vintage Guild Mark V. She shows some loving wear but plays sweet....a lot like her new owner. It was nice to be treated well......great selection of vintage gear. I'll be back and spread the word. read more

This review has been a long time coming. It's not Sweet-Guitar-Friend-Center. It's a Guitar shop. They sell sweet ass pedals, too. I have gone in there with so many different needs, requests, and weird schemes and they have always been willing to help out. If you're not a complete twit, these guys are just about as cool as it gets. If there were a UN Council for Guitar, they would probably be our international representatives. read more

If I could give more than 5 stars, I would. Kelly was super helpful and knowledgable. This is my guitar go-to shop from now on. I went in with my new VoyageAir thinking there was a problem but he showed me it was something super simple and he was just very professional and friendly. GREAT shop, very organized and clean. read more

One of the better shops in the area. Great vintage gear and good guys.

Excellent customer service and prices. They stand behind there used equipment. This will always be my guitar shop.

They did a great job on repairs to my bass. It had butchered electronics that Kelly was able to fix right up. I'll give them my business from here on out. read more

I really like this shop, it has an old music store feel. The guys in here are super helpful without being overbearing. I will come back here anytime I come through Portland. read more

After feeling mistreated by a different retailer, I really went to every guitar shop in town. I gave each shop a real chance to be my go to place. After one visit to Centaur Guitar, I knew it was the place. I do not go anywhere else. On the very few occasions they don't have what i want: they order it, have something way better, or if I'm patient that item will just end up in the shop at a better price then i hoped for. The kids that work there are great people and make everyone happy they came. I often go to the shop just to hang out and the guys love it. I and other customers honestly hangout for hours just talking and laughing. They will always have my business. read more

apparently if you buy a guitar from them you can't return it after half an hour. of course they don't tell you this before you buy their stuff. i also got my sg what they called a setup. lets just say i had to teach myself to do ti correctly. i suggest staying out of this "music store" pawnshop. they are rats and just want your money. read more

I never write reviews but I felt that my wonderful experience at Centaur Guitar warrented one. I am a 50+ yo woman that walked into Centaur Guitar on a whim. I recently decided to finally learn to play my guitar that has lived in it's case safely tucked into the closet for the past 11years. I realized that every time I sat down to learn, I became discouraged because my guitar is a nylon string guitar and like all classical guitars has a wider neck and I have short fingers. I even bought new strings but installed them incorrectly so it sounded terrible. When I took it to Centaur Guitar, Kelly immediatly saw the problem and fixed it. He never made me feel stupid and was very kind and generous. He also gave me a lot of advice and encouragement. I left and once again went home to torture myself practicing with a guitar that just did not feel good and was making it much harder to learn. I decided to once again go into Centaur to look at other possible candidates. To make a rather long story short, the guys gave me a very fair trade on my classical guitar and I ended up with an easy to play Court acoustic/electric guitar that is actually comfortable to play and sounds great. I am totally enjoying my learning experience now and wanted to write a review because these guys are truly great. Unlike the big box stores that act superior and aren't willing to spend time with you talking and educating you, especially an elderly newby. read more

great people, good selection of guitars, and if you come in at the right time they'll give you a beer as you look at their stuff.