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.

Honestly, I can't believe places like this still exist. In this economy...?…read more Knowledgeable, prompt and affordable. A beautifully kept shop space. I brought my silver flute in for a tune up and walked out with it playing better for less money than I imagined. All my blessings to the folks that make this shop what it is.

Brought in my bari sax to be repaired - several tone holes were damaged when my student knocked my…read morehorn over. Shawn and I inspected the horn together and he assured me he could fix it but he sounded a little reticent. I called the next day to make sure he was up to the job - he said he was. We talked about a tool which would make the job easier but the repair was not contingent on that. A week goes by and Shawn calls me to say he can't repair my horn. Apparently he felt he needed this tool after all. Ok, I'm not dinging him for not being able to fix it. I am dinging him for not recognizing his limitations and being honest about what he can and can't do. And it would have saved me an additional trip, gas, bridge fare and my time.

The staff is very knowledgeable , and they have a variety quality used instruments at good prices.read more

Love this place! Great personal service. They always do an amazing job efficiently and with very…read morereasonable prices. Bonus, the place has a great vibe but maybe because it's filled with beautiful instruments

I'm so pleased with the service I've received from this wonderful local shop. Adam ( the owner )…read moreset up my new Stratocaster and fixed my Martin so perfectly. I feel like I can play so much better now. It's nice to practice without the stress of knowing the guitar is just not right. Extremely happy!! The entire staff is friendly and very helpful. Definitely getting my next guitar from Mountain Music!! I know they will help me get the perfect guitar.

Craig and Gregory both so lovely and kind as I walked in and quickly bought a guitar to learn on,…read morenot even remembering which way to hold it ("are you left handed?" - Craig) Gently mentioning lessons, picks, etc... yes, please, and I promise I'll be back. A very cool space run by nice people who help, don't push, and don't make you feel dumb for not knowing anything. Love a local business too.

This is a great store mostly due to its people. They are knowledgeable, kind and trustworthy. The…read morestore does feel expensive, but they do pull the stops for quality. I have bought multiple drum sets here, get them tuned ("pulled" in the case of my tabla) multiple times. If you are looking for a beginner set or just looking try out a few North Indian instruments - this is place to go! You can rent instruments for $50-100 a month too. Thank you musicians mall, for all the work!

purchased this SOMNATH tabla 2 &1/2 years ago. The head looked used but it still sounded good…read more I Just found the head cracked in the case and when straps were removed, I discovered a huge crack in the wood that I hadn't noticed because it was under a strap. It has always been well protected in a hard case and the crack may have happened from wood being wet when shipped from India. It is a nice drum but it needed an expensive repair that I did not expect so soon after purchase.

Very cute little music store in Berkeley. Looks like they have everything you could possibly need…read more My dad had dropped off a trumpet to get fixed awhile back but they weren't able to fix it so we came in to pick it up. The very nice manager gave us a recommendation of a guy in Albany who may be able to help. My dad just wants to donate it so it may not be worthy getting it fixed first, but we'll see. Anyway if you need reeds, strings, music stand - this looks like a great non-chain place to spend your money!

Forrests Music was a great place to rent and get Oboes! They specialize in Oboes. My family made…read morethe 45 minute drive to get to this place, and it was totally worth it. Justin, the worker who helped me pick out and rent the oboe was extremely kind and welcoming. He was nice enough to teach me a couple notes with the oboe I had just rented! There rates are extremely reasonable for our rent per month for my beginner oboe. I would definitely recommend this place.

Lawrence is a diligent and thorough technician. If you want a professional analog tech (and they're…read morevery rare these days) who is knowledgeable and seems to truly enjoy his craft, Rance is the place to go. He fixed up my 73 Pro Reverb and a Tascam TSR-8 recorder. He takes time with you and discusses every aspect of the job in thorough detail.

I felt like Lawrence took a personal interest in my amp project, a little 5 watt Supro from the…read moremid-1960s. I thought it was on its last legs, but Lawrence brought it back from the dead. More important, he did some sleuthing and found the parts that were "working" but causing the amp to under-perform. He replaced those and suggested some mods that turned the amp into an unbelievably powerful little grit machine. I'm really happy with the result.

Saxology/SaxCraft is a great addition to the Berkeley music scene. It's a small world, always nice…read moreto see a familiar face. The shop is cool, lots of Sax material and useful knowledge to further your career as a saxologist. It was nice to meet Prof. Eric Drake himself on weekdays and get to know the one in the store. Of course check out the mouthpieces, there's a YouTube review online if you need back up. Stay involved!

Overpriced overhaul with sticky pads and a loose fitting neck that didn't fit the body. I actually…read moreended up taking this to another repairman after the overhaul to get it repaired yet again after multiple follow up visits that failed to address the problems.

Daniel is the real deal, a craftsman. He repaired the foam surrounds on a pair of Boston Acoustics…read moreHD7 speakers which I have had for over 30 years. He did it in less than 24 hrs! His price was very good. He is a real find! Garth Webber

The best in the Business. Daniel repaired my vintage speaker quickly and professionaly and showed…read moreme exactly what i was hoping for. Will be taking all of my speaker work to Audivex from now on! A Great Value!

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.