This place was amazing. Really nicely curated collection of instruments and accessories. Friendly…read morestaff, and accessible instruments. Reminded me of Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto. Highly recommended for acoustic instruments, ukes, mandos, guitars, oh my!

I walked in and I told him I had two desires: to buy their cheapest decent guitar and to play their…read moremost expensive guitars. He pointed to the cheap guitar and then to several racks of wonderful expensive guitars made by Martin, Santa Cruz and other small guitar makers with big reputations. I sat there joyfully for a couple hours. I think playing guitars that cost $10,000 and up. then I played and bought a $250 Fender acoustic. This is one of my favorite music stores and i hope they hang on. when i eventually buy a very expensive guitar-- I really want to deserve it first---I will buy it from this fine establishment. I love visiting guitar stores, and it's becoming a rarity because of the internet. I've watched my favorite guitar stores go out of business. I hope sylvan lives on forever.

His computer was down and he was short staffed but he still was willing to open up the door and…read moresell us strings. Very friendly. Way cool shop too!

Best guitar repair shop in SC! Fixed up my old Epi really…read morenice. Support indie stores, it's good for the soul.

My son and I both take private lessons at Sharp. I am studying voice with Sydney and my 11 year old…read moreboy studies drumming with Elliott. I just love what we are both learning! Low-pressure, high-attention to detail. Just my style. Sydney is really helping me, a 50 year old woman who NEVER SANG and would never dream of doing it in front of anyone, find my natural voice and it's starting to sound pretty good! I also like that Elliott plays accopaniment to Sebastian's drumming so they are making music together that gets him excited beyond the basics. They also have a beautiful location.

I study singing with Sydney and my 11 year old studies drumming with Elliott. We love our lessons!…read moreThey are both so knowledgeable and encouraging. I have studied with many teachers of performing arts over the years and these are very special teachers! Beautiful location,too!

Question...........Do you have vocal lessons? ubein@yahoo.com…read more I have a 9 year old granddaughter who is anxious for vocal lessons. Do you teach vocal or can recommend someone who can in Santa Cruz?

I have been taking piano lessons for a little over a year with Diana Brown through Santa Cruz Music…read moreAcademy. I'm in my thirties and had often thought I missed the boat by not studying piano earlier in life. But, I've been feeling extremely happy with the progress (starting as a complete beginner) that we've made over this time so I thought I'd post a review. Diana has a structured but flexible teaching style that has helped me to efficiently develop a well-rounded set of skills. We've focused on learning scales / arpeggios, proper technique, and building a repertoire - sometimes we delve a little further into theory or even some vocal lessons here and there. I've found that she goes above and beyond in tailoring the pace and content of the curriculum to her individual students. I would absolutely recommend Diana as a teacher without hesitation to anyone hoping to start learning piano!

I came over with my guitar, which was extremely out of tune due to complex problems. I had just…read morereplaced the strings myself and did basic tuning with no improvement. I showed the guy at the store exactly what the problem was. I left the guitar with him. A few weeks later, I was told that the "guitar was ready". I came over, plugged my guitar in, and saw zero improvement. I showed the guy that the problem persisted, and he asked to try again to fix it. A few weeks later, once again my guitar was 'ready.' I tested the guitar again with no improvement. The guy explained that there was nothing he could do. It didn't prevent him from charging me!! What a crook!!! This guy is a complete scam! BEWARE

Huge scammers! They over price their instruments then artificially cut the price. When I realized…read morehow bad he ripped me off I went back to see if I could get a refund and he said it's not policy despite no attempt to make this know on a receipt or postings in the shop. I'm all for supporting small businesses but it makes it hard when they are so willing to scam you.

I had the pleasure of learning from Steve for about 6 months until I moved out of California. I…read morefound Steve shortly quitting lessons with another private instructor. Right away I could tell Steve was a great pianist. Come to find, he's also a great teacher and person. We discussed goals and he quickly set up a practice regimen to get me on track to learning piano. Even though he specializes in jazz, he is classically trained and will take you through different techniques for whatever style you want. I learned different technical and rhythm exercises, along with all of the foundational skills (theory, scales, chords, etc) and some more advanced stuff (dynamics, rubato, and giving a song "life"). Practice was always fun and Steve always had different approaches for tackling whatever struggles I was having with a specific piece or idea. On top of all of this, Steve is just an all around great guy. Easy to talk to - I benefited just as much from his wisdom and life experience as I did from his piano teaching. If I ever live in the area again I'm definitely contacting him for more lessons. Thanks Steve!!

I have experienced several piano teachers for my children and Steve is the best by far! He is…read morepatient and kind, yet keeps his students on task and maintains high expectations. He is a true musician who performs in a jazz quartet at local venues. Our family has enjoyed the added opportunity of seeing him perform live and watching the musicians in his group interact with each other. Steve's mantra is "music is to be enjoyed." My son has benefited from Steve's skills as a teacher. I would highly recommend him.

The technicians at guitar 123 are amazing and super helpful! Went in with my first electric guitar…read morebecause of a broken string and never changed a string on my guitar before and they helped with no hesitation! Super nice and knowledgeable about what they do. And they did it super quickly too! Definitely check them out if you need a repair or to check out their awesome instruments!

got new guitar, bridge doctor, strings and awesome service! 100% recommended for all musician needsread more

Every time I go into Wise Music, I am greeted by people who are genuinely happy to see you and…read moreshare their knowledge. Bryan has been great at handling my overcomplicated upgrades for my Schecter and old Ibanez and pointing me in the right direction with the techs. He was also a pleasure to talk to on the phone when he called to provide updates. Their tech Alex was super helpful when discussing an upgrade I didn't think was possible. I asked, on the off chance, if we could put active pickups in a 25-year-old passive Ibanez. Alex accepted the challenge with positivity and excitement. He said it would be no problem and explained what he was going to do. He also went ahead and installed some custom Guyker locking tuners on my Schecter. They are red and chrome, matching my body. He did a fantastic job! Robert is a dedicated guitar tech. I first met him when I came in to upgrade my Schecter. I had a complex humbucker set unad he was so positive and confident that I knew I had found the right place. I went back on a whim to see if I could replace my old Ibanez passive humbuckers with the ones he removed from my Schecter. I genuinely thought I was going to be laughed out of the shop. However, Alex and Robert both thought about it and were once again positive and enthusiastic. I handed over my guitar and parts, and the shop just had a very can-do attitude. I got a call after a few days to say it was done. I'm amazed at their turnaround time, as the technician's room always looks stacked with axes. Robert also went above and beyond when installing the active humbuckers in my Ibanez. I originally asked to keep the middle pickup just to be kept in but dead because I didn't want a big hole in my body. Not only did he get the actives in, but he also managed to wire it so the middle passive is still live! So my old, crappy guitar can now shred but also go back to my old punk-pop days . It also now has six voices to choose from, combining the passive and active pickups. Madness.... I highly recommend this music store! For all your guitar teaching needs, just ask for Robert

Frank is the best! He knows everything I needed to repair my guitar's neck that needed an artistic…read moretouch. He is one of the best luthier's around.