Walked into Guitar Center looking for a pack of guitar strings. James slowly emerged from behind a…read morewall of amps like he'd just been summoned by the opening riff of Sweet Child O' Mine. He looked at my guitar, closed his eyes for a few seconds, nodded thoughtfully, and said, "Yeah... she's got potential, man." Then he scratched his beard, stared at the ceiling like he was downloading a firmware update directly from the Rock Gods, and quietly said, "Follow me." What followed was less of a shopping trip and more of a spiritual pilgrimage. We wandered Guitar Center for what felt like three business days. Along the way he high-fived a drummer, had a philosophical debate with a bass player about whether tone is a mindset or a lifestyle, explained signal chains using a slice of pizza, a lava lamp, and what I'm pretty sure was quantum physics, then disappeared into the acoustic room. He eventually reappeared riding an office chair, tuned three guitars without looking, handed me the exact strings I needed, recommended an obscure pedal from 1987, and an album I'd never heard of that has since changed my life. Before I could thank him, he simply nodded, muttered, "Rock on, dude," and vanished back behind the amp wall like a cryptid protecting the sacred tones. I still don't know if James actually works at Guitar Center or if he only materializes whenever someone's tone is in danger.

I stopped by this Guitar Center today to try out some of their Schecter guitar while my wife was…read moregetting a massage at another place in the same plaza. They had some nice guitar in the store for you to test out. The staff are very nice if you need any help or have any questions. They had some nice used guitar here but the price will vary so you can always look at other places before purchasing here. I walked around the store to look at what else they had in the store as well and they have tons of equipment here. There plenty of parking here.

Sam is the man! Did a great job setting up my Gretsch and Fender P Bass. Thanks againread more

Awesome work and knowledgeable owner. Highly recommend. Really cool shop. Sam is great. Thanks.read more

What an amazing collection of really cool guitars, amps, and everything else you could need to…read moreplay. It's an awesome shop, and if you're looking for something different or unique, look no further than Angel City Guitars!

The new location is amazing!!! The space is beautiful, spacious and the owner is so friendly and…read morewelcoming! Easy parking. Good coffee. Check it out!

Love, love, love this place…read more Mr. Phil is a true gentleman--kind, welcoming, and professional. My child comes here to learn guitar, and I ended up joining the class myself. It's been an amazing experience. We also bought a new guitar from them, and they fixed our old one as well, which was a huge help. Ethan, the teacher, is incredibly professional and a pleasure to learn from. Highly recommend.

Catherine was amazing and so informative without being overbearing. I came in to buy a guitar for a…read morecollege grad gift. He was with me and she guided him to the perfect guitar for him! I would definitely recommend Guitar Merchant and may even go back for myself! Thank you Catherine.

Walked into Norms the other day and a salesman by the name of Joe came and immediately greeted me…read more Super nice and very informative. Gave me a breakdown of the layout and what they had in stock and also helped set me up to try out some guitars I'm interested in. I'm big on customer service so Joe nailed it. I'll definitely be coming back to purchase my next guitar here.

1 1/2 minute read: On 05/06/2026, Greg Sinclair and I,…read morearrived at NORMANS RARE GUITARS as previously planned by Greg. 1 1/2 minute read Today (05/05/26), ahead of the invitation extended (to me) by esteemed colleague- Greg Sinclair, Administrator of a FACEBOOK renowned Surf Group "TUBES", today I went on a scouting mission. Relying on GOOGLE'S Siri, I arrived around 09:15 hrs m, to find business hours had been slightly rearranged at Norman's Rare Guitar Shop. Not being one to waste time, in the same little strip mall (TOPEKA VENTURA PLAZA) I saw a coffee shop (PEET'S) and decided to treat myself to some (coffee), and I did. I went in, got hot black coffee & a Blueberry Muffin. Before realizing it, it was 11 am. So I mozied'on'over to NORMAN's. The video I took, as I approached the guitar shop main door, will tell you more than words could ever say. Once I was in the guitar shop, I felt a nostalgic Deja-Vu pinching me. The same atmosphere, feel, sounds surrounded me like when I used to go to Sam Ash and other, now gone, guitar & Pawn shops. Be that as it may, I hope my photography will satisfy your curiosity of this scouting mission I went on today and as always ... ... thank you for stopping by! 05/06/26 ... UPDATE As promised, Greg Sinclair drove from Redondo Beach (I think) up to my place in North Hollywood, and picked me up. AS YOU RECALL. Greg has been inviting me to accompany him to go to NORMAN'S RARE GUITAR SHOP. We first had lunch on Venture Blvd at BLU JAM. It was very trendy for me, at least. Then we got to the guitar shop and Greg introduced me to Michael, whom you will see a short clip playing one of their guitars. Greg and I had a very satisfying visit at NORMAN'S, as we strolled around inside. We also met another guitarist who works there-Joey, I believe and if I'm wrong, I will correct my error. They have live music on certain days and as soon as I can get their schedule, I'll share it! All in all, THANK YOU, GREG, for your considerate invitation, picking me up at home, treating me to a fabulous lunch at BLU JAM restaurant, a fun time at NORMAN'S RARE GUITARS, and best of all ... your companionship. Update, 05/17/2026: Click link https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02sSQznzKewuHeGR2yfjHRxaA7qc6x88RgkhxcGj3FtyF6DHE6u1HKH878WtavKUvUl&id=1222849448&mibextid=wwXIfr

West Valley Music Center is an excellent place for instrument rentals and lessons. Their…read moreinstructors are highly qualified and professional. I purchased two guitars from the center which were sent to me at my residence in NY. I dealt with Jeff, the owner, who could not be more helpful in helping me select exactly what I was looking for and more importantly exactly what I needed. Jeff, himself an accomplished and knowledgeable musician, takes great pride in the success of all of his students and goes out of his way to address any issues that may occur during the learning process. His rates are extremely competitive and as previously mentioned he will help you select not only the instrument that you want but more importantly the instrument that you need. Musical proficiency is an art that requires patience, practice and encouragement. At West Valley you get all of that and even more. Highly recommend

I rented a saxophone here for my son. We got a beat up old thing which I wasn't too happy about but…read moresince my son was just beginning, I thought it would be ok. Well after a few months things started just falling off the instrument and my son couldn't hit some of the notes because it was in such bad condition. Then a piece kept falling off so we finally took it in for repair. The owner, Jeff (I believe) took one look and started accusing my son of denting it and not taking care of it. He exclaimed that the instrument was like new and my son created all these new dents! I honestly couldn't believe how he was accusing my son, all arrogant and condescending. Telling my son how irresponsible he was! How would he know, Jeff wasn't the person that rented us the beat up old instrument in the first place. He never inspected it, and this instrument was a piece of crap when rented to us! Because I had the insurance, I paid the $50 deductible for the repair and they gave us another instrument. One that was in better condition (but not great). But my son still had trouble with it and he still couldn't hit some of the low notes. My son started to get discouraged and thought about switching instruments (to trumpet) because he thought he was a terrible saxophone player. My son told me all the other students had really nice saxophones rented from Nick Rails. So we decided to switch. When we turned in the crappy saxophone, Jeff then accused my son of denting this saxophone! The dent was there previously but Jeff refused to acknowledge that and insisted (quite rudely) that my son dented it. Then he exclaimed the sax was corroded! It was NOT. Can you believe this guy? He took my deposit for this and I was so sick of dealing with this rude, arrogant guy over the past several months I didn't bother arguing anymore. I'm so glad we took our business elsewhere. Nick Rails in Agoura Hills rents superior good quality instruments. My son is so happy with his new sax from Nick Rails. He can hit all the low notes, no problems at all. The issue wasn't my son's skills, it was those crappy instruments from West Valley Music Center!

My twin and I went in today and the owners were so nice! Taught us about the history of the shop…read moreand were nice enough to give us a reasonable price for what we were pawning. Definitely would come here again. Thank you Sam!

Jeremy is always cool and helpful. Thank you Jeremy I appreciate you…read more Pros: Good prices Good items A lot of parking spots Clean location

I was referred to Mory by my sons middle school teacher (who was a student of Morys)…read more I first went to Mory for a simple saxophone inspection. (I've been back several times since). From the very first moment I met him when he opened the door I immediately felt how amazing he is. There's just something about him thats impossible to describe, but you just know he's has a genuinely good soul. Mory is friendly, welcoming, patient, detail oriented and extremely knowledgeable. Mory's repair skills are unmatched, he is a literal instrument wizard. On top of that his pricing is very reasonable. I would highly recommend Mory for any woodwind or brass instrument needs you may have, you absolutely wont regret it!

Mory is not only a talented musician, but he is a lovely person. He was only helpful and kind. He…read morealso knows his stuff. I highly recommend his shop and services.

Great spot! Mark the owner is easy to communicate with and…read moreis very friendly. The rehearsal rooms are nicely sized, well equipped, and they sound great! Highly recommended!

Very impressed with Resolution Studios. There was plenty of room. The stage alone would have been…read moresufficient for practice space, but the seating area more than doubled the space. There was enough room for at least 12 to be comfortable. The equipment was perfect, from the drum kit to the PA, everything was well kept and worked perfectly. Mark was awesome! He set us up with 2 extra mics and an extra guitar amp. We got to hang out with "All Rush" and he is just good people. He is passionate about music and was also jamming during our time there. We wish him all the success! This was an nice change from our garage practice night. The sound and mix in the room was awesome, the entire place was super clean, and best of all, we had an awesome time! If you can, check out Resolution Studios. So happy that we finally have a place like this in the West Valley!

Brought my Les Paul in for a quick repair, some cleaning, and stringing, never sounded or looked so…read moreclean since I've owned her. Thanks guys defiantly coming back again soon

I brought in my guitar for repairs, and Josafat and Alex did a great job. I highly recommend them!read more