If you are shopping for your first guitar, or honestly any guitar, just go to True Tone Music. I…read morewill get into why, but that is basically the whole review in one sentence. I found them online and called ahead to see if they had the guitar I wanted in stock. They did, and whoever answered the phone was so genuinely enthusiastic that I was excited to go make my purchase. When I got there the place was busy, with people in the back trying out guitars and a few staff floating around helping everyone. The thing that struck me right away was that all of them looked like they actually enjoyed being there. The guy who helped me, Louis, was a total rock star. I told him I was after a guitar and wanted to start taking lessons, and he immediately walked me back to meet Shawn, one of the teachers who happened to be in that day. Shawn and I hit it off, and I texted him later that day to set up my first lesson, which is this coming week. I am genuinely excited for it. The guitar I wanted was there, brand new and in flawless condition. Here is the part that really got me. I had read that silk and steel strings can be gentler on your fingers when you are starting out, so I asked about them. Instead of brushing me off, Louis walked me through the real pros and cons, and not once did it feel like he was nudging me away from them to save the shop a little money or labor, which is honestly what I half expected. I ended up deciding against them, and then he handed me a set anyway and told me to take them home, and that if I changed my mind I could come back any time and they would put them on for me free. He let me pick out a handful of picks, threw in a tuner, and even knocked a chunk off the price of the guitar without me asking. I had not even thought to ask, since it was in perfect condition. Then there was the warranty. I asked about it, they did not know off the top of their heads, and at one point something like four of the staff were working to track down an answer for me. Mind you, I had already checked out. I was buying that guitar no matter what the warranty said. They chased the answer down anyway, simply because I had asked. They also threw in a hat, which sounds like a tiny thing but genuinely made me grin. Picking up a new instrument feels like the start of something, and a small gesture like that fit the whole spirit of the place. I walked out already wanting to come back, even though I have no reason to until my lesson. This is the kind of customer service people say does not exist anymore. I am here to tell you it does, and it is alive and well at True Tone Music. I never even planned to buy my first guitar there, and now I cannot picture it having gone any other way. Huge thank you to the entire team, and to Louis & Shawn. You made my first guitar purchase a great memory.

Best music store ever. This place is a gem in Santa Monica, the guys that work there are real…read moremusicians, they know everything there is to know. I've known one of the guys for decades, and let me tell you, if you need guitar advice, there is no one better.

My 14-year-old aspiring drummer son did one of the weeklong summer camps and had the absolute best…read moretime of his life. He loved the teachers, he loved the vibe of the place. He loved the other students, and he really loved learning to play in a band. The staff is kind, cool and quickly responsive to emails and phone calls . My son has signed up for the Sunday performance group this fall. And he had so much fun. I was inspired to sign up for guitar lessons starting next week.

DO NOT ENROLE YOUR CHILDREN HERE!!!!... I'm a music business professional ..... this place is…read morecomplete rip off.... I enrolled my son here in the ensemble group .... it was beyond terrible , hardly any kids showed up .... and when they did , it was like a baby sitting service ..... i asked for the money back for the remaining sessions ..... and essentially they told me to F&#^ off ..... Nice , huh ?

I stop by Adam's Music every once in a while, whenever I have to purchase accessories for my…read morevarious wind and string instruments. Garrett and Sean are both super friendly and more than willing to help me out with whatever I need. They have an impressive assortment of used instruments as well as various accessories. I've bought several used brass instrument mouthpieces from them, for great prices. I highly recommend this store.

Great local music shop that caters to a wide variety of instruments. I came here to pick up slide…read morelubricant for my kid's trombone which they had in stock. We also have trumpet, guitar, and bass players in the family, so I'll definitely be back if I need anything else!

We have been coming here for over a year. One kid does drum another does Piano with Mr. John and…read moreMr. Leonardo. The instructor's here are professionally trained and truly cares about their students. We love the semi annual recitals and they motivate the kids to practice towards it. The place is beautiful and the staff are always friendly and helpful.

My 7 year old daughter has quickly fallen in love with piano thanks to the way Angeles Academy…read moreteaches -- she feels inspired by the lessons, and its collaborative style of education has made it feel accessible and fun. We combine piano and singing, which has been a great way to begin our musical journey. The regular recitals are a wonderful opportunity to practice what we learn, get dressed up, and celebrate progress as well! A big thanks to the teachers and entire staff for their warmth, kindness, and flexibility!

We're very happy we found Tosheff Piano Studio. Our son started with Ilia when he was in 4th grade…read moreand only stopped (for now) because he left for college. Ilia is such a wonderful teacher. Very encouraging, supportive and positive. He really makes it a point to get to know his students. What's even better is that Ilia allows students to learn music that they truly want to play while still learning the needed technical skills that can be used for any kind of music. To top it off, lessons can be done in person or online, and still get the same quality of learning regardless. We have no doubt our son's love for music will continue on throughout his life and we can't thank Ilia enough for that.

Velly has been a wonderful piano teacher for my daughter (9 y.o). We started taking classes around…read morea year ago, and my daughter made outstanding progress. Velly offers her the support and assurance that she can play simple as well as complex compositions. Each week, my daughter eagerly anticipates her lessons. Velly and Ilia are highly professional piano mentors and it is a great pleasure to have them as teachers. I enjoy being present in each class, I feel like it is a new small performance every week that recharges me for a week. Velly is an amazing piano teacher, mentor, and composer. I would strongly recommend taking the first class and seeing how exceptional she is.

GREATEST TEACHER OF ALL TIME!!!! Seriously, whether you're an actor, singer, guitarist - all are in…read moregreat hands with Sam Druckerman. You'd be really hard pressed to find someone who has such an attuned mastery to so many subjects and who can teach them as well as Sam does. Not only does he fine tune his lesson structure based on the unique qualities and passions towards each student, but he also will be your friend which is something that is very rare to find. He has changed my life in so many ways since I started and I can only say my growth has been exponential compared to when I was self taught. I've always had a great passion for music and started out as a measly guitarist years ago. Basically all I had known was the Open Chords and the F Chord. But I always wanted to play like the greats - Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimi Hendrix, Chuck Berry, Santana, etc. But I had come to standstill at my self teaching journey. And thats when I met Sam around August 2022. And I can only say that not only has my guitar playing improved drastically (I can play some bitchin solos), but he even inspired my passions in singing and acting - talents which I never knew I had. I truly discovered my greatest passion in life - becoming an artist. And Sam's instruction and the community he's created have been incredibly motivating in this journey. If you really want to get the most out of Sam's world class education, I HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you attend his workshops. This is really where a lot of the growth happens and where you really transform into a performing artist. It also motivates you to not fall behind on your learning since it takes place every week! They are just so much fun and really honestly give a ton of purpose to your life. You will also be engrossed into an amazing community of growing artists. Every one of them is really interesting and worth getting to know. Come join the family! But honestly the most amazing thing about learning under Sam is how your life starts changing outside of music. His warm nature infects you and his whole concept of being "emotionally open" in your performances start bleeding out into real life. You become more confident, more willing to express your feelings, start forming better relationships, etc. You really do transform entirely as a person, which is why I say without a doubt that Sam is a world class instructor. Look no further, your greatest ally is right here!

I never expected to get into acting, let alone have some talent in it. But that's exactly what…read morehappened through Sunpath, and I progressed so much quicker than I anticipated. I started out with singing & guitar lessons, but Sam eventually convinced me to do some acting as he thought it would help my music performances (which it does). Sam is really a multidisciplinary PERFORMANCE teacher, not just a guitar or acting teacher. Through the incredible performance workshops he runs with the amazing Sunpath community, you learn what it takes and how to execute as a legit performer. I truly believe that he can teach you to be a professional-level actor or musician or both. This is a potentially life-changing journey that can improve your life in many ways outside of becoming a bad*** performer.

My first time here and it won't be my last! Loved the intimate space while watching one of my all…read moretime favorite female singers, Jonatha Brooke. The room is normally set up for sales but when a show is on the calendar the staff quickly clears it to set up the chairs for the audience. Since their first impromptu show back in 1968, McCabe's has been hosting the finest in folk, bluegrass, Americana, world music and more. It can accommodate 150-seats and is one of the best listening rooms in the world. The sound engineer was spot at this performance. Most of performers will play one of the guitars for sale here which helps keep this amazing shop going. *Located just off the 405 freeway @Centinela on Pico Blvd *Plenty of street parking (meters) *A few restaurants within walking distance if you want to grab a bite to eat before or after a show. *Guitar lessons available *FYI purchase show tickets online. You will get receive a confirmation email telling you that your name will be on a list at the door (you will not get physical tickets)

This review is specifically about an acoustic guitar setup in the service department…read more I paid $95 for the setup service. I am dissappointed in the results and would not recommend their repair or setup services. The final results show a lack of quality control. I love the vibe of McCabe's and the 'grab and play anything you want' attitude which is rare at guitar stores these days. The staff have always been welcoming and don't hover or bother you unless you have a question. I even saw what appeared to a homeless person come in and ask to use the bathroom and the staff was kind and treated the person with respect and care. I've been a long time visitor, and needed a setup done on an acoustic guitar so I thought I'd bring it in and give them some business. Because the store is about a 30-45 minute drive for me, I asked if they could do it while I waited around the neighborhood and they said they were backed up and likely wouldn't get to it that day. I said ok and left it there and they called me about 2 hours later to say it was done and ready to get picked up, so I completely could have just waited for it. I wasn't able to make it back to the store for a few days (because it's a long drive), and when I picked up the guitar I was in a hurry and didn't spend a lot of time checking it out in the store. I pulled it out for a quick few strums to make sure the high action near the body was fixed, and it was, so I packed up the guitar and brought it home. Lesson learned - spend time at the store/shop when you are picking up your guitar. Spend more time than you think you should, better to find any issues at the shop before you get home. When I got home and saw the guitar in better lighting, I noticed there were a bunch of areas where there was some wax or polish that was obviously not buffed out. So the first thing I did was to spend about 5 minutes going over the whole guitar with a soft cloth to try and buff out all of the polish. Not a big deal, but obviously nobody at the store did any final check of the guitar, or if they did they would have seen this and just didn't care to do anything about it - just felt like poor quality control and lack of care. (Also - this is a matte finish guitar, so I'm not sure you're supposed to put polish on it at all..?) Then once I finished buffing out all of the leftover wax/polish, I tuned it and up and immediately discovered that both the A and the G string were buzzing while being played open. So I ended up spending another 10-15 minutes doing a truss rod adjustment to get the guitar into playable condition. Another indication that nobody bothered to check or play the guitar after the tech put it back together, or they would have clearly heard the buzzing strings. Or they just didn't care enough to fix it. For $95 I would expect the guitar to be able to come out of the case and look and play well without me having to do any additional work. I'm sad to have had this experience with a store a I have really grown to appreciate and enjoy.

I have been taking piano lessons here since last August and I love it! Such a great place to learn…read more All the staff are so encouraging, professional, and sweet. I love my teacher, Dylan!!! Susan Lee

I've been taking voice lessons here for the past 2 years and have had such an amazing time! The…read morestaff is so friendly and the instructors are so knowledgeable and helpful.