Nothing comes close in terms of a store that provides legitimate value. Doing whatever i can to…read moremake sure any money going toward new equipment is spent at Big City Music.

After reading some forums online and watching various YouTube videos to see what modulars were all…read moreabout, Big City Music was considered one of the best in the nation. I stopped by on the way home to explore modular synths for the first time, hoping I'd get that "feeling" like this is a perfect fit for me. Thanks to seeing Big City Music here on Yelp, I drove to their address but had trouble finding the building because there were no signs anywhere. From Ventura, it looked like there was an abandoned building at the address listed. So, I called and talked to Roger. He was great to talk to and said they usually ask customers to make an appointment to stop by. Lucky for me they were available at that time and I could stop in. He gave me better directions, since the entrance was actually off Ventura Blvd. Big City Music is unlike any other music store I've been to. It feels like I'm entering a "secret club" where you go enter through back door and walk into a room-sized warehouse full of boxes and supplies everywhere. Roger was glad to see me and introduced himself right away. He then pointed me to the demo room, where there are several large modular synths, some (very nice) keyboards, guitar pedals, vintage gear and a couple people (Stephi and Morgan) ready to help out. I mentioned I was new to modular synths and wanted to mess around a bit to get a feel for what they can do. Stephi cleared off a module and handed me some patch cables to mess around as much as I wanted. I never felt rushed the entire time I was there. At first, I was clueless. Just clueless. I started having doubts immediately. What the F was I doing here? Rather than allowing them to hear my embarrassingly-awful sounds I'd be making, I popped on some headphones and patched on the fly. After a half-hour, I felt comfortable enough to ask Morgan a few questions about the basics. He jumped right in on their massive modular and started patching like a mad scientist, showing me what all the modules can do. I was very impressed with his knowledge and passion. I instantly felt at ease, even though I had very little knowledge of what was going on. The way he explained things were super helpful. Since my first visit, I decided to take the dive into modular and have returned. I bought a Monorocket case, some patch cables and a few modules to get me started. I'll definitely be coming back here to fill up my case over the coming months and ask for a couple more tutorials. I'm very lucky to live so close to this great store and to learn from awesome people. Cheers--

Glixor Bwee likes performance guitar! I bought a strat neck thats perfect.....i will be heading…read moreback there soon to buy more parts and accessories!

I first went to Performance Guitar when I was a teenager back in the early 1980s. They were on…read moreYucca Street in Hollywood at the time. Even back then, Kenny already had big name clients like Frank Zappa, Steve Vai, and Warren De Martini. Later, he would do custom work for Joe Walsh and Warren Cuccurullo, among many others. In 2021, I brought in my Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster for a setup and fret dress and my Fender American Fretless Jazz Bass for its first setup. Kenny did a great job with both guitars. His attention to detail is unmatched. There is nobody else who works on Fenders like Kenny. He worked alongside Leo Fender at Fender for many years back in the day, so he knows his stuff. Kenny's own line of hand-made custom guitars are highly regarded. Highly recommended.

This is my go to place for Instrument fixing and tuning. There is a wonderful gentleman who is very…read morenice and knowledgeable who helps us. It usually fast :)

Baxter Northup is located on the bustling Ventura Blvd, but unless you're looking for it, it's…read morereally easy to miss! For starters, the windows and posters have seen their days that one might think that it is out of business, but it is in fact not and quite the opposite - tons of space inside! They have a variety of instruments and supplies, including a cleaning swab which I was looking for. And the plus is that they also offer music lessons in private rooms - even same day! I had an initial same-day oboe lesson with Phil, and we had great conversation. However, I have to admit that I didn't learn too much, and that we spent most of the time talking. The person working at the front was pretty chill, but paying for lessons wasn't very clear from the beginning - recommend being more specific with those. Their website is via Tumblr (?) which is a surprise. Lessons were $40 / session, and they recommend one session per week (but how long is a session?). Overall, I wish that there was more clarity on this side from time to payment the moment that we signed up. Parking was fairly easy to find on the street or in the lot in the back. However, do note that parking on the street is via metered parking and not free most hours. Return? Potentially for some music books!

If you have a synth or amp that needs some TLC, Busted Gear should be your first call…read more Rich has been fixing and modding musical electronics since amps were hand-cranked, and it shows. He knows how the stuff works, he knows what's likely to fail, and he somehow manages to come up with parts for gear made 40 years ago. If it's not broke, don't fix it. If it is, take it to Busted Gear.

Had an appointment today at 1:30 with Rich that we set over the phone last Friday. Rich just rang,…read morewhile smacking food into the phone, 2 hours before I was suppose to be there, to tell me he had to cancel and would not look at my amp. Rich said," he felt he could not fix it. It was an issue I had for a long time. It was a loosing proposition." When asked what types of repairs he does so I would know next time, he replied, "Repairs I can make money on". Smack! Smack! My amp is a brand new blues jr that is crackling and seems over powered. If you can't fix that, then take the "Amp" out of your name and stick to cleaning keys. NEXT!! Thanks Rich!!

I attended Pastimes for a Lifetime Art classes for many years growing up and found so much peace…read moreand comfort in coming into the studio and painting. I learned so much from Linda she's a very special person I'm so lucky I know her! Just recently I had a painting party with her at her studio which I haven't been back to in ages and it was a blast! Linda provided cute little snacks, paint, aprons, rags, tea and coffee for myself and some of my friends! She curated lots of fabulous pictures to paint including food, sunsets, and flowers as well and we all had an awesome time! Everything was so easy to plan and schedule with my friends with the help of Linda and her amazing assistant Jessica! I only wish we had more time to paint and catch up but I could paint and chat for hours haha. Can't wait to do it again soon!

Thank you, Yelp, for leading us to Linda! My son taught himself piano during the pandemic, and…read moreafter a few years of playing, he was ready to take his skills to the next level. While he's not focused on becoming a classical pianist, he wanted a teacher who could help him improve his technique and explore different genres of music. I reached out to Linda, and we quickly scheduled a call. She immediately understood what we were looking for and assured me that she could meet Cooper where he is and help nurture his passion for music. After an in-person consultation, the rest was history! Linda's passion and incredible talent are clear from the start. In just a few months, Cooper's technique, posture, and confidence have improved immensely. Linda has introduced him to a wide range of music--from classical to jazz, contemporary, and even new age. Cooper is loving it all. He now plays during Chapel at school and is excited to join a musical ensemble in high school. It's easy to find a teacher who can teach, but it's rare to find one who can truly inspire. That's Linda's superpower! I can't wait to see how my son continues to flourish under her guidance.

Our daughter has attended Suzuki Academy for almost 3 years now and we could not be happier with…read moreour time here. Sensei Hannah is a talented, engaging, all around lovely instructor who our daughter adores and looks forward to seeing every week. Lessons have always been appropriate for her age, handled with great patience, never too much or too little for our kiddo to take on, and always joyful. Hannah has also guided us every step of the way in supporting our daughter on her journey as neither of us are pianists. We hope to be here for many more years to come and look forward to seeing our kid continue to grow in confidence and musicality.

I have been with Suzuki for the past 8 years and all the teachers have been amazing and the lessons…read moreand the level of discipline and life lessons that this school bring to the children is outstanding! I would recommend this school to anybody looking for a great music studio for a child at any age! Thank you Suzuki :)

I've never played a musical instrument in my life, well except for that recorder in 5th grade, but…read morehave always wanted to. I was super nervous going into my first lesson with Ido and felt like I was going to make a fool of myself. Upon meeting him, he immediately put me at ease. I was greeted with a huge smile and invited in. We just chatted for the first 10 minutes or so about why I wanted to learn and a bit about his background, just getting to know each other. On to the lesson! We started with the basics, like basic basics because music is like rocket science to me! Eventually we worked up to stringing a few chords together. There were definitely a lot of mistakes (on my part!) but Ido was constantly encouraging and patient! Soooooo patient! He never once seemed bored or irritated at my lack of skill, haha! I'm so excited to keep up my lessons! Thanks Ido, see you next week! :)

If you are looking for an amazing guitar teacher... stop here…read more I heard about Ido through my cousin who also played guitar. Ido has been my guitar teacher since then: for the past 10 years. Though I was interested in playing guitar, it was Ido that made me love it. His guitar lessons are not only extremely helpful and have made me a great guitar player, but are also extremely fun. Whenever I am home and have time, the first thing I do is make a lesson with Ido! :) One of the best things about Ido is his personality. He is extremely friendly, caring, and patient. No matter how many times it takes you to get a chord right, or how frustrated you get, he will stay calm and help you through it! Ido is not only an amazing guitar teacher and performer, but is also great at recording. We have recorded numerous songs together on which both he and I have played. He is amazing at recording and editing and can play all of the instruments that are needed for a song! I definitely recommend Ido to anyone that wants to play guitar!!!

I went in to buy my very first instrument, a ukulele. The staff were all super nice and…read moreencouraging, not intimidating. One of the staff Nick congratulated me on purchasing my first ukulele, which meant a lot! The staff that rang me up also kindly offered to tune my ukulele, and informed me about discounts. Would love to work here!

My experience was in reverse. Returning the item was more pleasant than purchasing the item. We…read morewent there to buy a speaker for our son. Buying it was a bit stressful, the answer to our questions were hard to come by and we had to carry this big speaker to the car. That said the experience wasn't bad, but, I believe for someone like me who doesn't have knowledge of speakers, a little more education would have been helpful. I am sure this an ideal place for musicians who know what they want. Unfortunately, I bought the wrong speaker. When I returned it, the staff member was pleasant and didn't make a fuss about it.