I was VERY impressed with my visit to Centaur Guitar! Selection is HUGE (much larger than one…read morewould expect when looking at it from the outside), the staff is EXTREMELY knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly, and prices are LOW. They carry a huge variety of electric guitars, acoustic guitars, amplifiers, and accessories. They also offer setup and repair services. They sell both new and used items. Their used items were unanimously in extremely great condition, and did not appear to be used. A few things to note if you visit: *There is a small, private parking lot *The entrance on the building that is on the same side of the gate as the parking lot is not actually for Centaur Guitar, it is for an amplifier repair service that shares the building. *The entrance for Centaur Guitar is on the street side of the building, past the parking lot gate. *To enter, one must ring the doorbell, and an employee will open the door to let you in *There are no centaurs available for sale

What a great place! I start my guitar class tonight and I completely spaced on procuring a guitar…read moreuntil today. I forgot the name of the kind person who helped me. They took the time to go over several guitars with me so that I walked out with something that was usable, nice sounding and not intimidating. I can't wait to use my new guitar tonight.

Tim was the absolute nicest, most informative, welcoming retail worker I've encountered in recent…read morememory. He answered our novice guitar questions, and then just kept going. Showed me how to adjust string height, then proceeded to explain and demonstrate the different effects from different picks for my daughter. 5/5 stars, this place is great. From here on out, anything guitar-related we get here.

Bought 12ax7 pre amp tubes from them, it blew out after a day, I called and explained that they…read moresold me a dud and they acted as if my amp was the problem lol after haggling back and forth and getting them to replace it, low and behold 2 days later it blew out! So they refused to make it right, I went to eurotubes and bought another 12ax7 and over a month later IT STILL WORKS! So I wouldn't recommend buying 12ax7 tubes from them, they buy the cheap low tested ones and then resale them. I looked into it myself from who they buy directly from.

Staff is friendly and helpful Good selection and prices Definitely my go-to place for…read moreinstruments and service

Gave me great advice and saved me money. I updated a guitar amplifier simulation on my computer and…read moregot a message I didn't understand about "buffered pedals" and "impedance matching." They explained to me what that meant and why it wasn't a big deal for my situation. They could have sold me a bunch of stuff, but instead they were honest. Solid 5 stars.

Really inviting and welcoming…read more Each employee has a different perspective so know what you are looking for There are plenty of instruments looking for homes I was looking for a guitar and found a decent one for a hundred dollars It's a very respectable store in my humble opinion

Small, intimate venue for great music. There's a bar with limited bottled beers, cider and soft…read moredrinks. Small bar-nuts kind of snacks are available for purchase but no other "food"; however you are welcome to bring in your own snacks/food (and you can have food delivered there too!) The artists booked here are good quality, there's a sound guy (to be sure you have a good sound experience), and the sound actually IS good.

This shop is incredible!! The staff was very nice, knowledgeable and genuinely passionate about…read morehelping me find the right gear without feeling pressure to buy at all. They have an excellent selection of guitars, amps, and accessories. I'll definitely be back and highly recommend checking them out!

Looking for guitar specialists? Thunder Road is your place. They have a selection ranging from…read morerelatively inexpensive to "to die for" models. The best part is their service--these guys love guitars. They own them, play them, know them, and they will expertly guide you to the instrument best suited to your level of playing, size, and budget. Will, the owner, recently helped me with an issue I had with a Martin acoustic, and I walked away completely satisfied. It was a "win-win" solution. Great place for guitar aficionados as well as beginners who need guidance on finding the guitar of their dreams

Tim seems to know synthesizers and especially the older vintage synths…read more His repair prices seem fair to me. It took months, however I was not in a hurry. Especially in an area where there are few knowledgeable synth guys. There used to be some knowledgeable guys even in Eugene, but they are long gone, just like disposable consumer audio equipment. I had a prior horrible experience at another Portland repair shop years ago. My attempts at just talking to someone knowledgeable about an Oberheim OB012 was futile. The problem is you have to go through the girl who answers the phone, and she isn't going to give you any information other than a time frame to open it up. That synth sat for months until I finally got a call saying they could not fix it. What did they do? Nothing other than what I had already attempted to do which was firmware updating. I sent the Oberheim to Viscount USA, the makers of the Oberheim OB-12, and it was fixed within 3 weeks. Imagine that! Back to Tim...yeah I would send him anything he says he is open to looking at.

I thought my 1950's microphone was beyond repair, but TIm brought it back to life. He is a wizard…read more And a really cool guy.

Peter Tsiorba is a phenomenon when it comes to build a classical and flamenco guitar…read more I would not trust anyone else to build for me a guitar but Peter Tsiorba. Peter built for me 3 flamenco guitars in 2005 in 2010 and in 2021 from top woods like German spruce grade AAA+ top for all the 3 guitars. 2 guitars with Brazilian rosewood back & sides and 1 guitar with a Pau Ferro wood back and sides. And these guitars sounds great and easy to play. I am playing the guitar close to 53 years now and was playing many guitars in my life. I can tell very fast the quality of a flamenco guitar. I would buy only a handmade Peter Tsiorba guitar not a factory made guitar! I have compared Peter`s Tsiorba guitars that I own with world famous guitar luthiers who cost much more than Peter Tsiorba guitars and man ,, I must say I am so happy I choose Peter Tsiorba. Thank you Peter!

Peter did a great job tracking down and fixing the source of several buzzing issues on my…read moreguitar...he also did a great setup to make it play much nicer. His hand made instruments also look and sound beautiful.

I'm not sure if I went to the same store as the previous reviewers. I had to rent an instrument…read moresince my daughter decided to join band. I went here since it was the one recommended by the school. I was met with a friendly and knowledgable staff. He gave me all information I needed regarding price, rent to buy and instrument information. There was no hard sell and they have both new and used instruments for rent. They do have a credit check and standard forms to fill out if you're renting an instrument. He said if you purchase the instrument, you get full rental fee credit if you purchase within 6 months and 50% credit after. I appreciated that he could answer all my questions. I had to come back because the credit check guy wasn't available but no biggie. I looked around the store, it was very clean, well kept and the other customers in the store were getting equally helpful service. I would recommend this store to anyone who is looking to buy or rent an instrument.

The customer service wasn't so great and the main guy "helping" me had a stuck-up attitude and…read morewasn't very respectful to me or my needs. They seem to have a decent selection of brass and woodwind instruments as well, but lack basic or a variety of accessories for them.

I brought in a couple of guitars, one for a setup and pickup swap and one for a SS refret. Very…read morehappy with how both turned out! My 80's Charvel plays better than I could've hoped for. I can't recommend PFW enough, I definitely got my moneys worth

I've had a half dozen guitars rewired and set up by Sam and Roy at Portland Fret Works - Teles,…read more335s, Martins. I'll be bringing in a Taylor this week. There are no better guitar techs in Portland. I'll be a customer for life. - Mike Rodrigues, Portland

Mike has single-handedly kept my guitars in shape for over a decade…read more I wouldn't consider letting anyone else touch them. We've all had our bad experiences with instrument repair, not many things can be so frustrating and demoralizing, which is why I've stuck with Mike and followed him through his many stops. He takes extra care to make sure I'm happy with the work, from explaining what I'll need upfront, to minor tweaks to suit my needs before the guitar leaves the shop. He even helped me figure out a few songs my cement fingers were having trouble with. I am fully confident in recommending Sound Service to you.

I met Mike when he bought a piece of gear off of me and he informed me that he also does tech work…read more I was immediately interested, not only because Mike is a super nice guy, but after having lived in SF for some time, I had become disenchanted with most of the guitar techs in the city. In my experience most charge an arm and a leg for routine work, and don't have much time on their hands to interact with their customers. After doing some inquiry into Mike's reputation (which was stellar) I decided to give him a call about refretting what was probably my most prized guitar. We spoke for almost an hour in person going back and forth about my options and his recommendations. Ultimately, his recommendation is what I decided to go with. I could not be happier with both Mike's work and his advice. My guitar has never played better and his refret job was superb. In addition his prices were fair and reasonable. Mike is a stand-up guy, excellent tech, and I wouldn't hesitate to call him for any work in the future.