This store is the best hidden treasure around Berkeley and the East Bay. This is one of the old vintage guitar shops where you can play any one of them, not necessarily you will walk out with one of them, since the hard hitters on the second shelf are for trade-ins only, but you can play and gawk all you want. I have gotten really good deals on my trade-ins. Thank you Fat Dawg! the best thing about it is the repair people over there are the best. If you ever have a need to fix up, re-fret, electronics repaired, ask for Noel, he is the best. Recommend!!!! read more

the repair guy in Dublin returned my bass with all the guts in a plastic bag and said he couldn't find a pickup to fit it, and my neck pickup was toast. I brought it to Subway and got the bass back in 10 days with the pickups both working (the tech fixed the original pickups) and put it all back together for a very reasonable price - and it sounds and plays again - yeah !!! read more

Subway Guitars, a.k.a. Fatdawg guitars, is one of those "only in berkeley" places that I love. Stop in and see all of the guitars you'll never see the likes of anywhere else. The store is basically a house filled to the brim with guitars shaped like the letter X, guitars shaped like the letter Z, bright pink guitars with lime green pickguards, guitar/sitar hybrids, guitars that look like they were designed by Dr. Seuss, etc. You can check out www.fatdawg.com to get an idea, but you really owe it to yourself to wander through the store at least once in your lifetime. I can't say I would ever *buy* any of these particular guitars, but I'm sure someone does. While you are there, you can stock up on guitar strings for $1.00 a set. They have different gauges of individual strings in long tubes. Choose any six, roll them together and stick them into a zip-lock bag, and they are yours to keep for one dollar. How cool is that? read more

This guitar shop is a no bullshit service provided by a bunch of old school guys that personify the culture of Berkeley. I feel like I'm walking through an animal rescue shelter as I browse the merchandise. The place is full of old and used guitars that have obviously been abused by their previous owners. However, Fat-Dawg and his crew have donea great job in fixing and patching them up. The first time I met fat-dawg he was talking to a customer, and eating while helping me out for a service repair. This sort of service may turn people off, but a guy who eats (talking while he chews), deals with the phone, and provides service to you means he knows he's good enough on his skill alone and doens't need to spend energy on good public relations - my kind of store. My friend had a guitar in storage for 25 years from her father that had a lifted bridge, neck that needed truss rodding, and action high enough to put your thumb through. Fat dawg and his crew replaced the bridge, gave us a full setup and a set of strings for 45 bucks which is a very fair price for the repair work he did. *There was some left over glue from the bridge repair that was barely noticable, but that sort of stuff doesn't matter when you're repairing an old korean guitar from the 70s. Glue was also visible from the nut job as well, but no biggie.Otherwise, action * Intonation was dead on and perfect. I would definitely recommend this place if you need repair work done. read more

I felt like I walked into an even more exaggerated version of the women and women first skit. All I needed was a strap. It was a bizarre experience. read more

This place is so cool!!! I needed new guitar strings. Man who I think owns the place chatted with me about his store as he hung up guitars outside for a "garage sale". The other man at the desk spoke with me about my strings and told me I didn't even need to change them yet. I will definitely be coming back for guitar needs in the future. read more

needed a single 36 gauge flatwound electric guitar string. just a random but necessary part of my life. regular music stores don't sell em. then, the yelp search function led me to a north berkeley side street and a nondescript house with a storefront which sells refurbished guitars and amplifiers. *tiger woods fist pump* yes.... read more

A genuine Berkeley experience. If you're strapped for cash, or if you like Partscasters and otherwise Frankenstein'd guitars, you won't find many cooler treasure troves than Subway. I promise you won't be "sold" anything. Customer service is optional here. No credit cards - bring cash or check. read more

Amazing assortment of guitars in such a small space. Good selection from beginner guitars to nice guitars. I found a good guitar for tinkering around with. The owner is a great guy and the prices are fair. read more

JC installed a pickup in my treasured learner guitar in 1 day and threw in the strap button I asked for, for free. And he straightened out the neck. Which I could tell needed doing but I didn't think to ask. Extra props for treating this newbie strummer girl like a normal person and not the XX-chromosome pariah I'd be at Guitar Center. read more

They never called us back to pick up the guitar. I stopped over several times since I dropped it off. It was always " we need one more week " but it was never finished. And never got a call back. My husband is on his way to retrieve our instrument. We'll see what condition it's in. To bad. I love supporting local businesses but can't recommend this one. read more

I bought a replica 60s Strat from Subway. They built it according to my specs. It had an issue with one of the tone nobs. I returned it, and they made it right, no questions asked. Good people to do business with; will definitely consider them for future guitar needs. Thanks! read more

Contrary to an earlier review, I found the owner of this "shop" to be on the edge of rude. And I think their prices are high. Nice that they offer trades though, if you buy one you don't end up liking. Admittedly, the place does has a good grunge factor. I've brought two guitars in for simple repairs and won't repeat the mistake. Two weeks ago I dropped one guitar off for minor fret work, and was told I would get a call in a few days. A week later, no call, so I go to the store. The owner tells me that the repair guy has been busy moving, so didn't get to my guitar. Says he'll do the fretwork himself. Yesterday I call and ask about my guitar. Person answering the phone says "the repair guy isn't in yet, so give me your number and I'll call you back." No call back. Today I call and get the owner. He says, "My mistake. I had no idea you needed fretwork done. I'm the only guy who can do that work." But I stood in front of him and talked about the need for fretwork when I was there a week before!! Not a good experience. I just hope they don't screw up my guitar. read more

What the heck, why is this rating low? This is the best guitar shop I've been to. No sales pressure, no guitar jerks. It's not Guitar center, so if you only want a SINGLE TYPE of guitar, it's not going to be your place. But this is the only place where I felt welcome to chill out, play guitar, hum along with other folks, and ask questions about guitars. There's tons of weird Frankenstein guitars and really, really awesome staff. read more

Wonderful guitar store. I needed a small acoustic to play in crowded and unkind (to instruments) environments....they had exactly what I needed for a great price, were fantastic to deal with, and had me out the door happy in 30 minutes (including a trip up the road to the ATM). read more

This place coasts on the image it has. Not sure why it gets away with it, it sucks. While some of the people who work here have been quite helpful, they're the exception. Walk in anytime and you'll have a number of guys sitting around talking - good luck getting help. They sell "custom" guitars they've slapped together from bits of crappy broken guitars, and sell them for way too much. It always seems like the stereotypical used car salesman pitch. It doesn't have to be that way, and it shouldn't be that way. Music stores are often not paragons of honesty and consumer friendly joy but this one is below all the rest I've tried. I was willing to give them a chance and would periodically stop by just to see what might be there to play, but in the end I was so turned off by what I saw one day I won't be back: I was in there browsing and a younger woman came in. The owner started pushing a really crappy intrument on her simply because it was a girly color. I'd played it - it sucked - and here he was pushing it and claiming it was great. He was so sexist and condescending! It was bad enough I waited and caught her outside to tell her what I thought. I kinda thought that type of behavior was gone, at least around here. OK, I have to say something about the hygiene situation. It's not a restaurant, it shouldn't matter, but man! Even with that low bar this place is SCARY! The rug-like-thing on the ground is nasty beyond belief. I also think it says something about the mentality of the place. I haven't had any repairs done, but when I asked about some the answers alone told me to run away. read more

Great place to take your guitar...if you want it to disappear into a black hole for months. On the bright side, cheapest place I've found in town for guitar work. read more

Small and claustrophobia-inducing, Subway is a great place to pick up a guitar habit. There is a huge selection for such a small place, and you can try out as many guitars as you like. Better still, if you buy one and try it out for awhile but decide it's not right for you, you can trade it in for a different guitar. I bought a great little folk guitar from the 60s here, but then traded up to a full size acoustic. They do repairs here as well--my husband got his Fender fixed here and they did a decent job. read more

Like his guitars, Fatty, the owner, is a relic. He's been open since the sixties and he's sold guitars to everyone from Bob Dylan to the Stones. Its a hoot to even just go in there and chat about the good ol' days while playing a vintage guitar that you will not find anywhere else. If you have your eyes on a certain axe, Fatty will help you get it by trades and such. Also Subway has a full service guitar repair shop that is the most affordable in the bay. Talk them about a custom guitar too! Can't praise this place enough!! read more

I just purchased a guitar for my husband at Subway and brought my 20 month old and 6 year old in with me. Several of my guitar playing friends recommended the place to me, a person who knows zero about guitars, as a place I would not get ripped off. Fat Dawg and Ethan helped me select a pretty guitar (I do know what looks good), played different guitars for me to let me hear the sound, gave me great service, and put up with my kids in the process. They even threw in a bag/ soft case for no additional cost as a gift to my husband. Also, they said he could bring the guitar back and trade it if he wanted something different (in the next couple of weeks). They were very nice/ respectful to me- a woman- and in no way did I feel threatened. My kids loved the store, it has a lot of fun things to play with. One note- they don't take plastic. read more

I'm a 30-year + pro musician, and I've made regular visits to Subway over the years. I've bought some strings and parts from them on occasion. Subway is to be valued more for the fact that it exists than for its usefulness as a music store. It's worth a visit for curio value, but it's difficult to navigate the store or actually try any instruments because it's so claustrophobic. There must be some good stuff buried in there somewhere, but I've never quite had the time or inclination to dig through and find out. If you're looking for a specific, obscure instrument or replacement part it's worth checking with them, but the customer service experience may be painful. As noted in many other reviews, helping customers is not something that's usually on their agenda. The fact that you're likely to get a ration of s**t from Fatdawg doesn't help, unless getting abused floats your boat (He could be the "Soup Nazi" of guitar store proprietors). read more

I have been going to this website for a while now, just because there are a bunch of unusual and fun guitars to look at. I am from New England, and was in the bay area visiting and thought I might check out the real deal. Many other reviewers have commented on the cleanliness of the store, which I didn't think would bother me, but there's so much crap in there you can't even walk around. Another customer and I started rolling our eyes at each other because we had to get up to let each other by. Hardly any guitars were price labeled, most had rusted strings or not even a complete set. Sure there were some awesome guitars in there, but the guy who I assume is "Fat Dawg" was extremely unhelpful. When I asked questions about different guitars he had a very condescending tone, as if he was trying to teach me a lesson. He constantly got phone calls from other customers and was rude to them as well. I do not recommend this place at all. read more

A must see for anyone interested in guitars,banjo, mandolin, amps or history of the 60's. A massive selection of toys and fellowship. Honest advice and repairs. Also a good chance of finding some music masters playing away in the corner. Amazing photos on the walls and guitars for any budget from the entry level import to the vintage sell your car variety. If you buy something and don't like it , they will take it back, no questions. The kind of place quickly disappearing from even our beloved Berkeley. read more

A diggers delight! Subway guitars is a one-of-a-kind experience that should be had by any guitar enthusiast living in the Bay Area. The walls are crammed with the most amazing collection of guitars, ranging from old no-name bangers to long lost gems hailing from the days when big name guitar companies, made affordable guitars in the USA. They stock and have knowledge of equipment that I had been at a loss for information for years. The service was friendly and totally okay with me just browsing. I really appreciate when I can go into a guitar store and not be hassled by a pushy salesperson (*cough cough... guitar center). This is the right shop for you if you need to find a hard to locate vintage Martin or Guild but its also good for those who are seeking a guitar that fits their look, regardless of the name. This is a funky palace of six-string history. read more

Spent 30 minutes waiting for the owner to get off the phone after bringing in my Gibson SG for some minor repairs. Thankfully, the delay gave me time to look around the place and decide no way in h*ll was I leaving my guitar in this dump to get tossed on a random pile with all the old "custom" (ie, trash) guitars that litter this barn. Don't waste your time. read more

Don't judge a book by its cover. There's a collaborative in the wine country that is, in part, a free-rent hospice for sick musician's to jam away among beautiful hills. That said, after reading through the reviews I think the people who don't like Subway are either right-on and would never like Subway or don't "get it." Subway isn't there to make money and Fat Dog/Dawg doesn't need your business and doesn't mind letting you know that. Subway is a self-sustaining geek fest and the money that comes in lets them provide great instruments to people who want something different or who can't afford a "name brand." If there is a pedal there and none of the staff knows what it does or what it is worth that is because some poor schmo wanted a guitar, couldn't afford it, but had the pedal for trade-in. I got my first "real" guitar at subway 30 years ago. Ralph Novack assembled it and I waited a totally unreasonable time for it, but ended up a 17 year old kid with the best playing guitar I've ever owned and in my price range. Later when my gear was ripped off and all I wanted was a solid-top acoustic to replace it, Subway took my menagerie of crap, a few dollars, and hazed me mercilessly before providing me the best playing acoustic I've ever owned (still my favorite). It was a second from some unknown dead manufacturer. Expect to speak up or be ignored. Expect to have to educate the staff on the occasional item and name your own price and expect to wait forever while Fat Dog talks politics with someone else and you won't be disappointed and even expect that you might be hazed. That's Subway. In the end what you pay for in humility though you get back in quality, trust, and commitment to the product. Those "slapped together" instruments are favored by many famous guitarists over their own signature models. read more

This place is a crowded, small guitar heaven. Whatever you're looking for, it's worth a visit. I haven't had repair work done there, so I can't comment on that. I've bought a 60s Japanese electric and an 80s Guild acoustic. It's a different experience every time I've gone. A great place. read more

The spirit of Berkeley. $4 strings and friendly help.

I am a relative beginner to the guitar, and have visited a bunch of Bay Area guitar stores in search of my perfect axe. Since finding Subway, I can't imagine going anywhere else. 1) This place has BY FAR the highest density of guitars/sq. foot. 2) Fat Dog and Ethan were friendly, kind and extremely knowledgeable. They consistently tried to DOWNSELL me on my electric guitar! Very unlike other stores, trust me. 3) They have a multi-week "try and return" policy!! Bonus: You like Dire Straits? Where can you buy a guitar from someone who builds them for Mark Knopfler?! Seriously, this place is a legend. I wish I'd known before blowing some $$ at my local POS store. Just Google: "fatdog" "subway guitars." Rock on. read more

The most amazing people you'll meet, a truly great opportunity to learn from pro's and not feel intimidated. Would strongly recommend for beginners or professionals at any level! read more

Bought my first electric guitar here years ago. An Epiphone hollow-body 335 type with a double cutaway. I still enjoy playing it today. If you see something you like, be ready to plunk down for it that day, I found that as soon as my finger curled around my guitar's fretboard, other people were already scoping it out, hoping I wouldn't buy it. This kind of place is definitely a nice antidote to Guitar Center and their ilk - a little chaotic but with so many guitars crammed into such a small space, it's hard to harsh on them too much. Use your intuition and only get the items that really call to you and you won't go too far wrong. read more

Better than the guitar center...see Fat Dawg..he is a knowledgeable guitar player and even sold guitars to Eric Franti (livED upstairs) Eric Clapton, Dead. Unreal electric sitar. High quality stuff; not cheap, but competitive. HUGE variety of both acoustic and electric. read more

I'm appreciative of how helpful these folks are. I've come in a number of times with questions about banjo repairs and even forgot my wallet once and he gave me the pieces I needed for my banjo and just said... 'pay next time you come in.'' And I did! But thats so rare and sweet. It's a gem of a spot. Lots of cool stuff to discover in there. read more

Fat dog is cool, and JC did a great job fixing the action on my old Yamaha acoustic. It sounds great now! Must see shop for the guitar enthusiast. read more

I brought my guitar in to trade for another guitar and they gave me half the money of what I purchased the guitar for, that is a very unfair deal. I am very unhappy with the guitar that I traded for, it is hard to play. On top of this the employees were very unwelcoming and had extremely bad service. I would ask them a question and they would give me a mean look. Their answers to my questions were usually only one word. Also the whole shop was kind of run down and hard to navigate, very messy with guitars all over the ground. Very washed place to be. I am extremely unhappy with what I got as a "trade". I also felt very judged in a musical way. When I tried the guitars out, they employees looked like they were judging me. I am never coming back because of this, Just the thought of the store makes me angry. WOULD NOT RECOMMEND FIND A DIFFERENT GUITAR SHOP!!! read more

I am such a fan of this place. Folks can find the perfect electric & acoustic guitars, mandolins, banjos, bass & classical guitars...it's Xmas every day. The staff allows you to take your time to try out whatever instrument you want to play, and there is NO pressure. Also, Fatdog, the owner of the store, is a legendary guitar maker, and I am the proud owner of two custom made electric and bass guitars. Subway guitars rules :) read more

I have a new young student & went to see her guitar. Turns out it's a half size but knew it isn't a toy cuz of the machine heads. It was missing a string so I called Lark in the Morning & they didn't sell strings individually & most affordable set costs $8 plus. The guy was irritable. Meanwhile I had called Subway Guitars, my "go to" music store for instruments, repairs, accessories. I texted a msg. I got a text back as I was on my way to Lark & decided to detour to Subway. With the pandemic, I was able to reach Ethan. For 50¢ he was willing to come by the shop to sell me 1 high E string. He texted me it's on the gate & I didn't know how I was gonna leave the money. I texted him to ask if he was still there cuz I wanted a full set too. I walked up to the front & he kindly got me a full set from the individual strings that r available for $4. I gave him $5 & said to keep the change. And he was on crutches from knee surgery!!!! Most excellent customer service. I have been coming to Subway Guitars for over 30 years!!! Got my parlor "imitation" Washburn here & still have it. read more

He knows about old guitars, I say that as what I see as a fact. I had two small repairs done here and had no problems. JC worked on both of my guitars. Did a good job, and for low cost both times. read more

Fatdawg's place is a historical guitar museum, with souvenirs you can buy to remind you of that hidden Hippie Berkeley experience. If you ever want to see or touch a vintage anything, that's the place. But don't try to buy it...Lol! He'd rather push his Franken beaters, but the guy sits on a gold mine of vintage treasures. Yeah! The guy is kind of a douche but, 70% of the people I've worked for were as well, but I don't let that hinder me from getting what I want. With every place like that, you will find an employee/ understudy who is humble and nice, Fatdawg has that person. Talk to that guy, (Believe me it makes it a better experience). My female friend from out of town, I took with me was totally offended by his demeanor and she asked me why do I do business with such a person? I guess, I still like to walk into junky hoardish places hoping to find something magical for a deal... besides, I've met him 6 times for the 1st time...Lol! It's great!. One thing about The Fatdawg he's cool on trades and parts, I brought in 2 bags of parts and $50 later walked out with a cool looking Jazz bass that felt really good. He's a hippie...the guy recycles.. It is what it is people, if you're at that stage where you have the main gear but, just want that "It factor" piece ...that's the place to find it! If you're anything other than, go to Guitar Center cause it's safe. read more

Old Skool with hippie love. But they fixed my broken guitar which others said couldn't be fixed. I will be forever loyal for that and thankful to my guitar instructor for the recommendation. Note: used guitars and guitar repair only; stay for the stories read more