Guitar Tex is a small shop with a focus on traditional acoustic instruments in the country, folk and bluegrass genres (maybe even some gypsy jazz ). They also have a few electrics for a little variety. The owner has been a fixture in the musical community for decades and knows how to treat people to establish long term relationships. I've made several good deals with them over the years and am hoping for many more to come. Thanks Mark. read more

Professional, knowledgeable, courteous staff willing to take time to find right instrument match for customer.

Nice people. Good gear. Friendly and helpful all the time. Go see them if you can. Recommended.

Man I used to love this place. And a few years back I gave them a solid 5 star review. But unfortunately I think they may have hired some new staff or at least the people doing the guitar repairs. I came in because I had a chipped piece on the nut. I decided to upgrade to a bone nut and have it set up again since these guys usually do an amazing job on setups. Well $175 later I got it back and I had the worst buzz on my strings that I have ever heard. The last time they set up the same guitar it was PERFECT. Then I noticed a bunch of the knobs were crooked and about 2-3cm off of being seated. It just looked super wonky. I live far from this place so I just decided to reset it back up myself which was frustrating. But I know the guys there are usually solid and one of them was going through health problems I believe so I just dropped it. Well cut to a few months later and I need a restring. I take the strings off the guitar and the bone nut just pops clean out. It had no glue at all it seemed like. Just was held in by string tension. At that point I realized this is not the same shop it used to be. Super disheartening since the two gentlemen I used to work with in there were just the best people and super skilled at their craft. I have no clue what happened, but I guess I will be on the hunt for a new shop to take care of repairs. I hope the guys running this place are okay though because this does not feel like work they would do. read more

Great service and inventory. The team is super knowlegeable and I appreciate their fair prices!

Amazing service. John, the luthier, took good care of me. Good guy who loves his job.

I first found Guitar Tex when looking for someone to fix the binding on my Martin D18. It separated and I went to three places that refused to touch it because they didn't know how to do it properly. Finally I went to guitar Tex and they said they could do it. I could tell they could, too. Everyone in there just oozes experience. These people know what they're doing. It did take quite a few weeks to get the work done, so keep that in mind. It's one or two fellas working on a slew of instruments. You have to take a number! But when you get it back, it's like brand new. After that experience, I decided this would be my go to shop. I have purchased two Martin guitars from them: two Martin D28s one old and one new. They offer fair prices for their instruments and even worked on the newer D28 I purchased to get the action down a bit for free! They're nice, the shop is nice, the services they offer are nice, and the gear is nice. I want them to take my money because I want them to stay in business. I will say if you're into electric guitars, they have a pretty small selection. Acoustic selection is amazing. read more

Guitar Tex - Two Martin guitars I purchased from Guitar Tex. - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Smart, professional, knowledgeable, easy and willing to talk guitars, amps, etc. I told them if they added a coffee cafe, business would boom! Great place. Not as many axes as a big box store, but way more experience and expertise. read more

This is a nice place to be. Lots of stuff to look at. Knowledgeable folks working. John Ramierez has been in the music sales business for years and can always help steer you in the right direction. The owner is swell as well! read more

These guys are amazing. Will take care of all your guitar needs. Super knowledgeable and super professional. Turn around time fast as well! You definitely won't regret coming to these guys! read more

Excellent guitar store! If you're looking for a quality guitar, ukulele, mandolin, resonator or amplifier; this is the go-to place. It's a small store staffed with a group of folks who have a wealth of experience on the instruments. JB is also there to fix whatever ails your guitar to get you back to playing as soon as possible. I took him a guitar body & a box of parts and it is now a great guitar. Just remember, good work may take some time. I'd rather have good timely work than mediocre fast work anytime. Rest assured you will like the end product. John H. will ask about your guitar experience to help you along with "the journey". Forget the big box & on-line only guitar stores. This is how all guitar shops should conduct business. Support the small American businesses! read more

This is my first review ever. I went to Guitar Tex this morning to sell some gear. Mark was very kind and gave me fair offers for what I brought in. It's a really cool little shop with some good quality items. When I am able to purchase again I will be returning. Great selection of mandolins. Check this place out. read more

Some times being a know it all loses business. The shop is also set up like Sarah M. said for serious, technical musicians. Not for uneducated girls needing help with restringing their guitar (me). Otherwise, cool looking guitars, some priced the same as a year of tuition at Montessori school (A LOT). read more

Guitar Tex - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Apparently we got the lone bad experience. We dropped off an instrument and after we heard over a month later that it might not be able to be fixed, we picked it back up and it was NOT how it looked when we dropped it off. We dropped it off with the strings attached and the parts were together. It was brought out to me in a separate bag and we had to put it back together at home. I said "this is not how it looked when I brought it in." And I was told that I could just call back the next day if I wanted to talk to someone about it. They even broke a string and didn't bother to let us know or replace it. So now I need to pay to fix something that I didn't break. You would never take your car in to get an estimate and then the mechanic return your car to you in pieces. They would at least give it back to you in the same initial condition that it arrived in. This place came with high recommendations but I don't think I trust them to come back. read more

After 2 months of following up with a part that was supposed to be ordered .Customer service is very poor. They can't handle confrontation. The gentleman I spoke to didn't represent the store in a professional manner and didn't try to keep my business. read more

I have been bringing my guitars to Guitar Tex for repairs for years. We are gigging musicians and this is the place to go when you have an issue with your instrument: -When I dropped my Taylor at a gig and cracked the headstock, John and Mark repaired it so that you can't even tell there was a crack. Good as new. -When my wife, our bass player, had a end jack issue, Mark opened the store for us after hours to repair it. We were on our way to a gig, and we made it there with time to spare, and my wife's bass good as new. -When we need a new setup, or break a tuner, or need a new bridge, or whatever, this is the place to go. And they have ukuleles, mandolins and guitars - something for everyone. These guys know more about stringed instruments than anyone I have ever met. Best guitar shop in TX, hands down! read more

Fantastic Experience. When a beginner walks into any specialized shop, that beginner can be especially sensitive to the attitude of the shop toward those less experienced. John Ramirez of Guitar Tex went out of his way to make this beginner feel like a valued customer in the shop. I came in to simply get my brand new guitar "set up". John spent probably 30 minutes with me sharing knowledge and explaining all sorts of things about my brand new guitar. Later when I picked it up, he again made me feel welcome. The shop was prompt and reasonably priced - with one of the best customer service cultures I've experienced. read more

This is just my kind of guitar store. The place is small but the selection is diverse and good. They carry several Reverend guitars, which I'd never played but really liked upon playing. They were also CHEAP; the base model went for 600 and change. They also carried some interesting Cole Clark guitars, which were made out of unusual Australian woods. I think the CC Strat weighed about 2 pounds, which was awesome considering how heavy electric guitars can be. This is a shop for people who play but still want nice and good gear for a price they can afford. Very friendly staff and plenty of cool guitars to play. Highly recommended. read more

If you are a guitar, mandolin or uke player, you will want to get to know Guitar Tex in San Antonio. Big selection of instruments , both electric and acoustics, mandos and ukes, too, and some boutique amps. I don't trust my instruments to any one else but Guitar Tex , from major repairs to restringing and set up. In addition to all of that in one small, friendly shop, these guys have more knowledge about instruments than anyone in the area. They are NOT just trying to get you to buy something and get you out the door. They will take time to help you find the right instrument and then stand behind it after the sale. Highly recommended. read more

These guys repaired my Martin when i thought no one could. It was in pretty bad shape thanks to UPS. 10 years later it still plays, feels and sounds perfect. That AND the legendary John Michael Ramirez works there. He's good people for sure. What a great guitar shop. read more

Great service! I went to fix the input on my guitar and I got exceptional service. They talked to me like they had known me for years and my guitar was repaired right away. I'm definitely gonna go back whenever I need something. read more

I recently brought in a mandolin I had received but knew little about. Gus was so helpful with my questions, he even took the time to sit down with me and show me tuning and a few simple chords. I will be back for sure! read more

Very helpful and answered all my questions. Fast repair and very reasonably priced. Will be back for our future guitar needs. We also appreciate how serious they are taking the covid crisis keeping everyone safe yet still so easy to work with. read more

They set up my Martin like a dream. If you need a Luthier or just love guitars, this is the place. I will be back again to purchase my next guitar. I dropped off my Martin because the action was off and not only was the price extremely reasonable but it was ready 48 hrs later. Amazing. read more

They were incredibly welcoming when we walked into the store and were very kind. They fixed my daughter's broken string and put a whole new set on in five minutes! Thanks Guys! read more

Needed a guitar for my 15 year old son who is starting guitar classes in school. I have been to a few good music stores in town as I have other childern who are in music. Gus at Guitar Tex was amazing. He took time to spend time with my son and really understand his guitar ambition. He could have sold me a guitar for twice as much but really got down to what we needed and matched that with my sons wishes and a great product. I cannot reccomend this shop and Gus enough. read more

I would recommend this place for serious musicians. I went in and felt a bit overwhelmed and I've been playing the guitar for 10 years. The guys that work there are very technical and know what they're talking about. It may feel like you're being talked down to especially if you don't know a lot about guitars. They buy and sell guitars here so if you have something good and need some money take it to these guys but be prepared for rejection because they are pretty picky when it comes to stuff they buy. Prices on the stuff they are selling is not too bad and the best thing about this place is that it's small so you can maybe bargain, especially if you're buying a lot of stuff. read more

These guys helped me to ship a guitar I sold and while they were at it helped me do some maintenance before it went out. For a guitar noob this was way more than I expected and they gave me a great deal IMO. John (the sales guy) was super nice and friendly and I really appreciated his going above and beyond. Thanks guys and great work! read more

I have been wanting to try this place for a while, and I finally brought my guitar in for a set-up. These guys are awesome. There isnt a shop in town that can compete with the knowledge and expertise of these gentlemen. I am very pleased and Im finished with the big chains. They have some great stuff at very fair prices. The set-up I received for my acoustic was much needed and it was done to absolute perfection. Thanks so much Guitar Tex!! read more

Mark as well as his staff are the friendliest coolest cats in town. I have traded instruments with Mark over the years and have no regrets at all. Mark is a straight shooter and hope his store is around a very long time. The past few months while struggling to find work, I would basically loiter and listen try and stay out of the way...Mark and his staff never made me feel unwelcome. I have learned a lot about guitars at Guitar Tex, so I don't mind encouraging those young and old to visit the best little guitar store I know. read more

These guys resurrected my Gibson Nighthawk, my Highway One Telecaster and my 74 Stratocaster. Gus and crew are always happy to answer questions and maybe even tell a story or two to boot. Probably a good thing for Gus that I live in Kerrville because I'd be hanging out at Guitar Tex constantly if I lived in SA. read more

had a horrible experience with this guitar repair person (john). I brought a brand new stratocaster type guitar to him, the reviews were very good. The guitar was a brand new neck, and strat body. with new pickguard, and two EMG pickups (single coil type) I would add the middle pickup later. . the guitar would need a set up, electronics installed, and anything else normally involved. John stated no problem, he was familiar with EMG type Pick ups, and installation. I felt better with that so I left the guitar, then about two weeks later, john calls and asked me if had any other EMG parts i could bring in for him?, he could have told me right away?, or within a short time period? i thought its was strange that he does not have any parts himself? professional repair man? i thought it was weird, but i hung in, thinking this was gonna be worth it in the end. about a week later i get the guitar, first thing i noticed was a good sized scratch to the back of the guitar, ( again the guitar is new), and the tone controls did not appear to be working. He kept it another week or so, and it was ready for pick up. I noticed he added another ten dollars, to check his own work?, and clean up a scratch he made himself!!??? the installation of the guitar jack was not part of this repair, as i didnt have it at the start. i did bring it when i picked up the guitar. i noticed that the jack wires were too short to reach the jack plate and make the connection. John said " you would have to cut in to the wood pretty deep to get wires to reach it", When i got home, i noticed that the jack wires were actually tied in a knot, and once they were unraveled they were more than long enough to make the jack connection!!!, worst yet i had distincly asked him to leave the easy three prong EMG connector for the middle pickup in the pickup slot, so that when i got the new middle pick up it would be a real simple to connect it and finish it up. John also mentioned that it was no problem to do this. to my shock when i pulled back the pick guard, he had wired the neck and bridge pick together, and did not leave the connector for the middle pick up as i had asked him to. now i spen $200 bucks for a shi tty" ass job, and have to take it to some one better qualified to finish my little project. john may know his craft, but dude just be honest, if you dont know EMG systems, i would have take it else where, thanks my man, enjoy the dough. read more

As a traveling musician, this is my most favorite guitar store of all! I appreciate the artistic collection of stringed instruments and the extraordinary tech/repair skills available when we are in San Antonio. Most of all I appreciate the individual care provided by Mark Waldrop and the staff. They make time to understand each customer and provide the care and support needed to match exactly the right sound / tone / playability of the instrument to artist. I recommend this store to performers at all levels of musical ability. read more

Being a novice to the guitar instrument, i was hesitant on going in there. I assumed the staff and owner would be intimidating. So glad that i was wrong. I stop by many times, when i need strings, advice, trade or just to dream. I always leave smarter. Some items are pricey but the quality is worth every penny. They never mind when i go to kick the tires and never pressure me into a purchase. Great place. read more

Excellent work by John Thurston on a guitar set-up. Great service and knowledgeable sales people. AAA+