If you're looking for a Kailua music store, look no further than Coconut Grove Music!…read more Located right across the street from Bob's Sports Bar, above Lanikai Brewing Company, Coconut Grove Music is the go-to place for your stringed instrument needs. Whether you need a tuner, new strings, or guitar picks or are looking for a new or used instrument and don't want to travel into town, this is the place to stop by. Street parking is available, or you can park in any of their free, assigned stalls in the small parking lot next to the building. The entrance to the parking lot is a little narrow and can be easily missed, but there is a mini food truck close to the entrance, which might help you find out how to get in. To get upstairs, take the stairs facing the street to the second floor and walk straight towards the end through the brown door. Their old location used to be through the brown door on the bottom floor that took you upstairs, but they are now in the last brown door on the second floor. I will say that some of their items are priced a little more than a big box store like Guitar Center. Then again, if you think about it, if you're already in Kailua, you probably wouldn't want to drive to Pearl Highland or even to town at Easy Music Center to pick up some new strings. Shout out to them for having the Elixir Phosphor Bronze 11|52 acoustic guitar strings and a couple of the Herco guitar picks!

I (and my 9 year old daughter) have been getting guitar and ukulele lessons from Harry Koizumi…read morehere. Great location and Harry is very knowledgeable and great with kids. Also purchased gear here and Rick has been super helpful with my questions.

I recently ordered a bass clarinet from Easy Music Center in Honolulu. After a few days without a…read moreshipping update, I emailed them on Monday morning to check on my order. Jake replied almost immediately and explained that a few employees had been sick, which caused a delay in processing. Shortly after, Hadji emailed me to let me know the instrument had been inspected and that they would expedite my order. Within a few hours, I received the shipping confirmation and tracking number for FedEx next day delivery which I really appreciated. Their customer service was excellent, and I really appreciated the quick responses and honest communication. My only suggestion is to send customers a quick email if an order is delayed. A simple update would go a long way and save customers from wondering about their order. So far, I'm very happy with the experience. I'll update my review once the bass clarinet arrives.

Just pick up my Acoustic Guitar today, So very grateful that they fix it and re-string plus tune it…read moreback. I am forever grateful to the fine staff of this store for their outstanding service and care, Surely a place that will help you. God Bless.

Love this shop! Came in to check out a used amp I was considering buying. Tried it, noticed it was…read morenot really what I needed (but wanted) and they had a smaller version (Vox VT120+ vs VOX VT40+) for the same price. I decided to go for the smaller version (my family probably is thanking me) and they gave me an even better deal. Definitely coming back and will be my go to guitar shop from now on.

My favorite guitar store and the one I've bought the most instruments from…read more I'm a casual musician who travels for work so I can look and buy when and where I want...I always look to Dan when I have a new interest. Come in, play a few, leave with at least one.

Jimmy taught all 3 of my kids and me, too! He is a consummate professional teacher, with many years…read moreexperience, great musical, and teaching ability, but also lots of patience and desire to impart his love of music to his students.

Jimmy is a very dedicated, knowledgeable, and supportive music teacher. Over the years we have had…read morea number of music teachers for our kids. Jimmy has been the best by far. He really goes out of his way to make it interesting and fun for his students. With Jimmy's help our daughter was able to get into both the Berklee College of Music and the Clive Davis Music Institute at NYU. Thank you so much Jimmy!

Bought a new guitar recently and wanted it to be set up perfectly for me. I refer myself to be an…read moreamateur guitar repair guy. Been playing the guitar for years so I know how to set up guitars and do minor repairs. Since I bought a brand new guitar, I wanted to see if taking it to a pro would make a difference. One of my Musician friends referred me to Peter Bond. My first impression of Peter, super nice, cool, and very knowledgeable. I told him to dress the frets and to lower the action a bit. I also gave him a new set of strings so he could restring it when he was done. When I went to pick it up, the frets were nice and shiny and seem to play well. Took it home that evening and noticed that the intonation on the higher frets were off pitch. Call him about the problem, said he wanted to see it again. To make a long story short, the strings that I had given him to restring my guitar were bad. He put a fresh set of new strings from his stash and it played perfect. He made me a bone saddle, which I think made a huge difference in sound. He's an amazing Luthier, but I think a better human being. Mahalo Peter!!

So great to have Peter round to help me create my crazy ideas for guitars, or to take on the work I…read moredon't or am unable to do. Thank you Peter for all you do, and have done over the decades! Call him, share what you want done and make a new friend!

Music Center of Hawaii is very small but the amount of instruments and service far exceeds their…read moreshop size. They are one of the only shops that repairs saxophones, violins, and standup bass's. They have a huge selection of violins, flutes, saxophones just to name a few. The staff is absolutely top notch any thing you need for your bowed instrument is there.

They helped us with a short term rental of a violin for my daughter. They sized her up with an…read moreexpert eye, gave us the relevant paperwork, and sent us on our way. Excellent value!

Simply the best. Gary is the only one who I would even consider trusting with my instruments…read more He's done work on my vintage 1976 Ibanez Artist, set up my Ibanez GB10, repaired my 1960's Martin Baritone ukulele (a family heirloom I wouldn't let anyone touch except Gary) and recently set up and worked on my Kala ukulele. Excellent work. I've been a musician for 60 years, I do know what I'm talking about, and my musician friends, all of them pros, feel the same way about Gary.

I have brought my guitars to most of the repair people on the island since I moved here, and…read moresearched around quite a bit with unsatisfactory results previously. I've been playing 50+yrs and have some pretty nice vintage and new guitars. Gary does top notch work. His workshop is well set up and organized, and is probably better tooled than the other workshops where you can't see what is going on. I've been to a few backrooms to watch people at work and Gary's setup is fine. It being in his garage, which another reviewer subtracts points for, is irrelevant. What is relevant is skill, and Gary is tied with one other person on the island in my estimation, but the other person is generally hard to get a hold of and takes forever. These two are the only people on the island who I would trust with my guitars (1961 Gibson lg-1, 1962 Fender Jaguar, 1965 Fender Coronado II, 1972 Gibson SG, 2009 Godin xTSA, 2015 Gibson Hummingbird Pro, 2020 Danelectro "1959" 12 string, 2024 PRS SE20e parlor guitar). I say this not to show off -- the vintage ones became vintage from me taking care of them and playing them, not collecting. I got them relatively cheap back in the day. Gary has done fine work on all of them, and I play at least one of them every day. I would not bring them to any of the others I have tried or interviewed, and I really checked around. Let me give an example to bring things home. I have a very nice Gibson Hummingbird Pro acoustic that had a particular neck problem that I just plain would not entrust to other island luthiers and such. Basically, there is a common problem of a little buckle in the neck that was causing one string to buzz on one or two frets, I tried another luthier I had read about, and they wanted to sell me a case, a humidity controller and talked a bunch of nonsense in general about the specific problem. They really talked a good game and they wanted me to buy a bunch of stuff, lock my guitar in the case, and blah blah before they would even look at it. They understood the problem to be me. When I asked what they would do if the problem persisted after getting all the gadgets, the other luthier shop was into defretting, planing the neck and resetting it, which would have cost a small fortune. The correct solution, which I knew from another guitar, is to not worry about planing the neck and adjust the frets instead, since we are talking a miniscule buckle. I played the other guitar that had had this problem for thirty years without a problem after the fret adjustment, and have had no problems with the Gibson's playability since Gary adjusted it five or six years ago. It took a couple of tries to get it there, but Gary worked with me, and we had to close in on it because of my playing style, not because he missed anything, so he did the first adjustment conservatively since he would have to replace the fret if he went too far. The more radical steps were available if the less invasive one failed, but Gary approached the problem as only someone with skills, wisdom, and years of experience could do. I could go on about the meticulous and knowledgeable work he did on my other guitars, but suffice it to say, he is where I have taken them for the past decade and where I'll keep bringing them. He's not the cheapest, but he is the all-around best if you care about your instruments AND play them.

I have always wanted to learn how to play the ukulele. When i was a kid, Roy Sakuma was the gold…read morestandard for ukulele lessons, and a few of my friends actually took lessons from Mr. Sakuma. While my parents supported my music aspirations by signing me up for piano, chorus, dance, and clarinet (total geek I know) lessons, adding one more instrument was too much. For the past few years, every time I'd return home I'd go to different ukulele stores, try a few and give up. Too many options, not the right time, or too much to carry back was always my excuse for not buying a ukulele. Visiting Kanile'a Ukulele in Windward Mall, felt different. The huge store was empty and one sales person was at the register. He was a no pressure sales and just so nice. He played the ukulele so effortlessly, natural, and I was SOLD! Since I had never owned or played the ukulele I was thinking of getting just a starter uke ($150-$200/ea). But the wood and manufacturing was in China. That did not feel too authentic. On the other end of the spectrum is all Hawaii made with local wood (koa) at $3000 and up. That seemed too expensive for a beginner ukulele. I ended up with koa wood locally sourced, and the ukulele made in China but verified for quality standards in Hawaii. ($800-$1000). The ukulele comes with a standard case. I ended up liking the custom Kanile'a case because it's waterproof, sturdier, and had a K logo. I also got the moisture control packs that sit in the case to maintain proper moisture levels (not too humid/ dry). And finally I got a tuner. I cant wait to bring this piece of home back with me to the mainland. I have already taken an online class and loved it! I'm so glad I visited Kanile'a! Start to finish the experience was superb! Highly recommended! LOCATION: 4/5 SERVICE: 5/5 VALUE: 4/5 AMBIANCE: 4/5 PET FRIENDLY: yes CLEANLINESS: 4/5 PARKING: 5/5

This store was great and the staff was particularly amazing! I visited last month with 2 young kids…read morewith em, just trying to find my dream Ukulele. Originally just window shopping, but after meeting the helpful staff and getting to see how amazing the Ukulele's they make are, I am now saving up for one of the Ukes from this store. They were so patient with me and never made me feel bad when I was not able to buy the uke that day, or because my kids were running around. Mahalo!

Our family has had a wonderful experience at Kailua Music School. The instructors are incredibly…read moretalented, patient, and genuinely know how to make learning music fun. They have a dynamic teaching style that keeps kids engaged while helping them build confidence and real musical skills. What really stands out is the welcoming, eclectic atmosphere. It's a place where students of all ages and abilities can explore music without feeling pressured. The teachers clearly love what they do, and that enthusiasm is contagious. Most importantly, our kids look forward to every lesson. They've developed a genuine excitement for music, and it's been a joy to watch their confidence and abilities grow. If you're looking for a music school that combines excellent instruction with a fun, encouraging environment, I highly recommend Kailua Music School.

Our son has absolutely loved KMS and all of his teachers. When he first started, we weren't sure…read morewhich instrument would be the best fit, but the KMS team encouraged him to explore different options and try several instruments. Giving him the freedom to choose for himself was such a wonderful experience--it helped build his confidence and excitement for learning. In such a short time, we've seen tremendous growth, both musically and personally. On a personal level, our experience with the KMS team has been exceptional. During difficult times, including my medical issues and car troubles, they consistently went above and beyond to support our family. They didn't just care about our son's musical education--they genuinely cared about us as people, checking in and offering kindness and support when we needed it most. I wholeheartedly recommend KMS to any family looking for a welcoming, supportive, and encouraging environment. In addition to outstanding music instruction, they also offer classes in sewing and acting, making it a wonderful place for kids to discover and grow their creative talents.

I needed help with my baby girl, my acoustic guitar. I'm by no means an expert, and honestly,…read moredespite some experience on stage, I'd still barely call myself an intermediate guitarist, so when my acoustic's connections went on the fritz, I was at a loss for what to do. I asked one of my much more experienced and knowledgeable musician friends, and he instantly suggested BR Frets. He was then confirmed by another guitarist friend of ours who was hanging with us, saying they're hands down the most skilled people on island that they both know of, so I went ahead and made an appointment. Both friends said to expect a couple of weeks, maybe 3 depending on how busy they are, as they do get quite a bit of business, and to try and get an appointment when I can, so I did as soon as I could. I was greeted warmly by Chris, who asked me some pertinent questions, took a look at Hayley, and gave me a clear idea of what to expect; either he can fix her, which if he can, he'd try to do so that night. If he can't clean and repair the connections on my pick up, not only would they likely need to send out the pickups for diagnostic and repairs, but the cost to do so would jump up significantly, showing me how much the piece costs broadly and then factoring time and labor. Sure enough, I called the next day, as advised, and Wes said to come back on in to pick her up. I got there and spoke with Wes, who told me Chris stayed up a bit the previous night to make sure Hayley's good and ready to go, and she was back in action! They also only charged for the time and labor, which was more than fair for the quality they provided and all the relief they gave me. Definitely worth coming to them when guitar help is needed.

I've been playing more in open D tuning and got tired of retuning my Taylor every time I wanted to…read moreplay something in open D. So I took my old beloved Takamine F360s out of the closet and decided to leave it in open D. But it was playing rough. The action was very high even after I adjusted the truss rod. Also the intonations were off. I took it to a major guitar store in town and the luthier there said he couldn't help me because the guitar needed much more work than he could do. Then I found Chris at BR Fret shop. OMG what a God send. Talk about someone who cares passionately about guitars and knows the instrument like Wolfgang Puck knows pizza. Chris identified that the problem came from under the bridge where through years of humidity, that area was bulging and pushing the bridge up thus raising the action. He took it apart, sanded under the bridge then put everything back together along with new strings. I was completely blown away at how low he got the action with no buzzing. In fact it made my Taylor seemed hard to play in comparison. So I ended up taking my Taylor in for an adjustment as well. Pro tip : make sure you register your Taylor guitar with Taylor manufacturing and they will pay for the adjustments at certified Taylor shops. I hope Chris and his assistant Wes never decide to leave O'ahu. We are very lucky to have them here in our little corner of the ocean. Happy pickings...or strumming!!