I sincerely hoped to love this place based on their previous reviews. I think the owner might be winding down a bit and perhaps preparing for retirement. He was a real pleasure to talk to, and clearly well thought of as a luthier from the collection of guitars waiting to be worked on and picked up. Unfortunately the selection of guitars for sale was limited at best and predominantly electric guitars. D'Angelicos were prominently displayed but I'ld say there weren't more than forty guitars for sale and a lot of them were used. The shop dog was the bet part of the visit. Good girl! read more

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Great spot! In an era where everyone's on Reverb, offline shops are often where the best gems are to be found.

What a gem of a find on my visit in Santa Fe. What a wealth of knowledge this guy is.

Great repairs and sales. Prices are reasonable and lots of new guitars and banjos everyday. Highly recommended.

There's not a lot of guitar stores like this, so appreciate them and support them. Guitar Center has turned buying guitars into a Migraine Headache. High Desert Guitar, on the other hand, is what a guitar should be: local, friendly and high quality. The store has several rooms so if you want to check out cheap guitars, used guitars, vintage guitars, or some _really_ high-end acoustics, you can probably do it in peace in one of the rooms. Steve the owner is extremely friendly, and I felt comfortable checking out a wide assortment of guitars including some very obscure acoustics. It's largely a store for acoustics, but they have great electrics and some interesting high quality amps. Check it out. read more

High Desert Guitars - Guitar Stores Near Me - Santa Fe, New Mexico

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In picked up my Les Paul Standard yesterday, I asked Steve to give it a good set up. After I got home,I started playing around 7 pm...played until 12am. My guitar has NEVER played like this. Simply awesome !!! The man is a true Luthier. If you need work done on your axe, take it to this man ! read more

This is definitely the best guitar store in Santa Fe. Unlike a lot of music stores, I really feel comfortable just going in there to hang out and talk to the staff about guitars and music. Everyone in there is really knowledgeable, and unlike Candyman, they aren't working on any sort of commission of sales. The owner takes a lot of care in only stocking nice quality, and often inexpensive guitars - the guitar I bought there is amazing, and definitely better and cheaper than a guitar of that quality at a different store. Also, it's a nice place to meet some really good musicians...Leo Kottke was in there a few months ago, apparently, and Bruce Dunlap shows up sometimes as well. As for the dog, she's actually very nice (though she does get excited). She does have the habit of (gently) chewing on people, especially me, but I think the owner mostly keeps her at his house or in his car outside now, since she was scaring customers. Anyway, for those of you who have either gone recently and been scared off by her, or have read S.F's review and are put off, try again and check it out. If the dog is there (which I doubt she will be), she's not going to hurt you. If you're serious about finding a good guitar, this store is too awesome to pass up. read more

I agree with the other reviewers that the staff and store is pretty great, but what I don't like is that their selection of guitars is predominantly Chinese-made. I know that's the trend in the industry but with great companies like Gibson, Martin, Guild, and Taylor all still producing instruments in the US why would anyone want to buy a guitar for over $1000 from China? read more

Great guitar store! Friendly knowledgeable owner, friendly big dog. Good selection of not so ordinary guitars and other strings of all vintages. He cares about what he's doing if he's doing a repair he will exercise the sort of judgement you hope for when a favorite guitar is involved. Parking is a bit limited but not awful. Good to call before you go and be sure he's there. This is a situation where it's good to shut up and listen...you may learn something. Steve's been around a while and knows his stuff. For what it's worth, the dog is very friendly and not a problem, at least for me. Every guitar store is unique, some as you wish, some not. This one feels good and my first hand experience there is very positive. It's definitely worth a look if you're shopping for an important instrument. read more

I've known Steve for over 15 years. He is a great guitar mechanic and is very product knowledgeable. His guitars are first class. Who would want to go into a guitar store that didn't have a dog in residence???? read more

Great and rare store with a wonderful selectiion. Shops with a selection of classical guitars are hard to find. I have played guitars that are works of art there.. If you hate the dog, ask them to remove it while you are there or drive to the hell of a Guitar Center. read more

If you are looking for a highly professional repair job, reconditioning, or very generous resale of classic and vintage guitars, then go see Steve, the owner/operator of High Desert. He is a professional in every sense, with great personal care, knowledge and integrity. I just had my Epiphone AJ acoustic/electric internal pickup rebuilt, new strings, and also got a deal on a Peavey KB-2 amp -- all for a little over $200! You can trust Steve completely. Thankfully, Santa Fe has High Desert! read more

High Desert Guitars is a great guitar store with a great owner, Steve, who will always treat you with respect and patience. This is truly the only musician's guitar store in Santa Fe, with an outstanding collection of well-priced Canadian guitars and an ever changing selection of vintage and high end guitars from all over. Steve will fix your instrument on site as well, which is a huge plus in a small town like Santa Fe. The new location in a warehouse district off San Mateo behind Backroad Pizza is a bit tricky to find but worth the search. read more

High Desert is the best guitar store I've seen. The variety and extraordinary beauty of the instruments is beyond compare. The friendly help and lack of pressure is a welcome change. you can just sit and play in a comfortable atmosphere, and choose what's right for you with help from truly knowledgeable people. Their repair work is top notch and it's just a great place to enjoy wonderful instruments and other players (including the occasional celeb). The poor dog referred to in the only negative review was only at the store for a few days. The owner had rescued him from the busy street out front and as he jokingly said in reference to the review, "Yeah, no good deed goes unpunished." Check out the Saturday afternoon jam. It's the best guitar store around. read more

First off... I have never been to the store... yet... secondly If a music store exists in the business climate in Santa Fe... count your blessings... Thank God they made it.... Great Work... Thirdly Chinese and Korean guitars are comparable to USA guitars and in some cases better.... People have been complaining about the quality of Gibson for years.... I purchased a B.C. Rich Kerry King V that was made in China for 1,000 dollars... Gibson can't get near it except for twice the price or more.... As far as dogs go... Some people will actually choose a store based upon being a dog owner store... they will visit the stores with doggie treats looking to pamper the store pets... Some people connect in that manner... So 6 of one and 1/2 dozen of the other... Great work in getting the music on in Santa Fe and keepin on keepin on... Hey kid rock and roll, Rock on, ooh my soul, Rock on..... http://youtu.be/liWIbE1gQTk Just visited the store... same review.... The dog greeted... best behaved dog I have ever seen meeting a stranger... No barking at all... looked at me... Sniffed from a distance.... didn't even touch me with the snoz... Most pooches would... Typical small town guitar store... struggling and surviving in a world full of haters.... The guitars were not my style... they seemed to focus on the standard strat type guitars... However didn't look too long... Purchased a set of DR Pure Nickel blues strings... they are what they are.... surely an up visiting the store and purchasing the strings... I purchased some strings blindly... Without even asking... My DBZ Halcyon(standard strat) didn't have the chunk I was looking for... I was thinking of selling the guitar... So I looked into the heaviest sounding electric strings in the store ... WahLah... DR pure nickel blues... turns out that is exactly what those strings are known for in the shred set... adding chunk to strat style guitars.... Great Luck... Great Store... Quote from forum review on DR pure nickel strings... "These things just sing for metal...Adrian Smith, Petrucci, Gary Moore, Mike Amott, James Murphy-type lead tones & thick, chunky, dark rhythm tones all day long that KILL for anything from classic/80's metal to Doom, Prog, Death Metal & beyond... While I'm not a fan I would actually see these working great for bands like Necrophagist, or even Meshuggah. They certainly don't lack bottom end tightness, on the contrary..they're chunky as hell!! Really love these things...I'm going to get a bunch of sets for my other guitars.." Rock on Rock on Rock on Rock on... read more

I actually took two guitars in for neck adjustment , and was told work was done to them was charged about $80.00 each and told my Fender strat was built a certain way, only to take my guitars to another tech and told my guitar wasn't even touched. So I paid for him to look at my guitar, the way the tech knew my guitar wasn't adjusted was because he marked it with a sharpie where its original setting was. read more

for years i feared going into hdg because i'd heard they were very 'high end'... i finally got up my taurean nerve to lumber around this fine china shop and became pleasantly aware of its true nature: high end, you bet, but with tons in between, offering quality vintage amps and electrics to fine selections from some of n. america's most revered luthiers...makers who craft stringed instruments like fine distilleries nurture small, limited batches of their best spirits....guitars are a legal addiction after all, and i'm addicted to the stuff in this shop! also, I know guitars are one of the easiest pieces of art to... lose..or become 'gone'.... and for these sad crimes, law enforcement rarely, if ever, recovers the body or finds the missing. therefore i deal only with guitar people and places who are truthful, keep their word and keep company with the same.....so i love the place and i love the dog.... i too love the security man in the parking lot who assured me the guitars i had in my car would be there when i came out. this is why i think the owner is such a smart, smart cat. makes his living dealing in excellent, functional art, and is knowledgeable, approachable and real. he made me feel very welcomed and sincerely gave me all the time i wanted as well as a solid amp education. and for that i will buy my next amp from him.... hdg is great and i know we will serve one another well for years to come. read more