I needed to restring my guitar which I have neglected for maybe 15 years. Expected to be charged an…read morearm and a leg but was super reasonable and done in about an hour. Now I can hack my way into playing some chords. Thank you Cottonwood!

My favorite place in Costa Mesa. The team there are top notch. They really know their stuff.read more

It's been a long time since I was able to treat myself to an expensive purchase. I had the…read moreincredible experience of being assisted by Chloe, who was patient and understanding of my preferences throughout the process. Her sincerity in wanting to help me find the right guitar was genuinely felt. Even though the store was clearly busy, she made a point to check in on me throughout, going back and forth to see how she could help without ever making me feel like an afterthought. Someone like her should be in every customer service setting. If you're lucky enough to be helped by Chloe, you're in great hands. Chloe, if you ever get read this - my soul and inner child will be able to celebrate every time this guitar is in my hands because of you. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart And loud shout out to Grant also for being meticulous while setting up my new guitar! Quick, precise, and kind enough to answer all my nerdy guitar questions while he's setting it up!

We had such a great experience at Guitar Center! Ken and the manager were both incredibly helpful…read moreand went above and beyond to help us find the Behringer X32 digital mixer we were looking for. They were knowledgeable, patient, and made the whole process so easy. Amazing customer service from start to finish. We really appreciated all of their help and would absolutely shop here again!

We rented out a viola for elementary school music class. We paid a monthly rental fee…read more The viola we received was like new. We were so impressed with the service, the product and the pricing. Dropping off at the end of the school year was easy peasy and all the staff were chatting with us and so friendly. Highly recommend if you're unable to get your hands on an instrument at the school.

I recently visited Irvine Art and Music to select a new GS Mini-e Mahogany, and I couldn't be more…read moregrateful for the assistance from Gabriel. His help was incredibly valuable and made the experience both enjoyable and stress-free. Gabriel was patient and knowledgeable, introducing me to several options and allowing me to hear and understand the subtle differences in each guitar. He didn't rush the process and ensured that every choice was tailored to my desired style and size. The GS Mini-e Mahogany turned out to be the perfect fit for my emotional storytelling music. Thank you, Gabriel, for your excellent service and for making this a memorable experience!

I can't say enough how much our family loves Ms. Mairead! My son started classes over five years…read moreago and he is still so passionate about singing thanks to his extraordinary very talented teacher Mairead! She is a gem, Mairead connected with my son right away and helped to develop his skills while singing songs that he loves!

I've been coming here for over a year for vocal lessons. Maddie is fun and easy going. I enjoy…read moreparticipating in recitals with opportunities to sing with a live band, and we get to hear other student talents. I come here for fun and plan to continue coming.

Thank you Doc and Amy for the amazing setup! I joined ThundHerStruck this year (female AC/DC…read moretribute) and when setting up the new guitar for the role of Angus we discussed all the specifics in great detail and the pros and cons of the choices. I have a nerve issue in my left hand that makes bends and power chords 3x harder than they used to be. The goal was to make this guitar as easy as possible to play considering I'd be playing 1-2 solos per song and running around on stage with the nerve compressed at the shoulder, due to the guitar strap. Doc and Amy were so understanding about my uncommon setup requests and the guitar plays amazing! 2 flights later to the gig and I had only minimal tuning throughout the show. How awesome is that! Doc has always been incredibly respectful and supportive over all these years, as a young female guitarist, that meant the world to me as a teenager and still does. Thank you for everything!!! Few more guitars coming your way that need some work haha!

The doc does amazing work for killer deals. Been going to him since I was a teen and I'm middle…read moreaged now haha!

for many many years , JRR shop has been my favorite place to…read morebuy plugins !! amazing selection & awesome pricing !! FAST & EASY !!! Highly recommend!! 5 STARZ !!

John has been so great and transparent about his work! His prices are more than fair. He is very…read moreeasy to work with and goes the extra mile and makes every client feel appreciated! Highly recommended!

We had a poor experience from start to end unfortunately…read more I had called and left three voicemails over the span of two weeks, different days and different times. I never got a call back, and I decided to try once more where I finally got someone and booked a session. (Our other local music school was relocating farther from us, and my daughter really wanted lessons.) Our lessons were.. okay. They didn't always start promptly and they were usually in tiny, hot rooms big enough for one small folding chair (plus instrument and standing student with teacher). We tried it out for a couple months and it was not for us. When canceling, they assured me it would be okay, but of course they continued to charge us the following months. I called, and again no return messages. I called again, spoke to someone and they said James would call me back, but not a word since two weeks ago. I had to dispute the charges with my card, but save yourself the effort I went through and seek lessons elsewhere.

Terrible cuatomer service. Called to get information on guitar strings, was quoted 8.99 and said…read morethey had it in stock, sounded good so I drove to the store. They did not have the brand that they quoted me the price on in stock and only had another brand that was around double the price quoted. Also the price of the strings they were trying to sell me was priced much higher than retail. Needless to say I will never go back.

Went in to trade-in some items for a high value item. Team was very professional. Inspected…read moreeverything accurately and trade-in was fair. Item was not in stock at this GC so was ordered in super fast from another GC close by. 10/10 experience.

Even a quick walk through here and you'll be delighted. It's clear that the employees love their…read morejob here and make you feel happy about music and instruments. Thank you.

forgot to write this but had russell do a setup on a black partscaster i had…read more i am new to OC and spent most of my life in LA so was looking for someone and saw russell's recommendations. super easy to deal with, great communication and stellar work. works out of his place in newport beach and the location is great if you also want to do stuff around the area. highly recommended.

I don't usually take the time to write reviews but Russ' excellent work compelled me to write this…read more I took a newly purchased Player II strat for a setup after speaking with him on the phone prior. He was very knowledgable over the phone and super easy going and friendly in person. He has over 25 years of experience and it shows because the guitar was just beautifully finished. The guitar sounds incredible and I can't put it down. I will be taking all of my guitars to Russ and recommend him wholeheartedly. 10/10

I discovered McCormick a year ago when I found a beginner's open jam session on Meetup. At that…read moretime I had been learning bass for about 5 years on my own through YouTube tutorials and tabs. It used to take me several weeks just to learn one whole song at tempo. Improvisation skills were at zero. Plus, I didn't know anyone else who played an instrument, so I wasn't making much progress. The two times I had previously attempted joining a random open jam, I was completely lost and frustrated. But then I attended that first McCormick jam session... What I love about the open jams is that it's run by an instructor, so they'll often suggest easier songs and run through the chords on a whiteboard before starting. The people that attend are welcoming and friendly for all skill levels, and it's nice to see the same faces come back each month. Beginner/intermediate players get a chance to play along to easier songs, but there's also a chance for more advanced players to improvise and solo. I wound up having so much fun that first time, that I signed up for private lessons the week after, and have been going to the monthly jam sessions ever since. If you take private lessons, you can also sign up to join a student band that practices once a week to perform at concerts 4x a year. For beginners/intermediate who think they're not good enough to join a band, or if none of your friends are musically inclined, this is PERFECT. No matter who much you practice by yourself and can play along to a recording at home, it doesn't beat playing live in a group. Private lessons + band practice + monthly jams have seriously leveled up my skills in the past year. Now, I can learn a song well enough to survive a jam session with only a couple run throughs beforehand if I've never heard it before. I can survive a 12 bar blues jam without any prep. Plus I've also connected with a couple people during the jam sessions, and am now learning 3-4 new songs each week! Also, shout out to Jules who's helped me learn songs much faster by simplifying basslines that I thought were too hard to play, and getting me to work more on listening and improvisation instead of relying 100% on tabs. He's an excellent and encouraging teacher, and I've picked up tons of tips and advice in the past year. Really happy I found McCormick! I've always loved playing an instrument, but it's 100x more fun if you get to play with other people.

Amazing teacher, amazing students , amazing learning environment to really grow and harness…read moremusical skills. I would give it 10,000 stars if I could.