Well, where do I begin, i've been coming to the starving musician for years and I've NEVER been…read moresteered in the wrong direction. I mostly play drums, but recently got back into playing guitar, so I knew exactly where to go when to buy a cable to plug into to my practice amp. These guys are truly the BEST, no ego, so welcoming and very knowledgeable. But I also recommend knowing or have a clear idea what you want it's just easier to communicate your needs and NOT seem like officer Doofy from the Scary Movie franchise (haha) Always helpful, had what I needed, offered other alternatives and suggestions, but in the end sold me what I was hoping for when I went in, both price-wise and product wise. The instruments and chock full of gear, plus the players that come in here don't affect the way they treat people. They will let you test before buying (which majority of music stores don't do) I'll keep supporting these guys, thank you for the hospitality!

Always have exactly what I need and their gear rental comes in so clutch!!! We rented a bass head…read morefrom them 15 minutes before closing and it saved the show . Great deal as well for a 3 day rental!

I walked in and I told him I had two desires: to buy their cheapest decent guitar and to play their…read moremost expensive guitars. He pointed to the cheap guitar and then to several racks of wonderful expensive guitars made by Martin, Santa Cruz and other small guitar makers with big reputations. I sat there joyfully for a couple hours. I think playing guitars that cost $10,000 and up. then I played and bought a $250 Fender acoustic. This is one of my favorite music stores and i hope they hang on. when i eventually buy a very expensive guitar-- I really want to deserve it first---I will buy it from this fine establishment. I love visiting guitar stores, and it's becoming a rarity because of the internet. I've watched my favorite guitar stores go out of business. I hope sylvan lives on forever.

This place was amazing. Really nicely curated collection of instruments and accessories. Friendly…read morestaff, and accessible instruments. Reminded me of Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto. Highly recommended for acoustic instruments, ukes, mandos, guitars, oh my!

PROS: They did a fantastic job of tuning, cleaning, and…read moregetting my Ibanez S series with floating tremolo playing like new! The two people I deal with were very kind, talented, and hard working. CONS: Their business organization isn't the best: phone calls and emails went unanswered and timelines weren't met. However, this was during COVID and over the holidays and New Years. Given those circumstances and how great their work is, I am still giving them five stars. Local music shops over Amazon.

Best guitar repair shop in SC! Fixed up my old Epi really…read morenice. Support indie stores, it's good for the soul.

My son and I both take private lessons at Sharp. I am studying voice with Sydney and my 11 year old…read moreboy studies drumming with Elliott. I just love what we are both learning! Low-pressure, high-attention to detail. Just my style. Sydney is really helping me, a 50 year old woman who NEVER SANG and would never dream of doing it in front of anyone, find my natural voice and it's starting to sound pretty good! I also like that Elliott plays accopaniment to Sebastian's drumming so they are making music together that gets him excited beyond the basics. They also have a beautiful location.

I study singing with Sydney and my 11 year old studies drumming with Elliott. We love our lessons!…read moreThey are both so knowledgeable and encouraging. I have studied with many teachers of performing arts over the years and these are very special teachers! Beautiful location,too!

Question...........Do you have vocal lessons? ubein@yahoo.com…read more I have a 9 year old granddaughter who is anxious for vocal lessons. Do you teach vocal or can recommend someone who can in Santa Cruz?

I have been taking piano lessons for a little over a year with Diana Brown through Santa Cruz Music…read moreAcademy. I'm in my thirties and had often thought I missed the boat by not studying piano earlier in life. But, I've been feeling extremely happy with the progress (starting as a complete beginner) that we've made over this time so I thought I'd post a review. Diana has a structured but flexible teaching style that has helped me to efficiently develop a well-rounded set of skills. We've focused on learning scales / arpeggios, proper technique, and building a repertoire - sometimes we delve a little further into theory or even some vocal lessons here and there. I've found that she goes above and beyond in tailoring the pace and content of the curriculum to her individual students. I would absolutely recommend Diana as a teacher without hesitation to anyone hoping to start learning piano!

I came over with my guitar, which was extremely out of tune due to complex problems. I had just…read morereplaced the strings myself and did basic tuning with no improvement. I showed the guy at the store exactly what the problem was. I left the guitar with him. A few weeks later, I was told that the "guitar was ready". I came over, plugged my guitar in, and saw zero improvement. I showed the guy that the problem persisted, and he asked to try again to fix it. A few weeks later, once again my guitar was 'ready.' I tested the guitar again with no improvement. The guy explained that there was nothing he could do. It didn't prevent him from charging me!! What a crook!!! This guy is a complete scam! BEWARE

Huge scammers! They over price their instruments then artificially cut the price. When I realized…read morehow bad he ripped me off I went back to see if I could get a refund and he said it's not policy despite no attempt to make this know on a receipt or postings in the shop. I'm all for supporting small businesses but it makes it hard when they are so willing to scam you.

I had the pleasure of learning from Steve for about 6 months until I moved out of California. I…read morefound Steve shortly quitting lessons with another private instructor. Right away I could tell Steve was a great pianist. Come to find, he's also a great teacher and person. We discussed goals and he quickly set up a practice regimen to get me on track to learning piano. Even though he specializes in jazz, he is classically trained and will take you through different techniques for whatever style you want. I learned different technical and rhythm exercises, along with all of the foundational skills (theory, scales, chords, etc) and some more advanced stuff (dynamics, rubato, and giving a song "life"). Practice was always fun and Steve always had different approaches for tackling whatever struggles I was having with a specific piece or idea. On top of all of this, Steve is just an all around great guy. Easy to talk to - I benefited just as much from his wisdom and life experience as I did from his piano teaching. If I ever live in the area again I'm definitely contacting him for more lessons. Thanks Steve!!

I have experienced several piano teachers for my children and Steve is the best by far! He is…read morepatient and kind, yet keeps his students on task and maintains high expectations. He is a true musician who performs in a jazz quartet at local venues. Our family has enjoyed the added opportunity of seeing him perform live and watching the musicians in his group interact with each other. Steve's mantra is "music is to be enjoyed." My son has benefited from Steve's skills as a teacher. I would highly recommend him.

The technicians at guitar 123 are amazing and super helpful! Went in with my first electric guitar…read morebecause of a broken string and never changed a string on my guitar before and they helped with no hesitation! Super nice and knowledgeable about what they do. And they did it super quickly too! Definitely check them out if you need a repair or to check out their awesome instruments!

got new guitar, bridge doctor, strings and awesome service! 100% recommended for all musician needsread more

I bought a used Taylor Academy 12e from a private seller, but the action was very high. Took it in…read morefor a setup, and it was a great price, as their very accomplished luthier Frank (45+ yrs experience) charged only $20/hr, and had it done the next day. Frank let me know that he could only take the action down so far without losing tone (via the usual method of sanding down the saddle), and the action ended up still being to high for me. As a former Taylor certified luthier, he said that he could remove and adjust the neck to bring the action down without losing tone, but that would take a couple hours more work. It ended up taking him only 1.5 hrs, and $30 later my Taylor has action as low as on some of my electric guitars, and still sounds great. Thanks Frank! My future business is yours.

Frank is the best! He knows everything I needed to repair my guitar's neck that needed an artistic…read moretouch. He is one of the best luthier's around.

This company (especially Dave P.) has helped me grow in my understanding of digital music and use…read moreof my old Yamaha Motif MO8 and my current XS8 over the years. He's been so very patient when I was a true beginner and learning how to speak "Yamaha synth operating system". I had one download problem awhile back and the company cured the issue in a heartbeat. Dave also runs the Motifator website and I cannot express my appreciation of the time and effort he puts into this website. His knowledge is deep and his products are always top of the line with extensive support to match. Thank you Dave and everyone at Keyfax and Motifator.com

From the owner: KEYFAX specializes in music and audio production solutions as a value-added reseller. That means we…read moresell a full range of products and services based around what used to be called 'recording.' This ranges from DAWs, to microphones, to plug-ins, to monitors, but also includes acoustic treatment, and mastering services. Plus KEYFAX offers a wide range of downloadable instructional video so you can really get the most out of your purchases.