Independent music shops are becoming a rare breed these days. But LBWW is a true gem and worthy of our support and business. I visited their repair shop with an alto sax a few months ago, and was treated with speedy, affordable on-the-spot service for a few simple repairs. As others have mentioned, they even checked for leaks and fixed things above and beyond what I went in for in the first place. I'll definitely return again the next time I'm in need. They also have a vast selection of reeds, mouthpieces, instruments and accessories available to purchase. But the real treasures are the owners, Rusty and Georgia. I went with my son in search of an alto sax mouthpiece -- not only did they have an amazing selection from which to choose, but Rusty lent his years of experience to help my son find the one that was the perfect fit for him. That kind of personal service is hard to find these days, and we are very grateful. I have no doubt we'll be back again some day soon! read more

This is music store provides a variety of wind instruments from high end to mid/beginner range for people like me. They also stock stands, cases and music books along with paraphernalia needed to play like reeds, etc. They are the nicest people. Super knowledgeable and genuinely interested in providing you with what you need. They are honest and ethical. No upselling. They also have in-house service for your instrument. If you already play or are looking to start, this place is for you. read more

The last of the music store/repair shop. Drove from Santa Ana to have my tenor sax looked at. Great prices, expert repair. I've been back a few times as well as my friends. We only trust the crew here to fix our horns. Thanks! read more

Long Beach Woodwinds is truly a gem. Curated by Rusty and Georgia Higgins, it is what a music store is meant to be... excellent selections of new and vintage instruments, mouthpieces and reeds. With lots of caring advice. Bryan Whitaker's repair shop and staff are in the same building ... world class repair and maintenance for your priceless instruments read more

our saxophone teacher recommended that we go to them for repair and they were extremely helpful! They fixed it for free and answered all our questions and we were able to purchase the other things we needed for our saxophone. Definitely worth the drive! read more

I'm greatly appreciative of the work, price, and general know-how. I brought in a trumpet that has had a stuck tuning slide for ~30 years, multiple dings, really slow 2nd valve, and pervasive tarnishing and they fixed it up for under $200 . It feels like I just got my trumpet back brand new. Also they did a minor repair for our clarinet on the spot for free. Super impressed with their service. read more

I brought my sax for a check up after replacing the pads. The guy at the front desk took my sax to back room and came back 5 minutes later. He said that my pads are old and they needed to be replaced. Dishonest people. read more

Long Beach Woodwinds and Brass is a gem. It's a true mom-and-pop shop where they take time to get to know you. The repair staff are not only incredibly skilled--they actually play the instruments, including sax and clarinet, so they know exactly what they're doing. Prices for repairs and lessons are extremely fair. As someone new to saxophone, I feel lucky to have found them as my foundation. read more

This is the best place ever. My saxophone has never played better. 10/10. I will be coming here for all my sax tune ups.

Very knowledgeable staff -kind and friendly, too. She went over all the options at the time and then told me a new shipment would be coming in and maybe I should wait for that, since it was not as expensive. I appreciated the candor. Will update when I do my follow up ! read more

Recently got my piccolo serviced here. Fast turn around, plays great, and very friendly staff. 100% would return for my woodwind needs.

Max just replaced a spring in the octave key of my Selmer 10 while I waited. Amazing. L.B. Woodwinds has the best repair men; knowledgeable, efficient and cordial. If you have to travel to a musical instrument repair shop, and even if don't, I recommend Long Beach Woodwinds. Jay Stock read more

what a magical place! my daughter is deciding between flute and clarinet, so her former music teacher recommended we go to LB Woodwind. Georgia at LBWW is amazing -- she clearly explained the fundamentals, and differences between the instruments. She is so knowledgeable and down-to-earth that my daughter was completely at ease -- we booked her first lesson for just a couple of days from now, and we're both excited that we discovered this wonderful gem! read more

My son plays the alto sax but wanted to start tenor so I yelped and found this place. I highly recommend this place. The owners are very knowledgeable, helpful, and patient. My son got to try 4 different sax and eventually Rusty came by and tried them out for us to show the potential of the saxophone. He also gave my son tips on how to play the tenor sax cuz it's different from the alto sax. We also enjoyed meeting Sandy, their singing dog read more

Long Beach Woodwinds - Rusty the owner - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Long Beach, California

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I can't say enough great things about everyone at this shop! We've bought all of our daughters saxophones from them and have them serviced and repaired here as well. Rusty and Georgia have given her lessons and she truly adores them both. LB Woodwinds is an institution not just a shop! read more

My daughter's clarinet was in desperate need of repair, but when we went to our local music shop during Thanksgiving week to get the work done, they said that no, they were not able to do the work for us, but they highly, highly recommended that we head down to Long Beach Woodwinds - and yes, they are worth the drive. Yes, the staff is super friendly and helpful. They knew exactly what needed to be repaired - some of the cork needed to be replaced, and a few pads. They gave us an estimate - which was very reasonable, and gave us a pick up date, about 3 days, which was met. Very happy with the service. read more

had some work done on my saxophone,they fix the problem but left scratches on my horn was not happy.

Been going to this place for my saxes for maybe about 4yrs now. Very great people , reasonable time frame and pricing. Im a semi pro sax player who does atleast 1-2 gigs weekly. read more

They were able to give my alto a tune up and find a replacement fork key pretty fast. I noticed they have mouthpieces, saxophones, and sheet music for sale too. Definitely going back read more

Great place for sax players . Excellent woodwind repair shop . Super inventory of excellent saxophones ,clarinets & sax mouthpieces and reeds . read more

It's 2021, I'm out of Military, out of marriage, and turning 40 soon, so every cell in my body is screaming "Midlife Crisis!". It was either buying Motorcycle or Saxophone. And today I bought a C.G Conn Alto Saxophone 6M Naked Lady/Ladyface from an Antique store near my house. It was very dusty and old (1953-1954 model according to my serial number), definitely needed a cleaning and repair. Thanks to Yelp, I found the Long Beach Woodwinds store couple miles down the road. Fermin, a repair technician, kindly took his time to help me understand what needs to be done on my Saxophone. He even helped me choose mouthpiece and other things I need that fits my budget. Sure, I might save couple bucks on Amazon, but I'll choose supporting Local business any day over filling up Jeff Bezos's wallet. Also, when it comes to instrument you will definitely want to have opinions from people who knows what they are talking about. Georgia, founder of the shop, was very friendly and helpful. Learned that she and her husband started off as Music studio teacher to teach students and as they stocked instrument parts for students it turned into an Woodwinds sales/rental and repair shop that offers lessons. I'm spending way more money than I have intended when I picked up this Saxophone this morning, but I definitely didn't feel like I was being ripped off when Fermin quoted me the repair price. He also told me I will get a quick free intro session on playing Saxophone when my Saxophone is ready. Can Amazon do that? I don't think so. Highly recommend this lovely shop! I can't wait to pick up my Saxophone and kickstart my midlife crisis! #sundogram read more

I bought a new horn online and has issues with it. Just by explaining my situation over the phone, and the manager of the repair shop, Brian, was able to figure out what was wrong, but had me bring in my new sax to check it out. He fixed it and changed a pad for me and now it plays great! In addition, I needed more equipment for it l, like a ligature, more reeds and a better neck strap, and I stead of up selling me all of their more expensive equipment, he let me try everything that they had, I was able to choose from there. As a result, I will be going back soon try out some mouthpieces and purchase that from them as well. It was such feeling to be helped get back into playing music with such an experienced repairman! read more

Long Beach Woodwinds - Cannonball Tenor Sax - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Long Beach, California

I needed to repair my son's saxophone before school started and our local corporate music store quoted a high price for what seemed to be simple repairs (neck tightening, key lever needing a cork, and pad replacement). Based on a recommendation from my son's teacher, I tried Long Beach Woodwinds and they were awesome. Their repair price was significantly less and they turned around the repair in less than one day. I'm taking all my woodwind instruments here in the future. read more

Great place. I scheduled an appointment to have my flute serviced. Got in and it was easy, fast. Took my flute home and it sounded great again. I highly recommend this place. I'll come back to this place again in the future! read more

Best costume service! You can't go wrong with them. My daughter is looking for a saxophone and doesn't know what she wants, the owner is very patiently and spent time to teach my daughter, she is a nice and sweet lady. Thanks for all your help. read more

I had my alto sax tuned up by Brian. He did an amazing job. My alto plays better than it ever has!

I recently had my Eastman 52nd Street Alto overhauled by Long Beach Woodwinds. The job they did was nothing short of outstanding. My alto plays better than ever! Really excellent work guys. I'll be back again! read more

A great shop! Music shops are notorious for overcharging but this place charges very fair prices! The workers are very friendly and kind. I met one of the techs, I believe his name was Brian, and one of the owners Georgie (hopefully I got everyone's names right) and they were all very professional and helpful. I went with my student to help him test and pick out a second clarinet so that he doesn't have to carry it back and forth from school and we wound up with a really great deal! I hope this business stays healthy and strong! read more

I'm writing an updated review about LBWW's repair services. I ended up purchasing a used P. Mauriat Bari online and got a good deal from a former P. Mauriat artist who was apparently switching to another brand. After owning the P. Mauriat for about a year, I was frustrated with it getting knocked out of whack several times and not playing in tune very well (playing a bunch of difficult classical stuff, this is a problem more than for rock or jazz). Having neared the end of my rope with the horn, I decided to take it to Bryan at LBWW for a consultation. I had an initial evaluation with Bryan at which he went over my horn and told me what improvements could be made. I gave him a $500 budget, although he said sometimes repairs could end up being more. I dropped the horn off later in the week, and picked it up a week later. Bryan even loaned me a horn to use for a week, which he didn't have to do (although I have to say, a problematic horn). In any event, I picked up my Bari about a week later, and wow, what a difference. The regulation was far better than it was before, it blows easier, it feels like it is fighting me less. Plus the mechanism action is improved with some of the tweaks that Bryan made, like adding additional cork, harder rubber stops, better rollers, and re-countersinking some screws. Plus, the charge was $270. Whew! I am very pleased thus far with the improved playability and sound of the horn...why don't they come out of the box this way??? Now I just need to play it better! If you want to get a professional level and tweaking of your horn, this is the place to go. Their knowledge is unsurpassable and the work done was outstanding. Although it takes a little bit more time than one would want - they are busy because they have a lot of work. I would definitely recommend them for any repair work and expert understanding of instruments. read more

The people who worked are so nice and friendly and everything was set up when we entered and there was a dog there

I have brought my daughter's clarinet for cleaning and repair multiple times. The rates are reasonable, excellent service from repair team, and easy to schedule. I drive 15 miles to this shop and it's worth it. read more

This is the spot! They fixed my flute on the spot and they're prices are super fair. The tech that fixed my flute was Fermin and he did an excellent job. Everyone that works here is super cool. Giving them 5 stars all the way. I will be coming back. -Sexy Sax Man read more

The staff here is so incredibly helpful. I would 100% return to have my saxophone serviced again. They also had a dog hanging around, which made my day. If you have any instrument needs, this is the place to go. read more

This is the best shop in SoCal for saxophone repair! Bryan is the only person I trust with my horns. He is completely fair and honest in his dealings and cares a great deal about my saxophones. I highly recommend him! read more

The days of the mom and pop businesses are over. For instance, World of Strings in Long Beach closed up after 50 years of serving the community. I stumbled on this store by chance. I had a hair appointment across the street and arrived early. I dropped in because I wanted to ask about trumpet lessons for my daughter. I was given the teacher's information and was able to reach him right away. We scheduled a lesson for the same weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing how this works out. read more

I took my children to pick up some reeds for their new instrument. The man was extremely helpful, went to measure the reed size, and gave us a variety pack. He also told us the instrument was very cool, put his own mouth piece on it, and played for us! They are very knowledgeable when it comes to woodwinds. read more

Long Beach Woodwinds is a hidden gem! I took my tenor and alto in for repairs recently and was worried about the wait time. The big box music store near my house typically takes two weeks or longer for repairs. Well, LBWW had three repair techs working the day I went in and two of them started on my horns immediately, one on the alto, the other on the tenor. They said it would only take about a half hour, so I just got lunch nearby, and by the time I came back the work was done! The work they did was outstanding and they checked for air leaks and other issues beyond what I was originally looking to get repaired. The prices were very fair! LBWW also has a good selection of new and used mouthpieces and helped me find a great piece for my alto on a prior visit. Highly recommended! read more

Bought a mouthpiece from them a few months ago, probably could get better price online but I try to support local businesses plus the owner (Rusty Higgins, pro sax player, and his wife own the shop) lets you try the mouthpieces on site before you purchase. However, this local business is one of the examples of a bad one. The owner is simply NOT professional. TWICE I drove 40 minutes to their shop on days and times they confirmed they would be open, and they were closed. The first time I chalked up to miscommunication, because I really wanted to have a go-to shop and the owners seemed nice and knowledgeable. But the second time I called I was looking for a referral for sax repair, and the owner replied that they had a guy who comes to their shop to do repairs. She said he would be at the shop Saturday (I called on a Thursday) from 10am to 2pm. Well, I showed up at the show 15 minutes before 11am and nobody was there. Shop closed. Mind you, this was during their regular business hours, but for some reason the owners (again) decided to just not show up to work that day, and I guess the repair guy followed suit. Anyway, owners seem knowledgeable, but I suspect the shop is more of an assist for his pro playing and a hobby-expander rather than a real professional enterprise. Too bad. read more

I thought maybe I should call ahead to confirm if they were open or what the deal is based on reading the prior reviews. I went during the day on a Friday, and they were open, however, there was only one lady there and she was giving lessons to a kid. So there I am, with NO ONE to talk to, I kept thinking, do I interrupt their lesson? I kinda wanted to talk extensively without worrying about her having to go back to her lesson, so I just decided to leave. Most items did not have prices, but from what I could see, things are severely overpriced. The way they have it set up, with one person both giving lessons AND managing the store, they seem to not actually expect any business, which makes me think, this is not really a storefront, but more of a place to get lessons, and oh yeah while we're at it we also sell things, just without any salespeople or store managers, or even just a lowly cashier. If I was so inclined, I could have just stolen something, they had no idea I was even in there, no bell on the door, they have a camera system, but who's watching?! If you want lessons I can't comment on that, but if you want an actual storefront to buy something with actual people there to help you purchase, just go to Gilmore or something. read more

Wonderful music store! Thanks for helping me find a great baritone sax mouthpiece and ligature today!