THE BEST! Right before a gig I broke a few strings on my guitar and ran straight to them for the first time. The staff was so incredibly sweet and eager to help me. I wish I could've gotten their names. They probably fixed my guitar within 30-45 min and saved my life! Would recommend! read more

Tired of dealing with trash in Santa Barbara, specifically the weird upper state/uptown Santa Barbara people (like the sutter hospital case) that think they're above the law. Also dealing with children whose first or second year being employed and or running the store. So this Michael, curly haired man was telling me that they didn't have a book I wanted so I was going to resort to the normal route-buying it on Amazon and getting it shipped to my door the next day. But he insisted that he can get it transferred from another store and it'll be three days tops, he took my info down and said he'll give me a ring after it arrives. And I wanted to support local so I waited the old school way. After two weeks went by I didn't get a call or text so I decided to call them and this lady picks up and said yes they do have it. I came in the store and they didn't have it and he went off angry and screaming at me basically because I'm a dummy - 'like if you don't put a deposit down, you won't get it.' He was saying it all fast paced and clearly very annoyed of me. I mean what are they busy doing? All of the instruments I've touched are all dusty and ragged looking and most are made in china and doubled the price of online. He initially told me I didn't even need to put a deposit and now he's screaming at me and irritated at me and arguing back and forth with a customer. Unprofessional and milks the hourly doing nothing. I hope no one supports this outdated looking and made in china products store. If you want great customer service from all departments for music- go to Santa Maria, Oxnard or Westlake Village for The Guitar Center, they are super professional and they're actually rockstars that will keep you and/or your child inspired. read more

The team of people there are very professional and very attentive. I hadn't been at this location in a while but they're really welcoming and helpful. Whoever thinks that these folks scream and yell and customers is insane lol. Thanks Nick Rail! Will come back again :) read more

Wonderful music store. Very kind and helpful staff. Dante and Michael were extremely knowledgeable and not pushy for me to buy something. I will definitely return! read more

Nick Rail is a great small local music store. They have knowledgeable staff & a great selection for music students for rentals as well as reliable repairs. Michael was especially helpful when I was going to purchase an electric guitar. He was very personable and his expertise aided me in making the right decision for my personalized needs. They let you hold, play, and try out instruments before purchasing & offer tailored recommendations. This shop is a gem & very welcoming! Will be coming here for all my musical needs! read more

The worst guitar setup. First off, they charged me over 200 dollars for a setup only to get it back with grounding issues and poor solder job. When I informed the store that I wanted to talk to management and specifically said, I do not care to talk to the person that did such a hack job, what do they do, they have the guy who hacked my guitar call to talk to me. I never replied because, if that's how management handles the simple request of a customer, realizing that I wasn't going to get my problem resolved, what's the need. I suggest never having your guitar setup done here because they don't care enough about customer, only the dollar. Management can't give you the time or day to resolve issues stemming from customer service. It's a shame because I want to like the, but I can't say I do based off how they lacked to handle my grievance. read more

Bottom line: a proper music store! I needed some new strings for an acoustic guitar that I recently acquired as well as some parts to fix a different guitar that I had at home. I hit it in here with my daughter and we were able to easily find the strings we needed and the guys that were working had all of the parts we needed to finish this little project. Tuners, the nut, even the pegs that hold in the strings. They were very helpful, very knowledgeable, very professional. This is a great music store! Please support this awesome local business! read more

A nice small music store with a lot to offer. The man behind the counter (Andrew) was warm and helpful, which isn't something common among music stores. He recommended some music teachers after I told him I was a bit rusty, but wasn't pushy about it. Both him and the manager were helpful with all the questions I had. They even offered to order items they didn't stock for me. I had my Violin restrung and tail piece fixed at a reasonable price. It took just a few days, but nobody contacted me about it being ready. I called and they apologized for nobody calling and it was ready whenever I could come by. If you're a beginner or seasoned musician, I believe this place will treat you right! read more

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My review is based off of speaking with two lads that work here. We rented an instrument for my 4th grader through the school year. They saved us a trip to SB by having a designated night for rentals and at the end of the year they pick the instruments up in the schools office. Rentals are reasonable and the two times I called to ask a million questions the guy in the other end was patient and detailed. When I mentioned that we would be picking up a new instrument the following year, I was met with enthusiasm. These guys love music and are passionate about making sure others have access to it, too. read more

Nick Rail Music - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

This is great little music store. It is clean and well organized with plenty of instruments on display but not cluttered. The person working behind the counter was friendly and helpful. They have lots of wind instruments and nice selection of ukuleles and guitars. They have an impressive list of used instruments as well. They work with a lot of local instructors. I believe they rent rooms for independent instructors. Our daughter is taking piano with one of the instructors (Charissa), who is awesome, and she is learning so fast! We are starting with another ukulele instructor for our 5 year old soon as well. read more

OK so Nick real never reached out to me to fix my instrument, I believe at this point they are just awful people and liars. Nick rail if you want to get this review changed please reach back out to me and give me the last pieces to my flute like you promised otherwise I'm so over being treated like this by old mean musicians that don't care about people at all because that's what it feels like at this point. I've been busy as all heck and I haven't had the time to reach out to you yet but you're months behind following up with me and I'm so irritated with you at this point you've wasted hours of my time and you took a bunch of my money you suck please fix this as soon as possible. read more

Best music store in town! Nick Rail started this business many years ago with lots of experience and knowledge with musical instruments. Has repaired my flute over 30 years and I trust the store with taking great care of this special instrument. read more

We are so thankful for this local music store! They have knowledgeable staff and plenty of accessories for all your band needs. The store also has a great music book selection, both standard and contemporary. Amanda was especially helpful as we purchased two instruments today. She was able to answer all of our questions regarding purchasing options. She is very knowledgeable and patient. Support this fantastic local business! Thanks Nick Rail! read more

Great business for music strings and musical books for kids. Great teacher in Marcela who is teaching my son guitar and vocal lessons.

Just called them to see if they would repair a keyboard that I purchased at their store. However answered the phone explained that they do not repair on site and that they would take the unit to a facility to do the repair for a fee... When I asked, how much that fee would be, he just answered "I have a car that doesn't run... how much it would be to fix it? I do not know"... I was not asking to tell me the price to fix the keyboard, of course they can't tell, I was asking how much their fee was to provide the service.... but the person was rude enough to answer me that way. Sincerely, I do not have to be lectured when asking a simple question... read more

Once again, Nick Rail music came through for me with all of my music instrument needs today. Including repair work and purchases. I've had the pleasure of working with Neal at the store several times now. I really appreciate his excellent customer service, his product knowledge and his ability to make me feel truly welcome in his store. As a professional musician, I highly value his keen ability to understand and anticipate my business needs the minute I walk into the store. No doubt about it, I will definitely be doing more business with Nick Rail Music in the future. And thank you also to Mr. Nick Rail for all of the huge support you give to our local school music programs! read more

Great service and nice selection. I have taken my bass and tenor trombones here for years for maintenance. Prices are fair and service is friendly and professional. Inventory is well laid out and easy to look through, unlike some music stores where everything is dusty and behind the checkout counter or locked under glass. Instruments, sheet music, mouth pieces, cleaning kits, they have everything you need and are super helpful. read more

Best music store in California, period. Don't waste your time with anyone else. Been doing going to Nick since the late 80s.