Rex has been working on my guitars for over 30 years. He is the absolute best! He is very honest…read moreand detail oriented. He will explain exactly what he will do, step by step, to make your instrument the best it can be. Rex is extremely knowledgeable with all kinds of guitars, and I would trust him wih any guitar.

I feel like everyone knows Rex. Rex is the guitar guy in the Bay Area…read more He's done work on 3 guitars of mine over the last 20 years, and his work is top-notch. He really works with you to help identify what you're after, and offers creative solutions you might not have thought of. Recently he swapped pickups (stock pups for Air Norton + Tone Zone) on an Ibanez RG 7-string, and when I explained I was after tonal options, he suggested we throw in a half-out-of-phase push/pull pot. The end results just sounds perfect. He got his start doing military-grade electronics in the Navy. His work is clean, and it lasts. I have an RG 570 he swapped pickups on, and a Fender Strat, and both still just play and sound like a dream. He's busy, but it's worth it, especially if you need any work that's out of the ordinary. Rex's breadth of ability is pro-level.

Our family has been in the Silicon Valley Classical Guitar school for many years. We absolutely…read morelove the school and all the teachers. The teachers are all competent classical guitarists, and many years of experience of teaching. They use rigorous Suzuki method to teach, but with warm and gentle approach. My older son started learning classical guitar with Patrick since he was 6 (now he is a high schooler). Patrick is super patient and nice, and always provides positive feedback and encourages the student to be better. We really appreciate his gentle way of teaching. Patrick is a great musician. Under his guidance and influence, my older son enjoys practicing guitar everyday, and is willing to come out of his comfort zone to try several guitar competitions. My younger son started his guitar lesson with Scott 3 years ago. Scott is a great teacher. He has good sense of humor, and is very detail and technical orientated. He can also identify student's strength and weakness and adjust his teaching accordingly. My young son thrives and looks forward to each lesson. All the teachers in the school work very hard to build a classical guitar community. They organize frequent recitals each term and provides tons of opportunities for students to perform. Before the pandemic, they have guitar ensemble classes for different levels. My kids really love the biweekly rehearsal with their ensemble groups. Through the ensemble program, we also get to know the other great teachers, Rob and Angelica. They are passionate in teaching and sharing their love of classical guitar and music. My kids not only learn classical guitar from the school, but the love of music and the joy of sharing music with others. We are really grateful!

We've been going to SVCGS for 2 years now and this place is amazing!…read moreAfter trying out a class in another studio and hating it, we came here based on a recommendation from a friend and we've been very happy ever since. Teacher Scott is absolutely fabulous with the kids, he has endless patience, a positive attitude, a great sense of humor and such a great way of adapting his teaching style and the level of technique to match the child's age and maturity. He has also been great with scheduling, and has worked with us whenever we needed to make adjustments. The additional group classes they used to hold before COVID were also a really nice bonus that allowed the kids to play along with other kids at their level, and Rob was always great at running those and making them fun and engaging. I recommend this place wholeheartedly!

Musician service has did plenty of repair for me throughout the years does a very good job.read more

I had a super great experience. Before going there the reviews were very bi-modal (a lot of 5's…read moreand a some 1-2's ... not much 3 or 4) so I didn't know what to expect. I experienced great communication and documentation of the process. quick repair (it wasn't straightforward either), and reasonable price. Highly recommended.

Last week I called Palo Alto Violins and got an appointment to have my viola worked on. My…read moreinstrument needed a new bridge. At Palo Alto Violins Owner and String Luthier Larry Haussler, checked the condition of my instrument and gave me an honest assessment of the repairs needed. The work on my instrument required me to leave my viola and come back a couple of days later. My viola repaired was done with great care and now my instrument has much better sound projection, a well fitted bridge, and proper tailpiece. In talking to Larry I also learned more about the history of my viola bows. I recommend Palo Alto Violins for Violas and all instruments in the string family. Although Larry does emergency work on instruments, I suggest calling for an appointment.

Great! My son's cello of 8 years broke during a concert at UCSC. Three years later before buying a…read morenew one we took it to Larry at Palo Alto Violins. He was able to fix it! I don't know he did it but he did! Magic. Larry is really nice to work with and has a gift for caring for instruments..He charged us a very reasonable price for all his work.

My daughter had a great experience with her lessons with Joe Valdes at the Guitarist. Joe both met…read moreher where she was at and challenged her to learn new skills. The lessons were easy-going and enjoying, but also very productive, with my daughter learning new songs every week and greatly improving her general technique, her ear for picking up songs, and her finger picking. Best of all, she just really enjoyed the experience, and always looked forward to her lessons, which is a gift for a busy teenager. Management was flexible and easy to communicate with.

My kid has been learning music privately with Tim S. for almost 6 years. I just started in Nov…read more2025. We have fun learning a mix of theory and guitar. My kid started with ukulele and he seamlessly transitioned her to guitar about 2 years ago. He is the best at meeting students where they are while nurturing their talent and interest in music. We're fans of his teaching style. It's also nice to have a variety of options. There is always someone in the office ready to help. I'm not sure about value but I think it's standard pricing about $56.50 for 30-min lessons. Their recitals are chill and they sell instruments, books and anything else you need to learn!

My boys have been taking guitar lessons with Michael for about a year and it's been fun to watch…read morethem progress. Michael's patient and calm demeanor is really grounding and he meets each boy where they're at, offering corrections in a way that isn't discouraging. Teaching them complex finger work, chords and scales, while letting them choose the songs they're interested in to apply what they learn. Highly recommend.

Mr. Young is an incredibly knowledgeable and dynamic teacher who kindly tailored the lesson content…read moreto a language I could understand. He was professional, easy-going, and simply an enjoyable character. He understood my needs and helped me adapt my learning style. He prepared an abundance of resources for the first lesson, leaving me feeling effortlessly equipped as a beginner. Despite my anxiety about playing in front of others, I never felt suffocated or judged. I feel more confident with my guitar, especially now that he showed me easier ways to play chords. I definitely recommend Mr. Young for lessons. They are superb value, and having my lesson online was easier for me and helped with my anxiety. He is truly a gem of a teacher.

I've been taking guitar lessons from Jeremy Epp for about a year and a half now, and singing…read morelessons from Jim Bruno also. They are very competent teachers, patient, and I've learned so much so far! Lessons are fun, and they are great at their craft as well! I'm getting better and from knowing nothing 2 years ago, I've improved greatly! I look forward to continued improvement!

At first I was happy with the results I was getting from my lessons, but the billing and the fact…read morethat rules are not enforced. Once you pay no chance of getting a refund if you have decided to cancel. My personal experience was that I missed time with plenty of notice and I completely lost that time and $$, the teacher missed one and was willing to make up for that time, but when was time he was late. Have a good foundation to build on, but I think I will be teaching myself as the attitude is so so and attention to detail appears not strong point. Lost a lot of $$$ paying early DO NOT make same mistake as you will not get it back.....

My 16 year old autistic son has been taking lessons from Brad of BKdrummer for over 3 months now…read moreand he absolutely loves it! He actually practices daily without me having to nag him. Before we discovered Brad, we inquired at another place in the bay area but my son was not comfortable with the other instructor who seemed intimidating so my son was reluctant and decided against lessons all together. If you're thinking about drum lessons for your child or taking drum lessons yourself, go no further! Brad is patient, encouraging and very flexible with his teaching style; customizing lessons to best fit the individual. He is a professional drummer who is delighted to teach his craft to others. I highly recommend Brad to anyone (obviously) who is considering taking drum lessons.

Brad is an excellent teacher - in the specific skills and techniques of drumming, but more…read moreimportantly in his over all teaching approach. To music and the drums... I started as an absolute rank beginner. Brad introduced me to the fundamentals in a natural way that allowed me to pick them up readily, while maintaining rigor that ensured that I was able to walk before I ran, and along the way. As a result, I was able to advance quite rapidly. He continues to introduce me to new skills and techniques as fast as I can take them on - maintaining a comfortable but challenging pace. All the time, it continues to be a purely fun and pleasurable experience, without a hint of stress. I feel great about my lessons and enjoy them. Brad is very flexible in his approach - quite accommodating to what I want to achieve overall and at any given time, as well as to my personal schedule demands. I started joint lessons with my teenage daughter, and Brad adjusted his approach, with aplomb, to both of our individual goals and unique learning abilities and aptitudes. He has great personal qualifications and is quite talented in his own drumming skills - which is inspirational. More generally, and what I think is most impressive, is his 100% positive approach - always patient, encouraging, and motivating. His lessons are refreshing and effective. I would recommend him for drum lessons to children of all ages - from 6 to 66 and beyond.