I was waiting at the front of the line for approximately 10 minutes without being acknowledged or…read moreoffered assistance. During that time, another family walked in and was immediately greeted by Mike, who asked how he could help them, even though I had been waiting there first. I found this treatment upsetting and felt overlooked and unfairly treated. I was also concerned to find used N95 masks inside the trumpet case of the instrument we rented, particularly because we had been assured that the trumpet had been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before rental. Finding used items inside the case made me question whether the instrument and case had actually been properly cleaned. Overall, this was a very disappointing experience. Based on what I experienced, I would not recommend or support this business.

Came here to buy a black folder for choral music after being referred by the Pasadena Conservatory…read more I called in advance to ask if they had any in stock and staff were prompt and professional in picking up to answer my request. Good variety of inventory from what I could see. Found out later my mom buys all her violin + piano sheet music here. It's tucked inside a strip mall off an out-of -the-way portion of Foothill. Would have loved to have seen this store in Old Town, but the current location is very convenient for quick in-and-out errands - and a short distance from the Conservatory. If I need to use something for music practice, I hate to buy online without knowing if it will work for me or not. Brick and mortar music stores like this are essential, and I'm glad Bertrands is so close by!

Richard, July 24, 2026: Fantastic Musical Instruments in Pasadena, CA is a real "bass shop". Tom…read moreKerr was very gracious to me when I was trying out basses a few years ago, even after I returned a fine bass I had on trial. I ended up buying a Pollmann Bass from another store. However, when I needed a set-up, , cleaning, and sound adjustment, I took my Pollmann to Tom. My bass now sounds better than ever, and he had a solid string recommendation. Also, just this week I bought a Kay Bass, circ, 1940 from Tom, for my bluegrass, gigs. It was reasonably priced and he did some work I requested for a minimal charge, adjustments to the bridge curvature, and a replacement tailpiece cable (I wanted a new Teflon version). I kept the original metal piece since it was part of the original bass. Thanks, Tom, for your expertise and gracious manner with me as a customer who needed some guidance.

What an absolute gem of an instrument shop that I feel so fortunate to have come across. I went in…read morebecause I'm potentially on the market for an upright bass, and I cannot express how glad I am I stopped by here. Not only do they have an incredible selection of beautiful instruments, but owners there are such phenomenal, down-to-earth, compassionate people. Nicky was in the store helping me out, and they spent so much time allowing me to try all the different instruments and talking me through them and answering my questions. The shop also has a rental option as well where 50% of the rent goes towards an instrument of your choice (doesn't have to be the rental). If you're looking for a high quality instrument with amazing service, this is the place to go. Could not recommend them more highly!

Life saving service. My housekeeper knocked my guitar over and broke the neck. I was devastated…read more Marzz was able to repair it and save my guitar? Would highly recommend!

Found I had an older guitar in my basement. It needed some work, so I looked here for a highly…read morerated Guitar guy, and found Marcelo, here at Marzz Guitarzz. What a great find! When I showed him my guitar, we got into immediate communication and arrived quickly at my options. He also pointed out several features of the guitar I hadn't noticed. Got it back in a few days, beautifully restored and begging to be played. Very please with his craft and happy I found him.

A few months back, I was recommended to go to this place by one of the top WW players in town - to…read morehave one of my Yamaha flutes repaired. I dropped it off and they did an excellent job, it was a little pricey, but I was happy to pay it for the work that was done. A few months later, I came over with a student Flute that had broken off its foot joint. The gentleman doing the evaluation, pushed it away and said "I'm gonna decline on this one." and then went on to tell me that they only worked with "professional musicians" (I've been an orchestrator in this town for 30 years, I've performed with Lenard Bernstein at Carnegie Hall, Ricardo Muti in Philadelphia, and, Zubin Mehta and the New York Philharmonic. I've also had numerous works performed at Disney Hall here in Los Angeles. I am a professorial Musician). He then went onto berate and humiliate me even more. I've never been so embarrassed in my life, and I just kind of grabbed my stuff and left. So if you have a $10,000 Armstrong Flute, they're happy to help you with it, but anything else isn't good enough for them work on. Which is pretty disappointing in this town with a very small music scene.

Note: There is parking in the back if you approach with RDG on the right side... otherwise there's…read moreeasy residential parking (free), too. - - - - - - After recommendation from a local oboist, I quickly drove to RDG for my oboe needs, renting one of their Loree Royal's. My first ever experience was too long ago, but picking up a professional instrument and fresh reeds (student and burgundy professional) was a game changer. For starters, the quality of sound produced form this oboe was pure love. I called in to ask about oboes and was directed to submit a form online, to which JP responded to within a few days. My only disappointment was having to wait a few weeks for the instrument, but once I had the instrument in hand... ooh I've never felt such joy in a while! Being able to produce quality sound from an oboe... once it's in tune? One of the best feelings ever for a returning beginner! (iykyk) The rental forms were fairly straightforward and clear, and so was payment. While I came 20 minutes before close, I was thankful that Justin was available to address my needs despite having an event literally in the next hour. Returning? Yes! Potentially to purchase a future instrument. RDG- quality you can trust! Scared to know if it's the right fit? They even allow trials, and I highly encourage taking advantage of that!

Wild West Guitars provide an eclectic selection of guitars, professional customer care, expert…read moreknowledge and advice, all under one hood. Leroy exemplifies true customer care and Max is a set up guru.

just realized the guitar I took to have a setup done by these guys....dead frets all over 15-18…read morefrom e to e string LOL. Ipaid for a setup...no mention of bad notes. Ive been out of the country for 3 momths. the guitar has been in a case and Itake it out ready to play and poor playing below the 15 on the SG. these guys really dont pay attention to detail esp when youre paying $2-300

Amazing and quick service! Ordered my case online & in less than 24 hours it was ready and came in…read morestore to pick it up. They gave me a tour around the facility and were very hospitable and respectful.

A legacy shop which has been there for brass players all around the world for over 23 years!…read moreProviding only the finest boutique instruments, cases, accessories and sheet music from other countries. These instruments are hard to get and not carried anywhere else in California! This is an online shop where you can make your order online or if you happen to be in town by appointment only limited days of the week!

I brought in an Ibanez AES20E electric acoustic guitar and an Ibanez Bass, but I'm gonna focus on…read morethe guitar. After taking it to another shop in LA where they basically told me "you're shit out of luck" took it to Nomadic after it was sitting in its case for a year... what can I say man I'm a xennial raised on Brave Little Toaster, so I was starting to literally feel BAD about playing my other guitars and not playing my old friend that I'd learned to play on. Not only did Nomadic fix my gear ahead of schedule, but they promptly responded to all my texts and were super accommodating on pickup scheduling when I was out of town. Even though they're not expensive instruments, the prices were completely reasonable, and you cannot put a price on sentimental value. My old friend is back, sounds and feels great, and I could not be more satisfied. 5/5 10/10. Don't fuck around, bring your gear to Nomadic.

I really appreciate how quickly the Nomadic Guitars team responded to my request for assistance…read more They were informative, helpful, and kept me updated throughout the process. Great communication and customer service! Thanks!!

As soon as I walked into the store, a staff member greeted me and offered help--even though he…read morelooked busy handling some paperwork. He asked what I needed, and I explained that my acoustic guitar had a broken peg tuner. I already had the replacement part with me, so I handed it over. Instead of jumping straight into recommendations or upselling, he immediately tried to fix it on the spot. Once he confirmed it was repairable, he quickly cut the string, replaced the tuner, and got everything back in place. The whole process took less than 10 minutes! I live in Carson, so driving out to Lakewood and getting it fixed the same day was such a relief. This guitar isn't for professional use--it's for my daughter who's just starting to learn--so having it ready right away saved me a lot of time and hassle. He even tuned it by ear in seconds, which was really impressive. Overall, a smooth and pleasant experience. I really appreciated the quick, no-nonsense service and would definitely come back again for future repairs!

Today was my first time here and it was amazing and had AC! They fixed up my violin string for a…read morevery cheap price! The staff was also super kind and polite! Will be coming back soon.

Walked into Guitar Center Pasadena with my brother, our unleashed service animal, and a budget that…read moreclearly needed adult supervision. Things got off to a rocky start when there was some confusion about the dog, but Evan checked with his manager, got it sorted, and we all survived the great leash controversy of 2026. From there, Evan was awesome. Super cool, patient, and actually knew DJ gear because he DJs himself -- which is always better than someone confidently explaining equipment they've only met that morning. By the end, we were joking with him: "You really did everything you could to not sell to us... and somehow we still bought anyway." Funny start, great ending, and Evan helped us leave with a new DJ setup and speakers. Guitar Center almost fumbled the bag, but Evan recovered the sale like a pro. Shoutout Evan.

I get that they're understaffed and busy, but you have to try hard to be as unhelpful as they are…read more One gentleman kept rolling his eyes when I approached to ask a question. I made a purchase of a couple strings and an accessory that required me to take out my inhole sound pickup, so I asked if I could borrow a screwdriver (to literally turn the screws to the left a grand total of two times). He tells me "sorry, we don't usually loan tools out for use," which is totally understandable! So I ask if he can then just help me out and turn the screws himself if I'm not allowed to touch the screwdriver -- he audibly groans and looks at me, then finally turns, practically dragging his feet as he grabs the screwdriver to help me out. I was starting to be pretty stunned by this point. Then, when I was about to leave and putting my purchases in my gig bag outside pocket, the other guitar technician, Mike, starts staring daggers at me across the floor, then tells me to show my receipt to the guy at the door-- he thought I was stealing. After I'd been walking around the store for 2 hours and making multiple purchases. My jaw literally dropped. I don't know what's going on at this store, or if they treat every customer this way, or just me. I would speculate that because I dress quite basically (like a skateboarder, roughed up clothes, maybe?) they assumed I had no money/was poor to justify how they decided to interact with me. No matter who I am or what I might look like, staff should treat EVERY customer the same. I was considering buying a guitar from this store, the Yamaha AC1R specifically that they have in the acoustic guitar room, but now I don't ever want to come back.

Prompt service, very affordable prices, he definitely knows what he is doing! My french horn is so…read moreold we could not find the rubber parts to it. He just made his own! He is a magic worker! I will continue coming to him!

My old Conn alto had thrown a pad recently, so I asked a friend of mine, an incredible woodwind…read moreplayer, Phil O'Connor, (clarinets, tenor saxophone et al) and he recommended Krys Mach of Pasadena Woodwind Repair. Krys was terrific in getting back to me right away, however he told me he'd still be out of town for a couple more weeks, yet he wasted no time in recommending Simon Makinadjian, saying that he would definitely be able to take care of my needs. And was that ever the truth! I called Simon on a Saturday around 3pm and he said he could fix it right then! Well my problem was I'm in the middle of a project, so had to have an assistant drive my horn from Venice Beach over to San Gabriel, and he wouldn't be able to arrive until around 6:30pm. So Simon then asked about the next morning, Sunday morning(!) and my guy said he could be out there by 11am. Well it turned out he was about 45 minutes late, but Simon was just totally cool with everything, and indeed fixed the pad in no time at all and I had my beloved instrument back just a couple of hours later, and that simply due to the drive time. So in my estimation, one could dare ask, let alone ever expect this kind of service! and I'm talking about; Excellent Craftsmanship, Incredibly Fast, and So Easy to work with in accommodating the customer. And one more rather important thing, the price for this fix struck me as more than reasonable, particularly taking into account the speed and time of the appointment. So please forgive my rather long winded account, but I really wanted to get these details across, as it is, in fact, in the details that this kind of quality is found! Thank you SO MUCH SIMON!! Rick Cox