I agree~ THIS PLACE ROCKS! As parents of a 13 year old who just began electric guitar lessons, we had absolutely no clue what we were doing! Our sons teacher directed us to Rainbow Guitars, and said that he had complete confidence that they would take very good care of us here. He was RIGHT! This is an above board and honest business with EXTREMELY knowledgeable staff. We had a lot of stuff to buy and they made sure we knew how to work everything before we left . As well as- didn't buy things we wouldn't need right away. ( We appreciated the honesty!) We've also been back on several occasions now and have ALWAYS walked out of there smiling saying, It's gotta be the best place to shop! And I agree do NOT pass this place up because of the outside, The true GEM is through the doors! read more

Stefan and the rest of the crew at Rainbow are amazing with their customer service and providing the most professional environment I've ever had in a music store. Everything from their full two-wall Taylor display in a humidified acoustic room to sound proof testing rooms, this store has it all! Not only that, but it is a Mecca for famous musicians (they even have a Keith Richards signed telecaster on the wall addressed to the store itself)! read more

Rainbow Guitars - Guitar Stores Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

I got a great deal on a new Rickenbacker 5 String (4003S) from them this holiday season. It arrived in great condition, except there were a couple of dings on the side near the output jack; otherwise, it was perfect and sounded great. I conversed with Clay over email, and they took care of me right away. I definitely am putting them at the top of my list for my next purchase! read more

Thanks guys!! Just purchased my Strymon Timeline from them a week or two ago, communication was great, shipping was extremely fast (paid extra for fedex 2 day and actually got it 2 days later!), was updated at every step along the way. Love the pedal and couldn't have been a smoother transaction. read more

Stephen is the best! Always ready to help! You call him and your stuff ia ready when you get there!

Great service? ...you need look no further. Pete Fine is a straight up guy. I'm out of state and usually buy Thomastik-Infelds online as there are no stores near me who carry them. I placed an order for a few sets some weeks back and received partial order as TI was slow on deliveries. Pete kept me in the loop and when the strings came in, he overnited them to me @ no extra charge so i could have them on a gig. try THAT at GC! Note to Pete: if you find a '62-'67 Jazz Bass in red, let me know! read more

Mike the manager was ok with Mike the operation person helping me ship out a guitar amp.... I did not buy anything. That is unheard of - people treating people like people. Will not find that at Guitar Center. Beyond this one personal and surprisingly helpful experience, the store has a ton of good guitars, drums and other equipment for professional musicians. The staff are experienced musicians, not people off the street working for minimum wage. If you want to see a professional music store stop in to check them out. You will not need another music store after..... read more

Rainbow guitars has an excellent selection of quality guitars, amps, and drums. The staff is knowledgeable, and very helpful. Great shop.

Great place, great prices, great selection of quality instruments. If you need anything guitar, talk to Scott. He knows what he's doing and will help you out. read more

I'd been in Rainbow Guitars only once when i first moved here, looking at guitars instead of drum equipment. I really like the guitar side of Rainbow, their inventory can be pricey, but pretty much everything guitar and bass related in that store is the minimum price you'd want to pay for a quality instrument anyway (which they very much all seem to be). There are plenty of other places out there that will be happy to sell you a crappy $120 Ibanez and some plastic $20 Danelectro pedals, but if you're playing at any level above drunkenly busting out "Wonderwall" at a frat party to impress girls, I personally couldn't ever recommend wasting money on gear like that. Conversely, Rainbow has those vintage Gibson amps behind a glass case that made me seriously consider the logistics of robbing a bank. You get what you pay for, and Rainbow's inventory is worth the asking price for almost everything I looked at. I am a guitarist who owns a drum set that I use in a band, but I can't really call myself a drummer because I can barely change the heads on my kit without having a nervous breakdown. I simply have no idea what I'm doing, and that is where Clay at Rainbow Guitars came in. The snare I'm using is not good by any means, but I know how much of a difference new heads can make, so i figured I'd give that a shot before shopping around for a brand new one. I'm not a Tucson native so I wasn't really familiar with Rainbow Guitars and called Guitar Center first like a dummy. They were nice enough, but I was told that helping me choose good heads for my snare, helping me put them on, and generally looking over the snare to see if anything wasn't set up correctly or needed repair just 'wasn't something we do'. Nothing wrong with Guitar Center really, but in my experience the employees barely play guitar, much less drums, so that was a lot for me to expect. I remembered Rainbow Guitars having a small drum section and initially went in to just browse their snares. Clay was working the counter and recommended a fairly affordable Pork Pie snare to me, which is definitely on my wish list now. I was honestly kind of embarrassed to be a grown man asking another grown man if there was any way he could help me put the heads on my snare, so I just asked if they sold heads since I didn't see any on display. I mentioned that I barely knew what I was doing and was primarily a guitarist and didn't even have to ask after that. Clay asked if I had a brand preference, handed me two drum keys, and told me to start loosening the lugs while he grabbed the heads. He also had a handful of little washers since my snare was missing several. This alone was a huge improvement from my experience buying tom top heads and a snare bottom head at Guitar Center a few months back, which I will get to shortly. He was super honest with me about what I was working with, a junkie metal snare with weird groves that will always dampen the sound, but he was confident new top and bottom heads would make it sound exponentially better and he could have me out of here for 35 bucks. The reason I needed a new bottom head even though the current one was pretty new was that the guy at Guitar Center let me choose a TOM head for my SNARE, which was a big part of the flat, lifeless sound it had. A drummer buddy once told me that my bottom snare head was "an interesting choice" but never elaborated, now I know what he meant! The inside of my snare had a metal piece with felt on it (which I now know is a dampener thanks to Clay) that had come loose right before a show a few weeks back, so I asked him what it was and what I should do about it. He said that because the drum was originally some guy's marching snare for band that I'd be fine removing it since I don't use the snare in that way. Then he demonstrated tightening up the heads, showed me how to adjust the actual snare so that it was right in the middle when you hit the lever, and tested it out to make sure everything was sounding right. Once we had the snare back up and running, Clay brought it over to the Pork Pie I had been eyeing and compared them with a few quick hits. I actually really appreciated this a lot, it gave me a ton of context for the limitations I have with my current snare, and what a good idea it would be to invest in a better one, and Clay accomplished that in the absolutely least pushy way possible. When I save up the cash to buy it, my money is absolutely going to Rainbow Guitars. Clay charged me 35 just like he said, but I insisted on giving him 50 for all the help (which he tried to give back to me twice by the way). I feel like I came out ahead though, my snare sounds better then it ever has and I got a quick drum lesson out of it too. Long (really long) story short, I can't recommend Rainbow Guitars enough, especially Clay and their drum section. If you need help like me, these guys will make you feel at home. read more

Great inventory, most of the staff are helpful. Beware the owner if he is around this dude is slick & will screw you. He sold me a used Collins guitar that had been repaired & did not bother to mention it. The top cracked again, the repair shop showed me the old repair. I complained to the owner & he blamed me. I traded it back & bought a new Collins. I would never trust this dude again. I no longer shop here. read more

Great place to go if you're sick of heading out to Guitar Center. The staff is knowledgable and will help you with whatever quirky question you may have. A buddy and I were creating our own, not really traditional, set up to DJ at events. The guys in the shop helped us out finding the right cables and equipment that we would need in order to get everything running. They even took back things that didn't work for us or we just plain didn't need! On top of that they even seemed interested in our project, asking us for a website or a place to check out what we do. Makes you feel good! They've got a pretty good selection of instruments and equipment but I usually head in when I've got questions about anything I'm working on! read more

Rainbow guitars is the best local guitar store around...they have more boutique instruments (Carr, Mesa, G&L, Martin, Taylor, Gibson) than the sound clash (and often times day care) nightmare GC. All their staff is professional and courteous. They also have a great repair shop in the same building where they do top-notch work. And while you are there hop across the street to the Folk Shop (another musical Tucson institution)! read more

I remember being petrified the first time I went to Rainbow over 20 years ag, I had just started playing guitar and had heard all the pros shopped there. They made me feel like one of the regular customers from my first trip there, and never made me feel like I was less important because I could barely play three chords!! I bought more gear than I would like to admit and most of it came from Rainbow, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this shop to anyone looking for quality gear and top notch repair services. Hats off to the staff and to Harvey for a great store. read more

Honestly when I first drove to Rainbow Guitars I thought it was going to be a dump judging from the outside. Parking isn't that abundant either but the instant you walk inside its one of the nicest instrument stores you've ever been in. There are so many guitars and nice drum sets but one of the things they're lacking are electric drum sets, or at least parts. I walked in asking for a bass trigger for an electric drum set and the guy had no idea what I was talking about (I think he was new). Overall, you should consider checking out Rainbow Guitars when you're out comparing prices for whatever instrument you need. read more

As a lifelong musician who has frequented dozens of music stores in my life, from the Wal-Mart Guitar Centers to the boutique DC Southworth Guitars I can say without a doubt that while Rainbow has a great selection of quality instruments, their prices are laughably outrageous. But price aside, what really makes Rainbow stand out is how badly they treat their customers. Be warned, if you're not instantly recognizable as a famous musician and you're interested in anything remotely valuable that requires an ounce of effort on their part to think about, you will probably be treated like a turd. I've tried desperately to give them thousands of dollars for great guitars and vintage amplifiers but it's like their salesmen are paid to NOT sell their inventory. If you are a masochist who enjoys frustration and torture, come visit Rainbow and receive the particular torture you enjoy. Otherwise, there are hundreds of other great music stores where you will be treated respectfully and will gladly take your business. This is probably the coolest shop I've been to recently. They're much more deserving of your passion for cool instruments http://stores.ebay.com/mikeandmikesguitarbar read more

Living in LA I have a lot of music stores to choose from, but I've had trouble finding the drumsticks I like. Rainbow Guitars is my go-to shop in Arizona, so I decided to give Clay Reed a call. Not only did he have the sticks I wanted, he had them delivered to my door in less than 24 hours! Now thats great service! read more

I found Rainbow about a year ago and they are my go to store despite living in Scottsdale. Have now bought 4 guitars and an amp, with their friendly and experienced help. Mike is awesome and has great suggestions. They always come through with great pricing. An amp arrived defective and they were quick to make it right. Love these guys! Best guitar I have found in the US and several European countries read more

I was going to a concert at The Rilato Theater, and being a "from out of town"musician, I thought I'd take a peak at this place and see what it is all about. Not bad! I liked their inventory... They had Black Cat, EVH, Marshall (and more) amps; A fine selection of new and used guitars, and lots more. If I lived in Tucson, I'd probably be in here all the time. Nice place! read more

Honest service and informed staff. I took my guitar in for a repair and was turned away. Rather than trying to milk a few bucks out of me, they told me straight up that they could fix it, then pointed out the minor warping I hadn't noticed myself, gave me advice on storage in the future, and told me they'd feel bad charging me for repairs when I could most likely find the same quality in a different guitar, for less money. I appreciate that kind of honesty. I'll be back to buy that new guitar. read more

I wouldn't use any other place in town for guitar repair. They are simply the best.They have set up and repaired my guitars on multiple occasions and they always get it right. I am left-handed and I use my guitars strung righty. Some of the set ups require changing the bridge angle etc. read more

They were great to work with. Very polite and helpful. They gave me a fantastic price on a high-end snare drum, with free 2-day shipping.

Tucson's best music store, and not just for guitars. The staff is very helpful and super friendly. And the repair department is the only ones I let work/setup my guitars! Did I say Tucson? I meant....in Arizona! read more

Done business with the characters for many many years....one of the best independent stores around...great stock..excellent staff....go buy something!!!! read more

There were no fewer than 5 employees in the store and three customers. I was one of the customers and while the other male lookers were asked if they needed help, I wasn't. Guess they don't wait on girls ...will buy elsewhere. read more

I had my guitar repaired at rainbow guitars, what a trial!! It came back with sharp edges on the frets, and a big new "ding" on the face. When I asked them about it, the repair gie said, It was there to begin with. I know every mark on that guitar, and it was perfect, that is before i took it to them... AVOID!!!!! read more

Went in to buy strings and watched as 3 employees at the front counter completely ignored me and continued to talk to another guy, so I walked out. I normally shop online as most people do nowadays anyway. This stores only saving grace is the top quality repair dept. read more

I have been taking my acoustic guitars to Rainbow for set-ups, repairs, and maintenance for about twelve years now, and I have always been very impressed by the repair staff's skill and professionalism. They never fail to do an excellent job, they always finish by the date promised, and their prices are very reasonable. I would recommend them to anyone without hesitation. read more

Just received a new Fender Stratocaster and hard case for my son as a Christmas gift. I had hesitation purchasing online and unseen, but Scott Riedle made the purchase and shipping incredibly easy. He sent me pics of the guitar, and when he noticed the case had scuffs on it, sent me pics of that as well and offered me the opportunity to take it with some free strings or to change the case for an unblemished one. His honesty made me feel great about purchasing from this company, and I wouldn't hesitate to do so again in the future. The guitar arrived on schedule and is immaculate as he said it was. Thank you Scott for your help, profesionalism & knowledge. read more

Second purchase just as good as the first ... couldn't ask for more ... thanks, Stefin!

I have been coming to Rainbow since my teens. I've purchased everything from headphones and other studio/DJ equipment, to drum machines, synths, and guitars. I've also had luthier work done on a classic Guild acoustic. In addition to awesome service and support, Rainbow is also competitive on price. Whether you're just starting out, or are a gigging pro, Rainbow is the place to go! read more

ok rainbow guitars they have good prices the negatives are the box crack open not very nice buits bound to none it looks like open that box to put the receipt,i look for days everywhere i didnt see anything that makes me think its second hand,but they have good prices,then suddeny a change my mind i want returned the product for a refund i have a really good reason towards it,its not faking it,so i email,the product is in great shape,ii know its ays on the returned full refund good reason it did not says no minimum restocking fee,this guy wants to charge 79.90 minimum and it depends on how the products looks,ok im on that then i still have to pay shipping,so how will i go back to your website that i will be addicted,know they are loosing my money,imagine cheap like me let say 2,000 like me,they will 2,000 like that is some huge money,ok im not destroying anybody its all on you,in the meantime amazon i thikn its the best products a little more money like 25-40 dollars more but the products you will get its really a factory sealed tape and the packaging they have feedback for packaging so figure it read more