Great vintage guitars, basses and amps in a cool south of market street spot. A helpful staff too.

I just had a great experience having my bass repaired here. After a terrible experience at a guitar shop whose name shall remain anonymous, but it's a national chain, I took it to Real Guitars. They had it done on time and under budget and did a fantastic job. I would recommend this shop to anyone good communication, courtesy, really nice people. read more

Awesome shop! Worth the drive up from the valley. Lots of vintage amps and guitars. Friendly staff

Coolest guitar shop in SF. Super friendly staff, had a new pickup installed. $80 out the door. Great work, great experience! read more

Real Guitars - Finished guitar - Guitar Stores Near Me - San Francisco, California

Their online inventory is out of date. A lot of the guitars they advertise online have been sold. I suspect that they don't remove them in order to entice people to drop in. Sales could do with some people skills. I enquired about a guitar they had advertised. I was provided a pithy answer. The sales person didn't look up from whatever he was looking at or make any attempt at eye contact. If you have a customer standing in your shop with bank, make an effort. I walked out and went to Oaklands Guitars instead. read more

When I close my eyes and imagine the perfect guitar shop, I see Real Guitars. Dark, cramped, and smelling of vintage instruments. Converted hifi amps and weird combos, rare pedals and a workshop in the back. Too good. Glad to have stopped by, even for a minute, while passing through SF. read more

I took my guitar to get pickups replaced. I was quoted one price but was charged higher than the original quote. The fix was mediocre, nothing special and really don't recommend them again. I go somewhere else for cheaper prices and closer to home. read more

I needed strings...I could get here faster than any other shop in town...so I took a short venture. It is an OG kinda shop. Friendly folk who just nod when you walk in. You can pick up almost anything there to give it a play. Tons of amps too. Some stuff used, some vintage. I about fell over laughing at the used PRS Silver Sky having a tag that said "not a Strat". After a short gander, I got strings, I left. Still dig it...stay Real Real Guitars. read more

This place is very cool and should be known to all who play guitar. While I personally have never found a guitar I wanted to buy, there are plenty of really nice ones for you. Mix of treasures and not so awesome catering to virtually any budget. Amps galore. Again, some treasures, some not so much. But the definitely now what is up. Such a different experience than GC or the like. The repair shop, which I thought was independent and very well could be, is top notch. Very professional and honest from my experience. This is the type of store that you long for after they have closed. read more

I've known Real Guitar for many years. A well known guitar repair shop used to rent out the back and I would go there for repairs. According to a YouTube channel, this is the oldest guitar shop in the City. It's a small shop crammed with guitars and amplifiers. I've talked to the guys there, Ben and Chris, and they are very friendly and helpful. My friend was buying a guitar and asked me to tag along and give advice. It also happened that I needed to have my guitar amp serviced. They have an amp guy and they can help facilitate the amp repair. Anyway, my friend ended up buying two guitars from them in a span of a month. Great shop! read more

I was sitting plucking away at this custom koa uke i love so much when I started to reminisce about the time when it slipped out of my carry case and split on the curb into several pieces and I collected the pieces and brought it into Real Guitars for repair. Then I looked all over the back of it for some reminder of where the pieces were glued together. I can't even see any marks. Thought about the other time I bought my first fender bass from Real Guitar that got me up and going as a bassist. I played s many local jazz gigs on that bass before finally selling it years later for more than it cost me at Real Guitar. I just love that place so much. read more

Real Guitars - My koa uke they fixed up perfectly. - Guitar Stores Near Me - San Francisco, California

Dropped off a new guitar here for a setup and they forgot about it... The concerning part is that I called several times to check on it and was simply told they were still working on it. Finally (after a month) I went in and asked to speak to the repair guy who had to be called because he is never in and he asked me to remind him about what I wanted done because he forgot. He hadnt even looked at my guitar. Also, they will low ball you when you sell items to them. They will tell you they can find it on ebay for cheaper than it is actually selling. Hate to put down a small, old buisness but avoiding this place will save you a lot of trouble. read more

Each time I visit, I think of adding an additional star to my already 5 star rating. Real Guitars is full of exactly that - guitars made back in the day where guitar gunslingers bent strings and lived life like there was no tomorrow. The place is filled with guitar curiosities - a museum of guitar history ready to be played and purchased. read more

I didn't even know I was shopping for VOX AC-10. i'm glad I was. I love it and paired with my Rickenbacker 620, It sounds great. read more

Real Guitars - Guitar Stores Near Me - San Francisco, California

This Guitar store is what a REAL GUITAR shop is all about. Plenty of cool used, vintage gear from guitars, basses, pedals amps and such. The staff is very knowledgeable and friendly with decades of expierence. It brings back great memories of the Golden age of guitar stores, a place where you can over hear interesting stories from other customers and the staff or strike up a conversation with a fellow musician, artist or collector. They also have a great and affordable repair shop located inside with some down to earth Luthiers who will be honest with you about your repair or needs and not try to up sell you. Definitely a must stop and shop when in San Francisco. read more

Real Guitars - Guitar Stores Near Me - San Francisco, California

This place is great! Jeremy repaired my guitar and it's never sounded so sweet. I plan to send my friends here! Highly recommend. Great selection of guitars also. read more

Chris and Jesse were wonderful to work with. They gave me a fair price for my guitars, 100% satisfied. The shop is full of vintage and collectible gear. From guitars to amps..the history alone and vintage feel are unmatched. Looking forward to my next visit. Glad I found them. Parking can be a bit tough in the neighborhood but otherwise great area. Thanks guys. read more

Real Guitars is a Diamond in the rough. Chris and Ben are knowledgeable, talented, and want you to be happy with whatever you purchase. I've now bought 2 guitars from them, and had one setup. As a musician, you'll appreciate this place. If you're needing new gear, this is the wrong shop, but if you appreciate vintage you'll leave with a smile. read more

I needed to get a written appraisal on my Gibson Song Writer guitar for insurance purposes. Lucky for me I found out about Real Guitars. When I say found, I mean found. They are located on a tiny one way three block street off of South Van Ness Avenue. Chris and Ben have owned this great store for just about forever. Their main business is buying and selling vintage guitars of all kinds and repairs, but they also do appraisals. In about an hour I had a very detailed appraisal that my insurance company accepted. I wish it would have taken longer. The place is like a guitar museum and the guys are a great hang. It seems like anybody who's anybody has passed through the doors of this store. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the great deli around the corner on Howard Street, Don's. Super duper old school. More choices than you could make in a million years, and the prices are real right. For all your guitar needs, check out Real Guitars. You will be glad you did. read more

An unassuming hole-in-the-wall location opens up as soon as you walk through the door. Varied selection of guitars and basses, mostly electric. I haven't played through the amps they carry, but I would (Fender and Acoustic Control? Yes please). The staff is helpful and the atmosphere is cozy, it's like the opposite of Guitar Center. Walk in and try a couple guitars, you won't be disappointed. read more

I had an awesome experience with Real Guitars this week. I went in asking them to lower the action on my guitar and they took it right away to work on it (I called guitar center first and they said it would take a few months for a service). They did a great job and the guitar plays much more smoothly now, and they didn't even charge me! I will definitely be back for more when I have other questions, this place is great! read more

This review is solely for the consignment/sales department: I inherited a collection of about fifty guitars and amps, most collectibles and in great condition. Real came recommended to me from multiple people and I dealt with one of the owners, Chris. I sent my inventory to Real and was told they were interested in taking my entire collection. It was fantastic to hear and my communication with Chris was very helpful and fruitful. I was told to give them a list of prices and we would see where that would take us. I consulted with my uncle who is a serious musician and collector, multiple stores on the east and west coast, and looked everything up on the internet to settle on average prices for each piece. About half of the instruments had original receipts as well. After I sent that to Real I was told the prices were too high. I encouraged Chris to adjust where he saw fit and stressed that my priorities were to 1) liquidate everything and 2) work with Real and cooperate since they were being generous in taking everything. I was so grateful that they wanted to take the entire collection off my hands! However, for the next two months, I had to email Chris asking for his price list and there were times when I wouldn't hear back for over a week. I would get emails with apologies and promises of the price list by certain dates (which were never honored.) From there emails went unanswered and the final email that I received said Chris was having a hard time getting this done and if I didn't hear by Friday of that week, I "should consider looking elsewhere." As this business has a pretty good reputation, I have been left appalled. I was strung along (pun intended) for two months by Real Guitars and therefore did not accept any outside offers on the instruments in my collection. If I ask you to tell me if you've lost interest in my collection, just say "yes" or "no." No offense would be taken and I could have moved on with other buyers or stores sooner. Don't give me the passive and cowardly run around. Look elsewhere to sell your items. read more

This place is awesome! Great selection and non pretentious staff that knows their stuff.

I read some really weird reviews of this place. My opinion: Look, don't go there if you are looking for some car salesman type guy to loom over your shoulder trying to peg you to purchase something you don't want. Do go there if you want to browse some of the coolest vintage Guitars and Amps. If you have a question these guys will bend over backwards to answer. If you don't ask for help they won't even notice you are in the store. Get it? They don't even say hi sometimes. However, that is what we like. I just want to look around...myself. Leave me alone... If I need help I will ask. I LIKE THAT!!!! You will find that these guys are absolute experts in vintage guitars and amps. You also may get to see some heavy hitters hanging around when you are in there. read more

This place exists for the love of guitars and not purely to make money. I went in there this morning to learn my first thing about guitars. Being an absolute novice, attempts could have easily been made to take me for a ride. Despite being open about my absolute lack of knowledge, Ben was awesome. He took the time to "patiently" explain all that I asked him (and I asked him a lot). His inventory as of this morning did not have anything suited to me, and rather than trying to upsell me, he gave me very realistic advice (even if that meant I was not going to end up being a paying customer). I figured the least I could do for this business was to talk about them on yelp and to name Ben specifically. No fancy sign, no fancy window displays, and definitely not a location to earn a lot of business, but DEFINITELY a business worth checking out if you are interested in guitars. I would never have know of these guys if not for a recommendation from a guitar enthusiast, and this right here is a recommendation from a novice. Regardless of where in the spectrum you may be, please check out Real guitars for a Real good experience. read more

I purchased a guitar here a looong time ago (1988?) and come to visit every year or two. Back in the day this place always had the vintage guitar shwag that serious players lusted for. Not so true anymore. My visit last week was disappointing in that the inventory was mostly beat-up junker guitars & even more forlorn looking amps. I can get past the look & smell of the place. It literally has never been vacuumed, it is a dusty, crumby looking place. But now that the low quality inventory has no draw, there's little to recommend the place besides Gary Brawer's guitar repair shop - Which is top notch. read more

As a woman who plays guitar going to the guitar store can be a nightmare. I've been ignored mostly and treated like I suck before i even pick a guitar up, and then there's the fact that everyone just assumes i play acoustic....which I don't. I've stood around for like 20 minutes while some silly dude schralped on and on "showing me what this baby can do", when all I wanted to do was try the damn guitar out myself .....so i could see if i wanted to buy it. Both boring and irritating and it get's worse but I'll spare you the details. Long story, but what I'm trying to say is that this place is awesome. I've been going in there for years and never get any attitude. Everyone has been super nice and helpful. It's one of the only places I feel really comfortable. The guys that fix guitars in the back are awesome and I wouldn't go anywhere else. read more

Real guitars is a must for musicians of all sorts with love for real guitars. First of all, all stock is all 2nd hand and covers a large price range from hundreds for older cool electric guitars to thousands for 40s Gibsons. You won't find brand new guitars here. But you will find amazing guitars here for reasonable prices. The walls of the shop are stacked 4 deep in cool amps, but I didn't even begin looking properly , though I am sure there is much gold to be dug there, but I was there for guitars! I purchased a 76 Martin d28, but could have easily walked out with a '69 335 ,a National Triolian or a tri cone. Simply amazing The shop has a heavy muso vibe but not the too cool for school thing seen at some other shops I have been to. I am not a San Francisco local but the guys in the store ( both staff and customers) were very approachable, often at times there was a cool green room vibe going down. Chris is super helpful and I believe quite upfront. I'd definitely go back if I am ever in town again. read more

Love this place. Genuine and what a mom n pop store should be. Always cool inventory.

What a great shop with cool vintage guitars and amps. The people who work here are incredibly warm, welcoming and helpful. It's the complete opposite of Guitar Center which is a good and bad thing depending on what you are looking for. If you are looking to peruse some cool vintage and consigned guitars, this is the place! They let you play and fall in love with the guitar of your choice. However, they don't have the stock Guitar Center has so if you are looking for a very specific new guitar, this is not the shop for you. Great shop, great people. And they won't make you feel like a complete loser for coming in and asking questions. read more

Anyone who can't recognize the miracle that Real Guitars is should be eliminated from the gene pool. A-hem. Just kidding... kind of. I came to Real Guitars with my two-string electric baseball bat slide guitar (hey man, this is San Francisco after all) and no one even blinked. In fact they took it upon themselves to find the amp that gave me exactly what I was looking for. The price was great. The service was fantastic--as always. The time will come when people will scarce believe that a shop like this ever existed in San Francisco. Rock-on guys! read more

I love this place. I used to get my guitar tuned up there. (I need to go back). Did a mighty fine job cleaning the pots on my tele. :-) Love those Elixir Strings too. Lasted me 2 years. All the people that work there are awesome too. Yeaaa! Especially Allen! :-D read more

This place has a very welcoming atmosphere. They did an outstanding job on my bass and were fair with pricing. I won't take my instruments anywhere else for repair now. Good people, good business. Thanks RG. read more

Fantastic guitar shop. It's great that there is a guitar store in San Francisco that has knowledgeable staff that love their craft. If you are looking for that special vintage Gibson ES-335, Rickenbacker 4001 bass, or vintage analog delay pedal this shop will have it and it will be in mint or near mint condition. As another member said, this is the antidote for Guitar Center. I couldn't think of a better way to describe this place. Rather than having the failed grunge band guitarist and high school kid that knows nothing about guitars, Real Guitars have seasoned experts that have spend their lives working on quality guitars. They've worked wonders on my friend's Fender Stratocaster. I buy strings from this shop occasionally too. read more

They set up my guitar, explained all the costs clearly (even ones that could come up later) without hiding anything. I also was distracted by their collection of beautiful guitars and forgot to tell them my guitar was a half step tuned down. But they are pros for sure, as they noted it before getting to work, and they polished the frets on my strat and kept note of all of the nuances of the guitar. Somehow they even finished the job in a few days. i would drive an hour here any day to get repairs again. read more

Hole in the wall guitar shop. Give yourselves points if you can find it on your own. They have 3 businesses in one. They have used guitar sales upfront. In the back they have a repair business and in the middle they have a custom guitar maker. I can tell you the guitar sales is not very helpful and don't care if you are there. They have a very limited used guitar selection. Don't come for picks and/or accesorries, they don't have much. The repair guys seem active and nice to work with. I would talk to repair team before I brought my guitar in. read more

I do not think there are many places left like this and I feel fortunate to have Gary, Fernando, and the gang conveniently located. I brought in a bass that they fixed while I waited, for FREE. They could have up-sold, suggested more work be done, but they did not. I will always go here first for any repairs. Thank you! read more

Playing EPIPHONE EMPEROR-REGENT JAZZ IMPROV JAZZ JOHNNY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V17TnWB574k This Is a "CHRIS & DAN" el Numero UNO!! The LITTEList HOBO done BIZ NESS with REAL sine they was UP ON ELLIS & TAYLOR, next to CORONADO HOTEL! about 30 years!!!! I SAY, I come ALL-A-WAY from ALLEY-BAMA to BUY from REAL Good Folk! read more

I've been here. I like it. Now for the long version of my review. I've heard fables and myths about Real Guitars and their vintage collection. Two days ago, I needed to pick up someone at SFO. So I thought, why not go a little early, drive a little farther, and visit Real Guitars? So off I go. Little did I anticipate the horrendous traffic on 101N. Long story short, I arrived at 5:50pm, 10 minutes before closing time. But I got in! I GOT IN!!! The place was a lot smaller than I imagined, based on all the stories I heard. But what I didn't anticipate was how tightly they packed the space - guitars and basses and amps EVERYWHERE. Literally. I was afraid I was going to breathe in and expand my gut and knock over something. They sure used their space well! I went specifically looking for Guild archtops. Saw one. Didn't really check out the other guitars and amps because I was on a time crunch. Other reviewers were right, in that the staff leave you alone and don't bother you or hound you. I liked that aspect of the visit a lot. I appreciate being left alone to browse to my heart's content. I'll be back. read more

Very disappointed. This place came highly recommended to me as an old-school guitar shop where masters buy, sell, and work on vintage gear. I stopped in to ask about whether they could do some work on my strats, whether that work is by appointment, and approximate pricing. I was treated like I was stupid. Maybe they do great work, but they do not do customer service. Not trusting these jerks with my instruments. read more