I walked in and I told him I had two desires: to buy their cheapest decent guitar and to play their most expensive guitars. He pointed to the cheap guitar and then to several racks of wonderful expensive guitars made by Martin, Santa Cruz and other small guitar makers with big reputations. I sat there joyfully for a couple hours. I think playing guitars that cost $10,000 and up. then I played and bought a $250 Fender acoustic. This is one of my favorite music stores and i hope they hang on. when i eventually buy a very expensive guitar-- I really want to deserve it first---I will buy it from this fine establishment. I love visiting guitar stores, and it's becoming a rarity because of the internet. I've watched my favorite guitar stores go out of business. I hope sylvan lives on forever. read more

Sylvan Music - A $10,000 Santa Cruz masterpiece - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

This place was amazing. Really nicely curated collection of instruments and accessories. Friendly staff, and accessible instruments. Reminded me of Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto. Highly recommended for acoustic instruments, ukes, mandos, guitars, oh my! read more

Sylvan Music has been family for Santa Cruz musicians for decades. The dedication to stringed instruments and wealth of knowledge are the foundation of their business, but it's the personal detail to customer service that really sets Sylvan Music apart from other music stores. These are people you can trust and go to for anything string instrument related. Their integrity and honesty come first. read more

Awesome collection of new and vintage guitars. The store has a great layout that gives the opportunity to take down the guitars and try them out. I will be back. read more

I love this shop. It's is magical with all of the string instruments lining the walls. My 5 year old child was able to touch some of the instruments, and play a Ukelele. We bought the Ukelele, some teaching books for Ukelele, and a case. The prices were exceptionally reasonable. I love that it's been in business for such a long time. It was also highly recommended by a guitarist friend of mine. read more

Sylvan Music, two years and half a pandemic later, you're still the store where the customer greets the staff to a gruff response rather than vice versa. I drove a ways to check out their Nash inventory, which they'd know had anyone bothered to ask. The staff's attention was squarely focused on an older customer, playing a $7k guitar while pining, "man if I ONLY had $7k..." Understood, it's a great guitar! But since it's off the table, maybe the salesperson could multitask? I left after getting a backhanded, "May I help you?" while looking at the electronics on the back of an amp before trying it out. I apologized for not asking for help first (apparently you need to look like you're stealing something before that happens...) and was told "well, it's a little late now." This will be my final trip to Sylvan Music. They have no respect for their customers, so why should the customer show respect in return? Particularly after reading the other reviews, if I were the shop's owner, I'd lock the door and hold mandatory trainings until my staff: 1/ are able to greet and speak to customers appropriately and politely, 2/ are able to distinguish their storefront inventory from that of a private collection (there seems to be some confusion,) and 3/ are able to not only make sales, but stop sales from walking out the door... not because of a lack of inventory, but lack of respect. I'd rather my day down by the water, and would suggest you do the same. read more

Decent selection of mandolins, I didn't want to buy without getting one in my hands. Places like guitar center will have zero to maybe two examples of specialty instruments, it's hard to find places like this. I'll be back even though it's almost a four-hour drive. read more

Hey, they take Apple Pay! Hooray! I just paid with my Apple Watch and I think that was the first time that the gang there has seen it. I love this place. They have great deals on microphone stands, microphones and other accessories. The best part is that the manager, Mike, and they staff there are always greeting customers with smiles. I don't k ow mike does it but even if I haven't visited Sylvan in 6 mo the he always remembers my name! read more

You get all kinds in musical instrument stores - on both sides of the counter. Sometimes there's a misunderstanding. I know. I've worked music retail. I read these reviews and wonder what is it these folks want. Musicians (or wannabes) are funny that way. As for me, buying brand new music equipment in a store is usually the last thing I would find myself doing. Manufacturers either discount instruments for me or give them to me outright. I buy used and demo instruments. I go to NAMM. I play professionally and need to see a fast return on my investment. But Sylvan Music? These guys are different. I walked in as a total stranger two days ago. The personnel greeted me and offered to show me any guitar I wanted. The resonator guitar I wanted is not cheap. I dressed for the occasion by not wearing any buttons or buckles. I handled and played the guitars carefully. Sylvan staff offered me to play as many guitars as I pleased. (Maybe 4 or 5. No need to go on and on. I had places to go and didn't want to hang around too long.) It didn't take long to verify that what I came to look at was the one I would buy IF a deal could be made. I didn't come in to buy, but I was treated well and that made the difference. It didn't take long. A few minutes, really, and we had a sale. Bottom line is, I was treated fairly. No attitude from anyone. They need to make a buck to keep the store open, and I can dig that. I don't expect them to give the stuff away. As for the store itself, if you are into guitars, this is one of the better stores I've seen in some time. I'd go back, but it'll be a while. I live nearly 3 hours away; but believe me, I passed a lot of inferior music stores to come to Sylvan, and it was worth it. read more

My husband and I went on a mission to find his perfect guitar for a big birthday for him. I can easily say after visiting numerous music stores in the greater SF Bay Area (including the infamous Gryphon in Palo Alto) that Sylvan Music is by far the best music store for guitars, ukuleles, violins, etc. in the greater SF Bay Area. There are numerous reasons for this - (1) they have the broadest and best selection of guitars from beautiful boutique handmade guitars, such as Santa Cruz Guitars and Goodall Guitars, to more widely known and distributed guitars such as Taylor, Martins and more affordable entry level guitars, (2) they leave you alone and let you play the guitars (or any of their instruments) you are interested in for however long you'd like (after nicely checking in with you to see if you need any assistance), (3) there are numerous places in the store where you can sit and play, (4) the staff are friendly, knowledgeable and just all around awesome, (5) they have the best Luthiers who prep the instruments and do repairs for customers and (6) they are a Santa Cruz local legend being there for 40 years with an laid back and great vibe despite the extremely costly inventory. In addition, they have the best selection of Ukuleles from basic affordable to handmade Hawaiian Ukuleles. We ended up finding my husband's truly perfect guitar and a beautiful Hawaiian Ukulele for me at Sylvan Music. We could not be happier with the choices, service and people with whom we interacted. Please feel free to ignore other reviews that do not speak positively about their service - it is just not true. They check in with you and then leave you to look at and try all of the beautiful instruments (unless you ask for assistance at which time they graciously help). There is no other store that allows such beautiful access to their instruments. In addition to us, we saw other people in the store each time we went (3 times within 6 weeks) who were happy playing the instruments and being helped by the staff. If you are a musician of a guitar, ukulele or other stringed instrument (check out their website), Sylvan Music is a destination in its own right and when you leave, check out the handmade chocolates just a few stores away and then take a trip to the beach! Finally, their location is easily found and there is ample parking just behind the store. read more

It pains me to say this about a local business, but I had a terrible experience renting an instrument there. I hadn't played the instrument in decades, so didn't know what to look for, but rented the instrument offered me. When I went to a private lesson my teacher showed me that the instrument was damaged in several critical ways and unable to be tuned. I brought it back to Sylvan, asking for a refund of one month's rental fee out of 2 I'd paid before my lesson. They refused to refund. Beware before you rent an instrument there. Bring someone knowledgeable with you or go someplace else. read more

The guitar repair tech was so nice! Gave me thoughtful consulting and even gave me a quick fix for my problem. All for free! This dude knew his guitars and knew exactly what to do. read more

I was there yesterday wanting to play a Martin D16E, they were really nice to me and let me play whatever I wanted and long as I wanted. After doing some comparisons, I decided to buy the Martin. The guitar was already set up, but the luthier was there and available so he took it in the back and checked over everything for me. The price was comparable to online prices I've seen and it was right there ready to go! Then, once the sale was already made , several generous free gifts were kicked in, including a guitar kit to build! I'm a very happy customer and I'd recommend these guys to anybody! read more

Gosh man I'm speechless! In town for the day for a wedding and had a few hours to burn so I went on a guitar safari and boy did I hit the jackpot I got lost in some really stunning vintage instruments I pulled a 1957 J-50 off the wall One of the best sounding if not the best sounding acoustic guitars I have ever heard, couldn't restrain myself I had to rip a big old G chord and it practically jumped off the fretboard someone better go buy that guitar before I get back. Nice folks too thanks read more

As I am passionately playing my Ukulele after my difficult Chemistry midterm, one of my strings pop. I was really depressed. I start to look up music stores around campus and BAM! Sylvan Music. It's conveniently placed right at the bottom of Bay, perfect location. A few of my homeboys came with me, my roommate and his girlfriend actually, and right when we stepped in we were taken aback by the wide array of guitars that donned this store's walls. I knew I was at the right place. I was greeted with a friendly, "hello," and I quickly told the worker my story. He knew right away what kind of strings that I needed for my Soprano Uke and he sold me the best kind - Aquila's. So far the feel great and they make my Uke sound TEN times better!! After I bought the strings my friends and I journeyed through the store, touching and experimenting with guitars that were as much as half our school tuition! This is one of the best music stores I've been in and I'd definitely come again if I need anything. read more

As most locals know, Sylvan's one of those places that you just couldn't imagine Santa Cruz without. (Like Logo's...) Anyway, I bought my first violin there. Also, a nice bow recently . I've started taking lessons again and there are a few really good instructors there. So, I can come for my lesson, buy any accessories like rosin or whatever or strings, ask questions, and all the guys there are really helpful. Don't know what I would do without them. read more

Fantastic music equipment and instruments. Locally owned and a great place to find and carefully play some of the finest guitars in the industry. read more

I agree completely with Jen A. Sylvan sells the good stuff like Santa Cruz guitars (Expensive!), Martin, Bourgeois... Emphasis is on acoustic instruments, there are some electric instruments. I've bought both new and used instruments here. The techs set up the guitars to my playing preference on the spot. They do excellent repair work. Highly recommended. read more

Best place for guitar Repair! I have taken my Bass guitar there to be repaired and it was quick and inexpensive. Also I went there last night with my guitar thinking that I needed a couple of switches to be replaced after being quoted almost $100 from another luthier in town and Al, the luthier at Sylvan fixed my guitar for free while I waited. He was kind, competent, and very quick. Amazing service! I am hoping to take a big project to him later on for some upgrades on my guitar. Also Sylvan is a great place to buy a guitar or bass. They have a great selection in a relatively small store with everything from inexpensive beginner guitars to museum piece type vintage collectors items. And the staff there are very kind and let you play the guitars as long as you are careful and don't have any zippers or belts that might damage them. They also have a great selection of guitar amps and pedals. This is my favorite guitar shop in Santa Cruz and my favorite guitar repair shop in santa cruz. Thank you Sylvan music! read more

My beautiful Martin guitar was in need of TLC / repair. Al and his team did an outstanding job. My Martin is playing beautifully thank you Sylvan/ Al!! read more

I really wanted to like these guys but they turned out to be just another soulless music store.

This place is the best! The staff here are very knowledgeable and attentive; all the while giving me time and space to get to know the instruments. They let me play whatever I want as long as I remove any belt buckles or garments that could scratch the finish. They are great with my supervised kids, who love going there to experience the power of playing an SG or custom Les Paul. I have been in many shops that won't let us near instruments of this quality. Sylvan is part of our routine whenever we go to the West Side. Last year, I purchased a Santa Cruz Tony Rice guitar from them. If they hadn't let me play it so much I may not have fallen in love with it! They gave me a great price on an extraordinary guitar that has pushed my playing to new levels. Thanks, Sylvan, for all the great experiences you continue to provide for my family and our community! read more

Been trying to come here and support a local shop for 12 years now, definitely going to forget about this spot as an option. Never open when advertised. Employees are condescending and rude. Never once have I had good service or help. Want to be talked down to by some failed guitarist? Come on down to sylvan. Employees will make eye contact with you with open hours and still not open their store. 11-5 isn't a workable system and their gear is all over priced. read more

I have an older Cortley guitar (about 40 years) and had not played it for years. I wanted to start playing again, but my guitar was not sounding well. Based on a friend's recommendation, I brought it to Sylvanmusic in Santa Cruz, CA for them to look at it and determine whether it was worth trying to fix. I met with the store owner and luthier, Albert, who looked at my guitar and said the action (strings) were too high and it had a problem with the nut that he could fix. He recommended I get a maintenance setup with new set of strings, which I did. I was able to pick up my guitar the next day! My guitar has never played so good. I highly recommend Sylvanmusic and Albert for any guitar repairs. If your guitar isn't sounding good, bring it to Albert, he will take care of you! read more

We're from SF, had driven past this place a couple times, always wanted to go in. Went in with a friend and was hassled by an older employee asking if we were going to buy anything after being in for two minutes. He seemed to have no issues letting any of the men in the shop look around. In a room full of people only asked us if we needed help, wanted to buy something. I went to the bathroom and my friend sat to wait and he starred her down asking if she was going to buy something and waited in silence watching her until I came out. I was interested but I guess I can buy something in SF. Sad because their instruments are beautiful. Horrible staff. read more

TLDR; I had an axe to grind. I trusted Al at Sylvan. It was a good choice. I got a great deal on a Gibson Flying V online. When I received it and plugged it in, the guitar sounded amazing but the frets were far too high for my liking/playstyle. Researching online it seemed clear that fret height reduction was my best option. However, this is a job for a skilled luthier and certainly not to be taken lightly on a nice guitar like this. That's where Al and the repair shop at Sylvan came in. I'm sure many luthiers would not have even wanted to attempt this on a brand new Gibson but Al did his due diligence of explaining the downsides and asked the necessary questions so he was sure that this was in my best interest as a player. I picked up the guitar today (over a week ahead of schedule I might add) and I am absolutely addicted to playing it. Al got to know me as a player well enough to turn my vision for this guitar into reality. I could tell he was proud while he listened to me try it out in the amp room. BIG feels for Sylvan right now. Support your local business! I know everyone wants to be playing right now, if you're having instrument problems then RUN don't walk to go talk to Al. He will get you squared away! read more

Awesome selection of stringed instruments, the most I have seen in a smaller shop like this. If it has strings and you want/need it, this is the place to go. I prefer NOT to buy from the big stores like Guitar Center, so this was perfect for me. It is a 6-hour round trip for me to go there, so that tells you something about how much I like the store. And who can pass on going to Santa Cruz? Super helpful and friendly staff. Hats off to the manager Mike, for adjusting the action of a Taylor 510e I was buying. Great guy! (All this coming from a guy that almost never leaves reviews!) read more

It was uncomfortable​ to see how he didn't acknowledge me as a customer. No Hi or pleasantries were exchanges in the guitar room instead he was telling a guy rudely​ that he needed to take off his jacket to play the instruments​. The​ instruments​ were not of any high value. they are scratched​ all over and chipped. ​Pawn store quality. read more

This is my first review. I don't want/like to post bad reviews but the two times I've been here it was really dissatisfying customer service... coming from someone who works in customer service and is an amateur string player seeking advice it felt really condescending and uncomfortable. I won't be back again. read more

This place is snobby and pretentious. the employees look at you funny if they feel like you dont belong here. So I guess that would be considered poor customer service. read more

The worst customer service!! take your business somewhere else. I went there today they were rude, I waited and went over few guitars couple of times to buy one. Everyone ignored me and told me to be careful with the guitars! I played guitar for 10 years.. this is the worst guitar shop I ever been to! read more

I refrain from a one or two star review since I didn't conduct any business but this place should be called Sylvan Guitars and not "music." They have very little, if anything other than guitars. They didn't even have a music stand when I went in there. read more

Great experience, great guitar work. Bought a semi-hollow guitar online a while back. The PUs sounded great, but it developed a problem with the PU switch and it really needed a proper setup. I took it in and was directed to the repair shop in the back. The guitar tech took a look and fixed the switch in about a minute! The setup was ready in less than a week. They didn't even charge me for the switch fix. So now I have a working switch and a buttery setup which makes this a fantastic guitar. Many thanks to Sylvan and the repair shop (didn't get the name of who did the fix and my setup, though "JK" is listed on my receipt, and the other guy in the shop at the time suggested a nice set of strings which sound great on this guitar). This guitar plays so much better now, I wish I'd taken it in sooner! read more

Slightly rude and condescending staff. Caught a weird vibe today. Obviously didn't want to be there. I know we're in a pandemic, but come on guy....I'm trying to spend money at ur business. read more

This store is off the hook! After not having touched a guitar in over 20 years I decided to pick it back up again. Of course my age addled brain has forgotten 90% of what I knew. Except for the "D" chord, I'll go to my death bed knowing how to play a D chord. Anyway, I was in serious need of some knowledge. This was definitely the place to go. Now I'm aware that Youtube can teach you just about anything you need to know about the guitar these days but I'm old school and I like books on paper. And Sylvan is overflowing with them. From beginner's method books to every genre you can think of to song books, they're all here. Shelf after shelf after shelf. With good prices to boot. I had an employee help me pick out an appropriate book and he was more than helpful, not to mention very pleasant to talk to. Also, if you're a ukulele fan, this is definitely your store. At the risk of sounding girlishly hipster they have the cutest selection of ukuleles! Pink, white with hearts, good lord, I'd buy one just to hang on my wall. And only $40.00. Maybe I need to go back ... Oh and there's lots of parking at the back of the store! What more could you ask for? read more

Really cool place, it just keeps going further back. Everything from rare vintage stuff to new boutique builders.

This review is long over due but I really liked the store and the employees. They're very helpful and don't mind answering questions. I have a 53' Martin 000-18 and I brought it in there fully expecting to pay $600-800 to be re-fretted and have the neck set, but they informed me that it wasn't necessary as of yet, and offered me a much cheaper solution of creating a new bridge to lower the action. When I picked up the guitar they informed me that there was a slight crack on the upper scratch guard that they filled glue in with no charge. I'm pretty impressed. The owner told me he'd be doing this for some 20+ years. I will be returning should I have anymore work to be done on my guitars. read more

I didn't like how he treated me tbh & perhaps the guitars are a bit expensive looks like I can find these guitars in a yard sale

I'm a musician and I'm in a lot of music shops and I had such a weird uniquely uncomfortable experience here today. Even being a long time United frequent flyer hasn't led to such dark disappointment as my visit to this establishment, prompting me to write my first and probably last yelp review. I'm a mid 40s guy, respectful to others and especially to musical instruments. I do play shop instruments with an open mind to buy one if it feels right, and earn enough to do so. So why not at least be hospitable ... ? Not sure why but after I walked in an owner/manager/employee engaged me very abruptly and then basically just stood and stared at me with the evil eye until I just didn't want to be there anymore. It just totally sucks because checking out a music shop should be fun and instead I've just been bummed out all afternoon after being there for 2 minutes or so. Note to anybody working there who cares about having a great music shop, musicians like going to shops like yours to play the instruments and interact with other musicians and passionate musical employees. Being disrespectful and mean to strangers in general isn't great, but why work so hard to make your own shop experience suck so much? I left pretty quick because it was so clear that I wasn't welcome. But for nylon at least the stock is low-to-mid quality for twice what it should cost. Thats the usual in the states, so not a knock on the shop. But you don't want to go here anyway, unless you enjoy being the object of contempt from strangers. For truly fine nylon guitars (or violins/cellos/harps/etc) in the area a discriminating musician would be wise to check out fine fretted string instruments in campbell. They'll also be happy to let you handle the instruments and talk about music and feel generally welcome in their shop. - Peace read more

Supporting a local economy is a great concept, but when it's inconvenient or expensive to do so, even the best do-gooders are forced to look elsewhere. From the friendly staff to the incredible inventory to the hard-to-find items to the skilled craftsmen in the repair shop, Sylvan Music is one of those unique gems in the musical instrument business. From their success competing with much bigger 'chain' stores online, the store's exponential growth is testimony to how well they treat their customers- from local walk-ins to regional drive-ins to international shoppers on their web site. If you play an instrument, or even dream of playing one, you owe it to yourself to drop into Sylvan Music and talk to one of the friendly staff. They will make you feel like an old friend, and likely find you the deal you didn't know existed on an instrument you only dreamed of finding. It happened to me more than once! read more