one of a kind guitar store - patronize them!…read more I've bought remotely from them for years and its always good, talk to someone on the phone to be clear on stuff

Took a vintage bass in to have a pickup installed and to replace some fingerboard dots. Yes, they…read moredid install the pickup and pots, but the volume knob went from low to high with no intermediary capability. The original had three knobs, they only wired for two. The replaced dots were not flush with the fingerboard. The bass has a floating bridge, which they installed in the wrong place, so I had to reset and intonate myself. Half-a$$sed work. Reasonable price though, so I guess you get what you pay for.

It's about time I write a review for Forrests!…read more After years of buying sub-par student oboe reeds from the neighborhood music store I started buying professionally made reeds. For a few years I was ordering online from a conservatory musician who had great reeds but was unreliable with delivery dates -- the last straw was a missed delivery before an important gig. So I drove out to Forrests to see if they could help. I've been going to Forrests since for the last 3 years and EVERYone at Forrests is so knowledgeable and so helpful! Justin usually helps me and he definitely goes above-and-beyond to adjust my reeds and make sure I'm taking care of. But, really, EVERYONE here has been so great to me and it's such a joy to go in! My husband is a classical guitarist and he loves going with me because, even though they are mostly a double-reed shop, it's a great little music shop with a community of musicians and it's always a fantastic experience! Thanks, Forrests!

Very poor customer service experience as a first time customer!…read more I was told to buy a specific reed that I guess only this store sells. I am not local to this store so I reached out to them via email because I had questions regarding the item. Unfortunately, even after patiently waiting for a week I never got any response! If they are so busy and/or don't care about the emails then why they even have that option available to the customers? I called them during their business hours and finally had a luck on the second time. Phone was picked up by what sounded like an old, Caucasian, male. It also sounded like he was the owner and/or manager. From the beginning this person was not welcoming! He was rude, unfriendly and unprofessional for no reasons! Clearly I felt like he doesn't care about the customers or getting any new businesses. Even if I was asking dumb questions because I am new, does it mean he can be sarcastic, frustrated, and shows attitude? I really didn't want to give them any business after my phone interaction, but since I had to get a specific reed and had no other options available, I just reluctantly continued with the transactions. I also noticed that they charge heavy shipping fees and don't have any free shipping option regardless of the purchase amount like other competitors provides. I really wish I don't have to deal with them again. If I do, I hope this male have learned what a customer service is and how it should be provided.

Great shop. No joke, like, prob the best guitar store in the bay. Always something new and a great…read morerange of fun affordable axes and more drool worthy rarities. Also a great selection of effects pedals! The space feels very communal Johnny is always encouraging ppl to grab a guitar and plug in.

Love the shop. I do my best to shop here when I am in the east bay…read more Good mix of old and new guitars, nice amps. They have a work bench for repairs. Staff are friendly and accommodating. Since Leo's and Starving went out of business, shops like this need and deserve support. It's better than doom scrolling Reverb. I can usually pick up an interesting and used pedal for a few bucks. Instant fun!

DO NOT pay a deposit to place an order to Mike. If you see a…read morecompleted instrument for sale in his workshop, buy it if it is good. But no deposit. This is what happened to me.... I used to trust him, and put down $1800 in October 2016 for a custom Tenor uke. It's January 30, 2018 today, 1 year and 3 months later. No uke, no news, nothing. I called, emailed, messaged...... I wish there was a ukulele forum that I could warn others about Mike's scam. I have a feeling I am not the only one out there.... Now I see through his antics like giving free lesson, educational chats, etc. It's all to make you part with the deposit. Even if his instruments are suppose to be good, it feels really bad owning an instrument from such an unscrupulous person. And how can students go to learn from such a dishonest person, who is only interested in your money? If you give him a deposit, you are just giving away charity money.

Mike is a fantastic teacher! Took the beginner class tonight and I learned a ton of techniques that…read moreI wouldn't have learned from youtube videos. He focuses a lot on building a good foundation and good habits so you can have a better practice as you learn and start playing songs. The class flow was fun and I barely felt the 2 hours pass. I would definitely recommend attending a few classes. There's so much to learn and absorb from the simplest techniques.

This place is the real deal. It's a collective, operated by a group of instrument repair techs and…read morethey really seem to know their stuff and be well set up. I stopped in with an heirloom Martin and they helped me figure out when it was made and got cleaned adjusted and set up. Jake and Tomm were super friendly and Tomm let me shoot video while he showed me how to string an acoustic. They were super gracious in helping me out even though I didn't have an appointment. (They prefer to work by appointment only -- they're not a retail shop. This lets them focus on their work and make sure you come in when they have time to work with you.)

I brought in a custom offset tele for a set up and a Plekk. Tomm helped me. Took a few weeks but…read morethe waiting was well worth it! Expert repair and friendly service. These guys know their stuff. Up there with the smartest guitar folks in the Bay Area.

Mike did an excellent job improving a problematic old Fender Jazzmaster/partsmaster with some…read morefairly involving work. First, I had him install a Mastery bridge to replace a non-stock Vox-style bridge that was very noisy and plonky sounding. To do that, he first had to drill out and re-fill the existing, sloppily done dowel-and-drill work that was done decades ago--by another shop--to accommodate the funky Vox bridge, and then drill new bridge thimble holes for the Mastery. He also dealt with a problem with the old Fender-licensed Allparts neck: there was a sizable gap between the sides of the neck heel and the walls of the neck pocket routing, and he filled and re-drilled the neck's bolt holes so that the neck could be nudged forward to at least close the gap between the end of the neck heel and the body, which also helped to more accurately dial in the Jazzmaster's intended scale length. In addition, he replaced a noisy output jack and set the guitar up with 11-48-gauge strings, and it now plays *quite* nicely. No more rattling from the bridge, and the guitar has a more stable and playable feel to it. I'm happy with the quality of the work Mike did, and I would go to him again. I also like that you get to communicate with Mike in person, face to face. I've dealt with other repair shops where you don't get to talk with the person doing the work, which has sometimes resulted in a communication breakdown that had an impact on the work done. But with Mike, you schedule an appoint and you get to discuss with him--one on one--whatever work you'd like him to do, which is exactly how it should be.

I'm so happy that I found East Bay Guitar Repair. After having some subpar experiences with other…read moretechs in the bay, I can truly say that Mike is top tier. I have brought him 4 of my guitars now and the work has ranged from just a standard setup to installing new pickups with custom wiring and switches. He's knocked it out of the park every time. I am admittedly a pretty picky person when it comes to my guitars and Mike has been MORE THAN accommodating any time I had a follow up question or asked for a tweak or a second look. His setups have made my guitars play better than they ever have. His prices reflect the value that you get out of his services; and even though there most certainly will be a wait; it's well worth it. I hope to keep taking my guitars to Mike for as long as I am a bay area resident.

This dude rules. He fixed my zero sound issue in 5 minutes and is just a great guy!…read more Ok why the frick do they make you type 85 characters la de da de da.

Gary has done excellent work on my Ibanez Prestige guitar and my 74 Les paul. Literally the only…read moreperson I trust with those. I mean, if the top Pros in the business trust him I'd be a fool not to. Always does top notch work .

He's a great jazz piano instructor. He's patient and obviously very good at what he does.read more

Josh has to be one of the best music instructors in the area…read more I am largely self taught and have tried private lessons over the past 10 years and am usually left disappointed. This is not the case with Josh. I still mostly teach myself but I find myself coming back to him over and over again to check in with my progress so that he could make adjustments. Even though at a certain level I think everyone eventually teaches themselves I now see the value of finding someone who knows his/her stuff to guide you and check in once in awhile. Josh seems to have a natural talent for psychology , which I have found to be one of the most important factors for teaching music. He is able to diagnose habitual errors and try to correct your practicing so that it is productive and fun. He is also one of the few teachers I have had that really tries to get to know what kind of music the student is into, regardless of how simple or complex it is. I could send him tunes ranging from Debussy to folk songs to get him to know the 'sound' I am trying to chase. Needless to say, the guy knows his music inside out. He is best known for klezmer music but I came to him for Jazz. He understands jazz theory and can simplify the concepts (without dumbing it down) to make it practical. He also is trained classically so he brings a deep understanding of the structure of harmony, which can give you insight into your own compositions. All in all if you could afford lessons I highly recommend Josh. If you can't afford weekly lessons I still recommend taking a lesson every once in awhile with him when you are in a rut-- you will be surprised at all the insights he could bring from one lesson.