This place is a hidden gem. Tucked in a nondescript shop in Santee is a guitar amusement park. The guitars are purdy, they have a very good supply of instruments that will impress. The key is that they have an amazing stock but they're nice guys and not slick salesmen. Just friendly guys running a music shop. The prices are very good often less than what you think they're going to be. With all of the bling on the walls they could mark up the prices but they don't. I have pulled out a beautiful Bass and Acoustic Guitar both for killer prices like can't pass it up prices. Swing by and check it out, time well spent. read more

Great selection, great attitudes. The knowledge and helpfulness is key. They have a good relationship with their customers and decent prices, too! read more

So, I bought a new guitar that I paid some good money for and knew I needed it set up for it to play to its full potential. I called the store and they fit me in even though it was getting near closing time. I had every question answered and was given some great info about how to care for my guitar. The price was great but of more value to me was the service. I have to say that I had bought a guitar here before a few years ago (a great deal) and the service was excellent then as well. These guys know their business and I trust them more than any other guitar shop anywhere. Well done top 40 guitars. I will be back again for sure read more

Sometimes you just wanna get your strings changed and not deal with bad attitudes or a week-long wait -- Brandon and Top 40 Guitars deliver exactly that. Brandon is a great guy with a positive get-it-done personality who loves what he does. I'm so glad we finally have a new place for guitar repairs and equipment! read more

I called in to get my guitar set up and was told if I could drop it off before closing I would be able to pick it up the next day! I received a phone call the next day to let me know I can pick up my guitar. The process was smooth, fast, and the employees there are so nice and sweet! read more

Brought a partscaster in for setup and finish fret work. The tech did a fantastic job with the guitar. Frets were smooth on the ends and overall the frets were polished to a mirror finish. The setup was great with the action height just the way I like it. The tech also noticed I wired in the neck pickup out of phase, and offered to fix it. I declined because I wanted to fix it myself. 10/10 would bring a new guitar here for setup, especially with SS frets. read more

Top 40 Guitars - Guitar Stores Near Me - Santee, California

I've had about three other guitars serviced here. Nothing to crazy, just set-ups. I even picked up a Gretsch Jim Dandy Acoustic last year. The guys here are always friendly and my guitars always feel so much better after a tune up. Yesterday, I took in a nylon string guitar that I purchased online (this was from a not to well known company and no one in San Diego had this model) . The neck was out of whack and I thought I was going to have to send it back. When I picked it up from the shop I opened the case, tuned it up, and I was so happy. It felt great, action was lowered, and the playability was night and day from before. If you are looking for a guitar, whether you are a beginner or seasoned player, they have a lot of nice instruments here. I would recommend trying this shop first before going to a big box store. read more

Great selection of guitars! Lots to choose from, including 3/4 size guitars which are great for beginners. They also have a wide selection of ukuleles. Everything is a great price and it's good to support a small business :) read more

Saw a Fender Player Strat listed by them on Reverb. I'm in Orange County so thought I'd make the trip to check it out in person (even w/high gas prices, still cheaper than shipping). I called ahead of time to make sure it was still there, then headed down to San Diego with my son. Owner was friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. He didn't hover, but was available to answer our questions and brought me a cable to plug in even before I asked. We took our time while we were there, played multiple guitars, tried out some other amps, even moved one amp across the store next to another to do a head-to-head comparison. As for the guitar, the setup their luthier had done on it was really good and it was super comfortable to play, none of the issues I'd heard about the Player series strats. Even though I had found the same guitar online at GC, I figure between the cost of a good setup plus being able to inspect it and try it out in person more than made up for the price difference. Plus, I'm happy to support a local shop (and a veteran owned one, at that). As a bonus, my son saw a Peavey half stack tube amp that sounded great for a really terrific price. He's wanted a tube amp and a 4x12 cabinet for a while now, but so far they'd been out of reach price-wise. This was too good of a deal to pass up, so he got it. We ended up coming away with great gear for a good deal and smiles on our faces. Totally worth the long drive! read more

Brought a couple of my Vintage Sunn Amps here and Rick did an amazing job fixing it. He is very knowledgeable and also pricing was affordable . The turn around time was quick and made it right my next gig event. sounded montrous after rick fixed it. this review is long overdue and i have another vintage acoustic 320 that i just dropped off. if you have any amps that need repair and maintenance, rick is the man. bring it to top 40 and you wint be disappointed. Excellent Customer Service. Thats whats up! read more

My 8-year-old son bought his first guitar (used) and the E6 string was buzzing. We went to Guitar Center, and they were Horibe. Guitar Center wanted $140 just to look at it, and then when I said I was only going to buy strings and string it myself, they would not even give me any tips on how to re-string it. My son and I then whet to Top 40 Guitars and they were amazing. I believe it was the owner we were talking with, and he was very helpful. He was able to fix the E6 string (at a great price) and gave us tips on how to re-string it ourselves. Top 40 Guitars has a customer for life. read more

My husband and I walked in and the staff member behind the counter did not acknowledge us at all the entire time we were there.

I came in today for a setup and played around while I waited. All I can say is wow! Not a big store but full of great stuff. Lots of unique models the big box stores don't have on hand, a literal pile of great tube amps, some I haven't heard of but now want...oh well. Staff was great, hard working, patient, attentive, knowledgeable and went the extra mile. Prices are better than the big box and your shopping local and getting WAY better service. They also have a good stock of guitar parts which nobody has if you need some repairs and don't want to wait on shipping! read more

sold me an item on reverb.com but then failed to communicate and sold it for more money in the store after I already paid for it. All I got was a message that said sorry. Unacceptable entirely unacceptable. read more

Great guy . Good prices , nice assortment to randomly come in and check out every now and then .

Supporting our local business vs that big chain joint down the road. Top 40 always has a really cool collection and is surprisingly super kid friendly. It's in Santee so a lot of people may not want to come out a little farther, but it's a nice little joint that deserves a stop by. read more

I contacted Top 40 guitars regarding a Fender Telecaster for a very specific Type of wiring and switching setup to have multiple options-they advised that it would not be a problem at all. I got the guitar back eventually and it sounded like garbage so I contacted Top 40 in regards to some questions that I had. Despite multiple calls, I never received a call back on multiple occasions. After a discussion with a very high end pickup pickup company, I was told that 'No that is not possible with the way they wired it' and to have it done the way you asked for would require multifunction pots.' So no, I'm sorry but I can't recommend Top 40 guitars for custom pickup and wiring options.... If they would have made an effort to at least return my calls regarding switchology then my rating may be different. read more

Only did bus. here once: likely won't return. Reasons: came in for new pots and volume/tone knobs for Epi Les Paul. Wanted older style top hat not small gold knobs - told me order would take 1 week. Got guitar back - he put the knobs I didn't want on anyway, and somehow bent one of the shafts so the knob is now crooked. Would not trust them with vintage guitar if that's the level of quality in the work. Also: despite Craigslist rules of not advertising businesses and services on the "private owner, musical instruments" category - they continue to spam this category daily with "dealer ads". As long as this continues, we should report them to Craigslist, and click on the "prohibited" button. read more

As a new guitar enthusiast, Ive been visiting multiple music stores within the county. Top 40 Guitar offered me something other didn't; time to answer my newbie questions along with providing an mechanical overview of my used guitar. Really glad to see that there is a music store that still offers a personal touch to their customers. I'll be back. read more

Came in after sam ash and guitar center failed me.. walked in guitar center 3 rounds not one person said what's up or hi.. Walked in was instantly greeted with a hello and what can I do for ya! I was looking for a particular guitar that I haven't seen in about 3 years and the bigger stores has to order it and won't order it for me to see it.. I told the gentleman at the counter what I was looking for A schecter Hellraiser He put my name and number just in case he came a cross one.. not even two days later he called me and said he got one! It's now easily my favorite guitar to play and at home now!! Thanks for taking the time and will be doing my business here from now on! read more

First timer. Amazing people running the place and great selection of guitars, I had to buy one. I had a set-up on my guitar done and they do really good work. This a perfect location for me to visit often and WOW! AMPS of all kinds. - Pedals selection is vast. C U Soon. Thx- read more

I've been in there a couple times. Small shop, reasonable prices, competitive with big box stores, but without a crowd. I had them do a set up on an old guitar. They had it done quickly (same day). Very pleased. read more

Eureka!! I have stepped into the store now a total of 3 times over the last year and a half. The first two times I walked around the store, which was empty, and was never acknowledged. Thought I would try it one last time today to see if the same thing would occur. Bingo!!! Once again:) Sounds like everyone is happy with the shop once they begin doing business with them. Maybe I need to enter the store wearing a clown costume or something. Maybe next time. Oh wait, there won't be a next time. read more

Top40 has top notch customer service and experience. They fixed a problematic pot on my Ibanez bass--the same pot that other guitar repair shops couldn't fix. This is my new go-to for all my guitar needs. The owner, Brandon, is super helpful and friendly. Won't try to sell you stuff you don't need. Highly recommended! read more

These guys are great and really care!! And they know their stuff and have zero 'attitude'. A very welcoming environment, neat and clean, w/ easy parking. I recently had some work done on my guitar and am beyond pleased. It was very high quality work performed in a very reasonable turnaround time at a very reasonable cost. read more

Wide variety to choose from. Store is neat, clean and pretty well organized. Helpful owners who know what they're talking about. Highly recommend. read more

So helpful and fast! My husband wanted his guitar restrung and tuned. I brought it in and it was finished in less than 20 minutes.

Top 40 Guitars is amazing! THIS is the kind of guitar store that you love to deal with. A guitar store is a lot like a mechanic in the sense of you want one that you can trust, is fair priced and will listen and take care of their customers. Top 40 guitars is IT. Their customer service is second to none and you can tell that they genuinely love what they do and go the extra mile to make sure their customers are well taken care of. If you are looking for your new, trustworthy, guitar store then look no further. Thank you Top 40 Guitars for everything!!! read more

Great place. Great customer service. Fixed a couple of my guitars very quickly. Highly recommend

First off I want to start off by stating that I wish I can give this business a 0 star rating because that's what they truly deserve. Never have I ever in all my years would I have thought I would've been so disrespected in regards of this store selling something so personal. I went to sell some gear to fund my school, at first I had sold them a ultra rare loaded guitar body into which I told them the history about it and they themselves had flipped the situation to where as they swore and promised that they would give me the money for selling it and then their guy would fix it up and put a new neck on it. Once they said it would be completely done that I would be the first to know and have an opportunity to buy back the guitar . I waited and waited for almost a year or two only for them to tell me that they sold it within months of it being done, now I can't get that guitar back and there's only one available on the market for $10,000 into which that's too much of a price to pay currently. They have my info so they could've reached out to me easily, I've done business with them before and again they know how much it meant to me personally. Now I'm emotionally and mentally distraught over what they have done. I do not recommend their business to anyone nor will I ever go back to them. Unless they can coordinate where and who they sold it to , I will stand by my word and say that this is utterly disappointing, a shame, and down right disrespectful. read more

They adjusted the truss rod and restrung my daughter's guitar while we waited. It was reasonably priced, done quickly, and the service was excellent. I bought 2 guitar straps while we were there and they had a lot of guitar accessories available for purchase. We will definitely go again. read more

I took my les paul for a setup yesterday, as I visited the store for the first time. The gentlemen that worked on my guitar as I waited (I can't remember his name) was not only professional and quick, but had great customer service. The store is neat, with a no-nonsense feel to it. I will have them set up my casino, and I recommend them to anyone! read more

Went here to pick up a Stratocaster I ordered to the store from Fender. It came in and they did a set-up on it, it sounded amazing. Great customer service and good deals inside as well for guitars and amps too! read more

Had just purchased an used Strat and it had terrible buzzing around the 12th feet so I brought it in for a set up and now it has a fantastic action and sounds great. I like to still see real guitar shops making it and I'll be looking forward to bring my other guitars for service. I liked the selection of instruments and gear for sale they have and the prices are much lower than you would imagine. This is a real nice find. read more

Nice guys that are very knowledgeable about guitars. Had my guitar set up the same day I dropped it off. Shopping local is the way to go. Get your gear from top 40, they'll shoot you straight and help you find just what you're looking for. read more

Went in to purchase an electric guitar and amp for my 10 year old grandson. Brandon and Chuck are very professional, courteous and knowledgeable. They explained the different guitars and recommended one for a youngster just starting out. Because of the service I received, I took my Acoustic in and had it restrung. I will continue going back because they have a 5 star rating because they provide 5 star service! read more

Great customer service, I was reminded why I prefer small shops over the behemoth stores like Guitar Center. If I lived nearby, this would be my go to shop! read more

Took in my bass for an adjustment and new strings. Super fast (3 hours!) and reasonable price. Good job. I made myself leave without browsing the store, But it is full of great stuff and the owner Scott is knowledgeable. read more

I can't say enough good things about this store; I just wish I had come here from the beginning! I walked in, was immediately greeted & asked if I needed help. They have a great selection of current guitars at really good prices. Chuck told me to make myself at home try anything I wanted. He never pressured me but stayed within earshot if I had questions. I've been to every guitar shop in San Diego and this is hands-down the best one!! read more

This guitar shop is great! Guitar Center is always super busy , noisy, a lot of tome has very rude salesman and it's hard to find a guitar amp that is available to use to try out a guitar on. Top 40 is a much better place to shop. It's easy to find an amp to try a guitar on, it's quieter and the customer service is great. Their pricing is better then guitar center. It's great too because all of the guitars on the wall are professionally set up so when you play one it sounds and plays great and you get to really hear how the guitar sounds and how it really plays. The owner, Brandon is very nice and professional and has a lot of patience for people. I had a lot of questions and he had spent the time with me I needed to find something I like. It was very personal experience. I was trying out a lot of gear and I could tell he just wanted me to find something that I would be really happy with. I ended up buying a gorgeous PRS S2 custom 24. The guitar was set up beautifully and I was very happy. I have bought from guitar center in the past but Top 40 is my new shop to buy gear. Thank you very Brandon! read more

Top 40 Guitars - PRS S2 custom 24 - Guitar Stores Near Me - Santee, California