Guitar Merchant

I have to say that guitar merchant is the greatest guitar shop in Los Angeles. Phil really made me feel at home. Unlike guitar center where they treat you like just anouther number. Phil went beyond the call of duty. He really treated me like i was part of the family. Phil Thankyou so much for being so kind to me.

I get my basses fix and setups here, this place is very nice and so is Phill, is good to have a local shop supporting young musicians and kids who just like music, «places like this dnt exist anymore!

Show Review: Preston Perry
Setup
20 or 30 folding chairs
1 couch
1 stage
Cool stage lighting
PERFECT sound
Performance
Preston Perry (
/​iTunes /​Spotify)
Crushed it
Singer/​Songwriter with a mix of originals and covers
I really liked this place. Pre– and after party at the local dive bar was perfect aft wards.
Would highly recommend this venue to performers and audiences.
They didn’t serve food/​drinks. Seemed like you could bring your own food/​drink though we didn’t so I’m not really sure if there are rules…

Open mic nights are usually painful to experience, filled with wanna bees, amateurs and never were’s — this place is no different — I do understand this is a way to get people into their store who may end up buying something. But to actually charge the visitors to endure this, without even the chance to buy some booze to ease the pain? Guess I won’t be getting my «3 free picks» they offer for a good Unilocal review…

Great place! I played here with my band Washed Up Wings once, booked two more dates this month and the next! The staff and owners are friendly and helpful, I can’t find a single complaint about this place. It’s a very friendly, welcoming venue, great place to see/​play live music!

A very friendly guitar shop that offers lessons and even open mic events during the week. Very helpful staff!

This place is a solid go to when you need new gear, used gear, repairs, or lessons. The owner is one of the most honest people you can deal with, and will tell you the real condition of the equipment he sells you. The community here is so loving, and feels like a creative family. I moved to the Westside, but still haul out to the valley for any repair or gear needs.
The back room offers a great live venue, perfect for a Chance to catch local live music.

PLEASE NOTE: This review is for the Amp Repair service.
I dropped off my amp recently for a tune-​up and repair which is outsourced to another individual.
The staff at GM kept me apprised of the status and were very friendly. Also, they called with a quote prior to authorizing the work, which I appreciated. The work was done right and I am satisfied so far; however, the repair took longer than indicated and I had to make a return trip to the stir in order to pickup my amp dust cover as the tech had forgotten to send it with the amp.
Overall, I recommend going to GM as they have a great staff and are one of the last real music stores and local venues, but do not expect a quick turnaround on amp repair.

The Guitar Merchant is simply the best place to purchase, learn, play, talk or do anything musical. Everyone there is focused on providing an atmosphere of calm, non-​judgmental grooviness. There is no better place to experience the joy and fulfillment music offers. I love this place and these people!

Great place to see live bands perform! Very friendly staff and great venue. If you want to discover new music or bands, they are great supporters and the place is very welcoming. My friends band has performed here several times and we’ve always had a great experience!

I’ve only been in Guitar Merchant twice but both times have been excellent experiences. The first time, the owner helped me and he was very friendly. The second time, the girl helped me with an autoharp, and although it didn’t work out, she offered me excellent service. I will definitely continue to shop at Guitar Merchant and would recommend it to any musician.

Guitar Merchant has allowed my inner performer to emerge.
I had terrible stage fright when I first walked in… now I host the open mic! (Disclaimer!)
I can’t imagine life without Guitar Merchant; it’s a place where music lovers congregate. I seen amazing performances, picked up a couple of excellent instruments at very reasonable prices… and found a place to PLAY!
Their Motto:
Everyone who stops in always leaves with more than they expected.
It’s so true!
Phil, and Emily, are musicians themselves, and that makes a huge difference in how the business is conducted; more like a family really.
There is actually a theater in the back, with a great sound system, and live audio technician. (Available for rental)
Lessons are given in most instruments, to all ages, by intelligent, empathic, working musicians.
Whether you are a beginner, or a professional, or somewhere in between, there is something for you at Guitar Merchant. Stop in and say Hello… you will be pleasantly surprised.
Maybe I’ll see you at Open Mic: Wednesday’s @ 7 PM.
Until then,
East Coast Al

Been going to the Guitar Merchant for several years for incidentals and lessons.
Always found the staff courteous, knowledgeable and helpful. Great place to to play and learn. The Open Mic nights on Wednesday are always fun. They also host a monthly acoustic jam (first Sunday of the Month)

Love this place. I’m a 10 year drummer that would like to believe he has a future in the guitar world. Every few months when I try to take up guitar again I’ll swing by and grab a set of strings, a strap, and that capo that’s always seems to fall off the face of the earth.
I’ll admit, I do from time to time wander down the road to the big box music store and always seem to regret it. Bigger places have more guitars but lack the personality. Not to mention all the cool stuff (they had a harp in there last time I went… A freakin harp!)
If I could sum up Guitar Merchant:
It’s like going to your much more talented guitarist house to check his new gear. He knows you have no idea what you’re doing but he points you in the right direction and let’s you stumble through the 3 chords you know with no judgement.

This place is great. The staff is friendly and in the back they have a small place where up and coming musicians can play

This is great place to shop for musical instruments and other stuff, or to see the open mic night. I dropped by to try to find a decent but cheap Strat clone, and was not optimistic because I was very picky, wanted it perfectly set up (intonation, no fret buzz at all, etc.) and it’s a smaller store, intimate, not the same selection as a Guitar Center for example, However, I found just what I wanted, a 25 year old fat-​strat clone (HSS) with coil split on the H so it can play like an SSS strat, too. Had a tremolo that I think is an unlicensed Floyd Rose, but works great and guitar stayed in tune after I whammied quite a bit, even without locking nut, so no worries there. Had sustain forever. I almost did not pick up this guitar because the maker was not known to me as a good electric guitar company, but I decided «What the hell?» picked it up, felt like I was holding a $ 1,000 guitar (I own a $ 1500 PRS so I know build quality). At that moment, I realized i was being too snobby about brand names, This no-​name guitar blew away the American Strats that cost 3x as much. So I bought it, under $ 300 after taxes. What a find!
What else do you want from a guitar store except a place you can go in, browse without any high pressure, see a variety of old and newer stuff, and some custom stuff, and ultimately find the perfect thing — a diamond in the rough — as if it were meant to be, and for less than you expected to pay? It’s ever guitar buyer’s dream.
There’s other cool stuff. They had a little used record collection I browsed through and found some old records that I thought should actually be worth something significant because they were «special» kind of iconic albums from the past, but there they were selling for a couple bucks a piece. (Like Foreigner’s Agent Provocateur, which got me through my first major heartbreak in college and was kind of a college anthem for me and a lot of people I knew.) Anyway, I limited myself to 3, but could have bought more. Sometimes you just miss something listening to stripped down digital MP3 songs compared to the full analogue tones from a record. I mostly listen to Pandora streaming over bluetooth speakers in my home, but I have a record player for special times when I want to sit back and really sink into a band /​musical experience.
The staff was super nice, absolutely no pressure. It seems like a place you could just go in and hang out, talk music with other musicians and kick it, without even worrying about buying anything.
They do lessons, but I’ve not tried those yet, so no comment on that. Same with instrument repairs.
I’ve been to their open mic night a couple times. Once, it was raging awesome like going to a kick ass concert, lots of energy and great performances. The other time they had a number of weirdos with no talent who felt the need to get in front of a crowd and make noise, which was kind of painful, but they also had some cool, solid performances. So, I’d say the open mic is hit or miss, but for the price (free? $ 2? I don’t recall) I guess I can’t complain, and there’s as special thrill not knowing what you are going to see, and it’s also a lot about connecting with other local, up & coming music makers, more than hoping to hear a great band /​performer, at least as I see it. So I’m a big fan of this open mike night.
Lastly, I was not shopping for acoustics, but saw an amazing dreadnaught that was dirt cheap, was not expecting it to play well after seeing the low price tag, but it looked so cool (for a dreadnaught!) and I had to try it. I was really surprised by how amazing it was, great tone, perfect intonation, no buzzing, very playable. I was sorely tempted to buy it, but I could not justify that to my wife or my wallet, so I put it back for some other lucky shopper to snap up.

I came to Guitar Merchant to see a friend play and saw a great show with some really talented people in it. I also left with a new Capo. The staff was friendly and knowledgable. I would definitely come back again.

You can not find stores like this anywhere!
A wide variety of instruments, extremely reaosnable prices for quality musical instruments, whatever your level is.
Magical musical emporium with store owner, Phil, who is pateint, welcoming, couteous, and expert musician.
My son’s absolute favoriate place.

As a singer-​songwriter, Guitar Merchant has one of the best and friendliest open mics in town (every Wednesday night). They have a great staff and crew including, Phil, Emily, Bill, and their amazingly hilarious host. They make artists feel welcome and supported, what more could you ask for? Oh wait, did I mention there’s free parking???
I drive out here all the way from the Westside, so it must be good! Plus, they have a great store and private lessons. You can’t go wrong at The Guitar Merchant!

As others have mentioned, Phil and Emily are great! They embody the true essence of a community-​oriented business. Great selection, reasonable prices, and lots of helpful tips from Phil, Emily, and the whole Guitar Merchant family.
They also have a nice group of music teachers for all kinds of instruments. Being that I work with kids professionally, I always keep this place in mind to refer families for after-​school activities to keep their kids learning and having fun. They even have a great summer rock band camp for kids!
Always a good option, whether you play an instrument already or are interested, just stop in and check the place out.
Rock on guys, thanks for all the help.