Mozart Einstein & Me

Picked up a puzzle piece and a canvas pencil, the store looked really nice and there are some other cool stuff i’d return to get.

These people are thieves with no integrity at all. They will sell incomplete instruments with broken parts, or missing parts, and then refuse to do anything about it then keep their ill-​gotten gains. I am sympathetic towards small businesses but if this were the last music store in town is still recommended to go by mail order when you purchase an instrument. Supporting a business with no ethics or moral values is not something I suggest. Recommend stay away at all costs.

Friends of ours brought us here to explore all the fun that is this store. We went away with the world’s hardest connect the dot books and a little drone for my husband. (while music seems to be the primary focus there is truly something to entertain everyone!) Everyone is encouraged to play with the items on display, so fun!
When my hubby got to open his Christmas «surprise» drone, it was missing instructions and parts. I hadn’t saved the receipt but had no problems exchanging, everyone was very helpful.
I’m unsure of who the people are talking about that claim the service is poor. I’ve worked/​spoke with 4 people there and each has been nothing but accommodating and kind. 5 Stars, no doubt.

Still very impressed with the staff. Travis is always helpful and concerned. My wife has been taking lessons from Chris for 2 years now and I’ve just started taking guitar lessons again from one of his former students, Aaron. Very pleased.
What I don’t get is all the toys ?!
I’d like to see them refocus back to being a music store, promoting local musicians and music programs and making it more mysician/​student friendly and accessible.

The hours are really inconsistent. We called at ten to 5 and the phone recording said they closed at 6, so we got there at 5:10. The open sign was showing but the lights were off and the door was locked. I waited ten minutes in case the employee was in the bathroom, then I left. So when you call and get a recording, don’t trust the recording saying what the hours are. I’ll order the music book we wanted from Amazon instead.

Great place, I remember when it was still called «The Music Source» and my brother and I took music lessons here. It’s one of the few music stores in town, which is pretty convenient if you’re looking to buy some woodwind reeds, guitar strings or what have you.
The service is always good, too!
It’s pretty cool they have so many guitars and amps, though I wish they had a larger selection of symphonic band instruments and parts for us woodwind players who need repairs now and again.

Not a reputable business.
Brought an instrument in for repair. They promised to have it complete in 1 week. We are still waiting and it is week 3! My wife called and they were extremely rude…“we will call you when it is ready”, he said, «did we call you»??? «then is must not be ready!»
I called… no one answered. I left a message to call me… of course… no return call.
I decided to pick up my instrument and go somewhere else. I also returned some music books I bought… don’t want to give them any business. VERY POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE (and this is a service business) !!

I am really impressed with the knowledge and helpfulness of the staff here. I needed to buy a used instrument (an oboe, of all things) and they had what I needed. They couldn’t find the case and they bought a new one for me and refused to let me pay for it. If they don’t know the answer to my questions, they find out quickly. They are friendly and attentive and I enjoy working with them. A couple of years ago, I needed to rent a viola from them. They didn’t have one tiny enough for my young son, so they re-​strung and re-​tuned a violin to make it a viola until he was big enough to use a real one. Pretty cool.

I just started a Unilocal account to leave some positive reviews for some places I love, but you better believe I didn’t forget about the horrible experience I had with the owner (Stan) from this music shop.
A few years back, I brought my Schecter C-​1 Hellraiser in to get the pickups swapped and everything seemed ok. I believe I dealt with Chris, who was cool as can be and amazing to deal with. When I picked up my guitar, I noticed two indentations on the body just below the bridge. I pointed them out and we talked it over. I was in a hurry so I grabbed my guitar and told Chris I’d call the shop the next day.
I called, we spoke, and he said he’d call me back. When he called me back, I was at work so Chris left a message. He said it would be more expensive to fix than to replace, and that he would replace the guitar. As I was super busy with work and vacation, some time passed before I was able to bring the guitar back in. When I called to do so, Chris said he had to check with Stan.
Stan told Chris they wouldn’t replace the guitar, so I called Stan. The moment Stan realized I was the one with the busted Schecter, he started yelling and cussing at me over the phone, the call ending with him saying, «F@$k you! I’m sick of you people!» as he hung up on me.
In disbelief, I told my dad what happened and he said to call him back on speakerphone, telling Stan «I have a voicemail from Chris saying the shop would replace the guitar, and I will do what is necessary to see that happens.»
I called Stan back, and to no surprise, he started cussing and yelling at me again. When I told him I’d do what was needed to get my guitar replaced, he said, «Fine! F$@k you! Sue me!»
A day or so later, Chris called me (cool as can be) and said they would put the pickups on a new guitar at no charge. Stan didn’t even have the dignity to call me back himself… He had Chris do it.
So a few years later, I’m making sure everyone who Unilocal this shop knows what I had to deal with to get my busted guitar replaced.
Stan was rude, abrasive, threatening, foul-​mouthed, and 100% unprofessional. This review is for Stan as an owner, not the people who work in and represent his mediocre (at best) music shop.
If you need something small, order online from Musicians Friend. If you need something big, it’s worth the drive to Concord to go to Guitar Center.

I’d like to start of by saying that Mike A’s. review for this place is absolute horse crap. NEVER in the eight years that I have been coming here have I seen anything other than courtesy and professionalism, even with the super hard to deal with customers that had a bug up their butt before they came in and just needed someone to take it out on. There is no way that any employee or owner ever talked to him in that manner, and they sure as hell didn’t to to squeeze more money out of him.
Onto MY review. As I said, I have frequented this place for eight years now… ever since I started really progressing as a stringed player. In those eight years, I have learned, laughed, and shared in helping local organizations such as the tri-​valley haven by doing a fundraiser along side these wonderful people.
Not only are these employees incredibly helpful, they are also genuinely good people. As a local musician, it really helps in your decision of a store if they are consistent with their work, they don’t give you the run around, and can order pretty much anything you need and be reliable when it comes to calling you when its in.
Another HUGE factor as to why I love this store is because of the amazing customer service. I dropped my Weber mandolin off today to have it restrung and cleaned, I had previously talked to Chris F. to get a rough idea on what the cost would be… when I found out that I would be walking out the door only paying a fraction of what other places wanted for a simple string change and oiling of the fretboard, I immediately went home and grabbed my mandolin and brought it down. He let me know before hand that the store does tend to get crowded after the highschools get out and that might eat up some time, on top of some other instruments he had to work on. Chris F asked me if I would be okay picking it up at the end of their business hours at 7pm, which by all means I was, so I left it in his trustworthy hands. Came back at 6:30pm to see if he had gotten to it, it was already finished and he tuned it real quick. Now a lot of you might be asking…“why didn’t you just change the strings yourself?” Well… I’m a big guy who often doesn’t realize his own strength, so when I try to change these delicate strings I have a tendancty to snap them.
I have had work done on my guitars and other mandolins as well and every single time I go in, I feel like I am being told the truth, not looked at as a big money bag, and honestly valued as a returning client. These guys deserve your business, no question about it. They offer music classes, some of them are taught by my middle school band teacher, Bernie. I learned the clarinet from him. This guy is the real deal, a no nonsense instructor with a nack for working with kids. They also have the amazing Mr. Chris Ansuini, an accomplished guitarist who I’ve seen blow the doors off of the jazz/​funk house. Not only is he patient, knowledgeable, and talented… but he also has a natural talent for making people feel welcome.
All in all, this is the music store that you are looking for, maybe not if you’re looking for a hurdy gurdy or some other obscure instrument, but if you play: guitar, piano, violin/​fiddle, ukelele, clarinet, trumpet, sax, etc. These are people you can trust. My total cost with labor plus 2 sets of 8 string packs was under 35 dollars.

I can’t thumbs-​up these kind folks enough. Not only do they excel in customer service, but their incredible support for local music has made my life running two nearby open mic nights a lot easier. You won’t find more genuinely concerned and friendly service, it just doesn’t happen. And they will always refer you to the best repair shop for whatever work you need done that they can’t do in-​store.
As far as inventory goes, as a guitarist I have to recommend you try the Austin steel-​string acoustics they have in stock right now. I have no idea where those things are made but they’re some of the most playable acoustic guitars I’ve ever played. They’ve got a couple Seagulls too, last I checked.

My son, Kyle and I visit ABC Music weekly for his electric guitar lessons with Chris Ansuini. Kyle has been playing cello for about 5 years now and recently took a liking to the electric guitar. Chris is an accomplished guitarist who plays in a band and relates well to my 15 year old son. He’s a great instructor.
Chris Fleckner, the store manager, was an excellent source of information when we researched a guitar for Kyle. We ultimately purchased a guitar from ABC Music directly due to Chris’s professionalism and customer service. Chris F. did not attempt to oversell us on a super high-​end guitar, but instead, directed us to a mid-​range guitar that not only met Kyle’s current needs but a guitar that he could also grow into as his skills progressed.
Chelsea, another employee and instructor at ABC has been very helpful when we needed strings for our cello. On one occasion, we were in a bind and needed a string for our cello as Kyle and his brother, (who also plays cello), had a performance that they were going to perform in the following day. They didn’t have it in stock so she and Chris F. pulled one off a rental instrument for us to borrow. Now that is customer service!
For those of you who became impatient while waiting your turn, keep in mind that Chris and the other employees provide excellent customer service although you may have to wait a few extra minutes to experience it yourself. I suspect that it’s similar to comparing a fast food restaurant versus a nice restaurant. If you prefer a music store that gives you the ‘slam bam thank you ma’am’ type of service and quality that you might find at a Burger King or McDonald’s, then by all means-​go to a music store like that. On the other hand, if you appreciate the personalized one-​on-​one service that is offered at ABC, then you too will find that it is worth waiting for. Incidentally, I have never seen any of the employees simply ignore other customers in the store. Instead, whoever is working the counter that is busy with a customer, will always tell the person waiting that it will be «just a few minutes» and all is good.
ABC is a quality store that I highly recommend!

Great experience! Everyone in the store was friendly and helpful!!! I will make it a point to give them my business in the future! Thanks ABC!!!

I arrived at this shop with high hopes. It was very close to my home and as I was browsing around, they seemed to have a good selection. Once I had my items picked out and was ready to go, I took the standard stance at the counter a.k.a. «ready to be checked out». The person working that night was with a big-​ticket customer (lessons for child, nice guitar, whole 9 yards) and waited to acknowledge me until around 15 minutes after I’d been *clearly* waiting to purchase my items and go. The acknowledgement consisted of «I’ll be with you in a minute».
I continued waiting another 5 or so minutes, hearing them continue to rattle on about the ups and downs of each of the instructors, and when the customer they were with was ready to go and handing back the guitar of interest, satisfied and ready to have lessons for their child, I hear:
«Wait. Let me teach you a chord before you go.»
Gratuitous. Just incredible. Icing on the cake. I put my items on the counter and left.
After that, I went over to Ingram & Brauns in Pleasanton. In less than 3 minutes, I had the items I needed, questions answered, and out the door. I’ll be making the drive to Pleasanton from now on.
Place value on your time. Until this establishment can gracefully handle more than 1 customer at a time, steer clear.

ABC Music Center is one of my partner companies. They are very knowledgeable and reasonably priced. I enjoy a great working relationship with them. If you brought them a guitar that you thought needed a new nut because your fingerboard was cracked loose from the neck, then there is no sense trying to blame them when they found the real source of the trouble.
aLiEn

*****************BUYER BEWARE*******************
My son wanted the nut on his guitar raised or replaced with a slightly taller one so that he could use heavier guage strings and tune down. We dropped off the guitar on ⁶⁄₃ and were told that it would take approx 2 – 3 days.
My son called the shop on ⁶⁄₇ (as we had not received a call). He was told that it would be ready by the next afternoon. The next afternoon (⁶⁄₈), I receive a call from Chris stating that they are working on the guitar and asking how we would like the guitar tuned, so I let him know. Then approximately 30 minutes later he calls and says he «discovered» a chip on the head stock and that the fret board had cracked and was separated from the neck!!! He says he can repair it and says the normal repair fee for this is approximately $ 50. He coldly claimed that they did not do this and that it must have been damaged before we brought it in!!!
My son who plays this guitar literally every day, visited the store after school and let Chris know that he is absolutely sure that the guitar did not have this issue before we left it in their care. I visited the store later that day and asked Chris why this was not brought to our attention when we brought the guitar in? But instead of answering my questions, he tried to lecture me on how it is my son’s fault. (REALLY? Why this was brought to our attention 5 days later and WHY did it takes 30 minutes for him to call after he started working on it? Just doesn’t add up does it?) I let him know that I didn’t appreciate his attitude, took the guitar and left.
I left a message for their owner Stan Houston and did not get a return call, so I called their store in Benicia the following day and he answered. He claimed that I threatened Chris (B.S.!!) at the Livermore store and the police were called? Stan then proceeded to tell me over the phone that I was «lucky that he was not in the store or he would have punched me in the face and kicked my A**!!!»
???
HAHAHA!!! Really??? Who was threatening who here?
****The next time I need to buy an instrument, lessons or repair, you can bet I will go to Guitar Center in Concord, Hartlein Guitars or Best Buy (both) in Dublin.****
Meanwhile, I am still considering filing suit.

Keep it Local!!!
I love this shop :] I go once every few weeks just to check out the stock. They are very good about keeping things fresh with new and unique gear and what not, which seems wise when competing with the big shops really… Quality, mid range, eclectic selection.
Anyways. I’m super pleased with all of my purchases from these guys. They gave me a great deal on a Kustom Amp and a Shure Beta 57 Mic, both of which Chris recommended and Special Ordered for me. They sound incredible and have brought my group a way more dynamic sound which were all stoked about :] Ryan Tapley showed me how to get the best Sound out of my Kustom Amp and how to actually be heard over the Drummer haha.
Im considering getting some vocal lessons from them as well, I hear great things about their whole instructional side of the biz.
5 sincere stars, Thank you Chris, Chelsea, and Ryan!!!
Give these people your business, you will not regret it.

What used to be «Music Source» is now «ABC Music and Academy. I had been a fairly loyal Fretted Friends customer until they went out of business. The guitars that ABC stocks are middle of the road but great for kids, beginners or a beginner looking for his first trade-​up. I think they can get anything you want from their suppliers but you won’t see any Martins or Gibsons or Telecasters hanging on the walls.
The reason for my 5 star review is the service. When they were Music Source, I was always disappointed with the selection. A couple of times, I asked them to order harmonicas for me and I never got a call and the stock situation didn’t change. I started buying my harmonicas and strings online. When they were acquired by ABC, their new software system apparently lets them order things and track them instead of the old system which seemed to be jotting something on a Post-​It and then throwing it away.
Chris has been fantastic to deal with. We bought new tuners for my 40 year old Ibanez electric. It took a couple of tries to find the right ones but he put some on that worked so we could play and then ordered the perfect ones and called us and installed them when they came in. My son and I were thrilled with how it turned out. I also like they way they treat my son and his friends. Teenage boys don’t always feel welcome in retail stores but the folks here seem to love them which is smart business as well as nice.
If you want super high-​end acoustics or the finest craftsmanship and complex repairs, go to Gryphon in Palo Alto. But if you’re in Livermore, I think you’ll find 95% of your day to day needs met here and by friendly people.

One of two music stores in Downtown Livermore this has been on First St. the longest. Like most places these days the selection is mostly guitars both acoustic and electric.
The staff is very knowledgeable about both the products in store and available for order and the prices seem to be very competitive as everything I’ve ordered/​purchased has been below listed catalogue value.
It is a small town business so they have a one-​on-​one interaction which can make for a wait time if the place is busy but they do what they can as fast as they can and really take the time to answer questions.

I can’t believe there’s no review for this place, it’s awesome!
I bought my first (and so far only) guitar at this place. I went into the shop knowing NOTHING abut buying a guitar, expecting to pay somewhere around $ 300-​$ 400 for a basic starter guitar. The owner shook his head and told me that a guitar at that price would be appropriate for a more advanced player, but not someone starting out, and sold me a very good guitar for just under $ 200.00.
When I told him how impressed I was by his honesty, he told me «we don’t want to just make a sale, we want to make a customer,» and he succeeded!
I take lessons from one of their on-​site instructors, buy all my equipment from them, and they have helped me develop playing into a passion.