Home › California › San Mateo
Guitar Stores in San Mateo, CA
San Mateo has 4 guitar stores — including 2 that buy used gear, 2 with lessons, 3 vintage specialists, and 4 with repair shops. Listings are ranked by what players say (rating weighted by review count) and show live open-now hours and who buys used gear, so you can pick a shop and go.
Guitar Center
4.4 ★★★★☆ 568 reviews
Musical instrument store stocking guitars, keyboards and more, as well as providing lessons, repairs and rentals.
CAE Sound
4.7 ★★★★★ 66 reviews
Friendly repair shop specializing in amplifiers, keyboards and synthesizers, as well as pedals.
Good to know in San Mateo
2 of the 3 shops with posted hours are open on Sundays.
For a setup or repair work, the shops with a bench here are Guitar Center, CAE Sound, Lynch Guitar Repair and Guitar Center Lessons.
Hunting vintage? Guitar Center, CAE Sound and Guitar Center Lessons are the vintage & rare specialists in town — evidence from the shop's own site or player reviews.
Selling or trading gear?
These shops buy or trade used gear — evidence from the shop's own site or player reviews, not a guess. Bring in the one you don't play; store credit usually beats the cash offer, and calling ahead with the make and model saves everyone time.
- Guitar Center ★★★★☆ 4.4 (568)
- Guitar Center Lessons ★★★★★ 5 (2)
Getting started?
These stores offer lessons — for kids, adult beginners, and players knocking off rust. There's no wrong first guitar: rent or buy the instrument, get it set up, and book the teacher in one trip.
- Guitar Center ★★★★☆ 4.4 (568)
- Guitar Center Lessons ★★★★★ 5 (2)