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Guitar Stores in Santa Barbara, CA
Santa Barbara has 6 guitar stores — including 2 that buy used gear, 3 with lessons, 2 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.
Nick Rail Music
4.6 ★★★★★ 109 reviews
Music store featuring stringed, band and orchestral instruments, plus lessons and repairs.
Seymour Duncan
4.6 ★★★★★ 20 reviews
Santa Barbara Stringed Instruments
4.4 ★★★★☆ 20 reviews
Riviera Music
5 ★★★★★ 13 reviews
Good to know in Santa Barbara
For a setup or repair work, the shops with a bench here are Nick Rail Music, Santa Barbara Stringed Instruments, Riviera Music and Eric's Guitar Amplifier Repair.
Hunting vintage? Riviera Music and Eric's Guitar Amplifier Repair 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.
- Santa Barbara Loan & Jewelry ★★★★★ 4.5 (104)
- Riviera Music ★★★★★ 5 (13)
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.
- Nick Rail Music ★★★★★ 4.6 (109)
- Santa Barbara Stringed Instruments ★★★★☆ 4.4 (20)
- Riviera Music ★★★★★ 5 (13)