Guitar Stores in Rochester, NY
Rochester has 18 guitar stores — including 6 that buy used gear, 6 with lessons, 7 vintage specialists, and 8 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.
House of Guitars
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,494 reviews
Guitar Center
4.2 ★★★★☆ 873 reviews
Chain store that carries a wide array of stringed instruments, keyboards and drums.
Stutzman's Guitar Center
4.9 ★★★★★ 177 reviews
Store offering acoustic and electric guitars, banjos, mandolins, and other instruments, plus repairs.
Bernunzio Uptown Music
4.8 ★★★★★ 143 reviews
Established shop offering new and used stringed instruments, plus repairs.
k•robin guitars
4.9 ★★★★★ 119 reviews
Thomas Music Inc
4.9 ★★★★★ 82 reviews
Musical instrument repair shop working on items such as saxophones, trombones, and clarinets.
Music Lovers Shoppe
4.7 ★★★★★ 95 reviews
Neighborhood store featuring new and used guitars, plus amps, basses and lessons, plus repairs.
Joseph DiTucci Guitar Repair & Learning Center
5 ★★★★★ 54 reviews
Cadence Drums LLC
4.5 ★★★★★ 78 reviews
Specialty store focusing on drums, cymbals, and percussion instruments, plus accessories.
The String House
4.5 ★★★★★ 63 reviews
Rochester Academy of Music & Arts
4.9 ★★★★★ 42 reviews
Rochester Drum Trade
5 ★★★★★ 30 reviews
Bruton Guitars
5 ★★★★★ 25 reviews
Luthier specializing in guitars, basses and custom instruments plus repairs.
Music & Arts
3.7 ★★★★☆ 64 reviews
Retail chain offering musical instruments, audio gear & accessories, plus rental & repair services.
Good Vibes Music Shop
4.3 ★★★★☆ 16 reviews
Costello Music
4 ★★★★☆ 3 reviews
Good to know in Rochester
5 of the 18 shops with posted hours are open on Sundays.
For a setup or repair work, the shops with a bench here are Guitar Center, Stutzman's Guitar Center, k•robin guitars, Thomas Music Inc, and 4 more.
Hunting vintage? House of Guitars, Guitar Center, Stutzman's Guitar Center, Bernunzio Uptown Music, and 3 more 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 ★★★★☆ 4.2 (873)
- Stutzman's Guitar Center ★★★★★ 4.9 (177)
- Bernunzio Uptown Music ★★★★★ 4.8 (143)
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 ★★★★☆ 4.2 (873)
- Stutzman's Guitar Center ★★★★★ 4.9 (177)
- The String House ★★★★★ 4.5 (63)