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Bananas At Large
4.9 ★★★★★ 1,558 Google reviews · Guitar & music store in San Rafael, California
Musical instrument store, featuring new and used guitars as well as basses, drums and other instruments.
Plan your visit
- Repairs & setups a repair bench comes up in reviews and the store's own info — call ahead for turnaround, since good techs run a queue
- Buys & trades used gear they buy, trade, or consign used instruments — bring the case and any original parts, and expect trade credit to beat the cash offer
- Lessons lessons come up in reviews and the store's own info — call about openings, instruments taught, and rates before the first visit
- Instrument rentals rentals mentioned — the usual route for band & orchestra season; ask about rent-to-own credit
- Today see hours ·
- Phone (415) 457-7600
- Website bananas.com
Hours
| Monday | 11 AM–6 PM |
| Tuesday | 11 AM–6 PM |
| Wednesday | 11 AM–6 PM |
| Thursday | 11 AM–6 PM |
| Friday | 11 AM–6 PM |
| Saturday | 11 AM–6 PM |
| Sunday | 11 AM–3 PM |
What's on the wall
“I have had tech work done there, purchased multiple guitars/bass and amps and have never been disappointed.”
“I have had tech work done there, purchased multiple guitars/bass and amps and have never been disappointed.”
“He had Hugo, the luthier, turn around and come back to the store to pick up both of my guitars to be set up as he had already left.”
“My daughter takes lessons there and feels welcome and well supported.”
Brands they deal
“My wife already stole the Gibson, and the Sigma plays like a guitar 5X what I paid for it.”
What players say again and again
“He had Hugo, the luthier, turn around and come back to the store to pick up both of my guitars to be set up as he had already left.”
“I always receive the most friendly welcome and absolutely 100%, on-point, knowledgeable support with any musical tool or piece of equipment I might need.”
“All the staff is very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful.”
From the reviews
Great staff, great selection! I just got a new acoustic bass from them and the entire process went so smooth! After I found the bass I liked, I later decided I wanted to try a few more just to make sure. They were more than happy to help me out when I had some hesitation.
I love this neighborhood music store. Everyone who works there knows and uses the gear and it’s a wide selection. I have had tech work done there, purchased multiple guitars/bass and amps and have never been disappointed. My daughter takes lessons there and feels welcome and well supported. A gem.
My experience was 10/10. Dan helped me at the register and was super friendly and easy to deal with. He had Hugo, the luthier, turn around and come back to the store to pick up both of my guitars to be set up as he had already left.
Super happy with my experience at bananas at large! I contacted the store off hours about the availability of a product, and while I didn’t expect an answer until open hours I was contacted promptly and informed of a limited supply.
Selling or trading gear at Bananas At Large
Bananas At Large comes up for buying and trading used gear — confirmed on their own site. Two things make the trip go better. First, bring the whole package: the case or gig bag, the original tremolo arm or bridge parts, the paperwork if you have it — a complete rig is worth real money more than a bare instrument, and it saves the back-and-forth of "can you bring the case in?" Second, know that trade credit almost always beats the cash offer, usually by a healthy margin — if you're upgrading anyway, price your old gear as a trade against the new one before you take cash. Either way, expect the offer to be below what the gear sells for on the wall; the gap is the store's margin for setup, warranty, and sitting on it until the right buyer walks in.
Lessons at Bananas At Large
Reviews and the store's own info mention lessons at Bananas At Large. If you're signing up a beginner (or restarting yourself), a quick call ahead answers the three things that matter: which instruments they teach, whether the schedule has openings at the time you actually need, and what a first lesson costs. There's no wrong first guitar — a good teacher will happily work with whatever you walk in with, and a shop that teaches usually keeps affordable starter instruments and rentals on hand for exactly this reason.
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