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Drum Flip

4.8 ★★★★★ 119 Google reviews · Guitar & music store in Vista, California

Buys used gear Lessons Vintage specialist

Cool drum shop featuring new and used gear for beginners and professionals, plus events.

Plan your visit

  • 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
  • Today see hours ·
  • Phone (760) 574-8963
  • Website drumflip.com

Hours

Monday Closed
Tuesday 12–6 PM
Wednesday 12–6 PM
Thursday 12–6 PM
Friday 12–6 PM
Saturday 12–5 PM
Sunday Closed

Hours can shift for holidays, clinics, and lesson schedules — worth a quick check before a special trip.

What's on the wall

Instrument and gear categories at Drum Flip, confirmed in players' own reviews and the store's own info — not guessed from the sign out front.

♻️ Used Gear 7 mentions

“Great shop focusing primarily on used equipment (they sell new too, though!”

All stores with used gear →

🔧 Repairs & Setups 2 mentions

All stores with repairs & setups →

🥁 Drums & Percussion 41 mentions

“I'm super happy with the cymbals and snare I got for my new kit and will definitely be back when I decide to upgrade.”

All stores with drums & percussion →

Brands they deal

Brands players name in their reviews of Drum Flip — the fastest way to tell what's actually hanging on the wall before you drive over.

🏷️ Gretsch

“I just bought a brand new Gretsch kit for much less than any deal on Amazon or Guitar Center.”

Who else deals Gretsch →

Brand mentions are mined from reviews and the store's own info — they tell you what's on the wall, not formal authorized-dealer status. If warranty coverage matters, confirm dealer status with the store or the brand's own dealer locator.

What players say again and again

The things reviewers bring up again and again across 119 Google reviews — with their own words as proof.

💵 good value 6 mentions

“Great price, product, prompt shipping via FedEx (they don't destroy packages), and packed very well!”

🔰 plays well with beginners 3 mentions

“The have very affordable kits for beginners and high end kits for the experienced.”

From the reviews

This is now my favorite place to buy drums and cymbals in Southern California. Drum Flip has new and used gear. The have very affordable kits for beginners and high end kits for the experienced. They have a massive selection of great condition used cymbals and hardware.

★★★★★ — Jarret, Jan 2017

Awesome store, nice staff, and fair pricing. I'm super happy with the cymbals and snare I got for my new kit and will definitely be back when I decide to upgrade.

★★★★★ — Steven, Dec 2020

Great store. Ed has a great thing going there. Huge selection of quality gear at great prices. New and used gear for all levels of playing. The drum swap meets are really cool too. Highly recommend a visit. I personally have purchased a small kit, accessories and traded some cymbals.

★★★★★ — Michael, Dec 2025

Ed recently purchased the remainder of my late brother’s tremendous musical estate. He was fair and his service was impeccable, helping me to close the final chapter on Gary’s 63yr drum life. I hope his drums/cymbals/hardware continue to bless the drum community that frequent Ed’s terrific shop!

★★★★☆ — Steve, Aug 2025

Excerpts from public Google reviews. Read all 119 reviews →

Selling or trading gear at Drum Flip

Drum Flip 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.

Check trade-in info on their site

Lessons at Drum Flip

Reviews and the store's own info mention lessons at Drum Flip. 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 on hand for exactly this reason.

Where to find Drum Flip

1580 S Melrose Dr #101, Vista, CA92081

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Guitar stores near Drum Flip

Wyatt Scott's Guitar Shop

2237 Brookhaven Pass, Vista, CA

Repairs & setups

1.6 miles away

San Diego County Music Exchange

4.8 ★★★★★ 194 reviews

985 Civic Center Dr #102, Vista, CA

Buys used gear Lessons Repairs & setups Vintage specialist fair trade-in offersknowledgeable staffplays well with beginners

Local shop repairing instruments, and also offering rentals and sales of new and used guitars.

1.8 miles away

Vintage Guitar Workshop

5 ★★★★★ 86 reviews

2227 Faraday Ave Ste A, Carlsbad, CA

Repairs & setups Vintage specialist expert setups & repairsknowledgeable staff

Guitar and amplifier repair, consignment and sales shop.

3.1 miles away

All guitar stores in Vista, CA →

Listing verified July 2026 from public business records and player reviews. Something out of date? Report a correction. Own this store? Claim your listing — it's free.