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Grand Central Music & Conservatory
4.8 ★★★★★ 114 Google reviews · Guitar & music store in San Luis Obispo, California
Friendly store selling guitars (new and used), basses and ukuleles.
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 (805) 785-0275
- Website grandcentralmusicstore.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–5 PM |
| Saturday | 11 AM–3 PM |
| Sunday | Closed |
What's on the wall
“Left with a beautiful red electric guitar for my kid and a really awesome wireless amplifier, harmonica and a guitar case.”
“The best staff, absolutely lovely tutors on the premises, a really solid selection of guitars/basses, plus the chance of the occasional oddity guitar coming through.”
“I bought my pedal board there that I also use regularly on gigs as well as a whole host of strings and random items over the years.”
“The quality/value of items for sale, new and used, might surprise you, it does me all the time.”
“Son has bought both of his Electric guitars from them and had repairs done there.”
“Kevin has been giving my daughter music lessons for less than 5 months, and in that time I have seen her excel under his tutelage.”
Brands they deal
What players say again and again
“I bought my pedal board there that I also use regularly on gigs as well as a whole host of strings and random items over the years.”
“They’re friendly, quick, thorough, knowledgeable, and they completely took care of my guitar troubles.”
“The staff were very friendly when I came inside and helped me look for the instrument that I wanted to purchase, and the checkout process was very simple and easy!”
“If your looking for a shop with nice people who know what they’re doing, and very good prices on everything from pick to a whole guitar, grand central is the place to go👍🏼”
“Kevin has been giving my daughter music lessons for less than 5 months, and in that time I have seen her excel under his tutelage.”
From the reviews
Often times when I find myself in a music shop the staff will leave me feeling dumb while asking questions, but not here! The staff are incredibly helpful, kind, and knowledgeable.
The best place in town for music lovers. The best staff, absolutely lovely tutors on the premises, a really solid selection of guitars/basses, plus the chance of the occasional oddity guitar coming through. Great deals, great service, great people, great music. What's not to love?
Best. Music store. Ever. They were so nice and the supply is there! Waaay better than any guitar center! Bought a new tenor uke for an amazing price! Thanks everyone!
If you need any repair work on instruments Dan is your guy- he’s the only guy I recommend all my students to go to - I’ve built my entire career on reputation and so I never attach my name to anyone or anything - but I do with Dan - (I live 30m away in Paso but its worth the drive) his work is always exactly as I…
Selling or trading gear at Grand Central Music & Conservatory
Grand Central Music & Conservatory 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 Grand Central Music & Conservatory
Reviews and the store's own info mention lessons at Grand Central Music & Conservatory. 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.
