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Guitar Salon International
4.8 ★★★★★ 72 Google reviews · Guitar & music store in Santa Monica, California
Upscale showroom displaying classical, flamenco & vintage guitars & accessories by appointment only.
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
- Today see hours ·
- Phone (310) 586-1100
- Website guitarsalon.com
Hours
| Monday | 8:30 AM–5:30 PM |
| Tuesday | 8:30 AM–5:30 PM |
| Wednesday | 8:30 AM–5:30 PM |
| Thursday | 8:30 AM–5:30 PM |
| Friday | 8:30 AM–5:30 PM |
| Saturday | Closed |
| Sunday | Closed |
What's on the wall
“If you want a good to incredible nylon string guitar this is the place to go, especially if you live in Socal or if visiting.”
“The selection of beautiful vintage/modern guitars is amazing but more important is the service, knowledge and expertise of its employees.”
“He is very knowledgeable about construction and luthiers, just what you hope for.”
“I have been a professional performer and instructor for 35 years and I have nothing but good things to say about this company and my recent purchase with them.”
What players say again and again
“He is very knowledgeable about construction and luthiers, just what you hope for.”
“The selection of beautiful vintage/modern guitars is amazing but more important is the service, knowledge and expertise of its employees.”
From the reviews
Otherworldly experience at GSI. Andy was tremendously helpful and flexible with my appointment. John Paul was there too, and he was awesome. The guys are just chilled out guitar lovers who know a bunch about what they're selling. It was an amazing, low pressure situation.
Absolutely superb experience purchasing through GSI. I have been a professional performer and instructor for 35 years and I have nothing but good things to say about this company and my recent purchase with them. The quality of their instruments and customer service is top-tier.
If you live in Southern CA and are looking for a place to purchase a serious classical/flamenco guitar then you MUST visit Guitar Salon International. The selection of beautiful vintage/modern guitars is amazing but more important is the service, knowledge and expertise of its employees.
Came in yesterday looking to add to my collection and came out with a beautiful La Canada 1934 Domingo Esteso. Patrick showed me some guitars that he thought would fit my playing style (mariachi) and even played a couple classical pieces on them and offered his opinions.
Selling or trading gear at Guitar Salon International
Guitar Salon International 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 Guitar Salon International
Reviews and the store's own info mention lessons at Guitar Salon International. 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.
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