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RiverCity Rock Star Academy
5 ★★★★★ 97 Google reviews · Guitar & music store in Salem, Oregon
Welcoming place to buy guitars and basses, along with amps, ukuleles and drums.
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 (503) 689-8372
- Website rocksalem.com
Hours
| Monday | 10 AM–7:30 PM |
| Tuesday | 10 AM–7:30 PM |
| Wednesday | 10 AM–7:30 PM |
| Thursday | 10 AM–7:30 PM |
| Friday | 10 AM–6:30 PM |
| Saturday | 10 AM–4 PM |
| Sunday | Closed |
What's on the wall
“Shout to Kyle for helping me with all my needs ordered some bass strings sounds good feels good totally recommend buying from this store !”
“The employees were very helpful, and more than willing to assist me find the right amp head by swapping heads and cabs around for a while.”
“I brough in my wifes vintage resonator metal guitar for repair.”
“Have taken my guitar there for a setup and restring (and even a pickup re-soldering) twice and the level of quality and attention of detail for the price is simply unmatched.”
“Very cool, friendly environment, my daughter is doing the Rockers summer program, learning guitar via both private and group lessons where students practice as a band.”
“There's a nice selection of guitars, ukuleles, amps, and other instruments and gear.”
Brands they deal
“I’ve been taking lessons since around April, I recently purchased a new PRS guitar from them as well.”
What players say again and again
“Have taken my guitar there for a setup and restring (and even a pickup re-soldering) twice and the level of quality and attention of detail for the price is simply unmatched.”
“All the teachers and staff are really knowledgeable and laid back, making it a fun place to learn or shop without pressure!”
From the reviews
This local music store hits all of the marks: (1) cool pedals, cords, amps, guitars for gigging musicians, (2) reasonable market prices for the ‘nice’ stuff, but also a very good budget line for your first acoustic or electric guitar and amp, and (3) an inviting and supportive playing/lesson space for children and…
I recently had the joy of going to this small music store, and it was a blast. The employees were very helpful, and more than willing to assist me find the right amp head by swapping heads and cabs around for a while. I’ll definitely be back!
Very cool, friendly environment, my daughter is doing the Rockers summer program, learning guitar via both private and group lessons where students practice as a band. It's a very engaging and stress-free way to learn performance with peers, and I think it's a great value for the price.
I love RiverCity! I’ve been taking lessons since around April, I recently purchased a new PRS guitar from them as well. Gabriel continues to motivate me and helps in every way he possibly can. Dan and Liz helped me with my guitar purchase along with some accessories and they were just awesome!
Selling or trading gear at RiverCity Rock Star Academy
RiverCity Rock Star Academy 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 RiverCity Rock Star Academy
Reviews and the store's own info mention lessons at RiverCity Rock Star Academy. 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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