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Rockin' Robbie's Music - El Cerrito
4.7 ★★★★★ 83 Google reviews · Guitar & music store in El Cerrito, California
Carrying music books & accessories, this shop rents & sells guitars, keyboards & band 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 (510) 232-1000
- Website rockinrobbies.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–5 PM |
| Sunday | Closed |
What's on the wall
“I have been purchasing accessories for my granddaughter electric guitar and amp since 2020 and we love it!”
“I bought a Peavy MX-158 bass amp after testing every small amp in the store.”
“Although they ultimately did not have the combo amplifier I needed, it was a helpful service team who helped me to figure that out.”
“The staff was able to restring her electric guitar as we waited and also tuned it for her.”
“After messing around with guitars on my own for years, I finally decided to take the plunge and start formal lessons.”
“They installed buttons on my 3 ukuleles - great job.”
Brands they deal
What players say again and again
“I took my instrument for a set up and they did a wonderful job.”
“Adam has been great at adapting my lessons to fill the gaps in my knowledge with a music-theory first approach, which I enjoy.”
“The attendant also told us they have all kinds of music lessons for very reasonable prices.”
From the reviews
Very convenient and quick flute rental process! I rented a flute for my kid online for the summer, and early the next morning I got a call from Rockin Robbie's saying it was ready to be picked up! We showed up at the store and got the flute right away.
Had my acoustic set up here. The work that he did was fantastic. Now it plays like a dream to the point of inspiring me to write new music. Feels and sounds like an entirely new guitar, in a good way. It's exactly the specs on how I wanted it, and I will definitively be back.
I have been purchasing accessories for my granddaughter electric guitar and amp since 2020 and we love it! The staff is always knowledgeable and friendly. The staff was able to restring her electric guitar as we waited and also tuned it for her. We are very happy with the store and staff will continue to come here.
After messing around with guitars on my own for years, I finally decided to take the plunge and start formal lessons. Since I've been playing on my own for a while, my skillset is a weird mix of basics that I know well, don't know at all, or have bad habits with.
Selling or trading gear at Rockin' Robbie's Music - El Cerrito
Rockin' Robbie's Music - El Cerrito 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 Rockin' Robbie's Music - El Cerrito
Reviews and the store's own info mention lessons at Rockin' Robbie's Music - El Cerrito. 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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