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San Diego County Music Exchange
4.8 ★★★★★ 194 Google reviews · Guitar & music store in Vista, California
Local shop repairing instruments, and also offering rentals and sales of new and used guitars.
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 (760) 545-7768
- Website sdmusicexchange.com
Hours
| Monday | 10 AM–7 PM |
| Tuesday | 10 AM–7 PM |
| Wednesday | 10 AM–7 PM |
| Thursday | 10 AM–7 PM |
| Friday | 10 AM–7 PM |
| Saturday | 10 AM–5 PM |
| Sunday | Closed |
What's on the wall
“I had bass shipped from out of state and as you can guess it looked like Ace Ventura delivered it.”
“They also have a dedicated repair area, which adds real value if you need adjustments or maintenance.”
“Beginner and need to pick an instrument, they got you covered and can help you get lessons too.”
“I also run piano, violin, and guitar YouTube channels, so places like this are part of how I stay connected to instruments and gear while I’m on the road.”
“I also run piano, violin, and guitar YouTube channels, so places like this are part of how I stay connected to instruments and gear while I’m on the road.”
What players say again and again
“Fair prices, friendly staff, and everything you could ever want for your musical career.”
“The amount of patience and expertise they provided in the purchasing of my daughters new trumpet was without doubt, above and beyond.”
“Beginner and need to pick an instrument, they got you covered and can help you get lessons too.”
From the reviews
I went there with my son to purchase a tenor Sax - Aaron helped us, and was very patient. My son was able to test out a couple of saxophones, as well as a couple of mouthpieces. Aaron really helped him articulate what he should listen/look for in his mouthpieces - We were in the store for 2.
As a musician and the author of The Grant Colson Thriller Series and SERA Archives thriller novels, I always enjoy visiting music stores, and San Diego County Music Exchange is a great, well-balanced shop.
I've been going here for years and have never had a bad experience. Fair prices, friendly staff, and everything you could ever want for your musical career. They are loyal to the customer and have a vast well of information on everything music related.
I’ve been here with my brother on several occasions to get our guitars worked on. From the technicians to the customer care, everyone at this location is phenomenal.
Selling or trading gear at San Diego County Music Exchange
San Diego County Music Exchange 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 San Diego County Music Exchange
Reviews and the store's own info mention lessons at San Diego County Music Exchange. 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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