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Tall Toad Music
4.8 ★★★★★ 46 Google reviews · Guitar & music store in Petaluma, California
Plan your visit
- 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 (707) 765-6807
- Website talltoadmusic.com
Hours
| Monday | 10:30 AM–6 PM |
| Tuesday | 10:30 AM–6 PM |
| Wednesday | 10:30 AM–6 PM |
| Thursday | 10:30 AM–6 PM |
| Friday | 10:30 AM–5 PM |
| Saturday | 10:30 AM–5 PM |
| Sunday | 11:30 AM–5 PM |
What's on the wall
“I had been searching for an acoustic/electric for a while within a certain budget and they had so many options to choose from as well as the knowledge to go with it.”
“I had been searching for an acoustic/electric for a while within a certain budget and they had so many options to choose from as well as the knowledge to go with it.”
“They have a great variety of items to support your music needs plus a good variety of music instruments, sheet music, amps, and lots of beautiful guitars.”
“I bought a wonderful vintage Martin here.”
“We drop by once a year, they give you space to try things out, offer a tuner if needed, and when the time comes, offer a great price, especially on the consignment instruments.”
“This review is specifically for Chris who does the Martin repairs out of Tall Toad (though the Tall Toad folks seem great too!”
“Not only did I get a very fair trade in deal on some gear for a new mandolin, I also saw something interesting that I think speaks to this business's integrity.”
Brands they deal
What players say again and again
“I had been searching for an acoustic/electric for a while within a certain budget and they had so many options to choose from as well as the knowledge to go with it.”
“Was greeted as soon as I came in, helpful finding what I needed, and didn’t try to upsell me, friendly staff.”
“We drop by once a year, they give you space to try things out, offer a tuner if needed, and when the time comes, offer a great price, especially on the consignment instruments.”
From the reviews
Tall Toad is consistently the most helpful, friendly, accessible music store in Sonoma County. Great staff is knowledgeable and amiable, available for questions and advice, and you leave knowing that playing music is for everybody at every level. Thanks Chris and Fabian!
Chris and the crew helped me with a great guitar they had on consignment. Very helpful, knowledgeable and friendly staff. Great store with a lot of good inventory both brand new and used. A gem in the County. Stop by and check them out! Thanks again Chris!
Out of all of the musical instrument stores in the Bay Area, this place has become one of my favorites. I always enjoy stopping by. Amazing selection of awesome guitars! The people are helpful and friendly.
Not only did I get a very fair trade in deal on some gear for a new mandolin, I also saw something interesting that I think speaks to this business's integrity. A guy came in asking for some adjustments to make his guitar more playable. The tech came out and did an evaluation and said "there's not much I can do.
Selling or trading gear at Tall Toad Music
Tall Toad Music 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 Tall Toad Music
Reviews and the store's own info mention lessons at Tall Toad Music. 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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