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The Magic Flute
5 ★★★★★ 1,762 Google reviews · Guitar & music store in San Rafael, California
Music shop offering instruments for sale or rent, plus lessons & repair services.
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 (415) 479-3112
- Website themagicflute.com
Hours
| Monday | 11 AM–7 PM |
| Tuesday | 11 AM–7 PM |
| Wednesday | 11 AM–7 PM |
| Thursday | 11 AM–7 PM |
| Friday | 11 AM–7 PM |
| Saturday | 10 AM–6 PM |
| Sunday | 11 AM–6 PM |
What's on the wall
“Always knowledgeable and helpful staff, they repaired my daughter's trombone and communicated with me very well about what the offers were as far as pricing and needed repairs.”
“It's a huge bonus that it's so close by (with many errands within proximity of the shop) and that any new lesson materials we need are immediately available.”
“My father was shown very nice selections in the type of ukulele he wanted.”
“The Magic Flute has been an incredible place for my 12-year-old son, who is learning how to play the drums here.”
“Found a great keyboard for an excellent price.”
“I brought in an old violin, and both it and I were treated with kindness, respect, and good humor by all concerned.”
Brands they deal
What players say again and again
“They helped me order the bass I wanted, made sure it was set up well when I picked it up, and were informative all along the way.”
“Always knowledgeable and helpful staff, they repaired my daughter's trombone and communicated with me very well about what the offers were as far as pricing and needed repairs.”
“Always knowledgeable and helpful staff, they repaired my daughter's trombone and communicated with me very well about what the offers were as far as pricing and needed repairs.”
“My daughter had great trombone lessons with John M, and I had some oboe lessons there as a child also with Brenda S.”
From the reviews
I’ve been a long time customer of The Magic Flute for years. Whether I’ve rented instruments, taken lessons, or bought music equipment, they’ve always been a fantastic place to immerse myself in their knowledgeable staff and learn about the instruments. By far, it’s my favorite music store ever.
So glad we chose the Magic Flute for the start of my child's musical education! Fabulous instruction from Teacher Sara, and the staff is fun & friendly. It's a huge bonus that it's so close by (with many errands within proximity of the shop) and that any new lesson materials we need are immediately available.
Marin's beloved Magic Flute! Always knowledgeable and helpful staff, they repaired my daughter's trombone and communicated with me very well about what the offers were as far as pricing and needed repairs.
Best music store ever! Great equipment and kind, helpful knowledgeable staff. The Magic Flute is so much more than just a music store. Owners Christian and Tamara really care about their customers and have created a wonderful music community.
Selling or trading gear at The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute 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 The Magic Flute
Reviews and the store's own info mention lessons at The Magic Flute. 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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