Sylvan Music

What a fine shop. It’s a ‘dream come true’ for players. The instrument selection is extensive and comprehensive. You will discover a surprising array of the finest brands and models of guitars, banjos, mandolins, basses and ukuleles. The staff is friendly, very well informed and they love to chat with customers and present instruments for your examination and playing. This shop improves every month and will satisfy your GAS!
Some of you know what I mean.

This is a *must visit* store for acoustic lovers:

1. An incredible range of high end and vintage guitars;
2. Let you to play and explore freely;
3. The staff is friendly;

Easily one of the best guitar stores I've explored in States.

Fantastic little homey store. Worth the drive out from SF in the half day we had left. Tried out a couple Santa Cruz guitars. Wish they had a bigger selection honestly, as one of the few places that carries Santa Cruzes, but i'm guessing this isn't Sylvan's fault. Santa Cruz factory I'm sure takes forever to make each guitar and there's not that many out there. But, they SHOULD make sure the few "retailers" they work with actually have some base models available to try out. Like the real prewar, a couple Tony rice models, whatever. One day i'll try that D-Nershi. That being said, Sylvan has a FANTASTIC selection of other guitars. I tried out a 60's D18, 70's D18, some other vintage 28s, I could have spent all day in there. Great people too, they were patient and let me bang on whatever guitar i felt like. The owner was not pushy at all, he was a real good dude who was happy to answer all of my questions. I'll probably buy a used one off Reverb because I'm poor, but if (and when) I have the money, this will be the spot. If YOU have the money, this is the spot.

I didn't go inside. I love music though

Bought a mandolin from their on-line store. Great communication, and a beautiful mandolin. If you see something you like, don't hesitate, great crew there.

These guys are great. Eveyone in the shop knows their stuff ... I've purchased more than one guitar from them, and will be back again!

I have bought two acoustic 6 strings, one 12 string, one electric, and a 5 string closed back banjo from this store. They sell high quality instruments and the employees are very kind and often helpful. This is my favorite instrument store I have been to.

Large variety of amps, pedals, and guitars from all kinds of companies, small to big. Ranging from inexpensive begginer equipment to hand-wired AB763 Headstrong Royal Reverbs, brand new custom shop instruments, and collector Fender's and Gibson's from before the time God needed guitar lessons from Hendrix. They also have acoustic guitars, if that's your thing.

A great music store, with an interesting selection of instruments. I visited after touring the Santa Cruz Guitar Company factory to try out some of the instruments. They had a diverse selection, provided expert guidance and a relaxed atmosphere to explore the range of instruments. I was also impressed with other guitars, both new and vintage that they had to offer. I would definitely recommend a visit and consider buying a custom SCGC instrument from them.

Pretty cool guitar shop. It has many fancy acoustic guitars

Expansive and impressive selection of guitars and other stringed instruments. Employees kindly took the time to give our son a lesson on how to properly change his guitar strings and maintain his instrument.

Sylvan is a great guitar store if you love beautiful guitars. I go in to get my Dean Markley mini jumbo set up and cleaned every year or two but I go in for my 2 for $18 deal on Martin medium gauge strings not because I couldn't buy them cheaper online which is pretty close. But I get to play for 15 or 20 minutes some of the most unique acoustic guitars from both local builders in Santa Cruz area but they have chosen excellent classical guitars from companies that I would put against the best made out there. If you like Taylor and Martin guitars they have them as well. If you have a guitar and want to pass it onto your son or daughter but haven't played it since college, I suggest taking it in to have the strings changed and check to make sure the neck is straight. I've been playing for 35 years and still have them change my strings from time to time.

Great little music store, I got a restring done and David did a great job.

I always appreciate an old timer who's good at their craft, keep it up David. Employees seem pretty chill there too. Their guitar selection is more vintage and they have a lot of higher end acoustics (very pricey)

I am used to going to guitar center where they cater to my type of guitar and amp preferences, but I won't dock any stars off the 5 star review just because of their limited guitar selection. Clearly they cater to a niche demographic with their vintage and expensive guitars, it's just not my demographic as a rock, blues, and metal guitarist. Still appreciate this cool music store right next to the university.

My boyfriend wanted to treat himself and wanted to buy a vintage Martin ukulele that he couldn’t afford before. He was nervous to spend the money, but it wound up being the best purchase he ever made. Great service, great people. He feels he got more than he paid for. I cannot express how great these guys are.

Terrific shop for ukuleles, mandolins, and guitars -- their vintage room has to be seen to be believed! Prices for instruments I'm knowledgeable about seemed very reasonable to me.

My husband and I went on a mission to find his perfect guitar for a big birthday for him. I can easily say after visiting numerous music stores in the greater SF Bay Area (including the infamous Gryphon in Palo Alto) that Sylvan Music is by far the best music store for guitars, ukuleles, violins, etc. in the greater SF Bay Area. There are numerous reasons for this - (1) they have the broadest and best selection of guitars from beautiful boutique handmade guitars, such as Santa Cruz Guitars and Goodall Guitars, to more widely known and distributed guitars such as Taylor, Martins and more affordable entry level guitars, (2) they leave you alone and let you play the guitars (or any of their instruments) you are interested in for however long you'd like (after nicely checking in with you to see if you need any assistance), (3) there are numerous places in the store where you can sit and play, (4) the staff are friendly, knowledgeable and just all around awesome, (5) they have the best Luthiers who prep the instruments and do repairs for customers and (6) they are a Santa Cruz local legend being there for 40 years with an laid back and great vibe despite the extremely costly inventory. In addition, they have the best selection of Ukuleles from basic affordable to handmade Hawaiian Ukuleles.

We ended up finding my husband's truly perfect guitar and a beautiful Hawaiian Ukulele for me at Sylvan Music. We could not be happier with the choices, service and people with whom we interacted. If you are a musician of a guitar, ukulele or other stringed instrument (check out their website), Sylvan Music is a destination in its own right and when you leave, check out the handmade chocolates just a few stores away and then take a trip to the beach! Finally, their location is easily found and there is ample parking just behind the store.

Great store. Support locally-owned brick and mortar shops! No Guitars-R-Us for me.

I highly recommend Sylvan Music. Their service is outstanding. I purchased a Martin OM-28A online, sight unseen, knowing I could trust Sylvan Music. I was not disappointed. The guitar arrived in perfect condition and well packaged. They provided free shipping to my shipper in Washington (I live in Japan). Mike at Sylvan worked out a deal where I could pay via bank wire which made the whole transaction possible and easy and quick. Sylvan really cared and provided excellent communication throughout the whole process. I would not hesitate to purchase from Sylvan Music again and I hope one day to visit their shop in person. Thank you Sylvan Music for providing me the guitar of my dreams.

Great store. Been a musician for 25 years and can confirm this is a good store. Got my girlfriend a nice Martin that was the same price as guitar center and everywhere online. So, competitive pricing and nice stringed instruments and a helpful non pushy staff that answered all of my questions. I’ll go back for sure. They also threw in a few extra goodies because we got a decently expensive guitar.

This is the only place I'll go to get my instruments fixed. One of the lutheirs, Patrick, is so helpful and really has his craft down. The first time I asked for something specific to be done and he fixed it perfectly. The second time I realized I made a mistake and he was so quick to replace a part and get my guitar set up for me. Would definitely recommend this place if you need a tune up or need any parts. Everyone is friendly and they always ask if I need help with anything.