Everything About Music In San Francisco 

Local music shops San Francisco buy drums guitars in your area

Everything about music in San Francisco is going to be covered in full detail over the next few minutes. Of course this is a really broad topic but we will do our best to share as much info as possible while doing our best to not waste your time.

Getting things going will be a list of the best musical instrument stores in your area. There will even be separate lists for where to buy guitars and the top drum shops in town and while some may quibble about which store should go in which list we will do our best to get things sorted out for you.

Where to get a broken instrument repaired will follow that up. There are many repair companies that can tune a piano, repair a guitar, or work on all varieties of band instruments.

Once all the instrument talk is out of the way we will pivot to local music classes and lessons for kids or adults before moving on to stores for music lovers that sell vintage CD’s and records. You can find numerous places to be entertained at the best concert halls and live music venues near you.

Bars and restaurants with live music will get a shout out as well. A discussion about the San Francisco music calendar wouldn’t be complete without mentioning some great festivals and events either.

At the end we will share a map to help you find these stores or venues, and you are all welcome to read more about the scene in some other towns around the Pacific Northwest if interested.

Musical Instrument Stores In San Francisco

The best musical instrument stores near you would be:

Robot Speak does software demos and has fully stocked audio hardware for the computer-based home and project studio as well as classes.

Haight Ashbury is a full-service music store in your area that carries instruments and recording equipment while also offering on-site rentals and repairs.

Instruments like guitars, percussions, brass, and bass as well as accessories and method books are available at Heriz Music & Art and they also provide local instrumental music classes to students of all ages.

Ken Su Violins sells and rents violins, violas, cellos, and basses plus they can handle repairs.

For an upright, grand, and digital piano store that offers purchases, rentals, and service contact San Mateo Piano.

Gelb Music in Redwood City sells, rents, and repairs instruments and can even do lessons.

Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto sells, rents, and repairs new, old, and vintage instruments ranging from guitars to mandolins to violins.

If you are trying to find a music store that sells and rents new and used instruments while also doing repairs consider The Starving Musician.

Berkeley Musical Instrument Shop sells new and secondhand instruments including handmade guitars, drums, and stands while also being a good option for repairs.

Where To Buy Guitars

If you are specifically trying to buy a guitar or guitar accessories check out:

Steve’s Guitars sells stringed instruments near you including guitars, lutes, mandolins, banjos, ukuleles, and more including solo classical guitars and jazz guitars.

A wide range of steel and nylon string acoustic guitars are the specialty at Guitar Solo.

There are a few Guitar Center’s in San Francisco including one in San Mateo and they are a one-stop shop for all varieties of guitars and other instruments as well as accessories and gear.

For a quirky, retro-style shop filled with new, used, vintage, and custom guitars as well as group lessons contact Subway Guitars.

Most of the stores from our other lists will also be good places to buy guitars in San Francisco so you don’t need only focus on this section.

Drum Shops Near You

Live music lessons near you San Francisco vintage CD record stores

A Drummer’s Tradition at 740 A Street provides buyers and sellers with the best that the market has to offer in antique, used, and new drum sets and hand drums. Of course many of the other local instrument stores we are mentioning in different lists will also have a selection of drums to choose from too.

Instrument Repairs

You can get quality instrument repair services in San Francisco at:

Union Music Company is a premier music store for band and orchestra instruments in your area offering a huge inventory of new and used instruments, sheet music, and a repair facility.

Lee’s Sax Worx is a piano tuning and repair company that also repairs saxophones, clarinets, and other instruments.

For one of the top guitar service centers in the Bay Area offering high-quality guitar repair along with guitar maintenance and construction workshops to musicians of all abilities as well as sales and repairs of stringed instruments and lessons contact San Francisco Guitarworks.

Lynch Guitar Repair in San Mateo provides live professional skilled guitar tech services.

CAE Sound repairs the full range of pro audio instruments and equipment including guitars, keyboards, and more.

If you want a full-service shop focusing on name-brand instruments for pros and students that also does classical lessons get in touch with Peninsula Music in Palo Alto.

Other places that we have mentioned throughout the post that also offer instrument repair include Haight Ashbury, Ken Su Violins, San Mateo Piano, Gelb Music, Gryphon Stringed Instruments, The Starving Musician, and Berkeley Musical Instrument Shop.

Music Lessons

Taking music lessons at these schools can level up your game in a hurry:

The private lessons at Vibo Music School are tailored to an individual’s learning pace and interests while programs in a variety of genres are available.

Blue Bear School of Music offers group classes, band workshops, and private local lessons in guitar, piano, voice, ukulele, bass, drums, mandolin, and violin for all ages.

For a great music school and vocal studio providing private lessons for children and adults in voice, piano, guitar, violin, drums, winds, and other instruments contact Inspire Music.

Little Mission Studio provides high-quality music education through private lessons, group classes and workshops, and summer music camps.

Melody, orchestra, classical, and modern music as well as instrument fundamentals are the specialty at Melody Academy of Music in Palo Alto.

The School of Rock is a good place to take guitar, drum, singing, keyboard, and piano classes or to try their workshops and camps.

Other places that we have mentioned throughout the post that also offer music lessons include Robot Speak, Heriz Music & Art, Subway Guitars, Gelb Music, Subway Guitars, San Francisco Guitarworks, and Peninsula Music.

CD & Record Stores

Some of our favorite stores for local music lovers with lots of vintage CD’s and records are:

Hercules Records is an independent record store with multiple locations including one in Berkeley that specializes in used and new vinyl records and offers a top quality selection of music on vinyl regardless of rarity.

If you are searching for a hangout for indie music fans offering free live shows and an eclectic selection of new releases and vintage hits head to Amoeba Music who buys and sells used records, DVD’s, and CD’s near you.

Thrillhouse Records is a volunteer-run store specializing in punk vinyl including albums put out on its own recording label.

Whether it’s 60’s rock or folk, 70’s fusion, 50’s jazz, classical, movie soundtracks, children’s music, or something outside of the box you never know what you will leave Groove with.

Rooky Ricardo’s Records is a new and used vinyl store with a wide selection of vintage albums and listening stations in a small yet colorful space.

Tunnel Records specializes in jazz, soul, and rock and sells used and new vinyl, used cassettes, and pop culture-related things.

For an all vinyl shop specializing in house, techno, disco, and electronica records visit Vinyl Dreams.

Vinyl Solution Records is a low-key store that buys and sells new and used vinyl records in San Mateo as well as CD’s, cassette tapes, and music memorabilia.

The Record Man is packed with over a million LP’s, 78’s, and 45’s ranging from blues to country to classical.

Live Music Venues

These San Francisco live music venues are great places to see a concert or performance:

Bottom of the Hill is a terrific live music venue with outdoor seating that offers a variety of live music.

The Fillmore is a historic concert venue offering access to the world’s top musical performances, full-service event production, cutting-edge lighting and sound, and personalized menus and mixology.

The Independent is an intimate live music venue in your area with a full bar that features indie and emerging acts.

For an upscale live music club with a dance floor where live funk, jazz, and blues shows go down check out Boom Boom.

Rickshaw Stop is a 4,000 square-foot old TV studio that features a full bar and food service as well as Indie bands and DJ’s who rock crowds in a tiny creative environment.

Blues aficionados of all ages will enjoy the comfortable, intimate, and exciting setting with down-home Southern fare at Biscuits and Blues.

Club Fox is a small theater with a variety of music acts, a dance floor, and a lounge area in Redwood City.

Cubberley Theatre is a venue for performing arts events like plays, live concerts, and other performances and shows in Palo Alto.

For a live music venue in Alamo featuring live performances from different genres go see what 21st Century Sounds has to offer.

The UC Theatre Taube Family Music Hall in Berkeley is a multi-tiered all-ages live music venue featuring a cutting-edge Meyer Leopard sound system.

The Alternative Music Foundation is a non-profit volunteer-run indie music and art facility where numerous well-known punk bands began their careers.

Restaurants With Live Music

Have a nice meal and enjoy good music at these restaurants:

Bix offers modern American cuisine and classic cocktails served in a soaring two-story dining room to the strains of live jazz.

There is a gorgeous Italian restaurant and bar with white table linens, an Italian menu, and live jazz acts at Zingari Restaurant & Rooftop.

The Chieftain is an Irish restaurant and sports bar offering live Irish music, wonderful food, and amazing happy hour offers.

Barrel Bistro is a fun place with excellent food and live local music performances in San Mateo every Friday night.

You can enjoy American eats served in a lively space with a full bar, a patio, and multiple stages for music in Redwood City at Angelicas.

MacArthur is known for barbecue ribs and other comfort food along with fun filled nights of great relaxing music.

At Forli Restaurant you can enjoy some great local music in Alamo every Thursday.

Cornerstone Craft is an expansive multi-faceted beer hall and American kitchen with ping pong, outdoor seating, and live music in Berkeley.

Bars With Live Music In San Francisco

Plus there are bars that play live music too:

The Saloon in North Beach is one of the greatest blues bars in town delivering daily live music, a large choice of drinks, and a relaxing vibe to a diverse population.

The Rite Spot Café is a cozy candlelit self-described dive pub that hosts a variety of bands, comedians, and performers and promotes the local music, art, and comedy scenes.

For a fun jazz supper club venue offering nightly live music, a cocktail bar, and a modern American restaurant on two levels check out Black Cat.

The Swingin’ Door is a versatile venue with a pub menu, live jazz, darts, karaoke, TV’s for sports, and a beer garden in back.

If you want to check out a library-inspired American bar and restaurant hosting live music in Berkeley curated by Sawyer Gebauer then you should go to Study Hall.

Music Festivals

And finally for the top music festivals near you:

The Stern Grove Festival concludes their season with the great picnic, their annual fundraiser, and a great concert you won’t want to miss.

There are a series of self-produced concerts by soloists and ensembles from around the world at The Fringe where you can enjoy eight days of performances by local, national, and international artists.

Central Park Music Series is a great music festival in the San Francisco area with concerts hosted every Thursday evening from June through August along with food booths.

Music on the Square is a summer music series that features free music on Friday evenings from 6pm to 8pm from rock, blues, Zydeco, swing, Latin, salsa, country, jazz, just-for-kids, and more.

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Enjoy The San Francisco Local Music Scene

Well guys, we tried cover as much as we possibly could. You read about the best musical instrument stores, drum and guitar shops, instrument repair services, where to go for lessons, vintage CD and record stores, concert halls and other live music venues like bars and restaurants, plus the best festivals near you.

Anyone that is still here probably knows bit about the local music scene themselves. If so feel free to tell us if we got anything incorrect, if we left any cool spots out, or just share your own thoughts in the comments at the end of the post. Now go have fun enjoying the music in San Francisco.

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