Real Guitars

I had an awesome experience with Real Guitars this week. I went in asking them to lower the action on my guitar and they took it right away to work on it (I called guitar center first and they said it would take a few months for a service). They did a great job and the guitar plays much more smoothly now, and they didn't even charge me! I will definitely be back for more when I have other questions, this place is great!

Best service I ever had - my guitar sounds better than ever! I would never go anywhere else - Jeremy, Ben and Chris are simply the best! This is where to go for guitar repair in San Francisco - thanks guys - you're the best!

Dropped off a new guitar here for a setup and they forgot about it. The concerning part is that I called several times to check on it and was simply told they were still working on it. Finally (after a month) I went in and asked to speak to the repair guy who had to be called because he is never in and he asked me to remind him about what I wanted done because he forgot.

He hadnt even looked at my guitar. Also, they will low ball you when you sell items to them. They will tell you they can find it on ebay for cheaper than it is actually selling. Hate to put down a small, old buisness but avoiding this place will save you a lot of trouble.

Visited the store from out of town to look at a bass guitar i saw on the website. dealt with the owner and his son. these people are pure class. incredible service.sincere, humble, honest, professional, caring, and friendly. this is, by far, the finest, most-welcoming, old-school vintage guitar shop i have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. reward these good guys with your business. they deserve it.

I found a instrument from Real Guitars in an online search. Called them up and they answered my call, took my order, and shipped it to me very quickly. The instrument was a great price and in the advertised condition. I had a very positive experience with Real Guitars. Recommended! :

Real Guitars is a Diamond in the rough. Chris and Ben are knowledgeable, talented, and want you to be happy with whatever you purchase. I've now bought 2 guitars from them, and had one setup. As a musician, you'll appreciate this place. If you're needing new gear, this is the wrong shop, but if you appreciate vintage you'll leave with a smile.

I have been going here all my life. The collection of guitars' basses, amps is truly amazing! I have bought a Marshall head and cabinet and received an unbelieveable bargain! I also got my instruments repaired, re stringed. My amp head tuned up. Guitarists, if you go inside the store be prepared to droole. Oct, 25,21. I just had my Les Paul mounted with new machine heads and new Seymour-Duncans. Chris did his magic tweak to the guitar and it plays like a wet dream. It really plays better now than before his work.!

I had the pancakes last time. excellant syrup and butter. bacon was a perfect crispy! and u can smoke ciggies at ur table. love this restraunant

They set up my guitar, explained all the costs clearly (even ones that could come up later) without hiding anything. I also was distracted by their collection of beautiful guitars and forgot to tell them my guitar was a half step tuned down. But they are pros for sure, as they noted it before getting to work, and they polished the frets on my strat and kept note of all of the nuances of the guitar. Somehow they even finished the job in a few days. i would drive an hour here any day to get repairs again.

Came in to buy a cheap strat and everyone in the store was very welcoming. They even let you play on the guitars and offer in-person and zoom lessons. Support local music shops like these, people!

I've shopped here for many years. Chris Cobb is a friend with the most knowledge along with his son who I enjoy listening to them play at the Saloon. I've enjoyed the experience of their playing along with their knowledgeable hospitality of Real guitars. They are masterful at their trade

I have bought a Gibson ES125t 1964. Im not an expert, I just liked it. They sold it to me without telling me anything about the details im about to unveil. It has nails covering up an old repair, and it needs a huge overwhole. They could have say something but the old man choosed not to. because he knew I wouldnt notice. Well done fellas, here is my review and I hope many other guys like me read it before buying something from you. There is no dignity in making money that way. I will never ever buy anything again from you.

I needed to get a written appraisal on my Gibson Song Writer guitar for insurance purposes. Lucky for me I found out about Real Guitars. When I say found, I mean found. They are located on a tiny one way three block street off of South Van Ness Avenue. Chris and Ben have owned this great store for just about forever. Their main business is buying and selling vintage guitars of all kinds and repairs, but they also do appraisals.

In about an hour I had a very detailed appraisal that my insurance company accepted. I wish it would have taken longer. The place is like a guitar museum and the guys are a great hang. It seems like anybody who's anybody has passed through the doors of this store. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the great deli around the corner on Howard Street, Don's.

Super duper old school. More choices than you could make in a million years, and the prices are real right. For all your guitar needs, check out Real Guitars. You will be glad you did.

This Guitar store is what a REAL GUITAR shop is all about. Plenty of cool used, vintage gear from guitars, basses, pedals amps and such. The staff is very knowledgeable and friendly with decades of expierence. It brings back great memories of the Golden age of guitar stores, a place where you can over hear interesting stories from other customers and the staff or strike up a conversation with a fellow musician, artist or collector.

They also have a great and affordable repair shop located inside with some down to earth Luthiers who will be honest with you about your repair or needs and not try to up sell you. Definitely a must stop and shop when in San Francisco.

This place is awesome! Great selection and non pretentious staff that knows their stuff.

Really helpful staff and super friendly, filled with some of the weirdest and coolest guitars and amps seen with my eyes. Highly recommend popping in even if just for the experience and not to buy. Will be back for sure.

Love this place. Genuine and what a mom n pop store should be. Always cool inventory.

I found my new favorite guitar store! You won't find brand new guitars here, but the guitars you will find are high quality and unique. The staff is absolutely wonderful. You won't feel intimidated at all, and the staff is quick to help you and make conversation. I came here to find a Christmas present with my mom, and our price limit was $500, there were plenty of guitars well within our budget.

The staff is happy to pull down countless guitars for you to try. They also carry amps, strings, loop pedals, and anything else you'd need to fulfill your guitar needs. They even threw in a free set of strings with my guitar! They also do excellent guitar repairs. Like I said, the staff really made the experience. My mom was talking to Fernando (awesome pink hair, by the way) while another very nice staff member helped me try guitars to my hearts content. Definitely recommend this store!

This place is awesome. Great selection of awesome vintage instruments, a decent selection of odd and straight forward guitars and basses too. I want money to buy things. I'll ask the president to give me some.

I had purchased a '64 Gretsch for my boyfriend for his last birthday from a secondhand seller. While the guitar was in beautiful condition, it needed it's neck reset and a few minor tune ups! I went to see Gary and Fernando here at real guitars and immediately felt comfortable to have them work on it! We took it in and a few weeks later we picked it up and man.

Good as new! Can't give this place enough praise! Gary and his guys do amazing work and Fernando was so kind and easy to talk to about the repairs! Don't take your guitars any where else!

I've frequented this place forever and they're the best. They always bend over backwards to make everything right with every purchase and they certainly have the best selection of vintage guitars and amps in the bay area!

I do not think there are many places left like this and I feel fortunate to have Gary, Fernando, and the gang conveniently located. I brought in a bass that they fixed while I waited, for FREE. They could have up-sold, suggested more work be done, but they did not. I will always go here first for any repairs. Thank you!

What a great shop with cool vintage guitars and amps. The people who work here are incredibly warm, welcoming and helpful. It's the complete opposite of Guitar Center which is a good and bad thing depending on what you are looking for. If you are looking to peruse some cool vintage and consigned guitars, this is the place! They let you play and fall in love with the guitar of your choice. However, they don't have the stock Guitar Center has so if you are looking for a very specific new guitar, this is not the shop for you. Great shop, great people. And they won't make you feel like a complete loser for coming in and asking questions.

I've been here. I like it. Now for the long version of my review. I've heard fables and myths about Real Guitars and their vintage collection. Two days ago, I needed to pick up someone at SFO. So I thought, why not go a little early, drive a little farther, and visit Real Guitars? So off I go. Little did I anticipate the horrendous traffic on 101N.

Long story short, I arrived at 5:50pm, 10 minutes before closing time. But I got in! I GOT IN! The place was a lot smaller than I imagined, based on all the stories I heard. But what I didn't anticipate was how tightly they packed the space - guitars and basses and amps EVERYWHERE. Literally. I was afraid I was going to breathe in and expand my gut and knock over something.

They sure used their space well! I went specifically looking for Guild archtops. Saw one. Didn't really check out the other guitars and amps because I was on a time crunch. Other reviewers were right, in that the staff leave you alone and don't bother you or hound you. I liked that aspect of the visit a lot. I appreciate being left alone to browse to my heart's content. I'll be back.

This place exists for the love of guitars and not purely to make money. I went in there this morning to learn my first thing about guitars. Being an absolute novice, attempts could have easily been made to take me for a ride. Despite being open about my absolute lack of knowledge, Ben was awesome. He took the time to "patiently" explain all that I asked him (and I asked him a lot).

His inventory as of this morning did not have anything suited to me, and rather than trying to upsell me, he gave me very realistic advice (even if that meant I was not going to end up being a paying customer). I figured the least I could do for this business was to talk about them on yelp and to name Ben specifically. No fancy sign, no fancy window displays, and definitely not a location to earn a lot of business, but DEFINITELY a business worth checking out if you are interested in guitars.

I would never have know of these guys if not for a recommendation from a guitar enthusiast, and this right here is a recommendation from a novice. Regardless of where in the spectrum you may be, please check out Real guitars for a Real good experience.

I read some really weird reviews of this place. My opinion: Look, don't go there if you are looking for some car salesman type guy to loom over your shoulder trying to peg you to purchase something you don't want. Do go there if you want to browse some of the coolest vintage Guitars and Amps. If you have a question these guys will bend over backwards to answer.

If you don't ask for help they won't even notice you are in the store. Get it? They don't even say hi sometimes. However, that is what we like. I just want to look around.myself. Leave me alone. If I need help I will ask. I LIKE THAT! You will find that these guys are absolute experts in vintage guitars and amps. You also may get to see some heavy hitters hanging around when you are in there.