Ive recently moved close to Santa cruz and needed some stuff for my guitar. There are few great music stores in Santa Cruz but I came to starving musicians. They are in downtown SC and parking is easy.They have a great selection of instruments, specially electric guitars. The staff are friendly and very knowledgeable. Prices are also fair. Definitely recommend this place.

I recently received an old acoustic guitar and needed to get some basic supplies to get it up and running. I was pretty pumped and didn’t want to wait for Amazon deliveries so I headed down to the local music shop in Santa Cruz. I bought a guitar stand, 2 packs of strings, a few picks and a 🎶 tuner. The staff was nice and helped me out pretty quickly. It looks like they have a decent selection of used and new items.After I got home and settled down I checked the prices and was pleasantly surprised that all of the items were the same price as what I saw online! I didn’t feel ripped off like I was expecting too by over paying for any of the gear.I will definitely be going back for more shredding supplies in the future!

This is where my son purchased his first electric guitar, in 2020 and amp, and with his own money. He has been playing it like a mad hatter ever since. His favorite band to replicate is Black Sabbath with Ozzy Osborne. He not only knows all of their songs, now, he has also started writing songs with Black Sabbath overtones, with one better than anything theyve written. I purchased a very cool Nashville # system, harmony chord building and music theory chart. Everyone who plays an instrument should have one of these, if they plan on writing. I bought one for my son, too.

They are following COVID protocols by limiting the number of people in the store at a time and ensuring mask adherence for patrons. I got what I needed right away and didnt have to wait. Overall a good and safe experience.

A very good used instruments store. Honest, knowledgeable, with good prices whether you are buying or selling. I have done both over the years.

Always a good place to come to frequently, loads of new stuff and nice staff.Asked to test a tube amp head, they power it on and hand me an instrument cable. Minutes pass by with no sound and I realize they didnt hook up a speaker to take the load from the output transformer of the amp. R.I.P. to that amp10/10 would come again

I am having a nut and saddle replacement put in my classical guitar. Ive always gotten excellent treatment, products and services from the guys that work at Starving Musician and a great time turnaround for repairs. I wouldnt take my guitar anywhere else. 🎶🎵🎸🎶

Rented mic stand for my wedding last minute. Were quick and easy

Good shop, visitors need to ask for knowledgeable help and wait for it. Not in same league as Sylvan for vintage/collectable, but got a GREAT deal on a blond 2006 ES175D OHSC case queen. Shop setup was spot on, threw in strings and strap. Bring cash and dont blink.

The kid I dealt with was courteous and helpful and even suffered a return visit! Thanks guys

Gave me a great deal I think they know how hard it is to part with an instrument sometime and they were nice and not like guitar center reps. They invited to come back and play it. Made a really hard thing a lot easier.

Lots of homeless people in the parking lot and around the building, and they were not musician. More like a pawn shop feel, instead of a music store. Sad.

Helpful guys, sold me strings for my Banjo and advised me on where to take my acoustic Fender for minor repairs, and described what was needed. Also got cool pic that clips on my thumb. Glad theyre still around!

Very friendly and helpful staff, great assortment of guitars, and just a great feel.

Excellent friendly serviceEarlDanPaul

I was starving and they refused to provide me with nourishment :(I also only saw a couple eagles and not even one pelican, kind of behind the times if you ask meeeeeee &%$

Great, amazing selection. Very friendly staff would recommend.

They were not very helpful. Told them I was looking for a used electric guitar for my wife to learn on and he didnt care to take the time and talk to us. All the employees were just hanging out in the front and not really doing anything. We left.

Cool shop really nice folks running the place and pretty good selection of guitars

The store is so awesome. The ambiance is killer and the selection of music is great too. I got to see some classic games and even so modern vinyl records too! I hope to come back to pick up some stuff! Oh and the staff are just friendly as can be!

Easy peeps to love, request a hug in advance and they will oblige!

Great staff, sweet prices, always plenty of guitars to choose from

A hip place... you can also usually find really great deals on drums and guitars 🎸 🥁

Great used and new items. They buy instruments that are in reasonable condition. They do not do trade ins but if they buy something from you, you can use the cash towards something else. Very nice staff and a great environment.

Love this place the staff are really nice and amazing musicians been going for 5 years now and it’s still great pretty good prices to keep it up guys 😁😄😁

One stop shop is becoming a SC icon and cornerstone of this interactive musicman conscious uprising we are taking part in currently.

Bring a mask! I didnt have one but they were nice enough to sell me a string curbside. They have an awesome store.

Great music store in santa Cruz. The staff are usually very helpful and glad to answer questions. They have a large selection of electric, acoustic, and bass guitars. They also have ukuleles, amps, and other electrics. I think they even have drum stuff. Either way, its worth a visit if your in the market or need a part for your musical instrument. The prices seem pretty good.

Great place excellent service. Very friendly and knowledgeable staff. Great location with free parking. Excellent store policies. Only guitar store I know of that encourages you to try out the equipment before purchasing. Specialize in used gear.

My grandson found the guitar of his dreams here after months of looking in the bay area! Rock On!!!

Great collection and service

Go local. Good people good service. Bought a new Yamaha keyboard there and it was cheaper than Amazon and we got to try it to see if it was what we wanted. Totally stoked!

With a wide range of experience each employee brings their own taste and opinions which are great for learning more about the products they have and also how to be a better musician. I miss the old location that seemed larger and had more unusual and odd stuff, but the service is excellent and when I am in a bind they always seem to be able to get me out of it.

Been coming here since I was a kid and they were on ocean street, bought and sold several instruments through them, and its always been a positive experience. The employees are more than willing to help you find what you need and are very encouraging to beginners. Plus theres always funky instruments in there that are fun to mess around with. This store just has a great vibe.

Really some beautiful instruments here. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. Not much more to add... You cant go wrong. So glad to have this place in town!

Great selection of musical instruments from their mainstay used guitars to school band instruments. Theyll order stuff they dont have, but they have the best selection in cheap but good used guitars and other modern musical instruments. Weve bought and sold guitars, amps, pedals, mics, cables, and rack equipment. Its always fun to tool around and see whats in stock or read the wall covered with upcoming gig posters. They were great on Ocean, now theyre down on Pacific, the heart of town, so parking is limited unless youre willing to pay. And thats okay!

Everyone here is super friendly. They always have what you need, and if they dont, they will help redirect you. The prices are super reasonable as well! You really cant go wrong with this store.

My friend brought his guitar in for new strings, and because he has poor eyesight, he asked for assistance in restringing. Though there were quite a few customers needing assistance, my friend was told theyd have it done within about 40 minutes. We browsed a few other stores and came back in 30 minutes, delighted to discover his guitar was ready -- for about $30.

Mostly my friend liked it and they seem to have a big collection of guitars and amplifiers of all kinds, some I have not seen before.Also an isolated room where you can sit and play the guitars you found.They do have a weird bag policy where you cant go around with a bag in the shop so they request that you leave the bag behind the counter. Just put cameras in the shop to avoid this...

Lots of good deals and helpful staff! Thank You Starving Musicians :)

Great place to pickup / find used gear. They have a decent collection of entry level instruments and equipment too. A great place if youre on a budget, as the name may suggest, and with knowledgeable and friendly staff.

Great music store in downtown Santa Cruz. Feels old school like a music store should. Play the instruments, check on local shows. Just a cool place to hang

Iconic Santa Cruz shop! New and used, no stairway! Great selection of ukuleles as well.

I needed a quick replacement for a piece of gear that went down at a local Club I work at sometimes. They had an adequate used device at a great price.Great staff.

One dude with a mustache was super cool the other guy was kinda a jerk and didnt seem to want to sell anything. A great attitude goes a long way. I would have bought something had the gent been nice.

The best in the Bay area. There is no Guitar Center in SC, so Starving Musician gets all the good cheap stuff, and they can afford to keep it clean with good employees.

This is the greatest music store. Although most guitars are lower end,they also have the Lowest prices for a few high end guitars.There are real pearls to be found by a buyer who knows their Gibson,Fender, and Taylor guitars.There wont be many of them,but I got lucky with each one of those names.The staff couldnt be more helpful. What a fun place to visit, if you enjoy playing guitar music.

Friendly service and a large selection! Dont be intimidated and just go in and ask for what you want. Or just go in and look or play the wide variety of instruments on display!

Super helpful staff! Really helped me make the selection I needed! I am definitely coming back!

Knowledgeable staff, no pressure sales

Great service. Had a great jam session here. Lucas and the staff were awesome. Rose Valley Thorns approved...

I would give a 6 star if it was not for the poor flute selection 😁

Moved from their old location to downtown santa Cruz. Its my favorite music store in the area. They are reasonably priced and have a good selection on most things. They are a lot cheaper than other places and also sell used instruments which I really like. The staff is really knowledgeable and helpful.

I was surprised at the competitive pricing, I was expecting over inflated everything yet everything was reasonable and I found a guitar I was interested in that I will be going back to purchase

I recently went to rent a violin for my 12 year old. The guy helping us was very helpful and the price was fair. Overall it was a nice experience.

The people down at Starving Musician always treat me like Im somebody when Im really just nobody these guys are pretty cool right on man thank you

Great people really appreciate the folks at the shop

Nice old school drum shop and music store. Prices seem reasonable.

Got a part for an economical price. They have a good selection. The staff give good tips about items and the guitar in general

I love this place. Its not too big, the people there are nice. the store gives off a really friendly vibe, and theres no pressure to buy anything expensive.

I know the owner and the business is helpful in locating accessories!

Not so starving anymore. Welcome to Guitar Center II, complete with attitude and disdain. Wonder what the owner is starving from? Sales people who want to be there,and not looking at the clock wishing for you,it, and a late sale to all go away.Nuff said.

Great local musical instruments shop 🎼! They have a large variety (for a smaller local spot), knowledgeable staff, and they are willing to sell/trade products.

Every time we go there the staff is incredible friendly and very helpfulIts our go to for anything musical

Really nice selection of new and used, staff know their stuff should you have any questions.

Friendly, knowledgeable and helpful staff, good prices and lots of variety. I like the no-pressure, laid back feel here ... It takes time and experimentation to find the right instrument, and this is a good place to figure that out.

The help is experienced and they add some humor to your shopping

Knowledgable staff with all the help and none of the pressure. Lucas was great!

Friendly, down to earth reps will let you demo equipment, or demo for you.

Awesome. Great instruments. The best Ive seen.

Always interesting musicians gear at all three locations and at fair prices. Knowledgeable staff with loads of experience too.

They may not have the selection of a NYC or L.A. Sam Ash or Guitar Center, but this is Santa Cruz and the folks who work there sure are friendly and genuinely seem to want to help.

Not a bad place. Polite employees, asked if I needed any help or demo anything. Used gear was ok, ok prices. I like the real old Vintage gear, they had some. Thx

Friendly & knowledgeable staff. One stop shop at reasonable prices.

Cool people and very good prices

All around good

Great people and a decent selection of new and pre-owned gear.This store has been serving the musical community for a long time.

I needed to find a beginners guitar book and pick, they helped me find just that and we’re friendly!

Cool locally owned music store, nice variety of new and used gear reasonably priced.

Good selection, good prices, the only catch--and you might like this kind of thing--is that there were so many people in there trying out instruments that you could hardly hear.

Good

Starving musicians cant afford this place. Some cool things on the shelf.

Nice folks, good service. No pressure ❣️

First place ive ever changed a review on !! If your looking for a well made cheap guitar and good customer service this is the place.. the only complant i have is they wont trust you to walk around with a back pack in there store.. but expect you to trust them with you back pack? But ive brought 3 guitars from here and will be back for more

I just bought a Yamaha guitar and I am totally satisfied with both the guitar and the experience in the store

Rasict employees mainly the guys the girl is cute and freindly

Stretch in the drum dept has always been super helpful and friendly!

They have everything in there, and helpful musicians on staff willing to spend time with customers and share expertise.

Ive purchased many things from them over the years. Every time the staff has been so helpful.

Awesome place for used and new equipment super good prices

THE only true music store in Santa Cruz!

Knowledgeable and friendly staff. So Santa Cruz 😊😊😊

WAS a 25 year vet of yhe santa clara storeNever again, Santa Cruz .Since the new location attitude is all you get.They knew clearly my purchase history and would not do business.I never post, iim making an exception for these rude children.

I am the Pastor of our church in Freedom, we had a couple of issues having to buy electric guitar cords over and over. I talked to Stretch (who by the way is the man!) and he recommended a cord that has a lifetime warranty. We have been using them ever since and havnt had any problems. Any microphones, drum heads, pianos, drum sticks, ........ect. We will be going to Starving Musician for all our future needs. BTW, all the employees were great as well.

Great music store youll never know what youll find here prices are great

Tried talking to staff and got ignored. All I wanted to do was try out one if the digital pianos. Couldnt even do that. Wouldnt recommend to those who are artists its clear they dont care.

Huge selection of used and new music equipment for all types of music, super good prices.

Great customer service, very friendly. Great prices.

Awesome staff, great selection!

OUT OF BUSINESS! This was a regular stop for me for years, whenever I would be in Santa Cruz (4-6 times a year). I see a mention of Guitar Center (?) on this thread....ugh! Another one bites the dust :(