California Vintage Guitars

Is this place actually still a business? Seriously...

I've tried to stop by a couple of times when Yelp and their site say they're open, but they are very, very closed. I even went around the back to see if they just had the front of the shop closed for some odd reason.

Calling their phone just gets you a recording saying that they're either closed or are helping customers.

There are way too many guitar shops in LA to run a business like this.

If you ever open up again, I'd be happy to stop by.

what a terrific experience! thank you Sam and Dave for making this sentimental trade/purchase sugh a happy one.

Drove 20+ minutes to find out they're closed even though it said they're open online.

Tough time to be a guitar dealer. Customers should be treated like gold. Unfortunately these guys that run/work in this place carry themselves with an unfortunate air of false superiority that it's palpable.

You NEVER know who is walking into your shop. Whether they have money today, or will come back with plenty of money tomorrow. Sometimes people have questions , or they want to negotiate and make a deal. The way a salesperson handles a customer says volumes about their professionalism.

Unfortunately the airs that are out on display by the sales people here, the smug disinterest and lack of attention to customers is such a turnoff.

Some of us have been playing, buying and selling guitars for over 30 years. Some of us may turn into repeat customer for a long time. But not if you act disinterested and above it all.

Sometimes I feel like a carnival side show freak. No, I don't have an extra eye, 5 noses, or a manly amount of hair on my body. Nor, am I ten feet tall. Why do I get stares like I'm the next Elephant Man? Because I bravely tell men that I know how to play stringed instruments and can freely talk about the technical aspects of guitars, banjos, etc. It's comparable to a man seeing a woman repair a car: they are in shock.

The main reason that I get annoyed is because when I walk into a guitar shop, the male employees tend to ignore me like I shouldn't be there unless I am with a male present. Surely, I can't play guitar myself or know a thing about amps, right? This is what happened at California Vintage Guitars & Amp. A small shop and the non-chain store aspect created the image that I would receive a neighborhood-type welcome.

That didn't happen. I was ignored by the guy on duty until about 10 minutes into browsing. His "Are you looking for anything in particular?" didn't sound like he cared at all and was more of an annoyed, "Get out, you will probably break the guitars" sort of intonation. I instantly felt unwelcome but "busted out" my guitar knowledge and mentioned how they had a Gibson 67 Hummingbird which is my dream acoustic guitar. I also asked about banjos and told him I used to own and play a 5-string and suddenly his attitude lessened a little. Regardless of this slight improvement, he didn't walk around with me, suggest any guitars, ask if I needed help, etc. In fact, he didn't even look me in the eye and seemed to always be walking away from me as I walked.

The redeeming factor was the actual shop and guitars. California Vintage is the home to some beautiful Gibsons, Gretsch guitars, and resonators. They also get banjos here and there, although there were none at the moment. Plus, there is nice couch setup with mini candy bars (ie Milky Way and Snickers) at which you can cozy up and try a guitar. Not to mention, it also has that drool-worthy Hummingbird.

Nice products but I expected better service than I get at Guitar Center and I didn't receive it. To the guys at California Vintage Guitars & Amp: this is 2011 and women DO play guitar and have bands. We aren't freaks. Learn some manners.

Don't go here. They attempted to fix my amp and the only thing they got right was ordering the correct knobs. Had to take it somewhere else to fix what they messed up. Avoid these guys. Also they are rude as well lol

Great little spot. I'd really like to mention and praise their Guitar tech Seth. He's a super cool and knowledgeable dude. Does very precise and good work and at reasonable rates as well. Customer service at the front of the store was great too. Will definitely be back for any future repairs or set ups for my instruments!

Craftsmanship, humbleness, and integrity...
qualities that my man Seth embodies. When I took my idea for a "Texacaster" to him, I saw his eyes light up and just knew he was the one.....OMFG!!! I am just so happy with the newest addition to my collection...looks, feel, and sound are spot on. Most importantly, I was treated as if I was "somebody".....now lemme go home and play some blues

Amayumi Steven Kusunoki

Seth is a true professional. I brought him my favorite guitar, an 80's / 90's Frankenstein Stratocaster which was in bad need of a fret job, etc. I can truly say that this is the best my guitar has ever played.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend California Vintage Guitar & Amp to anyone looking to breath new life into their weathered players guitar or prized possession.

Great vintage guitars...great atmosphere and couches to play on...stoner customer service.

Their website still says they are open from 11am - 6pm, Mon - Sat. That is grossly misleading. The store is open when they get around to it. They pretty much told me so.

I brought my guitar to them for repairs and was told it would be ready in a week. Since I would have to pick it up during my lunch hour after slogging through bad afternoon traffic in that area, I needed to know that it was ready for pickup before starting out.

Their answering machine doesn't tell you that you can't leave a message until the end of its long greeting....so you can't get a call back. You have to call them. If time is critical (pick up on lunch hour) and you need the instrument for a gig that evening, you begin calling at 11 (opening time) ... and call and call and call. No one answers the phone before 11:30am.

After the first week I was told my guitar was fixed. I went to the store...and it wasn't repaired. When I brought the instrument in and described the problem, I wasn't listened to. Now it would have to stay another week.

A week later, I, again, have to get the guitar on my lunch hour. At 11 o'clock I call and call and call. At 11:30 someone answers and I'm told the guitar is ready. I decide to pick it up tomorrow.

The next day I'm at the store at 12:20...and they're closed. I returned to my office without the guitar and later called and asked the front counter guy what time they opened. He said 12pm. I asked why their website said 11am? He said (not making this up), "Oh yeah man, in a 'perfect world' (sarcastically) we open up earlier at that time. But we're definitely here by 12pm." I told him I was there at 12:20pm and it was closed. He replied, "Oh, we were here, man. You may have just thought we were closed, but we weren't." I said the shop was dark, silent and there was a locked steel gate pulled across the porch where their mail was still sitting after the mailman dropped it there...because they were closed. Again, "Oh, we were here, man. I'm not going to argue with you. We were here, man." I had my wife pick the guitar up that evening.

If you want to see/play some great inventory and have a laid-back, Tommy Chong, "Hey man..whenever. It's cool." attitude about getting your guitar fixed and returned to you, then California Vintage Guitar is your place. I won't be going there anymore.

Seth Mayer may be the expert, skilled luthier that other reviewers here claim he is. I can't say. He was very apologetic about not getting to the problem the first week and discounted his fee for the setup he performed on my guitar because it would have to stay another week. I appreciated that. That is customer service. If he is a good luthier, he needs to disassociate himself from California Vintage Guitar because they are costing him regular customers...like me.