Guru Guitars,

5221 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC 27606

"Kind and knowledgeable staff. Low key, casual instrument and part shopping experience."

"For the kind of shop they are. Their prices are actually extremely reasonable, I've been to other enthusiast level shops that are 20 to 40% more expensive than a big box, but their strings are essentially the same price, and a lot of the other guitar maintenance equipment is priced very similarly. They don't have many new guitars, actually. I don't think they have any. But I definitely wouldn't call the stuff they sell used. I'd call it vintage, It's the kind of place you want to look for grail guitars. TLDR: good prices on consumables, you might accidentally put a few thousand dollars on a credit card buying a guitar older than your dad though"

"Great selection of quality used gear and top notch customer service. I recently moved to the area and am glad to have found this place as there are not many options outside of the redundant big chain stores here."

"I've been living in Raleigh for thirteen years and hadn't yet found a small homegrown music shop to frequent until I found this place. I've always done my own minor work on my instruments but one day my 79' Fender Precision quit working and the work was beyond my ability. Anticipating overcharges I dreaded taking it to Sam Ash or Guitar Center. I searched the internet and called some places. Even before getting price quotes I wasn't happy with anyone I talked to. Gene answered the phone when I called Guru Guitars. He was polite, professional, informative, and at the end of our conversation he gave me a $25 quote. I hadn't visited the establishment yet but I already felt a sense that I had finally found the little music shop that had been missing from my life. The store itself is a modest showcase. Once you start handling the equipment though you'll be in awe of how even the cheapest stuff is worth every penny. They love what they do, and the adjustments they do (there's a team, not just Gene) on everything in the store are proof. Everything is handled with care. They're not in the business of cheating anybody. Also, if what you're looking for isn't in the store they can find it and order it through a trusted network of musical connections from around the world. I brought along my 98' Japanese Fender Mustang and asked them to replace the pickups. I mentioned certain specifications I wanted, and they got creative to make it happen. Without cutting into the guitar, they put stratocaster pickups in it to make it sound brighter than normal Mustang pickups. I later got them to beef up my nylon string Ibanez. These jobs were over $300 each, and I'm not complaining. These guitars served me well playing live, but I've never been able to record with them. Now I can and it's brought my creativity to high levels. I'm having a lot of fun now that my favorite guitars I've had for years are good quality instruments. If you want your instrument repaired ultra quickly, they may refuse or not be able to accommodate you however. There's a heavy wait on repairs. My bass took over a week, and my guitars took a month each. The service they provide is great, so I definitely think the wait is worth it. The rule of thumb is the longer you wait for something, the more awesome it's going to be when you get it back."

"We just purchased an ukulele for our son at guru guitars. Gene was so helpful. He helped us find he ideal instrument based on what we were looking for. The uke he thought would be ideal was not in the shop but he was able to get it in next day. because he has such great relationship with the manufacturer. He helped with all of the accessories and even threw in a free Guru Guitar tee. I have heard wonderful things about lessons and repairs. The store is very cool with a combination of new, used and custom instruments. I couldn't be happier with the service and expertise."