Travelling to Santa Barbara, Ca.

[stingraider]

Hi all, I'll be travelling to Santa Barbara in a few weeks, and will have some free time while there. Any music stores that would be fun to visit?

Thanks!

[AcousticDreams]

If you are willing to drive another hour and half north to Arroyo Grande, there is an excellent Guitar store claiming over 1,700 new and used Guitars and stringed instruments.

And just 15 minutes more to San Luis Obispo are more guitar stores. I have been to lightning Joes and it indeed does have a lot of nice guitars. I have not been to the ones in San Luis Obispo.

https://www.lightningjoes.com/

[Inyo]

Originally Posted by stingraider

Hi all, I'll be travelling to Santa Barbara in a few weeks, and will have some free time while there. Any music stores that would be fun to visit?

Thanks!

Jensen's on De La Vina Street comes to mind. It was there when I resided in Santa Barbara a number of years ago, at least. A mom and pop shop.

[H165]

Bonnie Raitt will be at my favorite music venue - the Santa Barbara Bowl, about the time you are there. Park several blocks away and walk to the venue. I stay right there on State and just walk all the way over. About a 35 minute "easy" walk. If you're going there today - Jackson Browne plays tomorrow night at the Bowl.

Jensen's on De La Vina Street comes to mind. It was there when I resided in Santa Barbara a number of years ago, at least. A mom and pop shop

Jensen's is still there and going strong. Worth a visit - usually a few fun old guitars behind the counter. Never know what will show up in there. Pay CLOSE attention to your navigator - it's in kind of an odd spot near the upper curve of State street wedged in sort of a hidden triangular section of streets between Alamar and De La Vina in the same parking lot as Grocery Outlet.

Lightning Joe's is on the corner of Branch (a freeway exit) and Bridge Street - Arroyo Grande. 90 minute drive north of Santa Barbara. Take the 101 route unless to want to go up the pass & stop at Cold Springs Tavern (weird hours and again - hidden location) and see Kenny Sultan & Tom Ball on your way. .

You might want to visit the Santa Barbara Courthouse. Walk around the lower levels, then climb the little hidden staircase all the way past the bells up to the top. You can have a look around the whole town from up there.

[KESTLY]

Originally Posted by Knives&Guitars

If you are willing to drive another hour and half north to Arroyo Grande, there is an excellent Guitar store claiming over 1,700 new and used Guitars and stringed instruments.

And just 15 minutes more to San Luis Obispo are more guitar stores. I have been to lightning Joes and it indeed does have a lot of nice guitars. I have not been to the ones in San Luis Obispo.

https://www.lightningjoes.com/

I live in San Luis Obispo, and unfortunately there are really no stores here in the city worth checking out. I do all of my business at Lightning Joes in Arroyo Grande, but I wouldn't recommend a three-hour round trip from Santa Barbara just to go there. That "1,700" new and used guitars is a tremendous exaggeration - maybe between 200 and 300, but they do have a pretty decent selection of higher end Martins and Taylors, some Guilds, Gibsons and Yamaha too. But, no boutique stuff at all.

[Rolph]

I live just south of Arroyo Grande. Lightning Joe's gets none of my business. They probably don't have 1700 guitar picks. You might be better off checking out shops in the Bay Area, if you have an xtra day or two. Difficult now, cause we have our annual forest fires.

[garsurf]

Chris Jensen is a retail pioneer and the guys there are great, but the store could not sell enough Martin's to remain an authorized dealer - so inventory wise the store is a shell of its former self. Also keep in mind their pandemic era hours of 10:30-1:30 are now permanent.

And it's the last guitar store in SB, even Instrumental Music could not make it work. Tough to buy even a pick around here...

[Bridgepin]

Originally Posted by garsurf

Chris Jensen is a retail pioneer and the guys there are great, but the store could not sell enough Martin's to remain an authorized dealer - so inventory wise the store is a shell of its former self. Also keep in mind their pandemic era hours of 10:30-1:30 are now permanent.

And it's the last guitar store in SB, even Instrumental Music could not make it work. Tough to buy even a pick around here...

I hope Chris can keep his store open, I read somewhere that he was going to retire and close a couple years back but the schools asked to continue because he was the only place in town were people could get lessons.

I bought my very first good acoustic at Jensen music in April 1980, still have it today.

There used be two guitar shops on State St. in the early 80s near the Granada theater.

I wonder if there is any in Ventura anymore?

[Corndog]

Originally Posted by stingraider

Hi all, I'll be travelling to Santa Barbara in a few weeks, and will have some free time while there. Any music stores that would be fun to visit?

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Knives&Guitars

If you are willing to drive another hour and half north to Arroyo Grande, there is an excellent Guitar store claiming over 1,700 new and used Guitars and stringed instruments.

And just 15 minutes more to San Luis Obispo are more guitar stores. I have been to lightning Joes and it indeed does have a lot of nice guitars. I have not been to the ones in San Luis Obispo.

https://www.lightningjoes.com/

And, if you are willing to travel about an hour and a half south there is Norm's Rare Guitars.

NORM'S RARE GUITARS
18969 VENTURA BLVD.
TARZANA, CA 91356
(818) 344-8300

[rscott4079]

Originally Posted by KESTLY

I live in San Luis Obispo, and unfortunately there are really no stores here in the city worth checking out.

Of course if you're a resonator guy, SLO is home to the National Guitar company. Not sure if they have a retail store or not. And Marc Schoenberger has a repair shop that sells vintage resonators:

http://www.nationalguitarrepair.com/index.shtml

Similarly, south of Santa Barbara is the Guild company in Oxnard. Again, I don't know if there's a retail shop.

[Rockysdad]

I'll second the drive down to Norman's Rare Guitars, nice guy and lots of guitars.

If you do stop in Oxnard to see Guild, there's Larrivée there as well.

Better add an extra day,

[Inyo]

Originally Posted by H165

... Lightning Joe's is on the corner of Branch (a freeway exit) and Bridge Street - Arroyo Grande. 90 minute drive north of Santa Barbara. Take the 101 route unless to want to go up the pass & stop at Cold Springs Tavern (weird hours and again - hidden location) and see Kenny Sultan & Tom Ball on your way.

KS & TB are great, indeed. I just checked their schedule. They'll be playing at the Cold Spring Tavern on September 11 and September 25, 2022, 1:30 to 4:30pm.

[Charmed Life Picks]

Norm's is the Gruhn of the West Coast. Check their website before making the trip, as they've reduced their hours since COVID, and they even like to work by appointment. Also, Norm has had some serious health issues recently, so he may or may not be in the store. Nice guy.

If you go through that much trouble, you might want to hop over the hill and visit McCabe's in Santa Monica, one of the best legacy acoustic guitar dealers in the States.

And bring an air conditioner. Even Santa Barbara was over 100 this week.

sm

[pvfederico]

The Larrivee factory is in Oxnard -- a relatively short drive. I bought a guitar directly from them a few years back

Jean Larrivee Guitars USA Inc.
1070 Yarnell Place
Oxnard, CA
USA 93033-2454
805-612-0326
Email: [email protected]

[CopyCat]

Lightning Joe’s has a lot of Martins, including custom shop Authentics and quite a few new-old-stock Authentics, so if you like Martins it might be worth the extra travel.

I’m not sure whether you’re coming from the north or south (unless you’re flying in). There’s still an Instrumental Music in Thousand Oaks. The Ventura and Santa Barbara stores closed during pandemic. As others have said Jensens is a shadow of its former self, sadly.

And of course if you’re coming from LA area there is McCabe’s as mentioned. Westwood Music is also (sadly) gone.

Have a nice visit wherever you go