Real Guitars has been a cornerstone of San Francisco’s music scene since 1986, when Chris Cobb and Ben Levin first opened their doors. While the shop built its reputation as the city’s oldest guitar store specializing in used and vintage instruments, they’ve expanded to offer comprehensive instrument repair services. Their repair shop handles everything from standard setups and refrets to pickup installation and specialized vintage guitar work.

The store’s longevity and expertise have made it the go-to destination for discerning guitarists throughout the Bay Area. Over the decades, their combination of quality inventory and skilled guitar tech work has attracted an impressive roster of players, including Jerry Garcia, Joe Satriani, Kurt Cobain, and Billy Gibbons, along with members of Metallica, Green Day, and Arcade Fire. This mom-and-pop operation maintains its commitment to personalized service, bringing the same attention to detail to their luthier services as they do to curating their vintage instrument collection. Their fretwork and setup expertise, honed over nearly four decades in business, keeps both collectors and working musicians coming back.