Gryphon Stringed Instruments

I had my Fender Custom Shop Bass set up here and the experience couldn’t have been better. Next time I buy an acoustic, it will be here. They are not the cheapest but the service and the knowledge is what you pay for. All in all, a good shop with knowledgeable staff who take the time to help you make the right choices.

I bought a guitar here over the weekend and this was the best guitar buying experience I’ve had, ever (also, I bought the best guitar I’ve played).
My experience was outstanding because:
1. The sales people were very knowledgable and gave me both information and also weighed in their opinion on what they liked without sounding judgmental.
2. They let me play the guitars without hovering like a vulture. This is huge!
3. Most importantly: They did not pressure me into a sale! I took a long time in deciding if the guitar was the right fit for me and they just let me basically sit in their amp room like The Thinker (but with clothes) for a good 15 minutes without attending to me.
On top of that, I had a few discussions with their repair team over the phone regarding ways to modify the guitar and the effect of different types of modification.
Gryphon is the standard in how I think a guitar shop should be run. The level of expertise here is very, very high, without pretension. Overall, this is the 50s Les Paul Standard of the guitar buying experience.

I went into Gryphon today with my kids and was struck by the kindness and understanding of all of the employees. I don’t know anything about music, other than I like to listen to it, and they were so patient and understanding. We were there to find out about guitars/​lessons for the kids. I found out they sell and rent and have lessons. Wow. One of the people we spoke with was named Paul. He was so kind, and so good with the kids, and my thousands of questions. I was a little nervous going in, because when a friend found out we were on our way there, she said it was known to be the best shop of its kind in NORTH AMERICA. Wow. They certainly are the best if you ask me :).

Extremely helpful and kind employees (thank you Michael!). Just got two ukuleles and books. Great introduction to this world. Very infirmary be and helpful about which instruments to get started with, who to work with gut lessons, etc. Will be back.

The customer service is absolutely the best! They’ve helped me beyond the call of duty. Expertise about guitars like no other shop, and I’ve been to many, many shops. Also, I read some other reviews about people having a negative experience testing guitars there, but mine was the complete opposite. I played 5 different guitars while waiting for a set up that I couldn’t get just right, and no one was bothered with my playing the guitars while I waited.

I just can’t say enough about Gryphon. I don’t know if I’m a better musician because of them, but I most certainly am a happier one!
I noticed a minuscule defect in a banjo I purchased from them. Seriously, something so small it took me months to notice. Even after 7 months of daily play they offered to replace it! Even better, they were willing to replace the 11″ I’d bought with a 12″ pot model that I’d come to prefer. I felt bad even asking, but Tom said he’d take care of me. I’m honestly blown away.
What else? Let’s see… Gryphon turned me on to Jody Stetcher, my current banjo instructor. The amazing Frank Ford did a quickie setup on a banjo I’d bought elsewhere and wouldn’t even charge me. Tom and Frank even looked over an instrument I was buying privately from another customer to make sure it was in good shape!
I’ve always felt welcome, and they’ve kindly put up with my pitiful (but improving!) plunking as I’ve played every banjo that has come through their doors. Please ask for help if you want it, otherwise they’ll probably give you space to explore at your leisure.
Tom, Frank, an the rest of the crew at Gryphon have quite literally gone above and beyond in every one of the numerous interactions I’ve had with them. I’ve bought two banjos from them and look forward to buying more. At this point if they carry it, I’ll not buy it elsewhere. Heck, I’m out of strings and I’m waiting until I get down to Palo Alto to restock!

I called to ask some general questions and whoever answered was condescending and gave me attitude when I asked to see if something was in stock and if they offered a service. Great, you just lost me as a potential customer.

Many thanks to Frank and Steve in the repair shop for their expert analysis of how to remedy a fret buzz problem I was having with my Gibson L5. I have had several guitars worked on at Gryphon and have purchased a couple of guitars and amps there as well. Always 100% happy with my experience.

Nice store and good selection of acoustics. Half of the staff is very friendly, though you’ll hear a few snickers and comments when playing from the other half. At least I did. Big turn off there, but I knew what I was about when testing out my options.
Ultimately, though, when I was ready to purchase a few weeks back and had cash in my pocket, they wouldn’t negotiate price with me. After about thirty minutes, they offered $ 50 off a $ 3k guitar. That’s it. No more and no freebies like strings, etc. I was pretty disappointed. Wouldn’t listen to my counter so I just said thank you and walked out. I understand that they may not be able to go as deep as a bigger shop but it seemed ridiculous to not budge at all considering I had cash on hand.
Drove to GC and bought a higher end acoustic for considerably less than what I’d have paid at Gryphon for the lower model. Considerably. So much so that I ended up buying 2 guitars through GC that week.
I’ll probably take a few into Gryphon for setup as they seem to do a really great job, but I can’t see myself buying any gear there after this experience.

Great selection of stringed instruments and professional luthiers who really know their stuff.
I have been going to Gryphon’s on and off for 15 years and the service to this very day has been excellent. You really get what you pay for. I needed a minor adjustment on a premium Kanilea ukulele and was serviced by Alex in the repair dept. He immediately knew what to do and took precise measurements. He performed the work while I waited which was about 15−20mins. This is usually unheard of since most luthiers require you to drop off the instrument and leave it for a few days even for something minor. Playability of the uke was transformed. Thanks Alex! All the staff I interfaced with were all very helpful and kind!

Gryphon String Instruments has excellent luthiers, a great selection of guitars, and friendly customer service.
I got my Martin DCX1E repaired /​adjusted by Brian. Before the repair, the pick-​up underneath the saddle needed to be adjusted since the same note played on different strings would have different volumes. Brian easily fixed this, so the guitar is well balanced when plugged into an amp or other speaker system. Brian also lowered the action for me. In the first two weeks of playing the guitar again, I noticed some fret buzz on the guitar. I called Brian at Gryphon Stringed Instruments, and he was willing to readjust the action for me for free. Normally, it takes a few days for the repair to get done. I told Brian beforehand that I was coming from Berkeley, and it’d be ideal if I could pick up the fixed guitar the same day. He kindly adjusted the action to my playing style that same day.
The store has many great Taylors, Martins, and other guitars. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly! This is currently my favorite guitar store to visit!

I cracked the neck and headstock on my Les Paul (a terrible mistake on my part), but the guys at Gryphon did a fantastic job of repairing it. It looks and plays as good as new! A fantastic repair job, great customer service, overall an excellent experience in what was a pretty stressful situation for me!

I’ve spent a lot of time at Gryphon trying instruments and having work done on my guitars. They really run a great business. The guys in the repair department are VERY knowledgeable and always show an interest in explaining something should I have any questions. I’m particular about my setup and they always nail it.
I haven’t even mentioned their selection of guitars yet, oh boy. If you’re a fan of acoustic instruments this is your shop. Their electric selection isn’t too bad either.
Overall a cool store, I’d recommend a visit.

Having been back a few more times, I realized this is a place where if you need help you need to ask for it and once you do they are pretty helpful. Otherwise they just leave you uninterrupted to play the guitars. They really do have a great guitar selection that are all well maintained and set up nicely.
My 2 cents — if you’re looking for a friendly & pleasant customer service experience, talk to Matt or Paul. I don’t think they mean any harm but the other workers there can be quite frank and blunt when answering questions. I think people interpret this as off putting or elitist.
Overall 4 stars mainly for their guitar selection, customer service is hit or miss.

I had the guys at Gryphon do a neck reset, a new compensated saddle, nut, pick guard, and new frets on my 40-​year-​old Martin HD-​28. Frank Ford did a thorough assessment and his recommendations were conservative. He called on Brian for an opinion on the neck reset. They agreed that it was not really necessary at this point. But since a fret replacement is part of the reset, and I definitely needed frets, I decided to do it all.
Brian Michael did the reset and saddle while James Hingston did the frets. What a great job! I should have done this ten years ago.
I will definitely be using Gryphon for my future guitar work needs.
Thanks Frank, Brian, and James.

I got my guitar here for probably way cheaper than what it should have cost — it is a 1995 Taylor acoustic. The staff is incredibly knowledgeable and worked with me to choose the right instrument. They even gave me a deal with an extra set of strings and a case.
I also used to take guitar lessons here and Greg was a great teacher! We would choose any song each week and even if he didn’t know it he would work to write the chords down.
Gryphon just has a magic to it that you have to see to understand.

Marc M. and Bruce K’s reviews are accurate. Based on one of my last experiences, I might not go here as often or get work done because one employee was very unfriendly, almost condescending, and short with me. If that’s his personality, I apologize, but he made me not want to have the store operate on my guitar. I didn’t get much help from him at all and that’s very troubling as a customer when I’m bringing a semi-​expensive instrument in for work and want to have all my bases covered.
Anyway, they made my guitar more playable. Good setup for the money. But it’s a setup that other places could have done — and done with friendlier staff.
Go to this place when Paul or Matt is working. Otherwise, go to Guitar Center in Santa Clara which actually has decent customer service.

Having a refret job done on a guitar is a massive undertaking. I brought my guitar in after reading the great reviews. Gryphon did not dissappoint! In a few weeks the old frets were replaced with stainless steel frets and the work was excellent! Looks perfect!
James took the time to discuss the options and made sure it was satisfactory when finished. If you are thinking of having fret work done you’re safe bringing it to Gryphon. Highly recommended.

Very nice and clean instruments, if your in need of a quality acoustic guitar they have them.

I love guitars and this place is like acoustic heaven. Definitely not a guitar center. High quality perfectly setup instruments on display. I was impressed that I was immediately asked to remove my coat as not to damage the guitars. I had been looking for a 00 – 15 Martin and they had one that was perfectly setup. After playing many others I settled on the 00 – 15. Great sounding all Mahogany guitar. As far as service went it was polite and to the point so don’t expect to have any fluff about buying your instrument. Definitely a well educated staff however. Also if you want a one of a kind guitar they have several. Top shelf. I also purchased a pickup for the Martin and it was installed within a day. Impressive. I would highly recommend this shop for anyone that wants to invest in high quality instruments for their collection, I will be back.
I wanted to add that after I wrote this I found a small flaw in my new guitar and brought it in and it was fixed within 20 minutes. Good as new and they tossed in three sets of strings at no charge for the inconvenience. Great service.