First visit to Gryphon in Palo Alto

[lukmanohnz]

I finally made it to Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto CA after all these years.

http://www.gryphonstrings.com

What a nice shop - great inventory of guitars (Martin, Taylor, Collings, Santa Cruz, National, and many more) and a decent selection of mandolins (from Kentucky to Collings, one nice Breedlove KF, a couple vintage Martins, and a handful of odds and ends). Also had a good selection of books and DVDs. I picked up a copy of Carter's new book Mandolin In America which will be fun to read. Definitely worth your time if you are in the area or passing through and enjoy window shopping. Very friendly staff and an impressive repair shop in the back of the store. Erik at the counter gave me a very nice tour then left me to peruse and pluck. There's a National tricone there that called to me (the spirit was willing but the wallet was weak). NFI

[Br1ck]

I've been going there regularly for decades, bought several guitars, taken lessons, attended a few workshops, and generally treated it as my living room every Monday night for about six or seven years when I lived in PA. Dangerous on the wallet for sure. Always a nice selection of used guitars, and decent mandolin, banjo, and fiddle inventory. Arch top guitar heaven too.

Really good people too. Being really good in a very prosperous community is a great business model.

Sylvan in Santa Cruz is a nice store too. Both shops get top dollar for their merchandise, but also deliver the best service and product you could hope for.

[lukmanohnz]

Sylvan in Santa Cruz is a nice store too.

Yup - Sylvan has a very nice inventory of high end instruments. Two of my kids went to UCSC and I've stopped at Sylvan a couple of times to view the merchandise. I do most of my brick and mortar guitar and mandolin shopping at Tall Toad Music in Petaluma CA. That's another shop with an extensive inventory of both guitars and mandolins. Their vintage mandolin collection is usually quite extensive and always includes a couple of pretty special axes. If you ever visit, be sure to climb the stairs at the rear of the store (ask first) so you can see the mandolins in the glass case up there. There are several really old Gibsons in there, and a vintage Fender Mandostrat was in that case for a while (and might still be - haven't been to the Toad for several months).

[Folkmusician.com]

Two of my kids went to UCSC

Two of my parents went to UCSC. Sorry, nothing to add, but that just popped into my mind when I read this. I was in Santa Cruz for Thanksgiving. I really miss it.

[Marcus CA]

I went to UCSC, home of the Fighting Banana Slugs.

One of the many great things about living in the Bay Area is that we have both Gryphon and Sylvan, and they are less than an hour apart --- as long as you don't drive between them during the everlengthening rush hour or on warm weekend mornings. Their mandolin stock is pretty different, although both have been increasing their percentage of PacRim instruments during the past few years. However, you can always play a bunch of Collings at Gryphon and a bunch of Webers at Sylvan.

[Demetrius]

I really like the people over at that shop, they treated me so good...

[Luna Pick]

Richard and Frank are experts in so many areas and have contributed a wealth to the music community (e.g. Frets, books about Martin, Antique Road show, many articles and interviews). And the front and repair/lutherie shop are amazing and knowledgeable, as well as the teaching staff. That little building on the corner is, to say the least, quite the hub. Fun going there and absorbing, and of course buying.