Tanyan Music

I stumbled across this store a couple of years ago and was very pleasantly surprised.
All of the guitars come from a single Chinese manufacturer, Caraya, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at the variety available in the store. There are all kinds of acoustic, electric, plug-​in acoustic, bass, and classical-​style guitars, with styles that emulate many of the top brands, but at much lower prices. Even though the prices are low, the guitars are well-​made and sound very good, so they’re a great value.
But while the guitars are the first thing that catch your eye, you’ll find plenty of other instruments here, some of which are quite interesting. (I recently bought a combination banjo/​ukulele here!) Along with the violins, mandolins, and ukuleles, there are a number of Chinese instruments, too, including erhu, pipa, zither, dulcimer, and several types of bamboo flutes. There are also plenty of accessories, and even musical-​themed jewelry.
This place is especially awesome for beginners — not just because of the low prices, but because you can take lessons here, too. (I’ve taken some erhu lessons… fun! What a cool instrument!)
The woman who owns the place is sweet as can be, and very helpful. Stop by and take a look at this place for yourself. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!

If you want a surprisingly well-​made instrument that plays with far better tone and clarity than you would likely expect for it’s price… then Tanyan Music in Chinatown is an excellent place to come. Tanyan Music has been around for a few years, but recently moved to a much better location on Gin Ling Way. The owner runs the store and she is super helpful and friendly, she will make sure you are good with things before leaving.
They sell Chinese instruments (erhus, dizis, etc) as well as mostly flamenco/​classical guitars, dreadnoughts and some electrics as well. They tend to have at least a couple 12 strings too.
The notable thing about the instruments is the intonation and clarity you receive compared to the cost. The build quality is good, in that the instruments are solid. The detail work varies depending on what you buy as there are several variations within most of the instruments. As far as the guitars and ukeleles are concerned, there is a certain surprise and coolness about making one sing for a fraction of the cost elsewhere. I can tell you that for the Chinese instruments, the same applies: these instruments elsewhere can cost several times more.
As for accessories; this is the place to go if you need something and you are in the area. There are strings, capos, picks, tuners here. The prices are more than reasonable. If you are picky about selection, particularly in strings, then you’ll have better luck somewhere else: but, what is carried is perfectly good, often more than good.
Tanyan Music is a neat little shop, definitely worth visiting.

This is a small place in Chinatown, but the prices are so so low for the quality of the guitars. If you don’t care about getting a Les Paul or a Fender or something, this is the place for you. The lady who works there/​owns the place is SUPER nice and she is a big reason why we are loyal customers to Tanyan!
I’m a student at USC and for some reason had the hardest, most frustrating time looking for a place that sold glass slides nearby campus and one bus will take you straight to Tanyan. They sell cheap, really nice guitars, violins (and electric violins), ukeleles, ERHUS (!!), tuners, capos, so on and so on.
Love this place — must check out if you need any guitars or guitar accessories!