The Fretted Frog Acoustic Guitar Store

Best place to buy Ukelele & Guitars! It’s a one stop shop! They offer a wide selection of both and accessories at great prices! Service was excellent! In house repairs & lessons are available! They buy back trade in for a new purchase.
Location is off the 134fwy… It’s tricky to find but parking is free!

It’s such a shame to have to write this review… This place really misses the mark…
My first visit to the shop was about 15 minutes prior to them closing and that’s how they greeted us at the door… The guy behind the counter said, «Hey just to let you know, we’re going to be closing in a couple of minutes…»
Really? Without exaggeration I was ready to spend anywhere from 2 to $ 3000 on instruments that afternoon but decided to keep the money in my pocket…
They do not price match and all of their prices are inflated due to their, «pro set-​up.»
Their tech has absolutely zero customer service skills and would rather be back there pounding on instruments so you can’t even try out the ones that you went there to try out in peace… He should probably turn down his demo amp and let the real players who came there to buy instruments, try instruments in a quiet environment… We have guitar center if we want to hear all the noise…
I suggest you just pass this place on by has there are many other boutique shops with great gear great prices and a great attitude.

Mail order customer here giving a huge thumbs up to The Fretted Frog. I ordered an Emerald Amicus 12 and it arrived in perfect condition from across the country. When the pickup I ordered for the guitar did not sound right, Roland and crew upgraded to another pickup and no additional charge and threw in an extra set of strings! Highly, highly recommended!

I grew up in Chicago (Chicago Music Exchange) and currently live in Norcal (Gryphon Stringed Instruments) so here’s how I feel this place measures up to the big names.
I spent 1.5 hours here yesterday and not once was I pushed to buy anything. In fact, most of my time was spent talking to the owner Roland about how he started out in the business and the history behind his guitar collection. He was also very open for me to try his guitars and even started recommending certain models that would go with my fingerstyle playing.
As for the guitar collection itself, the store carries a lot of brands I’ve never played before which offer a nice change from Martin & Taylors (I personally fell in love with a Larrivee) as well as some very high end guitars from smaller luthiers. Also every guitar I played had fresh strings and were kept in immaculate condition.
Overall this is a fantastic local shop to visit — the owner is a very genuine and sincere guy and the guitar collection is unique and well kept. In my opinion the best acoustic shop in LA and I hope to give them my business in the future.

This place sells acoustic instruments. Most of the guitars do not have electric pickups. They can add them. There is an on-​site luthier there who I believe is one of the partners and seems completely able.
We purchased a high end guitar here that did have a pickup. The owner did not pressure us to purchase a guitar. He was helpful and incredibly knowledgeable about the guitars they offer.
The place is filled with ukes and mandolins and guitars plus accessories. After the sale, the luthier in the back set up the guitar with new strings and seemed to do even more work, making sure it sounded perfect.
It was a great outing and we are pleased with our purchase. We looking forward to a long and positive relationship with this great guitar shop.

Had purchased a Taylor at Guitar Center, but I was really unsatisfied that the money I spent on it got me the quality and playability I had really wanted.
Hopeful, I returned the Taylor and opted to go local and I was RICHLY rewarded. For the same price as the Taylor I got a guitar with incredible sound, an excellent pickup, beautiful accents, and rich gorgeous wood. It is incredibly playable and I spent hours last night noodling and playing all the songs I know. My fingers are shredded, but I think I’m in love.
The Fretted Frog; there’s something very magical about this place. The owners are very cool; Roland is one of those kind, gentle men who you want to do business with. He knows guitars and what it is in his shop — and theres a considerable collection.
Colin, working quietly in the back, said less but clearly knows his trade. From the sound of it, he came to guitar repair out of need to make repairs to his own guitars and has really honed his craft to a fine art.
Everything was very chill and easy. They let me test several guitars. They had very high quality amps (they don’t sell) to use to check the sound. I want one of these amps but only found one on eBay for $ 1K — ouch! But it sounded incredible, so there you go.
After I selected my guitar of choice; Roland went to the back to get the case and Colin took the guitar to do a last verification. Strings were plucked, adjustments were made, the guitar was cleaned thoroughly, he checked the make sure the seams were tight and probably so much more that I didn’t see.
I HIGHLY SUGGEST THIS SHOP. For any guitar plays from newbies like me to the real pro, these guys have what you need.

Sublime. Ahead of the times. The stuff of legend.

I bought my second guitar from the Fretted Frog today. My first purchase was a couple of years ago and I had a great experience back then as well. These guys are great ! They are very welcoming and offer sound honest advice. If you are a lefty don’t waste your time anywhere else. This is the best spot in Southern California ! I strongly recommend giving them a chance to earn your business.

colin is the best luthier in so cal. roland is super cool – the owner. pasadena’s gain is echo park’s loss. drag they are not just around the corner but oh well. I am not alone – three other fellow professional musicians swear by Colin’s work. he’s like Spiccolli in FAST TIMES: «I can FIX IT!» hahahaha. (the scene where they are baked and Jeff wrecks Jefferson’s car).

Came here to check out their guitars. What a great store, the service is second to none. I felt no pressure to buy, and got some really good advice. I did end up buying from them on my second trip. They cleaned up the guitar and gave me a great deal on a case. I will be back here often.

Brought in my Big Baby Taylor & GS Mini for long overdue maintenance and a pickup install for the Mini. Price was quite reasonable, Colin is a consummate professional, he did a fabulous job, and the guitars were ready in 2 days (as promised). If you’re an acoustic musician/​hobbyist on the Eastside, this is where to get your instruments serviced and repaired. My Taylors play like butter now and sound awesome. The Fretted Frog just got themselves a new loyal customer.

Needed an acoustic/​electric Mandolin and saw a nice one on their website. Went in to check it out and was blown away by the store. Great selection of acoustic instruments and very well-​chosen. Price points from entry-​level through total boutique handmade masterpieces. Once you make a purchase you get discounts on strings, accessories, setups and lessons. This is a music store run by musicians for musicians. I have found a new «go to» shop for all my acoustic instrument needs. No more having to make the schlep to the Westside to hit up McCabe’s unless I want to see a show there.

Really helpful. Great prices. Great trade policy. Like a good neighborhood store. I will buy all my string instruments there.

I really like this store. They are quite knowledgeable and they have great instruments.
I feel like I can take their advice when buying a new instrument and they will follow up and take care of anything I might need.
I’m very glad I found them.

Bought my second guitar from the Fretted Frog. I like them enough to drive the 35 miles to make my purchase. Love the selection and their policy for trying out the guitars before you buy. I would highly recommend them.

I decided to learn to play guitar but first I needed a guitar… Ben helped me select a few models in my price range and he even played different models for me so I could hear the difference between different woods and sizes. Then he set me up on the couch with my top contenders and let me strum away till i found the one that was right for me. This is great place to get a guitar if you want something special. I knew I wanted a guitar that would be with me for a while. I’m really happy with my blueridge.

I had my first visit to the Fretted Frog with a student of mine today (yes, I help my guitar students buy their guitars). The owner and luthier were attentive and helpful without being pushy. They have a great selection that’s different than the run of the mill Guitar Center/​Sam Ash fare. They carry Alvarez, Alvarez-​Yairi, Blueridge, Cordoba, Godin, Taylor and many more brands that run the gamut from budget to pro. Fun store to browse in but the reason to visit is the people who work there because they truly have a love for guitars and they just want you to find the right instrument, even if it’s at another store. I will definitely be back!

Nice store with a cool vibe. I brought in an old banjo that belonged to my dad for a setup and adding a machine head. Work was done nicely, action was slightly higher than I expected. Only problem I had was the banjo wasn’t wiped down or dusted. I don’t know if it was included in the setup but usually the tech would run a rag even when I had strings on my guitar at other shop. I might be too picky. Again, it was a cool store and the people are friendly.

I came here as a guitar novice who had broken a string trying to tune my new guitar. The guys here weren’t condescending at all, and provided such a friendly environment for me. I was expecting to have to buy a whole new set of strings, but they actually ended up providing just the one I had broken (and only charged me about $ 2 or something crazy).
When I asked them about fingerpicking accessories, they didn’t upsell me at all, and actually recommended that I wait to see what my teacher would want.
I tried to tip at the end for the great service, but was handed my money back. Pretty awesome.

This is an update to my review from 6÷22÷2013.
Roland, the owner, contacted me via Unilocal after he read my experience. He was very apologetic about the situation. What stood out the most to me was that he didn’t seem all that concerned about whether I’d update or change my review. Other store owners would be all up in arms about saving their image online, Roland just wanted to make things right, and talk to me in person to make sure he understood what happened so that he can make sure to improve things. The whole interaction was very pleasant and understanding, and it’s great to see a local store owner keeping his shop accountable, and working hard to always be improving.
I will still go elsewhere for my electric guitar service for the time being, but for acoustic needs or strings and accessories (or just wandering and looking at cool stuff I can’t afford), Fretted Frog is still my go-​to.