Baxter Northup Music Co.

I’ve been wandering in and out of this store since I was in grade school some 20 odd years ago. The staff here is incredibly knowledgeable about instruments and music. I took lessons for awhile which were reasonably priced and then stopped as life becomes busy. I never fail to find a piece of music to buy. It was the first place I could think of when my mom’s violin needed the bridge adjusted. The gentleman was very helpful and also tuned the violin so she could play it. Great customer service.

Excellent place! Went to get strings renewed for a violin which I’m trying to sell… He offered me three different price categories of strings and put them on. Since I’m a complete newbie with the violin and he saw that I had a newly wrapped bow, he actually pointed out I need to rosin the bow… (Never knew about that, but how could I as a complete stranger to a violin).
I’m glad he did, because now I know that without it, the violin wouldn’t make a sound!
Thank you for that, and thank you for the excellent service and actually not charging me the general $ 10 for putting the strings on! Little gem in the valley…

We have been taking music lessons here for years. Ed, the owner, was very helpful in finding us a cello to purchase after renting through their program for a couple years. (The rent program they offer is great!) The music instructors are terrific. We have worked with Alison for cello and Korey for drums. Couldn’t ask for greater teachers for my kids. Love this place!

This place is all about the music and the instrument. They fixed my flute at a reasonable price and are so knowledgable. They helped me when my son started the alto saxophone, even though it was a school instrument he looked at it and gave us useful information on carrying forward and getting supplies. The reeds are best priced here compared to other stores.
I play piano, and this place has all the sheet music and lesson books you will need. Go here and get set up and you will not regret it. Both parents are kids will be find this store helpful whether you know music or not.

Worst customer service ever!!! The gentleman on the phone was extremely rude and cut me off after two questions saying he has to go, basically shutting me up, will never go in there

This might be one of the oldest independent retail stores in California, open for over 100 years. It is what musical instrument stores used to be before franchised mass marketing. A wide variety of new and used sheet music is available for all instruments, and the store offers lessons and repair services. I always find something for myself and frequently call others to recommend what I’ve seen that might interest them.

Went here on recommendation from another store and was super disappointed.
If you like customer service don’t waste your time.
I walked in and the store was empty.
yet the people there couldn’t take 2 minutes to say «hello. Can we help you find anything?». That’s really all I needed.
I decided not to buy the violin music I came for and instead purchased a piano book for a friend.
Upon check out I was rudely addressed by a man behind a laptop who couldn;t be bothered by me and directed me to another counter.
During check out I was not asked if I found everything okay or if anyone helped me. had she asked I might have bought more music and written a nicer review.
What a waste of time and gas! Missing Hollywood Sheet Music terribly. :(

I have only great things to say about my first experience there last week. I was looking for a used trumpet at a great price for an intermediate player like me. Not only did they have exactly what I was looking for, the quality and price were both better than I had expected. The trumpet is just like new in every way and ready to play. It was clear that they care about what they sell. The service was so helpful and knowledgable that I only spent 20 minutes in the store. I know this because the parking lot behind it was 60 cents every 20 minutes. I got a fantastic instrument and the bottom line is I can’t stop playing it and making more, and better music. Thanks Guys.

Steve is the man! He keeps my sax running smooth! I’ve been going here since I was a kid! I’ve gotten multiple tenors from here too. –Aaron

people here are always so nice and helpful! I’ve bought 2 instruments here and both have been good instruments, i have no problems.

Baxters is great! I go here a lot to buy more and more instruments! They are very friendly and agreeable. Bit pricier than others but its worth it.

I’m new to the L.A. area and my vintage King Baritone Sax was in desperate need for repairs. My high-​D key was fully popped off, kept on with electrical tape, there were leaks up and down it, and it was basically unplayable.
I found these guys on a sax player forum recommended for there good and quick fixes so I decided to try them out.
I worked with Steve in the shop and I have to say he was AMAZING! I showed up at 6:45 expecting to drop my sax off and leave it there for a few days for some major overhauls, Steve surprised and delighted me when we immediately went into the shop at the back and he started working on it right then and there! He started by soldering the key back on, then he proceeded to check all the pads on the top end for leaks and fix every last one of them! he replaced one of the original pads with a modern one, and got it playing better than it has in MONTHS! My reeds were pretty crappy by that point so he let me try one of his fiber reeds and it sounds INCREDIBLE!!!
He finished everything in an hour and a half and I left as the store was closing. For the solder, Pad, and Leak fixes he charged me 10 times less then I expected to pay!!! I ended up buying the fiber reed he let me try and some reeds for my alto, it ended up coming to about 80 dollars but I would have happily payed 200 for the service I got.
If you need an instrument repair, it’s MORE than worth it to take it to these guys. Steve was amazing and the other guy at the counter (cant recall his name) talked at length about Baritone sax cases with me with an excitement I’ve never heard in a music store.
I was expecting to be picking up my bari this weekend, but in 90 minutes I had an amazing working Bari sitting in my backseat ready to rock!
I loved these guys and Steve not only fixed but let me observe while he did which I really appreciated as It’s nice to see «how» something is fixed so I might be able to do it myself one day. Love this store and I’m glad it’s the first I went to. I will not be going to any other repair shops as these guys have won my business.
From a 12 year sax player dealing with many shops where the service was either shoddy or condescending These guys were an amazing breath of fresh air.
Try them out! You WILL NOT be disappointed!

I love this place! When it comes to having the largest inventory and selection of new and used sheet music books, no other place in Los Angeles even compares! I found wonderful treasures every time! Great staff, too! Musician’s paradise!

I’m surprised I hadn’t come here sooner, seeing that I live so close. Glad I discovered it… I love coming here to buy music books for my students. They’ve got pretty much anything you need in stock at all times, and I particularly like their awesome selection of used/​reduced price books. Most of them are in great condition and you can find some absolute gems for really cheap. Also, 10% discount for teachers, yay!

First of all let me just say how nice it is to be sold a musical instrument by true fans of music. Every salesperson I’ve spoken to from when I bought my first clarinet, to when I happened to need some odds and ends for my band really seems to know their stuff.
Their knowledge base isn’t just limited to musical instruments, but to history trivia and genre. Call me crazy but I thinks that waaay cool! Many a time I’ve walked in to purchase some reeds and spent an hour in there. time seems to stop when I visit baxter.
Sure the prices are a bit on the steep side, but I’m okay knowing that I’m supporting a local business and the knowledge base and service a def. worth it.
Keep up the good work guys

Do not get your sax repaired there. They took my money and didn’t even fix the pads. Baxter is good for buying reeds, music stands, sheet music, etc. For horn repair use Westside Woodwind Repair, the only honest guy in town.

My 8 year old started coming here about 3 months ago. After a month of taking lessons from a really great teacher, the teacher moved and I was forced to find a different teacher. For that entire month I would sit watching the lady in the room next door teach people to play guitar, so I asked her if she would take my son on as a student. She said yes and I am so glad she did.
October is my sons teacher and she is just the best. I can’t say enough good stuff about her. After only a few lessons she got my son p, aging songs and he absolutely loves coming to his lessons.
And it’s not just October, this whole place is amazing and the staff is fantastic. So accommodating and friendly and knowledgable. We will be coming here for years!

Some incredibly cool staff here; always polite and honest and helpful! There’s some specialty double-​reed stuff I know I’ll have to order online or make special trips; but when I’ve come here with a list I could always find it. I even found some treasures in the used book section!
The community bulletin board in the back has been an easy place to find out about events for my students.
I tried to get an appointment with a specialty repair shop in town; the wait list was 4 months for basic repairs. Since it wasn’t crack repairs, I called Baxter Northup with my «Could you please do basic adjustments on my oboe» request. They got it done in a realistic amount of time and probably for ¹⁄₃ the cost of the other guy.
My oboe’s in great shape now.
Thanks to all the good folks at BN, and cheers to great music ahead!

I’ve frequented this music store for many years, mostly with reasonably good success. (hence the A-​OK rating).
As a pro trumpeter/​flutist, I’ve purchased new and used horns from them and have sold (on consignment) several instruments from them over the years. 18 months ago I purchased a new, gold-​plated, Schilke B1 trumpet. It is a great horn and I love it and got a fair price (they even took another like-​new Shilke X3 as a trade-​in). But I’m selling as I have more horns than money these days!
Today when went there to put my beautiful like-​new Schilke B1 (gold-​plated) on consignment with them (at their invitation) I received the «Who are you and what are you doing here?» reception and less than enthusiastic response to my horn (which is in perfect condition) with new pro case.
Ed was the one who sold me the horn to begin with just 18 months ago, and I thought he would be happy to have the horn back to resell and reap more profit. A no-​brainer really.
No, instead, he came up with nothing but reasons why it wouldn’t sell and basically wasn’t interested except to say, «We’ll hang it on the wall but I can’t promise anything» And, «It’s a slow market.» (not exactly big news to me).
At the very least, I was looking for someone who was interested in the horn — as I knew that would affect potential buyers. That attitude was not in evidence.
So I packed up my horn and left, not a happy camper and very unlikely to return. I don’t hold out much hope for longevity of this music store in spite of its long history in the business.
Times and economic conditions change but there is one thing that does not: people.
If you don’t keep the customer happy and satisfied with a friendly, helpful attitude, and excellent service, your business is on its way down (sooner or later). Ignore or neglect the people at your peril. They are after all the only reason you are in business to begin with.
Dan J.
professional trumpeter

Good place to buy some sheet music and a decent place to buy a few accessories like music stands and metronomes, but not a GREAT, amazing music store like you’d see in New York by any means.
The problem is that they don’t even pretend to stock a comprehensive selection of sheet music. The classical pickings are just o.k., the pop stuff is meh and the materials for music teachers are a bit better but nothing to flog your Molly about. Unfortunately, there is nothing here to make you say: «nom nom» and salivate down the front of your shirt.
You’ll be leafing through the classical music books and come across a yellowed book of Brahms piano pieces that looks like it was left behind in 1940 by Irving Berlin who was running late for lunch with Hoagy Carmichael at Musso and Frank’s. I know this because the waiter who was working that day is still there, going strong at 107 years of age, where he’s still slopping creamed spinach from antique chafing dishes directly into people’s laps. But I digress.
If you meander over to the popular music section you will find the sheet music for «Windy» by the Association, some howler by Taylor Swift and a collection of «the best of a-​ha» all stuck together with a piece of gum, spat there by a Goth girl who thought she was in the clothing store next door.
But here’s the good news. You can usually find most «normal» things in this store, but the esoteric and obscure stuff will probably not be in stock and will bring on offers to «special order» things for you. But at that point you’re probably better off doing it yourself over the internets invented by Al Gore who is a total hypocrite because he just bought a gigantic house that uses more energy than a family of pygmies in New Guinea uses in an entire decade. But again, I digress.
The best thing about the store is that everybody is really nice, somewhat knowledgeable, and very helpful and enthusiastic about your patronage. And for that reason, I will go to them when I am needing anything in the realm of basic sheet music, perhaps a music stand every few years, and lord knows what else.
They also sell some musical instruments like tubas, kazoos and those little wooden recorder-​flute-​thingies that we used to blow on in elementary school, the sound of which would attract bats and hornets that would make their nests in the teacher’s hair. And they also give music lessons… the store, not the bats and hornets. (But it seems like the people taking the lessons are mostly kids being dropped off by their parents so they can bang on a drum set somewhere other than in their house.)