Marina Music Center

My tenor ukulele had a terrible buzz that was driving me CRAZY. Thankfully, the owner, Alex, assured me that it could be fixed and did so within 24 hours! He then patiently sat down to help me in my quest to play better, showing off his echometry approach to learning music theory. It was one of the most interesting hours, ever. These folks really know their stuff and Alex is a throwback to when personal service mattered and he is passionate about music. I’m so glad I stumbled in.

I was able to get a used guitar and right after the nut broke. I have little knowledge about it but felt in good hands here and everything was very affordable. Support local business and come here. WAY cheaper than a Guitar Center.

The best, fastest, and cheapest guitar repair/​setup in LA. Period. I have had bridge re-​glues, fret planing, re-​frets, and standard set-​ups done at Marina, almost always ready the next day, if not later the same day, for far less money than anywhere else I have taken a guitar.

I love this place! It is a small place but Alex, the owner, is passionate about music and very helpful. He is also good at recommending what is right for your budget and your level.

Alex Sioris is the proud owner of Marina Music on Centinela. He is a PROUD Greek who has graced not only SoCal but our beautiful country as well. His global knowledge about music is VAST and his expertise shows not only with this musical instruments and equipment for sale, but with his playing and artistry as well! I was sucked into the world of Echometry (His music teaching brainchild) instantly and have playing and obtaining instruments from Alex ever since! I have been a proud customer/​student of Marina Music for 3 years and am finally writing a Unilocal review. Also Lucio the Guitar Tech there is OUT OF THIS WORLD. He literally is the best tech I have ever had. He is not out to take your money, but to do setups on your guitar for the long run! :) There other GREAT thing about this shop is that Alex will BUY YOUR INSTRUMENTS! I’ve gotten a few great prices for some of my instruments from Alex! Gahh, love this shop!
W.S.

This place is an absolute rip off… Double check your prices before buying here. Often times it will be cheaper to get the same thing brand new at guitar center. Additionally, I have a college degree in music and have produced Grammy nominated albums. I once took the time to have a conversation about the teaching methods here and would never send my kid to such a place. These «miracle approaches» are no more potent than a bottle of Mona Vie (that infamous pyramid scheme) and applies to the same type of people who would buy into it. There are no miracle shortcuts to learning music. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot and learn your basics all twisted out of shape.

Came here to find a used acoustic guitar for my niece. She wants to take guitar lessons in collage and thought I’d get a good deal here on a used guitar to help her. But had to go to the guitar center for a new one instead. A new one was cheaper.

Went to Marina Music Center Friday to ask Lou about setting up my Gretsch for learning slide guitar. The first thing Lou said way, «actually your guitar is already set up pretty perfectly for slide guitar.» We spoke for a while and he made some suggestions on strings and pickup height and that was it. I saved the set up fee and I’m playing my Gretsch this weekend. After past poor experiences at places like Truetone charging me $ 90 for a setup where it’s debatable that they even did anything besides change the strings, this was a refreshing change. I’ve been traveling to a shop way up in valley for repair work but now I’ll be happy to take my future business to Marina Music Center.

Alex has been running this little shop for the past 20+ years. He knows what he likes and has a good collection of mics, amps, and guitars.
Besides that, he’s a pretty cool guy. The last time I came in, he spent 20 min showing me a music theory app he developed.
You can tell he’s just a guy who likes music and wants to share that knowledge with every one that walks thru the door. Thanks for the lesson!

I’ve bought 2 guitars here and the experience has been amazing both times. I’ll echo the praise of the owner and add that he’s a fair and kind person, only gives you what you’re looking for and doesn’t try to upsell you on anything. Quality and authentic service for sure.

One of the coolest shops if you are looking for pre-​war guitars. They can fix your gggreat grandfather’s guitar and make it look like new, too!

Marina music is the greatest music shop in LA. Come to a non corporate owned music shop with a very friendly and knowledgeable owner who is honest and fair. The shop specializes in used instruments of all kinds. They also have a really good repair guy with good prices and fast service. You can buy sell or trade here. Alex is also the inventor of the most amazing new music theory system and has a mobile app. check out his site:
I don’t work for him I’m just a big fan of his shop and music theory system.

Remember the old days when you could walk into a music shop and received a greeting and they let you play before hounding you to death to buy or leave and Remember the days when you walked into a guitar shop and there was much more to it than just the same old, same old?
Well, if you do, then this is the shop for you!
I could hear a kid getting a guitar lesson in the background and the gear is a nice mixture of cheapies for the beginner and new and vintage stuff for the connoisseur as well as drums & cymbals and other exotic gear like standup bass and banjos.
I wasn’t expecting much from this little unassuming shop and the clerk was nice and not a pain in the ass like the others are in the big-​box stores.

As others have noted, Alex is the owner of Marina Music and he is very knowledgeable about both music and music instruments. He recently educated me on an old (50 years old) accordion that I am trying to sell. He is generous with his time and always willing to share his knowledge of music with others.
Besides Alex, I also want to highlight Lou who is the guitar tech at Marina Music. Lou has worked on my guitars and knows a lot about the construction of guitars so he can fix any issues you may have with your guitar (both electric and acoustic).
Support your local businesses!

I’ve been a musician my whole life, been to music stores all over the county. This place is incredible! Alex has more passion for the business than anyone I’ve ever met. It shows in his service and pricing. Check this place out for repair or used gear, you won’t be disappointed.

This place rocks!
I came here in search of a distortion pedal for my guitar that wouldn’t break the bank (i.e., cheap girl’s Tube Screamer), and the owner pointed me towards the Boss DS-​1. Just tried it out at home, and for only 45 bucks, it’s amazing and packs a lot of punch. The settings allow for a lot of variety with the amount of fuzz you want. The guy at Marina Music was super nice and funny, and took the time to help me find the perfect pedal at a great price. Also, they don’t stare at you or push you to buy things the way stores like Guitar Center do.
Definitely coming back next time I need anything!

Alex, the owner, is nothing short of an amazing human being. Yes, his system for explaining music (Ecometry) is brilliant, and he’s really in it for the love of music. But to top it off, every time I’m broke and need to sell a piece of gear, he gives me the time of day and a fair price. Thanks, Alex! I’ll be sure to check out the new Ecometry App!
Namaste!

I walked in here looking for a capo, and walked out with a completely different understanding of music. Alex, the owner, is an absolute genius. He has the most amazing ideas about math and music that he is willing to share with anyone. I’m a classically trained flutest of almost 11 years, and just an hour with that man totally melted my brain. The fact that I spent $ 13 and he gave me an hour of his time shows how much he cares about his customers.
There is a great selection of guitars, a few banjos and ukuleles, and a couple other string and wind instruments. They have a little bit of everything. Their guitars start at $ 140. If you’re looking for a loud, knowledgable, Greek man to help you pick out a guitar, this is the place to go.

This spot rips. Alex is the man. He sold me this super-​bitchin’ 75 japanese Les Paul rip-​off for about ¹⁄₃ the price I would have paid at Guitar Center of some shop that has «vintage» or «retro» in the name.
People, there is nothing cool about buying gear at Guitar Center or Musicians friends. I’ve done it. I’m not proud of it. And I only do it after I’ve searched (hard) at places like Marina Music.
This is cool. I went in late. Right at closing time. And instead of getting rushed out, Alex sits me down in the back for a guitar lesson (free), tells me a story about the guitar I just bought (yeah, this was after I bought it), introduces me to a «bouzouki» (way cool sounding greek stringed instrument), and threw in this old killer guitar case free.

My journey to this place all started with a simple assignment in
High School about 10 yrs ago:
«Think of someone you’d like to find, and see if you can find them on the Internet.»
I thought of my 4^th grade teacher, he would play the guitar in class and introduced me to the Beatles.
I didn’t find him but I continued looking every once in a while.
Sometimes I got close, finding an article about him on a Colorado newspaper, but mostly had dead ends.
A couple of months ago I found his music in a children’s program online.
I emailed him and it led to a back and forth correspondence, which led
to me telling him how cool it was that he played guitar and I wish I could play, which led to him saying, «OK, here’s one of my guitars.»
So the guitar needed a lil bit of work, and I was directed by him and his friend who had been the caretaker of the guitar, to this place:
Marina Music Center.
I was nervous, I forgot what the guitar needed… how do I hold it?
As soon as I walked in my nerves were put to ease.
Lucio, the dude behind the counter right away said
«Let me guess, you broke a string.»
Yay! He didn’t notice right away that I had no idea how to play or even hold a guitar.
I explained it needed a string or 2.. .. .and other stuff.
He took it, carefully inspected it, and told me what it needed.
He said it with such assurance… he already KNEW this guitar better than I did. He made me feel like the guitar was in safe (and VERY knowledgeable hands).
When I came back, he remembered me and gave me a lot of advise on what to do and what not do to.
So now the goal is to learn how to play a song by/​for Christmas.
That might be tough, but I have comfort in knowing that if a string breaks, I can take it to Marina Music Center.