Musical Instrument Store Near Me for Vintage Gear in SoMa: Real Guitars

Real Guitars sits at 15 Lafayette Street, a short alley that runs south from Mission Street between 11th and 12th streets, and it has been selling used and vintage instruments from the same room since 1986. Amplifiers are stacked toward the ceiling, old lap steels hang near Telecasters, and the staff will happily talk for twenty minutes about a pickup. For anyone typing musical instrument store near me in SoMa, this is the city's oldest guitar shop and a genuine neighborhood hangout.

The shop's own FAQ puts it plainly: Real Guitars opened in 1986 and has been in the same location ever since, selling nothing but used and vintage gear. A 2017 KALW radio feature pinned the opening to February 1986 and called it the oldest vintage guitar shop in San Francisco. Today the business is run by Chris Cobb and Ben Levin, and the website still describes the place as a mom and pop operation.

Cobb told KALW that the store needs a bigger space, yet it would not feel right anywhere other than Lafayette Street, because it is the kind of shop he haunted as a teenager in the 1970s. Levin compared it to a corner store, where people drift in to argue about politics, movies and television. Cobb's son Jesse grew up among the amps, and a Yelp reviewer in September 2026 still mentioned Jesse by name.

Walking in, Real Guitars is the first room you reach, but it is not the only tenant. KALW counted a constellation of five shops crammed into the building, each feeding the others. Behind the sales floor, past the basses and the pre-statehood ukuleles made of Hawaiian koa, the reporter found a repair bench where touring acts such as Metallica and the Rolling Stones have brought broken instruments when their tours reached the Bay Area.

Ransom told KALW he has built for old school San Francisco bands like Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead. The building has enough character that Woody Allen shot a scene for Blue Jasmine inside it.

The inventory leans heavily toward American and Japanese electrics with some miles on them. Recent listings on the shop's electric guitar page included a 1966 Epiphone Casino, a 1978 Fender Telecaster, a Teisco Spectrum 5, a 1959 Kay Sizzler and a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Jr. at $10,000. Oddballs sit right beside the blue chip pieces, such as a Coral Firefly, a Hopf Saturn 63 and a Hohner The Prinz.

The most distinctive corner is the other stringed instruments section. A wartime Bakelite Rickenbacker steel, a 1937 Rickenbacker steel, a 1935 National Triolian tenor and a 1918 Gibson A1 mandolin have all appeared there, along with a Pilot tenor banjo and a 1920s Washburn banjolin. Beginners are not shut out either; a folk art ukulele was listed at $60, proof that the room is not only for collectors with deep pockets.

The homepage now announces Real Guitars Instrument Repair, offering setups, refrets, pickup installation and more, and the repairs page describes guitar and bass repairs and modifications alongside sales of used and vintage parts. A bassist on Yelp wrote in April 2026 that after a bad experience at a national chain, the shop finished the job on time, under budget and with good communication.

Bring the instrument in person if you want a value. Verbal appraisals are free, written appraisals carry a charge and require an appointment, and the store does not appraise by phone. Real Guitars buys guitars, amps and accessories, tends to avoid recent imports, consigns selected pieces for a 20 percent fee and is always open to trades. Amp repair is no longer done on site, though staff will point you to local technicians.

This is a small, crowded space with amplifiers stacked high and pedals spilling out of the back office, so move slowly and keep bags close to your body. Ask before pulling a guitar off the wall, and let staff plug you into an amp rather than reaching for knobs yourself. The FAQ says used gear is sold as is with no returns, so play anything you are serious about for a while before paying.

With only six hours of trading a day, an unhurried weekday afternoon gives you the best chance to try several amps and talk through a purchase with Cobb or Levin. If a piece is out of reach financially today, the shop will hold an instrument for 30 days with a nonrefundable deposit. Payment options include cash, major credit cards and PayPal, and the FAQ jokes that beads and wampum work too.

Lafayette is a short alley tucked off Mission Street, close to where Market Street, Van Ness Avenue and South Van Ness meet, one of the busiest crossings in the city. Jesse Cobb described it to KALW as a nondescript building on an isolated, dirty street, which is part of its charm. Walk north a few blocks and the commercial bustle of Market Street takes over.

Zuni Café on Market Street, open since February 15, 1979, is the obvious reward after an afternoon of trying amps. Its brick-lined room, wood-fired oven and roast chicken for two have earned James Beard awards. For live music, Rickshaw Stop on Fell Street books indie and touring bands throughout the fall of 2026, and it is close enough that you could pick up strings at Real Guitars and still arrive before doors open.

According to the contact page, Real Guitars is open Monday through Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm and closed on Sunday. Email goes to info@realguitars.com, and the store ships guitars within the United States, although heavy amps and overseas orders are excluded.

Transit is easy. The Van Ness Muni Metro station at Market Street is a short walk north, and the 14 Mission bus runs along Mission Street, steps from the mouth of the alley. Drivers can rely on what the FAQ calls ample street parking in the neighborhood. Since the doors close at 5 pm, aim to arrive by mid afternoon so you have enough time to plug in and play.