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Guitar shops worth the trip in San Diego

A county, not a city — Kearny Mesa, Point Loma and Escondido are forty minutes apart on a good day. Thinner than Los Angeles by a wide margin, and several shops that show up in listings publish no address at all, so call before committing to the drive.

Coast Sonic (opens in a new tab)

2270 Camino Vida Roble, Suite N, Carlsbad 92011

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Phone: (844) 468-8663

A Carlsbad specialist and flagship boutique-pedal dealer — Strymon, Old Blood Noise, Fairfield — paired with what it calls the largest Japanese-market Fender selection in California, boutique amps and custom pickups. A pedal-and-oddball- guitar stop up in North County, showroom open weekday afternoons.

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WildCat Guitars (opens in a new tab)

2750 Auto Park Way, Ste 21, Escondido 92029

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Phone: (760) 300-3569

Fender Custom Shop Showcase dealer, Gibson Custom Shop Super Dealer and PRS Private Stock signature dealer — three designations that are individually hard to hold and rarely stack in one room outside a major metro. Anyone hunting current-production custom-shop instruments has a real reason to make the drive north to Escondido, which is otherwise a long way from anything else in this entry. New and boutique rather than vintage.

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Imperial Vintage Guitars San Diego (opens in a new tab)

7878 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, Unit F, San Diego 92111

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Phone: (858) 222-0161

The San Diego room of the four-store Imperial operation — Burbank, Sherman Oaks, Orange and here — whose Burbank shop also appears in this guide. Second hand and vintage, curated rather than piled up, and the shared inventory across stores means anything can be moved down for a look. Kearny Mesa, in a strip that gives no hint of it from the road. The chain posts Monday to Saturday hours with Sunday by appointment; no per-store hours are published.

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Mark's Guitar Exchange (opens in a new tab)

3233 Midway Dr, San Diego 92110

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Phone: (619) 221-9011

Independent, locally owned, and carrying enough inventory to be the default first stop in the city rather than a specialist detour. Repairs and setups are offered against a published price list, which at least means the numbers are known before anything is handed over. Point Loma, near the sports arena. A second location trades in Chula Vista.

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