Folk Music Center

Location:Good, Parking : Okay, Service: knowledgeable, instruments: varied. Overall: First time stop and was amazed at the amount of unique instruments they had. Glad to see that this kind of place still exists when many have gone by the wayside. The area was not busy, so I can not rate as to how business is doing. I do wish this local seller continued success as it seems they have a decent clientele based on other reviews.

After considering various options, I decided to donate this broken Charango to you. I purchased it in Chiapas, Mx in 2006 after spending a month ethnography with the EZLN. I know you have the resources to restore it. Please enjoy.

Wasted my time coming here to try and sell instruments. Dropped them off and came back later in the day 40mi round trip — they wouldn’t give me a quote over the phone or email and then wanted ME to tell them how much I wanted…I didn’t even know their worth. Flat out rejected the sale when I gave a number. Seems ridiculous. Sub-par customer service. Cluttered store. Better off just functioning as a museum.

Fantastic selection of stringed instruments for sale and an array of world instruments of all types on display as an exhibit.

The Folk Music Center is a classic Claremont institution that was started by the Chase family and continued by their children and grandchildren. The most famous grandchild is the Grammy winning musician Ben Harper. However his mother and his brother are artists in their own right. If you watch my video in photos, it shows a long line of people standing in 95° weather to have their shot at open mic night on the little stage under scores of world instruments that are carefully displayed like a museum.

Beautiful places with so many different instruments, every music lover should go!!!

A truly wonderful music store, with expert and dedicated staff. One of a kind!

Great place to spend time with the family and learn about different instruments. Always a fun time at this store.

Amazing collection of folk instruments alongside all sorts of string instruments. The staff love what they do and it shows. Great place for beginners as they'll help guide you to the appropriate path on your musical journey.

Henry Barnes is the man I trust to work on my guitars. He’s a seasoned, professional, and excellent luthier. Plus he’s great to talk shop with, very personable and loves people! If you are looking for a trustworthy luthier to work on your instruments, look no further than Folk Music Center.