Max Karaoke Studio

I have been coming to Max Karaōke for more than 10 years since high school and I have always loved coming except for yesterday when the guy working there was unbearably rude to me and my friend. I asked for Japanese and he automatically gave me the IPAD even though I wanted Joysound. Then he raised his voice and scolded me for not being sure what system I wanted and showed an annoyed face the whole time. He later said that all the joysound systems were being used so we would have to come back in 15 minutes. I contemplated waiting but was so upset that my friend and I took the bus to Koreatown for karaōke instead. I don’t know his name but he had glasses and was in his late 30s to 40s. The day we went was Tuesday at 6:30pm (May 17). I have very rarely had bad customer service experience with Japanese places but this was over the top. Hope customer service improves so I can come back…:(
I don’t give reviews on Unilocal and I would have given ratings on quality of the sound system and variety of songs instead of the customer service but I looked on their site and there was no management contact information so I can only write here.

Fun strip mall karaōke spot. There is parking and it is BYOB with a liquor store a few doors down. I was here for the first time this weekend and wasn’t disappointed. We called and made a reservation and it was very easy to set up and it was ready upon arrival. Small place but does the trick. Songs were good with plenty of variety and I am a overall fan.

Meh. It’s cool cuz it’s close and the only NRB in the west la area.
Parking is ok except when you get there too early someone will charge you to park. The BS part is that the later you come, he leaves and parking is free. Whack!
The rooms are dingy. The girls room was flooding when we went so we had to use the boys room. Music is pretty up to date, but there are so many better options if you don’t mind driving out of west la. Took a picture of their lighting to show how boring and bland the space is. No strobe lights, no color in the room, nothing to even make it look decent, but again, it just happened to be convenient that night.
Best part is BYOB and they charge an extra $ 1 per person. That’s not a bad deal lol.

UCLA students frequent here since it’s close to campus. They have a happy hour from 4−8pm where it’s only $ 4 an hour for Monday to Thursday and it’s $ 5 for Friday to Sunday. Song selection was expansive but the karaōke equipment was pretty primitive and there was no option to turn on vocals lol. There’s literally just a keypad to punch in the ID numbers for the song.
Another thing was that they were booked until midnight so my advice is to call ahead to make sure that there’s a room available.
On the bright side, I talked to the staff person and he let my party have an hour since the other party was running late or something. Overall, not the best karaōke spot I’ve been to but if you’re in sawtelle it’s an option.

ok well, let’s just say I better keep doing good work at my current job. Seem’s like «singing» isn’t and won’t ever be an alternate career for me. Nevertheless, I had a blast at this place.
I came here with a group of 18, we roll like that. Anyways, I have not done Karaōke in years and am happy that I made it out. However after everything was set and done I think this place is average. A couple of things I didnt like is no validation for parking, prices are NOT cheap or fair if you ask me. The rooms were fairly clean and it did fit us fairly well. Luckily it didnt get too hot in there since I had read other reviews about this being an issue. They had one restroom working which was a nightmare even for guys.
I would still recommend this place if you have no other option though. I think i would try other locations first and see how they fair with this one. The machines aren’t up to date but they worked just fine and sound wasnt too bad either.

I don’t have anything to say except the following image…

I often get lost in singing here and lose track of time. It’s my karaōke go to, which I absolutely adore. But let’s be real, they 100% need more gangsta rap.

Worst fucking karaōke bar I’ve been to.
The story is I visited this place with my girlfriend and her friend, and the girl working there had the most uninterested attitude I’ve ever seen in my whole fucking life. She just didn’t give a fuck, but whatever we were here to sing.
Went inside and the music was fucked up, she didn’t even tried to see if that shit was working beforehand, anyways, we burned 15 minutes just trying to set this stupid shit up. Worst fucking customer service I’ve ever had in my life man, seriously don’t go here.
One more thing, AC was off, so its even harder to breathe there, what the flying fuck? Lol
If you wanna go karaōke, just to to Ktown or other places, do yourself a favor and steer yourself away from this shit place.

By far THE WORST KARAOKE EVER. That’s all I got to say but I will elaborate on this.
The guy who «helped» us was probably Japanese because he spoke really bad English and VERY unprofessional (I mean there is absolutely nothing professional about this place so whatever I guess…) and unfriendly if I put it in a much nicer way). We were put into a karaōke room with absolutely no explanation or what so ever. The machine was a piece of shit, the remote thing did not even work. Every single button on the keypad was broken and we asked the guy how to work it and he did not say anything but just looked at us like we are such idiots. I guess we cannot expect too much from a person working for a job that would only pay you minimum wage. But at least do your job…
The karaōke machine or whatever you call it was a very bad quality as well. Everything seemed to be from Youtube.
When we wanted to pay in the end, we asked the guy how much that would be and he ignored us and took out a calculator and took his sweet ass time to figure out the cost. Really? It says $ 4/​person right there. The final cost was $ 11.99 for 3 people. This is exactly why I avoid being friends with people from Japan who are here for whatever reasons while they are «studying» at ESL… lol

If you don’t expect too, too much from your Karaōke studio, Max Karaōke Studio will exceed your expectations. Otherwise, it may feel mediocore at best. Max Karaōke is a fairly basic Karaōke spot in Sawtelle due to its plain karaōke rooms and somewhat clunky karaōke operating system. However, content over form, what else do you need besides a working karaōke machine, a room with your friends to bellow out a song or ten, and as a added bonus, the opportunity to bring your own booze [FYI: It is $ 10 per person if you bring drinks + drink services]
Located in a plaza in the heart of Sawtelle, there is adjacent parking lot. A major plus is that is is located next to Nijiya Market and Max allows outside beverages. Thus, do please get all the soju, beer, sake, etc next door and bring it in. It was about $ 12−13/hr though they have an happy hour that is $ 5 from 2pm to 5pm or so from what I saw. They keep their karaōke system fairly updated so there is a good amount of songs you’d currently hear on the radio. Despite their system and use of iPads, it is definitely a little laggy. But rest assured, they have classics aplenty that will be played.
Overalls, the quality of the place is fairly decent, but at the end of the day, you just want a karaōke system that works and a simple room to sing in, and this place delivers.
Would make a reservation before going if you can.

Great happy hour deals (no alcohol, but cheap karaōke!) While the system isn’t fancy as some KTV places I’ve gone too, the book system is reliable and pretty updated. They have a majority of the popular English songs and you can even look on the website if you’re that dedicated to certain songs. They also have other language books (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc.)
The rooms aren’t super nice, but comfortable enough to spend 1 – 2 hours in. The volume can also be a bit loud but is easy to adjust and there has been less feedback here than other places around.
Come before 8 pm to get the Happy Hour deal and you can sing happily for a discount!

What the hell. Here with my GF, and apparently there’s nothing but karaōke? No liquor, and they don’t allow you to bring in?
This place is garbage. Get a liquor license like the real karaōke joints, losers!

KARAOKE!!! This is a simple, no frills, private karaōke place.
Happy hour (1pm-​8pm every day) is the best time to go. Its $ 4/​per person on M-​Th and $ 5/​per person F-​S. You get your own private room and just sing your heart away. They have plenty of different languages and lots of new songs. It is BYOB for $ 1/​pp. There is a liquor store on the corner or you can stop by Nijiya for drinks/​snacks.
Great place to kill some time if you are waiting for dinner nearby or just want to SING SING SING. Dim the lights, have a few drinks and sing your favorite hits!

Hands-​down my favorite karaōke joint in Southern California. They have THE best selection of English songs including the most recent chart toppers like Taylor Swift’s Wildest Dreams… (Yes I am one of those T-​Swift converts post 1989 release.)
Late night reservations are highly recommended especially on the weekends as this place can get packed. Just call them and give them your name, day, number of people and they’ll usually let you know when the rooms are available. Be prepared to tell them how many hours you want to reserve.
Another reason why this place is my go-​to is that the prices are actually quite reasonable. They even have happy hour prices for warbling hours before 8pm everyday! They do keep track of every person going in to your room when they calculate the tab. Room rates go up per hour as more people join, but the per person charge comes out less that way. Check out my newest price list pic.
They have an awesome app for your iPhone/​iPad so that you can pick and enter songs in to the system right from your device instead of having to look through those grimy books. Although sometimes I prefer flipping through those pages… Many a new song inspiration have sprouted when I randomly flip through. Just wish they had more books by artist rather than title. I also should ask this they have Chinese songs too… Not that I can really sing Chinese songs. Lol
Yes you can bring in your own food and drinks (get them easily from Nijiya Market next door– shrimp chips and rice crackers!) but they will charge you a nominal fee per person. Max also has a selection of snacks, albeit limited.
Some things that I wish they’d improve upon (in no particular order):
1. Sound system– not the best that I’ve experienced. Of course it’s passable so that Max is still my #1, but it would be even better if the music and mic were clearer, more consistent volume levels etc.
2. Give us tambourines and other fun stuff to play with!
3. Furniture that isn’t all ripped up.
4. Fun disco lights to pump up the atmosphere!
5. Hvac controls– it’s either hot and stuffy or freezing cold.
6. Korean-​style server call buttons.
7. More food options! (One suggestion-​Partner with the nearby restaurants who can deliver!)
Even without these improvements, Max is still my favorite and I will definitely keep going there!

I stopped here on a whim one Friday during happy hour. Paid $ 5 to sing for an hour. It was great! They have a TON of songs and allow you to bring in food and drinks. This place is awesome!
The guy even told me you that they can record your songs for $ 3 + $ 3 for a CD (or you can bring your own).
It’s a fun and unique place to take people who are visiting from out of town. You can have dinner at one of the many restaurants in the neighborhood and pop in for an hour to sing. You won’t regret it!

This place gets 5 stars under the banner of «Loving it for what it is.» SUPER divvy. Little old, a little dingy, the air conditioning unit in the room was leaking, and we had a BLAST. I had a room FULL of people and, although the rules say one thing, without flaunting it, we brought in adult beverages and were left to enjoy our time. The songbook was THE BEST I have ever seen. Would recommend to ANYONE and will be back soon.

Not bad during happy hour! HUGE song selection updated with current popular songs of the month. They even have a FEW books listed with asian songs! It’s kind of funny to hear other people singing when you’re in the hallway because the walls are SUPER thin.
Heads up, happy hour ENDS right at 8pm so it’s not like you can get the HH price if you come at like 7:50pm.
I’ll continue to come here with my friends because it’s convenient!

This is one of the few box-​style karaōke places near Westwood, making it an extremely in-​demand location. The machine setups are usually great, and the guidebooks make it easy to locate songs in both the English and Japanese systems.
However, the karaōke fun is usually dampened by rude customer service. One employee in particular, who always seems to be working when I come by, is extremely terse and makes you feel quite unwelcome. When asked if we could extend for another hour on one visit, she just laughed.
On weekends this place is quite busy, so don’t expect to just walk in.

Very mixed feelings about this place, but I will line out some of the major things to know.
I would only ever come here for happy hour when it’s $ 4 or $ 5 per person because otherwise, it wouldn’t justify some of the subpar things about this place. You may bring your own food for I believe a charge of $ 1 per person. If you ask the man working in the front, he can bring out huge Japanese and Chinese song books. They have a ‘Latest Songs’ book and I see that their other song books have a month and year on them so I think they update those often too – lots of songs to choose from! There is a light dimming knob on the side. Most, if not all, of their English songs will not have vocals available so it’s just you and your voice doing the magic. Rooms are worn and old, but it wasn’t dirty or anything so I didn’t mind too much.
Yes, this review is written mostly bearing in mind that the prices are so cheap and nothing was strikingly bad. You also don’t need to be over 21 like most other places so that was also a plus. If you can indulge then definitely find a nicer place, but if you’re desperate to get your karaōke fix then Max Karaōke will do it.

A few friends and I took advantage of their happy hour special on Saturday. We got a room from 6:30 — 8PM (HH ends at 8), $ 5 per person per hour. Also, it’s BYOB for an extra $ 1 per person, and I believe 20 cents per styrofoam cup. (There is also a liquor store right across this place — yeah, I know, we started hella early haha.)
The rooms are not sound-​proof, could hear the other rooms haha. Super dingy and divey… sound and mic qualities aren’t great, but for the closest private karaōke room for me on the westside, we had a good time. Songs were up to date, only American songs, no Asian songs. They also did have a private AC in our room which was nice.
There is valet parking in the plaza, and street parking (metered and neighborhood) around this place.
In regarding reservations, you will need to fork over your credit card number to reserve a room (regardless of how many people) if you try to make one in advance. However, you don’t have to do that on the day of.
I might be back if I don’t want to trek over to ktown.