Mark’s Guitar Exchange

I have taken 3 guitars to Mark for various things like installing new pickups, wiring, fret work and neck work. All three guitars came out excellent! I am more than happy with the work Mark has done for me. And I have been to other guitar shops in SD — some expensive and some were complete jokers. I will only take my guitars to Mark now!!!

I’ve been in here a few times and spent a lot of money. There is no doubt that Mark knows his stuff but that doesn’t make up for the poor customer service. I took in my amp for an easy modification and was told it would be $ 50 and take a week. After bugging them for two and a half weeks and never getting any answers about where my amp is, or how long it will be, or getting a call with an update like they promised, I finally get it back just now, but for $ 120 instead of $ 50. I asked Mark about it and he replies. «What can I say, now its $ 120» I can deal with poor service if the price is right, but nothing is cheap here. I will go elsewhere from now on…

SO friendly!!! What a place! I had just gotten a Fender strat on Monday, but I needed strings and a tremolo arm. I had been planning to go to AMX in Encinitas, but instead chose Mark’s because I knew I’d be in the area… could not have made a better decision! I stepped in and was instantly overwhelmed by the array of instruments, picks, and straps on display. Electric ukuleles? I’m sure they have them. The man Jeff behind the counter was really helpful and got me what I needed right away. I was worried because I needed my guitar by Tuesday for school but wasn’t sure how long i would take, but Desiree jumped right on it and was able to get the strings on in no time. Great quality service, friendly people, and a great bang for your buck! Wouldn’t go anywhere else!

Great place, highly recommended. Nice people, awesome help. Bought my Martin LX1E here: D

Highly recommended! Mark is extremely knowledgeable and knew exactly what my guitar needed. I called in over the phone and told him what I needed done on the guitar. He told me to come on in and he could do it while I waited! I came in and he fixed my guitar right in front of me while I watched! I was very impressed with his work, and my guitar plays SO much better! Mark does excellent work, and I can’t recommend his shop highly enough. Get in there!

My son’s beloved Charvel Desolation guitar was out of whack. We brought it to Mark’s Guitar on Midway, and not only did the gentleman behind the counter (owner/​manager ???) fix/​tune his guitar in a matter of minutes, he also showed my son how to remedy this on his own should it ever happen again. You don’t find care and kindness like this in many places these days — highly recommend!!!

Needed a banjo case. Called Mark’s and sure enough they had a perfect fitting hard shell case. Not cheap, not expensive… but exactly what I needed. Mark also took a look at my Epiphone banjo and noticed I’d not fully set it up. He explained the issues, made some adjustments and sent me on my way with a better sounding banjo.
Much thanks, Mark!

Cool that it’s close. Not a huge store and concentrated mostly on guitars. Which is cool they are called marks guitar exchange after all. They have some pretty decent guitars and a lot of beginner guitars. I didn’t find what I was looking for but someone might

I’d actually give them 2 stars or lower but I don’t wanna be a bad guy. I had my fender double fat stat worked on by mark the owner. I was really impressed with the way it sounded and felt afterwards. If I wrote this review back then id give them 5 stars. A year or so later I had a pick up installed in my Martin hd35. A 30 year old guitar passed down to me from my mom. I’ve been playing for over 20 yrs so I am in no way an amateur. That being said this I what I’m mad about. The guy put 2 cracks in my guitar while installing this pick up. Each a inch and a half coming from the hole where the new pick up was put. I didn’t get a call about this or anything. Just a call saying it was ready. When I saw it he acted like it was no big deal. I shoulda gave him hell but I didn’t. Long story short. I’ll go there to get strings and stuff but if mark the owner isn’t working on my guitar then it’s not happening at all. That particular guy messed up badly. Hopefully he gets way better or let go. I should of caused a huge seen. I really really should have

I took my acoustic guitar and back packer guitar in to be restrung. I didn’t ask the price, cuz what — I’m not going to play the guitar because strings are too expensive? Fortunately it was reasonably priced. I think $ 45 for both, parts and labor. They even cleaned them! Mark’s has a large selection for sale, along with accessories. The two gentlemen who helped me were attentive and cool. I bought the acoustic there years ago and am very happy with it.
It shares a parking lot with Kristies V.I.P. and the lot was rather trashy and bum laden. Lock your car!

This place was great — they helped me fix a sadly broken inexpensive guitar that holds a lot of sentimental value (it was the acoustic my dad plaid for us as kids). The neck had become completely detached from the base of the guitar, and they fixed & restrung it for a total of $ 62 with tax. The sentimental value was worth it to me for such a good price!”I asked all sorts of random questions while I was in there since I’m wanting to start learning to play, and he was extremely accomodating — even pulling down guitars and playing examples of the music he was referencing on the different types of guitars.
Fast, affordable, reliable, non-​judgemental to my spending money on fixing an inexpensive guitar, and friendly. I’d definitely return!

Great spot full of great music enthusiasts. Very helpful, great selection of guitars.

Cute little shop with some friendly people inside. They were honest about service and cost. I’d come back for all my guitar needs.

Huge selection of guitar straps! Huge selection of fender guitars and amplifiers. I recently purchases a fender amp and got out with a good deal.
From what I understand Mark himself bought the store back in the last year or two, so some of these old reviews seem out dated. This is a good place to go, and one of the last small guitar shops in town. Support local business! Death to guitar center!!!

Mark is a good egg and knows his stuff… this is a store that feels and operates with a local vibe… what it does not have in big space it gains in musical knowledge… Mark actually understands guitars… have never had a bad experience, buying, having repairs made, or asking for reputable advice.
It is great to see a dedicated local shop that is rightfully supported by it’s community.

I don’t really feel right writing a review for this place. We only went in for a set of strings and a Capo, and were in there for maybe five minutes. We didn’t have a whole lot of time in there, see, so I feel like anything I write should be taken with a grain of salt.
Okay, first off, the shop is tiny, and they share a parking lot with the bar next door. There’s a sign that says there’s extra parking across the street, but I challenge you to find that for me. We were lucky to find a spot in the shade in the back, but it was a tight squeeze for my big car.
Like I said, the shop itself is tiny, but we were greeted right away. My husband went to the guy at the counter and asked for the strings and the Capo, and he hopped right to helping us. He got the two products, and handed them off to the girl at the register. There was a bit of confusion at that point (I think she pushed a button that froze the machine), but they were good-​humored about it.
If you’re looking for guitars, basses (is «basses» a word?), lutes or ukuleles, this is a good place to stop. Friendly staff and a ton of inventory. If you’re not looking for a custom-​made piece, I’d recommend giving this place a whirl.

Cool small little shop, the owner seems like he knows a lot. not a huge selection, but enough to not have to drive farther to other locations for your basic needs.

Mark is one of the few people in town with actual inventory of quality guitars. I was lucky to chance upon his store as he was the only one with an American Telecaster in the color I wanted.
Mark is a very interesting guy and was awesome to talk to while he took the extra time to properly restring and setup my new guitar (pro-​bono).
I’ll be coming back!

I went in there looking to buy a guitar and the guy working there was not that friendly. I didn’t get the vibe the worker wanted to make money. Horrible location and poor communication skills. I really was surprised to find this place in that locale in the first place. It is not that inviting of an area, and to top it off the guy is a little bit rude. Make some long lasting business connections and your store will grow beyond the ghetto. He was even surprised someone came in the shop. Don’t bother with this one.

No idea why the bad reviews. My experience with Mark finally made me sign up for Unilocal so I could submit a review about what a great job he did.
I had been to 2 other places (wont name) as my guitar was buzzing and finally called up Marks Guitar Exchange. Mark answered and said bring it on down.
I live nearby so I showed up in about 10 minutes and Mark dropped what he was doing and worked on my guitar immediately. Long story short, made a few adjustments changed out my saddle and bam… guitar is better than it has ever been and the price was more than reasonable. I have paid more to have my guitar set up at other places and all they did was take my money. I am definitely a customer of Marks for life!
Thank you Mark!!!