California Keyboards Music Center
Music store in Bakersfield, California
Google rating
4.6
Ratings counted
100
Are 1 or 2 star
7.0%Above typical
The rating breakdown
7 of the 100 ratings in Google’s published star breakdown for California Keyboards Music Center are one or two star.
Against other listings in Bakersfield
2.2 percentage points higher than the middle of the 14 listings in Bakersfield we can publish a rate for.
Google’s published star breakdown
| Rating | Distribution | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 star | 83 | 83.0% | |
| 4 star | 7 | 7.0% | |
| 3 star | 3 | 3.0% | |
| 2 star | 3 | 3.0% | |
| 1 star | 4 | 4.0% |
Counts as published by Google in its star breakdown, not the reviews we have read. Google also publishes a review count, which does not always match this total. Each row is rounded on its own, so the shares need not add to exactly 100%.
- 0–5%
- 7,048
- 5–10%
- 1,993
- 10–20%
- 1,265
- 20%+
- 454
The marker is California Keyboards Music Center at 7.0%. The typical mover among the 10,760 we can publish a rate for sits at 3.0%.
Every company with at least 20 ratings in Google’s published star breakdown. Rates come from those breakdowns, not from the reviews we have read.
What the complaints say
Moving goes wrong in a small number of specific ways. These are the ones reviewers describe in the low-star reviews we have read for California Keyboards Music Center, counted by matching the words they used.
- Price rose after the quote1 · 17%
Counted across the 6 one and two star reviews we have read for California Keyboards Music Center. A review can describe more than one problem, so these do not add to 100%. Each share is rounded on its own.
In their own words
Tl;dr - Was promised same day service. Left without anything done 4 days later. I phoned California Keyboards on Tuesday morning and asked, “If I buy a pack of strings, could I pay an extra fee to have you restring my guitar?” The person on the phone replied, “Yes. OR if you have your own pack of strings, you could just bring the pack and the guitar in and pay for a restring.” This was great news. I had a bunch of packs of strings since I order in bulk.
Rented a trumpet for my son's lessons at school for 2 years in the rent to own program. Called in two times to check balances and see if we were almost paid off since I never actually received a receipt for direct deposits. When I called they would give me balance info and options. Just called today because I knew it should be paid off by now. Then big surprise!
Beware of the rental charges. It is not rent to own. When you have earned enough "rental credits" to actually own the instrument, they will not let you know that and will continue to charge a monthly rental fee. I paid an additional $280 for my son's clarinet before I called to check the balance of what I owed. It was an auto-pay from my CC and I should have paid closer attention. That is my fault but I think it's pretty damn sketchy of California Keyboards to run their business this way.
It’s a whole process to rent an instrument. The contract is Ridiculous. They’ll only let you rent and OLD trombone (or any instrument for that matter) for minimum three months it’s not like the image they give that the rentals are only for a month. -_- would not recommend.
Very bad service. I try to stay local and support local businesses but this business has very bad business practices and will put fraudulent debt in your name. Do not let them take automatic payments from your account!
Service is bad. Called in a day early for a part and they told me to come in the next day they said they didn't have it because of a "mix up". My band grade is dropping since I can't practice without the part I need.
What satisfied customers point to
The same method, applied to the four and five star reviews. Most movers are praised for the same handful of things, so what is missing here is often as telling as what is present.
- Professional and courteous18 · 31%
- Worked hard and fast3 · 5%
- Kept in touch2 · 3%
- Price matched the quote1 · 2%
Counted across the 59 four and five star reviews we have read for California Keyboards Music Center. A review can mention more than one thing.
In their own words
We had the pleasure of purchasing a piano recently and the process couldn’t have been smoother. Daniel was extremely professional, very responsive and so knowledgeable. The store had a good selection and we were happy with our choice. The delivery process was also super quick, professional and hassle free. After the piano was delivered, Daniel came over to make sure it sounds perfect. He was thorough and found a slight issue, which he spent a good half hour fixing. I’m so thankful for his time and expertise.
They replaced my guitar strings well and at a fair price. However, the repair time is uncertain.
Let me preface this by saying that I have known Ed Tomlinson owner of California Keyboards for years through the Bakersfield Music Community and as members of Grace Bible Church. A year ago, July 2025, my wife and I relocated to Searcy, Arkansas. We settled in and began attending a sister church, The Bible Church of Beebe. This is a small church with a small but growing congregation with a couple of guitarists and a very fine 27 year old pianist.
I can't say enough good things about this place and their employees! My daughter rents her violin there and we always get 5 star treatment ! I highly recommend this place to anyone looking for anything to do with instruments. The staff always goes out of their way to help us and make sure we are happy when we leave. Great customer service and very polite and never ever do they make you feel like you are a bother even when it's something small you need assistance with. Highly highly recommend this business !
What Google’s own summary highlights
Google surfaces topics it finds across a business’s reviews. They skew positive across every mover we hold, so treat them as a summary of what this company is praised for rather than a balanced picture.
- friendly staff26
- new piano12
- accommodating staff5
- trumpet5
- piano repair4
- piano tuning3
- instrument purchase3
- clean atmosphere2
- rental program2
- violin rental2